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2009
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May
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- Non-Fiction Book Suggestions
- Just Some Fun with Gatsby
- 1. What is the American Dream? (Everyone must answer)
- 2. The Great GAPsby Society
- 3. Social Rules
- 4. Nick Carraway's Sense of Morality
- 5. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan
- 6. POV
- 7. Nick's Feelings
- 8. Social and Moral Behavior
- 9. Symbols
- 10. Poetry
- 11. Tragic Hero
- 12. Females
- 13. Believable?
- 14. Climax
- 15. Archetypes
- 16. Stereotypes
- 17. The Relationship
- 18. Gatsby's Actions
- 19. Style
- 20. Gatsby and Tom
- 21. Compare and Contrast
- 22. The Real Daisy
- 23. Minor Characters
- 24. Title
- 25. Nick's Role
- 26. Who was responsible for Gatsby's death.
- 27. Gatsby's Death
- 28. Myrtle's Death
- 29. How was Nick different
- 30. Was Gatsby different
- 31. Tom and Daisy
- 32. Classic
- 33. Rotten Crowd
- 34. Money
- 35. The Green Light
- 36. Gatz
- 37. The Funeral
- 38. The Child
- 39. The Party
- 40. Myrtle
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May
(42)
Your Summer Assingment
1. Read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. You should be prepared to take a test on the book on the first day of class.
2. Participate on The Great Gatsby Blog (Due the first day of class.)
Rules for Discussion Board
a. You must make ten postings over the next two months. Each posting is worth a maximum of ten points. Therefore, make sure that what you say is valid, supported, and original.
b. Five of these postings should be in response to a posting made by someone in the class. You may agree or disagree, but you must provide support for your point of view using MLA citation format.
c. The remaining five postings must be original observations by you. You should use the book to give help you support your answer and use internal citations.
d. Each posting must be thoughtful and grammatically correct sentences.
e. Use correct grammar and spelling; do not use slang, abbreviations, or IM speak. (Watch capitalization.)
f. It is a good idea to type your response in a word processing program first to eliminate basic errors. Then copy and paste it into the discussion board. Proofread carefully!
g. Do not use any cute nicknames. I will only grade the work by the names that are given to me on my roster. You must use your real name. h. Any postings that are defamatory or the least bit obscene will be deleted and will receive no credit.
i. Be creative, thoughtful, and open.
j. Remember your comments are now public.
3. Read a non-fiction book of high academic rigor. It must be at least 150 pages long. I have suggestions for you if you need any help.
4. Write an essay about your non-fiction book. It should be one of the following formats:
Language Analysis Essay – evaluates the use of language devices such as metaphors, figurative language, diction, etc. which support the theme.
Writing Strategy/Structural Analysis Essay – evaluates the organization, structure, point of view, etc. which support the theme.
Argumentative/Persuasive Essay – includes identification of strategies by the author and students writing a persuasive essay in response to the text.
You essay should be typed double, spaced, following MLA formats and using correct MLA citations. This paper should be emailed to me the first day of class. Please analyze the form of the book, do not summarize.
5. To go with your paper, you must prepare a PowerPoint that highlights your paper. Please have your thesis on a separate slide and PLEASE do not summarize the book. You should analyze the book, not summarize it.
6. Have a great summer and prepare for an engaging and hopefully challenging class.
7. If you have any questions over the summer please email any time. My email is ehogshead@cm.edu.gt or elroark@yahoo.com.
2. Participate on The Great Gatsby Blog (Due the first day of class.)
Rules for Discussion Board
a. You must make ten postings over the next two months. Each posting is worth a maximum of ten points. Therefore, make sure that what you say is valid, supported, and original.
b. Five of these postings should be in response to a posting made by someone in the class. You may agree or disagree, but you must provide support for your point of view using MLA citation format.
c. The remaining five postings must be original observations by you. You should use the book to give help you support your answer and use internal citations.
d. Each posting must be thoughtful and grammatically correct sentences.
e. Use correct grammar and spelling; do not use slang, abbreviations, or IM speak. (Watch capitalization.)
f. It is a good idea to type your response in a word processing program first to eliminate basic errors. Then copy and paste it into the discussion board. Proofread carefully!
g. Do not use any cute nicknames. I will only grade the work by the names that are given to me on my roster. You must use your real name. h. Any postings that are defamatory or the least bit obscene will be deleted and will receive no credit.
i. Be creative, thoughtful, and open.
j. Remember your comments are now public.
