The Great Gatsby – Essay Exam English III Pre-AP

I. Write two complete character identifications. Your identification should address the basics of who the character is and how he/she functions in the novel. Each identification should be a well-developed paragraph. (25 Points) a. Nick b. Jordan c. Myrtle d. Daisy e. Tom f. Gatsby

II. Select and respond to two quotations. Explain how the quotation relates to the overall meaning of the novel or to a specific character’s development. Each response should be a well-developed paragraph. (25 Points) a. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” b. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes

before us.” c. “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” d. “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open

hand.” e. “People were not invited – they went there.” f. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and

creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

III. Write an analytical essay based on one of the following prompts. (50 Points)

a. Setting – Describe Fitzgerald’s use of settings that provide a contrast to one another. For example, how do New York City and East and West Egg contrast to the valley of ashes? What events take place in these different settings, and what is the overall significance of setting.

b. Theme – What is the theme of the novel? Write an essay in which you defend a theme by marshalling examples from the novel. A statement of theme should serve as your thesis statement.

c. Character – Select one character and write a detailed character analysis, tracing the initial character, the forces of change, and the character change. You must select a character that you did not write about in part I.

d. Narration – Why is Nick the narrator? Is he a good narrator? Explain. e. The Roaring Twenties – The novel comments on the careless gaiety and moral

decadence of the period. It contains innumerable references to the contemporary scene. The wild extravagance of Gatsby’s parties and the shallowness and aimlessness of the guests all identify the period and the American setting. Write an essay in which you examine the historical and social context of the novel. Select two or three examples from the novel that illustrate life during the 1920s and analyze Fitzgerald’s presentation of the decade.

f. Title – Is Gatsby Great? What are the implications of the novel’s title?