Disillusionment of the American Dream: Modernism Part I

Genres
The Modern Age (pg. 704-712)14 points
1. (1)What historical events mark the “modern age”?

2. (2)Describe prohibition and the ramifications of the law.

3. (2)Discuss the economic status of the US during the 1920s and 1930s.

4. (2)List all important information about F. Scott Fitzgerald you found in the reading.

5. (1) What major literary movement emerged in the quest for new ideas?

6. (1)What was the Modernists’ common purpose?

7. (1)What is Imagism?

8. (2)What is an expatriate? Name at least 3 writers who were expatriates and discuss how it may have affected their writing.

9. (2)How would you define this literary movement in your OWN words (You won’t find it in the book. You have to use your brain for

this one)?

Walking Through a Painting (not part of packet grade)

Directions: Take a piece of paper and fold it vertically. Write down the left and then down the
right column, filling the page with words and phrases reflecting your ideas about the artwork.
Be as descriptive as possible in your word choice.
After viewing:
1. Where are the images of the sun and moon in the painting?
2. How does the artist convey a sense of movement in the painting?
3. Explain why Delaunay might have chosen to paint the sun and moon in an abstract way.
4. What kind of feeling does the painting give to you? Explain your response.
5. To Delaunay, the circle was a symbol of the universe, a cosmos of harmony and order.
Considering the painting and its title, what does the artist imply about contrasts and
harmony?
6. How does the artist show harmony and order amid the contrasting colors and shapes?
7. What might Delaunay’s depiction of contrasting colors and circles suggest about the
twentieth century?
Modern Poetry
Imagist Poems
“An ‘image’ is that which presents an intellectual and emotional
complex in an instant of time.” Ezra Pound
T
P
C
A
S
T
T
(Write down what each of these letters stands for 3 points)
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Porcelain and Pink F. Scott Fitzgerald
Introduction: “And do you write for any other magazines?” inquired the young lady. “Oh,
yes,” I [Fitzerald] assured her. “I've had some stories and plays in the ‘Smart Set,’ for instance
—.” The young lady shivered. “The ‘Smart Set’!” she exclaimed. “How can you? Why, they
publish stuff about girls in blue bathtubs, and silly things like that.” And I had the
magnificent joy of telling her that she was referring to “Porcelain and Pink,” which had
appeared there several months before.

 (1)What does this introduction tell you about the content of the play?

 (1)What does Fitzgerald’s reaction tell you about the author?

Step 1: Characterization Matrix—with your group, read the play and complete the character matrix
below. BE SURE TO STAY FOCUSED—WHAT YOU DON’T FINISH IN CLASS BECOMES YOUR
HOMEWORK!

Fill out the chart below. (12 points)

Character Personality Relationship Important actions Important Quote
Julie

Lois

Young
Man (Mr.
Calkins)

 (2) Which character do you relate to the most? Explain.

 (1)What is one question you would ask the author?

 (2)Assume that this piece of literature reflects the author’s personality and beliefs. What conclusions do
you draw about him?

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There are many traits of Modernism depicted in Porcelain and Pink. For each of the following characteristics, give specific
examples from the Play that you see. (12 points)
Modernism Element Seen in the play? If so, use and example from play
Disillusionment with traditions and old
values

Automobiles make travel convenient

Emphasis on leisure and party time

Concern with making money

Concern with spending money

Alcohol, once prohibited, becomes a way of

life

The Jazz Age

Prejudices

Disparity in wealth (most money becomes

centered in the hands of a few individuals)

Fragmentation

Implied theme

Emphasis on material goods

Using your dictionary, you want to create a dialogue between YOU, the character and the author. Use what you have deduced
about the author in the introduction and stage directions to make the dialogue character driven. Make sure you use 1920’s
slang, your slang and interactions between yourselves and the characters. Your dialogue should be at least 1 page. Be creative,
and use ACTIVE verbs, GOOD modifiers, and NON-WORDY sentences but remember to keep it school appropriate. (You

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should start it as a GROUP—but keep in mind that it may become HOMEWORK to finish so you ALL need to write the
dialogue)
Bernice Bobs her Hair F. Scott Fitzgerald
Introduction: Before Viewing: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Really think about
your response before writing it in the space provided.

