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Compare and Contrast: Passage 1: Description of Tom, Passage 2: Gatsby

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Compare and Contrast: Passage 1: Description of Tom, Passage 2: Gatsby seen The first passage is a description of Tom. He is portrayed as strongly built: "It was a body capable of enormous leverage-a cruel body." He also seems to be a brutal an supercilious man. Words as "arrogant",
"sturdy", "gruff" and "husky" create a mood around him which is quite unpleasant. This description is very objective and we get a clear picture of what Tom looks like. We are also given a description of
Tom's voice as being "...a gruff, husky tenor..."

The other passage is not really a description of Mr Gatsby, but rather an occasion which he fits into. The description we are given about
Gatsby is much more unclear than that of Tom. The night …show more content…

This compared to the character of Gatsby which seems to be more complicated and untrustworthy. Tom is a more physical than mental character.

Gatsby is on the other hand connected to the night and is a therefore a contrast to Tom. When Tom can be seen in the light, Gatsby
"vanishes" in the dark. Hence he is a mysterious character, like a cat and it is interesting to note that there is a cat included in the passage: "The silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight..." Gatsby is definitely like a cat; a creature of the night, unidentified and unique. Tom is conversely more of a dog:
Strong but more primitive.

In both passages the author uses cohesive devices to support the respective themes. There is plenty of personification in the first passage: "shining...arrogant eyes", "cruel body" and these have the effect of making Tom's character living. The negative words give more strength in making Tom a brutal man. The second passage includes more symbolism and metaphors can be found: "the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life" and of course the connection of Gatsby and the cat is important. The effect of the techniques on both passages are clear: They are the key instrument in creating the themes and the moods in the first hand.

Another important matter to the passages is

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