The Great Gatsby

1. The Great Gatsby The Jazz Age

2. Suffixes • 1. organizER • 2. helpLESS • 3. generousLY • 4. graciOUS • 5. seasonAL • 6. comfortABLE • 7. tastY • 8. demonstraTION • 9. gratefully • 10. graceful • 11. wonderful • 12. envious • 13. regional • 14. happily

3. The Roaring Twenties

4. The Roaring Twenties • After the first world war, the US made a lot of money and enjoyed great prosperity. • Alcohol was made illegal, and people like Al Capone became rich making and selling illegal liquor. Prohibition • The ’20s saw unprecedented growth and spending. • The automobile, movies, radio, telephone and electricity were new technologies that promised a new age (and encouraged lots of spending)

5. Modernity • Jazz music, which was first created by African Americans, was the rage. • Celebrity culture first developed as the media focused on the newly created movie stars and sports stars. • Art Deco style in art and architecture showed a big break with the past.

6. Art Deco

7. Flappers • Young women who challenged the traditional values of the past were called ‘flappers’ • Women had worked and lived independently during the war and rebelled against the expectation they would stop working and be stay at home wives. • They rejected many of the traditional, religious expectations of gender roles. They wore skirts that showed their legs, cut their hair short (a Victorian woman never cut it or let it down to anyone but her husband) and dated. (‘Petting Parties’ where people made out and engaged in foreplay were written about in the media). • Many people considered them to be waging a war of new against old.

8. Flappers • The flappers did away with traditional femininity. • They discarded corsets, which create a very small waist and large bust and wore bras that reduced their busts. • Short, boyish hair was popular, and so were having an athletic figure and a tan.

9. The American Dream • Is the idea that in America, anyone can make it if they try, regardless of who their parents were, or if they were born into money. • Then, as well as now, people loved stories of ‘the self-made man’ going ‘from rags to riches’.

10. But the reality… • Even though America did not have royalty, there was always the ‘old rich’– families that have been rich for a long time, and who looked down upon the ‘new rich’/ new money and old money. • The old rich criticised the new rich as being criminals– getting their money from selling illegal alcohol. • Part of this was racial/ ethnic prejudice– the old rich were English protestant whites who had been in America a long time, and the new rich were from groups that had recently arrived or that had been excluded from economic opportunities. • For example, in the novel, we see rich black, Jewish, and Italian people. The Kennedy family, who was Irish-Catholic, became rich at this time.

11. Biography • Watch the first part of F. Scott Fitzgerald: Great American Dreamer.

12. Reading Chapter One • New words (Red) • Literary Devices (Blue) • Character Development (Green) • Predictions (Purple) • Universal Question (Orange)

13. Epigraph • New words (Red) • Literary Devices (Blue) • Character Development (Green) • Predictions (Purple) • Universal Question (Orange) Gold symbolizes money. Bouncing high can symbolize going up in status. Men change themselves to get a woman they desire.

14. Chapter One • “Whenever you feel like criticising anyone… just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” • Seems important for the universal question– how do we judge people knowing everyone has had different opportunities? • Nick thinks this is important– he wants to be someone who doesn’t judge, he’s had a lot of advantages. • Predictions: maybe he will now tell us about someone who tested this belief. • Nick tells us he’s inclined to reserve judgement. • “Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope.”– is this true? • Was a solider in WW1 • Why does Gatsby represent what Nick scorns?

15. Earthquake machine (seismometer) senses earthquakes = Gatsby senses hope • Nick doesn’t judge Gatsby– he hates what preyed on his dreams. • Something will harm Gatsby. Foreshadowing • Nick has a rich background, he was depressed after coming back from war, moved east to sell bonds, while his father supports him. • Story of being asked directions– symbolizes this new/ old tension • Allusion– Midas-- some things are more valuable than gold.

16. East Egg and West Egg

17. Words • Supercilious– behaving as though one thinks they are superior to others. • Nick doesn’t like Tom. He thinks he’s arrogant. • Nick likes Daisy. He’s attracted to Jordan. • Imagery– the women on the couch are floating. Tom removes life from the room. • Hyperbole– exaggerates how much people miss Daisy. • Foreshadowing– he felt he had seen Jordan before • Contempt: scorn • He doesn’t speak up when Tom says racist opinions. • Maybe Nick shouldn’t be so non-judgemental. • We’ll find out why Daisy is so emotional over Nick.– Daisy is upset because Tom is on the phone with his girlfriend.

18. “That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”– what is the role of women? When you are powerless, it’s better to be a fool. • What is the gossip about Jordan? People are lying and being ironic a lot. “I haven’t heard a word”– irony. “Don’t believe everything you hear” What is Gatsby looking at that gets him so emotional?

19. Prompt #4

20. The Great Gatsby Chapter 2 • Find 2 other people to form a group with. See Ms Davis when you’ve found your team. • The roles will change each day. • -- One person finds at least 3 words • -- One person finds 2 literary devices • -- One person makes predictions • --Everyone adds to character development, universal question, and one core question.

21. Foil • Two characters who are similar but have something important that is different. • This highlights the differences: • Examples: Spiderman and Green Goblin • Professor Xavier and Magneato • Tybalt and Romeo

22. Foils

24. Reading Chapter One • New words (Red) • Literary Devices (Blue) • Character Development (Green) • Predictions (Purple) • Universal Question (Orange)

25. Chapter 3 • Brisk– “his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains” – adj. quick, cool or fresh. • Fortnight– “At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down…”– noun– two weeks. • Gatsby serves lots of illegal liquor. • Prodigality– “laughter is easier minute by minute, spilled with prodigality”– wastefulness (noun) • Understatement– “little party” • Oxymoron “Contemptuous interest” – interested and scorning. – Shows that Jordan is false. • Gatsby– very generous– bought a girl a $265 dress when hers tore at the party. • There is lots of gossip about Gatsby • Symbol– the real books with pages uncut- shows that Gatsby is working hard to create an image of himself.– it’s like bricks, that if one is removed, it could collapse (simile)

26. Nick finds Gatsby incredibly charming. He has a way of making Nick feel good about himself. • Predictions: Is there truth to the gossip he murdered a man? Will he be invited to more parties now that he knows Gatsby? Why does Jordan think he’s lying about having gone to Oxford? Is Nick falling in love with Gatsby? Is Gatsby going to live up to this charming impression? • Universal questions: there is a tension between the disconnect between appearances and reality.