The Great Gatsby Project Reflection
Describe the three most important changes you made between the first draft and final draft of your story and why you felt you needed to make the change.
The most important change made between the first and final draft of my short story was adding a second scene from Daisy’s perspective to give a deeper analysis of the story. This refinement was suggested by Ashley and allowed me to give insight to why Daisy chose to stay with Tom instead of Gatsby. Another important refinement I made was within this scene. My first draft of this scene was very simple and easy to understand, but through my refinements, I worked on making my message not as obvious to the reader by adding symbolism and metaphors. The final important revision I made was adding a greater description in the first scene as to why Wilson was accusing Tom of killing Myrtle. This was important to the comprehension of the story because it may be difficult for someone to understand why Wilson showed up at Tom’s house even if Tom explained himself and his innocence at the scene of the crime.
Describe the theme/idea from the novel that you chose to address in your story and what your perspective on that theme is. How do you show that perspective in your story?
In the first part of my story, I was focusing on revealing Tom’s true character and explaining how Wilson ended up at Gatsby’s the morning of their deaths. Throughout the novel, I perceived Tom as a greedy and insensitive character, which I think I communicated throughout my added scene: “I climbed the stairs to my office and threw the curtains closed, demanding for the butler to bring me a cool drink, immediately.” Tom always seemed to me to be a demanding and controlling person, and I think that my story worked to reveal that.
In the second part of my story, I was focusing on communicating that Daisy was influenced by extrinsic instead of intrinsic goals in her decision to stay with Tom instead of Gatsby. I did this by narrating her thought process in her final decision to leave with Tom: “But then, in the midst of a tangle of affairs, Gatsby’s love for me was more captivating than Tom’s, it filled me with a simple mirth… How could I sacrifice a steady life at the top of East Egg for one that could be swept away with the slightest wind?” This quote shows how Daisy chose to stay with Tom because of the security he offered instead of running away with Gatsby, who made her much happier.
Explain why the change you made improved your story.
The most important change that I made throughout the entire process was adding the second part to the story. This change was suggested by Ashley and it had a huge impact on my project, giving it more intellectual value. The second scene has a stronger and more relevant message than the first and shows my interpretation of Daisy’s decision to stay with Tom instead of leaving to be with Gatsby. The addition of this message increased the intellectual value of my project by giving it a more detailed message that is important to the overall understanding of the book. Now, instead of my story only giving readers a closer look at a character, it also provides my opinion on why Daisy chose Tom over Gatsby.
The most important change made between the first and final draft of my short story was adding a second scene from Daisy’s perspective to give a deeper analysis of the story. This refinement was suggested by Ashley and allowed me to give insight to why Daisy chose to stay with Tom instead of Gatsby. Another important refinement I made was within this scene. My first draft of this scene was very simple and easy to understand, but through my refinements, I worked on making my message not as obvious to the reader by adding symbolism and metaphors. The final important revision I made was adding a greater description in the first scene as to why Wilson was accusing Tom of killing Myrtle. This was important to the comprehension of the story because it may be difficult for someone to understand why Wilson showed up at Tom’s house even if Tom explained himself and his innocence at the scene of the crime.
Describe the theme/idea from the novel that you chose to address in your story and what your perspective on that theme is. How do you show that perspective in your story?
In the first part of my story, I was focusing on revealing Tom’s true character and explaining how Wilson ended up at Gatsby’s the morning of their deaths. Throughout the novel, I perceived Tom as a greedy and insensitive character, which I think I communicated throughout my added scene: “I climbed the stairs to my office and threw the curtains closed, demanding for the butler to bring me a cool drink, immediately.” Tom always seemed to me to be a demanding and controlling person, and I think that my story worked to reveal that.
In the second part of my story, I was focusing on communicating that Daisy was influenced by extrinsic instead of intrinsic goals in her decision to stay with Tom instead of Gatsby. I did this by narrating her thought process in her final decision to leave with Tom: “But then, in the midst of a tangle of affairs, Gatsby’s love for me was more captivating than Tom’s, it filled me with a simple mirth… How could I sacrifice a steady life at the top of East Egg for one that could be swept away with the slightest wind?” This quote shows how Daisy chose to stay with Tom because of the security he offered instead of running away with Gatsby, who made her much happier.
Explain why the change you made improved your story.
The most important change that I made throughout the entire process was adding the second part to the story. This change was suggested by Ashley and it had a huge impact on my project, giving it more intellectual value. The second scene has a stronger and more relevant message than the first and shows my interpretation of Daisy’s decision to stay with Tom instead of leaving to be with Gatsby. The addition of this message increased the intellectual value of my project by giving it a more detailed message that is important to the overall understanding of the book. Now, instead of my story only giving readers a closer look at a character, it also provides my opinion on why Daisy chose Tom over Gatsby.