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Assignment Directions Make a copy of this document for yourself. Click on File and then Download As. You can save it as any file type you would like. Read through the entire reading exercises guide. Read The Great Gatsby and annotate as you read. It is best to mark in the margins of the book or use sticky notes and then afterwards type them, but it’s up to you. Answer the guiding questions. Write your thesis sentences and discussion questions. Read the supplemental readings and answer their guiding questions. Write your final essay. Rubric Excellent Acceptable Needs Improvement Annotations Annotations exceed the minimum number and show a deep understanding of the text. Annotations meet the Annotations do not meet minimum number and the minimum number and
show an average show very little understanding of the text. understanding of the text.
Guiding Answers exceed the Answers meet the Questions/Final minimum requirements, minimum requirements, Essay thoroughly answer the adequately answer the question, and cite strong question, and cite textual
textual evidence. evidence. Answers do not meet the minimum requirements, do not answer the question, or cite textual evidence. Grading The Great Gatsby Annotations The Great Gatsby Guiding Questions Inconspicuous Consumption Guiding Question The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Annotations The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Guiding Question How It Feels to Be Colored Me Guiding Question Final Essay 20% 30% 10% 5% 10% 10% 15% The Great Gatsby Reading Exercises Citation: [Make a citation for the copy of the book you are using. If you need citation help go here.] Some Resources for The Great Gatsby You should make use of resources throughout the process of reading The Great Gatsby. Below is a list of some resources you might find helpful. You can take a look at gradesaver or sparknotes if you’re stuck but the work you’re going to do with the novel, such as the annotations, will force you to actually read the book, so don’t spend much time there. Resources: An Index to The Great Gatsby ­ This has information to many of the obscure references in the novel. Crash Course Literature One and Two ­John Greene, an Indianapolis native and author of The Fault in our Stars, explains some of the basics and not­so­basics of The Great Gatsby. A Swiss Education Website ­ There is so much information here that you’re going to get tired trying to go through it all. The audio at the bottom is worth taking a listen to after you’ve read the book. Map of The Great Gatsby ­ This is a map of all of the locations mentioned in The Great Gatsby. The Roaring Twenties ­ The Great Gatsby takes place during the 1920s. This has a lot of information on the time period. Four Decades of Fitzgerald Studies ­ For the serious studier, this is the ultimate article length bibliography for F. Scott Fitzgerald. If you want to know the major plot points of the academic conversation revolving around Gatsby this is a good place to start. The Original Manuscript of Gatsby ­ Princeton University has the original manuscript of The Great Gatsby. Look at how much editing is going on there. It’s pretty amazing. The Great Gatsby: Annotations Write your annotations below. Each annotation does not need to be long but should provide you with enough information to help you when writing your paper. You must write a total of at least 50 for The Great Gatsby. Below are some types of annotations. Use one of the corresponding codes to mark what type of annotation you’re making, i.e. (F) The author used a metaphor. (That is not a good annotation.) Example of Annotations Types of Annotations: You should use each of these at least once. F = Figurative Language: Use this if you find an interesting piece of language such as a metaphor, personification, or unique turn of phrase. Make sure you quote the figurative language and explain why it is important S = Setting: Use this if you find something interesting about the setting. Note the specific aspect you're commenting on and why that is important. P = Plot: Use this at major plot points or more precisely when the story changes. Note the change and why that change is important. C = Characterization: Use this to point out when the story shows some aspect of a character. Explain how that aspect is important. You might also include how the point­of­view affects your understanding of a character. H = History: Use this to point out when the story makes a historical reference, but don’t just point it out. Explain how that historical reference is important to the story. T = Theme: Use this to show when the story is especially delving into a theme. Explain how that theme is being shown and why that’s important to the story. Q = Question: Use this when you have a question you need answered. Don’t leave them hanging. If the answer comes to you go back and write it in. O = Other: Anything else that you think is important. Annotations: Annotation 1) Your annotation goes here. (Pg. #) Annotation 2) Your second annotation goes here. (Pg. #) …. Annotation 50) The Great Gatsby: Guiding Questions Choose three questions to write about. For each question write a short response of at least 200 words. Make sure each short response includes examples, meaning quotations, from the text to support your answer. Question 1: Jay Gatsby is torn between two worlds, the world from which he came and the world he wants to be a part of. Compare and contrast these different communities. How do these communities influence him? After leaving his home and changing his name is he ever able to fully integrate into the community he desires? Answer: Question 2: Gatsby builds a fantasy. Why is it a fantasy? Why was it built? What is the consequence of building this fabrication? What is Owl Eyes talking about when he says he is surprised that Gatsby’s books are real? Answer: Question 3: Does Daisy change? Who does she love? Which side does she take? Answer: Question 4: Often people talk about The Great Gatsby being a story about The American Dream. I tend to disagree if we are defining The American Dream as being about “hard work and thrift” as Benjamin Franklin described it. What do you think? Is Gatsby chasing after The American Dream or something else? Is Gatsby defining the American Dream differently than Benjamin Franklin? Answer: Question 5: The Great Gatsby is a central text of the Modernist movement in America. Why is this book a modernist text? Answer: The Great Gatsby: Thesis Sentences Imagine you are about to write a paper. Create three thesis sentences which express paper ideas. Thesis #1: Thesis #2: Thesis #3: The Great Gatsby: Discussion Questions Write three discussion questions. You should have these ready when class begins. Your discussion questions will be the centerpiece of our classroom discussions, which means you’ll be sharing them with the entire class. Imagine you’re teaching a class on the book. You should write these after you have done everything else. Do not create questions which require a simple answer. Create questions which guide us into interesting conversations about the book. Discussion Question 1: Discussion Question 2: Discussion Question 3: Supplemental Readings Inconspicuous Consumption Read: Read the article Inconspicuous Consumption. Guiding Question: You must write at least 200 words and cite specific evidence from both Inconspicuous Consumption and The Great Gatsby. Question 1: How does The Great Gatsby support or oppose the information from the article? Answer: The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Read: Read the story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. Annotations: You must write 15 annotations Annotation 1) Your annotation goes here. (Pg. #) Annotation 2) Your second annotation goes here. (Pg. #) …. Annotation 15) Guiding Question: You must write at least 200 words and cite specific evidence from both The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber and The Great Gatsby. Question 1: Who is Francis Macomber more similar to, Jay Gatsby or Tom Buchanan? Why? Answer: How It Feels to Be Colored Me Read: Read the story How It Feels to Be Colored Me. Guiding Question: You must write at least 200 words and cite specific evidence from both How It Feels to Be Colored Me and The Great Gatsby. Question 1: Gatsby isn’t dealing with racism but he is dealing with classism. How does Gatsby’s experience compare to Zora Neal Hurston’s. Answer: Final Essay The theme for this year is “The Examine Life.” To begin our examination of that theme you’ll write one last essay answering the following question: Are we all a Gatsby? Is anyone truly themselves or is everyone putting on a show? How can we know if we are being true to ourselves? Is that even possible? Use specific examples from The Great Gatsby. You’ll probably want to think about other characters in the book and how they are or are not putting on a show just like Gatsby. Your answer must be at least 400 words. Answer: