the great gatsby

THE GREAT GATSBY

F. Scott Fitzgerald

FITZGERALD (1896-1940) F. Scott Fitzgerald is named for Francis Scott Key

(wrote Star Spangled Banner), a distant relative. He married Zelda Sayre. He coined the phrase “The Jazz Age,” defined the

era, lived it to the fullest, and he and Zelda were crowned its king and queen.

The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, right in the middle of the roaring 20’s.

Fitzgerald died from a heart attack at the age of 44.

DRAMATIC ACTION: action that comes from the character’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations rather than physical action.

1920S VOCABULARY Prohibition Speak Easy Bootlegger

MAIN CHARACTERS Nick Carraway

Narrator, Looking for new beginnings Cousin to Daisy

Jay Gatsby Seems to live in splendor Living the American Dream New Money/West Egg

Daisy & Tom Buchannan Established families and wealth/Shallow Old Money/East Egg

Jordan Baker Friend of Daisy/Pro-Golfer

Myrtle & George Wilson Only poor characters in the novel/Valley of Ashes

2012 Movie Trailerhttp://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARN6agiW7o

CHAPTER ONE Introduction to Nick Carraway, our narrator

and fictional author of the story. Still regionalism, even though proper, as

told in his voice/his point of view. (Read first page of Ch. 1)

What is his view on judgment of other people? What type of person always confides in Nick?

What is his view of New York? “To Nick, New York is simultaneously

fascinating and repulsive, thrillingly fast-paced and dazzling to look at, but lacking a moral center.”

NICK TRIES TO FIGURE IT OUT… We see that they seem to embody everything that

Nick hates about New York. Examples? Tom discusses a book with racial undertones. Tom has a girl in the city. Daisy seems to know and puts up with it. Jordan seems to be a bad girl, in a sense.

“We are left with this understanding: East Egg is associated with the Buchanans and the monotony of their inherited social position, while West Egg is associated with Gatsby’s gaudy mansion and the inner drive behind his self-made fortune.”

They are also using glamour to cover an inner emptiness.

THE INTRODUCTION OF GATSBY

Discussion:Nick returns home to find Gatsby doing what?

How does he feel about his new, lavish neighbor?

SYMBOLISM OF COLORS Green:

renewal, good luck, youth, spring, generosity, nature, fertility, jealousy, misfortune

White: reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility,

innocence, marriage, sterility, cold, clinical Grey:

security, reliability, intelligence, modesty, dignity, maturity, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring

Yellow: joy, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, summer,

philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, deceit, covetousness, illness, hazard

Blue: peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth,

confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, depression

CHAPTER TWO The Valley of Ashes and

Myrtle Wilson. What is this image/color symbolism?

Look at the billboard description. (Draw)What do you think that it symbolizes?

What is Myrtle’s physical description?

What are some of the rumors about Gatsby?

What startling event happens to end the party?

How does Nick act at the party, and how does he feel when he leaves it?

CHAPTER THREE Rumors fly about their

lavish host, but he seems removed from it all and oddly sober. Why throw the parties?

Gatsby seems to be using decadence to cover up a different kind of emptiness. What is it? Thoughts?

How do Nick and Gatsby seem to know each other?

Who is Nick romantically interested in at the end of the chapter?

CH. 3: GATSBY AND OWL EYES Think back to Chapter 2 & the billboard in

The Valley of Ashes. What is it? An eye doctor advertisement.

Owl Eyes is in the library at the party in Chapter 3. Though he is not Dr. Eckleburg, he reminds Nick of the billboard. Owl Eyes is also extremely drunk. Why did Owl Eyes go to the library?

Answer: To see if the books are real; indeed they are. This moment is a metaphor for the fascination with Gatsby and whether Gatsby himself is real.

CHAPTER 4 Nick travels into the city with Gatsby

and learns several things about him.Oxford/CricketThe white cardWolfsheim

Do you believe these statements? Does he seem as though he is in a real business?

What do you think of Gatsby so far? Is the mystery intriguing? / DRAMATIC

ACTION What secret do we learn from Jordan

about Gatsby and Daisy?

CHAPTER 5 The reunion of Gatsby and Daisy Journal: How does the reunion of Gatsby

and Daisy make you feel? What do you hope will happen? What do you think will happen?

Discussion: Do you think that Daisy has the right to pursue her love with Gatsby? Why?

CHAPTER 6 What are some important facts we discover about

Gatsby? What do we think of his past? Everyone attends a party at Gatsby’s. Tom becomes

increasingly suspicious… What does he think of Gatsby?

Look towards the end of the chapter. Gatsby wants to repeat the past. Is that possible?

Discussion: Look at the following question. Thoughts?

Complete the analogy. Gatsby loves Daisy like:Tom loves MyrtleNick loves JordanTom loves DaisyNone of these

CHAPTER 7 fklfjsdklfjsdkl

CHAPTER 8 Pg. 154 Nick says, “They’re a rotten

crowd… you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” to Gatsby.

Pg. 159 Wilson mentions the eyes on the billboard as a metaphor for God; he is referencing Myrtle’s affair.

CHAPTER 9 / ENDING Where are Tom and Daisy? Gatsby sold illegal bonds to make his money.

How did Wolfsheim affect this process? Mr. Gatz shares a book Gatsby had as a child. What do

you make of Gatsby’s schedule? What does it symbolize? It seems that no one was really his friend; they were all

in it for the party and the money only. What do you think about Owl Eyes coming back for the

funeral, claiming no one could get into the gates at the house?

Pg. 176. Compares NY to El Greco (Spanish painter) Jordan encounter / Tom encounter Pg. 180. The green light. Thoughts? Last line: what does it mean?

MAJOR CONCEPT: THE LOSS OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

GATSBY – THE TRAGIC HERO Definition: a literary character who makes an error of

judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy

Aristotle: “’A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.’ It should be noted that the hero's downfall is his own fault as a result of his own free choice, but his misfortune is not wholly deserved. Usually his death is seen as a waste of human potential. His death usually is not a pure loss, because it results in greater knowledge and awareness.”

What are the characteristics of a classic tragic hero? Of noble birth Tragic Flaw Fall from Grace His actions result in an increase of self-awareness and self-

knowledge Catharsis

GATSBY: MODERN DAY TRAGIC HERO “Of Noble Birth”

Modern Day: our novel starts with him having money. In our modern world, that is noble.

What is Gatsby’s Tragic Flaw? the tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall.

Gatsby’s Fall from Grace? a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero's

tragic flaw What kind of self-awareness is discovered?

Maybe not by Gatsby, but rather whom? What is the Catharsis?

The audience must feel pity and fear for this character.

STUDY GUIDE Fitzgerald’s Biography

Relation to the story of GatsbyTime Period/Historical Context (Jazz Age)

Feminine Writing Style Color Symbolism Loss of the American Dream

Class System (old money vs. new money) Modern Day Tragic Hero General Plot/Character Questions