The+Great+Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald
Visit [|Gatsby Wall] and add a comment!

When Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York in the summer of 1922 to learn about the bond business he rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island, a wealthy but unfashionable area populated by the new rich, a group who have made their fortunes too recently to have established social connections and who are prone to garish displays of wealth. Nick’s next-door neighbour in West Egg is a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, who lives in a gigantic Gothic mansion and throws extravagant parties every Saturday night. What happens next can only be described as murder...

Key to writing effectively about any text is KNOWING YOUR MATERIAL. Unfortunately there is no short-cut to this - it involves lots of reading and lots of revision. There are, however, a plethora (look it up if you don't know the meaning!) of resources out there to help you:

Some good websites are: [] (quite informal, but lots of fun) [] (more formal, but good revision material)

If you're more a visual learner, try John Green's irreverent take on analysis [|Part 1 (Characters)] and [|Part 2 (Gatsby's dream)]

REVISION ACTIVITIES

Revise you knowledge of WHAT happens using this exercise. Use these quizcards to consolidate character, theme and symbolism knowledge - you could also use them as examples to create your own.

There's LOTS of quotes for Gatsby - the trick is to make sure you know why they are significant, and how to relate them to your line of argument. Here's a selection of the most obvious ones. Revise them by re-writing them/sorting them/promptcards...

ESSAY WRITING

Once you know your text you have to be able to select what you know and apply it to the question. It is NOT a good idea to go into exam with a pre-prepared essay as it will feel forced/regurgitated. However, you need to be comfortable that you can adapt your knowledge of the text to whatever comes up. Questions tend to come in TYPES. There are character questions, key scene questions, setting questions, theme questions, techniques questions (narrative voice/use of symbolism/title...). Sounds like a lot, but if you know your text, you should be able to adapt your quotes accordingly.

Use the past paper essay questions to draw up essay plans Practise writing introductions and topic sentences to make sure your essay builds

Struggling with essays? Read these examples and ask yourself:

Are you confidently using critical vocabulary and terminology in your responses? Are you revealing a good knowledge of the themes and how they are conveyed/explored/presented when you are discussing the text?

Make notes anything you feel is important, but be aware these are essays written for 'A' level rather than Higher, so the analysis, rather than the layout will be helpful. Remember, you MUST put these notes into your own words - using the ideas of others is PLAGIARISM and is not an effective way to prepare for an exam. You will only truly write well when you have fully and personally engaged with the text.

Use of Symbolism:

Unreliable narrator:

Title: