Interpretive Leap

I decided to change my song to Lana Del Rey's song "Young and Beautiful". The main question of the song is to her lover. She wants to know if he will still love her when she is no longer young and beautiful. She answers her own question by saying,"I know you will" repeatedly. But her face does not reflect that. In the video it is dark and dull. She is somber throughout the video and does not always make eye contact with the camera. It seems as if she is asking for a confirmation of his love for her. This song is also used in a scene in The Great Gatsby. However, in The Great Gatsby, the scene shows a different story. The scene is very lively, bright, grand, and cheerful. The people in it are smiling and laughing and having fun. During the scene, Jay Gatsby looks at Daisy and remarks on how splendid she is and how he did not want to forget a moment of their day together. This is a confirmation of his continual love for her. Even though the lyrics are the same in both videos, two different stories are revealed.

From Flappers to Rappers

“The Great Gatsby” used a blend of contemporary music and 1920's jazz because they wanted to "weave" in music from different eras. When F. Scott Fitzgerald used jazz music he was criticized because it was said to be of the moment. So, it makes sense for the new Gatsby soundtrack to have modern day music as well. Even though the new soundtrack has modern day hip-hop songs, the songs still fit in with the mood of the movie. For example, in the song "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody", contemporary beats and elements from the jazz age are "weaved" together. The song fits in with the mood of the movie because it is played during a party scene.  Just like a party is lively and upbeat, so is the song. I think that the music was a successful rhetorical choice because it meshes well with the scenes in the movie. The original movie had modern music from that era so the new soundtrack should have modern music as well.

Process and Product

Typically when I start an essay I start the night before and I just write. But, this time I made an outline of everything that I was going to write about. Then, once I had my outline I started writing. I do not like to jump all around. I start with the introduction and work my way all the way down to the conclusion. I think that this process of using the outline helped me stay organized with my ideas. I was not as overwhelmed because I knew what I was going to talk about. Also, I actually like having required drafts due. By doing this I did not wait until the last minute to write the entire essay. I also like that I get feedback from you so that I know if I am on the right track. The writing process is much easier when I write a little bit at a time and then turn it in. If we did not have required drafts I might would have started about three days before it was due. I am glad that we had required drafts and writing workshops because it makes me feel more confident about my paper.