Roaring Twenties

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2. “An author ought to write for the youth of his generation, the critics of the next and the schoolmasters of ever afterward.” F. Scott Fitzgerald 1920

3. Roaring Twenties "The world must be made safe for democracy[…] peace must be planted upon the tested foundation of political liberty.” - Woodrow Wilson • Economy booming • Women’s Movement, Flappers • Rise in Organized Crime • Prohibition Act • Perceived Decline of Moral Standards

4. Changes in the 1920s • Growing urbanization signaled a move away from “the land” • fascination with the dream of success • Cinema developed as a popular medium of entertainment • Rise of the “Jazz Age” • Mass production of the automobile allows for increased mobility

5. Books That Define the Time • “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot: The ultimate indictment of the modern world's loss of personal, moral, and spiritual values. • The New Negro by Alain Locke: A hopeful look at the negro in America • Strange Interlude by Eugene O'Neill: A look at 30 years in the life of a modern woman • The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway: The lost generation of expatriates • Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis: A satirical look at small town life • The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner: Details the decay of the Old South • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Black life in a Black community

6. F. Scott Fitzgerald • Born in 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. • He attended Princeton University. • 1917 joined the army. • Met his wife Zelda. • Published The Great Gatsby at 23 in 1925. • Regarded as the speaker of the Jazz Age. • Drinking and wife’s schizophrenia • Died in 1940.

7. EAST EGG WEST EGG

8. The Great Gatsby Socratic Seminar

9. Overarching Questions • Most static character? • Most dynamic character? • Feelings towards Tom? • Feelings towards Daisy? • Feelings towards Nick and/or Jordan? And, most importantly…. • How does Fitzgerald evoke these feelings?

10. Reminders • Open-Ended Questions • Critical Thinking • Journaling • Cite the Source

11. What makes a person GREAT? Who are some great people? What puts them in that category?

12. “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

13. Do you think his statement is genuine? Why? • What advantages does the narrator have? • What advantages do the other characters have? • What advantages do you have?

14. How are West and East Egg alike? Different?

15. “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it?” (16). • What is Daisy talking about? Why is Fitzgerald putting those words into her mouth?

16. What flaws do we see so far in the characters? Where do these flaws originate?

17. Why would someone want her daughter to be a “beautiful little fool”?

18. What emotions does the author attempt to evoke in the reader in the final scene (Nick sees Gatsby)? What specific diction and action evokes these feelings?

19. According to the narrator and characters in Gatsby, how is success defined?How does this compare to your idea of success?

20. Is there a dark side to success in America?