Monday 10 December 2012

Materialism The Great Gatsby


Materialism is a powerful element, within the novel and in a sense symbolized Gatsby Interpretation of the American Dream. Which involves the idea of pursuing daisy through finding away for him to enable to receive theses materialism things by throwing parties and inviting guest of high status.

In materialistic Society it shows that people want things and they want it now the more materialistic things they have determines their social status. However what is very humorous about the American dream within this novel suggests that people who want the american dream is after  the materialism side of having a big house, money, things that you couldn't buy if you was poor eg. name brand designers. socializing with people they feel are highly respectable in society because of the size of their wallet.

Materialism and social status is still relevance within America today especially shown within celebrity culture. For instance with Kim kardashian wedding the need to publicize her wedding day, the need to buy a very large cake, shows the materialism side, When a  wedding day should just be about a man and women getting married not showing the guest how much her wedding cost. The social side comes into only celebrities with  status in the celebrity culture could attend her wedding even though she probably talked to them once.

http://uk.eonline.com/news/258339/who-s-really-invited-to-kim-kardashian-s-wedding

This relates back to Gatsby party guest. 





Sunday 9 December 2012

Week 12: Scheduling Steps Towards Achieving Success Within America

Today, everywhere you look, particularly towards the people who have become successful in America and have essentially achieved the American Dream,k there seems to be a secret to their success. Behind these secrets a few of them have acknowledge this is because of their commitment to following steps in order to achieve success in business, work, life and even happiness. Therefore there has been an influx in the publication of 'self-help' books, with this genre become one of the biggest sections in libraries.
Therefore I saw a correlation between success in America and the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 


Source: Lawrence, C. 2012. Operation Hennessey. Word Press
http://operationhennessey.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald 

The schedule that Jay Gatsby wrote as a young adult shown by his father to Nick Carraway in chapter nine shows just how much Gatsby is willing to do and how determined he is in order for himself to succeed in what he sets his mind to. The timetable that Gatsby constructed is an early indication of his willingness to better himself through self control and structure. On the other hand general resolves, which include such items as "Be better to parents," provide evidence that he is always trying to improve his well being so that he will become a better person and succeed as an respectable adult.

Continually this theme of stages to achieve success are becoming even more popular in the current era. In relation to a post a couple of weeks ago on whether the American Dream still alive or not, the focus was on an interview with sports memorabilia CEO; Brandon Steiner and how he has in effect achieved the American Dream. He is also a product of using six stages to become successful in business ("6 truths of business") and as he calls them his 'guiding principles'.

Friday 7 December 2012

Week 11 Blog Post (for Week 12)

http://www.examiner.com/article/actor-jim-carrey-speaks-out-about-his-spiritual-enlightenment-video

I chose this video and article to represent the idea that today, spiritual fulfillment is as important as money (if not more so) in the new American Dream.

The Great Gatsby is essentially, a story about the American Dream failing because it is morally bankrupt. People like Jim Carey have risen for rags to riches and are living the american dream, but it seems almost required nowadays for there to be a spiritual, moral element to their success.

This article was written in 2010, riding the Occupy wave and the economic crash - this is reminiscent of the Great Depression that occurred right after the Great Gatsby. The feeling that the New money in America (stock brokers/bankers) are immoral are recurring themes.

In the book, an actress is featured at the new money party at Gatsby's, and I think that, although they may not be considered to be less moral compared to the Old money in America these days, the brand of the actor is considered to be important. This is why actors need to be squeaky clean, and have to push their moral, spiritual side. Jim Carrey therefore, is one of many actors who publicly come out in favour of self-help gurus.

Self-help books and seminars are so prevalent that it is clear that people still yearn for the American Dream.

Monday 3 December 2012

Week 10 post



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

Nike's commercial is trying to show the American consumer that from birth, a dream that you may have can become a reality with their products. This is very much in tune with the idea of the American Dream, which this commercial plays on to reach to an audience and enable their products to be seen as a necessity to become what you want to become.


This commercial is effective to young boys as they can think that if they want that life then they can have it with Nike's products.


