One Last Thing About Gatsby -- Is He Great?

First, watch the following video in which the greatness of Gatsby is discussed. Re-watch it, in fact. Two or three times, even.





Then, on to the essay! In a thoughtful, thorough, one-page essay, answer the following question. Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric version 4.0 when drafting and revising.

Is Gatsby great?

You can answer this question one of two ways:

1. While to some readers Gatsby appears to be great, he actually is not.
2. While some readers question Gatsby's supposed greatness, Gatsby actually deserves that label.

Remember, you will be using Rubric 4.0 for this one, so be sure to keep it handy while editing.

Hint: Your first task? Define for yourself what "great" means, and what makes someone a "great" person.

Life in the 1920s

Tea Time for Gatsby

In a thoughtful, thorough, one-page essay, answer the following question. Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric when drafting and revising.

Was it a good idea for Nick to host the tea party?

You can answer this question one of two ways:

1. While it appears that Nick should host the tea party, he actually makes a mistake by doing so.
2. While it appears that Nick should not host the tea party, he actually made a good choice by doing so.

You will be using Rubric 3.0 for this one, so be sure to keep it handy while editing.

Arnold Rothstein and the 1920s

From Wikipedia: Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 6, 1928), nicknamed "the Brain", was a Jewish-American racketeer, businessman and gambler who became a kingpin of the Jewish mob in New York. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athletics, conspiring in the fixing of the 1919 World Series.

According to crime writer Leo Katcher, Rothstein "transformed organized crime from a thuggish activity by hoodlums into a big business, run like a corporation, with himself at the top." According to Rich Cohen, Rothstein was the person who first realized that Prohibition was a business opportunity, a means to enormous wealth, who "understood the truths of early century capitalism (giving people what they want) and came to dominate them.” His notoriety inspired several fictional characters based on his life, portrayed in contemporary and later short stories, novels, musicals and films.

Rothstein failed to pay a large debt resulting from a fixed poker game and was murdered in 1928.

In the novel The Great Gatsby, Meyer Wolfsheim is a Jewish friend and mentor of Gatsby's, described as a gambler who fixed the World Series. Wolfsheim appears only twice in the novel and is a clear allusion to Arnold Rothstein.

Here is a clip from Boardwalk Empire.

Here is Eight Men Out. Check out minute 27.

Gatsby/Kane Comparison Essay

This post is for juniors only.

In your 'to student' folder on your Google Drive you will find a document entitled "Gatsby/Kane Comparison Notes." Open the file and take a look at it. It is the material we collected in class contrasting Jay Gatsby to Charles Foster Kane. Your task is to select ONE of the thesis statements provided and craft a one page essay. 

We're looking for three paragraphs:

• Paragraph 1 - Thesis statement
• Paragraph 2 - Gatsby body paragraph (with at least one properly cited quotation from the novel)
• Paragraph 3 - Kane body paragraph (with at least one specific example summarized from the film)

Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric when drafting and revising.

Like Pale Gold

Here's a nice little recap of the novel and some of its themes.

Tea Party Revision

Today we're going to start working on revision our tea party one page essays. There are a few steps in the process, so read the directions before you start.

1. Add the two following sentence patterns to your essay. The first pattern needs to be in body paragraph 1; the second pattern needs to be in body paragraph 2. Highlight them using the color patterns indicated.

Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 2

2.  Print your essay.

3. Swap your essay with a partner.

4. Edit each other's essays using the Samurai editing form.

5. Once you get your essay back from your partner, you need to also edit your essay using the Samurai editing form.

6. Go back to you Google Doc and make the changes. Your revised essay needs to be ready to be graded by Tuesday.

A Cup of Tea

This post if for JUNIORS only.

In a thoughtful, thorough, one-page essay, answer the following question. Be sure to use the One Page Essay Rubric when drafting and revising.

Was it a good idea for Nick to host the tea party?

You can answer this question one of two ways:

1. While it appears that Nick should host the tea party, he actually makes a mistake by doing so.
2. While it appears that Nick should not host the tea party, he actually made a good choice by doing so.

Intro to Gatsby - The Roaring 20s

This post is for JUNIORS only.

There is a pretty good page of 1920s culture at http://roaringtwenties.tumblr.com/archive.

Here are some more images/video clips of 1920s culture.

This post is for JUNIORS only.

Your Task

1. In Word, supply a definition for each of the following terms/phrases. You may not use any outside resources. These definitions must come solely from you. 
2. When you've finished drafting your definitions, check you grammar and triple space your document.
3. After printing your document, (1) circle subjects, (2) underline predicates, (3) cross out fragments, (4) wavy underline squirrels.
4. If you have any grammatical errors - commas, semicolons, incomplete sentences, etc. - fix your mistakes in the document, re-print, and again (1) circle subjects, (2) underline predicates, (3) cross out fragments, (4) wavy underline squirrels.
5. Your final draft is due on Monday. Your final draft must be complete, grammatical, and properly diagrammed.
6. Note - You may not use the term, any part of the term, or any derivitive of the term in your definitions.

The Terms / Phrases

     selfishness - one sentence

     loneliness - one sentence

     compassion - three sentences

     a moral person - two different definitions, one sentence each

Gatsby on NES

Just for fun...

An old NES Gatsby game can be found HERE.

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The Great Gatsby - paragraph 3

This post is for JUNIORS only.

For this unit, we will be doing things a little differently. Instead of one long essay, we will be writing a series of paragraphs worth 30 points each. These paragraphs will be graded with the same rigor as a formal essay, and, in the end, will be worth about the same amount of points. In other words, work diligently, hand in your work on time, and be thoughtful and thorough in your responses. These grades most certainly count.

In a thoughtful, thorough paragraph, answer the following question:

How successfully does James Gatz reinvent himself?

