Five Things to Do with a Quotation Meredith Louria qtd. in Cohesive Writing by Carol Jago

1. Analyze a word and/or image from the quote. Explain how the word’s denotation and connotation reveal or reinforce the meaning of the passage. Explain how the image’s sensory details reveal or reinforce the point the quote illustrates.

Example: Nick looks back on Gatsby’s life and says, “it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams” (Fitzgerald 6). The use of the word “preyed” gives the idea that Gatsby is under attack. The shift to sympathetic diction shows the change in tone towards the American Dream. The Dreamer is no longer the one who prospers; the word “prey” implies helplessness and the eventual loss of a battle. Gatsby is symbolically being hunted by his own aspirations, which stem from the idea of the American Dream. The “dust” that surrounds Gatsby prevents him from being seen for what he really is. Dust clouds, but does not completely obscure, what it surrounds. Because of this, Gatsby’s life seems glorious but in reality Gatsby is no more than a victim. (Jackie Len)

2. Explain how the information in the quote relates to a significant action, characterization, or idea from the text. You are pointing out an important connection the reader might not have noticed.

Example: In an attempt to impress the woman he loves, Gatsby uses his wealth and expensive belongings to influence her impression of him. “He took out a pile of shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel... Suddenly with a strained sound Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily... “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before” (Fitzgerald Gatsby’s tactics prove successful in impressing Daisy. Daisy’s crying is evidence that she is deeply touched by mere possessions. The beauty that she sees in a pile of shirts is enough to bring her to tears, which shows the deeply embedded values she places on wealth and its appearance. (Aaron Sherman)

3. Sometimes what a quote doesn’t say is more important than its surface details. Explain how the information the quote lacks relates to a significant action, characterization, or idea from the text.

Example: Willy says, “at the age of eighty-four, he made his living... When he died—and by the way he died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the New York, New Haven and Hartford, going to Boston—when he died, hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at his funeral” (Miller 81). Willy aspires to be like Dave Singleman and fails to see the negative parts of Singleman’s life. He works up till the day he dies, when he dies on the job. No family or friends attend his funeral, only business acquaintances. (Katie Ryan)

4. Discuss the symbolism of an object mentioned in the quotation.

Example: In describing Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy, Nick says “he had committed himself to the following of a grail” (Fitzgerald 156). According to medieval times, the grail is a magic cup which people who are not meant to drink out of, and do, die. Like the grail, Daisy is magic in Gatsby’s eyes. Gatsby has everything people think the “American Dream” means; however, much like the followers of the grail, Gatsby desperately searches for Daisy to make him feel complete. Much like the followers of the grail, Gatsby ends up dying indirectly trying to attain the magic he needed to fill the emotional void in his life. (Nancy Argueta)

5. Explain the irony of the quotation. Discuss both the literal level of the quotation, and its ironic implications.

Example: Gatsby’s funeral is a great disappointment. “The minister glanced several times at his watch so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn’t any use. Nobody came” (Fitzgerald 182). During the novel Gatsby would throw huge, lavish parties with tons of people there. The irony is that not one of those people showed up at his funeral. While accomplishing the American Dream, Gatsby had no time to make friends. The parties he threw were just his way of playing the part of someone who has achieved the American Dream. He forfeited having close relationships to reach his dream of being rich and powerful. (Yvette Vasquez)