What is Tara thinking…

     Catharsis is the purification or release of emotions in a work of art. A work of art that made me feel one of the biggest emotional releases known to mankind is Disney’s family film Beauty and the Beast. Love, emotions, and character arc development are what give a deep catharsis effect on viewers.      Belle, the main character, begins with a deep hatred for the Beast as he captures her father in his castle, and she must sacrifice her life to save him. Since Belle is trapped in the castle instead of her father, she makes the most of it by getting to know the Beast and making friends with the “people” there. Watching their relationship develop as they play in the snow and bond over books, the audience is eager to see what happens next. The viewer feels a connection with the storyline, visuals, and musical elements. The audience’s connection with the characters runs deep as the different songs each had unique emotions, making the movie more emotionally ...

The way people admire the people they love is the same in the present day as it was in the 1920s.   In The Great Gatsby, we see Gatbsy doing anything he can do in his control to simply see Daisy. In the present day, many people will also do anything they can to see the people they love. At school, for example, people will change their entire route to their classes to see their crush. Literally only to see them, not even talk, and often not even a smile. They make the six minutes of passing time worth every second, because one second is to pass one special person. Gatsby’s way of getting the person he fancies to notice him is by throwing the big, lavish parties in the city, spending unimaginable amounts of money, and allowing most anyone inside. He does all this just for him to stand around and not enjoy the party. What makes people think that they will be able to go further and in their relationship with their crush by nonchalantly passing by them? Will passing them make them like ...

     Mr. Palise, our substitute, is today’s Gatsby. I may be making this connection because I am reading and discussing Gatsby twenty-four seven. Additionally, this is because Mr. Palise has read The Great Gatsby so many times that he has turned into him.       Mr. Palise’s aura resembled Gatsby’s completely because he also lived with symbolism and irony. In The Great Gatsby, we see colors as an important symbol of things, like the colors people wear and the colors in the room. An important example from the book is the color white, which Daisy often wears to symbolize purity. Mr. Palise, similarly, is fully aware of colors and their deeper meaning and uses them to represent his lifestyle. When he substituted for our class, he was decked out in green. Green often symbolizes money. Ya know, dollar bills. But the weird thing about this color choice for his outfit is that he currently working as a substitute teacher; so where is he getting money that allow...

Collegeboard is the TJ Eckleburg to today’s high school students. TJ Eckleburg is the mystery man that the people in the Valley of Ashes look up to (literally), similar to high school students looking up to Collegeboard. Although TJ Eckleburg is an oculist, he has eternal blindness to the poor. This is similar to how Collegeboard has eternal blindness to students' complaints about the application process and the skyrocketing prices. Students try to become something in life and they need the help of Collegeboard. However, nothing has been done over the years to support these needy students—the same way the poor in the Valley of Ashes will never get their eyes checked. Regardless of one’s financial status, it’s hard to get the help needed. Especially in the confusing winds of Collegeboard’s website, similar to the winds of the Valley of Ashes. No matter how many SATs high school students take or the begging of the people from the Valley of Ashes, the big guys will not care. But of co...