The Great Gatsby

[Auragaea]

I just finished this book for AP Lang. and Comp., and I don't get the big hype about it. Other than Chapter 9 and the way Fitzgerald describes his settings, I really hated the book. It was so boring and I was so confused when I read it. I was so lost that I had to read Chapter 1 twice because I didn't understand whether West Egg and East Egg were real cities or metaphors for real cities. The characters were quite boring (except Tom and Daisy IMO) as well. Its just like a girl in my class said, "People make such a big fuss over a book that they tell you to go out and buy it, but once you start reading it, it turns to crap." Ever since 9th grade, the books I have pledged never to read again due to the quote above are Ender's Game, The Lion's Game, The Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, and Romeo and Juliet. So far, there have only been two books in my entire high school experience that I've enjoyed: To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men.

[I Took the Red Pill]

I hated this book. I can respect the themes of materialism and hypocrisy, but the plot was just so monotonous, because I don't give a <img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"> if Gatsby ever gets Daisy. The movie was boring as hell too. The best part was when Tom broke Myrtle's nose. :)

[Roogle]

At least you didn't have to read Jane Eyre.

[Flying Mullet]

Yeah, most of the books I had to read in high school were boring. The ones that I did enjoy are <i>The Milagro Beanfield War</i> and any book by John Steinbeck.

[Jowy]

Or anything by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

[Disco Potato]

I just finished this book for AP Lang. and Comp., and I don't get the big hype about it. Other than Chapter 9 and the way Fitzgerald describes his settings, I really hated the book. It was so boring and I was so confused when I read it. I was so lost that I had to read Chapter 1 twice because I didn't understand whether West Egg and East Egg were real cities or metaphors for real cities. The characters were quite boring (except Tom and Daisy IMO) as well. Its just like a girl in my class said, "People make such a big fuss over a book that they tell you to go out and buy it, but once you start reading it, it turns to crap." Ever since 9th grade, the books I have pledged never to read again due to the quote above are Ender's Game, The Lion's Game, The Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, and Romeo and Juliet. So far, there have only been two books in my entire high school experience that I've enjoyed: To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men.

I read it a few years ago for school too and really liked it, mostly for the way it was written and its deeper meanings, I think. Though I don't exactly remember what the deeper meanings were :p

I thought Romeo & Juliet was overrated, but the one thing I had to read in high school that I still despise, to this day, is Great Expectations. I basically don't like anything about it - characters, plot, writing style, nothing :mad:

[Crushed Hope]

Or anything by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Oh holy fuck is The Scarlet Letter boring as fuck.

>.> I'm reading Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for my college composition class.

[edczxcvbnm]

EoFF was replaced by the entire first chapter for a time years back. Also that book sucked and so does Jane Eyre. Although Jane Eyre the movie did have James Bond in it so there was a bit of redemption.

[Flying Mullet]

>.> I'm reading Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for my college composition class.
<i>Lord of the Rings</i> gets slow and boring at times too, especially early on during the Fellowship of the Ring.

[theundeadhero]

What's weird to me is that today Yahoo said these following books:

To Kill A Mockingbird
The Outsiders
Of Mice and Men
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Brave New World
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
A Wrinkle in time

have been banned from school libraries, among others. What's so strange about that is that they were all required reading for me in various grades throughout school except Brave New World, which I checked out from the school library and read on my own. What do they require kids to read these days?

I really enjoyed Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories.

[Flying Mullet]

Did it say why they had been banned?

[LunarWeaver]

What's weird to me is that today Yahoo said these following books:

To Kill A Mockingbird
The Outsiders
Of Mice and Men
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Brave New World
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
A Wrinkle in time

have been banned from school libraries, among others. What's so strange about that is that they were all required reading for me in various grades throughout school except Brave New World, which I checked out from the school library and read on my own. What do they require kids to read these days?

I really enjoyed Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories.

Those have been banned? Ooh boy. They were required reading for me as well, except Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer oddly enough.

I loved a Wrinkle in Time =(...

Edit: Oh I forgot to actually talk about the Great Gatsby. Actually, I rather liked the book... I liked it better than To Kill a Mockingbird :erm:

[theundeadhero]

They were banned for being "controvercial".

I wonder how long until 1984, and that one book about firemen being the ones who go around burning banned things are taken away as well?

EDIT: Farenheight 451

[Shauna]

Oh god. I hate this book. I really do. It's so awful. xD

[Auragaea]

What's weird to me is that today Yahoo said these following books:

To Kill A Mockingbird
The Outsiders
Of Mice and Men
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Brave New World
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
A Wrinkle in time

have been banned from school libraries, among others. What's so strange about that is that they were all required reading for me in various grades throughout school except Brave New World, which I checked out from the school library and read on my own. What do they require kids to read these days?

I really enjoyed Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories.

Yup. There's a poster in our school's library that lists all the banned books. Surprisingly, our school allows us to read them although I've never questioned why. On that list, I've read Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird in school, and The Adventurers of Huckleberry Finn by myself. Surprisingly, I like those 3 a lot. I think I've read The Outsiders, but if that's the book I'm thinking of, then I really disliked it.

