The Great Gatsby; Chapter 9

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

What is the significance of these images to your reading of chapter 9? 

Henry C, Gatz

"It was Gatsby's father, a solemn old man, very helpless and dismayed, bundled up in a long cheap ulster against the warm September day. His eyes leaked continuously with excitement, and when I took the bag and umbrella from his hands, he began to pull so incessantly at his sparse grey beard that I had difficulty in getting his coat off" p. 158

Rise from bed...................................................................................6.00              A.M 

Dumbell exercise and wall-scaling ................................... 6.15 - 6.30     "

Study electricity, etc...................................................................... 7.15 - 8.15      " 

Work ........................................................................................................ 8.30 - 4.30  P.M

Baseball and sports ....................................................................... 4.30 - 5.00.  "

Practise elocution, poise and how to attain it............... 5.00 - 6.00  "

Study needed inventions .............................................................7.00 - 9.00  " 

                                               

                                         GENERAL RESOLVES 

No wasting time at Shafters or [a name, indecipherable] 

No more smokeing or chewing. 

Bath every other day. 

Read one improving book or magazine per week 

Save $5.00 [crossed out] $3.00 per week 

Be better to parents 

   

Pathetic fallacy 

“...the sky had turned dark and I got back to West Egg in a drizzle.” (172)

The weather in this chapter is described as very dark, gloomy, and rainy.

This mimics Nick’s mood in the aftermath of Gatsby’s death. Much like how the heat in chapter 7 was responding to rising tension between Gatsby, Daisy and Tom'Chapter 9 reflects Nick’s despondent attitude towards the East Coast and the social class represented by Tom and Daisy. 

This is significant as it sets the tone, mood or atmosphere for this chapter while also providing imagery. The scene is infinitely more powerful when the weather matches Nick’s mood, and is far more appropriate for Gatsby’s funeral. 

Characterisation: Nick 

"On the white steps an obscene word, scrawled by some boy with a piece of brick, stood out clearly in the moonlight, and I erased it drawing my shoe raspingly along the stone." pg 171 

• Can you think of a deeper meaning that Fitzgerald could be referring to? 
  
• Nick is the narrator and he wants his words to define Gatsby. He erases the bad elements of Gatsby and allows the positive elements to be seen by the reader. 
  
• Do you think Nick has succeeded in telling Gatsby's story? 
  

Goals today

Consider a close analysis of the final paragraphs of The Great Gatsby 

Use some methods in your groups to explore the text

Construct a thesis statement for the guiding question 

Extract analysis practice plan

• In MB => files=> paper 1 folder and in Teams => content library => paper 1
  
• Generic guiding questions 
  
• graphic organiser for planning 
  
• Take no more than 20 minutes 
  
• Take an extract from our current novel or one of your choice 
  
• Extract no longer than 30 lines 
  
• Plan a response including thesis statement, topic sentences and evidence. 
  

www.wgtn.ac.nz

AWL

Approaching close reading

1. Getting Started: Treat the passage as if it were complete in itself. Read it a few times, at least once aloud. Concentrate on all its details and assume that everything is significant. Determine what the passage is about and try to paraphrase it. Make sure that you begin with a general sense of the passage’s meaning.

What is this passage about? Note on the left-hand side of the extract the main topic, concepts or key words and phrases for each section. 

Approaching close reading

2. Word meaning: Determine the meanings of words and references. Also, note (and verify) interesting connotations of words. Look up two words you do not know or which are used in unfamiliar ways. Make your notes on the extract. 

3. Consider the diction (word choice) of the passage. What mood does it evoke? Describe the mood and pick out words that support your opinion. 

Use an online thesaurus to expand your vocabulary. Make your notes on your extract. 

Approaching close reading

4. Imagery: What sort of imagery is evoked? 

How do the images relate to those in the rest of the text? Are they similar or different and how? What happens to the imagery over the course of the passage? Which senses are appealed to? Is a semantic field constructed? 

What literary techniques are used and to what effect? Make your notes on the right-hand of the extract. 

Approaching close reading

5. Construct a Thesis: Based on all of this information and observation, construct a thesis that ties the details together and answers this guiding question.  Determine how the passage illuminates the concerns, themes, and issues of the entire novel. Ask yourself how the passage provides insight into the novel as a whole.  

How does Fitzgerald highlight and form a judgement on some of the novel's main themes in this extract? 

Thesis statement 

1. Carefully read the Guiding Question and determine the focus and key words that must be implemented in the thesis statement.  The key words will typically be the literary or linguistic element from the Guiding Question.

2. Look for the “insightful ideas” from your (left margin) annotations while also considering the key words of the Guiding Question.

3. Flip the Guiding Question into a thesis statement. 

4. Use evaluative language in your thesis statement. 

Answer this question using quotes from the extract. 

How does Fitzgerald highlight and form a judgement on some of the novel's main themes in this extract? 

Your group's thesis statement is ...

Thesis statement 

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the closing paragraphs in his novel The Great Gatsby to highlight the corruption of the American Dream and to illustrate that the past will always influence the future and cannot be disregarded or ignored. The author successfully does this through the use of  unusual diction choices, vivid imagery, symbolism and motifs. 

to argue

to explain 

to evaluate 

to instruct 

to inform 

to analyse 

 to explain

to entertain

to describe

 to recount

to persuade 

General statement 

Specific statement(s)

Thesis statement

Thesis statement 

Specific statement(s)

General statement

INTRODUCTION

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION includes these

A general statement that works as a hook 

The title of the novel is stated

The author  is given

The text type is clearly identified (novel)

Date and place of publication is stated

The plot is briefly stated - in one or two sentences

where the extract appears in the novel is stated 

The content is paraphrased: what does the extract actually say (briefly)

The thesis: what you find most important about the text (without elaboration) (main idea/main theme)& plan of development is stated (what techniques you will focus on) 

Conclusion 

A literary essay should analyze and evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature. A strong conclusion will rephrase the thesis statement and broaden the scope of the essay in four to six sentences. You should also have an effective last sentence in the essay so you can wrap it up on a high note.

Rephrase your thesis statement

Rephrase your thesis statement. Avoid repeating your thesis statement as it appears in your introduction. Change the language and word choice in the original thesis statement so that it reflects the analysis that you have shown in your literary essay.

Another option is to revise your thesis statement to be more clear, making  edits to it. Go back to your introduction and read your thesis statement again. Then, keep your thesis statement in mind as you read over your body paragraphs. Consider whether your thesis statement still feels relevant to your essay, or if it could be revised. 

Rephrase but do not repeat

Start with your revised/ rephrased thesis statement. The middle section of your conclusion should be three to five sentences long. It should broaden the scope of your essay. 

• Important themes or ideas 
• summarize your most important findings 
• No new information in your conclusion 

Answer the question 'so what?'

Think about why someone would care about what you are addressing in your essay and why the focus of your essay is important. Answering the question “so what?” can help you generate interesting things to finish your essay within the conclusion. Possible final sentences: 

• Finish with a powerful image or detail from the text
• End with a simple sentence straightforward sentence
• Set your findings in a larger context