New
New
Year 11
AQA

'The Great Gatsby': Developing a personal response

I can develop a personal response to an extract from ‘The Great Gatsby’.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

'The Great Gatsby': Developing a personal response

I can develop a personal response to an extract from ‘The Great Gatsby’.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. An opinion is a view or judgement formed on something, not based on fact.
  2. In order to add credibility to our opinions, we must be able to justify them.
  3. Themes like the 'American Dream' and wealth are central to understanding 'The Great Gatsby'.
  4. Using textual evidence supports interpretations and inferences about characters in a text.

Common misconception

Students might believe that West Egg and East Egg are actual geographical locations.

While West Egg and East Egg are based on real places on Long Island, they are fictional locations created by Fitzgerald to symbolise different social classes and the contrasts between new and old wealth.

Keywords

  • Theme - a repeated idea in a literary work

  • American Dream - the idea that all Americans have the right to achieve success and prosperity

  • Jazz Age - a period in the USA (1920s) known for its freedom, exuberance and carefree parties

  • Console - to comfort someone in a time of disappointment

You could enhance the lesson with visual aids such as maps of Long Island, images of 1920s fashion and architecture, and short video clips about the Jazz Age.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need the extract from 'The Great Gatsby' for this lesson which can be found in the additional materials.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What word describes the process of creating and developing a character in literature?
Correct Answer: characterisation
Q2.
Which of the below are reasonable synonyms of the word 'console'?
Correct answer: comfort
Correct answer: relieve
attack
restrain
entertain
Q3.
A repeated idea in a literary work is known as a ...
Correct answer: theme.
metaphor.
simile.
concept.
Q4.
The 1920s is in the century.
21st century
Correct answer: 20th century
19th century
18th century
Q5.
The novel 'The Great Gatsby' is written from the perspective of one of the characters (Nick Carraway). As such it is written in the ...
Correct answer: first-person.
second-person.
third-person.
Q6.
Who wrote 'The Great Gatsby'?
Correct answer: F. Scott Fitzgerald
George Orwell
Ernest Hemingway
D.H. Lawrence

6 Questions

Q1.
What period is 'The Great Gatsby' set in?
Victorian Era
Correct answer: Jazz Age
Renaissance
Industrial Revolution
Q2.
An opinion is a view or judgement formed on something, not based on ...
Correct Answer: fact
Q3.
Who is the narrator of 'The Great Gatsby'?
Jay Gatsby
Tom Buchanan
Correct answer: Nick Carraway
Daisy Buchanan
Q4.
What term best describes the recurring idea of achieving success and prosperity in America, often explored in 'The Great Gatsby'?
Jazz Age
Correct answer: The American Dream
The Right to Freedom
Democracy
Q5.
Which location in 'The Great Gatsby' is described as more fashionable?
West Egg
Correct answer: East Egg
Long Island
Manhattan
Q6.
What is Nick Carraway's attitude towards wealth in 'The Great Gatsby'?
He is wealthy and despises those who are not.
Correct answer: He isn't wealthy but seems to take comfort in being around those who are.
He isn't wealthy and despises those who are.
He is wealthy and loves being surrounded by other wealthy people.

Additional material

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