Resources Part 4 - The American Dream and Surrounding 1920s Poetry

*T.S. Eliot

Website: The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot

"The Hollow Men," written by Thomas Sterns Eliot and published in 1925, alludes to the American Dream and hopelessness of people.  Shmoop, a website made for students, not only provides a text for the poem but a summary, analysis and introduction to multiple themes.  It also raises excellent study questions for the poem.  Published in the same year as The Great Gatsby, it serves as a good contrast to the tone of the novel and has a similar but unique message concerning hopes and dreams.  It also touches on self-identity - clearly an issue for Jay Gatz. The Hollow Men is readable for high school students and while it can be seen as a depressing poem it highlights a key view of the American Dream in the 20s.

"The Hollow Men" will be read and used as a lesson in class and the study questions will be used to perpetuate discussion.  Students will be able to discuss similarities and differences between the tone and message of the poem to The Great Gatsby.

Shmoop Editorial Team. (n.d.). The Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot. Retrieved October 26, 2012 from http://www.shmoop.com/hollow-men/poem-text.html

*The Jazz Poetry Anthology

Trade Book: The Jazz Poetry Anthology
Edited By: Sascha Feinstein Yusef Komunyakaa

The Jazz Poetry Anthology is a collection of poems from the Jazz Age and on.  It features many writers, such as William Carlos Williams, Carl Sandburg, and Langston Hughes.  All of these poets allude to the American Dream at one point or another in some of their poems.  And, because they are collected in an anthology, they can be retrieved and copied easily.  While this particular anthology has been said to not be set up in the most practical way, it still can serve as a good resource for separate projects or drawing similarities between multiple poets.

I will most likely use three poems in a lesson, reading each and relating them to the style of Eliot's, "The Hollow Men," and to one another.  Students will then be able to compare and contrast the viewpoints of the poets on the American Dream or on hopes and dreams as a more general subject.

Feinstein, S, & Komunyakaa, Y. (Eds.). (1991). The jazz poetry anthology. Bloomington: Indiana UP.

Video: Defining the American Dream

"Defining the American Dream" was a short video put out by The New York Times to discuss whether the idea of the American Dream is still alive and doing well today.  Even though we are in a recession it shows that more believe they have reached the dream in 2009 then they did in 2005.  This can say a lot about the times.  For example, when times are harder individuals' dreams shift more to being able to live and be free or have a job rather than material wealth.  This is important because it can also give us insight into the the Jazz Age.  How has the American Dream shifted over time?

I think this video should be used toward the end of the American Dream/Great Gatsby unit to get students to question whether or not the American Dream is still alive and well.  Also, they should analyze the demographics of people in the video - do middle/upper-middle class people have a different view of the American Dream than the lower economic classes?

Defining the American Dream [Video file]. May 7, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.newyorktimes.com/video/2009/0507/us/1194840031120/defining-the-american-dream.html


Article: The American Dream: A Biography
By Joe Meacham

This article, by Jow Meacham, discusses how the American Dream has evolved since the early 1900s through political and societal changes and ideals.  It also briefly touches on the impact of economic class to how one sees the American Dream.  The American Dream has always been something that made America and coming to the USA a great thing.  Is it slipping away?  Are we more concerned with the day-to-day living than trying to reach an ideal dream?  Also, the American Dream was supposed to exist for everyone - does it only exist for a few?  Is it only attainable for a few?

I would use this article as a homework assignment and ask students to discuss how it relates to the 1920s and Fitzgerald idea of the American Dream.  Was the American Dream slipping away/out of reach now the same way Fitzgerald seems to have seen it in the 20s?

Meacham, J. (2012, June). The American Dream: A biography. Time. Retrieved From http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2117662_2117682_2117680,00.html

*Is it, really?

Resources Part 3 - The Great Gatsby

*The Great Gatsby cover

Website: On the Great Gatsby

This is an article on a website put out by Cornell University.  The article is a short analysis of Gatsby along with commentary about the Fitzgerald's intentions for penning the novel.  The article was not the only reason I chose this site.  Also on this site are a multitude of other resources surrounding The Great Gatsby, The Jazz Age, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  It includes links to other websites, e-books, trade book citations, audio books, and book reviews.  It also includes other articles within the site that highlight the novel, the characters, and the author.  This website is not only a great resource but serves as a library for other resources.

In order to use this website to the fullest extent I believe it would be beneficial to have either a web quest on this site or a website navigation guide.  I think the site is going to help students identify important themes in the novel as well as surrounding the novel.


McCall, D. (n.d.). On The Great Gatsby. Retrieved from http://reading.cornell.edu/reading_project_06/gatsby/the_great_gatsby.htm

* Understanding The Great Gatsby...

Trade Book: Understanding The Great Gatsby: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents

Written by Dalton Gross and Maryjean Gross, it offers a collection of primary sources, including newspaper articles, first-person accounts, and testimonies. These sources help to put The Great Gatsby into historical, social, and cultural context.  It includes chapters on the 1920s concerning money and women.  It also includes literary analysis of the book.  This book has a Lexile rating of 1240 and is appropriate for 11th graders. Not only that, but it is particularly written for students who may need more context for understanding the atmosphere in which the novel was written and ways of approaching the novel.

I would probably buy the book on my own and then choose three or four chapters and split the class into groups.  Each group is responsible for being the expert on their own chapter.  They will give a presentation closer to the end of the unit about their chapter and how it helps them to understand The Great Gatsby.

Gross, D & Gross, M. (1998).Understanding The Great Gatsby: A student casebook to issues, sources, and historical documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
 

*What Makes This Gatsby Guy So Great?

Video: What Makes this Gatsby Guy so Great?

