1. and some other characters...
Gatsby vs. Nick
and some other characters...

2. The American Dream is what they aim for.
What typically defines the American Dream?
Let’s consider our major characters: What is each’s American Dream?
Take 5 minutes,
and find events
that support
these American
Dreams.

3. Using your American Flag...
In the stars, list characteristics or ideas that a character(s) values.
On the stripes, list at least 4 quotes that support your ideas about your character(s) and his or her failing American dreams or values.

4. Nick (the pessimist) vs. Gatsby (the eternal optimist)
Make a T-chart or Venn Diagram to compare the two. Make this as comprehensive as possible! SOME BUT NOT ALL Passages to consider:
Nick’s first assessment of Gatsby- Pg 2
Nick: bottom of pg.35
Gatsby’s parties (Chapter 3): appearance and behavior of guests and Nick
Gatsby and Nick’s first meeting (Pg. 48)
Nick’s view of Jordan’s dishonesty (Pg. 58)
Nick’s view of Gatsby after more meetings/Persona of Jay Gatsby (Pg. 64)
Flashback to Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship and Daisy’s marriage/life (Pg.74)
Gatsby reunites with Daisy (Pg , 95-96)
The creation of Jay Gatsby (Chapter 6)
Gatsby’s expectations of Daisy
Mannerisms, possessions, views of others & world

5. Fitzgerald and his Characters
Where do you see Fitzgerald represented in his characters?
What might he be trying to express about these lifestyles?

6. The Lost Generation How are each of the following “lost”? Gatsby Nick
Tom
Daisy
Jordan
Myrtle
Some Elements of Lost Gen Lit:
Sense of alienation
Loss of moral/religious compass
Inability to find meaning in world
Excessiveness
Disillusionment with the world and its beliefs

7. Timed Writing
•Your intros should include the following: the title of the text, the name of the author and a specific answer to the question.
•Body paragraphs need to be structured using Toulmin model and make a claim, support that claim with evidence and warrant that evidence back to the overall thesis.
•Does the following intro and BP accomplish these tasks?

8. Complete Quote: “He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was ” (110).
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald examines the impact and ramifications of the American dream. Through comparing Nick’s realistic pessimism and Gatsby’s extravagant optimism, Fitzgerald reveals that the American dream is dangerous and ill- defined.
Gatsby’s belief that he can “ ‘repeat the past’ ” defines his life; it is an optimistic life ever-reaching for what it can’t have (110). It’s that over-reach that ultimate destroys Gatsby. Nick begins to realize this when he identifies Gatsby as someone who is “confused and disordered” (110). Gatsby’s confusion stems from his desire to “return to a certain starting place,” to return to his life and start it over again (110). This, of course, is impossible. Constantly searching for this impossibility ultimately destroys Gatsby and blinds him to reality. He believes he can do anything and he reaches for too much.
Discuss this intro and first body. Positives and negatives?

9. Prompts for Standard
1. At the end of chapter one, Gatsby can be seen reaching toward a "single green light" (21). In chapter five, Daisy is compared to the green light, and Nick explains that Gatsby's "enchanted objects had diminished by one" after Daisy has fallen short of his dream (93). Finally, at the end of the book, Nick tells us that "Gatsby believed in the green light" (180) even though it is apparent that he will not be able to fulfill his dream. How does Fitzgerald use the symbolism of the green light and Gatsby’s failure to achieve his dream to convey an idea about the American dream? Nick says that he is "enchanted and repelled" by this society (35), much like Fitzgerald himself felt. He creates characters who are in most cases unlikeable or unsympathetic as a means to exemplify his feelings for the lost generation he is a part of. Identify features of lost generation literature within the novel and analyze how Fitzgerald is using these characters/events to deliver a theme about the American society of the 1920s.