The Great Gatsby
Summer Reading Assignment
English AP III Language and Composition
Overall:
While reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, annotate for diction, figurative language, and
syntax, and themes/motifs. Annotate those passages where these devices are prominent and/or the
most important passages within the novel. If you attempt to annotate the entire book, you may miss the
big picture.
Assignment 1:
You will need to choose one of the following topics and write a well-developed essay that fully answers
the prompt. All essays must be turned in via turnitin.com by the first Friday of the school year. The class
id is: 9864206 and the password is Rutledge. Refer to Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for works cited
instructions and in-text citation reference. The website is listed below.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/
* All work should be your own original analysis. Do not use any outside resources or research to
complete this essay*
Option 1:
Read “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, in 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology by Samuel Cohen 4th
Ed. (You can buy this book online, we will be using it throughout the year) and consider the following
characters from The Great Gatsby:
·
Jay Gatsby
·
Nick Carraway
·
Daisy Buchanan
·
Jordan Baker
·
Tom Buchanan
·
Myrtle Wilson
Using the categories of liars presented in Ericsson’s essay, discuss any three characters’ lies and where
they fit in the spectrum. Your final paragraph should be an analysis of whom you consider to be the
biggest liar of all and why (this can be an analysis of one of the three characters already discussed). Use
specific evidence from the novel and the essay to support your position.
Option 2:
The Great Gatsby is a novel that in many ways is obsessed with morality. Consider the novel’s six main
characters and rank them in order of most moral to least moral. Then, write an essay in which you
establish a coherent definition of morality, and justify each character’s ranking.
Assignment 2:
Either the first or second week of school (dependent upon the schedule), we will have an in-class
discussion about the novel. Each of you will be called on to answer a random question aloud. These
questions will address Fitzgerald’s use of literary devices and prevalent themes. You will be graded
utilizing the following (first formative quiz grade for the nine weeks):
95—Insightful, wow factor, scholastic; text evidence utilized as needed; convincing
85—Meaningful; gave thought behind the answer, but mostly average; somewhat convincing
75—Surface level answer; obvious; little to no elaboration; not convincing
0—Unprepared; has no answer