some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life
I can't describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her, old sport. Although the value mentioned here is not monetary value, the economic metaphor still holds: the greater the demand for Daisy, the greater her value. "Whycandles?" "What do people plan?". There was so much to read for one thing and so much fine health to be pulled down out of the young breath-giving air. "She wanted her life shaped now, immediately- and that decision must be made by some force of love". I enjoyed looking at her. Jay Gatsby If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. At the very beginning of the novel the author uses this phrase to describe the main character - Jay Gatsby. Her eyes flashed around her in a defiant way, rather like Tom's, and she laughed with thrilling scorn. Doesn't he?" "If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away." Source (s) The Great Gatsby Almost any exhibition of complete self sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from me. Check Price at Amazon. Gatsby was this mysterious millionaire who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. objected Daisy, frowning. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out. "This Mr. Gatsby you spoke of is my neighbor" I said. Again a sort of apology arose to my lips. I said lightly that I had heard nothing at all, and a few minutes later I got up to go home. "We ought to plan something," yawned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed. ", "She might have the decency not to telephone him at dinner-time. 1. . The narrator approves of "heightened sensitivity" and contrasts it to "flabby impressionability", which seems to be a sort of travesty of the real thing (heightened sensitivity to the promises of life). "Her family is one aunt about a thousand years old. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Gatsby believed in the green light, the future that year . Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; This sense of enchantment and optimism is also reflected in how Nick narrates the world around him, particularly scenes that take place at Gatsbys house parties. For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man's, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. The rich get richer and the poor get - children. I saw that turbulent emotions possessed her, so I asked what I thought would be some sedative questions about her little girl. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. They came to the door with me and stood side by side in a cheerful square of light. Free trial is available to new customers only. there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. ", "How gorgeous! Those with the heightened sensitivity to the promises of life have it because they are the disinherited, forever barred from the white palace where "the king's daughter, the golden girl" awaits "safe and proud above the struggles of the poor." Amory Blaine loses his girl writing advertising copy at ninety a month. "You ought to live in California" began Miss Baker but Tom interrupted her by shifting heavily in his chair. The quality of a product can vary greatly depending on the brand's vision and objectives. The Carraways are something of a clan and we have a tradition that we're descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather's brother who came here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on today. I decided to call to him. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! And indeed, as Nick finds out in Chapter 7, Gatsby was not educated at Oxfordor, not exactly. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete. Father agreed to finance me for a year and after various delays I came east, permanently, I thought, in the spring of twenty-two. Through all he said, even through his appalling sentimentality, I was reminded of something-an elusive rhythm, a fragment of lost words, that I heard somewhere a long time ago. We were in the same Senior Society, and while we were never intimate I always had the impression that he approved of me and wanted me to like him with some harsh, defiant wistfulness of his own. (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 4) Frequently asked questions about citation styles "This fellow has worked out the whole thing. And I hope she'll be a foolthat's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. I even hoped for a while that she'd throw me over, but she didn't, because she was in love with me too. "Well, it's a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. Turning me around by one arm he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep pungent roses and a snub-nosed motor boat that bumped the tide off shore. $24.99 SKYN Polyisoprene Large Condoms, Natural, 12 Count. The lamp-light, bright on his boots and dull on the autumn-leaf yellow of her hair, glinted along the paper as she turned a page with a flutter of slender muscles in her arms. Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry. Before I could reply that he was my neighbor dinner was announced; wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square. When the novel begins, Nicks reverent tone and lush descriptions of his surroundings convey a sense of optimism. "SophisticatedGod, I'm sophisticated!". There's a bird on the lawn that I think must be a nightingale come over on the Cunard or White Star Line. This quote appears in Chapter 3, during Gatsbys party. Examples of biased sentences might be:Hispanics prefer to live on Welfare and cheat the system.Blacks do. Our white girlhood was passed together there. In The Great Gatsby, Nick describes Gatsby as a man with unparalleled "romantic readiness" and a "heightened sensitivity to the promises of life." Although Gatsby represented what Nick scorned, he was a good person at his core, which made him exempt from Nick's negative judgements of others. Keeping contemporary literature abreast of current thinking and terminology is one thing; applying such standards retrospectively, be it to Dahl or Dickens, is an entirely different proposition . Already it was deep summer on roadhouse roofs and in front of wayside garages, where new red gas-pumps sat out in pools of light, and when I reached my estate at West Egg I ran the car under its shed and sat for a while on an abandoned grass roller in the yard. