Ø Asyndeton—“People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, found each other a few feet away” (37).
Ø Symbolism—“ ‘But it’s so hot…and everything is so confused’” (118).
Ø Metaphor—“ ‘Her voice is full of money’” (120).
Ø Antithesis—“an indefinable expression, at once definitely unfamiliar and vaguely recognizable,” (121).
Ø Juxtaposition—“They weren’t happy, and yet they weren’t unhappy either” (145).
Ø Zeugma—“he was leaning against a table in the hall, heavy with dejection or sleep” (147).
Ø Oxymoron—“magnanimous scorn” (135), “sweet fever” (151), “cheerful snobbery” (151).
Ø Simile—“and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor” (150).
An author of genuine artistic merit, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes rhetorical devices to develop a creative and unique style that relates to the jubilant, carefree, and yet erratic and often panicked era of the Roaring Twenties in his novel, The Great Gatsby. His decorated language strongly and accurately connotes the mixed emotions of the epoch. Devices like antithesis, asyndeton, juxtaposition, zeugma, and oxymoron illustrate the unclear and often confused mindsets of individuals; it was an era of innovation and extremes, which also brought to light by such devices. During the 1920s, America also experienced an uneven distribution of wealth, which not only eventually triggered the Great Depression, but also corrupted the morals of many people. Similes, metaphors, and symbolism convey the moral corruption emerging from the shallow depths of a newly formed nation. Some Americans, like Daisy and Tom, lost sight of authentically substantial values in the chase for wealth, while others like Gatsby were disappointed by the painful cankers of love during such a passionate time. All of the devices combine to generate Fitzgerald’s storyline—a storyline cleverly composed by a plethora and variety of rhetorical devices that all ultimately shape the author’s unique and novel style that not only portrays the emotions and experiences of his characters, but of an entire nation during an epoch of apprehension and euphoria.
I agree on your point that America experienced an uneven distribution of wealth, that would corrupt the morals of many people. Similarly, I also pointed on my rhetorical strategy blog that the nature of the American Dream influences people to strive for the best. This is proven, as Gatsby chases after Daisy, not because he loves her for her personality, but rather because she represented so much to him, like high social status and affluence. From this, we can see that the American Dream corrupted minds, like Gatsby's, since he only wanted Daisy because she represented so much and was the "best" in other people's eyes; which opposes what would be morally right: wanting Daisy only because he loved her.
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