Much like that in Shakespeare’s work, Fitzgerald uses the weather as a motif in the novel to characterize the moods of the situations and thus the weather in Great Gatsby undoubtedly reflects the emotions and narrative of the story and therefore creates the scene. Indeed the weather descriptions works like a barometer, reflecting Gatsby’s feelings. When Gatsby tends to be nervous or unhappy, it rains; when he becomes happy or excited, it shines; when he calms down at night, the weather then is clear and quiet. This can be viewed in Chapter 1 Nick’s description of Spring, the leaves coming on the trees and the sun shining, he states "...that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again..”. Again in Chapter 5 the element of weather is used, upon Gatsby’s and Daisy’s reunion beginning in the pouring rain representing the tensions and awkwardness between the two creating a melancholy scene. This use of weather reveals Gatsby’s inner world feelings. For instance, “The day agreed upon was pouring rain.” Gatsby hasn’t met Daisy for almost five years. He doesn’t have any idea of how Daisy would react when they meet each other so his inner world is struggling. However as their love reawakens “After half an hour, the sun shone again.” The weather clears as does Gatsby’s struggle “he literally glowed.”
Towards the conclusion of the novel we see Gatsby’s climactic confrontation with Tom, as tensions rise as does the climate. The occurrence happens on the hottest day of the summer, under the blistering sun the heat intensifying the tensions between the two. Also present in Chapter 7 is Gatsby’s hope of attaining his love for Daisy their relationship happens to peak on the hottest day of the summer thus in hand their love is at the greatest point. In turn Gatsby’s hope is the highest it has been all summer.
Chapter 8 concludes the use of weather in the novel as the weather dramatically shifts from summer to autumn Gatsby’s hope of love with Daisy falls negatively downhill thus Autumn represents the death of Gatsby’s dreams, however by still clinging to his hopes Gatsby floats in the pool, a happier pastime of summer, despite a palpable chill in the air a symbolic attempt to stop and restore his relationship with Daisy in 1917, and thus is killed by Wilson on the first day of Autumn.

Geography and Social Class in the Great Gatsby and Modern United States

Geography and social class in the Great Gatsby was and still is reflection of both contemporary United States and in the United States today. Geography sets a clear divide between the main, key characters in the novel. Even though it's representation in a literal sense depicts life more in 1920's it still holds some truth in today's society in the United States.

East Egg is representative of the old values of America. This can be seen by Nick moving back to East Egg. Nick represents a paradigm of virtue, alliterated in the first page when he talks of 'not judging others' and how others may not be as fortunate as he would be. West Egg is representative of new money and new wealth and the Valley of Ashes is representative of the decay of the American Dream. New York City represents the immoral pursuit of wealth and a lavish lifestyle.

The geography in this novel sets a scene so the audience can better understand how environment can have a baring on social class and mobility. For example, the very name: 'The Valley of Ashes' lends an idea to the audience that this area in the novel is like a 'wasteland', where the outcasts and people of the lower classes dwell. This in contrast to somewhere like New York City (a state of high fashion, high culture and wealth during the 1920's) shows up an interesting Binary Opposition and the differences between the different classes are better highlighted through their setting and environment.

This is still true to this day in terms of location and social class. Geography has a very strong baring on how one will fair in social status and social mobility. If someone is born in an underprivledged area, such as the projects, they are less likely to succeed than someone who is born into a middle class family in the suburbs. So in terms of this, this was an accurate representation made by Fitzgerald.

Can money buy you love or happiness?

The Great Gatsby main theme in the novel is money, love and happiness. By exploring these themes and how the characters portray them can help justify if money can buy love and/or happiness. When we are introduced to Gatsby we understand that from some hard work, family and inheritance from Dan Cody, he is rich. We may assume that he has the perfect life due to his grand mansion and money, however he has no wife or kids and is alone. We learn that Gatsby and Daisy used to have a 'thing' for one another when Gatsby was in the military, he lied to her by convincing her he has a wealthy background, this then led to them falling in love. This could mean that Daisy is after one thing in life to be married to a wealthy man, to have an easy life. However after Gatsby left to war not long after Daisy met Tom Buchanan, a man from an aristocratic family, who promised her wealth and happiness.
By exploring Tom and Daisy in more detail we learn that although they do have money, they don't actually seem happy. This is defined in Tom having an affair with Myrtle which conveys the feelings that Tom clearly is not happy or in love with Daisy as he has had to find another women to occupy himself with. Daisy too is aware of the affair as she says about her daughter she hopes she grows up to be a beautiful fool. This simply means that ignorance is sometime bliss, she needs to stay with Tom to have a comfortable lifestyle and maybe in some case to do with money be happy.
This two characters show that although they have money neither are actually in love or happy with themselves or partner.
Myrtle is also aware that Tom has a wife but this doesn't seem to stop her having an affair with a married man, even though herself is too married. Myrtle stays with Tom, believing that he may leave Daisy and in fact offer her a life filled with wealth, a high class society lifestyle and happiness. Although we could debate whether Myrtle is in this relationship for the riches life.
All these character seem to not have someone they truly love; Gatsby is in love and tries to win over Daisy although he does not have her, but its clear that not one of these characters are happy or in love with someone that express their love too.

