Annotation Guide: The Great GatsbyBig Ideas: Consider these as you read and write notes

below.

1. Theme - What is/are themes for the book?

2. Symbol - What is a symbol? What might be symbols in Gatsby?

3. Characterization - How does Fitzgerald create and reveal multiple sides of each character?

4. The American Dream: What is it? What was it? Is it relevant? How has it changed?

Chapter Annotations

Take notes on the following topics as you read. Make sure that you add to these notes throughout the chapter.   They are not necessarily in order of appearance.  Please write in complete sentences.

For this unit, you will write an essay using text to support a thesis statement.  By marking passages in the book now, you’re preparing for that essay.  So, paraphrase with page numbers in the space below. Using sticky notes in the margins of the book as you read will help, too.

Pre-reading: Quotation Briefing

Prior to Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby, there is a poem by Thomas Parke D’Invilliers whichreads: “Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for hertoo, Till she cry, ‘Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!’”

1. What do you think this poem means (consider why there is the repetition of the words“hat”, “gold”, “lover”, and “bounce”)?

2. How does it indicate what the novel to come might be about?

Chapter 1 1. Gatsby.  Consider:

Nick’s reflections/comments about him.

Rumors, what others say.

2. Nick, the narrator.  Consider: What he tells us about his background.   --His reflections on other people.

Your instinct:  Like him or not?  Why?

3. Setting. Consider: East Egg, West Egg

What kind of reputation/people does each place have? Where do our characters live?

4. The Buchanans, Tom and Daisy.  Consider: Interactions with others, what they say/do.

Where they live

What Nick says about them

Your instinct:  Like them or not? Why?

5. Jordan.  Consider: What she says.

What is revealed about her.

What Nick thinks.

Your instinct:  Like her or not?  Why?

6. Nick, Daisy’s relationship.  Describe and comment.   

7. Tom’s secret.  What is revealed about him?  

8. Tom and Daisy’s connection to their daughter.  Describe and comment.

9. Describe Gatsby’s actions at the end of the chapter.  

Chapter 2

10. Summarize the description of the "valley of ashes."  What might this represent?

11. Summarize the description of the "eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg.”  What might this represent?

12. Tom’s secret.  What more do we know?  

13. George Wilson.   Personality and actions.  

Your instinct:  Do you like him?  Why or why not?

14. Myrtle Wilson. Consider Personality and actions.

  Your instinct:  Do you like her?  Why or why not?

15. 158th Street Apartment. Consider: Description

Events at this setting

People in attendance

Marriages - ideas about marriage represented

Does this change/add to the plot?

How Tom’s actions reflect on his character  

Chapter 316. Gatsby. Consider:

Gatsby's wealth.

What we know about him for certain.

Rumors

His parties: attendees, setting      Your instinct: Like him or not?  Why?

17. Nick Carraway. Reconsider: Nick’s background

His personality

His actions

18. Describe Nick’s interaction with Gatsby

19. Describe Nick’s interaction with Jordan

Chapter 4

20. Gatsby. Consider Klipspringer

What we now know about Gatsby’s history

Using Jordan as a go-between

21. Mr. Wolfshiem. Consider Personality and action

Overall description

Your instinct:  Like or not?  Why?

22. Daisy, Gatsby and Tom’s history:

Chapter 523. Describe the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy

Daisy’s words/actions

Nick’s role and reaction

Gatsby’s words/actions

Your thoughts

24. What does Daisy seem to represent to Gatsby? (now? in the past?)

25. What do we know about Gatsby’s house, clothing, guests, money?

26. Significance of the green light?

·         

Chapter 627. Describe what we now know about Gatsby

History

Dan Cody

Gatsby’s hopes

28. Gatsby, Daisy, Nick, Tom, and Jordan at Gatsby's party What’s each person’s experience?

Daisy’s opinion?

Chapter 729. Describe Gatsby's reaction to:

Daisy's child

Tom

Tom’s treatment of Daisy/Tom’s relationship with Daisy

30. Wilson and Myrtle: describe their interaction, and how we know what’s going on with them.

31. Describe Daisy's reaction to Tom and Gatsby’s interaction.

32. Incident on the way home from New York

33. Myrtle’s actions (what she believes, how she acts)

34. Reactions to the incident: Wilson:

Tom:

Nick:

Gatsby:

35. How Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, and Nick end the chapter:

Chapter 836. Describe what the reader knows now about Gatsby’s past

37. Differing beliefs about Myrtle and Gatsby

38. Wilson: actions, words, beliefs

Chapter 939. Describe the funeral

Who attends

What it’s like

40. Jimmy’s book - What is it?

What’s in it?

What might it represent?

41. Nick, Jordan Baker What happens with them

Your thoughts about them

42. What Nick says about people like Daisy and Tom and why he might say it.

43. Your thoughts about Nick, Daisy, Tom, the ending...

Guiding Questions: Consider these as you read and write notes below.1. Wealth.

o How does money and wealth and the characters’ attitudes towards it affect their social status, the events in the novel, and their happiness?

2. Place. o How does place show significance for the characters?  Think about how where the characters live affects

their social status in this novel.

3. Symbolism.o Note recurrent symbolism in the book and tie it into the overall themes of the story.

4. Characterization. o How does Fitzgerald create these characters and reveal multiple sides of them to the reader?  Also,

consider these characters as if they were people in your social world.  Who do you like and who do you dislike.  Why?

5. The American Dream.o How do the characters and the social structure in this novel relate to the American Dream?  If Fitzgerald

is trying to make commentary on that idea, what do you think he’s saying or pointing out to his readers?

The Great Gatsby: HINTS for your reading pleasure

The following list is a guide. Use your close-reading skills to identify other intriguing elements. Oh, the possibilities…

Themes:

Corruption of Society Moral and Spiritual Emptiness Positive and Negative Effects of Wealth Modern Love Superficiality Duality (external characterization versus internal characterization) Disillusionment (loss of hope) Hedonism (human behavior motivated by desire for pleasure) American Dream (Does this exist and in what form?) Interlocking System of Oppression (patriarchal treatment of gender

roles, social hierarchy, racial hierarchy).

Motifs:

Weather Daisy’s voice Time Eyes Face Material Extravagance

Symbols:

The Valley of Ashes The Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg Green Light The Owl-Eyed Man Gatsby’s Boyhood Schedule East Egg West Egg Colors (consider the symbolic meaning of colors)- white, green, yellow, pink Automobiles

Rhetorical Strategies:

Antithesis Extended Metaphor Connotative Diction/Euphony/Cacophony (shifts) Imagery Parallelism vs. Chiasmus/Antimetabole : The main difference between the two is that antimetabole will

reverse the EXACT SAME words in the sentence, while chiasmus will reverse grammatical structure, not necessarily with the same words. derived from a Greek word which means “turning about”