Read the following paragraph from the short story “Bernice

Bobs her Hair” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
After dark on Saturday night one could stand on the first tee of the
golf-course and see the country-club windows as a yellow expanse
over a very black and wavy ocean. The waves of this ocean, so to
speak, were the heads of many curious caddies, a few of the more
ingenious chauffeurs, the golf professional’s deaf sister—and there
were usually several stray, diffident waves who might have rolled
inside had they so desired. This was the gallery.

o (1)What is the setting of the story? Underline where you

found the setting in the opening paragraph.

o (1)What type of people do you suspect will be in this short

story (think of class, gender, etc.). Describe them briefly.

 (.5)Given our discussion about Fitzgerald, your readings on

Modernism, and the title of the story, what decade is this story
set in? _____
Step 1: Characterization Matrix—While watching the dramatization of
this short story, fill out a character matrix (JUST LIKE YOU DID FOR
P & P—the more detailed the better!)
Fill out the chart below. (12 points)
Character Personality Relationship Important actions Important Quote
Bernice

Marjorie

Warren

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12 points Modernism Element Seen in the short story? If so, use an example from the short story
Disillusionment with traditions and old
values

Automobiles make travel convenient

Emphasis on leisure and party time

Concern with making money

Concern with spending money

Alcohol, once prohibited, becomes a way

of life

The Jazz Age

Prejudices

Disparity in wealth (most money

becomes centered in the hands of a few
individuals)

Fragmentation

Implied theme

Emphasis on material goods

 (2)Which character do you relate to the most? Explain.

 (2) Which character could you relate to JULIE from P&P? to LOIS? Explain.
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  (3)How does Fitzgerald portray the changing roles of women? What is his opinion about these roles?
Explain.

The Great Gatsby Anticipation Guide

DIRECTIONS: Decide whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements(6 points). Choose 3 to
explain in detail(6 points).
1. When one comes by wealth illegally, he or she is very likely to pay for it in the end.

2. People who live in big cities in Eastern America are sophisticated, while people who live in Midwestern cities are simple
and innocent.

3. It is no longer possible to attain the American Dream (to amass a fortune without compromising traditional moral
values).

4. If you truly love another person long enough, you will eventually have a life together.

5. There is no difference between a family that has been wealthy for generations and one that was poor until just recently
(old money vs. new money).

6. Money cannot buy happiness.

7. Anything you can do to “get ahead” in life or better your situation is acceptable.

8. You can and should only be in love with one person your whole life.

9. Reality is what we make of it.

10. Once the past is gone, you can never get it back.

11. If you have unintentionally done wrong, you should not have to be responsible for your actions.

12. A person’s behavior, occupation, and apparel are good indicators of what kind of a person he is.

While you are reading Gatsby…

o Throughout the novel, look for some of the themes implied in the statements above: hope, success, ignorance,
judgment, disillusionment, and morality.

o Think about some of the major elements of Modernism and whether or not they work in a novel, as opposed to a
short story:

o Disillusionment and loss of faith in the American Dream

o Rejection of traditional themes and subjects
o Rejection of sentimentality and artificiality
o Bold experimentation in style and form, reflecting the fragmentation of society
o Psychological focus on character, focused on the inner workings of the human mind
o Rejection of the “ideal hero” who is infallible in favor of a hero who is flawed and disillusioned, but shows
“grace under pressure” (The Anti-Hero)

o Keep an eye out for symbolism in the weather, the various settings, objects providing the “comforts of modern
life,” and even the characters’ names and the colors they wear.

o Identify and analyze Fitzgerald’s narrative structure: anticipate the “reliable narrator” question and focus on the
use of flashbacks.

