he Great Gatsby

Blog Task #4: Chapters 7-9 of T

Discussion Questions

Answer the following set of questions. Pay attention to the keywords in the question stem to plan your
answer, and to the grading indications of each to ensure you are meeting the requirements.

1. There is an allusion made in the first paragraph of Chapter 7. What is an allusion, and how is this

presented in this paragraph of The Great Gatsby?

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2. In Chapter 7, Tom insists on driving Gatsbys car. What do you think is the reasoning for this, and
what inferences can you draw about Toms character through these actions?

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3 . Pathetic fallacy is a literary device that is meant to mirror the thoughts and moods of characters in
animals, nature and inanimate objects. We see pathetic fallacy in Chapter 5, when Gatsby and Daisy
share an emotional moment during an intense storm. Describe the use of pathetic fallacy in Chapter 7.

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4. On page 143 of the text, Nick Carraway remarks that he remembers it to be his thirtieth birthday;
before me stretched the portentous menacing toad of a new decade. Observe the context to which
Nick realises he has turned 30, and suggest what the significance may be of this event.

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5. What is the significance of both Myrtles death and Wilsons crime?

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6. On page 167 of the text, the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg are likened to the eyes of God through the
juxtaposition of Wilsons statement: God sees everything. If T. J. Ecklebergs eyes symbolise the eyes
of God, what do you think they see? What judgements would these eyes have for the characters in The
Great Gatsby?

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7. Think back to our lesson on self-image (confidence) and ego (self-worth). Once you have completed
the novel, argue whether or not Gatsby is a man with a positive self-image or a poor ego.

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8. Once you have completed the novel, you may also revisit your argument regarding love and desire.
Does Gatsby love Daisy, or does he simply desire her? What is the difference?

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