Task #1: Rhetorical Strategies

v     Simile: “...the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe...” (3).

v     Simile, Personification, Allusion: “I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment securities, and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew” (4).

v     Personification: “The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walks and burning gardens...” (6).

v     Hyperbole: “The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their retinas are one yard high” (23).

v     Alliteration, Simile: “She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom...” (26).

v     Oxymoron: “...a soft, coarse voice” (26).

v     Paradox: “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life” (35).

v     Metaphor: “The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain” (85).

v     Metaphor: “For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing” (99).

F. Scott Fitzgerald proves to be very relatable and detailed in his writing. The author carefully paints a scene and details the characters’ emotions through his rhetorical strategies. He creates intimacy between the reader and his characters with hyperbole, giving the impression that one would feel if one was actually present. By relating knowledge to “Midas and Morgan and Maecenas,” Fitzgerald displays his fascination with wealth by showcasing prominent figures. With endless stores of similes, he effectively utilizes comparisons to evoke a sense of familiarity yet complexity of the characters; he too uses contradicting terms to demonstrate that people are not one-sided. Frequent personification also gives the feeling that the world is full of life, everything is moving, and nothing is concrete. His descriptive style creates a flow to enhance the storyline of the book, to create understanding about that characters and the setting.