Blog Topic #1: Rhetorical Strategies:

•       Polysyndeton: “This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald 23).
•       Vernacular: “’He went to Oggsford College in England. You know Oggsford College” (Fitzgerald 72).
•       Simile: “It had seemed as close as a star to the moon” (Fitzgerald 93).
•      Alliteration: “His hand took hold of hers, and as she said something low in his ear he turned toward her with a rush of emotion” (Fitzgerald 96).
•       Allusion: “It was when curiosity about Gatsby was at its highest that the lights in his house failed to go on one Saturday night – and, as obscurely as it had begun, his career as Trimalchio was over” (Fitzgerald 113).

            In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald exemplifies his sophisticated style through the many rhetorical strategies he uses in his text. He applies many different strategies to highlight the ways that Nick is so different from the people he surrounds himself with and how he likes to learn their ways.  Through the polysyndeton used on page 23, Fitzgerald explains how the rich people make their houses out of “ashes” because though their houses are very nice, many of the people have been through a lifetime of hurt and trouble. Fitzgerald hides these problems through his flow of words in this specific sentence. The use of a simile, “It had seemed as close as a star to the moon” (Fitzgerald 93), reflects the poetic style that Fitzgerald often employs in the book. This poetry causes the reader to indirectly reflect on the work and realize that Fitzgerald really takes time to piece together his writing. This poetic style can also be shown through the alliteration of “his hand took hold of hers” (96). When he repeats the letter “h” he emphasizes the significance of how important this moment was, the time when Gatsby and Daisy finally admit their love. His poetic style helps the reader to relate to them on a deeper level. The flow of the work as a whole and the educated diction allows for a tone that can be taken very seriously. The writer appeals to the pathos of the readers by using this style to show them that his story is credible. The extremely educated style is exemplified through the many rhetorical devices used in the text. This allows the reader to relate more easily to the characters and the points trying to be made throughout the story.