Question

Read the following excerpt from The Great Gatsby:"She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.'"Based on this excerpt, which statement best explains what Daisy means when referring to her daughter? A.She feels that if she's a fool, she won't realize when she's being made a fool of. B.She feels that until it's more acceptable for women to get an education, they will have to rely on their looks to get ahead. C.She thinks that it's foolish to expect marriage to fulfill her deepest longings. D.She was extremely disappointed that she had a girl instead of a boy.

Answer 1

Daisy hopes her daughter will be a 'fool' to remain blissfully ignorant of women's harsh realities in society, reflecting her own cynical experiences.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the excerpt from The Great Gatsby, Daisy's reference to her daughter being a 'beautiful little fool' suggests that she believes a woman in her society can best navigate life through ignorance of its harsh realities. The statement that best explains what Daisy means is: A. She feels that if she's a fool, she won't realize when she's being made a fool of. This reflects the cynicism that Daisy has about her own experiences in a patriarchal society, where women's power largely comes from their social and marital status rather than their intellect or agency. Daisy's statement can be interpreted as reflecting her belief that women in society are limited by their gender and that their best chance for success is to embrace a superficial and ignorant persona.

Answer 2

By this quote, Daisy means that it is better for her daughter to be foolish and beautiful instead of smart and aware of everything going wrong in her life. Daisy is foolish in the way that she ignores the obvious signs of Tom cheating and everything he does to her. The correct answer should be A because the whole point of the quote is that Daisy thinks it is better to be foolish and not know than to know that you are being fooled.