I put this picture to represend daisy, and her only reason why she is still married; the reason is simply that tom has money, knowing that he is cheating she continues to stay with him because of his money and if it wasn't for his money she would have been left him. Also i think this is misusing somebody because i believe if you love somebody you stay with them cause you love, but if u dont really love that person then theres no reason them to be together. -jose rios

Power is something that is measured in different things. Power is not how much you bench press, its about how much money you make and what type of connections you have. A person with money is a person that is calling the shots ad is someone that other envy but at the same time have people intimidated.

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the idea of powerful vs. powerless is shown. Tom is a powerful man due to his wealth and his wife daisy is powerless. Due to his wife being so powerless she is intimidated not because of his size but because of his wealth. She sees that he is cheating on her and he does what he wants and shows that he really doesn't care for her yet she stays maybe not because she loves him but because he has so much money and she living well. This also shows that because the time period in this book is in the 1920's, the women are less then men in everything, that men say so goes and women obey men.

In families the older ones with the good eduction and he money makers are the ones that call the shots. This happens in the real world such as when we choice a president we vote for the one with the better eduction and the one that has the most connections.

Mr.President approves.

Power is usually measured in how much money a person has. A person with money has influence over people without it because money is needed for survival. A rich person can get many people to follow and work for him because he is able to pay them. He or She has the power to do so.

Who possesses the reigns of power in this relationship? Is Daisy intimidated by Tom?
Tom has the power in the relationship. He is rich and can do whatever he feels like. He is also cheating on his wife which means he does not really even need her. Daisy even knows this and stays with him. It shows that Tom has a ridiculous amount of power over her.

In a family the adults have power. They are older, smarter and well they make the money that helps the family. If you choose not do follow orders you can be punished in some way or another. Not much you can do about that since without them you wont be able to survive.

Having power is a big responsibility. Must people with power either take advantage of it or misuse it. when I was a kid a remember how I use to day dream bout being a powerful woman once I grow up, but as time pass I realize that the more power one has, the more responsibilities one carries around. I believe that power does not determine one bravest personality but that indeed is the way that person acts and the actions they take,specially because most of the time people mix power with materialist wealth.

"You did it Tom... I know you didn't mean to but you did do it. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical specimen of a ---" (16)
This quote implies how Daisy is not afraid of specking up her mind towards Tom but at the same time how he is the one in command of their relationship. Daisy who is marry to Tom believe that by playing a fool of her self she would gain more in life. Daisy intentions towards being a fool help her distract tom and make him believe she is blind for love but under that mask of stupidity, Daisy implies another facet of her self that is playing her card well in order to show her next move by fooling Tom once more.

Power represents everything in mine community. I recall that when I was a kid and use to look up to those big mans in suits. later on I use to look down because of respect or maybe fear. You could tell who had power and who did not. In the other hand when another man in jeans and stinky t-shirt use to pass by i did not even smile because i consider them as a person with a low personality who did not encourage himself to do better in life.I believe that this demonstrates how power does influence the way one see things in life and the actions they take.

What Can POwER do?-- Sharilyn D.

Power within one can influence another in many different ways. One who shows strength is usually respected and seen above another. The misuse of power can also be bad when someone in control tries to over power.

In the novel "The Great Gatsby" the characters Tom and Daisy show a great example of power. In the relationship of the married couple Tom is the one who wears the pants(holds power) over everything included his wife Daisy. Tom is a wealthy man that doesn't need anything from anyone. In order for Daisy to continue living the great life she's in she has to allow her husband to cheat on her. She is considered a fool. Daisy doesn't have to work or complain

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchanan has the power over his wife Daisy. Tom's money is his power that is keeping Daisy to stay with him.(ulimately money is his power). Some people in the NBA are rendered powerlees against other players. in my picture Anderson Varejao is powerless against Dwayne Wade.I guess anyone can be powerful you just have to play your card right.

The American Dream vs. The American Reality ~ Rehana

The use, misuse of power can reveal a persons personality. For example in Bodega Dreams, Willie Bodega wanted to help people in Spanish Harlem which showed that he is caring. The lack of power influence how someone thinks like their approach to life through the decisions they make.

Tom certainly holds the power between his relationship with Daisy. I think Daisy is intimidated by Tom because usually in a relationship the person that works, and earns a living for the family is more dominant. In the case of Daisy and Tom, Tom is the one who owns everything so if daisy leaves him, he doesn't have anything to lose. He also has another woman in his life.

Powerful vs. powerless can be exemplified through different aspects in life. In a Family a husband may hold the power in a relationship especially if hes the one that financially supports the family. In a abusive relationship between lovers, the one that is physically stronger is the one that hold more power. Within a community, the person with a better professional career can hold more power. In a more general and global way of looking at power vs. powerless is one that owns money, like rich vs. poor.

Response #4-- Ana N.

• Sometimes when people have power they use it to bring change in a good way or in a bad one. There times that people with power use it to gain more respect, money or even more power themselves. Positive way some people use it will be to improve another's person way of living or even to improve a society or nation.

• In the relationship of Daisy and Tom, Tom is the one who possess power in the relationship. Tom is the kind of guy who is cocky, rich and racist. He knows Daisy wouldn't leave him because she get everything she needs from him. Even though Daisy knows that he is having an affair with another woman she still with him pretending everything is perfect between them two. Therefore Tom is the powerful one while Daisy is the powerless one.
• In relationships between family, an example of powerful vs. powerless will be a parent and a child. The parent has the right to tell their child what to do and when to do it, the child has no other choice then to do what is ask to be done. The parent will be the powerful while the child is the powerless one. In local an example will be the MTA. The price for a metro card increased. There nothing people could do because they still have to pay for the metro card since there isn't another way for them to get to their destination if they don't own a vehicle. In friends people who have the most friends or who are bullies seem to be the most powerful ones because even if the lie about somebody and they just feel like hitting them they could get a group of people and just gang up in that person.

People use the power to influence people in bad behavior or in good behavior and they can be influence by almost anything book, the way people talk,or does things. People who have power would most likely be the rich people and the poor people would be powerless against them because they can get away  with almost anything they want.

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In the little paragraph it look like Daisy has the power because she seems to notice that it was Tom that did what ever he did.The power goes to Daisy and Tom is powerless because he couldn't kept hidden from her.

How does the use, misuse, and lack of power infulence people?

Having power can lead you to doing positive things for youself and for others, the misuse of power can lead to corruption, and if u lack power you would have never had the chance to make change.

"You did it Tom... I know you didn't mean to but you did do it. That's what i get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical speciman of a...."(16)

In this relationship Tom does possess power over Daisy only because Daisy stays with him for the money. He is also cheating on her and she still stands with him because of his money.

Powerful vs. Powerless

How does this idea manifest itself at the personal, local, national and global level. how does it look like in relationships between family members, lovers, friends or within a community?
The urge to gain power is always an issue, whether its with yourself, between your group of friends, or country and country someone always wants it but that doesn't mean they're the right person for the job. power between family members is a little different because the oldest would receive the most respect.

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchanan has the power over his wife Daisy. Even though Daisy realizes that Tom was cheating on her, she still stood with him cause of his money. So Tom's money is the power that is controlling Daisy to continue to stay with him. Its just like the powers in a community your rank the determined on your money, the more money you got the higher your rank is, the less money you have the powerless you are. Power Vs. Powerless

"With great power comes great responsibility"- Peter Parker's uncle Ben.

