The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale of love, regret and recklessness is not only a mirror into 1920's America, but also a reflection on human nature that transcends time.
Having trouble getting started? No problem! Check out this great introduction to the novel courtesy of John Greene
SPOILER ALERT - I would advise waiting until you have read the entire novel until you view video #2, unless, of course, you love spoilers :)
Thug Notes breaks down the themes and character analysis for The Great Gatsby. Watch at your own risk, a little edgy, but 100% accurate.
Chapter Study Questions
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Chapter study questions are to be answered on a separate sheet of paper in complete sentences. I will give you time in class to complete this assignment, anything that is not completed in class will be homework. Pay attention to class deadlines.
Writing Tasks
Final Draft Paragraphs
-this exercise is intended to hone your skills in regard to concise, succinct writing. It is also an excellent way to employ peer editing. Remember, we learn as much from editing other's work as we do from working with an edited draft.
1. Read and analyze the assigned prompt
2. Using the assigned chapters, respond to the prompt in 7-8 sentences total. You must use evidence from the book in the form of either quotes (properly cited) OR detailed discussion of a particular incident. The short format of this writing means you need to be concise and use very specific examples to prove your point.
3. When you finish, find a classmate who is also done. Trade papers and edit each other's work. Mark any obvious grammatical or mechanical errors. Are they on topic? Do they have evidence? Do they answer the question?
4. When you have your paper back, rewrite your response on the same piece of paper as the rough draft. When you turn this in, your edited rough draft and clean final draft are on the same piece of paper.
Chapters 1-2:
"'Alright,' 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.'"
Given the circumstances of Daisy and Tom's marriage and life together as presented in chapters 1-2, is Daisy's statement about her daughter fair? What does she mean by 'fool'?
Chapters 3-4:
"'And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy.'"
Analyze this quote by Jordan. With this quote in mind, why do you think Gatsby throws big parties so often? What does this say about his personality?
Chapters 5-6:
"He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real."
Analyze this quote. How does Daisy's opinion of Gatsby's house and possessions affect his happiness and contentment?
Chapters 7-8:
""Her voice is full of money."
Analyze this quote by Gatsby as he talks about Daisy. What does this mean? Is it entirely a compliment or is there an edge to this comment?
Chapter 9:
"...one gentleman to whom I telephoned implied that he had got what he deserved. However, that was my fault, for he was one of those who used to sneer most bitterly at Gatsby on the courage of Gatsby's liquor and I should have known better than to call him."
Hundreds of people attended Gatsby's parties, but Nick cannot get anyone to attend his funeral. What does his mean? Why were people willing to socialize at Gatsby's house when he was alive but not attend the funeral?
Mini-Essays
-This exercise is designed to hone your literary analysis skills as well as your writing ability. You have a little more room to respond in a mini-essay as opposed to the final draft paragraph, so expand your thoughts and thoroughly discuss the matter at hand.
1. Read and analyze the assigned prompt.
2. Using textual evidence (properly cited quotes and/or specific discussion of events from the novel) argue your point of view.
3. Keep your writing 3rd person, no I's, We's or You's (unless in a quote from the book)
4. Each mini-essay must be minimum 1 handwritten page, maximum 2 pages.
5. Mini-Essays should be well organized: introduction, body paragraph(s), conclusion.
6. Keep mini-essays as free from grammatical/mechanical errors as humanly possible
Prompt #1:
"Everyone suspects himself of having at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
Analyze this quote by Nick. Is he truly honest? Find examples of Nick's honesty and dishonesty throughout the book and discuss these examples.
Prompt #2:
"'They're a rotten crowd.' I shouted across the lawn. 'You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.'"
Analyze this quote. Is Gatsby really any better than Tom? Daisy? Jordan? Nick? What sets Gatsby apart? What makes him similar to the other characters in the novel?
Prompt #3:
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed things and creatures up 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."
In what ways were Daisy and Tom careless, reckless with other people? Use the entire book to find and discuss examples of behavior that exemplifies this quote.
-This exercise is designed to hone your literary analysis skills as well as your writing ability. You have a little more room to respond in a mini-essay as opposed to the final draft paragraph, so expand your thoughts and thoroughly discuss the matter at hand.
1. Read and analyze the assigned prompt.
2. Using textual evidence (properly cited quotes and/or specific discussion of events from the novel) argue your point of view.
3. Keep your writing 3rd person, no I's, We's or You's (unless in a quote from the book)
4. Each mini-essay must be minimum 1 handwritten page, maximum 2 pages.
5. Mini-Essays should be well organized: introduction, body paragraph(s), conclusion.
6. Keep mini-essays as free from grammatical/mechanical errors as humanly possible
Prompt #1:
"Everyone suspects himself of having at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
Analyze this quote by Nick. Is he truly honest? Find examples of Nick's honesty and dishonesty throughout the book and discuss these examples.
