The atmosphere of the 20s
1/ The text is an extract from a novel written in 1920s. The narrator is a first-person narrator, he is Gatsby’s
neighbour.
2/ He describes Gatsby’s parties. He talks about the glamorous, opulent atmosphere of these parties. He
focuses on Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle. Gatsby seems famous, as he throws elaborate parties every
weekend in his mansion. People seem to be keen to attend these lavish events.
3/ The parties seem to be extravagant: they feature “music”, “champagne”, “crates of oranges and lemons”.
The house is crowded: “mens and girls came and went like moths”.
4/ Gatsby is clearly from the upper class. He has a lavish, extravagant lifestyle and this is emphasized by the
sentences: “Motor boats slit the waters of the Sound”, “his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus”, “eight servants
including an extra gardener”. He has a luxurious house by the beach, and he organizes big parties every
weekend.
5/ Gatsby’s parties are almost unbelievably luxurious: guests marvel over his Rolls-Royce, his swimming
pool, his beach, crates of fresh oranges and lemons.
This atmosphere of opulence and revelry echoes the image of the roaring 20s. By describing this mood, the
author wanted to show a parallel between Gatsby’s parties and the mood of this era, which was characterized
by sumptuous wealth, luxury, and extravagance.
6/
a/ Gatsby’s party brings 1920s wealth and glamour into full focus, showing the upper class at its most
lavishly opulent. The rich live an excessive lifestyle, without restraint / limits.
b/ Fitzgerald was fascinated by the Roaring Twenties. In this novel, he shows how society was structured at
the time, with a large group of wealthy, upper-class people at the top of the economic ladder. Their servants,
gardeners and staff work hard without enjoying the same lifestyle
7/The parties organized in Gatsby’s house highlight the American mood of the 20s. These parties are private
and exclusive, organized in a mansion, and are restricted to the upperclass.
Nevertheless, they embody opulence, extravagance and they fascinate the narrator. They are both private and
public at the same time, as Gatsby uses these events to show off his lavish lifestyle to the whole of New
York. The amount of food and drinks, the number of guests, and the entertainment indicate that Gatsby wants
his parties to be talked about. Even if they are considered private, these ostentatious events are famous, and
we can imagine that an invitation is a prized symbol of belonging to the top layer of society.
How Prohibition failed
1/ Drastic job losses occurred because many trades couldn’t work. Breweries and saloons closed
and all sectors of the economy were affected. 70% of NYC’s budget relied on the taxes derived
from the sale of liquor. Without these resources the city ran the risk of going bankrupt.
2/ During Prohibition people started breaking the law and were involved in the illegal liquor trade
and in bootlegging. The police couldn’t enforce the law because corruption was rife and even
members of the Federal Bureau of Prohibition were corrupt. On the judicial side, offenders had to
wait for about a year before being tried. The courtrooms and jails were so full so that offenders
could negotiate an agreement with the prosecutor.
3/ The irony comes from the fact that Prohibition was called “the Noble experiment”.
The experiment didn’t solve any of America’s problems.
4/ Free answer of the students