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(12 points) Modernism Element Describe one example of each as seen in the novel—there is one for
EACH!
Disillusionment with traditions and old
values

Automobiles make travel convenient

Emphasis on leisure and party time

Concern with making money

Concern with spending money

Alcohol, once prohibited, becomes a way of

life

The Jazz Age

Prejudices

Disparity in wealth (most money becomes

centered in the hands of a few individuals)

Fragmentation

Implied theme

Emphasis on material goods

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby
Background Information
o Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born in Minnesota in
1896 and named after his relative, Francis Scott Key,
famed “Star Spangled Banner” composer.

o He attended Princeton University—but left in 1917

without a degree—and served in the army during World War I, although he did not see any military action.

o While stationed in Alabama, he met and married Zelda Sayre. They became a glamorous, internationally celebrated
couple during the “Roaring Twenties.”

o Fitzgerald coined the term “The Jazz Age,” and he is considered to be one of the most prominent members of the
“Lost Generation” and a major symbol of the Modern era.

o The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, and the action of the story takes place during the summer of 1922—with a
few flashbacks here and there. Fitzgerald considered a last-minute title change to Under the Red, White, and Blue,
but it was (perhaps fortunately) too late to alter the manuscript.

o The novel only sold 25,000 copies during Fitzgerald’s lifetime, but has enjoyed enormous popularity ever since,
particularly once the hard times of the Depression and World War II had passed. When the stock market crashed in
1929, Fitzgerald remarked, “The party was over.”

o By the 1930s, Zelda began to suffer from an incurable mental illness, and in 1937, Fitzgerald went to work as a
screenwriter in Hollywood to pay all of her bills and medical expenses.

o Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in 1940, at the Hollywood apartment of his mistress. Zelda died when the Highland
Mental Hospital in Asheville, NC caught on fire in 1948.

The Great Gatsby: Setting the Scene

Many readers argue that Gatsby’s story could have taken place in no other setting and no other period. Physically, the
setting helps to emphasize the novel’s dualistic thematic elements (rich/poor, dreams/reality).

A newspaper article* has this to say about the novel’s setting:

“Few places that F. Scott Fitzgerald inhabited over a short and shallow-rooted life infused his writing the way Long Island
did. Just as his literary imagination distilled the 1920’s into the Jazz Age, and captured the hectic melancholy of the Lost
Generation, so too did Fitzgerald transmute the mansions and millionaires of the North Shore into the mythic, splendid,
doomed Gold Coast.

“Fitzgerald and his wife lived on the Island only briefly, from October 1922 to May 1924. But their stay in Great Neck, the
model for nouveau-riche West Egg in ‘Gatsby,’ came at an important moment both in the Fitzgeralds’ lives and in the
history of the Island. The success of his autobiographical first novel, ‘This Side of Paradise,’ in 1920 had rocketed
Fitzgerald to literary and social celebrity, and he was living the part, often drinking heavily despite Prohibition, and
overspending his financial means. Though his second novel, ‘The Beautiful and Damned,’ was also selling well, Fitzgerald
now had a wife and an infant daughter, Frances Scott (Scottie), to support, and was obliged to turn out short stories to pay

*
Lyons, Patrick J. “A Fleeting Era’s Timeless Chronicle.” The New York Times. 10 Apr. 2005.
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his bills.

“In ‘Gatsby,’ Fitzgerald’s narrator and stand-in, Nick Carraway, says, ‘It was a matter of chance that I should have rented a
house in one of the strangest communities in North America.’ But West Egg was a natural home for the Fitzgeralds. Unlike
blue-blooded Sands Point, the model for East Egg in the novel, Great Neck was where the prosperous but unpedigreed
could find a welcome and a comfortable life.

“As suburbs build up, however, the very thing that animates our zest for houses of our own, plots of land of our own,
becomes our downfall—you destroy the actual thing you wanted in the first place. Though plenty of wealth remains on the
North Shore, and real estate agents still talk of properties with ‘Gold Coast elegance’ and ‘Gatsbyesque charm,’ nearly all
the hundreds of estates of Fitzgerald’s time are gone now.

“One of the few Jazz Age estates still in private residential use is Land’s End, a 13-acre compound at the northern tip of
Sands Point that is said to have been an inspiration for Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s house in ‘Gatsby.’ But there is no dock
and no green light, and the property faces Westchester across Long Island Sound, not Great Neck. Gatsby’s mansion is
even more a creation of Fitzgerald’s mythmaking imagination, combining details of a number of estates with some wholly
fictional geography and frustrating those who try to read ‘Gatsby’ as journalism. You can never quite make Fitzgerald’s
fiction match up to reality, and you shouldn’t try.”

