Write a well-developed essay (3-paragraph minimum, 1 page minimum, typed) to answer the following prompt.

 

 

 

Your essay should include

 

1.  an introductory paragraph that includes the author and title of the book as well as a clear and thorough explanation of your analysis.

 

2.  1-3 body paragraphs that provide specific evidence (including quotations) to support and develop your ideas.

 

3.  a conclusion to connect all of your body paragraphs and bring closure to your essay.

 

Please submit your essay to turnitin.com by the end of the day on Friday, 6/5.

 

Earlier in Chapter 9, Nick tries to arrange a funeral for Gatsby, but he can't get anybody to come.  Gatsby's father shows up as well as a few servants and, later, Old Owl Eyes, but Daisy disappears and Wolfsheim refuses to come.  The absence of people at Gatsby's funeral is a stark contrast to the crowds that swarmed to his parties and seems to make a statement about Gatsby's real greatness.  This leads to your writing prompt for chapter 9.

 

 

Read The Great Gatsby from the top of page 167 to the end of chapter 8 on page 173.  On these pages, Nick goes back to explain what happened when Tom, Jordan and he stopped at the site of the accident that killed Myrtle.  He focuses on the emotional state of George Wilson, Myrtle's husband.

 

After you finish reading this section, write a response to the following prompt.  Please be thoughtful about your response and clear and thorough in your explanation.

 

 

Please submit this thoughtful, well-developed (think 1/2 page) response to turnitin.com by the end of the day on Sunday 5/31.

1.  Read The Great Gatsby from the top of page 145 to the bottom of page 154.

 

2.  Pretend that you are one of the main characters (Nick, Tom, Daisy, Gatsby), and write a FIRST PERSON response to the events that take place at the end of chapter 7.  Imagine that you are writing in your journal, and you want to communicate your thoughts and emotions.  Remember, you are looking at and writing about these events through the eyes of the character you have chosen, not through your own eyes.  your response should be about a half page to a page long. and is due on Thursday.

This next part of chapter 7 is where Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby get everything out in the open.  As you can imagine, it is a VERY uncomfortable situation for Daisy.  Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Nick, and Jordan are all sitting in a room at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on a hot and muggy summer day.  Tom has watched Daisy and Gatsby flirt with each other all afternoon, even driving to the city together from East Egg.  Finally, he can't take it any more and confronts Gatsby.  Gatsby is happy to engage because he wants his relationship with Daisy out in the open.  So, have some fun reading these pages.

 

 

Don't worry too much about Tom and Daisy reminiscing about their wedding.  It doesn't matter much, and I don't want it to throw you off.  Just focus on the interactions among Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby.  

 

For your assignment, I am going to give you another opportunity to post on the message board.  Thank you to Anthony and Tiffany who got on the board multiple times for the first part of chapter 7.  You two do not have to post a reaction to this next section, but you might want to post again, especially to respond in some more detail to other people's posts.  I know Este got a post in late.  You should look to post again, responding to one of your classmates' posts.  I have pushed the due date for this assignment to the end of the day on Sunday, so please get these pages read, go to the message board on turnitin.com, and post BOTH (1)your reaction AND (2)a response that elaborates on someone else's post.

 

If you are having a hard time thinking of something to post, consider these questions.

 

What do you think Daisy is feeling?

Do you think Daisy handles the situation well?

What is clever about the way that Tom handles the situation?

Why does Tom want Daisy to ride home with Gatsby?

Does the confrontation go the way that Gatsby hoped it would?  What surprises him?  Why?

 

I want to see at least two thoughtful posts from each of you by the end of the day on Sunday.

We will take this whole week to read chapter 7.  Not only is it the longest chapter, but it has a few critical sections that we should examine closely. The first section is 10 pages long.  I know that is more than I usually ask you to read for a single assignment, but I want you to try to sit and engage with this scene.  Try to keep your visualization of the events clear in your mind even if some of the language gets confusing.  

