Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Dreamer Mentality

Please respond to the following questions-make sure to give a thorough response and respond to at least one other person's comment.
Idealism has always been a way for people to escape reality. If you are a dreamer, do you have to be more careful? Nick says to Gatsby, "You can't repeat the past." What do you think? Are there repercussions?

33 comments:

  1. Those who choose reject reality and live in their own fantasy world risk loosing the grasp on what is real. Sometimes they become so caught up in their dream, they spend more time in their own head than in the physical world. They reject their societal duties and frolick in the realm of fantasy. This is very dangerous because the dream can eventually overrun a person and control everything that they do. Gatsby seems to be at risk from such a fate and he does not realize that his obsession with Daisy has become unhealthy and it could possibly destroy him and everything he has worked for. If he is not successful in trying to win back Daisy, then he will fall into a deep depression that he cannot escape. Do people foresee their fall?

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  2. I think that as a dreamer, you have more freedom to escape reality in any way you want. The dreams that I have could be the polar opposite from the person sitting next to me. In reality, I find myself wishing I had the courage to do the small things I dream about, like eating a whole gallon of ice cream or making a kick-butt scrapbook. With that in mind, when the big things I dream of do not happen, I feel disappointed that my perfect world is not what I thought it would be. However, in my dreams, I have all the control and can make anyone do whatever will benefit me. In reality, I have some, but not all power over the path my life takes. In real life, I am careful and do not take risks, but in my dreams, I am courageous and strong. I think that my dreams are a result of who I actually am, not the other way around. If anything, you have to be careful that you do not dream bigger and hope to much, which is sad and depressing that society and rejection bring us to the point where we have to restrict even our wildest dreams. The past is in the past, and it does not happen again. Circumstances change, people change, ideas and thoughts change. The past will never be here again. However, if you try to recreate the past exactly, you will just find that it is impossible and a total let down. We all have moments that we wish we could go back to and do differently or change. It will not happen. You may know someone or something in the past and think that if you re-meet them, things will just pick up where they left off, but things will never be as they were or as you imagine them to be. People change. It is a fact of nature. The past will never be able to exist in the present under any circumstances.

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  3. I feel that if you engage in any time of imagination you must be careful to not let yourself get so wrapped up in the promises that dreams and fantasies can trick you into believing. It is unfortunate that we have to keep that in mind, but in the world we live in today, it is essential that we are in touch with reality so we are not taken advantage of. I think people have to find a healthy balance between dreams and reality. Dreams, in the right amount, can inspire people to do the incredible and accomplish things that they thought would never be possible. But by the same token, dreams can totally rule one's life and get them in a state of disallusionment that our society would consider insanity or mentally unhealthy. The same goes for the past. People must find a healthy amount of how much of their past they let affect them. Olivia said that she doesn't think that the past will ever be able to exist in the present or future under any circumstances. I understand where she is coming from but I would argue otherwise. I can say from personal experience that the lessons I have learned from my past have an incredibly significant impact on my future and how I take each and every day. Although I do not try to relive my past, i have learned and experienced a lot in just my 15 years of life that I apply every day. I do not necessarily think that the past can be repeated but aspects of it can. God tests us by putting us through repeated trials of life and only the strongest who have learned their lessons will be able to apply them and prevail through tough or tempting situations. What we take away from the past and how we apply it to the present is truly what matters to me.

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  4. Dreaming is a part of life that helps people tell themselves, "I can do it." Without dreaming, people cannot set goals of where they hope to get and what they hope to achieve. I do not think there should be a limit on dreaming. As long as the person is fully dedicated to the dream, 100% go for it. I do not think that they necessarily have to be more careful, but depending on the dream they may have to prepare for a back-up in case the dream is way "out there". When referring to the past, it is possible to repeat it, but only in different ways. You can make the same mistakes but it will not happen in the same way. Gatsby hopes Daisy will fall in love with him like she once did, maybe she will maybe she won't. But if she does, she won't fall in love with him the same way. They are in different places in their lives, older and more mature. So the past CAN be repeated, as in the same outcome, but to get the outcome, it will not be the same as it was in the past.

