4. A novelist and short-story writer, F. (Francis) Scott Fitzgerald was one of
the greatest American writers of the 20th Century.
The Great Gatsby, is one of the most penetrating descriptions of American
life in the 1920s.
Fitzgerald came from two widely different families. He had early on
developed an inferiority complex in a family where the “black Irish half …
had the money and looked down on the Maryland side of the family who
had, and really had … „breeding,‟” (Scott Donaldson: Dictionary of Literary
Biography.) Out of this divergence of classes in his family background
arose what critics called F. Scott's “double vision.” He had the ability to
experience the lifestyle of the wealthy from an insider's perspective, yet
never felt a part of this clique and always felt the outsider.
5. Read F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby Chapters 1-5
Post #14 Choose One
• Write a character sketch of Daisy or Tom or Jordan, focusing on the recurring “tag”
used to describe them. Daisy leans forward and talks in a low voice; Tom is restless and
hulking; Jordan balances something on her chin almost in an athletic stance. What is
Fitzgerald‟s purpose in thus describing them?
• Contrast the green light at the end of chapter 1 and the gray images in the Valley of
Ashes in chapter 2. What thematic statement do the contrasting images reveal?
• How can George Wilson be said to symbolize the American Dream? Consider the
Horatio Alger‟s (“rags-to-riches”) motif, as well as his undying desire to better his
situation.
• Is Nick a symbol of honesty and Jordan a symbol of dishonesty? Write a character
sketch that reveals their likenesses and differences in terms of veracity and credibility.
HOMEWORK
6. You have the entire period to take the exam
Please read the questions thoroughly
Please answer the questions carefully
Bring your test paper to the front when you
finish.
THE EXAM
