Name: ____________________________

Date:______________ Period: ________

~The Great Gatsby Webercise~

Read the directions carefully! There are 3 sections to complete in this Webercise. Each
section is designed to help develop a better understanding of how to analyze themes
found in The Great Gatsby. Click on the Internet links listed in each section and answer
the following questions. You can work on your own or in small groups, approximately 3-
4 students in a group.

Section 1: What Are Themes?

https://literarydevices.net/theme/
https://literaryterms.net/theme/
Answer the following questions regarding themes and the importance of themes in
literary novels. All information is provided in the two online links. Please provide
thorough answers signifying your understanding of the material. (Total Points: 9)

1.) In approximately 100 words, answer the following question: What is a theme?
Provide 2 examples of themes in literary works. (3 points)
2.) What is the difference between a major theme and a minor theme? (3 points)

3.) Explain the importance of themes in relation to literary novels? Are themes
significant? If yes, how so? If no, explain your reasoning. (3 points)
 Section 2: Critical Analysis of The Great Gatsby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88 (Video #1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0WZ8-0Z1Y (Video #2)

In this section, watch the two critical analysis videos of the novel and answer the
following questions. You must watch the videos in their entirety. (Total Points: 16)

1.) In your own words, describe the four (4) main characters featured in the video.
(Video #1) (5 points)

2.) Compare and contrast Tom Buchanan’s parties and Jay Gatsby’s parties. In
what ways are Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby similar? In what ways do they
differentiate? (Video #1) (4 points)
3.) Assess the ways in which the color yellow is portrayed in the novel. Why did F.
Scott Fitzgerald incorporate this particular color? (Video #1) (3 points)

4.) In your own words, describe the theme F. Scott Fitzgerald is expressing
throughout the entire literary novel. (Video #2) (2 points)

5.) Based on the critical analysis videos, was Jay Gatsby great? If so, describe the
ways in which he was great. If no, explain your reasoning. (Video #1 & #2) (2
points)
 Section 3: Identify Themes in The Great Gatsby
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200041h.html

Several themes highlighted in the literary novel are listed in the word box below.
Analyze each theme and select which one is portrayed in each quote. (Hint:
Certain themes may be repeated). All quotes can be seen in the online version of
the novel which is listed above. (Total Points: 20)

Gender Isolation
Society & Class Optimism
Memory & Living in the Past Power of Money

1.) Read the following quote. Identify a theme and explain your reasoning (5
points):

“It’ll show you how I’ve gotten to feel about – things. Well, she was less than an hour old and
Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling, and
asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned
my head away and wept. ‘All right,’ I said, ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool –
that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Chapter 1).
 2.) Read the following quote. Identify a theme and explain your reasoning (5
points):
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year receded before us. It
eluded us then, but that’s no matter – to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther
…. And one fine morning ----- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly
into the past” (Chapter 9).

3.) Read the following quote. Identify a theme and explain your reasoning (5
points):
“He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’
After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more
practical measures to be taken. One of them was that, after she was free, they would go back to
Louisville and be married from her house – just as if it were five years ago” (Chapter 6).
 4.) Read the following quote. Identify a theme and explain your reasoning (5
points):
“We shook hands and I started away. Just before I reached the hedge I remembered something
and turned around. ‘They’re a rotten crowd,’ I shouted across the lawn. ‘You’re worth the
whole damn bunch put together’” (Chapter 8).

Webercise Score Rubric:

Section 1: What Are Themes? / 9 Points

Section 2: Critical Analysis Videos / 16 Points

Section 3: Identify Themes / 20 Points

Total: / 45 Points
 References

CrashCourse. (2012). “Like Pale Gold - The Great Gatsby Part I: Crash Course English

Literature #4.” Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88

CrashCourse. (2012). “Was Gatsby Great? The Great Gatsby Part 2: Crash Course English

Literature #5.” Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0WZ8-0Z1Y

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. (2017). The Great Gatsby. Available from

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200041h.html

Literary Devices. (2015). Retrieved from https://literaryterms.net/theme/

Theme. (2020). Retrieved from https://literarydevices.net/theme/