"Adjectives on the typewriter...he moves his words like a prizefighter..." --Cake

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The American Dream, Gatsby, and MTV

Today, we took a look at an episode of MTV's Cribs. In it, Carmelo Anthony (formerly of the Denver Nuggets, currently on the New York Knicks) shows off his house and shoe room. We compared this to Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby--what might be the "original" Cribs episode, albeit a written version. Gatsby shows off his house, his possessions, his fountains, his cars...and, 75 years later, Carmelo shows off his house, his possessions, his fountains, his cars. We talked about what they're REALLY showing here, and discussed the idea of the American Dream, and the role of wealth, in our society.


We also looked at the 1974 scene where Gatsby flings shirts about, and where Daisy cries for some unexplained reason. And then there's that whole "push you around in a pink cloud" situation...what a great chapter of the book!

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