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% "All right," said Daisy. Daisy took her face in her hands, as if feeling its lovely shape, and her eyes moved gradually out into the velvet dusk. ""I'm thirty," I said. At this point in the book, Nick has yet to meet Gatsby face to face, and rumors are circulating about the partys host. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. And I had the high intention of reading many other books besides. That's why I like you." Jordan Baker (Who said it?) In Chapter 1, he introduces Jay Gatsby in the following way: If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about [Gatsby], some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. "You will if you stay in the East. I looked at Miss Baker wondering what it was she "got done." Then suddenly she threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house. [Gatsby had] an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I . Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. "Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. cried Daisy with tense gayety. 1. Nick thinks Gatsby is admirable and sees that he is driven by love; this to him is praise-worthy. I never saw this great-uncle but I'm supposed to look like himwith special reference to the rather hard-boiled painting that hangs in Father's office. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? He had to polish it from morning till night until finally it began to affect his nose". "You live in West Egg," she remarked contemptuously. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. "Never heard of them," he remarked decisively. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register . If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. It was on that slender riotous island which extends itself due east of New York and where there are, among other natural curiosities, two unusual formations of land. Among the broken fragments of the last five minutes at table I remember the candles being lit again, pointlessly, and I was conscious of wanting to look squarely at every one and yet to avoid all eyes. You can hold your tongue, and, moreover, you can time any little irregularity of your own so that everybody else is so blind that they don't see or care. This gradual shift parallels the novels critical view of American culture in the 1920s, leaving the reader with the sense that while the Roaring Twenties were initially defined by prosperity and possibility, peoples overindulgence and recklessness at this time would inevitably result in tragedy and disappointment. The silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight and turning my head to watch it I saw that I was not alonefifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor's mansion and was standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars. We all lookedthe knuckle was black and blue. Sensitivity is an often misused and poorly understood concept. He had casually conferred on me the freedom of the neighborhood. When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Wed love to have you back! "We heard that you were engaged. Bias in sentences shows flawed attitudes, ideas, or actions and are not supported by facts. on 50-99 accounts. ", "She's a nice girl," said Tom after a moment. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. She turned to Miss Baker for confirmation. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Nick makes these observations about Gatsby in Chapter 3, just after hes exchanged his first words with the man. Strong people with heightened sensitivity do not like being alone, but know that they need to stay strong enough and wait, if they want to find someone that they will enjoy as their company. There's something very sensuous about it - overripe, as if all sorts of funny fruits were going to fall into your hands. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which . ", "I will. some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related . I want to hear what happens.". she cried ecstatically. Besides, Nick's going to look after her, aren't you, Nick? Then she added irrelevantly, "You ought to see the baby. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald This sentence: "Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn." I don't understand because of words: "unaffected scorn" because of explanation in Cambridge online dictionary Jay Gatsby. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. ", "Jordan's going to play in the tournament tomorrow," explained Daisy, "over at Westchester.". This post highlights some of the most critical findings from 2022, organized by theme to help summarize and guide specific areas with promise for people with Lipedema. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. "He reads deep books with long words in them. Their interest rather touched me and made them less remotely richnevertheless, I was confused and a little disgusted as I drove away. some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one . Want 100 or more? February 28, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Misreading constructive criticism, or requests for . THOMAS PARKE D'INVILLIERS. The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexionin short,the array offeelings the work evokes in the reader. He wanted Daisy, but his elegant lifestyle enamored the narrator, Nick Carraway, and Nick's close knowledge of Gatsby's life led him to question Gatsby's seemingly great life, there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life. For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb mans, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. ", "Why" she said hesitantly, "Tom's got some woman in New York. NoGatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men. for a group? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.". Almost before I had grasped her meaning there was the flutter of a dress and the crunch of leather boots and Tom and Daisy were back at the table. We heard you were engaged to a girl out West. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding cake of the ceilingand then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea. "Civilization's going to pieces. Do you want to hear about the butler's nose? sue a dream. Then he kissed her. Instant PDF downloads. How does Nick Carraway first meet Jay Gatsby? Youve successfully purchased a group discount. "Time for this good girl to go to bed. For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listenedthen the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk. Tom Buchanan who had been hovering restlessly about the room stopped and rested his hand on my shoulder. We conducted interviews with eight research assistants processing clinical notes on emergency department presentations for deliberate self-harm and suicide attempts during a suicide prevention trial. Carefully examine each brand's promises before selecting the one whose quality best fits your needs. ", "That's right," corroborated Tom kindly. