AP Language and Composition
The Great Gatsby
Chapter 1—All About Nick
Dialectic journals are a way for you, the reader, to have a conversation with the text. Today, you will
converse about Nick. Answer the questions below using the dialectic journal format. In the left column
write your textual support (i.e. quotes); in the right column explain how the chosen quotes support your
response to the question.
Essentially we can divide Chapter 1 into two parts. The first part is Nick’s exploration of the background
information concerning his past and the climate of the Eggs. The second part (roughly page 9 to the end)
is mostly dialogue.
1.
Nick begins the book with the famous line, “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father
gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my head ever since.” What do you think are
the implications for beginning the novel with this advice?
2. To what degree does Nick follow this advice in Chapter 1 as he describes the people he met in
the East?
3. The division of Chapter 1 also establishes Nick’s conflicts within himself and with the people he
is describing. Beginning on page 2, read looking for how Nick outlines the conflict within himself
and with the East. What words/phrases stand out as describing this conflict? How does the
dialogue and description in the remainder of the chapter reflect what he discusses on page 2?
4. Based on what you’ve read in Chapter 1, do you predict Nick will be a trustworthy narrator?