1. Journal2.26.15 Below are two important quotes from Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby: “In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice… ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone… just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had’” “he stretched out his arms toward…a single green light… that might have been at the end of the dock…When I looked once more for Gatsby, he had vanished” For each quote: 1. Identify the speaker. 2. Identify the context (what’s going on when the quote is spoken). 3. Explain the quote’s significance.

2. Journal 3.16.15 In The Great Gatsby, Nick narrates, “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone… just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had’…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.’” Reflecting back on Nick’s summer in New York, and the experiences that he has, why do you suppose he doesn’t judge Gatsby, maybe even reveres him, but judges and looks with disdain upon all others he meets and encounters that summer? Respond in a WELL CONSTRUCTED PARAGRAPH.

3. Journal 3.17.15 “ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’... ‘Why of course you can!’...So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” It may be argued that Jay Gatsby of The Great Gatsby is a tragic hero. Write a WELL CONSTRUCTED paragraph in which you explain that Gatsby’s obsession with the past is his tragic flaw, which leads to his eventual demise.

4. Journal 3.26.15 Reflect back on third quarter. What worked well for you? Why did this work well for you? What struggles did you experience? Why did you experience these roadblocks? How can you improve for the next and final quarter? What goals do you have for quarter 4? You may respond by reflecting only on this class or on all or other courses. Respond in a well-constructed paragraph.

5. Journal 4.7.15 For each line of poetry, write your interpretation. *Copy the table. And then, respond: Why do you suppose Lorraine Hansberry chose to begin her play A Raisin in the Sun with this famous Langston Hughes poem, “Harlem”? What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— Like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags Like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

6. Journal4.8-9.15 Reflect on Act I of A Raisin in the Sun. Identify the dream of each character: Mama, Walter, Bennie, and Ruth. Identify the obstacles that prevent each of these dreams. What theme is suggested by these obstacles? Respond in a well- constructed paragraph.

7. Journal4.10.15 In Act I of A Raisin in the Sun, the audience meets Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha. Gender stereotyping is introduced as an issue in this play. Discuss how these stereotypes are beginning to evolve in the play. How may these stereotypes affect characters’ future actions? How may they affect the plot? Use at least two quotes from Act I to support your response. Respond in a well constructed paragraph.

8. Journal 4.13.15 Summarize the conversation between Asagai and Beneatha in A Raisin in the Sun Act I scene ii on assimilation. What forms of assimilation exist in America today? What does the necessity to conform suggest about the American Dream? Respond in a well-constructed paragraph.

9. Journal 4.14.15 Reflect on what you have read of A Raisin in the Sun, particularly Acts I and II. How does Africa and African heritage affect the characters’ attitudes? How is their heritage significant to each character in the play? How do these attitudes help shape characters? Respond in a well-constructed paragraph.

10. Journal 4.15-16.15 Lorraine Hansberry, playwright of A Raisin in The Sun, once said, “ I care. I care about it all. It takes too much energy not to care.” Reflect on what you have read of A Raisin in the Sun. How is Hansberry’s above quote reflected in the play? Explain exact, concrete examples from the play. Respond in a well-constructed paragraph.