Prompt #2:
"'They're a rotten crowd.' I shouted across the lawn. 'You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.'"
Analyze this quote. Is Gatsby really any better than Tom? Daisy? Jordan? Nick? What sets Gatsby apart? What makes him similar to the other characters in the novel?
Prompt #3:
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed things and creatures up 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."
In what ways were Daisy and Tom careless, reckless with other people? Use the entire book to find and discuss examples of behavior that exemplifies this quote.
Full-Sized Essays
-the purpose of the full-sized essay is to show off all those awesome essay writing skills you honed with the final draft paragraphs and the mini-essays. I will be looking for excellent organization (proper paragraphs, logical flow of ideas), effective evidence (properly cited quotes and/or clearly described incidents from the book), clean writing (minimum of mechanical/grammatical errors) and overall original and insightful analysis of the assigned prompt.
1. Read and analyze the assigned prompt.
2. Using textual evidence (properly cited quotes and/or specific discussion of events from the novel) argue your point of view.
3. Keep your writing 3rd person, no I's, We's or You's (unless in a quote from the book)
4. Full sized essays are 4 pages minimum, 6 pages maximum.
5. Full sized essays are typed, MLA format, and well edited.
6. We will likely employ peer editing time for full sized essays - use it wisely.
7. Final submissions can be printed and turned in hard copy OR turned in via schoology. NO EMAILED WORK.
Prompt #1
"'Can't repeat the past?' he cried incredulously. 'Why of course you can!'"
Analyze this quote. Gatsby is trying to rebuild a past with Daisy, but is this possible? Is there any way for Gatsby to rebuild his past with Daisy? What damage was done that cannot be fixed? What would Daisy and Gatsby's future look like if they stayed together? How have they changed from the time they first met?
Prompt #2:
The Great Gatsby is considered an American Tragedy. Do you agree with this classification? Is this story a tragedy? What lessons can be learned from this novel? Are you sympathetic to the characters?
Prompt #3:
"And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
How do the characters in The Great Gatsby exemplify this quote? How are they going 'against the current' in this novel? What conflicts do they cause for themselves as a result?
-the purpose of the full-sized essay is to show off all those awesome essay writing skills you honed with the final draft paragraphs and the mini-essays. I will be looking for excellent organization (proper paragraphs, logical flow of ideas), effective evidence (properly cited quotes and/or clearly described incidents from the book), clean writing (minimum of mechanical/grammatical errors) and overall original and insightful analysis of the assigned prompt.
1. Read and analyze the assigned prompt.
2. Using textual evidence (properly cited quotes and/or specific discussion of events from the novel) argue your point of view.
3. Keep your writing 3rd person, no I's, We's or You's (unless in a quote from the book)
4. Full sized essays are 4 pages minimum, 6 pages maximum.
5. Full sized essays are typed, MLA format, and well edited.
6. We will likely employ peer editing time for full sized essays - use it wisely.
7. Final submissions can be printed and turned in hard copy OR turned in via schoology. NO EMAILED WORK.
Prompt #1
"'Can't repeat the past?' he cried incredulously. 'Why of course you can!'"
Analyze this quote. Gatsby is trying to rebuild a past with Daisy, but is this possible? Is there any way for Gatsby to rebuild his past with Daisy? What damage was done that cannot be fixed? What would Daisy and Gatsby's future look like if they stayed together? How have they changed from the time they first met?
Prompt #2:
The Great Gatsby is considered an American Tragedy. Do you agree with this classification? Is this story a tragedy? What lessons can be learned from this novel? Are you sympathetic to the characters?
Prompt #3:
"And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
How do the characters in The Great Gatsby exemplify this quote? How are they going 'against the current' in this novel? What conflicts do they cause for themselves as a result?
Character Analysis
Character Profiles:
You will create a character profile chart for Nick, Tom, Daisy, Gatsby and Jordon as we read the novel. Pay attention to the character assigned each week.
The character profile chart consists of four columns:
Character Name Physical Description Personality Motivation
3-5 sentences in your
own words
+
2 quotes from the reading
to support your writing
You will create a character profile chart for Nick, Tom, Daisy, Gatsby and Jordon as we read the novel. Pay attention to the character assigned each week.
