Fitzgeralds Impact

My sophomore year of high school, I had to read the Great Gatsby. It was the last of my required reading assignments in Ms. Walter’s class. Until that point, I had not enjoyed reading any of the books, so my expectations were not very high. It was even more important for me to read and understand the Great Gatsby because I had to write my final paper about it. I had gotten by the whole semester by using spark notes and skimming through each chapter because I couldn’t bear to read the other books. None of them could grab my attention. Fitzgerald’s writing, however, was different. Not only did he grab my attention, Ictually enjoyed his writing. Oftentimes, I would find myself ahead of the rest of class, a thoroughly new experience for me. Typically, I procrastinate and put forth the least amount of effort necessary to pass a given assignment, especially a book report, but I was almost excited to write my thoughts on the Great Gatsby. My paper was centered on the color symbolism in the book. I already enjoyed the book but going back and researching color symbolism gave me a much greater appreciation for Fitzgerald’s style. I wanted to be able to write with the same ability to evoke emotion and convey meaning as him. At the time of the paper I had a high B in the class but didn’t think I would be able to pull it up because the paper was the last grade and Ms. Walters grades papers very hard. Surprisingly, I was still motivated to do well on the paper. I went back and read deeper into the meaning and symbolism in the book. For the first time, I truly appreciated the way talented authors use literary devices to enhance their writing. This made a significant impact on the way I read and wrote from then on. My hard worked paid off and I got an A the paper, the only A in the class. Ms. Walters was so impressed that she even gave me an A in the