2011 English Advanced Assessment Task

Download as docx, pdf, or txt
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 5

Texts reflect concerns and values of their composers.

Discuss the differences in


the representation of love and hope that arise from the contexts of The Great
Gatsby and Barrett Brownings poetry.
The treatment of themes by composers is influenced by their personal, social
and historical background. By comparing the differing attitudes of composers
toward the same issues one can see how their view is affected by their context.
This is evident in exploring the perspectives on love and hope presented in
selected sonnets from Elizabeth Barrett Brownings (BB) nineteenth century
collection Aurora Leigh and Other Poems, with F. Scott Fitzgeralds 1926
American novel, The Great Gatsby. Victorian England emphasised the
importance of marriage, with or without love. Women were also portrayed as the
objects of affection as opposed to being passionate beings themselves. BB
subverted these expectations, refusing to marry not only until she was deeply
loved, but until she also shared this profound love. In post-war America, also
known as the Jazz Age, there was a strong rejection of the spiritual and moral
principles of the past, with an increased emphasis on the value of each
individuals materialistic and opportunistic desires. Fitzgerald presents the
character of Jay Gatsby who seeks a similar experience to that of BB, however in
his quest to obtain Daisy he becomes tainted by the immorality of his world.
Love can only be fully consummated when it remains uncorrupted; The Great
Gatsby depicts this as hopeless aspiration in the modern world. Thus through
comparing BB and Fitzgeralds treatment of love and hope, one can see how
their contexts and personal values affect their perspectives.
The interconnectedness of love and spirituality and the level of importance
placed upon them is an integral theme in both texts. This is introduced in BBs
first sonnet, with the words Not Death, but Love indicating the strong
relationship between the two. For her, death means transcending to Heaven, the
ultimate fulfilment, thus her confusion of this with love demonstrates the
intensity of her feelings toward Robert. In contrast, The Great Gatsby can be
seen to show the reverse, not Love, but Death. Fitzgeralds work presents his
perspective that in a world devoid of spirituality and morality, the death and
corruption of values is almost inevitable. Despite the emphasis on materialism
and corrupted principles in the Jazz Age and the Victorian eras encouragement
of women as passive receivers of love, both Gatsby and BB determinedly pursue
profound love. However when Gatsby kissed Daisy he forever wed his
unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never
romp again like the mind of God. This quote reiterates the idea that what
could be seen as a partial consummation of love was in fact the death of
Gatsbys potential to be fulfilled he would forever, hopelessly chase the
green light. Gatsbys pursuit of Daisy led him to descend into the criminal
activity of the post-war world in order to be worthy of her love, reflecting the
quote directly preceding the novel: Then wear a gold hat if that will move
her; if you can bounce high, bounce for her too, til she cry, Lover, goldhatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you! (Parke DInvilliers). Daisys
initial rejection of the poor Gatsby is contrasted with her later exclamation of I
have never seen such beautiful shirts! indicating that now that he is rich,

they may consummate their love. The idea of factors affecting love, of love being
a commodity, is explicitly rejected by BB in Sonnet 14, If thou must love me
let it be for nought, except for loves sake only, going on to describe the
necessity for unconditional love. Thus through examining the texts together one
can see that whilst BB is able to experience a deeply transcendental, spiritual
love, the characters of The Great Gatsby have no hope of achieving this as their
love is influenced and tainted by other factors.
The texts show that when a different level of value is placed on fulfilment, one is
only able to be satisfied to the bounds of this self-imposed limit. Transitory and
incomplete love is a key theme of The Great Gatsby, as shown by the many
affairs and short relationships described in the novel I let it blow away
quietly, I loved him...but I loved you too! the characters are searching
for a satisfying and profound love, but their efforts are inhibited by their
abandonment of strong moral grounding. BB explains that this is because only
unconditional love may last, But love me for loves sake, that evermore
thou mayst love on, through loves eternity. The use of silver imagery
throughout the sequence to describe love, silver answer rang Not Death
but Love and the silver iterance of love me, love me, love me,
indicates that it is extremely precious and almost perfect. However, gold imagery
is reserved for Heaven, which is the ultimate fulfilment, as shown by her
description of the angels as a golden orb of perfect song. Hence the final
line of the sonnet sequence I shall but love thee better after death
reflects that only in Heaven could their love be even more profound. This is in
direct contrast to Fitzgeralds characters who are seen as being willing to settle
for less than true love. This is shown by the quote at the start of the novel
gold-hatted...lover I must have you!, where the woman is shown to fall in
love with this golden hat as opposed to the person themself, meaning that she
could only obtain the level of fulfilment provided by satisfying materialistic
desires. Nicks interactions with Jordan also explore this contrast in valuing love,
as he describes her golden shoulder but later, only half in love with
her... turned away. The use of golden to describe this incomplete and
rejected love indicates that this is the best that Nick, a product of this modern
world, can hope to achieve. In the spiritual wasteland that Fitzgerald depicts the
Jazz Age to be, a lack of morally correct values has led to the corruption of
love, so that transitory love and the satisfaction of materialistic desires are the
closest that characters can come to being contented. Thus by comparing the
emphasis placed on love and spirituality in both texts, one can see their
importance in allowing a person to achieve a sense of fulfilment.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and F. Scott Fitzgerald present polarised views of love
and hope. This is because BB found the potential within herself for love and
fulfilment, whilst Fitzgerald was experiencing the decadence of the 1920s,
resulting in the overwhelming sense of hopelessness depicted in The Great
Gatsby. This is emphasised by the corruption and demise of Gatsby, the only
character who truly aspired to achieve the transcendental love described by BB.
Through comparing the texts together, one can see how BB was able to obtain
fulfilment as she clung to her personal values, however Fitzgeralds characters

could not as they descended into the immorality that the author perceived to be
the downfall of his society. Thus through comparing the personal, social and
historical contexts of Elizabeth Barrett Brownings sonnets and F. Scott
Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, one can see how their portrayals of love and hope
are influenced by their backgrounds.

