Name ______________________________________________ English 11R

Date _____________

The Great Gatsby Essay

Directions: Your final task for The Great Gatsby is to choose one of the following essay questions. Your essay should be 3-4 pages long, typed, double spaced, and 12 point font. For the next few days we are going to be focusing in on the skills you need to become a better writer. You will be in the computer room working on the essay, and you will have a conference with me where we will analyze the pieces of writing in your folder. If you have a different idea that you would like to write about, be sure to ask me first so that we can work on your thesis. Choose from the following essay topics: 1. The notion of the American dream figures prominently in this story. How should readers define American dream? Moreover, is pursuing the American dream necessarily a good thing, as evidenced by The Great Gatsby? 2. Fitzgeralds story shows the clear delineations between different strata of society; new money, old money, some money, and no money. How are readers to interpret his comments on each of these groups? Does he hold any one group above the other? Are there ways in which people of all groups are alike? 3. Throughout the story, Gatsby has difficulty accepting that the past is over and done with. Where do you find evidence of his trying to recapture the past? What does this say about him? Should people live their lives yearning for something in the past? Why or why not? 4. Although Gatsby professed to love Daisy, there is a sense that he was not in love with her as much as he was in love with the idea of her. Where can you find evidence of Gatsbys devotion to an ideal rather than an actual person? 5. Although Nick Carraway has his reservations about Gatsby, it is clear he thinks of him fondly; after all, he titles the book The Great Gatsby. He leads a questionable existence and comes to a tragic end, yet Nick (and by extension, the readers) feel empathetic toward him. Does Gatsby deserve to be called Great? In what ways is he great? In what ways is he not? In the end, which wins out: greatness or mediocrity? When writing the essay you must address the following points: 1. Use 3rd person point of view 2. Keep the argument in the active voice 3. Use a variety of sentence length and sentence structure (do not start every sentence using only pronouns or nouns) 4. Be sure to have a fully realized thesis statement (main argument). This means that you must have at least three examples from the text that prove your argument. 5. Find specific examples from the text, use quotes, cite the quotes, and remember to reflect on each of the examples. 6. Use parallel structure to make your writing more interesting 7. Go beyond what the question is asking. What connections can you make? What new ideas can you contribute to the analysis of the text?

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