[Flying Mullet]

Can anyone explain why those books were banned?

[LunarWeaver]

Yeah why are they being banned? I don't see the problem. They've let school libraries stock them for so long now it's kind of ridiculous to suddenly decide they shouldn't be.

I thought GTA was being blamed for all the world's problems now, wasn't the whole books of evil thing over a long time ago.

[Yamaneko]

The Great Gatsby is one of, if not the worst supposed classic of American literature. Was I supposed to feel sorry for these people? I can't believe they make kids read that crap in high school.

[Miriel]

The Great Gatsby was possibly the worst required reading book I had to endure in high school.

Wait. The Water is Wide was worse. Anyway, I did not like it.

And what the heck at the banned books? To Kill A Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were all required reading for me.

And Wrinke in Time is just <3.

I thought Jane Eyre was alright. Nothing great, but I read it without getting angry or falling asleep, so that's something.

[Crushed Hope]

>.> I'm reading Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for my college composition class.
<i>Lord of the Rings</i> gets slow and boring at times too, especially early on during the Fellowship of the Ring.

Yeah, the events about Frodo taking twenty years to decide to go on the journey were annoying, but I found it generally MUCH more tolerable and interesting than say Heart of Darkness or The Red Badge Of Courage (which is THE SINGLE MOST BORING BOOK EVER)

[nik0tine]

I stopped going to my English class last year about the time we started reading this book, so I only got to read the beginning, but the descriptions were absolutely amazing. There was one metaphor in there comparing the croaking of bullfrogs to a pipe organ. It was hands down the best use of language I have ever read, from any writer, ever. I'll agree that the book is boring, but it's still brilliant.

[kikimm]

I had to read it last year. It was really easy to read, and I didn't find it boring or anything, but I don't like it anyways. It wasn't saying anything new or profound. I'm not quite sure why we had to read that.

And yeah those banned books were, or are, I should say, required reading for me. Still. So...yeah!

[Sephex]

Well, there is some good that came out of this book. I can't believe ed didn't mention this, by the way.

Our band name, the Polo Ponys, came from this book.

Story: ed and I were in class together and our class was reading The Great Gatsby. It was one of those time waster days where the teacher had the class, along with himself, read outloud parts of the book in a vain effort to get everyone to pay attention to the story. Anyway, somewhere in that book they mentioned polo ponys. As soon as ed and I both heard these magical words, he both turned and looked eachother holding in massive laughter. Why? Because we both knew what each other was thinking without saying a single word to eachother. We both envisioned ponys playing water polo.

Anyway, when we made our first song a couple of years later (in 2000...this sotry takes place in 1998) one of us decided to give our band a name despite the fact that we didn't really plan on making more songs than our first song.

FUN FACT: ed and I got seperated in class because of this.

ANOTHER FUN FACT: When ed wrote his paper on the book, he named it, "Who to do".

[nik0tine]

And yeah those banned books were, or are, I should say, required reading for me. Still. So...yeah!

[NINJA_Ryu]

They were banned for being "controvercial".

I wonder how long until 1984, and that one book about firemen being the ones who go around burning banned things are taken away as well?

EDIT: Farenheight 451

WIIINSTOOON!!!!!!!

sorry, couldnt resist :p

but banned books suck, how can the banning of ideas be justified?

and the great gatsby, i havent read it, but i have heard good things about it :D

[Strider]

I echo most everyone else's sentiments, The Great Gatsby sucked.

Mullet wins for mentioning Steinbeck.

And as for the banned book list... are you kidding me? I suppose when everything is about test scores, the things that really matter in literature get thrown out the window.

[theundeadhero]

Apparently some schools still have them?

[ValkyrieWing]

Wow...A Wrinkle in Time got banned? I read that in thrid grade...independently, of course.

[Brian The Pink Shark]

I hate the great crapsby

i had to do it in english last year, i found it boring and pointless :choc:

[Resha]

At least you didn't have to read Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre is brilliant. One of my favourites from the Brontes.

I loved The Great Gatsby -- it's an excellent book. I wish we would do it in English Lit, but alack. Gatsby was such an awesome fellow...it's a seriously brilliant book. One of my favourite classics. >=( This book ain't done justice by y'all. :( It's so poignant.

Also -- The Catcher in the Rye. :p Jesus, it was beautiful. I adored this book beyond belief.

I have never done To Kill A Mockingbird in English, and thank god, because while it's a great read and all, I think I'd want to stab myself in the throat if I had to analyse this. And I have done Of Mice and Men -- for two years running. There was one phase when I loathed this book and all it stood for, but I didn't do it justice then either. It actually is pretty darned amazing, when you think of everything Steinbeck put into it and depicted in it. Pretty. Darned. Ay-mazing.

[Flying Mullet]

What makes me sad is that while they were banned from being controversial, most likely some group of super-conservative religious zealots had them banned as they are trying to shelter their kids by pretending that the issues in those books don't exist.