This is a 4-part Great Gatsby Project
The Great Gatsby End Unit Due : February 23
FINAL PROJECT PART 1
Rebellion & Conformity
DIRECTIONS: Complete the following theme and language chart. This chart will be exclusively for the
list of text choices below. ONLY SELECT ONE OF THE TEXT CHOICES, THEN COMPLETE THE CHART! SEE
THE EXAMPLE USING THE POEM “MOTHER TO SON”
Title: Mother to Son
Author: Langston Hughes
Genre: Poetry
Box A: Thesis: ( Write a sentence that sums up your main thought about what this text is trying to
convey( say)
The Poet provides a lesson about being resilient while pursuing one’s dream; their American Dream.
Box B: Textual Evidence of the thesis
In lines 14-16 of the poem the “mother” states to her son
that he cannot give up (line 14-16) .
Box C: Cite actual evidence
”So Boy don’t you give up cause you find
it kinda hard” ( Line 16)
Box D: Meaning of Language ( Discus the mood and tone of the language in this block)
The mood is set by encouraging her son to fight on. The language is simple yet strong. It creates a tone of resiliency.
Box E: American Dream Connection OR Human Condition Connection:
How does this text connect to the American Dream or the Human Condition? ( In this block discus how you think the
text you selected relates to the American Dream as you define the American Dream)
Box F: Why this matters to readers? SO WHAT???
How does reading and seeing this thematic development impact you? How are you connecting and learning from it?
(In this box discuss your personal though about this text and what it means to you or your life)
Select one of the following texts to analyze thematic development by citing evidence and
studying how language choices impact the meaning.
LITERARY
“America” Claude McKay
“If We Must Die” Claude McKay
“Mother to Son,”Langston Hughes
“No Name Woman,” Maxine Hong Kingston (suggested if you have access)
“Trail of Tears: Our Removal” Linda Hogan
“Names Nombres” Julia Alvarez (Common Lit)
“The Tradition,” Jericho Brown
Assessment PART II – DIGITAL PORTFOLIOPROJECTS FOCUSED ON A
POWER STANDARD.
1. Two creative products that focus on themes of the novel
holistically or through thematic chapters: RL2--Determine the
THEME of a Text and Analyze its Development: You will be able to
answer the following questions through your products.
 What theme does Fitzgerald develop over the course of the
text?
 Why is it important to readers?
 How does the development of the theme add complexity to
the novel?
 Summarize how you see the development of your selected
theme.
Select two options from Below:
1.Select two products for Great Gatsby based on one of the following:
Newspaper
Several chapters focus on the American dream as it related to the
1920s. Create a newspaper that focuses on the American dream by
reporting on fashion, events, politics and crimes that occur in the novel.
The newspaper must be 4 pages front and back and should resemble an
authentic newspaper from the time period.
2. Sympathy Card/ Eulogy
Write a sympathy card to Nick and Henry Gatz about the loss of Gatsby.
Use at least 100 words and create an illustrated cover. Additionally,
create a eulogy about Gatsby. Include the best things about his life. You
will read the eulogy as if it is his funeral. Create a huge card by folding a
poster board in half. The Card must look like a real sympathy card. ( You
may create this card digitally ) The card will focus on the 5 methods of
indirect characterization and Gatsby’s ideals about love, rebellion, and
the American dream
3.Interrogate Daisy
Take on the role as police investigator and write an interrogation of
Daisy into the death of Myrtle Wilson. Tape the interrogations as if you
are the characters. You will show the filmed interrogation in class.
Focus on Daisy’s character. Te juxtaposition of Daisy’s desire to be a
“beautiful fool” and her desire to live the American dream.
4.Song Lyrics
Since “The Great Gatsby” was written during the Jazz Age, write a song
with lyrics in the same style as the jazz musicians. Create lyrics that
could be used in the novel. Perform the song in virtual class. Or- create
a modern day song with lyrics( words) that include figurative language
such as metaphors we discussed that would explain any part of the love
triangle of Tom, Daisy and Gatsby
5.News Broadcast
Take on the role as a news broadcaster. Report on the end of the novel.
