Here are the topics we will be discussing in Socratic seminar style. You should be prepared to discuss all four of them -- and, you will be graded on your part in each discussion. You will then choose one of the four as the subject of 2-3 page essay over vacation, supporting your point of view with quotes from the text.
1. Tom Armstrong, a literary critic, wrote in the magazine Zen Unbound: "It is easy to dislike Tom and identify him as the villain of the book...But Tom clearly is trapped by his unhappiness and dissatisfaction with life. He is blocked in his spiritual development by the very success he has over others. And for that, despite everything, he should have our sympathy." Do you agree with Armstrong's opinion. Do you think Fitzgerald provides enough motivation to allow the reader to be sympathetic towards Tom? Support your assertions with quotes from the text. (Think especially about chapter 7).
2. Again, in the article Zen Unbound, Armstrong writes of Daisy that "delusion is her shield, her warm fur coat; but this should not be taken to mean that we must view her as a bad person." Do you agree or disagree with this statement.
3. A writer once said: "We cannot judge people from their actions; it is from their careless conversations and half-finished sentences that we may hope with the greatest probability to discover people's real characters." Use this quote as your thesis statement and discuss how the seemingly meaningless comments and half-finished sentences in The Great Gatsby reveal character.
4. George's delusions about the billboard being God leads him to the fateful act of Chapter 8. But what was Fitzgerald's real purpose and meaning for the billboard advertising T.J. Eckleberg's services. What does this billboard symbolize? Support your assertion with quotes from the text.
5. In the same article, Tom Armstrong suggests that Nick and Mr. McKee had a sexual encounter at the end of the party in Chapter 2. What do you think? And if you think they did, what purpose would this serve in the scheme of the novel? Support your assertions with quotes from the text.
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