In other words, is Jay Gatsby a different person from James Gatz? How so?

Here are the criteria on which you should focus:

• include at least two quotations from two different pages of the novel
• correctly cite all quotations
• set up each quotation with insightful context
• use commas correctly
• use correct spelling
• avoid first and second person
• avoid contractions and informal language
• write in present tense
• take time to thoroughly explain your point of view

If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to get help from the TLC or one of the class instructors.

The Great Gatsby - Paragraph 2

This post is for JUNIORS only.

For this unit, we will be doing things a little differently. Instead of one long essay, we will be writing a series of paragraphs worth 30 points each. These paragraphs will be graded with the same rigor as a formal essay, and, in the end, will be worth about the same amount of points. In other words, work diligently, hand in your work on time, and be thoughtful and thorough in your responses. These grades most certainly count.

In a thoughtful, thorough paragraph, answer the following question:

Regarding Gatsby's obsession with Daisy, Nick says to him, "You can't repeat the past" (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby responds, "Why of course you can. [...] I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before" (110). 

With whom do you agree - Nick or Gatsby? Is it possible to "repeat the past"? Why? Use examples from movies, books, current events, etc. to support your claim.

Here are the criteria on which you should focus:

• include at least two quotations from two different pages
• correctly cite all quotations
• set up each quotation with insightful context
• use commas correctly
• use correct spelling
• avoid first and second person
• avoid contractions and informal language
• write in present tense
• take time to thoroughly explain your point of view

If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to get help from the TLC or one of the class instructors.

The Great Gatsby - Paragraph 1

This post is for JUNIORS only.

For this unit, we will be doing things a little differently. Instead of one long essay, we will be writing a series of paragraphs worth 30 points each. These paragraphs will be graded with the same rigor as a formal essay, and, in the end, will be worth about the same amount of points. In other words, work diligently, hand in your work on time, and be thoughtful and thorough in your responses. These grades most certainly count.

In a thoughtful, thorough paragraph, answer the following question:

In The Great Gatsby,

how does a character's economic/social class

dictate how he or she behaves?

1. Select one character from the novel.
2. Discuss into what economic/social class this character falls. 
3. Explain in detail how this character's economic/social class influences his or her behaviors.

Here are the criteria on which you should focus:

• include at least two quotations from two different pages
• correctly cite all quotations
• set up each quotation with insightful context
• use commas correctly
• use correct spelling
• avoid first and second person
• avoid contractions and informal language
• write in present tense
• take time to thoroughly explain your point of view

If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to get help from the TLC or one of the class instructors.

Reserving Judgments

This post is for JUNIORS only.

Nick says he is "inclined to reserve all judgments" (Fitzgerald 1).  In other words, Nick does not make snap assumptions or judgments about people when he first meets them. Instead, he waits until he gets to know the person before he makes his judgments.

In a thoughtful, thorough paragraph, tell about a time when you did NOT reserve judgment about someone you just met but wish you had. What happened? How did things turn out? How do you wish things had turned out?

Turn in the paragraph by the end of class.

The Great Gatsby on NES.

Years ago, there was a Great Gatsby game on NES.

You can find it here.

Exit through the Gift Shop and The Great Gatsby

This post is for JUNIORS only.

First we read The Great Gatsby, and we examined how James Gats re-invented himself and became Jay Gatsby. We examined the price he paid, the flaws in the illusion, and the reasons he wanted to make the change in the first place.

Second we watched Exit through the Gift Shop, and we examined how Thierry went from thrift store owner, to film maker (?), and finally to artist (!). We saw similarities between him and Gatsby - the price he paid and the flaws in the illusion.

We also noticed how in both cases, people were suckered into believing the illusion before them. In both cases, people were tricked into thinking that what they were seeing (a rich, popular playboy or a new-wave artist) were 100% real.

Here is your task for today -- in a thoughtful, thorough paragraph, and using specific evidence from both the novel and the film, answer the following question:

Who was more successful at re-inventing himself, Gatsby or Thierry?

Post your response in the comments section bellow. When you have finished, check in with the instructor to make sure it posted. If you have any questions, please ask.

 

Gatsby Essay - Intros and Conclusions

This post is for JUNIORS only.



Your intro, as usual, should include the following components:

• hook - attention grabber
• link - connecting the hook to the thesis; includes title and author of novel
• thesis - the essay's central claim
• bridge - the three points of your essay

Your conclusion should include the following components:

• reflection of the thesis
• an answer to the question, "So what?" (connecting your essay to the real world)

Essays are due on Thursday. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Gatsby Essay - Part 3

This post is for JUNIORS only.

Time to work on body paragraph three:

What is the reader's impression of Gatsby at the end of the novel?
(chapters 7-9)

You are encouraged to check your topic sentence with the instructor once you have an idea what it is. Like the first paragraph, keep in mind the following criteria:

• thoughtful topic sentence
• third person only
• Set up for quotations
• properly cited quotations
• explanation of evidence/cited quotations
• concluding sentence
• grammar (comma usage, capitalization, semicolons, spelling, run ons, comma splices, etc.)

Again, keep all of your work saved on the school's server at all times. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Good luck.

Gatsby Essay - Part 2

This entry is for JUNIORS only.

Time to work on body paragraph two:

What is the reader's impression of Gatsby in the middle of the novel?
(chapters 4-6)

You are encouraged to check your topic sentence with the instructor once you have an idea what it is. Like the first paragraph, keep in mind the following criteria:

• thoughtful topic sentence
• third person only
• Set up for quotations
• properly cited quotations
• explanation of evidence/cited quotations
• concluding sentence
• grammar (comma usage, capitalization, semicolons, spelling, run ons, comma splices, etc.)

Again, keep all of your work saved on the school's server at all times. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Good luck.