Table of Contents:

1. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 3] 3

2. Response - There Are Birds Here 5
3. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 2] 7
4. Response - We Wear the Mask 8
5. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 4] 9
6. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 5] 10

Creative writing: a dialogue between two different characters (genres, periods, perspectives)

Societal norms are the standards, expectations, and common behaviors/values of the majority of

modern-day people.

- Thanking someone for committing a good deed

- Giving up a seat for a pregnant/elderly person

- Dressing up (formal clothing) for interviews/work

- Wearing appropriate clothing based on location/environment

How do social mores become windows to understanding?

- Expectations

- Assumptions

- Fit ins

- Laws

- (Unspoken) Rules
Responses:

- Predictions

- Characters

- Setting

- Writing Style

- Personal Connections

- Thoughtful/Respectful Responses

Mood - Boohoo or woohoo?

Imagery - Impact of oppositional images (binaries, juxtaposition, inversion), connotation

of images, figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, symbol, allusion)

Structure - Form, rhythm, patterns, line breaks, shifts in time, setting, POV

Tension - The problem that reveals theme and meaning

Characterization, Narration, Thesis Statement, Setting

Clint Smith - “Why we shouldn’t forget that U.S. presidents owned slaves” [Video]

An inspirational, eye-opening speech, helping to bring attention to the oppression,

discrimination, and inhuman acts in history. Ignored by educational providers, this speech allows

viewers to understand the depth of hidden information about famous individuals, including past

U.S. presidents.
 1. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 3]

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

As I learned about the lifestyle of the main character, Nick Carraway, in The Great

Gatsby, I gained an understanding of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Nick explained his routine during

the week, which helped me comprehend what a low-income citizen outside of New York City

would live like during the set time period of the 1920s. With this information, I was able to piece

together the impact the setting, including the time period, and the characters had on the story as a

whole. Not only did I learn about Nick’s life, but what he witnessed with Gatsby as his neighbor.

The difference in wealth was made clear when illustrating all of the shipments and parties Gatsby

held each week. New characters are introduced, bringing new interactions and stories that helped

me grasp what many people would rumor about Jay Gatsby. After an invitation was sent to Nick

to attend one of Gatsby’s parties, he decided he would like to meet his neighbor. Unsuccessful in

locating the host during the party, Nick ended up running into Jordan, a professional golf player,

and a new friend. Even with her help, neither was able to find Gatsby. After ending their search,

Gatsby strikes up a conversation with Nick, revealing that he is the host. I feel as though this part

was symbolic, representing how people might have an ineffective outlook on a problem, but if

they take a moment, the issue might resolve itself. I also think there was a purpose behind

Gatsby’s sudden appearance. Although the end of the party was chaotic, after everyone had left,

Nick felt a sense of emptiness at Gatsby’s mansion. I predict that Jay Gatsby is a lonely man who

fills his sense of emptiness in his huge house by hosting many parties, thus allowing strangers to

fill in the space. I think he will get to know Nick, and either share his knowledge or learn of

Nick’s as they grow closer. Nick knows how lonely he feels, which is why I think that they will

connect on this similarity. As I was taken through one of Nick’s summer days working, I
understood how honest he is with himself, especially when he stated, “Every one suspects

himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people

that I have ever known” (Pg. 47). After stating how dishonest most people he met were, I was

able to assume what kind of environment he grew up in, even after he moved to New York to

learn the bond business.

 2. Response - There Are Birds Here

By: Jamaal May

In the poem, “There Are Birds Here,” the speaker creates a rhythm of repetition. This tactic helps

form the main idea, which is to bring awareness to the beauty in nature that is found within

people and life. The speaker starts off the poem discussing birds, stating that the meaning behind

those birds was to “root around for bread the girls’ tear and toss like confetti,” even though

others try to say they are a metaphor for what is stuck between buildings (Ln. 9-11). As the

speaker continues, the rhythm of denying the assertions others are making becomes apparent.

Parts of each line connect back to each other, such as the confetti. When visualizing the girls

throwing the confetti, the speaker makes sure to clarify the illustration of the bread being torn

like confetti, not cotton. Bringing this point back up, they once more clarify that the confetti is

what makes a boy smile, and not like what a tank can make of a building. I thought the next

connection was very clever, now that the thought of war had been planted into the poem. When

the author brought up the boy, they stated how his neighborhood was not like a warzone, but like

any other tattered and feathered one. As the poem comes to a close, the speaker brings the poem

back to the initial statement about birds by saying, “[B]ut they won’t stop saying how lovely the

ruins, how ruined the lovely children must be in that birdless city” (Ln. 28-31) This quote helps

symbolize the constant reminder and idea of destruction, ruin, and war in the modern day. Since

the news helps to inform citizens of local, national, or worldwide issues, many of these events do

not revolve around the small details in nature and the bliss of peace. This poem forms an idea of

power in conflict and in peace, visualizing the impact a short piece of literature can have on

perspective. The poem feels as though the words are the thoughts of the speaker, possibly having

a conversation with one or multiple people. The topic they could be discussing is not specified,
but as I read the poem multiple times, I feel as though the words and repetition show the

thoughts of nature, more specifically human nature, that revolves around the peaceful side. My

idea is confirmed when the speaker clarifies that they are not discussing the conflict side of

human nature when the mention of war, destruction, and ruin is brought up.
 3. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 2]

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the chapter starts with Nick walking through the Valley

of Ashes. This place is visualized as a work site for low-class people, located right outside of