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    1. I completely agree with you when you said, "Without dreamiing, people cannot set goals of where they hope to get..." We are all dreamers, it's just that some of us act on it. We take those dreams and turn them into reality. Our dreams should be the building blocks for our life.

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  5. I agree with Victoria in the sense that being a dreamer can defiantly be dangerous. Nick alludes to this fact when he, in a way, warns Gatsby that the past is the past no matter what. There is no way for Gatsby to recreate the past and if he does in fact try to he may end up ruining his present. Daisy is married. She has new responsibilities. A kid.
    Gatsby and Daisy may have been great in the past but things have changed. She promised she would wait for Gatsby, but she didn't. Gatsby has to accept this and be extremely cautious in his pursuit of winning back Daisy. Tom Buchanan, as Nick first describes him, is no wimp. He is burly and has already shown that he will result to physical violence when he broke his mistress' nose. If Gatsby goes all out and announces his love for Daisy to the world in hopes of obtaining his dream, there will certainly be repercussions. I'm not saying that he shouldn't try his best, but he needs to be smart in how he does.
    So yes, being a dreamer certainly means you have to be careful if you don't want to risk your present for a possible future.

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  6. Dreaming is an escape from reality. It shows you who you want to be and where you want to be in life. I agree with Lauren when she says that it is a way to tell ourselves, "We can do it". Dreaming is not dangerous until you take action to make them come true. True dreams will fall where they may and they should not be tampered with. However, the second that you do something you regret or make a mistake because you can't make your dream reality, it becomes dangerous. Gatsby believes that you can repeat the past, but I agree with Jared when he says that things have changed. The past cannot repeat itself because it is the past for a reason. People change and learn from their mistakes. Gatsby has changed and so has Daisy, which makes it difficult for them to see each other in the same light. They both has big dreams which is blinding them from what they truly want. The repercussions from dreaming are simple: you have regrets. If you dream to big and for too long, then the actions you take to get there will impact your life forever. Dreaming is not bad; however, it provides your mind with an excuse to forget reality. This is the dangerous part. So dream big, but always find a common ground to come back to reality.

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  7. I strongly agree with Lauren when she explains that dreaming is a part of life. I believe we dream because it gives us something to strive for and a feeling of purpose. Reality without the thought of what could be would be extremely mundane and regressive because the greatest human achievements began with a dream. But, if the drive to achieve one's dream is crushed, the repercussions can be devastating. The more one invests their time, emotion, and faith, the harder it is to endure rejection of a dream. In Gatsby's scenario, his dream is for Daisy to fall in love with him. In a sense, Gatsby is setting himself up for failure because he is not only in love with a married woman, but he has invested his entire life towards Daisy. Gatsby did not even consider falling in love with any other women because of his near sighted focus on Daisy. Unfortunately, what has already happened in the past cannot happen in the present. I agree with Olivia because the past will never be the same in the present. Time changes everything and nothing will ever be as it was, and that is why it is called the past. However, our past experiences can be utilized for present circumstances, which it what really matters.

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  8. If you are a dreamer then I don't you have to be careful at all. Dreams are meant for us to explore our imagination. If we were careful about what we dream, it would not necessarilly be a dream anymore. It would be more like a goal then anything else. I agree with Kai though that dreams can be devasting if they are crushed. It would be very hard to endure the rejection of a dream, but the reason dreams are so far fetched is because it isnt held back by reality. When Nick tells Gatsby that "you can't repeat the past" I have to disagree with Nick. I agree with Lauren that the same outcome can be repeated, but the path to get to that same result will be different.

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    1. I agree with you that dreams can be far fetched because reality is so demading that you follow what is set for you. But in dreams, you can be whoever or whatever you want. However, if you have a dream,and try to make that dream come true and are rejected, does that mean that that dream has to die? Or can it reform and take shape into something new?

