Jazz, June and Read Soon by Cory

Jazz, June and Read Soon by Cory - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

As a high school senior, from time to time you might hear, “I don’t read”, “I just watch movies and television shows” or “I will look online for a summary of the book.” In this day and age, the internet might be viewed as detrimental because it enables students’ to get their facts from websites instead of reading published books and current newspapers. There are “one in a million” moments in literature when your classmates are enthralled by a book while sitting in English class and not staring at their cell phones. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was that moment for my classmates and me.

We all change and grow throughout the course of time. For the duration of students’ high school years, we try to reinvent themselves and sometimes be someone we are not in the process. The Great Gatsby resonated this theme. One of the main characters, Gatsby, elevates himself from poverty to impress Daisy whom he loves most in the world. Gatsby perceives Daisy as pure perfection as she is not tainted by the evils of society. The more you learn about Daisy, the veil slowly lifts from your eyes, yet Gatsby remains blinded by her charms. Daisy is merely a conniving, selfish, and uncaring woman. This resembles the beginning of high school for most students as you realize some people you thought were good friends turn out to be strangers similar to pieces of a big puzzle that simply do not fit. Gatsby and Daisy may be viewed as mismatched puzzle pieces that simply do not coincide with Gatsby’s blind view of the American Dream. Sadly, there will always be Gatsbys’ and Daisys in the world in which we live.

After my classmates and I read The Great Gatsby, we realized just how similar we were to these characters. Daisy and Gatsby were not perfection nor are my classmates or myself. People can be cold and uncaring yet they can also be gentle and kind. Even when confronted with the worst of situations, you can work through it with perseverance and ethics. At times, we may feel as if we are standing still while the whole world keeps evolving yet that is an illusion. I have learned these morals from The Great Gatsby and can relate them to my current reality. You cannot always choose what happens in life yet you have a choice on how to react to a situation. A great book is thought provoking and gives a new perspective on prior and future experiences. “The Great Gatsby” definitely exceeded my expectations in those areas and philosophy of life.