The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
The Great Gatsby is a story told by Nick Carraway, who was once Gatsby's neighbor, and he tells the story sometime after 1922, when the incidents that fill the book take place. As the story opens, Nick has just moved from the Midwest to West Egg, Long Island, seeking his fortune. Little does Nick know that he is about to meet a man who has everything money can buy, but desperately desires the one thing he can't.
Considered to be Fitzgerald's best work (many regard it as the greatest modern American novel ever written), The Great Gatsby explores themes related to idealism, romance, heartache, decadence, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess. Fitzgerald creates a portrait of the Jazz Age (a term he coined) and the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
Considered to be Fitzgerald's best work (many regard it as the greatest modern American novel ever written), The Great Gatsby explores themes related to idealism, romance, heartache, decadence, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess. Fitzgerald creates a portrait of the Jazz Age (a term he coined) and the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
From the Preface:
"The Great Gatsby does not proclaim the nobility of the human spirit; it is not politically correct; it does not reveal how to solve the problems of life; it delivers no fashionable or comforting messages. It is just a masterpiece" (vii). |
Reading Schedule:
Read Chapter I (5-26) DUE: Monday, Sept. 30 Read Chapter II (27-42) DUE: Wednesday, Oct. 2 Read Chapters III & IV (43-85)* DUE: Monday, Oct. 21 Read Chapters V & VI (86-118)* DUE: Friday, Oct. 25 Read Chapters VII & VIII (119-170) DUE: Tuesday, Oct. 29 Read Chapter IX (171-189) DUE: Thursday, Oct. 31
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Vocabulary from The Great Gatsby
Complete the following Vocabulary Squares worksheet (double-sided; 12 words total).
Words can be taken from anywhere in the novel.
Words can be taken from anywhere in the novel.
*Vocab Squares worksheet.pdf | |
File Size: | 317 kb |
File Type: |
*NOTE: if you print this form, it is only 1 side so you'll have to print 2
DUE: Friday, Nov. 15
The Great Gatsby Game
Put your books down for a minute and run (don't walk!) to your computer to enjoy this side-scrolling, 8-bit throwback of a video game (available online only; the makers created a whole myth of a lost Nintendo cartridge, etc).
It's fun and frivolous but also chock-full of symbolism and key book references. Go for the gold, old sport! https://greatgatsbygame.com/ |
American Anthem: The Playlist
Songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action
Sometimes, a song isn't just a song: It's shorthand for an idea. Some songs can rouse and rally huge masses of people at once, whether they're chanting in a stadium, marching in the streets or sweating it out on the dance floor.
NPR's American Anthem is about those songs. A yearlong series of reported pieces, appearing both on air and online, American Anthem was created to identify 50 pieces of music that have found anthemic status in American life, and unpack how and why they've come to mean so much to so many.
NPR's American Anthem is about those songs. A yearlong series of reported pieces, appearing both on air and online, American Anthem was created to identify 50 pieces of music that have found anthemic status in American life, and unpack how and why they've come to mean so much to so many.
Choose 3 musical selections from the list
Record all your responses in your JOURNAL:
- Listen carefully.
- Record the title of the piece (and any artists associated with the song).
- Write down notes & impressions as you listen.
- After listening, write a thoughtful reflection & analysis of the selection.
- Consider the following:
- Why is this an American anthem?
- What does the song have to say about what it means to be American?
- How does the song contribute to the conversation about our national identity—who we have been, who we are, and who we hope to become?