Name_________________________________________
Ms. Hampson
American Literature – Period______
May 27, 2011
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Final Critical Essay
IMPORTANT DUE DATES:
 Rough draft is due Friday, 6/3, for Writing Workshop
 Final copy, rough draft(s), and submission to www.turnitin.com
are due Monday, 6/6
Directions:
For your final paper on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, compose a well-developed,
3-5 page critical response to the following prompt:
In preparation for your senior research paper, we examined a critical essay concerning The
Great Gatsby from College English, a scholarly journal published by the NCTE (National
Council of Teachers of English). In “Scott Fitzgerald’s Fable of East and West,” author
Robert Ornstein argues that The Great Gatsby is about much more than the vanishing
American Dream. Ornstein posits:
Gatsby is great, because his dream, however naive, gaudy, and unattainable is one of
the grand illusions of the race which keep men from becoming too old or too wise or
too cynical of their human limitations. Scott Fitzgerald's fable of East and West does
not lament the decline of American civilization. It mourns the eternal lateness of the
present hour suspended between the past of romantic memory and the future of
romantic promise which ever recedes before us (143).
Using your reading of The Great Gatsby to frame your paper’s argument, respond to at least
two points (direct quotes) from Ornstein’s critical essay. Include specific quotes from The
Great Gatsby to affirm or refute Ornstein’s assertions as you present your interpretation of
the novel. You should think of your critical essay as a response to not only Fitzgerald’s
novel but also Ornstein’s critical essay. Feel free to write about any passages from The
Great Gatsby that Ornstein overlooked in his argument.
REMEMBER TO…
 Clearly state your thesis.
 Include one supporting quote from the novel in each body paragraph.
 Use the “5 Steps” organizational structure for each body paragraph.
 Carefully edit your work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.
 Incorporate new vocabulary words.
 SUBMIT YOUR OWN ORIGINAL IDEAS.