The Great Gatsby - Chapter 2 Summary.

      The second chapter begins with a description of the valley of ashes, a dismal, desolate and forsaken expanse of formerly developed barren wasteland that marks the intersection of the city with the suburb, halfway between West Egg and New York. A pair of enormous, blue eyes with retinas one yard high broods over the valley from a large, decaying billboard. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose. These are the eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg, an optometrist whose practice has long ended
       One day, as Nick and Tom are riding the train into the city, Tom forces Nick to follow him out of the train at one of these stops. Tom leads Nick to George Wilson’s garage, which sits on the edge of the valley of ashes.  It is at this valley of the ashes that Nick first meets Tom's mistress Myrtle Wilson. The two men proceed to a car repair garage owned by George Wilson, a "spiritless man" who is also Myrtle's husband. Tom taunts Wilson and chats briefly with him about business matters. Later, Tom forces both Myrtle and nick to accompany him to the city. Myrtle lies to her husband claiming that she is off to visit her sister in New York and accompanies them. He carries the to the apartment in which he has his affair, and they have an impromptu , shrill, vulgar party with Myrtle's sister, Catherine and a repulsive couple called McKee's. The group gossips about Jay Gatsby and Catherine claims that is somehow related to Kaiser Wilhelm, the much-despised ruler of Germany during World War 1. The group proceeds to drink excessively. Nick claims that he got drunk for only the second time in his life at this party. The behavior and conversation of the others at the party repulse Nick but though he is repulsed by this vulgarity, he is too fascinated to compel himself to leave. He says that he was "within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life."
   As the afternoon wore on, Myrtle became increasingly intoxicated and she becomes more outspoken about her situation in life, her marriage, her impassioned first meeting with Tom, and finally Tom's marriage with Daisy. When she begins to talk about Daisy, Tom sternly warns her never to mention his wife. Myrtle becomes enraged and blurts out that she will talk about whatever she feels fit whenever she wants, and begins to chant Daisy's name loudly, mocking Tom. Making a "short deft movement" Tom lashes out with his open hand and breaks Myrtle's nose which causes total confusion. This abruptly ends the party on a low note and the guests make their drunken departure.
    In this chapter it becomes clear that Tom is a bully and a hypocrite as he carries on a public affair, but still feels compelled to abuse his mistress in order to keep her in place.

   

The Great Gatsby - Chapter 1 Summary

The narrator of The Great Gatsby is a young man from Minnesota named Nick Carraway. He not only narrates the story but casts himself as the book’s author. The first pages of The Great Gatsby, Nick comments on himself, saying he learned from his father to reserve his judgement of other people, because if held them up to his standards, he would not fully understand them. but although he describes himself as tolerant and non-judgmental, he views himself as being morally privileged and have more 'decency' than other people. He mentions Gatsby stating that although he is everything that he dislikes about new York, he exempts him from his judgement and admires him greatly.
  In the summer of 1922, Nick writes that he decides to move to New York in order to join the bond business. He rents a house on a part of  Long Island called West Egg. The West Eggers differ from the East Eggers in that, the they are the newly rich; the people who have worked hard and earned their money in a short period of time. Their wealth is based on material possessions and are said to have poor taste. Nick's West Egg house is next door to Gatsby's monstrosity of a mansion.
   As he graduated from Yale, unlike his neighbours, Nick has connections within the East Egg society. One night, Nick chooses to drive out to East Egg to visit his friend Tom Buchanan whom he met at a social club at Yale,and his wife Daisy for dinner. The marriage of Tom and Daisy Buchanan is coated with desperation  although is seems pleasant. Unlike Nick, Tom is arrogant and dishonest, advancing racist arguments at dinner and carrying on relatively public love affairs. Daisy  stands in stark contrast to her husband. She is frail and diminutive, and actually labors at being shallow, and hides her sadness under he laughter at every opportunity.  Nick is greeted outside by Tom, while his wife and her friend Jordan Baker stay indoors. Jordan has a frigid, boyish beauty and affects an air of extreme boredom.  They have an awkward dinner, in which Tom tells his companions about a books trying to interest them, but is a made mockery by his wife. He proceeds to leave the table to answer a phone call  which is where Jordan informs Nick of Tom's love affair in New York. After the dinner ends, the party breaks up and Jordan goes to bed as she has a tournament the next day, and Tom and Daisy attempt to convince Nick in taking an interest in Jordan.
    When Nick arrives home after the awkward dinner, he is greeted by the sight of a handsome young man, standing on the lawn, reaching out with a trembling arm towards a green light in the darkness, which seems to mark the end of a dock. This man is Gatsby. As he looks again Gatsby vanishes and he is left alone in the unquiet darkness.
   

Tutorial

Act 4, Scene 4.
1) During the action, Margaret remains hidden in the palace.
2) She plans to go to France when most of her curse is fulfilled.
3) For Margaret's vengeance to be complete, Richard has to be killed.
4) Elizabeth asks Margaret to teach her how to curse her ememies, so she can have revenge too.
5 ) Margaret says that experiencing as much bitterness and pain as she has will help teach Elizabeth to curse.
6) The Duchess of York tells Richard that "blood will be his end".

Act 4, Scene 5.
1) Richard is holding Stanley's son, George Stanley hostage.
2) Stanley explains the hostage situation to a priest by the name of  Sir Christopher.
3) Elizabeth agrees to let Richmond marry her daughter.
4) When Stanley leaves Richard, Richmond is in Wales.
5) Sir Walter Herbert is a renowned soldier.
6) Richmond and his supporters are headed towards London.

Act 5, Scene 1.
1) Buckingham is executed at the block of shame in Salisbury.
2) He is executed on "All Souls' Day".
3) On the way to his execution, Buckingham calls Margaret a prophetess.
4) He wants to speak with Richard.
5) Buckingham speaks to the sheriff right before his execution.
6) He believes he is being executed because he broke his vows to King Edward IV by not standing by his family's side.

Act 5, Scene 2.
1) Act V, scene ii takes place near a camp in Tamworth.
2) Richmond is interested in taking the throne because he wants to see peace and unity restored to the        kingdom.
3) Richmond says that Richard supporters support him because they got a letter from Stanley telling him to go to battle.
4) Richmond's troops are one day's march away from Richard when they receive Stanley's letter.
5) Richmond characterizes Richard reign as wretched and bloody.
6) He says that the true hope is swift and flies with swallow's wings.

Act 5, Scene 3.
1) Richard ordered his tent to be set up in Bosworth field.
2) His army is six or seven thousand larger than Richmond's army.
3) Stanley camps out with Richmond and his troops.
4) Richard orders someone to awake Stanley before sunrise.
5) The first ghost was Prince Edward, son of Henry the 6th.
6) According to his almanac, the sun should not be shining today.