Overall i think its clear that the main characters in this book represents the fact that money cant buy you everything in life, and it might actually me the less fortunate ones who have a happy family.

Week 11 = American Consumer Culture.

 - the epitome of American consumer culture?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbZyqmdxQIo

JB

American Consumerism: Star Wars Episode VII: Rise Of The Merchandise

Star Wars is a unique cultural phenomenon and literally millions of articles and billions of words can be written about the making of the films, the films themselves (indeed the 6 feature films are in fact only a tiny part of what makes Star Wars), their impact, the universe of the films and even the expanded Star Wars universe in the forms of the many comics, books, video games and even music albums (oh yes we'll get to those...). It rips-off references hundreds of works before it and has since been referenced in thousands of works since (even the merchandising aspect has been referenced). However in this article I shall be looking at only a small part; the merchandising (or as fans tend to call it 'the merch'). Star Wars is in many ways like "The Force" from the Star Wars universe; it surrounds and binds all living things, everybody has been touched by it, nothing can escape it, and certainly not it's merchandising.

It should be noted that selling merchandise based off a film was nothing new when Star Wars was first released, in fact one of the first movie to have a large marketing campaign covering many arbitrary objects was Planet of The Apes (the good one, not the naff one from Tim Burton) with a variety of items such as action figures, lunchboxes and even colouring books. However Star Wars is what really lifted things off, and this was thanks to two things: Firstly Star Wars was a box office smash ($307,263,857 in the U.S. alone), which of course gave it a large fanbase (indeed very few people were trampled in a rush to buy say, Battlefield Earth action figures) which enabled it to produce more merchandise because it gave evidence of the market available. Secondly because George Lucas had (and still has) all the rights on Star Wars merchandise (as opposed to the studio), which of course entitles him to a none-too-unreasonable amount in royalties, so he has a pretty good incentive to continue to produce it.

The genius of Star Wars merchandise was that just about anyone could participate in it, much like McDonald's and theri franchise model, all one needed was the licence. A small American toy company by the name of Kenner was able to acquire the rights to make Star Wars action figures in 1976 (which would be distributed in the UK by Palitoy), after Mego turned the offer down due to the fact that they felt that Star Wars would not be a success; a decision worthy of Decca turning down the Beatles. That being said Kenner didn't have high hopes for the film and only started selling the figures in stores in early 1978, from there on they would make 3 3/4" Star Wars figures right up until the mid 80s. These would sell along with play-sets and some excellent commercials aimed at children and would subsequently popularise the 3 3/4" action figure. There was of course many other products; such as but certainly not limited to: Comics (by Marvel, which apparently saved the comic book industry), Radio Dramas, Books (a truly insane amount by various publishers), Some excellent cartoon series (By Nelvana, N.B. The intro to Droids "Trouble Again" was written and performed by Stewart Copeland of The Police and many episodes of Ewoks were written by a fresh Paul Dini, who would later go on to write for Batman comics and the animated series), Lego (Lego's first and most successful licence), Cereal (By Kellogs, and yes, they just merged Cheerios together) Various Video Games (By various publishers and quality), toiletries, Undergarments (By Union Underware Inc.) and yes, even Christmas Albums (Featuring the first ever début of Jon Bonjovi i.e. Bon Jovi, no really). Suffice to say most of these made money.

The fact that one could make money by simply plastering a popular brands name on virtually any object was not invented by Star Wars but it certainly perfected and popularised it. Indeed as seen by the increasingly derivative list of objects above Star Wars was able to move above being a simple Hollywood film and became the phenomenon that it is today, and as a result many movies, cartoons (especially cartoons), books, and even non-media companies have imitated Lucasfilm (George Lucas' own company that grants licences) by putting their brand name on a product which they normally would never make (like a BMW Zippo Lighter). Or Toy/Clothing/Media-Production Companies acquiring the rights of a brand name and subsequently making toys/models/underwear/media for a significant mark-up in price and profit (Hasbro is currently one of the largest toy companies in the world and makes toys for Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, and even Star Wars). It is thanks to Star Wars that the market is so full of licensed media objects as trivial as toiletries and clothing, and movies based of toylines (coming soon: Liam Neelson in Battleships, yes, really); because they proved that fans of various media franchises and works and even non-media companies (like car manufacturers, they also make Porshe Pipes) will buy products due to the power of the brand, and fans of a franchise will go to see a movie/Tv show based on that franchise. The reason why people buy into this is varied but the most important reasons certainly for media and Star Wars is because: A, they allowed us to live out our fantasies and favourite scenes from the Movie/Book/Game and create our own 'fan-fiction' at home, and B, because it is 'cool' and is a status symbol amongst peers (this is certainly true amongst collectors of rare action figures).

