The Great Gatsby Chapter One
The Great Gatsby is possibly the most popular book American students will read during their entire high school career. I remember reading a survey in a newspaper a few years ago when about a thousand people were asked to list their favorite books from high school. The Great Gatsby was ranked number one, followed closely by Romeo and Juliet. I’ve even done my own informal poll and discovered basically the same thing: many adults will tell you that The Great Gatsby is their favorite novel, or at least the one they remember most from their high school days.
STUDY QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTER ONE
The following questions are for homework and must be answered by tomorrow.
- Explain what Fitzgerald achieved by using Nick’s point of view to tell Gatsby’s story?
- What do we learn about Nick Carraway in the introductory section of the novel?
- In discussing east Egg and West Egg. Nick states: “To the wingless a more arresting phenomenon is their dissimilarity in every particular except shape and size.” Indicate what the “dissimilarities” might be.
- Compare the homes of Nick, Gatsby, and the Buchanan’s. How does each home reflect the personality of its owner?
- Fitzgerald’s description of Tom, Daisy, and Jordan creates not only and impression of physical appearance, but also contains added information. What do you learn about their history and interests, and from their gestures and mannerisms?
- When Nick leaves the Buchanan’s house, he is “confused and a little disgusted.” Why?
- Though we do not meet Gatsby until Chapter 3, we hear references to him in the conversations of others. Note each reference. What impressions do you get?
Tomorrow we’ will a take a quiz on Chapter One and begin reading Chapter Two.
By Tom Fasano on May 5, 2008 – 10:36 am
Posted in Literature | 7 Comments »
By
Robin on May 5, 2008 | Reply
can you please paste answers for these questions .
By
Mr. Fasano on May 5, 2008 | Reply
The answers will be posted tomorrow, after my students review them in class.
By
John on May 7, 2008 | Reply
Where are the answers located
By
Robin on May 19, 2008 | Reply
Mr. Fasano can please paste the answer for question 5 only .
By
Lando on Aug 6, 2008 | Reply
The Great Gatsby was one of my favorite books I read!
By
Delroy Breton on Nov 9, 2009 | Reply
There is a lot that happens in the first chapter of The Great Gatsby itself. We are introduced to the narrator and are warned that “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” We are also introduced to the rigid ideas of caste and class and told about East Egg versus West Egg. This is important as it creates the setting for the novel and the class conflicts that follow. I found a great site called Shmoop which breaks down The Great Gatsby chapter wise for all those who want a clearer, more in-depth reading of the book. Check it out.
By
Mohamed Mughal on Jun 9, 2010 | Reply
Analysis aside, the book is a joy to read simply for its linguistic beauty.