EXPLORE THE VIEW THAT THE 'EYES OF T.J.ECKLEBURG' IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SYMBOL WITHIN THE NOVEL.
Remember to include in your answer relevant analysis of Fitzgerald's authorial methods.
or
Explore the view that the 'Valley of Ashes' is the most significant symbol within the novel.....
or
Explore the view that the motor vehicle is the most significant symbol within the novel......
or
Explore the view that the colour green is the most significant symbol within the novel....
or
Explore the view that Gatsby's House is the most significant symbol within the novel...
YOU decide which key symbol you would like to be the focus of the essay question and produce a THREE PARAGRAPH and CONCLUSION response. If some students are feeling a but intellectually 'frisky', produce four paragraphs and a conclusion and we can use this essay as a significant revision resource.
Potential essay structure for the 'Eyes of T.J.Eckleburg' question focus:
The eyes are incredibly significant as they link to George Wilson's comments. See the handout that I gave the class today. When Wilson states that 'God sees Everything' when he is staring at an advertisement, he allows Fitzgerald to present one of his key ideas. The absence of a moral and religious framework within the novel is a deliberate omission. Wilson mistakes a feature of consumerism for religious iconography and many critics believe that this moment allows Fitzgerald to suggest that religious faith has been replaced by a faith in consumerism and the pursuit of financial gain. Christian attributes such as forgiveness and empathy have been replaced by the idea that the purpose of life is to consume products and make money. This ethos of greed inspires moral chaos. It is at this point in the critical paragraph that reference needs to be made to the views of Father Barron. See link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLSVx84uPrY
Barron states that this film is 'a sermon' and argues that this is a very moral novel. He refers to Gertrude Stein's view that this is the 'Lost Generation' and that the post-war world was dealing with the 'collapse of meaning.' There is a lot of detail in this resource that you can use to shape the final third of the paragraph. Barron describes Fitzgerald as 'a clear eyed moralist that preaches a very good sermon that is still worth hearing.' Author's aim???
The second paragraph could deal with the symbolic significance of Gatsby's House. The evolution of this symbol seems to reflect the movement of Gatsby's dream from optimism to the death of his obsessive dream. Gatsby's house is vibrant and full of human energy as he attempts to gain Daisy's attention but when the dream is dead the house is described as being dark and 'having an inexplicable amount of dust everywhere'. In the final pages the house is described as being 'an incoherent failure of a house'. Perhaps Fitzgerald's aim is to attack the myth of the American Dream as Gatsby's dream of social mobility results in his death. He can never escape the fact that he is 'Jimmy Gatz' from 'Minnesota'. He attempts to reinvent himself completely but he can never escape his past. In some respects his dream of escape is similar to Myrtle's as both characters receive the same fate and seem to be unable to escape the Valley of Ashes. They are both chasing a lie; the lie that wealth will bring happiness, and they both perish. The evolution of Gatsby's house as a symbol could be compared to the changing significance of the colour green as the 'green light' of hope at the end of Daisy's dock becomes the 'light green' of the 'death car.' Fitzgerald could be presenting the view that the American Dream of social mobility is impossible in this polarised world of rich and poor.
The third paragraph could deal with the symbolic significance of the motor vehicle....YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. SHOW ME YOU WERE LISTENING.
The conclusion needs to consider the novel through the filter of tragedy.
Students have a mass of exemplar material and we have been considering the significance of symbolism for two weeks. I expect the essays to be detailed and to confront all the assessment objectives. THIS IS A BIG ESSAY.
HOMEWORK: COMPLETE ESSAY FOR MONDAY'S LESSON. Send me an email if you complete the essay before Saturday and I will try and mark the essay before Monday's session. Any problems...drop me a line.
Tally Ho Old Sports!!
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