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  9. I don't think you necessarily have to be careful if you are a dreamer- you just need to be more aware. I encourage dreams and think everyone should dream as big as they possibly can. However, I think we all need to be aware of reality. Dreams can help us escape reality, or make goals for it. But we need to make sure we don’t expect all our dreams to come true; they won’t. If we work hard and push for them they might, but there’s no guarantee. If people are aware of this and can differentiate between reality and dreams then they can have a healthy balance in their lives. I thinking Gatsby has a slightly unbalanced view. He is dreaming and hoping for the past, which is gone. I think once the past has happened- it’s gone. Sure, things can be similar. I think Gatsby and Daisy could fall in love and be happy again- but in a different way. If Gatsby is always pining for what was instead of what could be then he will never be satisfied. I think he needs to form a new dream based upon his past with Daisy and aim for something new and exciting. Dreaming is about hoping and imagining what could be; not wishing for the past to occur again. I think this is where Gatsby is vulnerable. His dreams and hopes for the past are optimistic and inspiring but can never be. I think that if he doesn’t stop looking backward he is going to end up getting really hurt.

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    1. You are saying that dreamers don't have to be careful, just more aware, but aren't they the same thing? Being aware of reality is the same idea as being careful not to let dreams obscure the real world. I disagree with you that Gatsby's dreams are unrealistic, I think it's very possible that he and Daisy could be together again. I also think that past can repeat itself. We see that over and over again in history, with people making the same mistake countless times.

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  10. I agree with James in the fact that if you are a dreamer, you do not have to be careful because we should be allowed to dream freely and not have restrictions. I also agree that if we are careful, it turns out to not be a dream. I say this because if what we dream is planned or is told to us, we are not really dreaming but rather being followerds to the person that told us what to think. Nick thinks that the past is something that cannot be repeated and this is incorrect because you can shape something to make it turn out how you desired. There is the problem with repercussions and these are always possible when you try to repeat something that already happened. I believe this is because it is something that is like a chain reaction and the result of trying to repeat something that has already happened are the repercussions we all have to deal with.

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  11. If you are a dreamer, than good for you. I have dreams every night. In them though I can’t really control myself though, so I don’t really have to be careful, because I can’t. Just kidding. No, I don’t think that being a dreamer requires caution. If you were too cautious about pursuing these dreams, you would never achieve them. Dreams are good; they provide you with motivation and goals. I would agree with Gatsby when he says, “‘Why of course you can!’” If you try hard enough, you can do anything. However, it’s not very practical. I personally think that no matter how hard you try, you will never have the same emotions as when the event you’re repeating actually happened. I think trying to repeat the past can be a dangerous thing. I agree with Olivia that if you try so hard, you will people completely disappointed when you realize that it won’t work.

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  12. I think that as a dreamer, one definitely has to be more careful. On page 99, Fitzgerald states, “Each night he added to the pattern of his fancies until drowsiness closed down upon some vivid scene with an oblivious embrace. For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing.” I think that what Fitzgerald emphasizes in this passage is that people often allow themselves to get stuck in the fantasy they created in their heads. In Gatsby’s case, he has imagined what his life would be like once he found Daisy, such as getting married in her Lousiville house, and he has obsessed over this perfect idea for five years. However, dreaming does not allow for changes. Daisy is now a married mother with social expectations to live up to. Although the world that Daisy and Gatsby are currently living in is carefree and happy, as reality sets in, the dream of their life together may be crushed. As a dreamer, you create the perfect image of reality in your head with each and every detail planned out, but, when reality does not reflect this picture, it can cause a person to feel sad, mad, or disappointed about their lives. This could cause for that person to miss out on what is actually good because they’re only focusing on what isn’t there. When someone has such high expectations, they need to prepare for disappointments. If a person obsesses on what they do not have, they will be unable to see the value of what they do have. However, I do agree with Lauren's statement that dreaming can be beneficial by allowing people to set and achieve their goals. But, one cannot allow these dreams to be the exact outline of what they wish to happen in their lives because this kind of dreaming does not leave room for any bumps in the road.

