/pəˈsweɪʒn/: Yeah, We're Overdoing it.

Is it true that we spend too much of our lives convincing others that we are someone we are not?

"'What's your opinion of me, anyhow?'...'I don't want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear.'" (Fitzgerald 65)

Why is even the great Mr. Gatsby so insecure with what the public eye has to say about him? It is so ironic that a man with an absurd amount of power becomes so vulnerable to what everyone else's opinion is. There are pages after pages of an endless number of rumors that Gatsby has probably constructed himself over his "secret" background. This habit has become very frequent during current times as well because there is satisfaction of being favored and this is greatly demonstrated through social media. 

Recently, Buzzfeed has posted an article upon  people's true intentions when they post a picture on Instagram. http://www.buzzfeed.com/laraparker/if-we-were-honest-on-instagram 

Although this was all created for a comical purpose, it brought out an interesting point because these pictures were based off of genuine objectives of people, This is just another trick into letting other people we are connected to know that, by simply putting it, HEY I HAVE A LIFE. There is some satisfaction in knowing that other people think highly of us because the idea of a positive title placed upon us means that there is more approval. Such approval from society defines power. An example of this is democratic elections. The more amount of citizens that approve of a candidate, the more power the applicant has to the job. In conclusion, in order to gain power, this current generation has gotten into the habit of faking our image in order to convince society that we are someone better than what we truly are. 

/ɡriːd/: It's so messed up.

"My father gave me advice...'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'" (Fitzgerald 1). 

What an interesting method in unfolding the great American novel, The Great Gatsby. In a book enriched with greed and wealth, it begins with the idea of acting grateful upon available resources in our surroundings. This is quite ironic to the idea of the American dream.  But because of the overdose on continuously pursuing more wealth, the idea of reaching this dream has morphed passion into greed. It must be realized that wealth is not equivalent to happiness for it is temporary. 

The ye old land of America has earned a title of the country that will grant the wish of going from rags to riches. Even the great Drake states himself, started from the bottom now we're here. Why has the human race become so infatuated with climbing the social ladder and increasing the number in their bank account? To answer it simply, we want stuff! The category of "stuff" can be something or someone but whatever it may be, there is nothing more satisfying with quenching our thirst of getting what we want. Why? Well it's because it pleases us in a positive way. I mean, I remember in 5th grade, I was about to burst of glee when my mom bought me the limited edition cotton candy my little pony doll. 

Let us just take a moment and admire how majestic and gorgeous she is. 

Alas, we must come to a conclusion that no matter how majestic and gorgeous an item is, it is temporary. Happiness is only provided alongside with things that will last forever, things that cannot be held in our gluttonous palms. But in our past generations, especially characters in Great Gatsby, and even our present generations have accepted the wrong theory that wealth equals happiness.

/ˌpʌŋk.tjuˈeɪ.ʃən/: Organization

What is Punctuation? It is the key tool to understand. That's it. Although it just seems like a tedious, unnecessary chore, it directly portrays the thoughts behind the minds of the writers. It allows the words to flow through the eyes and into the brain of the reader. It is art, creating smooth turns and pauses. There is a reason this skill has been installed into elementary-school students, and gradually built off of that base. It is a necessity upon which it leads to success. How? The answer is the organization and the ability to fully portray the process of your opinions. Going against punctuation is going against efficiency. 

I agree that the generation is stepping forward and there are sacrifices to be made in order to be able to advance. But it is only possible to move onward if we hold on to our past. The lessons learned from the past are what carves the future. So altering the base of our literature history does not benefit the changing currents of time.

If you are not fully hindered upon the idea of altering punctuation, then does the following perhaps seem appealing?

WellthenImightaswellstarttypinglikethisbecausewhoneedsevenspacesanymoreImeancomeontimesarechangingandiamlikingtheideaofnoteventryingtopressthespacebuttonlikewhatisthisican'tevenwaitwhatwasieventalkingaboutagainidon'tevenknowhowwasyourdayminewasswelligotagoodeighthoursleepandiwokeupataroundtwelvewhichisveryordinaryconsideringthefactthatonweekendsitisalmostimpossibleformetoevengetoutofbedifinditfunnythatthebedissomuchmorecomfierontheweekendsasifitisforcingmenottogetoutofbedwhichisbasicallywhatidoallthetimeohmygoodnesshowamisupposedtoevenwakeupforschooltomorrowyoucantreallytellbutimgroaningwaitwhatwasitalkingaboutidontevenknowanymoreikindawantsomecookiesrightnowholdonillberightbackokimbackwithmycookieswhyarecookiessogoodlikeifcookieswerehealthyidbeinsuchgoodshapebutwhenithinkaboutthatitskindaironicbecausewhenpeoplesaythattheywanttobeinshapetheyactuallyareashapeitsjustthattheyrenotahealthybodyshapeyeahicantellthatineedmoresleepinmyschedule.

/iːkwəl/ : A Beautiful Conclusion

"Love is never better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved. The lover alone possesses his gift of love. The lover is shorn, neutralized, frozen in the glare of the lover's inward eye." [Morrison 206]. 

What I find so beautiful about this passage is the use of the word "love" and how love is not based on the connection between two human beings, but upon the characteristics that are retained in the relationship. It brings up an interesting point with the theory of love is formed out of features. These couple of sentences are also able to summarize the theme of The Bluest Eye, because the novel consists of examples of the different ways love can be shown through a relationship. The use of anaphora exemplifies the never-ending variations of love. Then there is a turning point. The quote re-mentions a "free man [who] is never safe" and which was revealed earlier in the book, was Cholly. Morrison claims that love's superstition of having no boundaries is false and ironically it is freedom that causes the feeling of love to vanish.  Giving the curse of freedom to one being will cause confusion and result in a false definition of what seems to be love at first but ends up as being lust. This is also a very lovely way to end this book. During the entire novel, Morrison writes of how there is an uneven distribution of power in a relationship but in conclusion, she states that true love consists of having a "neutralized" power for both ends of the spectrum. 

/koʊld/: Vulnerability

I. hate. cold. 
Maybe it's because I was brought up by the glorious sunshine of L.A., but I absolutely cannot stand the sensation of unforgiving vulnerability when a shiver runs through my bones. (As seen below.)

Yes those are socks on my hands. In my defense, this technique actually retains a lot of heat.

My first experience with an actual winter was pretty rough. I went out to retrieve the mail, and 11 year old Jeana's brain thought it was a stupendous idea to shuffle across the icy driveway in slippers. And with the passion to beat my 11-second record of running to the mailbox, I slipped and fell on my face....which led to an undignifying bloody nose in front of my mailman. I disagree with Elsa and proclaim that the cold really bothers me anyways.

The idea of cold is the absence of love in The Bluest Eye. Every action is acted out without care in Pecola's household, which led to her destructive childhood. Like a Michigan winter, the feeling of "cold" overcomes the entire body. You can almost feel it seep into your joints. The sense is overbearing and it is unsustainable without protection. Without love, we are unable to conquer this world by ourselves.