The Great Gatsby and Literary Merit
When I think about the word literary merit and its relation to books, I immediately picture books intellectual scholars from Harvard or Yale read with their reading glasses cords on both sides of their face. These books aren't books like the Green Eggs and Ham that are filled with rhymes and alliteration we read in kindergarten. Nor are they like Charlotte’s Web we read in middle school or all of the Harry Potter book series we read over and over again. I once believed that literary merit books are extremely complex and challenges even the best of a student who performs well academically. These books all mimic the writing style of Shakespeare and the words are lifeless in the mind of a high school student. And now, as high school students, we are forced to read these heavy duty book materials that are not very interesting to read. However, after reading about College Board’s definition of literary merit books, I realized that my definition was wrong after all.
College Board defines literary merit books as novels that have been judged to be exceptional by teachers, students, critics and other writers. These books aren't boring, but they entertain the reader and is interesting. Also, these books have a universal appeal to different people, cultures, religion and tongue. The insights are brilliant and is not only related to one time period but all.
My first independent reading book, The Great Gatsby, did not fit my definition of literary merit. The book tells a story about a man who quickly becomes wealthy solely for the purpose of having a young beautiful woman fall in love with him again. In order to achieve this, he hosted many nights of extravagant parties and by winning Daisy, he can prove that he belongs to the upper class which is his American Dream. The Great Gatsby was an easy read and examined themes of love, rejection, failure, and success. This mixture of themes painted a colorful vibrant picture that made the book enjoyable. It was sweet, short and simple and the novel had so much to talk about. The Great Gatsby wasn't a book that was too complex and it didn't bore me out.
Apparently, College Board considers The Great Gatsby as a work of literary merit. And as I ponder why, I realize that the themes which are included in the novel are related to everyone. One theme in particular is that the love for people or objects can make us do things that are not right. Gatsby’s love for wealth and Daisy contributed to his crimes that he was involved in to acquire his wealth in a short period of time. Literary merits books aren't complex after all, but they can be fun and interesting to read. They don't necessarily have to be books that have thousands of pages with complex diction. The fonts aren't tiny which can be difficult to follow but these books do paint a picture that will make the reader want to read more. Literary merit books aren't complicated after all, but they are fun and interesting to read.
College Board defines literary merit books as novels that have been judged to be exceptional by teachers, students, critics and other writers. These books aren't boring, but they entertain the reader and is interesting. Also, these books have a universal appeal to different people, cultures, religion and tongue. The insights are brilliant and is not only related to one time period but all.
My first independent reading book, The Great Gatsby, did not fit my definition of literary merit. The book tells a story about a man who quickly becomes wealthy solely for the purpose of having a young beautiful woman fall in love with him again. In order to achieve this, he hosted many nights of extravagant parties and by winning Daisy, he can prove that he belongs to the upper class which is his American Dream. The Great Gatsby was an easy read and examined themes of love, rejection, failure, and success. This mixture of themes painted a colorful vibrant picture that made the book enjoyable. It was sweet, short and simple and the novel had so much to talk about. The Great Gatsby wasn't a book that was too complex and it didn't bore me out.
Apparently, College Board considers The Great Gatsby as a work of literary merit. And as I ponder why, I realize that the themes which are included in the novel are related to everyone. One theme in particular is that the love for people or objects can make us do things that are not right. Gatsby’s love for wealth and Daisy contributed to his crimes that he was involved in to acquire his wealth in a short period of time. Literary merits books aren't complex after all, but they can be fun and interesting to read. They don't necessarily have to be books that have thousands of pages with complex diction. The fonts aren't tiny which can be difficult to follow but these books do paint a picture that will make the reader want to read more. Literary merit books aren't complicated after all, but they are fun and interesting to read.
Comments
Post a Comment