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  13. I don't think that to be a dreamer you have to be careful. I agree with James's statement that dreams are meant for our imagination and if we are careful in limiting our dreams they really are not dreams anymore. Dreams are caused by stretching our imagination without limitation so in reality I think the only thing caution can do with dreams is disable them. The dreamers do have to be prepared and willing to accept disappointment though because as much as everyone wants their dreams to come true, this simply is not a reality. Without mental toughness, a dreamer is dooming himself to a life of disappointment and despair.
    I think that Nick shows his wisdom in his comment to Gatsby that he can't repeat the past. No two moments are alike no matter how great or terrible they may be. Savannah hit the nail on the head when she said that Gatsby and Daisy may be able to fall in love again just it won't be the same as it was before. What I think Gatsby should be trying to do is recreate something better than the past, that way he can make even better something that was already great. Someone who is looking to recreate the past though will definitely have repercussions simply because they are going to be disappointed in their efforts. Those who shoot for better than their past may be disappointed as well, but they have a much better shot at success than those who are trying to recreate the past.

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  14. Dreamers do not have to be more careful than others do, but rather more willing. If one sets their dreams high and then they have to be willing to try to reach that height. But as Rae said, one must not get too wrapped up in the dreams that we create, there is a fine line between dreams and reality. From person to person dreams are more realistic than others. If a dream is more like a goal than all one needs is will power, but if a dream is something outlandish a person must understand the implications. They must know that there will be let-downs and not create tunnel vision towards a dream. Dreams add spice and drive to life, but they should not consume us.
    The past is a tricky ordeal. No one can ever change the past, what happens happens. Can the past change the future? In my eyes, it is a definite ‘yes’. The past can change the most unthinkable. There is no way to shut the past and totally conceal it. The past can be repeated but not exactly. The end message might be the same or the same events, but there will always be a different twist or something new learned. Recreating the past could give false hope to someone and could lead to regret, but without these two qualities life would be dull. Regret helps one strive to do better and push themselves harder.

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  15. Being cautious dampens ambition. The only cause for caution is fear of consequences. If your dream is worthwhile, the only consequence that should matter is the consequence of not trying: failure. Dreaming is very important. It keeps life important and it gives the dreamer something to strive for.

    James said that, "Dreams are meant for us to explore our imagination." While I agree, I would argue that dreams are meant to force action, rather than just exist as a mental exercise. What would a life be if it did not even try to achieve what it needs to? Answer: cautious.

    Always try, always. If you allow yourself to believe that you aren't special, then you aren't special. Fitzgerald wants us to believe that reckless dreaming leads only to failure. I'm predicting right now that Gatsby won't be in a happy position by the end of the book. At the risk of sounding cliche, if there ever was a time for dreaming, it is now. Technology is creating momentous shifts in the stagnant world of the past; it is our generation that will bring that potential to fruition.

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  16. As a dreamer I believe that it is easy to get carried away and that we must remind ourselves to stay put in reality most of the time. However I believe that it is important to dream so that you have something to work for in life. Without people dreaming the world would never get anywhere. People’s hopes and dreams are what drive them to work hard. Countries that have a caste system tend to be poor because their citizens have no drive. Hopes and dreams are really the key to growth and there for it is necessary to dream. On the other side people can’t dream too much or they will never be grounded with realistic possibilities. Your dreams will be to unrealistic and you will never achieve what you want but spend your whole life chasing the impossible. In Gatsby case he is chasing Daisy. I agree with Kai because Gatsby seems to be chasing an impossible dream. Daisy in married and “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to tom and say: ‘I never loved you’” (Fitzgerald 111). What Daisy and Jay used to have was great. But that was the past and I don’t think that the past can be repeated. What happened is always a onetime thing that will never be exactly repeated. Events similar may happen but it wouldn’t be the same. When you try to repeat the past there are consequences. People who try to live in the past will never understand what great things they have now. They will always be dreaming about what did happen and then will be chasing the impossible.

