1. Warming up with a whiteboard close reading of details in Chapter 5 (10 minutes)
- Pages 81, 84, 86-7, 90-2, 95, and 96
- Find three symbolic elements on your page (something concrete, like an object, a color, the weather, etc. that represents something abstract)
- Brainstorm what each one represents / connects to in The Great Gatsby. How so?
- Are any of your symbols represented on the book's cover? Does it help you understand anything about the cover?
- Quick gallery walk...On today's class blog, post one connection between one of your whiteboard symbols and a symbol on a different whiteboard. What's the nature of the relationship between the two symbols?
2. Enjoying a Fishbowl discussion of The Great Gatsby, Chapter 5 (until about 2:00)
3. Cooling down by applying our close reading skills to an SAT passage
Note: If you have fallen behind in your Gatsby blogs, you have until THIS FRIDAY to catch up.
HW:
1. Please begin reading and journaling about Chapter 6 (due by Thursday).
2. Remember that you can use Method Test Prep to practice for the SAT or ACT (it has the timer function, which especially helpful on the reading portions). Click HERE for the link.
3. The end of 12 weeks is Friday, April 6 (the Friday after spring break). All make-up work / revised work from the last 6 weeks is due by then.
My group found contrast between the golden sunlight and the rain. The sunlight is pretty opposite to the rain and thunder.
ReplyDeleteThe clocks are connected to the darkness because they both symbolize past and how there is no going back.
ReplyDeleteI noticed rain and darkness represent a sadness that Gatsby may have or that it may represent his past
ReplyDeleteClock- the clock is stuck in the past just like gastby is.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I saw was reference to eyes and rain or mist. Then I saw something about a tear, that makes me think about the green streak on the cover of the book; is it a tear?
ReplyDeleteThe clocks connect to the darkness because they both relate to Gatsby's past.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of contrasting weather throughout the entire book. For example, there is rain in almost every chapter, and also sunlight in many others. How can the weather tie along with the mood of the characters? How does it change the mood of the book as a whole?
ReplyDeleteThe weather always affects the moods of the characters drastically. In this section, the audience can see how the rain affects Nick, Daisy and Gatsby. After Gatsby requested to talk to Nick, it seemed their argument almost led to the cause of pouring rain in result. Later, Nick illuminates the idea that, "While the rain continued it had seemed like the murmur of their voices, rising and swelling a little now and then with gusts of emotion. But in the new silence I felt silence had fallen within the house too" (89). It seems as if whenever any kind of weather happens near their homes, the emptiness fills up the inside as if the earth is having the 'party' at the moment. Therefore when it rains, it seems as if every kind of activity stops among the inside. Once it stopped raining, it seems as if it cleared up Gatsby's mood almost allowing himself to be in better terms, wanting to invite Daisy and Nick to his house. Thus, leading to the entertainment once again.
DeleteTheir only being wind in the trees and that connecting to change connects to the broken clock and how Gatsby wants to change time and relive it.
ReplyDeleteA connection I found was between a "deathless song" and the lights lighting up West Egg. Both of these symbols mean liveliness, and a sense of potential rebirth.
ReplyDeleteThe rain represents Gatsby's sadness, and as it stopped and him and Daisy found happiness within each other again, the golden sun represented Gatsby's happiness.
ReplyDeletewe saw the rain as the sadness and sorrow of gatsby, but we found another comparison that showed all the lights as being the liveliness of the city and the people.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the chapter and between each page there were shifts in weather. While one moment highlighted the golden sunlight shining, the next illustrates the misty rain falling. This shows the contrast between Gatsby's wealth (golden) and his longing for a relationship with Daisy, which is coming to life under the rain.
ReplyDeleteThere is a recurrence of rain. The groups thought that the rain represented a sadness in the mood of the book. Also there is a lot of change in the book.
ReplyDeleteOn our whiteboard we talked about to mention of rain in the page and i saw on another whiteboard sadness and mist. I feel that the author set the mood to be sad and raining for a reason.
ReplyDeleteThe rain and the sunlight were two symbols that I found and they typically seen as opposites of each other. One is seen as hope and happiness and the other can be seen as sadness or a down point in someones life.
ReplyDeleteI found a connection between the sunlight in pages 90-92 and the rain in page 84. The sunlight represents Daisy and the rain is bringing them back to life. In a sense it is rekindling the flame.