Texts reflect concerns and values of their composers. Discuss the differences in
the representation of love and hope that arise from the contexts of The Great
Gatsby and Barrett Brownings poetry.
The treatment of themes by composers is influenced by their personal, social
and historical background. By comparing the differing attitudes of composers
toward the same issues one can see how their view is affected by their context.
This is evident in exploring the perspectives on love and hope presented in
selected sonnets from Elizabeth Barrett Brownings (BB) nineteenth century
collection Aurora Leigh and Other Poems, with F. Scott Fitzgeralds 1926
American novel, The Great Gatsby. Victorian England emphasised the
importance of marriage, with or without love. Women were also portrayed as the
objects of affection as opposed to being passionate beings themselves. BB
subverted these expectations, refusing to marry not only until she was deeply
loved, but until she also shared this profound love. In post-war America, also
known as the Jazz Age, there was a strong rejection of the spiritual and moral
principles of the past, with an increased emphasis on the value of each
individuals materialistic and opportunistic desires. Fitzgerald presents the
character of Jay Gatsby who seeks a similar experience to that of BB, however in
his quest to obtain Daisy he becomes tainted by the immorality of his world.
Love can only be fully consummated when it remains uncorrupted; The Great
Gatsby depicts this as hopeless aspiration in the modern world. Thus through
comparing BB and Fitzgeralds treatment of love and hope, one can see how
their contexts and personal values affect their perspectives.
The interconnectedness of love and spirituality and the level of importance
placed upon them is an integral theme in both texts. This is introduced in BBs
first sonnet, with the words Not Death, but Love indicating the strong
relationship between the two. For her, death means transcending to Heaven, the
ultimate fulfilment, thus her confusion of this with love demonstrates the
intensity of her feelings toward Robert. In contrast, The Great Gatsby can be
seen to show the reverse, not Love, but Death. Fitzgeralds work presents his
perspective that in a world devoid of spirituality and morality, the death and
corruption of values is almost inevitable. Despite the emphasis on materialism
and corrupted principles in the Jazz Age and the Victorian eras encouragement
of women as passive receivers of love, both Gatsby and BB determinedly pursue
profound love. However when Gatsby kissed Daisy he forever wed his
unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never
romp again like the mind of God. This quote reiterates the idea that what
could be seen as a partial consummation of love was in fact the death of
Gatsbys potential to be fulfilled he would forever, hopelessly chase the
green light. Daisys initial rejection of the poor Gatsby is contrasted with her
later exclamation of I have never seen such beautiful shirts! indicating
that now that he is rich, they may consummate their love. The idea of factors
affecting love, of love being a commodity, is explicitly rejected by BB in Sonnet
14, If thou must love me let it be for nought, except for loves sake
only, going on to describe the necessity for unconditional love. Thus through
examining the texts together one can see that whilst BB is able to experience a

deeply transcendental, spiritual love, the characters of The Great Gatsby have no
hope of achieving this as their love is influenced and tainted by other factors.
The texts show that when a different level of value is placed on fulfilment, one is
only able to be satisfied to the bounds of this self-imposed limit. The use of silver
imagery throughout the sequence to describe love, silver answer rang Not
Death but Love and the silver iterance of love me, love me, love
me, indicates that it is extremely precious and almost perfect. However, gold
imagery is reserved for Heaven, which is the ultimate fulfilment, as shown by her
description of the angels as a golden orb of perfect song. Hence the final
line of the sonnet sequence I shall but love thee better after death
reflects that only in Heaven could their love be even more profound. This is in
direct contrast to Fitzgeralds characters who are seen as being willing to settle
for less than true love. This is shown by the quote at the start of the novel
gold-hatted...lover I must have you!, where the woman is shown to fall in
love with this golden hat as opposed to the person themself, meaning that she
could only obtain the level of fulfilment provided by satisfying materialistic
desires. Nicks interactions with Jordan also explore this contrast in valuing love,
as he describes her golden shoulder but later, only half in love with
her... turned away. The use of golden to describe this incomplete and
rejected love indicates that this is the best that Nick, a product of this modern
world, can hope to achieve. In the spiritual wasteland that Fitzgerald depicts the
Jazz Age to be, a lack of morally correct values has led to the corruption of
love, so that transitory love and the satisfaction of materialistic desires are the
closest that characters can come to being contented. Thus by comparing the
emphasis placed on love and spirituality in both texts, one can see their
importance in allowing a person to achieve a sense of fulfilment.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and F. Scott Fitzgerald present polarised views of love
and hope. This is because BB found the potential within herself for love and
fulfilment, whilst Fitzgerald was experiencing the decadence of the 1920s,
resulting in the overwhelming sense of hopelessness depicted in The Great
Gatsby. This is emphasised by the corruption and demise of Gatsby, the only
character who truly aspired to achieve the transcendental love described by BB.
Through comparing the texts together, one can see how BB was able to obtain
fulfilment as she clung to her personal values, however Fitzgeralds characters
could not as they descended into the immorality that the author perceived to be
the downfall of his society. Thus through comparing the personal, social and
historical contexts of Elizabeth Barrett Brownings sonnets and F. Scott
Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, one can see how their portrayals of love and hope
are influenced by their backgrounds.

You might also like