a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.

Most of the confidences were unsought-frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon; for the intimate revelations of young men, or at least the terms in which they express them, are usually plagiaristic and marred by obvious suppressions. Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.

Click to expand...

Source: The Great Gatsby http://www.publicbookshelf.com/fiction/great-gatsby/younger-vulnerable

Hello friends,
I know the meanings of each word written in the blue part but I can't understand it as a whole.
Would you please be kind enough to clarify the blue part to me?

Thanks so much.

sb70012 said:

Source: The Great Gatsby http://www.publicbookshelf.com/fiction/great-gatsby/younger-vulnerable

Hello friends,
I know the meanings of each word written in the blue part but I can't understand it as a whole.
Would you please be kind enough to clarify the blue part to me?

Thanks so much.

Click to expand...

"Sense of fundamental decencies" refers to respectable behavior. "Parceled/parcelled out unequally at birth" refers to that behavior not existing equally in everyone.

sb70012 said:

Source: The Great Gatsby http://www.publicbookshelf.com/fiction/great-gatsby/younger-vulnerable

Hello friends,
I know the meanings of each word written in the blue part but I can't understand it as a whole.
Would you please be kind enough to clarify the blue part to me?

Thanks so much.

Click to expand...

Let me ask you a question. This is a very heavy piece of literature, and you seem to have trouble with it. Why don't you read something more modern and easier to understand?

sb70012 said:

Source: The Great Gatsby http://www.publicbookshelf.com/fiction/great-gatsby/younger-vulnerable

Hello friends,
I know the meanings of each word written in the blue part but I can't understand it as a whole.
Would you please be kind enough to clarify the blue part to me?

Thanks so much.

Click to expand...

a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.

Let's substitute basic for fundamental. Decencies refers to being kind, nice, and, generally, treating people in a good manner. Here, the author is saying that these basic decencies are not given to everyone at birth. Unequally means that something is not equal. This is similar to saying that blond hair is parceled out unequally at birth - there are only so many babies born with blond hair, other babies have black, red, or brown hair. In short then, the author is saying that not all people are born with a sense of being basically nice.

Here's what you need, sb70012, :ersian Bookshop (IraniBook.com):: - Great Gatsby ,if you can afford the cost, 28 dollars.

MikeNewYork said:

Let me ask you a question. This is a very heavy piece of literature, and you seem to have trouble with it. Why don't you read something more modern and easier to understand?

Click to expand...

Thanks for answering. I have to read it because it's suggested to us by our university. I myself hate the book but we students are forced to read it because it's suggested by the university. After some days I will also give a lecture about the plot of the story.
I wish the teachers would suggest us another book.

probus said:

Here's what you need, sb70012, :ersian Bookshop (IraniBook.com):: - Great Gatsby ,if you can afford the cost, 28 dollars.

Click to expand...

You did me a great favor. I downloaded it.
The link was very helpful. It will solve most of my problems.

sb70012 said:

Thanks for answering. I have to read it because it's suggested to us by our university. I myself hate the book but we students are forced to read it because it's suggested by the university. After some days I will also give a lecture about the plot of the story.
I wish the teachers would suggest us another book.

Click to expand...

OK. That explains your choice. I have no idea why your university made that choice. I noticed that you were also reading Edith Hamilton's Mythology. That is one of my favorite books.

MikeNewYork said:

OK. That explains your choice. I have no idea why your university made that choice. I noticed that you were also reading Edith Hamilton's Mythology. That is one of my favorite books.

Click to expand...

The Great Gatsby was a set book in English for my 17/18 year old students doing the Baccalaureat in France in 2009/2010.

bhaisahab said:

The Great Gatsby was a set book in English for my 17/18 year old students doing the Baccalaureat in France in 2009/2010.

Click to expand...

Was this for ESL students?

MikeNewYork said:

Was this for ESL students?

Click to expand...

French Lycée (high school) students. This was part of their English course for the Baccalaureat. You could say ESL students since they were French natives at school in France.

MikeNewYork said:

Was this for ESL students?

Click to expand...

Hi there!
The book is also read by 17/18 year old German students of the German Abitur, all ESL students of course! I had to read it as well.

I remembered the quote and found this discussion looking it up. It's been years since I had the book at hand. It made a strong impression on me back then. Keep up the reading! The story is worth it!




P.S.: Wow, just saw the date of your posts! Sorry for being so late!