The Great Gatsby: Synthesis
What is the cost of pursuing a dream?
What really is the cost of pursuing a dream?
The way you act makes up part of your character
Gatsby: Mysterious, allusive, determined, obsessed
Daisy: Selfish, foolish, social, whimsical
Inside Job:
Financial Companies: greedy, selfish, snotty, know-it-all, surreptitious
"Greed is Good" Gordon Gekko:
Greedy, arrogant, know-it-all
My Father:
compassionate, loving, determined
Jesus Christ:
loving, caring, compassionate, giver, healer
Inner beliefs make up your character
Inside Job:
The values of the companies did not reflect a very reputable moral compass
"Greed is Good" Gordon Gekko:
Greed is not usually associated as good morality
My Father:
My dad has always believed in being kind and compassionate to others, that life is not about you but about how the pursuit of your dream and achieving that dream has an effect on the people around you.
Jesus Christ:
Jesus lived a life of teaching, and giving. His dream was to fulfill his Father's will, which was to teach the world about the love of God, and how through that, everyone could be saved. Instead of seeking to better himself, much like the characters in Gatsby or the financial workers in "Inside Job," Jesus sought the betterment of others.
Inner beliefs, and the way you act to and around others is your character
In this book, it is seen that the morals of the characters in the book don't reflect those of people living healthy lives. Although seemingly classy, the characters actually treat each other with great disrespect and do not ultimately value each other's relationships.
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures,and then retreated back to their money..." (Fitzgerald 179).
Inside Job:
When comes down to it, the banks and financial companies in this documentary acted like completely greedy jerks. Like many of the Characters in The Great Gatsby, they stole, they cheated, they lied. The morals of these companies did not reflect good character, and neither did the way they treated their customers.
"Greed is Good" Gordon Gekko:
Although claiming to be a "liberator of [companies]" (Gekko "Wall Street"), Gekko reveals himself to be greedy for a leadership position in the Teldar Paper company. Greed, is NOT usually considered GOOD. This relates to Inside Job, as it's seen that the leaders of these companies are just inherently greedy people who only care about themselves.
My Father:
My dad is a successful man. His dream was to raise a family, and do God's word throughout his life. Although not rich and famous, my dad's character has taken him many places, like raising a healthy family, a strong faith in God, and becoming a successful business man. He has chosen to make life not about himself, but about being a servant of God, and deciding to be a man of strong character.
Jesus Christ:
A model to follow.
-Character of betterment of others before yourself
-Staying morally in tact
Works Cited
Inside Job. Dir. Charles Henry Ferguson. Sony, 2010. Film.
Wall Street. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Martin Sheen, and Hal Holbrook. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1987.