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  17. Whitney K:
    I think the idea of escaping reality is overrated. People run away from their problems instead of facing them head on and that is why there are so many unhappy people in the world. I'm not saying that is a bad thing to be a dreamer but I do think being cautious is important. Take Gatsby for example, he has waited for years to be reunited with Daisy but she's married and in the end I don't think they will end up together. Down the road it will just cause him more pain and heartache than what it's worth. He never took the time to try to get over her. Realistically, he could be happily married to someone else at this point instead of creepily stalking Daisy from a distance. He is trying to recreate a picture of what use to be and that will never happen. I agree with Nick when he says that you cannot recreate the past. No matter how hard it is to believe, over time people just change, there is no escaping it. So there is no possible way for them to ever have those exact same moments again. There is just too much standing in the way between them. Down the road when Gatsby is heartbroken over Daisy once again, it will only be worse because now he has had a taste of what use to be but it will never be exactly the same. I believe that its the picture in your mind of how it's suppose to be that screws people up the most. You can dream, hope, wait, and wish on every shooting star, but that doesn't mean that things are going to end up the way you want them to. And while you were sitting around waiting, you may have passed over something great that could change your life. Dreaming is fine, but once you let it rule your life, it's only going to hurt you.

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  18. I think the beauty in being a dreamer is that you don't have to be more careful. Being a dreamer means you don't set very many limits on yourself. The only way I would ever see this as a bad thing is if someone has a dream but they go about achieving it in a dangerous way. You don't have to be more cautious to be a dreamer, just smarter. I agree with Vivian when she says, "Dreaming is an escape from reality. It shows you who you want to be and where you want to be in life... True dreams will fall where they may and they should not be tampered with." If dreams are meant to happen, then they will. (OOH look! What a perfect transition!) This is why I somewhat agree with Nick when he tells Gatsby he can't repeat the past. Sure, something good may have happened at some point in the past but it was one more step on the journey to achieving a dream. There would be no point in repeating it because it wouldn't make a difference in the person you are today or where you are in life. I'm saying it is possible to repeat the past, but it is not desirable because it would lead nowhere.

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  19. I don’t know if dreamers have to be more careful but one thing I notice about big dreamers is they are either really positive or really negative. Every girl when they are younger has a dream to grow up, find their true love and live happily ever after. Some even take that dream through high school with them. Unfortunately these people can tend to be negative because they find a flaw in everybody. They focus on the negative characteristics in people instead of the positive ones. Then there are those dreamers who focus on the positive. For example if someone dreams of winning a state championship, they can usually find the positive in every situation and build off of that. So what if it isn’t the greatest team, at least they are winning. The outlook of the dreamer all depends on whether they focus on the negative or the positive.

    When Nick tells Gatsby, “You can’t repeat the past,” I had to agree with him. Although there may be déjà vu moments, nothing is ever how it used to be. People use their experience in situations to avoid bad moments, so they are learning from their mistakes. As much as some people wish they can recreate the past, the past is the past and it will stay there. Instead of trying to recreate the past, they should be focusing on making a better future. Why look back when so much is ahead of you?

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  20. We have all read those stories of utopian societies that seem ideal but are actually lifeless and self-destructing and ultimately fail the test of time. I think of idealism much in this way. In Gatsby, Nick seeks success and becomes so wrapped up in it that it becomes a self-destructing way of life. His dreams take him to the extreme and he looses sight of reality. He wants Daisy to love him back so much so that he has lost sight of himself while only focusing on making a good impression. All his countless hours of dreaming thoughts of Daisy have turned into a make it or break it reality. Dreams are so powerful and can be so useful for making goals and improvements in life. However when they begin to consume our souls and take over or minds we become lost. I think when the power of dreaming is positive and focused on a variety of ideas it can play an extremely important role in our lives. When we dream of only one outcome, it can leave us feeling heartbroken and directionless as a result. Just like everything, it becomes a balancing act but can be used both positively and negatively. I agree with Rae completely when she says that dreams in the right amount can inspire people to do amazing things with their lives. Dreams hold power and its an individual's choice to channel the power in any way possible. Gatsby however has dug himself into a deep hole and will have repercussions to deal with depending on Daisy's reactions. Just like dreams, does belief have negative effects too?