 

The scene begins with Tom welcoming Gatsby and Nick to his home (Daisy and Jordan are already there).  This might seem odd considering that Gatsby and Daisy have been developing their relationship and Tom is suspicious.  But remember, Tom has a huge ego and does not want to admit to being threatened by Gatsby.  So, imagine Tom and Daisy's beautiful mansion on a blazing hot summer day in New York, filled with the awkward tension of the Tom-Daisy-Gatsby love triangle.  With this in mind, please read the following pages.

 

P. 123 ("Tom flung open the door") to P. 133 ("whom she took to be his wife")

 

Then, go to the Gatsby discussion board on turnitin.com and post your reaction to this reading.  By the end of the day on Wednesday, I want to see a minimum of 2 posts from each of you.  (1) Show that you understand the events of the passage and communicate your reaction to these events, and (2) respond to at least one of your classmates' posts by adding to his or her ideas.

Now that Daisy and Gatsby have reunited, Gatsby wants to pursue their relationship.  He doesn't seem to care that Daisy is married to Tom.  So, Gatsby invites Tom and Daisy to one of his parties.  It seems he is both trying to spend time with her and impress her while showing that he is not threatened by Tom.  Tom hates the party and is very critical while Daisy loves it and can't stop smiling.  

 

Today's reading picks up late at the party.  Nick and Gatsby are talking about how things are going.  Here is the assignment.

 

Read Gatsby from the middle of page 117 ("I stayed late that night...") to the end of Chapter 6 on page 119.  Then, write a response to the following quotation.  

 

"'Can't repeat the past?' he cried incredulously.  'Why of course you can!'" (p.118)

 

Can Gatsby repeat the past?  Why or why not?  What are the consequences of his trying to do so?  

 

Write a well-developed response to this quotation and post it to turnitin.com by Monday 5/18.

First, read The Great Gatsby beginning at the bottom of page 90 with the paragraph that starts "The rain cooled..." and ending at the bottom of page 97.  These pages describe the reunion of Gatsby and Daisy.  While you are reading, try to imagine Gatsby's awkward nervousness as he faces the moment he has been waiting almost 5 years to experience.

 

When you finish reading, watch this video clip of the same scene.  

 

 

It is very important to read first so you can answer the following question.  Please answer with 1-2 well-developed paragraphs (approximately a half a page) that address general and specific comparisons between your vision and the video.  Please submit your response to turnitin.com by Friday 5/15.

 

What are the similarities and differences between the way you pictured this scene and the way the video depicted this scene?  

Read The Great Gatsby pages 80-84.  This part of the book is narrated by Jordan Baker, and it tells both the history of Daisy and Gatsby and the story of Daisy marrying Tom.  When you finish reading, respond to the following questions.  You may submit your work to turnitin.com any time before the end of the day on Wednesday, but I will be assigning a new assignment on Wednesday morning.

 

1.  What is the most vivid and memorable picture that formed in your mind while reading these pages?

 

2.  How does Daisy know Gatsby?

 

3.  Why do you think Daisy is so upset the night before she marries Tom?  

 

4.  How does Daisy act after she marries Tom?

Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby describes a typical Gatsby party.  These parties, which he throws all summer, are extravagant and wild, filled with people who are not even invited, but just show up.  Gatsby himself usually stays in the background, unknown to most of the people in attendance.  In fact, when Nick meets Gatsby for the first time, he doesn't even realize who he is talking to.  

 

Fitzgerald's description of these parties is excellent, filled with imagery (words that appeal to the senses) and descriptive detail.  You can see it at the beginning of chapter 3.  Your assignment is to watch these two short video clips showing two different directors' (about 50 years apart) interpretations of this party.

 

The first is from 1974

 

The second is a more modern version with Toby Maguire as Nick and Leo DiCaprio as Gatsby

 

Enjoy.

When Nick goes to visit Tom and Daisy, their meal is interrupted when Tom gets a phone call from his mistress.  A short while later, when Daisy tells Nick the story of the birth of her daughter, she says, "All right...I'm glad it's a girl.  And I hope she'll be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool" (p.20).  

