Thursday, October 31, 2019

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

Case study - Essay Example On its part, the media is used by the government to control the public. The public on the other hand has become obsessed to TV from which government publicity is generated. Some common events designed on media to gain publicity are in the form of planted, manufactured or non-spontaneous news. Some practices in public relations are timeless like the carrying of a bible as a prop particularly in enhancing the seeming worthiness of a leader. The true application of public relations as self-conscious managing art and occupation was through the 20th century ideas of Bernays aimed at influencing the opinion of the public on commodities through the use of psychology. This strategy worked for both Proctor & Gamble Ivory soap and American Tobacco Company through selective use of powerful symbols to correlate with the selling. Today, public relations practitioners seek to achieve an essential moment that representatively engraves in the mind of the public. The most recent defining moment was t he bombing of the world trade center in 9/11 involving Rudy Giuiani who survived the blast by escaping from debris. In conclusion, public relation is an inseparable part of management’s major decisions given that one has to consider the perception of the public on the decisions. Public relations are not without drawbacks since some use it to cover up for their misgivings which then call for the public to be keen in examining their public servants (case study

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Therapeutic Landscape Essay Example for Free

Therapeutic Landscape Essay The article in particular mirrors the transformation and redefinition of human’s needs through this continuous tide of human evolution. Brought by the shining glimpse of modernity it points out the aspect of human living, in particular with the rising importance and role of the landscape where people choose or actually reside. Cited in the article numerous times, the view of people regarding the landscape where they live in has become very relevant on how they view themselves and others. Brought by the weight of modernity, good landscape image in terms of availability of economic means together with a healthy environment, have become a social factor in itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another strength of the article, it attacks in particular the view of how a positive landscape should integrate the main aspect of health, and how communities within a particular region could be divided and actually co exist in two main groups with different views of their landscape, one that is health affirming and the other as health denying. The importance of image on landscape, developed a strong societal gap that often leads to a more conflicting and negative view on living.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe the purpose of this paper showed was to be able to explain why there is a larger and more important weight that landscape holds in molding perceptions in communities. It also aims to explain how societies or communities adapt to such changes and perceptions where certain psychological aspects of the community sink in. Particularly with the citation in on p.2 wherein as â€Å"perception of activities change, the place in which they occur may be stigmatized.† Before industrialization was an economic booster, it is a very demanded and needed activity, but as time progressed, the products and wastes have become alarming that the city was stigmatized to be ‘unhealthy.’ The importance of redefining or masking that perception has become important because people who actually live in those places are stigmatized. Outsiders perceive them to abhor and allow the lifestyle because they actually live there. It is quite logical if one might think of it. It’s like being associated with friends, â€Å"tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.† It may not necessarily true and concise, but nothing beats the first perception. However certain assumptions like that do not result from baseless proof. Just what the paper stated on what industrialization stood for the people before and what it stood now. People are associated with images, that is why the landscape, as part of their preference or lifestyle, is greatly put into consideration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Given certain notations wherein an area is stigmatized, in this case the North End, it widens the societal gap by actually alienating that particular area therefore providing slim access to economic and social development for people who reside there. Being in one community, the article clearly emphasized how divided a certain community might be. The others, trying very hard to mask and redefine the image of the industrialized Hamilton, by exhausting efforts to improve health/landscape, at the same time making North End a certain scapegoat of housing the bad or unhealthy side of Hamilton. The paper had extensive evidence to state that through various interviews from residents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The efforts of creating such a positive image just widen the societal