ReplyDeleteThe golden sunlight and the time of day connects to each other because one reflects the other. When it is daytime outside, there is that sunlight and shows the goodness that is present.
ReplyDeleteThe clocks represent Gatsby's past which bring out what kind of person he was (darkness).
ReplyDelete"They're such beautiful shirts, she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds"(92) Why do you think Daisy is crying at this, since it is not actually about the shirts?
ReplyDeleteGreat question Jake, I would say Daisy is crying because she sees now that Gatsby is rich enough for it to be accepted for her to be with him, however there are other reasons they can't be together.
DeleteWhat will Daisy do to be with Gatsby? Will she leave Tom now that she knows Gatsby is alive?
DeleteI assume that this whole day with Gatsby has been very emotional for Daisy. She has been reintroduced to the man she once loved, and is being offered an alternate road to take, which goes in a different direction than her previous life of being treated with disloyalty and disrespect. Obviously, Daisy has a lot going on, and many mixed emotions, which seem to be coming out at this time.
DeleteOn page 91 it says: “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". Gatsby is clearly in love with Daisy, but Daisy seems to hold her feelings back. Do you think the feelings are mutual or one sided?
ReplyDeleteDaisy and Gatsby were together when they were both younger so I think Daisy likes reliving her past with Gatsby like Gatsby wants to relive the past also. The feeling isn't one sided, Daisy is just more realistic than Gatsby.
DeleteI think it is definitely mutual, but at the same time it is hard for Daisy to express her feelings because she is married
DeleteI think that the love between Dasiy and Gatsby is one-sided. Since their relationship was in the past, Daisy is more wanting to move on and Gatsby is not. Gatsby, just has shown up in Dasiy's life I think that she is confused with which person to pick. It seems that she is wanting to pick Tom over Gatsby.
DeleteI think that Daisy is someone who is independent and she just couldn't really love someone. I think she likes Gatsby but she doesn't love him. So really the feelings are one sided. With Daisy being portrayed as the Golden Girl, she really only cares about wealth and what people think of her.
DeleteI think Daisy has mutual feelings but it is more complicated for her to express those feelings. She is married and I think it also took her a long time and energy to get over Gatsby when he left for war. Going back to Gatsby might be too emotionally straining.
DeleteI think, ultimately, the feelings are mutual. However, it is difficult for Daisy to realize her true feelings, since she has tried so hard to stay loyal to Tom for so long. She is struggling with herself and whether or not she wants to let her feelings truly surface.
DeleteI feel like Daisy once was in such a deep love with Gatsby. Now, it seems almost as it is hard for her to accept him. Gatsby has seemed to have never moved on for the past few years they have been separated. However, Daisy seemed to have tried to move on but she only had someone to replace the 'void' in her heart without actually feeling loved now. It almost seems as if it is just too much at once for something that happened way far in the past that Gatsby wants to once repeat again.
Delete"All the lights were going on in the west egg" (og 95)" echos the golden sunlight on page 90-92. Sunlight and light portrays liveliness and innocence while night time and darkness symbolize danger, wild, and party scenes.
ReplyDeleteI think the rain they metnion in the discussion is also apart of the romanticism of the novel and the love story aspect
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think that daisy sort of holds herself back from Gatsby when he is trying to get her attention by having nick invite her over and many other things he did? She has a kid with Tom but what other reasons is their to be unhappy and stay with Tom?
ReplyDeleteI feel the only reason Daisy is staying with Tom is because she is comfortable. Tom spoils her and gives her anything she wants. Even though if she left to be with Gatsby she would be in a similar situation, I think she is scared of change.
DeleteThis also comes back to the East Egg vs West Egg, although Gatsby is also rich he is though of as less since he is new money. Tom makes Daisy comfortable but also she stays with what society thinks is right.
Delete"His bedroom was the simplest room of all..." (pg 91). What does is say about Gatsby if his room is so simple in such an extravagant house?
ReplyDeleteI think it might mean that Gatsby is trying to put on a show for everyone else, but when it comes down to it he's not about all the materialistic things and he's more down to earth than we think he is.
DeleteI think his room describes his personality. Gatsby seems to be a simplistic person but also has a mysterious quality to him so I think the extravagant part of his house is the mysertious part of him.