Nike's Leave Nothing Campaign "captures the true essence of pouring heart and soul into every play and every game" as it states in Nike's website; http://nikeinc.com/nike-football/news/leave-nothing-campaign-culminates-another-football-season


This commercial is one of Nike's Leave Nothing Campaign which has been running in the USA in the football seasons, the other one is posted below.

Link to other commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55BZ2gSsSmY



Sunday 2 December 2012

America Funniest Super Bowl Commercials of 2012!



http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=enzkdcCE8s4



All these Super Bowl commercials shows different aspects of American cultural first starting with the "American dream" when talked about Success, new thinking and new ideas which will benefit American society and keep them on top. Especially the idea of Americans wanted to be the first country to produce new ways of life through technology etc, and also continuously developing new ideas.

Moving on this video also emphasis that america has the most talent with first year winner X factor USA contest portraying her talent through singing to royalty which could suggests that Americans are better than the British within talent. However it relates back to the american revolution with the quote "Pepsi for all" which implies Freedom for all. It has that historical context to it. Throughout each commereical identifies an american products with its major theme relating to cars, but also introducing products that can be identified as american consumers such as movies, food, the landscape e.g the wild west. etc

This video overall shows what america has accomplished and that they will continue to develope new ideas and be the first country to invent those new ideas, also shows how pretentious americans are especially in the last commercial. 

Week 11: Advertising for the American consumer

Chrysler Superbowl Commercial


This particular advert was aired during the 2012 Super Bowl demonstrating halftime in America, narrated by an American icon; Clint Eastwood.
The husky words that are spoken from the outset speak of the hardship in America, with reference to people being out of work and wondering how they are going to make a comeback. Typical of the United States; you can say they never want to be left behind, never forgotten and always ready to fight. Hence the Clint Eastwood express that 'This isn't a game'.

 By picturing the city flag of Detroit and referring to their history whereby the city was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1805. It gives a sense of pride and endurance, especially when the American flag is shown straight after, confirming the importance of national unity, reiterated in Eastwood saying we find our way through hard times'.

The images of the industrial industry throughout Detroit and expressing that by all pulling together they start to fight again. On the other hand showing the industrial industry literally is a representation of the city and state being part of the rust belt in America.

As the advert goes on it shows images of protest and states with it that with blame, division and discord in America that they had become unfocused therefore making it hard to see what's ahead; 'It seems we've lost our heart at times'. Thereby showing pictures of different nationalities it denotes that America is changing it history and diversifying themselves throughout it's population. Thus holding an important American value of equality and freedom for all.

Nonetheless this advert doesn't necessarily have a positive message, for example by saying 'if we can't find a way, then we'll make one'.  But also making sure they can win; 'How do we come together , How do we win?'. This can just be seen as aggressive and hot headed which has got them into trouble in the past, most notably their involvement in the Vietnam War.

In all this advert's message is about American morale and how they won't be discouraged no matter what may be thrown at them. They are a powerful nation and how the world will know just how powerful they can be.  This country cannot be knocked out with one punch'....'we get right back up and when we do the worlds going to hear the roar of our engines'. and how end of the advert can be seen as motivation for America to prove this with Clint Eastwood saying 'Our second half is about to begin'. 

American commercial



The commercial posted above is an advert attempting to promote and sell a new car; more specifically, the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette. The advert features images of scientists building the first successful space craft that  landed men on the moon back in 1969.

The commercial begins with an image of JFK, the iconic president, that was largely seen as the main reason for the successful landing of man on the moon. It paints America in a light that they were the only ones daring enough, and their science developed enough to allow them to land man on the moon before any other nation. It then goes on to show some scientific experiments being done in a laboratory in order to build the rocket that would perform the mission. The lab scenes again show how America was so advanced in it's technology and scientific information that they were able to build such a device. The commercial goes on to mention that America no longer make rockets (due to the space program decommissioning these types of mission), and has now changed it's priorities into building this car. It compares the new Chevrolet (in it's importance) to that of the building of the space shuttle that successfully landed man on the moon (which is ridiculous).

The car model barely features in the advert, except for the last few seconds. It shows the viewer that this car has become America's new 'rocket', which every American would like to have, due to it's significance and how it relates to the fact that their country was the first one to land on the moon. It shows me that America is very materialistic if they are supposed to believe that this car is in any way related to the building of a space shuttle.