gap and psychological behavior of people. At the end image has become very important without attacking the core of its decline, instead it creates a more divided community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I agree that the idea that Hamilton needs to strike a good impression in the outside world is very contrasting to the method of redefining a healthy landscape. The failure to accept the ills of the community by masking it and actually resulting to division and misconception to promote better and more sound solution to their societal problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We have been witnesses of what modernity has evolved our minds and perceptions of good and bad, healthy and unhealthy. The fact that we exist in communities, we take pride in images and perception. Status has become very important in us, that is why we tend to study and label every aspect of our lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The particular aspect that alarms me is the never ending circle of division that exists in Hamilton. People who dwell in ‘healthier’ landscapes pride themselves and the city and affirming the positive side of the community, at the expense of using the North End part as a certain scapegoat, therefore alienating that particular place. Instead of reaching out and including the place in development, it has been perceived to be a place that makes Hamilton quite unattractive. Certain alienations have made people at North End are influenced to think of their status and support from their neighborhoods who also feel the same way. The division entails more gaps in certain communities, therefore their view of healthy or unhealthy environment seem skewed as a whole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since it’s a very pending issue, nobody seem to think of its importance, but now we tend to assess our own communities and try to assess how truly ‘healthy’ it is. Since Hamilton is a live case, it is not hard to imagine finding other communities with Hamilton’s similar example.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has become an important educator in terms of perceiving a certain ‘healthy landscape’ and how it plays a big role in the psychological perceptions of people. It made me realize how important image is and how it maneuvers society.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Religion Essays Feminist Theology

Religion Essays Feminist Theology It has been argued that alternative spirituality movements and alternative religions offer contemporary women greater possibilities of participation in religion and of expression oftheir religiosity. All feminist scholars of religionhighlight the wrongs which have been done to women through the neglect offemale religious experience. They subject misogynistic views of womens natureand their place in the world to critical examination. Feminist theologians therefore, seek to address the injustices whichthey perceive in patriarchal religious traditions, and to offset theirandrocentric bias by making a specific feminist contribution to the study ofreligious traditions. It is this critique of patriarchy and patriarchal religious traditions that has opened the way for the alternative spirituality movements and alternative religions that for some women, provides new and radically different ways for women to express their spirituality. These take vary forms and include the Wiccan movement, the most extreme element of which rejects any forms of patriarchal discourse and any involvement of women in religious practices that involve male participation, the Goddess movement and Eco-spirituality. Thispaper will investigate the view that the development of what has been callednew age religion and alternative spirituality movements offer contemporarywomen greater participation in religion and in expressing their religiositywith examples from the Goddess movement and from the Eco-feminist movement. Feminisms influence on the Emergence of Different Spiritualities Fromthe late 1960s onwards what became known as feminist theology emerged. Womencriticised what they saw as the male-centred theology of patriarchal religionand this led feminist theologian Rosemary Radford-Ruether to write: The uniqueness of feminist theology lies not inits use of the criteria of experience but rather in its use of womensexperience, which has been almost entirely shut out of theological reflectionin the past. The use of womens experience in feminist theology, therefore,explodes as a critical force, exposing classical theology, including itscodified traditions, as based on male experience rather than on universal humanexperience (Ruether, 1992:13). Thiswas an expression of what these feminists had been saying for years, that womenneeded to find ways in which they could speak of their own religiousexperiences and as women express their spirituality in terms that feltcomfortable for them. For many women this meant a complete rejection oftraditional religion and a move towards specifically women-centredspiritualities eg Carol Christs 1986 Womenspirit Rising. Goddess Movements Hanegraff(1996) contends that new spiritualities such as the Goddess Movement are rootedin the ancient pagan