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  21. In my life, I think I tend to be very realistic, sometimes to realistic. While I have many dreams for myself, I prevent myself from believing they could ever come true. In a way, I admire people that consider themselves dreamers. I think that dreamers do have to be cautious so they dont get wrapped up in what is a dream and what is reality. Like many people have said, dreaming is a way to escape reality. I aagree with Olivia that dreams are personal to each person and that no one has the same dreams. In the Great Gatsby, there is a connection between dreaming and the past, espeacially for Gatsby. Gatsby dreams that his past with Daisy could be his present. I think Nick is right in telling him that the past can not be repeated. What are dreams? Do we all possess the courage to chase our dreams?

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  22. There are definetly repercusions to trying to relive the past. Those problems occur because no matter how hard a person tries they will never be able to fully recreate what they had. Gatsby can never replace the five years he missed with Daisy by spending time with her now. I think that to be a dreamer you also have to be realistic. I would tend to agree with what Hannah and Olivia because I also believe there is a possibiliy of getting wrapped in a fantasy. Dreamers need to make sure they do not have too much riding on a dream because at the end of the day that's all it is, a dream. If that dream doesn't end up happening then they are crushed and it will be hard for them to find a new source of motivation because they will doubt themselves. I think that to be a dreamer a person has to be willing to risk a lot. I see the life of a dreamer as being filled with many extreme highs and lows between accomlishing and failing in making their dreams come true. How can living as a dreamer set some one up for extreme success or extreme failure?

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  23. I think that being careful when you are a dreamer can ultimately interfere with your capabilities of making those dreams come true. If you want something to happen you must believe in it whole-heartedly because doubt is a disease that multiplies exponentially. If you are constantly putting boundaries on your dreams, there is no way they can ever be achieved. I agree with Clairissa in that getting carried away in dreams can only be harmful when we go about achieving them in dangerous ways. I agree with Nick and his statements towards Gatsby, because in my mind, dreams focus on the future, they are the new things that we wish to happen. They are not reliving the past as Gatsby is trying to do so. In Midnight in Paris, we saw the characters trying to relive the past, and it showed us how destructive it is not only to our well-being, but also the relationships we foster with others. I feel as though only bad can amount from trying to recreate what has already passed. Just as Olivia said, "The past will never be able to exist in the present under any circumstances."

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    1. Olivia and Torri - What if someone's passion, someone's dreams IS to reacreate the past?

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  24. Like Whitney said, some people run away from reality in their dreams instead of just facing them head on. Personally, I believe that good dreaming and bad dreaming exists. The dreaming I mentioned before halts the present, and deals with the problems the present contains at a later time. For example, let's say I had a tragic death occur in my family. I find myself dreaming about being with that person, and how much I loved them. Acting like this will get me nowhere near facing reality. We all have to come to consensus with life and reality, and accept what it tells us. If rejected, the past will haunt us, and stick with us for much longer than intended. Like Hannah said, Gatsby finds himself in the dreams of what he is most connected to. At first this does not sound bad, but Gatsby's intentions were longings for the presence of Daisy. Gatsby wishes that his past could have been filled with her. Through this, Gatsby's longing grows to an uncomfortable state, which forces him to do things he wouldn't have done without looking back. Like I said in the beginning, there exists a good type of dreaming too. This dreaming contains the dreams of motivation, hope, and our goals. This side of dreaming forces us to be better people, and become who we want to. Without a dream, I believe a person is lost, or just indecisive.