 

Explain this quotation.  What does Daisy mean?  Why does she say it?  Do you agree with her?  Your response should be 1/2 page minimum (typed).

We learn in chapter 1 that Tom is cheating on Daisy.  In chapter 2, we meet his mistress, Myrtle.  She lives in a place described as a "valley of ashes" (p.26).  For this assignment, you should read pages 26-29, then jump ahead and read page 41 of the ebook.  Then, answer the following questions.  Please submit your answers to turnitin.com by Friday 5/8.

 

1.  Describe your visual of the valley of ashes.  Where is it?  What is the source of the ashes?  What are the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg? (page 26)

 

2.  How does Tom let Myrtle know that he wants to spend the evening with her?  Describe the meeting. (pages 28-29)

 

3.  Tom, Nick, and Myrtle meet up with some friends, and they have a party at an apartment in New York City.  How does the night end for Myrtle? (page 41)

 

 

Read Gatsby pages 14-18 and answer the following questions.

 

1.  Hearing the name "Gatsby" (top of page 14) seems to get a reaction from Daisy.  What assumptions do you make when you hear this reaction?  

 

2.  What topic of conversation does Tom try to pursue, though nobody else seems to want to contribute?

 

3.  What important secret does Jordan reveal to Nick when they are alone at the table (page 18)?

 

Please post your responses to these questions on turnitin.com by Tuesday 5/5.

Read The Great Gatsby from page 7 ("I lived at West Egg...") to the bottom of page 12.

 

Here is a map to help you visualize the setting.        Map of East and West Egg

 

 

1.  In what way does Nick, the narrator, not fit in with the people around him?

 

2.  How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan?  Use specific quotes from the book AND summarize in your own words.

 

3.  According to Nick, what special qualities does Daisy possess?

 

4.  Describe Tom and Daisy's house.

 

 

Now that you have written about a TED talk video, an article, and your own thoughts about The American Dream, we are going to combine all of these ideas into a single written response.  You will need to think about what all three of these sources (TED talk, article, you) have in common in order to synthesize this new response to the following prompt.

 

Is The American Dream a motivational tool that inspires people to achieve success or a misleading myth that sets people up for failure?

 

Your response should be approximately 1 page long and should make direct references to both the TED talk and the article about Gene Takahashi while including your own opinion as well.

Write a 1 page response to the following question.

 

Please read "The Two Gene Takahashis" and answer the following questions.  

 

1.  What are your first thoughts after reading the article?

 

2.  Explain what the author thinks is The American Dream.

 

3.  Give an example of the way the author shows the reader Gene Takahashi's character.  What does this example show?

 

 

Please type your responses and submit them on turnitin.com by Wednesday, 4/15.

Please use this link to watch this TED talk.  Then, answer the questions on the attached handout.  Please type your responses and submit them on turnitin.com.  It is due on Thursday.

 

During the school closure, you are going to create a journal.  Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will post a prompt to which you will need to respond.  Responses should be a half page minimum, and I will collect them all on Monday 4/6.

Here is your first journal prompt.  Please write a minimum half page response.

 

What are your thoughts and emotions as the world responds to the coronavirus pandemic?

Journal entry #2 - please respond to the following prompt with a minimum half-page response.

 

Write an encouraging letter to yourself.  Begin the letter with "Dear (your name)," and write a positive message to yourself.  You might want to focus on specific goals you want to accomplish, attitudes you hope to maintain, or mantras that are important to you.

Here is part two of journal prompt #3.

 

What negative impacts can social media have on the current social isolation situation? How can social media be detrimental to individuals or society as a whole?

Today's assignment is Journal Entry #4.  

 

Think about the way school has changed in the last week and a half.  Do you think schools should learn from this situation to modify the high school experience?  Should more classes be taught online?  Should technology be utilized more?  Do you miss being in the classroom?  Share your thoughts.

Journal Prompt #5:  Remember to create a thoughtful, insightful response to each journal prompt.  Responses should be a MINIMUM of half a page.

 

Journal Prompt #6