Images and Motifs

in The Great

GatsbyBy Thomas McGuire Start,

old sport!

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Video

IdeasLocation

sObject

s

QuizResource

s

Credits

Colors

Quick Gatsby Run-Thru Video

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Ideas

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Love

Gatsby loved Daisy when they were younger, but after the war she married Tom; Gatsby’s real goal is getting back Daisy

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Love (cont.)

Tom has an affair with Myrtle but doesn’t want to allow his wife to have an affair with Gatsby

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Love (cont.)

Much of the love in The Great Gatsby has to do with selfishness – Gatsby wants Daisy to say that she never loved Tom, Tom thinks only he is allowed an affair, etc. Main

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The American Dream

The American Dream was built around individualism and the pursuit of happiness, the idea that anyone could make a living; however the 1920s decayed that dream socially and morally through cynicism and “new money” in bootlegging

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The American Dream (cont.)

In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is shown in its complexity through Gatsby’s bootlegging, the differences between East Egg and West Egg, and the oppression of the poor by the rich in the Valley of Ashes

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TimeThe novel focuses in and out of Gatsby’s memories at certain points, changing to Nick’s recounting of Gatsby’s life story, how he fell in love with Daisy, and how he made a name for himselfMain

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Time (cont.)

Gatsby wants to reverse the past, not just wanting Daisy to tell him that she loves him, but for her to tell him that she never loved Tom. When Nick tells Gatsby that he can’t repeat the past, Gatsby replies, “Can’t repeat the past? Why, of course you can!” (Fitzgerald)Main Menu

Time (cont.)

Nick’s narrative mode is another example of how time is used, as the novel is narrated in the past tense – Nick is telling the story as he remembers it.

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Locations

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East EggEast Egg is the place that symbolizes “old money,” which is the institution of the aristocracy and inherited wealth.

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East Egg (cont.)

Tom and Daisy Buchanan live here, and it is place of the posh “high society.”

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West Egg

West Egg is the place that symbolizes “new money,” or the get-rich-quick schemes of the 1920s, such as bootlegging or playing the stock market.

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West Egg (cont.)

Nick and Gatsby live here – Nick is a bond businessman and Gatsby is a bootlegger. In contrast to East Egg, the West Egg wealth is more extravagant, vulgar, and focused on partying.

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East & West Egg (cont.)

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East Egg wealth is more graceful and tasteful, however their society lacks morals, as they are careless with their spending and who it affects; West Egg wealth is more exuberant and lacks grace, but that society does have a sort of moral code, as evidenced by Gatsby’s loyalty throughout the novel.

East & West Egg - Map

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The Valley of Ashes

The Valley of Ashes is a dumping ground for industrial ash between West Egg and New York City; it represents not only the aftermath of the careless spending of the rich, but also the struggle of the lower classes against such behavior and mentality. Main

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The Valley of Ashes (cont.)

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Objects

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The Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg

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The Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg (cont.)

The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg are a gigantic billboard in the Valley of Ashes that advertises an oculist, Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. They are thought of as God by George Wilson, who refers to them while calling out his wife Myrtle on her affair.

BUT….

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The Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg (cont.)

The point that the eyes are an exact metaphor for God is never explicitly said in the novel; rather, what Fitzgerald is trying to say is that symbols and metaphors are important, but only because people make them important.

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MoneyEverything seems to revolve around money in this novel – symbols, intentions, settings, plot, etc. Money is the driving force for Gatsby, but it’s important to note that money was the driving force for almost everyone in the 20s. America revolved around money.

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Gatsby’s Parties

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Gatsby’s Parties (cont.)

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Gatsby throws some massively wild parties in the novel, but they’re never done out of charity. The whole reason Gatsby throws these parties is to impress Daisy, to try to win her back from Tom. None of the partygoers know who he is or have ever seen him; he doesn’t even drink at his own parties or use his own swimming pool.

Colors

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GreenGreen is used in the novel to represent wealth, and also the classic interpretation of jealousy. Some examples of green in the novel include money (“greenbacks”) and the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.

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Green (cont.)

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The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock represents Gatsby’s unreachable dreams in getting Daisy back.

YellowMuch like green, yellow also symbolizes wealth (gold). Some examples of this include Gatsby’s car, which kills Myrtle, and some of Gatsby’s descriptions of Daisy.

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Yellow (cont.)

Yellow also represents the “old money” of East Egg, in the way that gold is an older currency than dollar bills; especially because Daisy is driving the yellow car when it hits Myrtle, this idea of money is used to show the struggle of the poor underneath the careless spending of the rich.

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Night / DarknessMost of the novel takes place at night, notably Gatsby’s parties and Myrtle’s death. Also, most of the more depressing moments in the story happen during the day - the scene in the hotel, the death of Gatsby, etc.

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Quiz!

Start!Main Menu

Quiz – Question 1

Where are the Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg?New

Jersey

The Valley of Ashes

West Egg

Gatsby’s mansion

Quiz – Question 2Which is NOT a prominent color in The Great Gatsby?

