The Great Gatsby Project

1. The Great Gatsby Project

2. Objective • Today I will review themes and symbols in The Great Gatsby and begin planning my project by choosing a theme and two symbols from the novel and explaining them in my own words on a half sheet of paper

3. Themes • Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. They are not the plot of the story; they are what the story is “really” about.

4. Themes in the Great Gatsby • The Decline of the American Dream • As Fitzgerald saw it (and as Nick explains in Chapter 9), the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. In the 1920s depicted in the novel, however, easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast

5. Themes in the Great Gatsby • The Hollowness of the Upper Class (Old Money) • One of the major topics explored in The Great Gatsby is the sociology of wealth, specifically, how the new millionaires of the 1920s differ from and relate to the country’s older, richest families. In the novel, West Egg and its occupants represent the newly rich, while East Egg and its occupants, especially Daisy and Tom, represent the old aristocracy.

6. Themes • In your own words, define “theme.” • Which one of the two themes mentioned in the previous slides do you see most in The Great Gatsby

7. Symbols • Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

8. Symbols in The Great Gatsby • The Green Light on Daisy’s Dock • Situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future.

9. Symbols in The Great Gatsby • The Valley of Ashes • It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the struggle of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their strength as a result.

10. Symbols in The Great Gatsby • The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg • The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes. They may represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland, though the novel never makes this point explicitly.

11. Symbols • In your own words, define “symbol.” • Which one of the three symbols in the previous slides do you see most in The Great Gatsby?

12. Project • For your Great Gatsby project, you will need to choose one theme from the novel and two symbols that illustrate that theme from the novel. • You will need to make a presentation that has pictures and/or video/audio clips and words that help the view understand how they relate to your topic. • You will need at least four quotes from the text that connect your presentation to your theme and symbols • You will need to turn in a one page summery of the project as well

13. Project • Your project must be able to stand alone, and the veiwer must be able to understand what it is about without an explanation • Your project must give a sense of the novel (it must be clear that it is connected to the story in the Great Gatsby) • You will be working individually, not in groups or pairs • Your project may be a poster with writing/drawings and/or with photographs and text glued on • Your project may be a powerpoint with writing, photos, video/audio clips included in the slides

14. Choose one of the following themes from the Great Gatsby: • The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920’s • The Hollowness of the Upper Class (“Old Money”)

15. Please take out a half sheet of paper (you will turn this in)

16. Explain your theme in your own words • Choose a theme from The Great Gatsby • Explain this theme in your own words

17. Choose Two of the following Symbols that relate to your theme from The Great Gatsby • The green light on Daisy’s dock • The Valley of Ashes • The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg

18. Symbol • Explain this symbol, and what it symbolizes, in your own words. • When does this symbol occur in the novel?

19. Project • How do you think you will present your information • Poster? • Powerpoint? • Essay

20. Quote • From the novel, find two quotes (with page numbers) that relate to your theme and write them down.