Final Exam Analytical Essay: The Great Gatsby
You are going to demonstrate your understanding of The Great Gatsby by writing an essay. Please
choose ONE of the following prompts:
1. Is Fitzgerald writing a love story that embraces American ideals, or a satire that comments on
American ideals? Have students refer to passages and quotes to build a thesis.
2. In Chapter 6, Nick says, “You can’t repeat the past.” Gatsby replies, “Can’t repeat the past? Why of
course you can!” (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby then describes a moment when he had kissed Daisy. Nick
describes Gatsby’s memory as “appalling sentimentality,” after which Nick himself remembers a
“fragment” and an “elusive rhythm” (Fitzgerald 111). Are these passages about Nick or Gatsby? What
has Nick forgotten that he is trying to retrieve? Finally, does Gatsby misuse the past and his memories
in order to enliven the present? Does this make him part of the Lost Generation?
3.
Nick says: “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald 59). When you
consider his role as narrator, do you believe that he is honest? Are his depictions of others honest? If
he is not honest, why does he believe he is so honest?
4. Examine the last page of the novel. Fitzgerald writes, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic
future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter— to-morrow we will
run faster, stretch out our arms farther.…And one fine morning—” (Fitzgerald 180). Why does
Fitzgerald leave this sentence unfinished? What does Nick think will happen one fine morning? Are
hopes and dreams always centered on a future belief? Is this more important than the actual
satisfaction of one’s desires? Why or why not?
5. If you have any ideas for something you would like to write about, pleasecome talk with me!
For essays, students should organize their ideas around a thesis statement about the novel. This
statement or thesis should be focused, with clear reasons supporting its conclusion. The thesis and
supporting reasons should be backed by references to the text. When preparing your final copy, make
sure to follow these specific guidelines:
 The essay has an obvious and arguable thesis
 The essay includes at least 3 direct quotes to support an obvious thesis (cited)
 The essay includes at least one other source, properly cited
o i.e. an article from a literary journal
 The essay is 3(full)-5 pages in length
 The essay follows all MLA guidelines
o http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
 The paper has been proof-read and shows evidence of editing
Below is a schedule for the culminating essay exam regarding The Great Gatsby
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Dec. 9th: We will practice paraphrasing outside sources
Dec. 10th: We will narrow down our thesis statements.
Dec. 11th: We will choose outside sources
Dec. 12th: We will plan and outline our essays in class.
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Dec. 15th and 16th: We will have time to write our finals in class.
A THESIS MUST CLEARLY ASSERT AN ARGUABLE JUDGMENT THAT IS RELEVANT TO A GENERAL AUDIENCE.
TWO FAIRLY EASY WAYS TO CREATE AN ARGUABLE THESIS:
1) Use "should", "must", "needs to" to reveal the imperative that you're arguing for:
Example: The Klamath River must be given sufficient water to avoid further salmon die-offs, as happened
recently.
2) Add your opposition to your thesis, so we know what the opposing argument is early on:
Example: Although the farmers and other competing water interests would argue against this, the Klamath
River must be given sufficient water to avoid further salmon die-offs, as happened recently.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A STRONG THESIS ALSO INCLUDE:
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A thesis must clearly identify the main topic of the essay and establish the focus for the rest of the
essay. It is like a contract you are making with your readers, promising them that the rest of the essay will
concentrate on this primary point.
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A thesis must assert an arguable judgment rather than a self-evident one. Common knowledge or a
statement of fact CANNOT serve as an acceptable thesis. Your thesis statements should take a definite
position on an arguable issue.
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o
Examples of statements of fact: “A healthy environment has a positive effect on humans,”
“Environmental conflicts, no matter your stand on them, cost a lot of money,”
o
Examples of common knowledge: “Environmental law is full of many changes–some positive and
some negative,” “Saving the environment can be very difficult," "Politicians tend to be influenced by
money
A thesis must assert a point that is relevant to a general audience. Avoid judgments that are so
personalized that a reader who is outside your circle of family and friends will be unable to assess the
argument and/or to muster up much interest in the subject.
o
Examples of theses which are not relevant to a general audience: “From the time I was small, I
have been very active in defending our environment,” “From the first time I saw environmental
protestors, I realized that they were all crazy.”
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A thesis should be very clearly written in precise, familiar terms, avoiding language that is overly
vague, broad, specialized, or technical. You can assume that your general audience consists of wellinformed, intelligent adults with good, general vocabularies, but you cannot assume they are specialists in a
particular subject.
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Example of a vague and overly broad thesis: “In some cultures, aspects of the environment may play a
role in life’s spiritual and metaphysical dimension.”
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Example of a thesis that is too specialized for a general reader: “The image of the child in eighteenthand nineteenth-century scientific, historical, and literary narratives is often representing or figuring
interiority, growth, historicity, and development.” (This thesis may be quite clear to advanced scholars of
literature or history, but a general audience would probably find it too obscure.