ch 5 gatsby close reading activity

Close Reading and Examination of the TextGatsby Chapter Five

Directions: You will examine all four of these passages below with a partner. You will need to reread the passages from chapter five and then fill in the chart with details from the passage.

1.

The rain cooled about half-past three to a damp mist, through which occasional thin drops swam like dew. Gatsby looked with vacant eyes through a copy of Clay’s Economics, starting at the Finnish tread that shook the kitchen floor, and peering toward the bleared windows from time to time as if a series of invisible but alarming happenings were taking place outside. Finally he got up and informed me, in an uncertain voice, that he was going home.

“Why’s that?”

“Nobody’s coming to tea. It’s too late!” He looked at his watch as if there was some pressing demand on his time elsewhere. “I can’t wait all day.”

“Don’t be silly; it’s just two minutes to four” (84-85).

General Summary: Literary Devices/Word Choices/Style I noticed…

How this relates to the entire chapter…

How does this advance our understanding of: plot, theme, setting, characters, or symbolism…

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2. ___________________________________

Gatsby, his hands still in his pockets, was reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease, even of boredom. His head leaned back so far that it rested against the face of a defunct mantelpiece clock, and from this position his distraught eyes stared down at Daisy, who was sitting, frightened but graceful, on the edge of a stiff chair.

“We’ve met before,” muttered Gatsby. His eyes glanced momentarily at me, and his lips parted with an abortive attempt at a laugh. Luckily the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling fingers and set it back in place. Then he sat down, rigidly, his elbow on the arm of the sofa and his chin in his hand (86).




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3. _______________________________________

He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs.

His bedroom was the simplest room of all—except where the dresser was garnished with a toilet set of pure dull gold. Daisy took the brush with delight, and smoothed her hair, whereupon Gatsby sat down and shaded his eyes and began to laugh (91).




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4. ____________________________________

“If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay,” said Gatsby. “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.”

Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed absorbed in what he has just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very neat to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one (92-93).




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1. The description of Gatsby’s bedroom compared to the rest of the house is:

a. Symbolic, because this room is the best representation of his wealth and achievement after the war.

b. A Metaphor, because this room presents Gatsby’s love for Daisy.c. Ironic, because this room is simple unlike the rest of his house.d. Juxtaposition, because it is the only room that is light compared to

the darker rooms in the rest of the house.

2. Gatsby is best described as ___________ before four o’clock:

a. Excited, he can’t even read or sit down.b. Nervous, he tries to back out of the meeting.c. Bored, he wants to meet Daisy right away.d. Sorrowful, he is remembering how much he loved Daisy.

3. Nick says, “Luckily the clock took this moment…” (86). Why does he use the word “luckily?”

a. The clock helps break up the awkward moment when Daisy and Gatsby are first reunited.

b. The clock chimes at four and Daisy finally arrives.c. The clock let’s Nick know he can leave the room and let Gatsby and

Daisy be alone.d. The clock stops and Daisy is able to spend most of the night at Nick’s

house.

4. What does it mean when the book says, “Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry?” (88).

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a. Americans like having money but they don’t like working for it.b. Americans might work like servants, but they don’t like being treated

like servants.c. Americans wished they had peasants like they once did in England or

Europe.d. Americans pretend to hate the rich, but secretly envy them.

5. The story says that the green light on Daisy’s dock is “now…again a green light on dock” (93). What does this mean?

a. Daisy has rejected Gatsby again, so hope is lost.b. Gatsby and Daisy have finally reunited, so the hope has been fulfilled.c. Daisy and Gatsby have spent the whole day together, and the light has

turned on to show they must leave each other.d. Tom knows they are together and the light is a warning.

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ch 5 gatsby close reading activity

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