Reading Guide: Chapters 1-4 *NOTE the bold questions will help with your Facebook project* (not
graded but HIGHLY recommended)
Chapter 1
1. What is Mr. Carraway’s advice for Nick?
2. Where did Nick Carraway (the narrator) come from and why did Nick come to the East?
3. What is the difference between West Egg and East Egg?
4. How does Nick know Daisy and Tom?
5. Describe Tom. What is our impression of him in Chapter 1?
6. How does Daisy respond to the phone calls from Tom’s “woman in New York”?
7. When asked about her daughter, what does Daisy say? What is our impression of Daisy so far?
8. Why doesn’t Nick call to Mr. Gatsby when Nick first spots him on the lawn?
Chapter 2
1. What is the “valley of ashes” that Tom and Nick pass on the train? How could it relate to the theme of exposing
the modern world (modernism=disillusionment)?
2. What could the “eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” that watch over it symbolize?
3. Describe Myrtle and George Wilson.
4. Why, according to Catherine, has Tom not left Daisy to marry Myrtle Wilson? What is important about this?
5. What does Catherine tell Nick about Gatsby?
6. What does Tom’s behavior toward Myrtle reveal about his character?
Chapter 3
1. Describe Gatsby’s wealth. List some of the things that represent wealth (modernism).
2. List some of the rumors about Gatsby’s past. Why does Nick call this “romantic speculation”?
3. Why does Nick go to Gatsby’s party?
4. How does the novel’s point of view affect what the reader knows about Jordan and Gatsby?
5. Explain Nick’s confusion about who is responsible for the car accident outside Gatsby’s party.
6. What does the reaction of the drivers suggest about the values of Gatsby’s guests?
7. What do Jordan Baker’s leaving “a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down” and her golf
tournament “scandal” reveal about her?
8. What does Nick see as his “cardinal virtue”?
9. Do you think Nick is honest? Comment on his reliability as a narrator.
Chapter 4
1. Why do you think Nick writes down the names of the people who come to Gatsby’s parties?
2. What does Gatsby tell Nick about himself? Does Nick believe him? Do you?
3. What “matter” did Gatsby have Jordan Baker discuss with Nick?
4. What is the importance of Gatsby’s implied business connection with Meyer Wolfsheim?
5. What does Jordan’s story reveal about Daisy?

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 6. At the end of the chapter, Nick muses, “There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”
What does Nick mean? How does each character (Daisy, Gatsby, Tom, Jordan and Nick) in the novel fit
into this description?

Chapter 5
1. Describe the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy.
2. After his private conversation with Daisy at Nick’s house, how has Gatsby changed?
3. While showing his house, what does Gatsby do that causes Daisy to “cry stormily”?
4. Explain the significance of the green light.
5. Does Nick think that Gatsby’s love for Daisy is realistic or an illusion? Explain.
Chapter 6
1. What is Gatsby’s real history? Where is he from, and what is his name?
2. What happened to Gatsby’s $25,000 inheritance from Dan Cody?
3. Describe the meeting of Tom and Gatsby. What does this meeting reveal about them?
4. Why do Tom and the Sloanes snub Gatsby after asking him to dinner?
5. What is Daisy’s opinion of Gatsby’s party? How does this affect him?
6. What does Gatsby want from Daisy?
Chapter 7
1. Why does Gatsby look at the Buchanans’ child Pammy “with surprise”?
2. How does Daisy reveal to Tom that she is in love with Gatsby?
3. Why do you think Tom wants to drive Gatsby’s car into the city?
4. Why does Wilson lock up his wife in anticipation of taking her out West?
5. Why does Tom press Gatsby about his dealings with Wolfshiem?
6. What happens on the way home from New York?
7. Identify this chapter’s internal and external conflicts.
Chapter 8
1. Why had Gatsby first fallen in love with Daisy?
2. Why had Daisy married Tom Buchanan?
3. What do the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg seem to symbolize for George Wilson?
Chapter 9
1. Why couldn’t Nick get anyone to come to Gatsby’s funeral?
2. Who is Henry C. Gatz?
3. Why is Gatsby’s father so proud of him?
4. What are Tom’s motives in telling Wilson about the car?
5. Why, in the end, does Nick say that he cannot forgive or like Tom?
6. What happens between Nick and Jordan Baker?
7. Why does Nick decide to “come back home” to the Middle West?
8. What does the green light symbolize at the end of the novel?
9. What does Nick say about people like Daisy and Tom?

