The Character of Our Society
What will be the result of America's many flaws?
Two Imperfect Societies
We are headed for a downfall. Our country is selfish. Our country is superficial. Our people are fake. Our government is corrupt. This society we live in is disturbingly similar to the one Gatsby lived in. In the end, that society failed miserably. It failed because of all the lies, fakeness, and selfishness of the people. The parallels are clear. If we do not make serious changes to the way we think, I am afraid we will experience some sort of catastrophe, just as the people in Gatsby’s society did. If we act like the fake, selfish, superficial people of Gatsby’s community, we will meet the same fate. As a society, we must change in order to prevent our destruction.
We are headed in a downward spiral because of the way we are wired. The individuals in our society are flawed as well as our society as a whole. This environment will be the cause of America's downfall. Our country’s history is filled with examples of how selfish we are. One example is the Trail of Tears. In the early 18th century, our government forcibly removed the Cherokee Indians from their native land. In the process, 4,000 Native Americans lost their lives. They never committed any crimes. They only happened to be living on land that was valuable to our country, and for this they were forced to suffer a long, grueling journey to far away lands. The only reason we did this to them was because we wanted the resources this land had to offer. This was extremely selfish, and it’s things like these that have characterized us as a nation. An example of selfishness in The Great Gatsby was Daisy's reaction to Gatsby's unfortunate death. Nick says, "And I could only remember, without resentment,that Daisy hadn't sent a message or a flower." (Fitzgerald 174) This is a perfect example of how selfish Daisy was. Gatsby risked everything for her. He acquired all his wealth just to win her over, and she didn't even seem to care when he was murdered. She simply went on with her life, not even bothering to show up to Gatsby’s funeral. The thought of risking her social status for that was simply unheard of. Sadly, our nation is becoming increasingly similar to this community. Our country must not become any more like the society in The Great Gatsby. Our fate depends on it.
A Superficial Nation
All About the Benjamins
Our obsession with money and power is terribly superficial and must be changed.
Weight Watchers
Many people care too much about the way they look, or how much they weigh because of the immense pressure that is put on them.
A Self- Centered Mindset
Social network sites like Facebook reflect some of our society's selfish nature.