High school

[Brotherofwill]

Awww, poor you.
That book is fucking awesome by the way.

why?

You will find out one day, padawan

lol i don't plan on reading it ever again or anything that should be on the lifetime movie network...yeah i went there

Ok, well why didn't you like it? Maybe we can find the root of your problem there.
It really helps to read books multiple times if you had some problems with them

it was really boring love affairs don't interest me in the slightest and that was the main conflict throughout the book

Ok, I do agree it isn't the kind of book that gets you jumping out of your seat and if you are the person that likes action or has a short attention span, you might aswell go to sparknotes (which you've probably done already).

This might sound stupid, but here's my tipp: Read it again, unless you fit the description above

 

[BubbleGumSnareDrum]

The Great Gatsby was a very very boring and unsatisfying read.

 

[Earthbound]

The Great Gatsby was a very very boring and unsatisfying read.

I disagree. I will concede that the first third of the book isn't terribly interesting, but once Nick meets Gatsby and the veneer that disguised his character is peeled (or ripped) off, seeing the lone man with ambition amongst an ocean of drifting aimlessness is worth that first third (in retrospect, that's quite a long sentence). Also, if you're the kind of person who is only interested by action and conflict, the description at the scene of the car accident and the accident itself is fairly gruesome.

All in all, The Great Gatsby is a well written book. Do I think it deserves to be on the syllabus? I'm not sure. What I would like to see on it is more modern books. If a high school class can handle a book like Fallen Angels, it surely can handle one like House of Leaves, which I highly recommend.

 

[Jhaotic]

It's been said before, but welcome to school. And the majority of the stuff they get you to read in high school or whatever equivalent is there for a reason.

You know, the cultural impact and insight on society etc etc..and also..they're generally great books.

If you simply hate analysing books to the extent done in schools, I completely sympathise. I generally hated analysing books to the degree that it killed my love of that book, which is why I didn't continue English lit beyond high school.

But there is real quality in most of the stuff they get you to read.

..Most of the stuff...

 

[SilentHunter7]

Just be glad they didn't have you read any of Ralph Emerson's work. My 11th grade English teacher was in love with the guy, and got real pissed when I basically called him out on being an asshole. I think that might be the reason I got a C- my last quarter.

The dude used fate as an excuse for him failing to extinguish his campfire before going to bed, and burning down an entire forest, and tried to use an unpopular war as a reason for his tax evasion. Not to mention the whole reason behind 'Walden' was because he wanted to get away from having any kind of responsibility.

Alright, I have stop before this turns into a full blown rant, but you get the idea.

 

[SilentHunter7]

Because it's on the syllabus.

That gets even worse in university, when they give you textbooks they demand you read.

It's a good thing if you have to read it. I've had professors who required us to buy a $200 textbook, and then most of us never opened the damn thing throughout the semester.

 

[Epifols]

I know this will sound whiny but i don't care...I'm in high school and i just finished The Great Gatsby. Can anyone tell me why i have to read this books i can in no way relate?

Read it a couple times, thoroughly analyze it. Then you will understand it.

I HATE THE CHARACTERS. They are so awful, but the book itself is a solid piece of work.

 

[joystickjunki3]

Awww, poor you.
That book is fucking awesome by the way.

Seconded.

 

[Dessembrae]

fortunately i haven't been forced to read it in school(probably because I'm from Sweden!) but I have been forced to read several other books in school. like 1984, lord of the flies and..."the dwarf"
the dwarf: to quote my classmate when he told the teacher why he refused to read the remaining 2/3 of the book "the man who wrote this book is 50 times more evil than Stalin and Hitler combined!" and i have to agree.

now I really like to read, mostly sci-fi and fantasy but also philosophy, poetry and instructional books (the art of war for instance.) and both me and my brother (and father) agree the almost all the books you have to read are complete shit and some of the WORST books you can force someone to read in order to get them interested in reading.

as for why...well my father but it in a good way, "we had to read that c**p in school so why shouldn't you have to?"

 

[kewlrabbit]

I really disliked most of the books we had to read for English in High School. I've always wondered if the books actually are that good and I'm just not getting them or if the people choosing them have a bad case of nostalgia.