3. Read a non-fiction book of high academic rigor. It must be at least 150 pages long. I have suggestions for you if you need any help.
4. Write an essay about your non-fiction book. It should be one of the following formats:
Language Analysis Essay – evaluates the use of language devices such as metaphors, figurative language, diction, etc. which support the theme.
Writing Strategy/Structural Analysis Essay – evaluates the organization, structure, point of view, etc. which support the theme.
Argumentative/Persuasive Essay – includes identification of strategies by the author and students writing a persuasive essay in response to the text.
You essay should be typed double, spaced, following MLA formats and using correct MLA citations. This paper should be emailed to me the first day of class. Please analyze the form of the book, do not summarize.
5. To go with your paper, you must prepare a PowerPoint that highlights your paper. Please have your thesis on a separate slide and PLEASE do not summarize the book. You should analyze the book, not summarize it.
6. Have a great summer and prepare for an engaging and hopefully challenging class.
7. If you have any questions over the summer please email any time. My email is ehogshead@cm.edu.gt or elroark@yahoo.com.
The Great Gatsby is written in first person and told by Nick Carraway. This affects the story because Nick is a guy that doesn’t have the American Dream in the sense that he doesn’t have a big house or a lot of money, but he is at peace with himself and doesn’t really require many material things in life. Nick likes to go to Gatsby’s parties, but doesn’t really see it as necessary like some of the other guests there do. If the book was written from Gatsby’s point of view, then you would know more about what went on between he and Daisy and you wouldn’t have the insight of someone who didn’t have wealth and the American Dream like Nick. Nick at first felt alone in his little house, but after he helped someone find the West Egg village, he didn’t feel lonely anymore because he was “a guide, a pathfinder, an original settler.” (Fitzgerald 8). Nick didn’t need a huge party to make him not feel lonely anymore, he just needed to feel needed.
ReplyDeleteGreat insight into the POV. Could anyone else have told the story and the outcome have been so powerful? Is there any other character that the reader can trust? Or can we trust Nick?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tania. Nick is the only character in the Great Gatsby that is a reliable narrator. First like Tania said, he is the only one that is not driven by this fake idea of the American Dream.He is the character that is least emotionally involved in the story. Nick is the only character that can act as a neutral bystander. If the story was told from Gatsby’s point of view the evil character would have been Tom. All of the human flaws and weaknesses that Gatsby has would have never appeared. If Tom had told the story, Gatsby would have been the evil one and Tom would have been a poor saint who was trying to preserve his family. Nick is the only person in the story that does not emit judgment “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments” (Fitzgerald 5). Out of all the characters Nick is the most reliable one. He is able to see both sides of the story, given the fact that he is friends with Daisy and Gatsby. Also as Nick said “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald 64). Nick is a good man; he is not greedy or self absorbed and he is the best and the only reliable narrator in the story. It would have been interesting to see Daisy’s point of view. I will never be able to understand why she chooses Tom. Gatsby could have given her the same comfortable life style and would have appreciated her more.
ReplyDeleteI beg to disagree in this POV (point of view) question. To start off on one hand, I personally have a very strong appreciation of the AMERICAN DREAM. It would seem most people who have read this book thus far have gathered the opinion that in order to achieve the American Dream one must be wealthy. This is not the case; nor has it ever been. The American Dream is one of freedom; not one of wealth but the satisfaction of knowing you are free to act as you see fit (within the law of course). Whether this be to throw parties (Jay Gatz) or to live a normal, near average, life (Nick Carraway). The POV is strongly influenced by a man not as supplied as many characters are within the book. This man provides insight into situations, whether this is at social gatherings at the diner, the house of a friend or the comfort of a home. Nick Carraway offers nothing shear short of a bystanders POV. He himself allows us to understand the differences between East and West Egg. This bystander allows us to interpret/concoct our own opinion of the story in multiple ways. Ways such as the aspect of a man letting foreigners into his home, the emotions of fellow friends, the tales and beauty of life. As said before, the POV is, as of now, most definitely in favor of Nick Carraway. As well as the fact that the point of view within the story would have drastically changed between characters given the massive contrast and similarities shared between them.
