Gatsby writing assignment
Issues to discuss
Writing an analysis
• The question asked you to analyze the meaning
of a symbol in the novel.
• Your answer should have addressed the symbolic
meaning of the symbol you chose, as well as
explain its significance to an overall theme.
• It’s not enough to say the green light is a symbol
of Gatsby’s dream. You need to analyze the
symbol in terms of overall theme in the novel. In
other words, why does it matter?
Your claim (thesis)
• The problem for many started with a weak claim.
• The rules for writing your claim are the same for
writing a thesis (as this is practice for thesis
writing).
• A good thesis usually includes two features:
(1) A specific aspect of the work: a theme,
character, writing technique, or issue.
(2) A statement about the meaning or effect of the
work as a whole, usually pertaining to character
or theme.
• The most common flaw in student writing is
the omission of the second feature, as in the
first version below.
• INCOMPLETE: Andrew Marvell uses imagery in
his poem "To His Coy Mistress."
• BETTER: In his poem "To His Coy Mistress,"
Andrew Marvell uses contrasting images of
death and youthful energy to present his
philosophy of living for the pleasure of the
day.
Examples from class (writers shall
remain anonymous)
• In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the
clock is a symbol of Gatsby’s dream of
returning to his past with Daisy.
• In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the
green light symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and
dreams to be with Daisy.
*These are fine and get straight to the point. The
writer needs to make sure to discuss what
effect these symbols have on theme. It’s not
enough to merely state that they’re symbols.
Weak claims
* Fitzgerald uses a lot of symbolism in The Great
Gatsby.
• There are a lot of important symbols that
stand for things in The Great Gatsby.
• In the novel, heat is a symbol.
• Throughout the book, the green light is a
symbol and is at the end of a dock.
• These are vague and meaningless.
Toulmin model
• The Toulmin model does not call for a lengthy
introduction. Many of you wrote
needless/pointless/vague statements before
your claim. Please do not do this. Even when
we write full-length essays, you should avoid
these type of statements in your writing:
• Fitzgerald uses symbols, which stand for an idea.
• Symbols can represent things that they actually
aren’t.
• There are numerous important symbols in the book.
• He uses symbols constantly to make points.
• Fitzgerald uses symbols to make the novel so much
more interesting.
• **You don’t need to define what symbolism is or
make judgments about how well Fitzgerald uses
them.
Organization
• If you follow the Toulmin method, your paper
should be organized. However, it is up to you
to provide fluid transitions and develop a
logical analysis.
• One of the main areas where I’m still seeing
problems with this is with quotes.
Student Examples
• At this point, the light loses its mysticism and, as
Nick aptly puts it, “[Gatsby’s] count of
enchanted objects had diminished by one” (93).
This quote is logical and flows as a part of the
analysis.
• The green light represents Gatsby’s hopes for
Daisy. “He stretched out his arm toward the
light” (12). *This gives no context and provides
no transition. It is up to the reader to figure out
how the quote relates to the previous sentence.