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  25. I am not a "dreamer", and tend to me more realistic and skeptical. I believe that this is both helpful and hurtful. It is great because when everyone wanted to be a ballerina or a movie star, I was already thinking about being a scientist or teacher. My realistic mind helped me realize that the odds are not in favor of my big dreams. But there is a negative flip side to this. It also makes me skeptic and often lazy. I never try for stuff that I'm not almost entirely sure I'll suceed in because I'm afraid to take chances. On the flip side of that, the idealism seen in Gatsby also has positive and negative qualities. His drive and ambition have obviously helped him become wealthy. His inablilty to let go of the past, however, stems from his unrealistic mind. He believes that everything will work out perfectly for him without considering the other people involved. I agree with Savannah when she says that he ca achieve his dreams if he looks for new ways to make them happen, not to the past to try and recreate what once was. The middle ground between dreaming and reality is setting reachable goals for yourself in the future, instead of wishing that the past could repeat itself.

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  26. If I choose to dream, I know that I must be more careful because sometimes I don’t take into account that they have the potential to be crushed. Gatsby has a dream of winning Daisy and starting the life that he believes they should have together, and I fear he will be a ruined man if things do not live up to his expectations. Repeating the past is risky because the past is meant to be learned from and laid aside. When dwelling on the past, the present is often ignored. Before the problem can be recognized, months or years have often melted away. The modernist mentality that the past is better than the present plagues every human being, for the past always seems to be a simpler, more joyful time. However, if life is not lived in the moment, allowing thoughts to reside in the past is a pitfall that every generation has fallen into, never to climb out. I agree with Rae; she said that “What we take away from the past and how we apply it to the present is truly what matters to me.” Basically, the past should be learned from, but not lived in. Living is for the present.

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  27. I agree with Rheana in that those who dream have to be careful not to get carried away by their dreams. I think that if people spend too much of their time dreaming, they will lose sight of reality. Dreaming is good is small quantities, because it's what encourages people to succeed. Without dreaming, life would become very boring and routine. Excess dreaming means people become unrealistic and expect things out of life just because they have dreamed them. Nick is attempting to tell Gatsby not to get his hopes up, because Gatsby has utterly convinced himself that he and Daisy will be together again. Gatsby's dreams are very positive, but that one dream has influenced his entire life. He bought a house to be closer to her, and became rich to impress her, even though there was no guarantee of even seeing her again. Gatsby has placed all of his happiness into this one dream, and acts as though his life depends on it. What will happen if Daisy does not choose to go back to Gatsby? He will be devastated, and his hopes shattered. His life and accomplishments will have been for nothing, because it was all for a dream he never reached. Dreaming can be positive, but people must understand the possibility that these dreams may not come true.Where should we draw the line between dreaming big and being realistic?

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  28. Joe said dreams are meant to force action, not just exist as a mental exercise. While having dreams certainly gives us something to aspire to and very often motivates us, dreams have no role but to keep life going.
    Nick fears that Gatsby's dream of Daisy may lead him to a reality that is disappointing. "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything." Perhaps Nick is right, Gatsby may have his hopes too high. But isn't it better to have an unreasonable fantasy than to predict a boring reality?
    We are all dreamers, some of us are just more realistic about what the future actually holds. Why be cautious? Isn't that what dreaming is all about?

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  29. I agree with Victoria in the fact that dreams can be dangerous as it gives some people too much of an escape. They tend to live more through their dreams instead of the real world. Dreaming can cause them to miss the big picture and live more empty-handed. I also agree with James because we wouldn’t achieve anything without Dreams, because they give people positives in life. I, like James, can’t really control my dreams, but they do relate to my thoughts during the day. So I am not concerned about being careful with my dreams. Dreams give people goals and many people achieve a certain amount, because of their persistence in living off their dreams.

    I agree with Nick’s quote because the past is meant to be the past. You can’t be satisfied with life if you live in the past. I agree with Chad because although you may be able to repeat an action similar to the past, you will not be able to replicate it because not everything will be the same as it was years before. In Gatsby’s case, he may be able to stay with Daisy, but it will be different as they will have different attitudes and experiences since the last time they were together. There will be repercussions because the point of life is to move forward; people become depressed when they dwell too much on their life in the past. People can’t relive the same moment the first time because people change too much. In school, kids often become a completely different person after only a summer. Gatsby may enjoy being with Daisy again, but their initial separation may come back to remind him why they separated in the first place.

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