DeleteI think that it could mean a number of things. One, I think that his room would be the one room in the house that nobody would see. He puts on a show in a way, with every party that he throws, but maybe he just likes the thrill of a party. If he likes the thrill, then part of an extravagant party, is an extravagant place to match. So he then puts on an act, but is actually okay with the simple things.
DeleteI think that his room represents himself. Even though he lives in a big mansion it describes the "rich" life that Daisy lives in. And his simple room is what kind of person who Gatsby truly is.
DeleteHis room is simple as if representing the kind of man he feels to be. He may feel as if since everything else is so extravagant in his house (like when he throws his parties) he may have his own room so simple as if acting as an escape. Almost how he feels in the party as if such a simple man since nobody really knows his exact identity with all the others around him. He may like to surround himself in the idea of extravagant as he may feel more of an ordinary or well put together man.
DeleteThere appears to be a lot of talk of wings, and feathers: "With fenders spread like wings were scattered light through half Astoria..." (68), and "...decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way," (96). Are the wings and feathers a form of symbolism, and if so, how are they important to the book?
ReplyDeleteThe wings and feathers could symbolize how the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy is seeming to "take flight". They are two sort of "love birds" finally meeting again, which could be the reason for the mentions of wings and feathers.
Delete"they looked back at me, remotely, possessed by intense life."(Fitzgerald 96). Since Daisy and Gatsby have such a strong connection, what is keeping her from pursuing this feeling?
ReplyDeleteI think she is scared of what would happen if Tom found out but more importantly I think she's scared of being hurt again.
DeleteI agree with Maggie. If Tom were to find out she was spending time with another man when they say their so "in love", I'm guessing Tom wouldn't be too happy if he knew about this and would try to fight and argue with Daisy. I also completely agree with Maggie about how Daisy is scared about being hurt again. She comes across very closed off and shy, and I think that reads that she doesn't like telling people her feelings and emotions, expressing herself and showing people how she truly feels.
DeleteDoes it freak Daisy out when Gatsby says on page 87 "Five years next November"? It might make her feel like she is being stalked.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if she is almost a little shocked by his exactness in time. Almost as if his life hasn't moved and her's has moved on in a number of ways. If I were in her shoes, I would be a little stunned feeling like Gatsby was waiting for 'me' for all those years. I wonder if she almost felt bad as if it were her fault she didn't look for him sooner since she doesn't seem to happy with Tom.
Delete"Well, this would interest you. It wouldn't take up much of your time and you might pick up a nice bit of money".(83) Why do you think Gatsby feels the need to give Nick something in return for a favor?
ReplyDeleteGatsby might feel the need to give Nick something in return for a favor because he maybe feels bad and sorry for Nick always helping him out and looking out for Gatsby. He maybe wants to give back to try and be a good friend to him and show him he's a better person than people think he is, and maybe prove people wrong or differently to show them he can be a good person.
Delete“He was pale, and there were dark signs of sleeplessness beneath his eyes.” (Pg. 84)
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that even with Gatsby's luxurious lifestyle where everything seems to run smoothly and go Gatsby's way, he has still managed to find something which keeps him up at night. With everything else seemingly perfect, his desire to create a relationship with Daisy is the one thing that he is still struggling to achieve. Yet, to him, it consumes so much of his time, energy, and emotion. Everyone has to have some sort of goal or game to play in life, and for Gatsby, that is Daisy.
I agree Tuner it is common for people to be obsessed with things they can't have.
DeleteWhy do you think that Gatsby was described as "running down like an over-wound clock" when he was with Daisy?
ReplyDeleteWill Gatsby find true happiness wether or not it's with Daisy?
ReplyDeleteI highly doubt he will find happiness. I hope he does because I am a fan, but unfortunately he has been obsessing over Daisy for too long. It seems that he is chasing a finish line which continues to move away from him.
DeleteIt seems as if Gatsby will never find true happiness. Daisy comes into his life once again however he doubts himself multiple times through trying to make amends. " "This is a terrible mistake," he said, shaking his head from side to side, "a terrible, terrible mistake." "You're just embarrassed, that's all," and luckily I added: "Daisy's embarrassed too" (87). It seems almost as if Gatsby overthinks every little thing he does. Almost as if he holds on to something so much that he puts every little effort into gaining what he wants. With this and overthinking about every little possibility, it seems as if he will never find true happiness.
DeleteThe rain could've represented gradually washing away all those years of Gatsby's regret on not visiting Daisy before or leaving her in the first place.
ReplyDelete