Week 27

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is often acclaimed the best picture of the years tagged the “Jazz Age.” It offers a vividly realistic portrayal of the artistic, political, and economic climate of the 1920s. It discloses the psychological outburst of release from enforced sacrifice and deprivation of WWI.

In the nine chapters Fitzgerald captures the myth of the “American Dream” with its hope, search—the knight looking for the grail – and illusion, as corruption, intolerance, prejudice, and self-interest lead to tragedy.

Each chapter is rich in imagery, symbols, foreshadowing, juxtaposition, irony, paradox, sentence patterns, and speech styles. And within this mastery of literary techniques is Fitzgerald’s criticism of a materialistic society focused on this American Dream. For this, The Great Gatsby is a social epithet, and a work that has endured to tell us something about the human condition, which is universal.

Just about every other sentence in the novel is a textual moment. A significant theme is American Idealism corrupted by materialism. When reading the book look for ways Fitzgerald describes social class divisions in the 1920s and how the setting emphasizes the differences between the classes.

When annotating consider imagery, diction, syntax-- language. This is how Fitzgerald gets his point across. Look up vocabulary words that are unfamiliar. Always choose a meaningful quote, then be able to explain its significance within the context of the piece.

Smile abundantly this week! I am proud of all of you!

DUE DATES:

Tues, March 11: Read Chapter 1, The Great Gatsby
Thurs, March 13: Read Chapter 2, The Great Gatsby
Spring Break Assignment: Finish reading and annotating The Great Gatsby; work in journal and finish poems from the poetry unit. I will check all work when you get back from the break.

Here are your assignments/Agenda for Week 27:

Week 27 MS Word

Week 27 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.