Green

Yellow

Red

Night

Quiz – Question 3

Which society is Jay Gatsby part of?“new

money”

“old money”

New York

Poor

Quiz – Question 4

Who is Gatsby in love with?Jordan

Himself

Nick

Daisy

Quiz – Question 5

True or False:

Gatsby drinks at his parties and swims in his swimming pool all

the time.

True False

Quiz – Question 6

True or False:

George Wilson doesn’t think the Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg stand

for anything and is just a decrepit billboard.True False

Quiz – Question 7

True or False:

The “old money” wealth of East Egg is graceful and elegant, but lacks social

morals.True False

Quiz – Question 8

True or False:

Gatsby is okay with Daisy still having loved Tom.

True False

Sorry, old sport!Try

again?Main Menu

“Can’t repeat the past? Why, of course you can!”

Assignment: Short Essay

On a piece of paper, write a short essay (200-300 words) discussing one of the following questions:• Is Gatsby’s quest to get Daisy back wrong?• Do the Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg really represent God?• Would you rather be an upstanding citizen but have no morals, or be a criminal with morals? • Find another symbol or motif in the book and explain it

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Resources (for your own benefit!)

For further information on The Great Gatsby:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88 – Crash Course Literature: The Great Gatsby Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0WZ8-0Z1Y – Crash Course Literature: The Great Gatsby Part 2

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/ - The Great Gatsby Sparknotes

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BibliographyImages:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GMBiTqGy0SY/TAb3eJmVgFI/AAAAAAAAAI0/_M-J_m_KNzo/s1600/map.png - East/West Egg Map (Slide 19)

http://www1.artflakes.com/artwork/products/1190480/poster/no206-my-the-great-gatsby-minimal-movie-poster.jpg?1368785641 – Gatsby movie cover (Slide 25)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/prohibition-cartoon-1920s-granger.jpg - Prohibition cartoon (Slides 4, 16, 17)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01461/The_Great_Gatsby_1461142g.jpg - Gatsby and Daisy (Slides 5, 6, 7)

http://silentink.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/files/2010/11/The_Great_Gatsby_by_asianpride7625.png - Gatsby green light cover (Slide 30)

http://holditnow.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/the-great-gatsby-party.jpg - Gatsby party (Slide 27)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/72a515ed6e638652cf892a7defea042e/tumblr_mfb6t0RWVr1qhwth9o1_1280.jpg - Green light (Slide 31)

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/280/6/e/valley_of_ashes_by_dullaprutten-d6pkl9l.jpg - Valley of Ashes 1 (Slide 21)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uCrmBGGR560/TeMx3tLHO1I/AAAAAAAAACw/AsNgCAsjx4c/s1600/valley+of+ashes.jpg – Valley of Ashes 2 (Slide 22)

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Bibliography (cont.)

Images: http://www.goofts.com/pics/062013/1370289991-melting-clock-0.jpg - Melting clocks

(Slide 4) http://www.clker.com/cliparts/7/3/a/8/13334899031665514399Cityline%20with%20Skysc

rapers.svg.hi.png – Skyline w/ skyscrapers (Slide 13)

http://spinsucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/anne-shulock-31_the-great-gatsby.jpg - Gatsby Coney Island (Slide 29)

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/10/22/ap2001010269-f758bed1e131d9578a7ea29256b0b2ce5c71a2a8-s6-c30.jpg - Street (Slide 13)

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/essays/eyes/cugat_10.jpeg - Gatsby cover (Slide 1) http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/309/2/f/dr_tj_eckleburg_by_hasunkhan-d5hwgkj.jp

g - Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg (Slide 23)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nh_uBE5kVwg/UbF1pEgkLmI/AAAAAAAAEZA/wsUAMlVDfSM/s1600/Gatsby_times_square.png - Gatsby Times Square

http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GG-TP-0000-1386x693.jpg - East Egg (Slides 14, 15)

http://img0.etsystatic.com/013/0/8036197/il_570xN.448399928_qedv.jpg - Gatsby’s car (Slide 22)

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Bibliography (cont.)

All text in this PowerPoint presentation is in my own wording, but was taught to me by Mrs. Nanci Slagle at Covenant Christian High School

Fitzgerald, F. (2008). The great Gatsby. Detroit: Wheeler Pub.

All images not cited in this PowerPoint are Clipart

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Contextual Information

• Objectives – After the students have read The Great Gatsby, they will view this Powerpoint on their own, answer the quiz questions, and complete the short writing assignment to be turned in to the next class. After students have read the book and viewed the Powerpoint, they will be able to identify and recall key images and motifs, as well as think critically about imagery and metaphors in literature

• Learning environment – This Powerpoint will be viewed personally by the students either in class (during time set aside for viewing/working on the Powerpoint) or at home; the classroom is a computer lab with access to 30 computers that have Internet access; there are also 3 whiteboards in the classroom

• Target audience – Group of approx. 20-30 high school freshmen, ages 15-16, average learning capability/performance, some high-achieving students, all students fairly expressive in their ideas, evenly split between male and female students, primarily Caucasian students with a few Asian international students and a few African-American students