 

[Ruzzian Roulette]

Oh god, the only book I read that I hated more than the Great Gatsby was the Scarlet Letter. That book is the devil.

 

[Fronken]

Well if you think the book is boring and you dont mind being a looser, you can always just drop out, heck, i did it twice and my life has never been crappier

 

[fd18e3d0-816e-11e4-b4a9-0800200c9a66]

I was supposed to read Lord of the Flies. I didn't bother and instead read a summary i found on the internet. Still got an A.

 

[gmer412]

I was supposed to read Lord of the Flies. I didn't bother and instead read a summary i found on the internet. Still got an A.

I read it in 8th grade and I would have loved it if we didn't have to analyze EVERY PART OF THE BOOK AS AN ALLEGORY. Kids killing each other? Cool. What does it represent in society? I dunno.

 

[Pseudonym2]

I was supposed to read Lord of the Flies. I didn't bother and instead read a summary i found on the internet. Still got an A.

I read it in 8th grade and I would have loved it if we didn't have to analyze EVERY PART OF THE BOOK AS AN ALLEGORY. Kids killing each other? Cool. What does it represent in society? I dunno.

Every part of the book was an intentional allegory (some more subtle than others). That and the fact it is still good from a non-allegorical perspective is part of why it is regarded as a classic. I read it by myself and missed most of the subtleties.

 

[Glerken]

It doesn't matter whether you can relate, it's about assessing your skills when it comes to the comprehension and appreciation of literature.

I agree. Read the book and get over it.

Ha ha I'm reading Reaper Man (Terry Pratchett)in my English classes and I think I'm in High School (it's the thing after elementary school isn't it?)

If you have to ask, then no your not in high school. Unless this is sarcasm, it's too hard to tell over the internet.

 

[Lukeje]

Ok, I do agree it isn't the kind of book that gets you jumping out of your seat and if you are the person that likes action or has a short attention span, you might aswell go to sparknotes (which you've probably done already).

This might sound stupid, but here's my tipp: Read it again, unless you fit the description above

Uch.. I've read that damn book twice (in my own free time) and I still don't get what's so great about it. The whole point seems to be that it is dull in order to reflect the life of Gatsby...

And no, I don't just read 'action' books or have a 'short attention span'. I love books by Tolstoy, Melville and Dickens. I just don't see how Fitzgerald represents the 'pinnacle' of American literature which is where some put him.

All in all, The Great Gatsby is a well written book. Do I think it deserves to be on the syllabus? I'm not sure. What I would like to see on it is more modern books. If a high school class can handle a book like Fallen Angels, it surely can handle one like House of Leaves, which I highly recommend.

That would be amazing (I loved that book). But surely you could analyze that book for years and still not find all the hidden meanings?

Forum sing-a-long?

It's me, oh Cathy! I've come home!

... I'm so co-o-o-old! Let me in yoo-ur window!

 

[Lukeje]

Damn double post...

 

[Brett Alex]

Do you have an exam on it?
I recently read Wuthering Heights which I have no relation to, but I had an English exam about it. It's a great book, though.
Unless you read it in your own time. But it's good to read books that are a little different.

I just finished that this afternoon, and despite all my preconceptions about it being turgid rubbish, I really liked it. (and man, Heathcliff is a major prick)

To the OP:
Its because high school is about assesing your ability to study a work, find the concepts and notions and then demonstrate what you have found through writing.

Basically, its about your capacity to learn and understand. If you can relate to the text (or even if you like it or not) should be immaterial.

 

[Reokue]

I know this will sound whiny but i don't care...I'm in high school and i just finished The Great Gatsby. Can anyone tell me why i have to read this books i can in no way relate?

What you have to realize is that high school is all about teaching you things and making you do things you don't want to do. That's completely on purpose. It's designed to get you to dive into things that you wouldn't have otherwise dived into. And yeah your gonna hit some crap on your way down but your also gonna hit some stuff that you love.

A prime example of this is that my school made me take drama. I HATE drama, I get stage fright and I can't memorize for nothing. But, it got me into the behinds the scene stuff. I found out that I was a great sound designer. That's something that I would have never thought I was good at.

Basically, suck it up, everyone goes through it. Learn something and make something of yourself.