The American Dream

This is for everyone to think about over the break but also to discuss while we read The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald's work has been seen as a critique of the American Dream by some scholars. History professor David Trask stated that "The Great Gatsby is about many things, but it is inescapably a general critique of the 'American dream' ... [which] consisted of the belief (sometimes thought of as a promise) that people of talent in this land of opportunity and plenty could reasonably aspire to a material success if they adhered to a fairly well-defined set of behavioral rules..." In other words, play the game, follow the rules, and you stand a chance of living a comfortable life. It's like a reward for buying into the American way of life.

There are three questions I'm raising here.
1. Is Fitzgerald criticizing the American Dream with Gatsby's life and his pursuit of Daisy? Why or why not?
2. Is there an American Dream still out there for you? If so, what's yours? If not, why do you think it disappeared?
3. How does your American Dream compare with someone outside of the original O.C., remembering that we live in one of the wealthiest counties in the country?

Welcome to our blog!

This is a collection of Excel 10's musings/rants/thoughts on what we're doing in class each week. We have just finished reading Ernest Hemingway's short stories and concluded a Senate Treaty of Versailles Confirmation Hearings in 1919. Shortly, we'll begin the 1920s and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We'll tackle issues like Prohibition, the Scopes Monkey Trial (creation vs. evolution), and the clash between old vs. new in the 1920s.

We're glad you're visiting. Feel free to join in on the commentary. Your comments won't show up until I approve them - this is done to ensure the content of the blog and protect the kids and keep it spam-free. Thanks for your understanding. Geoff Wickersham

What if?

What if?

So, today in class we discussed the Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations. We were having a very intense conversation, and I thought I would bring it to our "blog." I have a few questions about the League of Nations, and how they voted on the treaty. What would have happened if there was no reservationists party? Would there be some other party in its place? What numbers/parts of the treaty would have passed with no swing voters?

I would say that the numbers/parts of the treaty that would pass would be the ones that gave the impression that "American was the best." An example of that would be # 14, which is saying that American can do what ever it wants and the League can't do anything about it. They don't have to follow any rules. Would there be a treaty without the reservationists?

By Hannah

Should Germany get all of the blame for the Great War?

Hey Guys! So I was thinking about the Treaty of Versailles and how Germany got all the blame for World War I. I couldn't decide if that was really fair for Germany. I know that Germany defiantly did its part in starting the war, but the fact that none of the other Central Powers, like Austria-Hungary, got any blame doesn't seem justified. I guess it is fair for Germany to be punished for being part of starting World War I, but the other Central Powers should have had the same punishment as Germany. It also doesn't seem fair that they had no say in the League of Nations and had their army taken away. In addition to all of those punishments, Germany also had to pay an amount of money that they didn't have. All this did was cause more problems. What do you guys think?
-Natalie

Dayna's Take on Ernest Hemingway

Hey Excel 05-06! Just postin’ a blog… well I guess I will write about my thoughts on Hemmingway. This guy really knew how to write… he was a jerk. I mean he had like 5 wives for peat sake! I think he was really full of himself, but wouldn’t you if you were famous by 25?!? I really like the story “The Cat in the Rain” because there is sooo much under the surface. Like I said in class, I think that the cat represented what she had lost, a miss carriage, and when the bell hop gets it to her, it means that she has another chance at having a baby.

Thanks guys,

Dayna

Treaty of Versailles Ratification pre-debate by Madison

Today during our Treaty of Versailles 'pre-debate' I was thinking about the views of the people who don't want the treaty at all. I remember while reading that they felt we should have just isolated ourselves from all of Europe. I'm not sure how anyone would find that to be a realistic solution. Europe contained a good amount of our trading, even if not most of it, I'm sure there were things in Europe that would be harder to get from other countries. Europe also was where a lot of our immigrants came from; I'm not sure how those European immigrants in Congress could have felt this way. I guess I'm wondering if there was a way we could have just isolated ourselves and for it to work out. If so, could we use a similar technique today in a similar case, and why wouldn't the other countries get mad and gang up on us?

Posted by Madison