For Blog #13, explore the idea of the “American Dream”. This should serve as a reflection of who you are now and who you wish to become- hey, we’re studying the 1920s; in that spirit, let’s be optimistic. It would also be wise to consider culture, social values, etc. Remember, we’re thinking about TEXTS and CONTEXTS for this part of the course.

To help you get started, here are four guiding questions:

1. How would you describe the “American Dream?”

The american dream is that you are able to work hard to attain anything you want. The idea is that nothing about your origins should affect what you are able to accomplish in your life. Obviously, some people will be born with advantages, whether they are  genetic advantages that come into play for sports or being born into a influence family that could affect your chances of succeeding in business,but they aren't required for success. The whole idea is that you can get anything you want. It may be incredibly hard and it may be easier for other people but it is still attainable for everyone. Whatever makes you happy is in your reach. 

2. What is your definition of wealth?

To me wealth is strictly monetary possessions but I feel like this question is asking about a more holistic view of "wealth". This holistic view  takes into account family, friends, happiness and generally feeling like you lead a full life. To me that is not having wealth, that is having a good life or a full life or something like that, but not a wealthy life.  Ultimately, Wealth is the sum total in dollars of everything you own to an unbiased person (meaning that you may value your grandmothers ring much more than it is actually worth because of the added sentimental value it has and that should not be taken into account).

3. What are Americans’ attitudes toward wealth and poverty?

First, american's attitude to wealth. To me, Americans see wealth as one of the most important things. Rich people are idolized and the power of the dollar is drilled into our heads from birth. I think that this attitude is linked closely to materialism. We see ourselves only as important as the things we own. As if having a brand new iPhone or car makes you a better and more likable person.  I don't really know why this is such a prevalent idea in America and really the world in general. It could be because most people are now well fed and own land we have to find new things that are exclusive. New ways for the elite to make themselves look better than us. 

Now, poverty. Poverty is obviously looked down upon by most people. If you're visibly  poor, like homeless poor, people on the streets and shop owners probably aren't going to like you. I think this is because the people on the street see that you are a person just like them and that scares them. You being homeless makes them realize that there is nothing keeping them from being right there with you if they get fired. This constant warning is not a pleasant one and so the homeless are shunning. Homeless people looking and smelling bad and having nothing to lose and therefore being more likely to mug someone probably doesn't help the normal people  to homeless people relationship. 

4. What is your attitude toward wealth and poverty?

Money is important to me but I don't think it is above everything for me. I don't want to be poor and not be able to do things that I want to because I don't have the money to do it(Who would want that?), but I would not sacrifice my happiness for money. I think that my driving force in what I want to do with my life is that I want to have a job that is hard. I want to be challenged and doing things that aren't easy. Money is normally a good gauge of the difficulty of the job (Teaching of course being an exception :P) and so money is what I want in my life but not because I want to be rich. Being rich isn't the driving factor in my decisions but it sure would be a cool side effect. Money isn't valuable to me because of what it can do, it is valuable because I was able to earn it. 

This all relates to the text were looking at because Gatsby lives a life of luxury and doesn't really seem to care about money and that was the goal of the times.

 #1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Analysis: Uneasy creates a mysterious and tense mood, transformed sounds very magical and insect sounds much more vile than the word bug, syntax makes the sentence feel like its building up to the end, "as" makes it sound like you are listening to a live broad cast of what is happening which makes you feel closer to the action

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
Analysis: uneasy has the same effect as before but in this one giant bug sounds very child like and comical which adds to the idea of absurdity, 

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

Analysis: troubled creates more worry for gregor than the mystery uneasy creates, enormous has a more serious and sinister tone but bug still conveys they same playful immaturity, the use of when makes the actions sound very removed- i'm not sure of the effect here? 

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

Analysis: awakening makes gregor sound important like waking up is a ceremony, agitated makes gregor appear angry where as in the other the adjective choices doesn't really reflect on gregor, monstrous vermin is very important because vermin is much more open to interpretation than insect or bug and monstrous makes me thing of Frankenstein, round about syntax builds suspense 

How does the word choice and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why? 

The fourth translation is the one I like the most. I don't think we can say which is the most effective without knowing they character. The fourth translation does a good job of building suspense, keeping a serious tone, and describing what gregor transforms into. First, I will look at syntax. The fourth sentence is split into many different phrase which makes the reader curious by slowing down the pace. Two and Three are just a long sentence with no breaks which doesn't add much. The first translation has an introductory phrase which does slow the pace down but not as much as the fourth translation. The next important piece of style is the adjective used to describe the dream. Uneasy is used in 1 and 2 and is there way of created curiosity instead of syntax. Troubled makes gregor seem like a victim and the reader feels bad for him instead of scared like the fourth. In the fourth, agitated is used and it creates a feeling of danger. It couples with the curiosity created by the syntax to make a very tense and anxious mood. The final important part of style is describing the create gregor becomes. The first uses gigantic insect which is a powerful choice. Insect creates a really vile image. The second and third are basically the same. Bug is a bad choice. It creates a childish feeling and makes the monster hes become feel cute and cuddly. The final description is monstrous vermin. This is another very power description. Monstrous is used to describe his size but it also implies a vile and disgusting side. Vermin is another powerful word. Bug and insect are both relatively clear in their descriptions but vermin could be anything from a rat to a wasp. Also vermin are normally a danger to society and are persecuted. Ultimately, the fourth translation is the most effective at creating a disgusting image that the reader takes seriously.

What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence? 

It shows how you aren't reading the original novel, you are reading the translators interpretation of the novel. Also if a sentence has a very dark tone that can be communicated in many different ways. If the original text used pace to convey that, the translation might use diction or a metaphor which is once again the translators interpretation of the novel. The interpreter may not even be aware that they are doing this. Someones when I read a text I cant put my finger one what is affecting me but something about the text creates a certain feeling. This concept can be seen in these translations as I discussed above briefly.