Mann/English 11
Name _____________________________________ Period ______
The Valley of Ashes and The Waste Land
Directions: Look again at the description to the valley of ashes on page 26. Identify the words and phrases
that Fitzgerald uses to create a sense of atmosphere. Then read The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, a poem
written in 1922 and said to be Fitzgerald’s inspiration for the valley of ashes. Identify a passage that is
concerned with landscape and identify the ways that Eliot creates atmosphere.
The Valley of Ashes atmosphere
The Waste Land atmosphere
Analysis paragraph: Critics have suggested a link between the bleak landscape of The Waste Land and the
valley of ashes. Why do you think Fitzgerald might have wanted to establish such a link?