1) When people lack power, they know it right away. They get pushed around by the more dominant people around them, or are usually bullied more than they expect. They start to desire it. When a person abuses this power, it might not be apparent to the user, but it's crystal clear to the recipients. They start to fear the user as he establishes a sort of "alpha male" position(consciously or not)

2) In the marriage of Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan, It is Tom who is clearly the head honcho of the relationship. He's the prideful, obnoxious, racist, wealthy, and clear-cut "Right hand" to the more submissive Daisy who is clearly intimidated by tom, and knows/acknowledges her place in the relationship as nothing more than "trophy"(as hinted by her short conversation with her cousin.) Despite this, she knows that this is possibly the highest position she will get in life, as she already lives in a luxurious mansion with acres upon acres of land with polo ponies in her backyard.

3) The dominant-submissive relationship of Tom and Daisy translates very well into other divisions of humankind. At the personal level, the person of power in one's life is usually their self. Only Tom can control his life, as with Daisy(she COULD make her on decisions, but she's intimidated by Tom too much to do anything really) At the local level, it's a tie between the police and the mayor. Then the Governor at the state level, So on and so forth. Now, how these individuals assert their power affects the people "below" them. Like Hitler on the Germans, or Bernie Madoff and our tax dollars, the balance of power can be for the ultimate good, or for deceptive evil.

The two questions I pose upon you now is

1) Do you think the marriage of Tom and Daisy Buchanan will go on forever with Tom at the wheel? Or is there the slight chance that Daisy will say "Screw (edit) this, I'm out" and leave Tom outright?

2)If Daisy isn't to do something of this, what about the narrator? Will he stand by and watch in full knowledge that his distant cousin is in a domestically abusive relationship?

-Phillip.

Blog Response #4--The American Dream vs. The American Reality

Francis Cugat's Celestial Eyes

"Cugat's rendition is not illustrative, but symbolic, even iconic: the sad, hypnotic, heavily outlined eyes of a woman beam like headlights through a cobalt night sky. Their irises are transfigured into reclining female nudes. From one of the eyes streams a green luminescent tear; brightly rouged lips complete the sensual triangle. Below, on earth, colored carnival lights blaze before a metropolitan sky." (197)


Your Assignment
How does the use, misuse, or lack of power influence people?

"You did it Tom... I know you didn't mean to but you did do it. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical specimen of a ---" (16)

Who possesses the reigns of power in this relationship? Is Daisy intimidated by Tom?

I would like you to respond to this idea of the powerful vs. the powerless. Please consider how this idea manifests itself at the personal, local, national and global level. What does it look like in relationships between family members, lovers, friends or within a community?

What does it look like in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald? Think about the relationship between Daisy and Tom Buchanan.

I look forward to reading your responses. Remember, you're required to create one posting and 2-3 questions for your classmates on this topic. Additionally, please respond to your classmates' postings and questions for there is great value in having those discussions.

Blog #3

In the story Bodega Dreams, Chino is among of the few characters that possesses a conscience. For example, after talking to the police detectives he was faced with the dilemma of whether or not he should tell Blanca what was happening with his acquaintance, Willie Bodega. Chino was almost sought out to be caught on his lies about not telling Blanca what was really happening with him. He tries not to tell Blanca about the course of his actions with Willie Bodega for the fear of losing her because he has been lying to her. Chino lied to Blanca about moving into the renovated important, Sapo killing Alberto Salazar, and acquaintance with Willie Bodega who is a notorious drug lord. After the death of Willie Bodega, Blanca found out the truth of Chino lying to her and ended up leaving him so he didn't have to express any thoughts towards Blanca.

Blog #2

Different characters have their own roles in the story Bodega Dreams, either being a leader or a follower. Chino, Willie Bodega, and Sapo are each leaders in their own way but details about Sapo makes him different. Sapo works under Willie Bodega which obviously makes him a follower but has a complex sense of character as a twist to the story. Although he may report and follow Bodega's orders his presence makes a difference by his actions and choice of words were he follows his own rules on things and doesn't tolerate nonsense. Chino is his own leader because he has a sense of what he wants to do which is do what he can to provide a better life for his upcoming child and wife Blanca. Willie Bodega is the example of a leader for he runs the show on the outcome of peoples live in the community either it being selling drugs or moving people into renovated apartment buildings.