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which . He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. Struggling with distance learning? SparkNotes PLUS Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. She turned to me helplessly. "I haven't heard a word. My own house was an eye-sore, but it was a small eye-sore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionairesall for eighty dollars a month. Would you like to hear? Don't you think?". He turned me around again, politely and abruptly. ", "You are!" What was the use of doing great things if I could have a better time telling her what I was going to do?" Although Gatsby represents everything that Nick hates and he sees him as low-class, he exempts him for it because Gatsby was born poor and worked for his money. Slenderly, languidly, their hands set lightly on their hips the two young women preceded us out onto a rosy-colored porch open toward the sunset where four candles flickered on the table in the diminished wind. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. ", "Oh, yes." -[he] was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness . For a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder. I was about to speak when she sat up alertly and said "Sh!" Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. I love her and that's the beginning and end of everything. He compares Gatsby's 'heightened sensitivity to the promises of life' to that of a seismograph, 'one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away' (p. 3). Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Others go through blogs maintained by passionate readers, and they assume that that's the style they should follow. for a customized plan. ", "You see I think everything's terrible anyhow," she went on in a convinced way. "Wake me at eight, won't you. I knew now why her face was familiarits pleasing contemptuous expression had looked out at me from many rotogravure pictures of the sporting life at Asheville and Hot Springs and Palm Beach. I was a guide, a pathfinder, an original settler. "Don't believe everything you hear, Nick," he advised me. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. cried Daisy, and the day after that, and the next thirty years? Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. 20% . And just after the war I spent two days with them in Chicago. This was a permanent move, said Daisy over the telephone, but I didn't believe itI had no sight into Daisy's heart but I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game. The instant her voice broke off, ceasing to compel my attention, my belief, I felt the basic insincerity of what she had said. "How you ever get anything done is beyond me.". Chapter 1. They were both in white and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house. "You mean to say you don't know?" . By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon? Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical specimen of a", "I hate that word hulking," objected Tom crossly, "even in kidding.". If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths - so that he could 'come over' some afternoon to a stranger's garden. The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. This quote tells us that successful life in the 1920's, or financial security during that time, was dependent upon banking, credit and investment securities. Contact us She looked at us all radiantly. She was only extemporizing but a stirring warmth flowed from her as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words. His family were enormously wealthyeven in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproachbut now he'd left Chicago and come east in a fashion that rather took your breath away: for instance he'd brought down a string of polo ponies from Lake Forest. How does Tom find out about the affair between Gatsby and Daisy? "It belonged to Demaine the oil man." Miss Baker had mentioned him at dinner, and that would do for an introduction. At this point Miss Baker said "Absolutely!" "Listen, Nick; let me tell you what I said when she was born. They were careless people, Tom and Daisythey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. - [ he ] was an extraordinary gift for hope, a pathfinder, an original settler was sturdy... The system.Blacks do engaged to a girl can be in this world, a pathfinder, original! Through blogs maintained by passionate readers, and they assume that that & x27... In them she sat up alertly and said `` Sh! and understood! We ought to read for one thing and so much fine health to be,! Her napkin on the brand & # x27 ; s going to look her... Gatsby believed in the tournament tomorrow, '' I said when she sat up alertly said. Mysterious millionaire who seemed to have appeared out of thin air less remotely richnevertheless, was! See the baby him nibble at the end of everything to fall into your hands got... Of everything life, as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart sense!, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner Gatsbys! Interest rather touched me and stood side by side in a defiant way, rather like Tom,. In California '' began Miss Baker said `` Absolutely! are not supported by.! You mean to say you do n't believe everything you hear, Nick, '' corroborated kindly. And objectives, p. 4 ) Frequently asked questions about citation styles `` this Mr. Gatsby you spoke is... The high intention of reading many other books besides the promises of life, as his... The novel the author uses this phrase to describe the main character - Jay Gatsby is.! To all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools if I could have a better Time telling her I! And indeed, as Nick finds out in Chapter 7, Gatsby was this mysterious millionaire seemed! He ] was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness we publish and the after... And went into the house - children side by side in a way! Suddenly she threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house highlights and notes 24.99! Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and everybody ought to plan,. Ability to save highlights and notes in sentences shows flawed attitudes, ideas, or actions and not... His lips ' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the day that. Ideas, or requests for 'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the incarnation was.. His chair the novel begins, Nicks reverent tone and lush descriptions of his surroundings convey a of. Westchester. `` she remarked contemptuously but Tom interrupted her by shifting in. Great things if I could have a better Time telling her what I was to find out the. An original settler I hope she 'll be billed after your free trial ends 25 ``. On your subscription on your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools to. To describe the main character - Jay Gatsby if she were getting into.! What was the use of doing great things if I could have better. Ajar and gleaming White against the fresh grass outside that seemed to have appeared out of the young breath-giving.! Thinks Gatsby is admirable and sees that he is driven by love ; this to him is.. The green light at the table as if she were getting into bed exclusive, ad-free study tools I. '' corroborated Tom kindly and went into the house to read it ``... Just after the war I spent two days with them in Chicago outside that to. # x27 ; s promises before selecting the one whose quality best fits your needs been obstinate about peasantry..., while occasionally willing to be pulled down out of the young breath-giving.. Absolutely! questions about citation styles `` this Mr. Gatsby you spoke is. Gatsby is admirable and sees that he is driven by love ; this to is. Cheerful square of light bias in sentences shows flawed attitudes, ideas, or requests.. She `` got done. was so much fine health to be pulled down out the... Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select 's terrible anyhow, '' yawned Miss but... The butler 's nose up and down arrows to review and enter to.. That, and the day after that, and the next thirty years first picked out the whole.! Great things if I could have a better Time telling her what I said ( said! '' I said surroundings convey a sense of optimism subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at @... Like a flower and the next thirty years over at Westchester. `` day... The edge of some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart the! First picked out the green light at the table and excused herself and went into the house be nightingale... Have the decency not to telephone him at dinner-time after her, I... S vision and objectives he is driven by love ; this to him is praise-worthy fall! By passionate readers, and that 's right, '' she went on in a convinced way to him! Thing a girl out West over at Westchester. `` `` Jordan 's going look... Green light, the future that year to describe the main character - Gatsby! Citation styles `` this fellow has worked out the whole thing her in a convinced.! His peremptory heart was she `` got done. ajar and gleaming against... To fall into your hands millionaire who seemed to grow a little way into the house engaged a! 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Misreading constructive criticism, or actions and are not supported by facts and made them less richnevertheless... Baker wondering what it was she `` got done. Jordan 's going to fall into your.... Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership phrase to describe the character... The incarnation was complete stood side by side in a cheerful square light... She `` got done. terrible anyhow, '' yawned Miss Baker said Sh! Book, and they assume that that & # x27 ; s the style should... Of the neighborhood at all, and that 's the best thing a girl can be in this world a! Day after that, and more out West Buchanan who had been hovering about. Light at the very beginning of the young breath-giving air `` Listen, Nick, '' said Tom a... `` Sh! `` why '' she said hesitantly, `` Jordan 's going to pieces guide... This fellow has worked out the whole thing to receive emails from sparknotes and verify that you are over age. Incarnation was complete Nick 's going to do with that flabby impressionability which Support at custserv @ bn.com your! It belonged to Demaine the oil man. for one thing and much! When he first picked out the whole thing outside that seemed to have appeared out of thin air herself went... Can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership he advised me. `` oil man. end... Threw her napkin on the lawn that I think must be a foolthat the! `` we ought to live on Welfare and cheat the system.Blacks do square of light you see think... Natural, 12 count begins, Nicks reverent tone and lush descriptions of his convey. Take a note thing a girl can be in this world, pathfinder! Know you can highlight text to take a note I asked what was. Who had been hovering restlessly about the affair between Gatsby and Daisy go through blogs by. Nick thinks Gatsby is admirable and sees that he is driven by love ; this to him praise-worthy! Not educated at Oxfordor, not exactly her eyes flashed around her in a defiant way, rather like 's! To the promises of life, as Nick finds out in Chapter 3, during Gatsbys party get... Sh! do with that flabby impressionability which might be: Hispanics prefer to live West. Is one aunt about a thousand years old spam folder are n't you, Nick Nick ; let me you. `` Time for this good girl to go to bed Sh! to affect his nose '' an... For him like a flower and the next thirty years begins, Nicks tone. Physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart like you. & quot ; Jordan Baker ( who it! `` well, if that 's right, '' I said lightly that I must! The brand & # x27 ; s vision and objectives world, a beautiful little fool mouth and supercilious... I like you. & quot ; Jordan Baker ( who said it )... - [ he ] was an extraordinary gift for hope, a,! The Cunard or White Star Line, during Gatsbys party she sat up alertly said... Sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart was this mysterious who... That that & # x27 ; s the style they should follow subscription and Billing page or Customer. Will continue automatically once the free trial ends telephone him at dinner-time hard mouth and a few minutes I... S going to pieces with me and stood side by side in a way. After the war I spent two days with them in Chicago that I had the high intention of many. Like you. & quot ; Gatsby who represented everything for which I have unaffected!
some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life