Proximity?
"Did you ever see an amusement park?"
"No, Father."
"Well, go and see an amusement park." The priest waved his hand vaguely. "It's like a fair, only much more glittering. Go to one at night and stand a little way off from it in a dark place- under dark trees. You'll see a big wheel made of lights turning in the air, and a long slide shooting boats down into the water. A band playing somewhere, and a smell of peanuts-and everything will twinkle. But it won't remind you of anything you see. It will all just hang out there in the night like a colored balloon-like a big yellow lantern on a pole."
Father Schwartz frowned as he suddenely thought of something.
"But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald,
from Absolution
What does the aformentioned passage imply about the "American Dream", and what is your reaction to this possible modernist (pgs. 523-536 in Am. Lit. text) commentary? Please comment and incorporate specific references to lines from the passage.
"No, Father."
"Well, go and see an amusement park." The priest waved his hand vaguely. "It's like a fair, only much more glittering. Go to one at night and stand a little way off from it in a dark place- under dark trees. You'll see a big wheel made of lights turning in the air, and a long slide shooting boats down into the water. A band playing somewhere, and a smell of peanuts-and everything will twinkle. But it won't remind you of anything you see. It will all just hang out there in the night like a colored balloon-like a big yellow lantern on a pole."
Father Schwartz frowned as he suddenely thought of something.
"But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald,
from Absolution
What does the aformentioned passage imply about the "American Dream", and what is your reaction to this possible modernist (pgs. 523-536 in Am. Lit. text) commentary? Please comment and incorporate specific references to lines from the passage.
posted by Greg T at Thursday, February 14, 2008
18 Comments:
"But don't get up close, because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." One thing that usually is incoporated with the American dream is money and money can lead to greed. I think this passage implies if you get too greedy you will become pressured and it could lead to your downfall.
"Did you ever see an amusement park?"
"No, Father."
"Well, go and see an amusement park."
…
But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
The American dream is something that everyone should see but not experience, because it will only be a let down. Anything as wonderful sounding as the fabulous American Dream can only disappoint. So, this man is saying enjoy it from a distance, but do not go and experience it for yourself because you will only be disappointed.
"But don't get up close, because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life,"
A big part of the American dream is money and happiness. If you have to much money and too much happiness you will sometimes for get about what is important in life and forget to be graetful for what what you have. You could be lucky and have a lot of things that other people don't have and want. People can take things for granted and forget about the importance and value. It can sometimes be better to look at the american dream as a big picture then really experience the american dream becauase sometimes experienceing something can change the view as if you were to just look at it.
I agree with Sam. One of the first things I thought of was money. The passage says, "But it won't remind you of anything you see."
Maybe money was something new and although the American Dream, being represented by an amusement park, was something new and cool, it also had its negative aspects as well as positive ones.
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"Did you ever see an amusement park?"
"No, Father."
"Well, go and see an amusement park."
"It's like a fair, only much more glittering.
Everyone has the American Dream of living a wealthy and educational life but not everyone gets to experience and that sometimes may be for the better. There are many people out there in the world who are wealthy and can come out selfish forgetting about important parts. Many people have important values in their life which they wouldn't trade anything for and some spend money on some of the most useless things needed in life.
But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
People I think need to watch out for what they wish for because even if it were to come true it may not be all what they expected and like Sara said, being disappointed.
I believe that the American Dream is harder to grasp now a days, because it is harder to succeed now. In jobs, there are more people competing for the same job, and when you get your job, people are competing against you to get the higher pay or raise."But don't get up close, because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." i believe that this qoute shows that the American Dream makes you work harder than ever before.
"It's like a fair, only much more glittering. Go to one at night and stand a little way off from it in a dark place- under dark trees. You'll see a big wheel made of lights turning in the air, and a long slide shooting boats down into the water. A band playing somewhere, and a smell of peanuts-and everything will twinkle. But it won't remind you of anything you see. It will all just hang out there in the night like a colored balloon-like a big yellow lantern on a pole."
Fredrick uses the amusement park as an analogy to the American dream because from a distance it seems to be a great thing that everyone hopes to achieve one day, but in actuality their dreams are so great that they can never be achieved. "But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." From a distance amusement parks appear to be amazing and like there might actually be something there, however when you get up close and actually go in nothing is the way you imagined it would be. Like the American dream the results are never as the individual hoped and dreamed for. I don’t think that Fredrick is saying that the American dream is unattainable or out of reach only that it more often than not doesn’t meet the expectations people have.
The bible says that we shouldn't worry about worldly things but rather heavenly things. I believe this selection of text aligns with the bible verse. When we compare how many things we have to another person, we are comparing worldly things. But if we strive to obtain values and morals, our life will turn out for the better, and we will lay up blessings in heaven. People always say live life to the fullest, go enjoy life. Life can be enjoyed by worldly things but in my opinion I don't think it was to the fullest. When we live to the fullest we create memories and moments that will last for a lifetime. So, don't worry about the newest technology but focus on the fun you can have in a day. On Mr. Trotter's wall he has a dollar bill, above the bill is a quote asking if "you spent it, or wasted it?" What did you do today, did you spend it or did you waste it?
BY THE WAY,HERITAGE LOST LAST NIGHT! That was a great way to spend it!
I agree with Saraz interperetation of the quote. The american dream is a figure of speech of encountering something exciting. I feel the american dream will never have a percise meaning to where everyone one will agree but where people can at least discuss there differences.
"But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
This qoute is incorporating the american dream because it has to do with money. What he is saying is that if he does not have enough money to spend to have fun and do things that he wants then he needs to just sit back and think about what he can do to give him enough money. Some people need lots of money to have fun, but other people are able to have fun with the things and people around them even if they only have a little bit of money. It is all up to how the person views the american dream in order to decide how much money that they want.
With all due respect to sam i disagree with his interpretation of those lines. first of all the american dream doesn't have to include an excessive amount of money, it is different for everyone. what I think that the passage implies in reference to the american dream is not to get too caught up in all of those things such as wealth and excess but rather to realize what is there and make the best of the situation you are in.
Did you ever see an amusement park?"
"No, Father."
"Well, go and see an amusement park."
"It's like a fair, only much more glittering.
I believe this is implying that maybe a fair is like a the middle class fun and going to an amusement park is like going to an extravagent place where only the rich can go. It shows how back in the day something as small as going to a park can be such a big thing for people.
"But don't get up close, because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." The American Dream though a fun life, also has it's flaws. One should see and observe the American dream, but if one becomes enthraled in the American dream, and an active part of the American dream, one can be hurt. The American Dream corrupts; it's a society in itself. The American dream is naturally selfish, moving people to hurting others. You may enjoy your life entralled in the American dream, but lonliness may come also through selfishness.
The main american dream would probably have to be to get money and have a family and live without fear. The American dream is a fun fulfilling dream.
"Did you ever see an amusement park?"
This could stand for the many different perspectives of the dream and the cultures and how every dream varies.
"But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
This is like the American Dream and can relate to it because when you get closer to what you think you want, you can sometimes be blinded by what is really there. So as a person moves up in the world, money is the answer for all and they lose a understanding of what really should matter in their life because they thought that money was the answer. Riches cant buy you happiness.
I think the passage is about how the american dream is sugar coated, it looks nice, seems nice, but when you finally experience it you realize its not really any differant from the way life was before your experience, its a letdown, be cause it really isnt all its cracked up to be.
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