Sealed with a Kiss

In Chapter Four we learn—along with Nick—the history of Gatsby and Daisy. While this incident highlights the limits of
Nick’s knowledge, it also shows his determination to be a reliable narrator and allows the reader to learn and infer
alongside of him. Jordan describes Daisy’s wedding day, on which “she wouldn’t let go of [a] letter. She took it into the tub
with her and squeezed it up into a wet ball, and only let me leave it in the soap-dish when she saw that it was coming to
pieces like snow.” No one knows the contents of this letter except for Daisy (and presumably Gatsby). However, imagining
what the letter reveals can enrich your understanding of the love triangle in Fitzgerald’s novel.

Compose a letter that Gatsby might have sent to Daisy while he was fighting in World War I OR one that Daisy might have
written to Gatsby after her wedding to Tom. Draw upon your knowledge of either character up to this point. Consider their
dominant character traits in light of diction, syntax, and style. Your letter should be approximately one page.

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 AMERICAN DREAM
Listen carefully to the song by Switchfoot and annotate the lyrics as you listen. Highlight words and phrases that
stick out to you and write characters names or events from the text next to the lyrics to make connections. I will
check for at least 3 annotations (notes in the margins) connecting the song to the text.

"American Dream" by Switchfoot

When success is equated with excess
The ambition for excess wrecks us
As top of the mind becomes the bottom line
When success is equated with excess
If your time ain't been nothing for money
I start to feel really bad for you, honey
Maybe honey, put your money where your mouth's been
running
If your time ain't been nothing but money
I want out of this machine
It doesn't feel like freedom
This ain't my American dream
I want to live and die for bigger things
I'm tired of fighting for just me
This ain't my American dream
When success is equated with excess
When we're fighting for the Beamer, the Lexus
As the heart and soul breath in the company goals
Where success is equated with excess
'Cause baby's always talkin' 'bout a ring
And talk has always been the cheapest thing
Is it true would you do what I want you to
If I show up with the right amount of bling?
Like a puppet on a monetary string
Maybe we've been caught singing
Red, white, blue, and green
But that ain't my America,
That ain't my American dream

1. Define the “American Dream” in your own words.

2. What is Switchfoot’s message about the American Dream?
3. Has Gatsby, so far, fulfilled the American Dream?
4. What in our society has led to the corruption of the American Dream?
5. Do you believe the American Dream still exists? Why or why not?

Fitzgerald on Facebook?!
Characterization—the way in which a writer reveals information about his or her characters—is an integral part of
any literary work. In direct characterization, the writer makes direct statements about a character’s personality,
while in indirect characterization, the writer suggests characteristics by describing what the character says and
does or how other characters respond to him or her.

Drawing upon these concepts and your interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, create a facebook or
myspace page for each of the following characters: Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Jordan.

Each page should include:

o a sketch or “photo”—what you imagine each character to look like
o three significant quotations that capture each character’s “essence”
o an “About Me” paragraph summary of the character’s role in the novel (think mini-analysis)
o a bulleted best/worst list of each character’s traits, interests, etc.
o At least 2 wall posts for each character from another character (Daisy to Gatsby perhaps? Etc.)
o any additional creative touches from your vivid imagination!

You may use a computer program to help with the format, or you may choose to create everything by hand.
Regardless, your work should demonstrate creativity, engagement with the novel, attention to detail, and orderly
presentation. And of course, Fitzgerald would expect you to use COLOR.

This is a BIG PROJECT GRADE (100 points), due on ___________ , at the beginning of class. Any questions?

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