Film the broadcast to make it authentic. Discuss the report through the
lens of a failed American Dream. Present the film in class.
6. Sports Page
Write a sports page story with headlines about Meyer Wolfsheim fixing
the 1919 World Series. Discuss the implications of this event and how
it becomes another example in the text about the pursuit of the
American Dream. Your sports page story can be digital. It must include
a minimum of 2 images. The sports page should be the size of the
digital posters we created earlier in class.
7.Daisy's Journal
Take on the role of Daisy and write a personal journal. Start the journal
with her meeting with Gatsby when he was an officer in the army all
the way to the end of the novel.You must have 6 entries minimum. The
entries must be dated for that time period. The entries should provide
the characterization of Daisy. Through the entries the reader should
clearly be able to identify the themes of conformity versus rebellion
and the pursuit of the American dream
8. Create a Map
The setting of the novel is an important part of the Theme of prosperity
and the American Dream juxtaposed against the inability to obtain that
dream. Create a map of West Egg and East Egg including the Buchanan
House, Gatsby’s mansion, Nick’s cottage, Wilson’s Garage, and the
Valley of Ashes, Michaels’ coffee shop, and other landmarks mentioned
in the novel that point to the juxtaposition of the American dream.
ASSESSMENT PART III
CHOOSE ONE SYMBOL, METAPHOR OR MOTIFF BELOW TO ANALYZE
An analysis of a motif or metaphor: RL4--Determine the Meaning of
LANGUAGE and how it Impacts TONE: How are words and phrases
used in the novel? Consider figurative language and connotative
words. How does Fitzgerald’s inclusion of this specific language impact
the tone of the text and its overall meaning? How does this specific
language impact readers?
Discuss Fitzgerald’s use of language such as metaphors and motifs in
Great Gatsby help to determine the meaning of the text.
 Discuss the impact of language on the tone of the text.
 Be sure to explain the mood that is created through use of such
figurative language on the reader.
 Utilize two of the following metaphors and/or motifs for your
analysis.
 You must answer the 3 bullets below that are in red. LOOK AT
THE EXAMPLE BELOW:
Example of analysis of a motif in the novel
Selected motif/metaphor : The Billboard
1. A correlation to the text holistically: The billboard ,might
represent judgment. God looks down on the valley of ashes at people
who are struggling to make a way of life while the wealthy ignore the
valley of ashes and the billboard. The billboard is a metaphor for God’s
judgement
2. An analysis of the motif in relationship to a character in the text:
The billboard can be a motif to the relationship of Tom and Daisy and
how they treat everyone else in the novel. They think they have gotten
away with treating people dirty; dirty as the valley of ashes- but just like
the eyes in the billboard from above- God sees them
3. An analysis of how it impacts the tone of the novel or a chapter in
the novel: The billboard creates a mood of despair and loneliness as
well. There is a sadness of seeing a faded billboard of just eyes and
glasses. It seems to suggest that God sees the [pain of those who work
in the valley of ashes and he also sees the way way the wealthy really
don’t care.
You should select a metaphor or motif from the list below:
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Eggs
The green light
The billboard: The glasses and blue eyes
adultery
Heat/climate
Eyes
Colors
Automobiles
Tuolomee/yacht
Hopalong Cassidy
Romanticism
Places of residence
Money/materialism
Garden/nature
Parties
water
Evaluate your selected motif/metaphor as:
1. A correlation to the text holistically
2. An analysis of the motif in relationship to a character in the text
3. An analysis of how it impacts the tone of the novel or a chapter in
the novel
ASSESSMENT PART IV– No essay question can be used more than twice
per class.
4.Respond fully to one of the essay questions below:
Essay Topics (at least ½ to full page double space response) Copy your
selected essay question and then answer fully.
Essay Topic 1
Summarize how F. Scott Fitzgerald uses local color and imagery to
describe Gatsby’s mansion. Cite descriptive examples of rooms, décor,
landscaping, and his view of the harbor. How does the imagery
Fitzgerald uses depict a clear and accurate picture of the mansion and
the surrounding landscape to create a certain tone and mood?
