Revision Reflection

During the revision process, I have made many editorial revisions throughout my essay to

make it a more sophisticated cohesive essay. Some revisions I made in my essay was the order

of my essay by bringing my paragraph of symbols to the beginning. I believe this was smart

decision because now it allows the audience to know what the meaning of a symbol is and also

the different ways authors view a certain symbol and importance of it in culture. The strengths of

my essay was the textual evidence use and my control of language. Throughout the essay, active

verbs were used to show voice during the analysis. The most important feedback I would like is

towards my analysis. In the revision process, my thinking was pushed by adding details to help

prove my claim. The purpose in this essay is to develop a claim about the pattern of alcohol and

develop a theory about the significance of the pattern of alcohol in culture.

 AP English Literature
Mrs.O’Keefe
David Porter
October 14th, 2018
A Gift or A Curse
Life is full with things that create temporary fun with permanent consequences.​Ceremony

by Leslie Marmon Silko is a book about Tayo, a Native American man,who recently returned

home from serving in World War II.Tayo is conflicted by his want to find his purpose in life

while trying to avoid multiple distractions such as violence,witchery, and most importantly,

alcohol. ​The Great Gatsby​ by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a book about Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man,

who uses his monetary value and social status to ultimately rekindle his old relationship. In

literature, authors often use the same pattern to convey a different meaning in their works which

Foster specifies in ​How to Read Literature Like a Professor​. The patterns have different

meanings depending on the author’s perception on the subject. Foster emphasizes that

recognizing patterns can help reveal the true meaning of the literary work. Silko and Fitzgerald

both use the pattern of alcohol to convey a different message in their works. In​ ​Ceremony,​ Leslie

Marmon Silko, uses the pattern of alcohol to explore the destruction of Native Americans by the

use of violence in the Native American community. In ​The Great Gatsby,​ F. Scott Fitzgerald,

uses the pattern of alcohol to express the extravagant lifestyle and life-lasting effects of alcohol

on people.

Each literary work’s used the pattern of alcohol to illustrate different messages in their

novels. A pattern in literature has different meanings because authors use past experiences in

literature help them interpret things differently. For example, the symbol of alcohol in ​The Great

Gatsby​ is direct representation of own Fitzgerald’s addiction to alcohol. Fitzgerald uses his own
personal experiences to illustrate the effects of alcohol throughout ​The Great Gatsby,

specifically by detailing the extravagant parties and violence.Foster states “ So some symbols do

have limited range of meaning, but in general a symbol can’t be reduced to standing for only one

thing”(Foster 77). For example, Foster implies that a symbol in literature has various meanings.

As a result, alcohol is a symbol that have different meanings in ​Ceremony​ and ​The Great Gatsby.​

Silko’s interpretation of alcohol is shown throughout ​Ceremony​ ​by the alcohol abuse of Indians

and the destruction of Native Americans by violence. Fitzgerald’s interpretation of this is shown

by Gatsby’s parties,and the effects they have on people. The importance of alcohol in culture is

to show the flaws of society because of the damage and harm it brings people because of their

personal problems and the desire to have fun.

Silko and Fitzgerald used the pattern of alcohol to illustrate different messages in their

novels. It is obvious that in Tayo’s community, majority of the people in the Laguna

Reservation, are alcoholics.For instance,Silko states “ It was something the old people could not

understand. Liquor was medicine for the anger that made them hurt”(Silko 37). Silko indicates

that the people in reservation drink alcohol to deal with their physical and mental health.Alcohol

abuse is important to the culture because it shows the flaws of people by using a drug to escape

from society. This causes harm to people in the reservation by causing them to break away from

their traditions. However, Fitzgerald uses the pattern of alcohol to communicate the wealth status

​ he Great Gatsby​, Nick was invited to

and effects of alcohol on people. In the early chapters of​ T

Tom’s mistress’ house. Inside the house, all of the attendees were excited to indulge in drinking.

Eventually. Tom gets drunk and punches his mistress in the face. Fitzgerald carefully details the

altercation between Tom and his mistress to show the effects of alcohol The use of alcoholism
demonstrates how people act while under the influence. As a result, the pattern of alcohol in ​The

Great Gatsby​ is to illustrate the dangers of using alcohol. The importance of alcohol in culture is

to demonstrate that use of alcohol is only to create temporary fun with permanent consequences.

Silko and Fitzgerald uses the pattern of alcohol to highlight different messages in their

novels. In ​Ceremony​, both Tayo and Emo were in a bar drinking alcohol, and later on the both of

them got drunk. After drinking , the two had an altercation between each other. Silko argues that

the use of alcohol is destroying the Native American community because of effects it has on the

people by creating violence among themselves. The aftermath of World War II led to veterans on

the reservation to have PTSD, which cause them to drink alcohol excessively for their troubles.

Silko states “ Reports note that since the Second World a pattern of drinking and violence… is

emerging among Indian veterans”(Silko 65). Silko infers that the destruction of Native

Americans is the result of alcohol. On the other hand, Fitzgerald uses the pattern of alcohol to

demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of people in the 1920’s. Gatsby’s parties were unique and

embodied the life of the wealthy by the presence of alcohol and wearing expensive clothes.

Alcohol was used to show how life was in the 1920’s with excessively drinking and partying.

In literature, authors have different viewpoints from one another which is one of the

reasons why literature is complex. Leslie Marmon Silko, uses the pattern of alcohol to explore

the destruction of Native Americans and to show addiction of alcohol use, while F. Scott

Fitzgerald uses the pattern of alcohol to express extravagant lifestyle and the effects of alcohol

on people.
  

Works Cited 

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. ​The Great Gatsby​. Guidelines, 1989.

Silko, Leslie Marmon. ​Ceremony​. Penguin Books, 1986.