Found on shmoop.com, a website that made specifically for students, is a short power-point video with voice-over about the Great Gatsby (Jay Gatz).  It discusses why Gatsby is "great." Analyzing Fitzgerald's style and development of Gatsby as a character, it comes to the conclusion that he is great not because of his fame or new-founded wealth but because of his dream, his cause.  Jay Gatz became Gatsby because he wanted to impress and win back the heart of Daisy Buchanan.  He molded himself into a legend for love.  While many feel this may not be a good reason, it is still a reason that most people can understand.

There was no particulars on where the power-point originated so I cited the webpage and credited the Shmoop Editors:
Shmoop Editorial Team. (November 11, 2008).The Great Gatsby. Retrieved October 19, 2012, from http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/

Article: "The Great Gatsby" from The Encyclopedia of a Novel

*Daisy and Gatsby (L. Dicaprio, C. Mulligan)

By Bryant Mangum

This article, in a reference book, highlights Fitzgerald's goals, the background of the times, summarizes and comments on the story, itself, and provides a few examples of strong symbolism.  It is not too long or drawn out and provides some complex vocabulary for studying. Also - it serves as excellent commentary on The Great Gatsby, bringing together highlights of Fitzgerald's life and the 1920s, as well as highlights from the novel.  It also cites the effects that the novel had on other writers and novels at the time.  Most importantly, it claims there are two important stories here - remaking oneself to attain love (the main story), and a commentary by Fitzgerald on the American Dream.

While there are some complex words in the text I believe it would serve well as a DRTA. It is short enough to read during a class period and has some good vocabulary to highlight beforehand. 

Mangum, B. (1998). "The Great Gatsby." In Paul Schellinger (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the novel (pp. 514-515). Chicago, IL: Fitzroy-Dearborn, 1998, pp. 514-515. 

Resources Part 2 - The Roaring 20s

Taken From the CSPAN American Writer's Website

Website:The 1920s

"The 1920s" is a small website put out by library.thinkquest.org. It is a project done for students by students, thus it has the advantage of being on student reading level. This webpage offers many timelines of the 1920's (including World News, Finance, Art and Literature, and so on). It proves as a formidable resource giving background in art and literature of the decade surrounding Fitzgerald's novel as well as some insight concerning other events occurring during the time. It also addresses the issues of Prohibition and women's rights - two major themes in the novel.

This would be used as webquest and mini writing assignment. Students will browse the website and write one paragraph picking one major event or theme in the 1920's that would have influenced the writing of The Great Gatsby and why.

"The Roaring Twenties" - "The 1920's" - arts & literature. (n.d.). ThinkQuest : Library. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/C005846/categories/artliter/artslit.htm
 

*Life Magazine Cover Honoring the 20s

Video: Assignment Discovery: Roaring 20s

This short video clip introduces many of the important themes during the Roaring 20s including women's rights, jazz and new music, and increased access to electricity and natural gas. After World War I, Americans entered a time of industrialization and prosperity with President Harding. Many Americans enjoyed these new innovations, increased wages, and investing in the stock market. This clip also discusses new and massed produced appliances, automobiles, and radios. Many social norms were also challenged, especially by the change in women's roles and dress. This resource has the virtue of being short but concise.

This would be shown in class to introduce the 1920s - the timeline surrounding The Great Gatsby.

How Stuff Works, D. C. (Director). Assignment discovery: Roaring 20s [Documentary]. USA: Discovery Channel: How Stuff Works. 

* The Roaring Twenties

Trade Book: The Roaring Twenties
By: David C. King

In The Roaring Twenties (Perspectives on History),  David C. King  focuses on the 1920s as a decade of turmoil.  Barnes and Noble overviews it as having many primary sources within, including, but not limited to, letters, news stories, and interviews.  These primary sources showcase the issues of the time, such as prohibition, gangsters, immigration, jazz, flappers, and so on.  While the reviews are lacking on many websites which sell this biography,  it has a lexile rating of 1140.  Thus, it would be on a tenth grade level according to the new CCSS percentiles, meaning it is accessible for 11th grade students. I like the fact that it uses primary resources.  Students can get a first hand look at the times with some editorial commentary. 

I would probably take two to three excerpts from this book and have students read them to get a well rounded view of The Roaring 20s so they can better understand the setting of The Great Gatsby before jumping into reading it.

King, D. C. (1997). The roaring twenties: Perspectives on history. Auburndale: History Compass, LLC.

Article: Editorial Observer; Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz Age Rogue, Is a Man for Our Times

This New York Times article discusses Jay Gatsby as not only a young adult rebel and dreamer of the Jazz Age but also as a man of our times. Written as an editorial by Adam Cohen, this article can give eleventh grade students an in to understanding Gatsby as a character. He is not a perfect example of morality nor the common antagonist "bad guy" that students get in most of the literature. The novel uses the Jazz Age as a backdrop to a stilted critique of the American Dream and Dreamer. Jay Gatsby, while he does some criminal and acts that one may describe as immoral is comparable to many of us today. We all have our vices yet seem to be reaching towards the same dream - whether it be of success, of wealth, or of love.

I think this article would serve as an excellent lead in to a writing prompt. Are we really that much different, besides fashion, norms and resources, than the people of the Jazz Age? Adam Cohen, the author, seems to believe that Jay Gatsby could exist today because he is so much like us. I would have students either agree or disagree pulling from both their personal experience and evidence from the novel.

Cohen, A. (2002, April 4). Editorial observer; Jay Gatsby, dreamer; criminal, jazz age rogue, is a man for our times. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/07/opinion/editorial-observer-jay-gatsby-dreamer-criminal-jazz-age-rogue-man-for-our-times.html

*Jazz Scene

 * All Images Taken from Google Images unless Otherwise Specified