Of course what many people ask is this, Is merchandising a good or bad thing? Some people say that merchandising is 'selling-out' and reduces the artists integrity, whilst others say merchandising is created by the wants of the fan-base. The answer is that it depends. Charles Schulz was famously quoted as saying there is nothing wrong with using characters in marketing, so long as the quality of one's work stays refined. Whilst Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz said: “The toy business began to drive the [Lucasfilm] empire. It’s a shame. They make three times as much on toys as they do on films. It’s natural to make decisions that protect the toy business, but that’s not the best thing for making quality films.” Ultimately in my opinion it depends on the product or media. Some films, cartoons, and games (such as the abysmal Action 52 and the various Transformer cartoons) were clearly set out to sell toys and make money, however even that being said Transformers and other shows designed 'to sell toys' turn out to be very good and in many ways take on a life of their own. Plus whilst I do not crave Star Wars bodywash I don't have to buy it and I don't really feel that it cheapens the integrity of the work of Directors like George Lucas or Richard Marquand. Not to mention there is nothing quite as 'cool' whacking someone with a 'lightsaber'.

American Consumerism- Guitar Hero

I have chosen to analyse the game guitar hero’s adverts done in the theme of ‘risky business’, specifically the advertisement for guitar hero 5 of which involves Hugh Hefner and the playboy bunnies in September 2009. It is claimed the ‘risky business’ ads continue to appeal to their audience as fans find seeing their favourite celebrities doing their own renditions of the scene entertaining.

The message portrayed through the advert is common for the classic rock and roll lifestyle of ‘sex, drugs and rock n roll’ indeed Hef has stated,

"Playboy and Rock & Roll have been intimately interconnected since I started the magazine in 1953," Guitar Hero combines rock and roll with iconic Playboy Playmates and the Playboy Mansion to create one of the sexiest ads ever made."

The target audience for this advert would be mainly the all American male dominated, as the females featured are of the same ethnicity and the soundtrack using Bob Seger highlights once again the vintage rock and roll stereotype. Towards the end of the clip Hefner plays a mockingly innocent card claiming ‘What? I like variety.’ Hefner is known for his women however this statement emphasizes the new and improved model of guitar hero mirroring the image of the bunnies.

"Playboy is recognized worldwide as a pop culture symbol of fun and entertainment; it's only natural for Hugh and the Playmates to be the next faces of the ad campaign."

Focusing on the values this advert portrays it’s mainly about sex appeal, although faced with much criticism, linking a product and sex is featured throughout the advertising business, thus by using Hefner and the Bunnies the company are shamelessly appealing to their target audience directly and in doing so provide the ‘subtle’ message if you play this game you could be like Hugh Hefner with the 10 bunnies. Overall the advert is light-hearted and obvious giving the sense that the game is just good old fashioned fun.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-XOlhkQGD4

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Commercial and American Express

I have been torn really between two really good examples of commercials. So I am going to go ahead and blog about both.

1. The first commercial is for the ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette. For the most part of the commercial, it shows clips of different moments in history, more specifically, relating to NASA, rockets and the moon landing. There would be an obvious sense of pride by citizens of the United States in relation to events such as the Apollo 11 space flight on the 20th July 1969. Events such as these, relating to American space programmes, really show American ingenuity at it's best.

This ingenuity is used as an obvious but clever marketing ploy. It is clever because it connects the ZR1 to events that not only shape America's sense of self but also creates it's global identity. The voice over to this video really sets the tone for the commercial. What's being said employs rhetoric to further sell the product at hand. Certain things that were said such as: "crazy idea" and to "go further than what mankind has gone before" imply to the audience that America has achieved the 'unachievable' and that America, in certain aspects, is superior than the world's other nations. This idea is further reinforced when the voice over says: "The world watched and waited with bated breath". This insinuates that the world looks up to America to create these amazing things and that this industriousness and ingenuity is admired by other Nations.

"Now time has moved on and priorities have changes, it's nice to know that America still builds rockets" emphasises the idea to the audience that the creation of the ZR1 is of the same importance as the Apollo11. If not this, that the same hard work, industriousness and ingenuity has gone into the creation of the new corvette.

These marketing techniques, and even the basis, is not shocking. The Corvette is very much one of America's iconic cars so it would make sense to place a 'stamp' of national pride and identity upon it. This almost makes it more American by emphasing the fact that "America still builds rockets."



The second commercial is that for American Express. On YouTube it is entitled 'Open' and shows a sequence of shots of people opening their buisnesses early in the Morning and having their first wave of customers and/or manual work. This really does instil and show the core values place in the aforementioned add: hard work and industriousness.

This is further reinforced by the music that plays in the background called Reveille. More specifically, a military bugle call which means 'wake up' in French and would be used to wake people up in the army at Sunrise. Using this music almost connotes that the daily routine of the average hard working American is regimental and well structured, but a like the other commercial, this hard work and perseverance will show monetary benefits and that they will be financially better off. Which is an obvious theme and belief held by most citizens of the United States of America.

By the end of the commercial, the music has become more jazzy and the words that come up upon the screen says 'Let's get Booming'. Connecting these two references together could mean that it is referring to the economic boom that occurred in the 1920's and that they want to 'recreate' this boom and have the same economic high that was experienced in that decade. Connecting this with the images of people working hard and working, more importantly together, that this dream and aim is achievable.