New York City next to a train station. As Nick walks past the laboring people, he describes a

billboard he sees above the Valley of Ashes. The eyes of a Doctor had been plastered on the

billboard; withered away but the image was still visible. The billboard promoted glasses from

Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, suggesting to anyone who sees it to visit the eye doctor. Although this

part of the book was described shortly and abstractly, the story added to the setting and my

comprehension of Nick’s perspective. If the point of view had been a different character who was

more wealthy, such as Daisy or Tom, I feel as though they would not have described or even seen

this scene because they would be driving past the working people instead. My interpretation of

this scene involved the placement of the billboard; visualizing the metaphorical blindness of the

doctor to the people who work restlessly in the Valley of Ashes, they are still unable to afford

glasses in which the billboard is advertising. In his wealth, the doctor does not see the people

outside the city unable to afford his service. Nick also explained how the image on the billboard

had not been renewed in a long time, with paint chipping away, which showed how the people in

the Valley of Ashes had been forgotten. Not only the doctor, but the upper-class people living in

NYC had long forgotten about the lower-class people who worked tirelessly in the Valley of

Ashes.
 4. Response - We Wear the Mask

By: Paul Laurence Dunbar

In the poem, “We Wear the Mask,” the speaker tells a story of hidden emotions. The mask,

representing the false emotions an individual might “wear” in front of others, visualizes how the

speaker does not express their true feelings but instead puts up a facade. Using terms in the poem

such as “our,” “we,” and “us,” the speaker of this poem puts in perspective the number of

individuals who put on a mask to hide their true emotions. One of the oppositional lines in the

poem states, “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile…” (Ln. 4). Using terms that contradict one

another, I am able to understand the true emotions the speaker is hiding. Also stating, “Why

should the world be over-wise, [i]n counting all our tears and sighs?” (Ln. 6-7). This part of the

poem helped me realize why they might be hiding their sorrow, grief, and pain; the people who

use “masks” do not feel like their emotions are important enough to talk about or express. I relate

to this part of the poem and made this educated assumption because I used to think the same

way. A couple of years ago, I also wore a mask to hide my sorrow from others. Feeling unworthy

of expressing those emotions, I would convince myself those around me would not care anyway.

The speaker conveys the idea that the world only wants to see joy, and one individual's emotions

are minuscule. The last two lines stated, “But let the world dream otherwise, [w]e wear the

mask!” (Ln. 14-15). Bringing the masks back to the end of the poem helped to encapsulate the

imagery the speaker was trying to express. In a way, the form and expression of the poem show

the raw emotion and passion behind the narrator’s life story.
 5. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 4]

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

After learning about the motives of Jay Gatsy from Jordan Baker, a new friend of Nick’s,

I began to understand why the main character seemed so special to Gatsby. His main motive was

to reach Daisy, and he had tried numerous times through his parties. No matter the size or glamor

of the party, though, she never appeared through his mansion doors. Gatsby had been in love

with Daisy for years after he left to fight in the war, and once he realized Nick was her cousin, he

grew closer to this neighbor of his. I think the main reason Daisy did not wait for Gatsby to

return from war was because she needed the man she married to be wealthy. At that time, Gatsby

was only a lieutenant and did not have a high social status, so Daisy met Tom when he left. In

this time period, social status and wealth were a huge part of each individual's life. This factor

played a huge role in Daisy’s life, which is why I think she married Tom; he had both a high

social status and money, even though he was a liar and cheater. With Jordan, she wanted a higher

social status as well, but she made her own path. She was also a liar and did anything she could

to stay at the top of the social and financial hierarchy, no matter the consequences. Nick,

someone who came from a wealthy family but left to pursue his “American dream,” lived a

lower-class lifestyle but still worked toward making a high income by studying the bond

business while being employed at a lower-paying job. Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, married into a

lower-class lifestyle but lived in luxury with Tom in secret. She loved her lifestyle with Tom,

living her wealthy dreams through him.

 6. Response - The Great Gatsby [Chapter 5]

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

While Nick and Daisy are touring Gatsby’s bedroom, he begins to go through his clothes.

Throwing the expensive clothing into a large pile, each piece unfolds and adds another layer to

the mound on his table. Daisy, who was present to see all of the fancy shirts flying into that pile,

begins to cry and states, “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts

before” (Pg. 72). This statement makes me think she regrets her choice of leaving Gatsby and

marrying Tom instead since she is being exposed to Gatsby’s wealth and stature first-hand.

Jordan had told Nick that Daisy was always with a different lieutenant when she was younger,

which makes me assume she loved the attention and money they supposedly spent on her. Right

before Daisy married Tom, she also sobbed, outwardly saying that she no longer wanted to marry

him. I feel as though this is because she has realized he has money but he is not a good person.

Although she says this privately, she marries him anyway and seems to be inseparable from him

thereafter. After touring the entire mansion, I feel as though Daisy realized her mistake in choice;

since she did not wait for Gatsby to return from the war, she made a choice she regrets at that

moment. Gatsby is still in love with Daisy even after years have passed since he went to war, and

I think he threw his fancy shirts on the table so Daisy could see how truly wealthy he is.

Although they both wish to be together at that moment, if they had stayed together and gotten

married, I think Daisy would have lost her social status and Gatsby would not have been as

wealthy. Daisy seems as though she needs money for a relationship to work, and if Gatsby had

not been motivated to get Daisy’s attention after she got married, he would not have had as much

money.