Learning Targets: By the end of class you should be able to

1. Discuss how Fitzgerald adds to his use of symbols: particularly the eyes of Dr. TJ, Cars and Weather.
2. Discuss what you think about the characters after Chapter 7 and if your feelings have changed.

In class today: we took and discussed a CHAPTER 7 QUIZ

Reviewed big thematic ideas in preparation for the end of the book.

1. Revisit Symbols
2. Think about role/meaning of characters
3. Fitzgerald’s feelings about the rich

Option One: Fitzgerald once wrote, “Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy.” How is Jay Gatsby a hero? How is The Great Gatsby a tragedy? In a well written essay, explore the many ways this comment plays out through the development of Gatsby and throughout the course of the novel.

• Define “tragedy” – in a literary sense
• Identify elements of the novel (plot & characters) that fulfill your chosen definition of tragedy
• Identify the novel’s theme AND analyze how this connects to theme (the overall purpose of the novel as a whole

Option Two: How does Fitzgerald’s use of literary devices help to develop the theme of the novel? In a well written essay, identify a theme and analyze how the author’s use of literary devices such as (irony, symbolism, setting, juxtaposition, point of view, characterization, etc…) are used to establish theme.

• Identify literary devices used:
  • Irony – what are some specific ironies of the novel AND how do these moments connect to theme?
  • Symbolism – identify some of the symbols Fitzgerald employs in the novel (symbols are literally present but also have some greater figurative significance attached to them as well). How are these symbols used to help develop the theme?
  • Setting – when and where does the story take place? How is the time period significant to theme? The various different locations?
  • Juxtaposition – look for things that are referenced in close context to one another to show CONTRAST (differences). How does Fitzgerald use the juxtaposition of these things (characters, settings, relationships, etc.) to establish theme?
  • Point of View – from what point of view is the story told? How does Fitzgerald’s choice of narration impact readers’ understanding of the text? How does this impact theme?
  • Characterization – examine the different characters who are pertinent to the plot as a whole. How does the development of these characters help develop the theme of the novel as a whole?

Option Three: Consider this quote from a letter of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s in 1938: “That was always my experience— a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy’s school; a poor boy in a rich man’s club at Princeton…. However, I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works.” In a well-written essay, paraphrase this quote and develop a response that clearly demonstrates how this attitude has “colored” The Great Gatsby.

• Relate this quote to a central theme or character.
• Use these questions to get yourself started: Who in the novel is a poor boy in a rich town? A rich boy’s school? A rich man’s club? Is the author assuming that the rich and poor are different? Is it possible to cross class boundaries and still fit in?
• Relate specific evidence from the text to the quote. Where in these chapters do issues of class, wealth, and privilege play a role? How is the concept developed from the beginning to the end of the book?
• How do Fitzgerald’s inability “to forgive the rich for being rich” play out in this particular novel? Look at characters, plot, and most importantly, theme.

Option Four: Magicians are often referred to as The Great …. (i.e. The Great Houdini). In a well-written essay, consider this aspect of the word great. Analyze how is the title The Great Gatsby an appropriate title? How is Gatsby great? Focus on more than Gatsby’s new identity, but you certainly should bring that in as a point.

• What does it mean to be “great”?
• How is Gatsby “great”?
• How does the title and Gatsby’s “greatness” help to bring about the theme?