traditions of occultism and witchcraft. He contends thatthis has influenced the development of New Age womens spiritualities ingeneral, although he regards the term spiritualities as diffuse. He claims thatwomens spirituality, Goddess movements and Wicca tend to blend in together,although it could be argued that there may be some women who own a goddessspirituality who may not subscribe to Wiccan views. This is particularly thecase with the womens spirituality movement that lies within theJudaeo-Christian tradition (see for example Plaskow, 1989). This movement isalso evident in other traditions such as Islam and Hinduism and the idea is todiscover neglected elements within the tradition that express womens religiousexperience. Some women say that these elements have been deliberately neglectedor covered up by the male interpreters of patriarchal religions (see SchusslerFioren za 1984, Mernissi, 1991 and Gupta 1991). While they emphasise thattranscendence can be seen as goddess rather than a god and worshipped as suchthey do not equate this with pagan Goddess worship (Hanegraff, 1996). However,Hanegraff contends that the boundaries between these things are extremelyblurred and that in some cases in the historical traditions there is so muchemphasis on the primacy of experience that the result is no concrete idea ofwho or what the goddess that is being worshipped and in some areas the experientialnature can take extreme forms. Thus he argues: spiritual growth leads to connection with a Higher Power-theGod/Goddess within and without, Christ, Allah, Buddah and All-That-is. Thistheology easily assimilates all personal perspectives on God as equallyvalid.prominence over others is rejected as reflecting a limitedconsiousness..and is lacking in authentic religious experience (Hanegraff, 1996:185). Hanegraff contends that this reflects a view thatsays that those who hold it are not sure who or what God is. However, this maybe a reaction to the reification of God concepts that takes place inpatriarchal thinking, most particularly within the Judaeo-Christian tradition(Daly, 1982). Yet Goddess worshippers within the traditions are conscious ofthe importance of symbolism. Feminists say that it needs to berecognised that symbolism is important to women because they themselves havebeen symbolised. As Daly argues women have been presented with masculineconcepts of themselves which are symbolic of mens fear of the feminine. Thisis evident in maternal and virginal representations in Christianity, and in thedistorted images of Kali in Hinduism (Gupta, 1991). Women do need to find theirown way of relating to the religious symbolic and perhaps this means that theyare nervous of committing the same mistakes as patriarchal tradition andreducing transcendence to an object. King (1995 contends that although symbolscan be male, female, or androgynous, most of the worlds religious traditionshave taken the male as normative and used the symbolism to uphold maledominance in the religious and social structure. In the same way Carol Christ(1980) has argued that masculine symbolism has been so damaging for women thatthe only response women can make is to adopt purely feminine symbols and toworship the Goddess. It is her view that this is the only way that women canassert their own gendered identity in a patriarchal society. Thus she writes, Religioncentered on the worship of a male God creates moods and motivations thatkeep women in a state of psychological dependence on men and male authority,while at the same time legitimating the political and social authority offathers and sons in the institute of society (1980:275). Goddessworshippers Hanegraff (1996) argues are concerned to express the fact that thewhole of reality is permeated by the Goddess while at the same timeinvestigating the historical roots of Goddess worship both with and without thetraditions. King (1995) maintains that along with the Goddess movement there isalso a lot of work in the area of ecology, or eco-feminism, particularlyRuethers 1992 work, Gaia and God. Eco-Feminism The work ofeco-feminists such as (Mcfague, 1987, Ruether, 1992 et al) stems from a newconcern for global issues and the way in which human beings have treated theearth. Ruether uses the Gaia principle taken from science, and takes theposition that the earth is our sacred mother we come from it and return to ityet throughout history humankind have damaged the earth and other forms of lifethat exist here. Sallie McFague 1987 has argued that patriarchal the religionsthat have oppressed women have also dominated the earth. They have taken thebiblical saying that man should have dominion over the earth and all that is init so literally that they have come close to destroying Gods gifts. McFaguerefers in her work to the earth as Gods body, the earth, she maintains is ametaphor for the body of God. In Models of God (1987)McFague argues that the metaphor of the world as Gods body would not just helpto repair the relationship that human beings have with the earth, but wouldalso help to dispel some of the hierarchical images of God that exist withinthe Christian tradition. Thus she writes, The metaphor of the world asGods body puts God at risk (McFague, 1987:73). God is seen asvulnerable when God is such an intimate part of creation. The earth, therefore,is among the oppressed. It suffers with us and if the world is seen as the bodyof God, then God may be seen as suffering with Gods people. McFagues Modelsof God are metaphors that allow both the transcendental as well asthe ethical nature of God to emerge. Hanegraff (1996) maintains that: The ecological crisis has beencreated by a society based on fundamentally flawed presuppositions. Humanityhas to change its way of thinking perceiving and acting, and then it willhopefully still be possible to heal the world (Hanegraaf, 1996:118). Conclusion Clearlyalternative spiritualities seem to be the way forward for many women to expresstheir religiosity, nevertheless, there are still women who, despite patriarchaloppression, remain with their inherited faith traditions and struggle to freeit from patriarchal restraint. It would seem to me that there has always beensome concern for the female in religious imagery e.g. the person of Mary inCatholicism and the many Goddesses of Hinduism. In a sense there have alwaysbeen these alternatives and I would say that the emergence of second wavefeminism in the late 1960s and their critique of all things patriarchal is whathas brought these alternatives to the fore. The higher profile of thesespiritualities is necessary so that all women feel able to choose how theyexpress their spiritual experiences. Bibliography Christ,C (1980) DivingDeep and Surfacing, Women Writers on a Spiritual Crest, Beacon Press,Boston Daly, M (1982) BeyondGod The Father, 2nd EditionThe Womens Press, London Fiorenza, E(1984) In Memory of Her, SPCK, London Gupta, L (1991)Kali the Saviour, in Cooey, P, Eakin, W, McDaniel, J (eds.) (1991) AfterPatriarchy: Feminist Transformationsof World Religions,Orbis, New York Hanegraaff (1996) New AgeReligion and Western Culture New York, Brill. King, U (ed.)(1994) Feminist Theology From the Third World, SPCK, London McFague, S(1987) Models of God, SPCK, London Plaskow, J(1993) We are also your sisters: The development of womens studies inreligion, Womens Studies Quarterly, XXI, 12 p. 9-21 Ruether, R(1992} Gaia and God, SCM, London

Friday, October 25, 2019

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - Nick Carraway as Narrator Essa

The narrative point of view adopted by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby supports the novel's criticism of the upper class and the importance of wealth in society. Fitzgerald uses Nick Carraway as the narrator who views the upper class as entirely superficial. Through his observation of people at Gatsby's party, at the beginning of chapter three, Nick seems to feel that the wealthy are clones of a stereotype accepted and created by themselves. To him it seems as though this society is based on appearance and recognition and judges people according to how much they own rather than what they believe in. Nick's criticisms are accepted by the reader as impartial because Nick is the only major character who is not preoccupied with wealth. This is established in the first few pages of the novel where Nick describes himself and his upbringing in a manner that immediately secures the trust of the reader. This allows Nick to act as a measure for other characters who are in a relentless pursuit of money and power.      Fitzgerald creates a particular impression of Nick in the first few pages of the novel in order for Nick to present himself as honest and to secure the trust of the reader. Fitzgerald does this by describing Nick's upbringing and his opinion of himself. Nick states that he is 'inclined to reserve all judgments' which is 'a matter of infinite hope.' This has the immediate effect of presenting Nick as an unbiased narrator. When he states that his tolerance has a limit, the reader feels that he would only judge people if they have gone too far. The importance of this is that Nick does form very strong opinions of characters later in the novel. This encourages the reader to view these characters so that they will develop ... ...ween the reader and Nick in order for the reader to accept Nick's opinions as impartial. He places Nick in a typical situation where wealthy people interact. The reader is encouraged to view the upper class as superficial and as a group of clones who choose to fit into a single self-created stereotype. By focusing on only a few individuals at Gatsby's party, Nick presents the entire class' pretentious behaviour quickly and effectively to the reader. The importance of appearance and recognition to these people is noted several times by Nick when he describes groups of people behaving in their typically superficial manner. The narrative point of view adopted by F. Scott Fitzgerald thoroughly supports this novel's criticism of wealthy people and how they choose to lead their lives.   Ã‚   Works Cited: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan, 1992.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Multitasking article review

