Name ____________________

The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis

Directions: To prepare for writing a literary analysis on The Great Gatsby you will first need to
select your topic and begin developing your plan for the essay. Please carefully read the options
below and select a prompt to write on.

Assume your reader is familiar with The Great Gatsby. Your job is to draw your readers
attention to something that is not surface level. Prove something to your reader with
textual evidence that he or she may not have realized.

Put a star next to your choice below.

1) Fitzgerald opens his book with a poem from (a fiction poet he created named) Thomas Parke
DInvilliers:

Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;

If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you

How does Fitzgerald use this poem to lay the groundwork for his novel? Where do we see these
concepts play out, and what is Fitzgerald trying to tell us about human nature? Consider
Gatsbys devotion to the idea of Daisy rather than her as an actual person.

2) The Great Gatsby examines social class as a key aspect of the story. Every chapter seems to
have scenes where characters quickly size one another up and decide where they fit socially.
Analyze the concept of social class and how it plays out throughout the text. What is
Fitzgerald trying to tell us? What is he arguing about social class with this novel? You could also
discuss how the novel portrays the dehumanizing/corrupting nature of wealth. Explain the theme
of the corruption of people and society in Fitzgeralds novel through an examination of
characters and symbols in the novel that are corrupt as a result of money.

3) We opened this text by studying the concept of The American Dream. We want to believe
material access and success is due to hard work and that the rich deserve their wealth. On one
hand, the book affirms this (think about his self-improvement list in Ch. 9). On the other hand,
though, the book pokes fun at how naive this idea is. Gatsby, after all, dies alone. Consider
analyzing the novel as a critique of the Dream. Look at it as a noir--a story of crime and
corruption with a tone of cynicism. Do not simply give a chronological overview of what
happened; rather, dig into the series of events and analyze how Fitzgerald comments on the
American Dream. Is it your belief that Fitzgerald wrote a love story that embraces American
ideals, or a satire that criticizes American ideals? Use an analysis of characters and plot to
support your opinion. Analyze how Fitzgerald supports one of these ideas in his text.
 Name ____________________

4) Suggest your own essay topic; you may choose to focus on an alternative such as the
symbolism in The Great Gatsby, analyze themes presented in the text, trace the development of a
specific character, or look closely at literary devices used, etc

Creating a draft of your claim

Develop a claim for your essay and write it below.

Remember, your claim/thesis should be specificit should cover only what you will
discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.
It should present an argument that you stand behind and are able to elaborate on and
explain in detail.
Assume your reader is familiar with The Great Gatsby. Your job is to draw your readers
attention to something that is not surface level.
Prove something to your reader with textual evidence that he or she may not have
realized. So, with that in mind, what are you going to prove in your literary analysis?

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A stronger claim... A weaker claim...

creates an argument / is debatable has the word I in it (ex. I believe that
is something some people may not have
Fitzgerald)
considered tells what the paper will prove (ex. In this paper,
captures the purpose for writing the paper
I will)
utilizes strong diction (word choice)
is something everyone agrees with
restates something we already spent significant
time in class covering

Put together your claim and begin writing your introduction. The writing you do now
will prepare you for your final literary analysis.
 Name ____________________

Reminders for your introduction;

1 complete paragraph

PURPOSE: To set up and state ones claim

Make your introductory paragraph interesting. How can you draw your readers
in?
What background information, if any, do we need to know in order to
understand your claim?
Youre arguing about a literary workstate author + title or director + title if
youre including a discussion of the film
STATE your claim in your introductory paragraph

Use the space provided below to write a draft of your introduction.

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