ReplyDeleteThis story is told from the point of view of Nick Carroway, a somewhat successful man that makes a decent living. The importance of him narrating this story is that Nick is a man that does not form part of the big fight between Tom and Gatsby, he is the one caught in the middle, along with Jordan. The significancee of having a less than important character to the main story is that he does not start on any side of the argument, rather he sees the good and bad sides of both people. Also, given the fact he owns less than Tom or Gatsby helps show the grandeur of the characters' lifestyles. when he describes Tom's life, it is like he was describing a dream he had, but when describing Gatsby, he describes a good friend and a man with good nature. this helps the reader pick what side is best, the West or East, since none is wrong and none is right, just different customs and moral standards.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with what Ana and Tania have to say. The book is written in first person, narrated by Nick Carraway. The reader learns about what happened and forms opinions about other characters only through what Nick has to say, but I do not believe that he is reliable all the time. It is true that Nick is the only one who is not really emotionally attached to all the drama. However, I think it is almost impossible not to judge situations and others without being biased. Nick certainly does a great job making us believe that he is reliable. He wants us to believe that he was raised to not judge anyone. He says he is “inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me…” (Fitzgerald 5) This is why we think he is an unbiased narrator. However, early in the book he states that he does not judge Gatsby because he had “an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again” (Fitzgerald 6) He likes Gatsby because Gatsby is determined for his love. This is why Nick is loyal to Gatsby and during the whole book he almost never says anything bad about him. Even when he hears that Gatsby had some illegal projects, Nick never says anything about it. It is almost as if they are not immoral. Or maybe it is because it’s Gatsby. Also, even when he meets Meyer Wolfsheim, who supposedly fixed the World Series, Nick seems surprisingly fine with it, which is surprising for a man of such “great” morals. He says his one cardinal virtue is: “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” (Fitzgerald 64) But then why does he not say anything about Gatsby being dishonest?
ReplyDeleteI do admit that Nick is the only reliable character who could tell this story. Some things seem less biased than if they were told by someone else. However, Nick favors Gatsby and so throughout the book he portrays Gatsby as an innocent, flawless, blameless person.
The Great Gatsby is written from Nick Carraway's point of view, in first person.
ReplyDeleteNick Carraway is the character in the book who is the most neutral and at peace with himself, therefore it is easier for him to judge what Gatsby, Tom and Daisy are doing.
Nick is the only character in this book that is actually living his life, he is not worried about what other people think and actually has good moral values. He could even be considered a role model. He can be neutral in a situation with two different opinions which is actually hard when one tries to do it. So the fact that he can do this makes it easier for the reader to see both sides of the story, and not get attached and supportive of one of the sides.
The Great Gatsby is written in first person, narrated by a character in the book called Nick Carraway. It is important to recognize the point of view because if another character would a narrated the story, it would have been different and maybe not as powerful. In this story, Nick is presented as an honest and kind man, making him more reliable in the story. Like Tania said, he does not live the American Dream. He does not own a huge mansion or has many riches, but he is not affected by the materialism in the world. He is happy with himself by helping others. Since Nick is not part of the very wealthy people like Tom, Gatsby, and Daisy, it is easier for us to see the problems in the rich life. If the story would have been told by another character, for instance Tom, then the story would have been more about his life and his problems. We would see things in his point of view; it would have been harder for us to see the negatives things of the prosperous class. We can compare other people's lives to Nick's life and see that the rich people have more problems compared to the simple, easy-going life that Nick has.
ReplyDelete"The Great Gatsby," is written in the point of view of Nick Carraway, in first person. He accurately describes the events that are occuring. If this story was written by the point of view of another person, such as Tom, The Great Gatsby would be titled 'The Shameful Gatsby.' I believe that Nick's point of view is neutral. Even in the beginning of the story, Nick lives in West Egg but spends a lot of time in East Egg. He is not the one with the conflict in the story. He is merely an observant, so to speak. Also, Nick's tone is different from how other people's would be. He almost never shows signs of emotions, and he always stays calm. He is the man to speak to when someone has a problem, so I believe that he is a believable source.
ReplyDelete