Miss Ramirez
The Great Gatsby
English 11
The Great Gatsby Essay Topics
1. Explain how the novel does or does not demonstrate the death of the American Dream. Is the main
theme of Gatsby indeed “the withering American Dream”? What does the novel offer about American
identity? (Reference the characteristics of the American Dream within the body of your paper.)
2. Discuss how the novel exemplifies the dehumanizing/corrupting nature of wealth (consider examining
characters, plot, symbols, etc.). Explain the theme of the corruption of people and society through an
examination of characters in the novel who are corrupt.
3. Compare and contrast the major female characters in the novel: Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle. How does
each act towards men? What are their motivations/goals/interests/values? How are they treated by men
(including the narrator/author)?
4. Discuss Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism (this is a large topic that must be significantly narrowed – such
as focusing on one symbol and analyzing it in detail - with a specific thesis). How does it function in the
novel (consider discussing how it relates to theme, communicates information about characters, develops
the plot, etc.)? Possible symbols to discuss include: colors, eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, clothing, cars, the
green light, biblical allusions (God, Jesus, grail), characters’ houses, weather, water, music, celestial
bodies (moon, stars, planets), nature’s bounty (flowers, shrubs, trees, fruit), etc.
5. Trace the development of the narrator, Nick Carraway – how does he change, and how are these
changes significant (how do they relate to the themes of the novel)?
6. Prove how an aspect of 1920s society appears to change throughout the novel.
7. Is what Gatsby feels for Daisy love, obsession, affection, or accumulation/objectification? What is
Fitzgerald’s message here? Consider discussing whether or not Gatsby can really love, given his
characteristics.
8. Morally ambiguous characters—characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them
as purely evil or purely good—are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a character from the
novel who is morally ambiguous and write an essay in which you explain how the character can be
viewed as morally ambiguous and why his/her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole.
9. Discuss the novel’s theme that the American Dream is corrupted by the desire for wealth. What does
the novel and its theme offer about the American identity?
10. Discuss the novel’s theme that outward appearances can be deceptive. What does the novel and its
theme offer about the American identity?
11. Create a topic of your own or alter one of the above topics. *You must have this topic approved by
Miss Ramirez before you begin working on your essay.
Directions: Write a two page paper regarding The Great Gatsby. You are required to present a clear
underlined thesis, well focused writing- that includes: clear transitions that reflect paper
organization, related quotes that support your writing, and clear statements that reflect “your
stand on the novel” that are linked directly to your thesis statement. Your writing must follow all
conventions of citation, format, and grammar you have learned in class.
A+ to AThis well-focused writing presents a persuasive analysis of The Great Gatsby. Nearly flawless, the
writing is resourceful in presenting a clear underlined thesis, excellent and well-focused writingthat includes: clear transitions, superb paper organization, insightful quotes that support writing
well, and clear statements that reflect the writer’s ideas regarding The Great Gatsby. This is an
unusually insightful interpretation and exceptionally well written. There are no errors in citation,
format or writing conventions.
B+ to BThis well-focused writing presents a persuasive analysis of The Great Gatsby. Not without flaws, the
writing is resourceful in presenting a clear underlined thesis, well-focused writing- that includes:
clear transitions, good paper organization, insightful quotes that support writing, and clear
statements that reflect the writer’s ideas regarding The Great Gatsby. This is a clear interpretation
and well written. There are less than two errors in citation, format or writing conventions.
C+ to CThis writing presents an underdeveloped analysis of The Great Gatsby and a basic and sometimes
flawed understanding of the novel. The writing attempts to reflect a clear underlined thesis yet
lacks clear transitions, paper organization, quotes that support writing, and clear statements that
reflect the writer’s ideas regarding The Great Gatsby. The interpretation is basic and not well
thought out. This writing has little sophistication of B+ to B- writing. There are between three- four
errors in citation, format or writing conventions.
D + to D
This writing fails to provide adequate analysis of The Great Gatsby. Writing may fail to respond to
the prompt. The interpretation is basic and not well thought out. There are many errors connected
to thesis, transitions, paper organization, quotes that support writing, and statements that reflect
the writer’s ideas regarding The Great Gatsby This writing has little sophistication of C+ to Cwriting. The writing lacks control and there is evidence of fundamental misinterpretation of thesis.
There are many errors in citation, format or writing conventions.
D- to F
This writing does not provide adequate analysis of The Great Gatsby. Writing fails to respond to the
prompt. The interpretation is flawed and not well thought out. There are many errors connected to
thesis, transitions, paper organization, quotes that support writing, and statements that reflect the
writer’s ideas regarding The Great Gatsby. The writing lacks control and there is evidence of
fundamental misinterpretation of thesis. The writing is poor on several counts and may contain
distracting errors in grammar, format, and writing conventions.