In Douglas Merrill's Forbes article titled â€Å"Why Multitasking Doesn't Work†, the contributing author makes various statements on the scenario-based appropriateness of multitasking. It is the opinion of the author that multitasking during simple, menial tasks such as folding clothes and speaking on the phone does not require a high order of mental capacity to execute; therefore, it is acceptable to multicast when engaging in these activities.On the flip side, the author argues that hen tasks require brain engage and the goal is for long term memory capture, then multitasking does not allow short term memory to engage and therefore has no opportunity to commit to long term memory. The author also recounted a story of while employed at Google, many workers employed laptops during meetings to accomplish other work tasks during meeting times. This slowly led to the realization that those on their laptops diminished the effectiveness of the meetings due to lack of attention and engagement.Soon the company began a strategy of laptop free tenting zones. The author's ultimate message is that multitasking is not conducive to a successful work environment and has many potential dangers. I tend to agree with the author. Although I am not absent from engaging in multitasking in the workplace, I can say that my quality of work and the confidence in my work increases dramatically when I am allowed the luxury of focused time and effort. It is clear that Google identified that multitasking was a hindrance to the success of business, at least as it pertains to meetings.The article did not offer rather support even though Google did change the work place rules to address this issue. While the article does remain tacit on other multitasking observances and also states that only a portion of meetings were deemed laptop free, the reader cannot assume either way that Google expects or categorically prohibits multitasking in the workplace. In Christine Rose's The New Atlant is article titled â€Å"The Myth of Multitasking†, the author commits to a compelling argument against multitasking mostly supported by clinical research and cultural references.Her article begins with a Lord in the sass's offering advice via a letter to his son. The letter extols the virtue of the ability to focus and is the true mark of intelligence. The author then offers clinical information through functional MR. scans that details the fundamental flaws in learning through multitasking by noting the action of certain portions of the brain. Throughout the article, Rosen refers to multitasking as a sort of Adult Attention Disorder. She draws on work completed by DRP.Edward Hallowed who coined the affects of multitasking as Attention Deficit Trait† (ADD) and further describes ADD as â€Å"purely a response to the hyperkinetic environment in which we live†. Rosen concludes the article with a question. Will humans simply adapt to the reality of multitasking by ma king it a part of our daily lives despite the repercussions? If so, humans may reap the rewards of information but may not realize the related wisdom. I also agree with this author. Her argument is clear and supported culturally and scientifically. Her logical discussion of the effects of multitasking are reasonable and ell laid out.The author indicates that the work environment has changed by humans willingly adapting a less than favorable learning environment that may cost businesses through lost productivity. Through the author's argument, I believe that she is implying that it is a general expectation from manager's that multitasking is to be utilized to accomplish work tasks. I have many years of work experience and school under my belt. My experience with multitasking has been variable. At times, I am highly effective multitasking when the task is transactional.I can switch back and forth between many tasks with little consequence. However when high order thinking is required, I. E. Analyzing data, creating presentations, reading course materials, etc. , I find I am much more successful when I am afforded the opportunity to focus one task and then move on to the next. Sometimes after significant effort, I may switch work/school topics to give my mind a rest and pick up on another topic, but I would hardly refer to this as multitasking but rather strategic maidenhair. When I am required to multicast at work, I do find it rather stressful.My capacities to think clearly, mitigate issues, and communicate effectively are greatly reduced. I oftentimes find myself mentally frustrated after long periods of multitasking and my ability to pivot to other tasks is greatly diminished. At times, this has had a serious, negative impact on my work performance. For instance, once I was juggling so many tasks that when a superior had a time-sensitive data request I forgot to record the need and subsequently did not provide the data. I did not even occur to me by day end t hat I had not accomplished this task.The next day, my superior angrily appeared at my desk telling me to forget the data request since a meeting to discuss the data had already taken place. I obviously felt disappointed in myself and apologized to the superior. The most critical thing a supervisor can do to lead and manage employees in a multitasking environment is to teach employees how to prioritize and give them the latitude to push back on requests and clarify timeliness. If an employee can effectively prioritize his/her workload, then there may be a less of a need for a litigating approach as the employee tackles a task at a time in order of their importance.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Great Gatsby Quotes and Analysis

