THE GREAT GATSBY

By the end of this unit, students will be able to: identify the nuances that contribute to a character’s development; trace the development of the character of Nick, noting that he is the only dynamic character; examine Jay Gatsby as a Byronic/Romantic hero; examine Jay Gatsby as a twentieth-century tragic hero; examine the irony of the title, The Great Gatsby; examine the techniques used to establish Nick as a credible narrator; discuss the structural development of the novel; construct interpretations of motifs and symbols (e.g. Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s eyes, the green light, the defunct clock); discuss Fitzgerald’s use of weather to reflect human emotions and conditions; identify, discuss, and support from the text the major themes (the death of the American Dream, the upper class’s lack of integrity, the stratification of the social classes); explain the concept of a foil and show how Tom is a foil for Jay Gatsby; identify either Gatsby and/or Nick as the protagonist and defend the choice; analyze the extent to which The Great Gatsby reflects Fitzgerald’s life; and identify the social issues and discuss the techniques that Fitzgerald uses to address and expose them (domestic violence, changing moral standards, racism). 87 pages. ©2006.