The+Great+Gatsby

=The main characters in Great Gatsby are very similar to the bankers/economists in the movie //Inisde Job.// All they cared about was money and the easiest way for them to get it.=

__The Great Gatsby__ The main characters are all concerned abou getting rich. They wanted to show off to people all they had. The morals they had were not moral at all. They lied, cheated, and killed people; literally and figuratively. The setting was in the 1920's - the booming 1920's. Everyone was rich at that point and it was easy to get money. They were safe behind their money. They were able to get everything they wanted. In the 1920's everyone wanted to get a share of the money that was going around. They wanted to live in big cities because that's the only place people thought they could get rich, and that's why Nick moved to New York. Tom and Daisy did not work for their money, it was inhereted to them, and that's why they are so rude to people and think they can do whatever they want because they have all this money and they think it can keep them safe. Gatsby worked for his money and he used his money to hide behind it. He didn't really want people to see the "real" him. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson live in the slummy part, Valley of Ashes, between the Eggs and New York. This shows how not everyone was rich during the 1920s but they at least had a house to live in.

__Inside Job__ The bankers took many risks in trying to get more money. They felt safe behind their risks because they didn't have much to lose. They bankers only cared about themselves, and were only concerned with getting more money. Their morals were awful and they never admitted to their faults. Although it was easy to get money and a home with all the loans, it turned out to be a disaster. They hurt so many people's lives. I don't understand how they didn't see this coming. They had to have known that the banks wouldn't have any more money and then would have to go into a recession. Some economists even warned people, and they still didn't listen. It scares me how the government and economy let the world get that low in a recession. It makes me not want to trust our economists and government to look out for what's best for our world. I do not trust people with my money and espeically with what Obama is doing with it; it's not fair to the people who worked hard to where they are today. If this is what our government is doing now I am afraid of what they might do next, when it's my money they are taking away from me.

Both: A lot was similar between the two. The characters and bankers act similarly; immorally, only want what's best for them, don't care about anyone else. "The Bubble" section of the film is almost the same as the setting in Great Gatsby -- the booming 20's. Everyone was getting what they wanted. It was easy to get loans from the bank and everyone was happy about that. But when the market crashed, people lost everything they had and went back to living with nothing, like Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. And then in the end you were in the same place as you started, with nothing that you would have wanted.

="Greed is Good"=

This conclusion is somewhat accurate. If greed is the reason our country is where it is today then why stop it? If it's the reason we are prospering then we should keep it up. The rich people are always wanting more money, which means they have to come up with new "inventions" or improvements of other products for their company to make more money. And these new inventions will help the world prosper. This speech was really well planned; even though it was a movie, it was a great way to get the point accross.

="Serving in Florida"=

This was very interesting to read. Honestly, no one understands what's its like to live off of a low paying job until you do. I think it was interesting how she went through with all of them aspects of living on a low paying job, especially the living condition. But it was necessary for her experiment. I feel like she did a good job playing the part. She felt what it was like to be rejected by so many jobs, and this was just for low paying ones, not ones where you have to have a college degree and actually have to try to get the job. These were simple jobs that teenagers or young adults could get. This would be a really good feel for how the lower class has to work to try and get a job too, with a lot of "competition."

=Miners saved by capitalism=

Daniel Henninger is explaining how capitalism is the only reason the miners in Chile were saved, and he's right. With all the innovation that is going on in our world, we are able to do so much more. And even if innovation is fueled by people wanting to get rich, what's the probelm? If it is helping our nation become a strong capitalist country then it's good for us. The rich people are in some way the reason we, the people of America, are able to achieve the things we want. If there was no innovation in our country then we wouldn't be where we are today. This article did a really good job explaining this and it made a lot of sense; all of the aspects it tied together.

="Junk Mortgages Under the Microscope"=

Goldman was way in over their heads. They bought too many risky portfolios and they didn't want to keep the risks so they sold them. They sold them to banks with their OPINIONATED ratings, so when the banks compained about not telling the truth, they said it was their opinion. Also, banks that bought Goldman's portfolios complained about not telling the banks about the risk. But Goldman said that it was disclosed in contracts. So no buyer would say "he wasn't warned." Goldman was only looking out for themselves, which sounds okay because they ned to make sure that their company doesn't go backrupt, but when all the other banks were closed, that hurt the economy.

="In Goldman Sachs We Trust"=

Goldman Sachs started to really hit off their company in 1928, right before The Depression. They were putting a lot into their stocks and were making lots of other deals with other companies. They were doing really well. They were learing a lot about stocks and knew what the best decisions to make were. Especially since they were able to make all this money before The Depression is really impressive. And it really helped the company get through the crash. They were able to make so much money during that one year and it was what saved them. Everyone was impressed with the accomplishements they had made and wanted to invest with them, which is how they got all their money.media type="custom" key="11124624" media type="custom" key="11142986"

I think the biggest sacrifice Daisy, Nick, and George Wilson gave up was their confidence. Nick doesn't have the confidence to stand up for "what he believes in." He just lets Tom, Daisy, Gatsby and all the other characters do all their immoral actions and does not say anything to them to try and make them better people. Also he never stands up for himself when people say rude comments to him, he just accepts them because he doesn't want to be "kicked out" of the group. Daisy looses her confidence in herself when she marries Tom. She just sits back and acts as a trophy wife for Tom. She wasn't making any decisions for herself so she never really needed any confidence. She wasn't confident with who she was and what she wanted when Gatsby came back into her life. Wilson gave up his confidence in himself so he could provide as much as he could for his wife. They live in an old, run-down house above his garage, where his work is. He isn't motivated anymore to try and get him and his wife back to a nice and loving couple like they used to be. He doesn't think he'd be able to do it. Also he lets Myrtle do and go wherever she wants because he doesn't want to upset her so they stay together.