The Great Gatsby Quotes and Analysis The following quotes from  The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald are some of the most recognizable lines in American literature. The novel, which follows the pursuit of pleasure by the wealthy elites of the New York Jazz Age, deals with themes of love, idealism, nostalgia, and illusion. In the quotes that follow, well analyze how Fitzgerald conveys these themes. â€Å"I hope shell be a fool – thats the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.†Ã‚  (Chapter 1) Daisy Buchanan is talking about her young daughter when she makes this seemingly-unfeeling statement. In reality, this quote demonstrates a rare moment of sensitivity and self-awareness for Daisy. Her words show a deep understanding of the world around her, particularly the idea that society rewards women for being foolish rather than smart and ambitious. This statement adds greater depth to Daisys character, suggesting that perhaps her lifestyle is an active choice rather than the result of a frivolous mindset. â€Å"It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced – or seemed to face – the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.†Ã‚  (Chapter 3) The novel’s narrator, young salesman Nick Carraway, describes Jay Gatsby thusly when he first encounters the man in person. In this description, focused on Gatsby’s particular manner of smiling, he captures Gatsby’s easy, assured, almost magnetic charisma. A huge part of Gatsby’s appeal is his ability to make anyone feel like the most important person in the room. This quality mirrors Nick’s own early perceptions of Gatsby: feeling unusually lucky to be his friend, when so many others never even meet him in person. However, this passage also  foreshadows  Gatsby’s showmanship and ability to put on whatever mask someone wants to see. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. (Chapter 3) Although  The Great Gatsby  is often held up as a celebration of Jazz Age culture, it’s actually the opposite, often  critiquing the era’s  carefree hedonism. Fitzgerald’s language here captures the beautiful but impermanent nature of the wealthy’s lifestyle. Like moths, they’re always attracted to whatever the brightest light happens to be, flitting away when something else grabs their attention. Stars, champagne, and whisperings are all romantic but temporary and, ultimately, useless. Everything about their lives is very beautiful and full of sparkle and shine, but disappears when the harsh light of day- or reality- appears.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.† (Chapter 5) As Nick reflects on Gatsby’s opinion of Daisy, he realizes how much Gatsby has built her up in his mind, so much so that no real person could ever live up to the fantasy. After meeting and being separated from Daisy, Gatsby spent years idealizing and romanticizing his memory of her, turning her into more illusion than woman. By the time they meet again, Daisy has grown and changed; she is a real and flawed human who could never measure up to Gatsby’s image of her. Gatsby continues to love Daisy, but whether he loves the real Daisy or simply the fantasy he believes her to be remains unclear. â€Å"Can’t repeat the past?†¦Why of course you can!†Ã‚  (Chapter 6) If there’s one statement that sums up Gatsby’s entire philosophy, this is it. Throughout his adult life, Gatsby’s goal has been to recapture the past. Specifically, he longs to recapture the past romance he had with Daisy. Nick, the realist, tries to point out that recapturing the past is impossible, but Gatsby utterly rejects that idea. Instead, he believes that money is the key to happiness, reasoning that if you have enough money, you can make even the wildest dreams come true. We see this belief in action with Gatsbys wild parties, thrown just to attract Daisy’s attention, and his insistence on rekindling his affair with her. Notably, however, Gatsbys entire identity stemmed from his initial attempt to escape his poor background, which is what motivated him to create the persona of Jay Gatsby. â€Å"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.†Ã‚  (Chapter 9) This sentence is the final line of the novel, and one of the most famous lines in all of literature. By this point, Nick, the narrator, has become disillusioned with Gatsbys hedonistic displays of wealth. He has seen how Gatsby’s fruitless, desperate quest- to escape his past identity and recapture his past romance with Daisy- destroyed him. Ultimately, no amount of money or time was enough to win Daisy, and none of the novels characters were able to escape the limitations imposed by their own pasts. This final statement serves as a commentary on the very concept of  the American dream, which claims that anyone can be anything, if only they work hard enough. With this sentence, the novel seems to suggest that such hard work will prove futile, because the â€Å"currents† of nature or society will always push one back towards the past.