Essay Topic 2
Analyze Gatsby’s coming of age throughout the novel. What fears and
emotions does he experience as he grows from a boy in North Dakota,
a teenager, a soldier and a successful adult? How do his attitudes
change as he develops from a young boy into a young man? Cite
examples of the character changes Gatsby experiences from each stage
of his life.
Essay Topic 3
What is the message Fitzgerald is trying to convey about the
materialism of the wealthy and privileged in the novel? Does he depict
a realistic and relevant view of human nature through the wealthy
characters in the novel? Are the human qualities of each character true
to life? Explain. How do the characters convey their everyday struggles
of a life filled with money?
Essay Topic 4
One of the main themes in the novel is the pursuit of the American
Dream. Explain the similarities and differences in how Daisy, Nick, Tom
and Gatsby try to achieve their individual version of the American
Dream. Which of the characters was the most successful in achieving
the American Dream? Explain your view.
Essay Topic 5
Nick and Gatsby remain true friends from the time they first meet until
Gatsby’s death. Using examples from the novel, explain how the male
bond between Nick and Gatsby grows and strengthens throughout the
novel. How does this bond continue, even after Gatsby’s death?
Compare and contrast the qualities of each man and how these
qualities strengthen Nick and Gatsby’s bond.
Essay Topic 6
Interpret the feelings Jay Gatsby and Daisy have for each other before
he goes to war. Explain how you know if their feelings are authentic or
superficial? Are they truthful with one other? Explain. Compare these
emotions with how they interact later in the novel, when they meet at
Nick’s invitation to tea. What regrets do they express during Daisy’s tea
party and after Mrs. Wilson’s death?
Essay Topic 7
Analyze the resolution of the story as it relates to each of the main
characters in the novel. Explain the metamorphosis each character
experiences in the final three chapters. Describe how Nick’s words ” So
we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the
past.”, relate to Jay Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Nick.
Essay Topic 8
Dr. Eckleburg’s billboard watches over the “valley of ashes.” How do Dr.
Eckleburg’s watchful eyes condemn the morally corrupt lives of the
spiritually barren and overindulgent characters in the novel? Compare
the “valley of ashes” to the lives of these materialistic characters.
Essay Topic 9
The theme of Appearance and Reality is constant throughout the novel.
Analyze the lives of Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy with regard to appearances
and reality. Explain how each characters’ outward actions hides the
reality behind their superficiality. Contrast the superficial lives of these
characters with the honesty of Nick Carraway.
Essay Topic 10
Many of the characters in the novel experience culture clash as they
interact with one another. Describe the culture clash between the
Wilsons, the Buchanans, Jay Gatsby, James Gatz, and Nick. How is the
clash evident throughout the novel and what are the results of this
culture clash?
Essay Topic 11
Nick Carraway is the narrator of the novel. Characterize Nick as the
narrator and evaluate his reliability as an interpreter of events. Where
in the story does Nick refrain from making judgments? Describe any
examples where he does not present the full truth. Explain any
situations where Nick’s reliability could be questioned. What motivates
his omissions?
Essay Topic 12
A literary symbol is something that is more than it appears to be.
Analyze the “green light” at the end of Daisy’s dock as a literary symbol.
How does the novel give clues that the “green light” should be seen as
a symbol? How does the symbolic nature of the “green light” change
for Gatsby as the novel progresses?
Essay Topic 13
Fitzgerald describes the settings in the novel in great detail. Describe
the different settings in the novel and explain the contribution of each
setting to the story. Are these settings essential for the storyline or
could the story have happened anywhere? Explain.
Essay Topic 14
Analyze the character of Tom Buchanan. How does Fitzgerald depict
him? How is Tom revealed through his own words and actions, and
through the observations of other characters? Describe Tom’s attitude
about racism, marriage, faithfulness, and honesty.
Essay Topic 15
The character of Jay Gatsby consists of many contradictions. Discuss
these contradictions with regard to the guests who come to his parties,
his family in North Dakota, his lifestyle while employed by Dan Cody
and his attitude toward women.
Essay Topic 16
Fitzgerald depicts two extramarital affairs in the novel, Tom Buchanan
and Myrtle Wilson, and Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. Compare and
contrast these two affairs and their contribution to the overall message
of the text.