The character profile chart consists of four columns:
Character Name Physical Description Personality Motivation
3-5 sentences in your
own words
+
2 quotes from the reading
to support your writing
Character Report Cards
How are our characters doing from chapter to chapter? Give them a grade A-F, and comments on their behavior and progress. You will do this multiple times for the same character, so pay attention to the chapter we are concentrating on for each grading session.
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Background Stories:
Create a background story for the assigned character: Nick, Daisy, Tom or Jordon.
Each background portfolio should include:
An image of how this character looked 10 years prior (you can draw, create this digitally, or find an already existing image
Facts about where they were and what they were doing at this time
1-2 page story - tell me about an incident in their life 10 years before the novel begins that shapes them as a person - this incident should have nothing to do the events of the book.
Create a background story for the assigned character: Nick, Daisy, Tom or Jordon.
Each background portfolio should include:
An image of how this character looked 10 years prior (you can draw, create this digitally, or find an already existing image
Facts about where they were and what they were doing at this time
1-2 page story - tell me about an incident in their life 10 years before the novel begins that shapes them as a person - this incident should have nothing to do the events of the book.
Projects
The Gatsby Map:
Draw a map that includes all the locations in The Great Gatsby. You may model it off the map in the back of your novels. You must label each listed location and provide one quote from the book that justifies why you placed it where you placed it.
locations:
__Tom and Daisy Buchanan's House
__Gatsby's House
__Nick's House
__Valley of Ashes
__T.J. Eckleberg Billboard
__Railroad Tracks
__Motor Road
__George Wilson's Garage - George and Myrtle's House
__Tom and Myrtle's Love Nest
Draw a map that includes all the locations in The Great Gatsby. You may model it off the map in the back of your novels. You must label each listed location and provide one quote from the book that justifies why you placed it where you placed it.
locations:
__Tom and Daisy Buchanan's House
__Gatsby's House
__Nick's House
__Valley of Ashes
__T.J. Eckleberg Billboard
__Railroad Tracks
__Motor Road
__George Wilson's Garage - George and Myrtle's House
__Tom and Myrtle's Love Nest
Gatsby Theatre!
Examine the lunch scene in Chapter 2 - Nicks's first meeting with Tom and Jordon, and his first visit to Tom and Daisy's house.
Tom goes on an extremely racist rant at lunch, making the table uncomfortable, but yet no one stops him or contradicts Tom.
Rewrite this scene in script form - keep as much the original dialogue as you wish, but keep the characters true to their selves. You may use modern language. How should Nick, Daisy and Jordan have handled this situation? How would Tom have reacted to being corrected or cut off? Play out this alternate version of this chapter in a 2-5 minute scene.
Example:
Tom: Civilization's going to pieces. I've gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read 'The Rise of the Colored Empires' by this man Goddard?
Jordan: Don't start Tom, no one wants to hear it. Daisy, how do you put up with this?
Tom: Don't you dare speak to me like that in my house!
Nick: Actually, I agree with Jordan
You get the idea - keep as much of the original dialogue as you want, rewrite the rest, play with it, have some fun. Think about how these characters would react to being confronted, challenged or told they were wrong.
Examine the lunch scene in Chapter 2 - Nicks's first meeting with Tom and Jordon, and his first visit to Tom and Daisy's house.
Tom goes on an extremely racist rant at lunch, making the table uncomfortable, but yet no one stops him or contradicts Tom.
Rewrite this scene in script form - keep as much the original dialogue as you wish, but keep the characters true to their selves. You may use modern language. How should Nick, Daisy and Jordan have handled this situation? How would Tom have reacted to being corrected or cut off? Play out this alternate version of this chapter in a 2-5 minute scene.
Example:
Tom: Civilization's going to pieces. I've gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read 'The Rise of the Colored Empires' by this man Goddard?
Jordan: Don't start Tom, no one wants to hear it. Daisy, how do you put up with this?
Tom: Don't you dare speak to me like that in my house!
Nick: Actually, I agree with Jordan
You get the idea - keep as much of the original dialogue as you want, rewrite the rest, play with it, have some fun. Think about how these characters would react to being confronted, challenged or told they were wrong.
TED Talks - Video Resources
TED Talks:
As we read, I will introduce a variety of TED talks that speak to the theme of the particular chapter we are discussing. These are but a few. In class, I will have you create a notetaker chart - the connections column should connect the TED to Gatsby. If you are absent, you will need to do this on your own.
As we read, I will introduce a variety of TED talks that speak to the theme of the particular chapter we are discussing. These are but a few. In class, I will have you create a notetaker chart - the connections column should connect the TED to Gatsby. If you are absent, you will need to do this on your own.
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More TED Talks and video resources will be added throughout the unit. If you find a TED or any video resource that you believe would be valuable - let me know!