Great_Gatsby_and_Ebb_Sonnets

Q: What do these texts convey about their societies' A: Themes regarding love through different language devices and reflecting different contexts. Sonnet 14 conveys that individuals should aspire to marry for love only, reflecting changing Victorian values regarding marriage. The persona’s opening octave, “If thou must love me, let it be for nought/Except for love’s sake only.” creates a commanding poetic voice, suggesting that the persona wants to only be loved for the sake of love, not other reasons. Second person, “thou,” refers to her personal context of her impending marriage to Robert Browning, creating an emotive, realistic and a personable voice. This sonnet is a response to her love of Browning, six years her junior, whilst keeping herself in isolation. She was doubtful of his love for her, reflecting her thoughts on marriage, as her father will disinherit her if she marries, so she wants to be loved on the basis of her personality, not her wealth. The sibilance, “loves sake” creates smooth, romantic flowing rhythm in her voice. It is emotive and the tone is gentle as the words merge, emphasising the need for love to be connected to marriage in her octave which, keeping with tradition, expresses her doubt about her lover’s desire for her. Therefore, her distinctively personal voice illustrates her desire to be loved only for the sake of love, rather than other external motivations. Sonnet 14 emphasises that love should be eternal, not just for life, reflecting Romantic composers’ ideas regarding the endurance of love. She encourages Browning, “love me for love’s sake, that evermore/Thou may’st love on” (L 13-14) in her sestet, utilising the traditional Petrarchan sonnet to propose a solution to their love. The repetition, “love me for love’s sake” conveys she only wants to be loved for her self, because that is the only love that will last. Here, love is reflected as the Romantics wrote about spiritual love in which they explored feeling and emotion, rather than reason. Furthermore, the hyperbolic metaphor, “that evermore” emphases that love should last and sustain meaning. To “love on” suggests that partners should love ‘forever’. It reflects that if your love is for spiritual reasons, it will endure beyond your death, a belief held by the Romantic poets. This reflects Romanticism of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century literature which explored the importance of passion, engaging responders, as it is a timeless aspect of the human condition to desire love, and hope it endures beyond your lifetime. Alternatively, TGG conveys that although individuals still aspire to marry for love, ultimately marriage choices are often materialistic and therefore lead to negative outcomes, reflective of post World War I Western values. Catherine’s direct speech, “Neither of them can stand the person they are married to,” is ironic as traditionally, individuals should want to be with the person they are married to. The metaphor “can stand” uses italics and repetition to create a negative emphatic tone which suggests that in the ‘Roaring 20’s’ individuals often marry even though they do not feel love for their partner. Daisy symbolizes the bad outcomes of marriage based on status and wealth, whereas Nick represents the belief that we should marry for love. Gatsby represents the ideals of romantic love being manipulated by materialism which reflects Fitzgerald’s belief in romaticised marriage, similar to Browning, and his frustration with marriage practices in the early 20th Century. Further, Catherine’s direct speech and Nick’s first person reflection, “‘It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce.’ Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie” reflects the religious context of 1920’s American society whereby individuals attributed their decision to remain in loveless marriage to religion, despite not necessarily being religious, such as Daisy. This is ironic because Daisy’s actual decision to marry and remain married is to keep her status in society and for financial and pragmatic (practical) reasons, rather than for love which is the basis of Christian marriage, as highlighted by Nick’s first person narration. Additionally, it reflects the Jazz Age’s obsession with material wealth and Fitzgerald’s belief that America is corrupted by the quest for wealth, resulting in loveless marriages. Therefore, TGG conveys that although individuals still aspire to marry for love, ultimately marriage choices are often materialistic and therefore lead to negative outcomes, reflective of post World War I Western values. (paraphrase me!!!!) Furthermore, Sonnet 22 suggests that love is brief on earth therefore should be embraced, reflecting Romantic ideas regarding love. The rhetorical question, “What bitter wrong/Can the earth do to us, that we should not long/Be here contented'” creates a disappointed voice regarding earth and dying. The speaker asks why they should not be content with this and whether the physical world (the earth) can interfere with their happiness. These values contradict neoclassism as they believe in logic and reason rather than passion and dreams. The final line, “and permit/A place to stand and love in for a day,/With darkness and the death-hour rounding it,” makes it clear that time will destroy their love, but they must experience their love here and now. The visual imagery of death approaching, “death-hour rounding it,” suggests that death is chasing them, therefore, they should embrace love for as long as possible. This sonnet portrays that love is short lasting in the physical world, reflecting Romantic ideas regarding love. Sonnet 22 further suggests that in life, love is beautiful and strong, reflecting her personal convictions regarding the bliss of love during life as well as Romantic beliefs regarding love’s beauty. EBB is conceit when she states, “our two souls stand up erect and strong,/…Until the lengthening wings break into fire.” The intensity of their souls communing together is conveyed through the image of their wings catching fire as they touch. This reflects the Romantics as they thought imagination was amazing and they allowed an insight into the truth of things. EBB commands, “Lest us stay/Rather on earth, Beloved,” as she would prefer that they be content with this world rather than in heaven. The first person address to Robert Browning, “Beloved,” engages responders as it is personal and inclusive reflecting her personal context as she expresses her passionate love for him. However, Fitzgerald suggests that although some individuals still desire to marry for love and embrace it, they also take advantage of the material benefits of romantic unions, undermining the value of love. Fitzgerald characterizes Gatsby as an individual who wants relationships founded on personal integrity and love but has been corrupted by society to believe that one must possess materialistic items to obtain this love. A diary entry of Gatsby as a boy demonstrates that he was more focused inherently on building his personality than wealth, “No wasting time at Shafterrs…no more smoking…save $5.00 [crossed out] $3.00 per week” (164) Here the contrast between personality and material highlights that Gatsby believes love should be founded on genuine compatibility, not money. However, he becomes corrupted by society’s expectations in 1920’s America and symbolically attains wealth to impress Daisy. This is poignant for responders as '''''. his response to Daisy’s statement that she loved him too, “Gatsby’s eyes opened and closed.” (p.126) This highlights his rejection despite his ''' money and challenges responders to consider '''' Browning’s perception of love and individuals in the early 20th century. Gatsby represents Brownings idealism regarding love but even he is subverted/corrupted by society