Writing Assignment
for The Great Gatsby DUE: Monday, February 10
I. Task: Using the
multi-paragraph format, you will write a character analysis of a character from
The Great Gatsby, including: Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Tom Buchanan,
Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, George Wilson, and Myrtle Wilson.
The major character
trait you have chosen for subject will be your central idea. We will brainstorm
many of these in class, including, but not limited to: insecurity, fearfulness,
timidity, introversion, self-loathing, to confidence, ego, braveness, etc. It
is imperative that you learn everything possible about your character
and how they relate to specific circumstances or individuals to write a
complete analysis. There are two methods in which you can organize the support
from the text you will use to develop your body paragraphs.
A. OPTION ONE includes grouping the detail and support from the text you wish to use within the methods of character revelation from the text. These would then become the subtopics of your body paragraphs and you would group your support within these topics.
|
v appearance v
speech (what the character says) v
opinions of
others on the character (what
others say about the character) v thoughts v actions v
reactions of
the character (to others or
situations) |
v
reactions of
others to the character v
aspects of
setting which influence the
character v
narratorial
comments (The narrator
sometimes comments on the character directly or supplies information about
the character's past) |
–– OR ––
B. If you feel the above categories are too limiting, and you do not want to isolate just one method of character revelation in a particular scene, you can formulate your body paragraphs about entire scenes which you feel impact your character, in the form of OPTION TWO. If you prefer, you may use an alternative method of organization in which you explain how the dynamics of the entire scene show the character trait surfacing. This allows you to use all the methods of character revelation at work in the scene without being forced to isolate one particular method. Added to this use of scene as a method of organization you can even include select images or even add one of the above isolated categories, such as comments by the narrator. This allows you to use shorter topics such as particularly powerful images or visual descriptions of the character as a tool to supplement your explanation of a longer scene.
II. Form for your essay: Your
essay needs an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
A. Your introduction: A good
introduction attracts the reader's attention, includes basic information about
the novel, states the central idea of your essay, and provides direction for
the reader as to how you will go about developing your essay.
1.
You need to create a
lead-in, which attracts the reader's attention and sparks interest, a desire to
read your essay.
2. After presenting a general lead-in to your
central idea, you must make the transition to the use of this idea in your
essay.
You must include
v
the name of the
novel and the author
v
your central idea
(the character trait you see surfacing in your character)
v
a thesis
statement: (It lets the reader know the nature and order of
your subtopics of development. It is important to include it because it does
serve a purpose and tends to keep the inexperienced writer on topic and
organized).
B. Body Paragraphs:
These develop the subtopics you have chosen to demonstrate the character trait.
Whichever type of organization you have chosen -- grouping according to the
methods of character revelation or by scene or by some combination-- each body
paragraph should have a clear topic sentence, so that a method of organization
is evident. Each should use clear and accurate detail from the text. You need
to explain what is happening in the scene and who is involved, creating context
for your example. Remember, if you are using methods of character revelation as
an organizing tool and are only focusing one method of character revelation
from the scene, you still need to give detail about the scene involved, who is present
and what is happening. With either method of organization, you also need to
interpret detail to shape it to your point, having the character trait
surface. You should use at least TWO
properly presented and documented quotation in your body paragraphs.
C. Conclusion:
Consider speculating upon the possible consequences of what you have shown
you’re your character. It would be interesting to see how accurate you might
be. OR you could explain how the trait and the impact of what you have
shown relates to a context outside the novel, your own life or the world about
you.
Writing the
lead-in for your essay
You could speculate on the
nature of the trait you pose:
Most of us feel insecure at times or in certain situations. We may feel uncomfortable when meeting new people or when the spotlight of a moment is turned upon us. We feel vulnerable, isolated. However, for most of these are only moments in life and not the usual environment in which we live. The moments end. We regain our sense security and self.
You could pose a question for
the reader and then proceed to answer it:
When was the last time you felt fear? Maybe you were afraid of being punished for something you had done or maybe a situation at school suddenly erupted into violence and you felt that flash, that bolt of fear down your spine. Fear is a natural response to a tense situation or potential danger; however, when it becomes a general reaction to the world around you, perhaps something is very wrong.
You could create a brief scene for the reader, which shows the power of the trait on an individual: When I was twelve I remember an argument my parents had. I do not remember all the details or the issues involved. I only remember the impact of insecurity it produced as I watched that which I considered my world, my family, falling away.
Example
Introduction from Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye:
When I was twelve I remember an argument
my parents had. I do not remember all the details or the issues involved. I
only remember the impact of insecurity it produced as I watched that which I
considered my world, my family, falling away. In my mind I see brief yet
hurtful images -- my mother, drunken
and angry, storming away into the night, threatening to take the car and leave;
A memory of my father, letting the air out of the tires of the family car;
Screaming voices finally cutting a path to sleep as I become too exhausted to
follow the aftermath of the argument I do not understand; my father telling me
to change the car tire in the morning and me feeling that that is not really
enough to fix the family. This distant memory was a first taste of insecurity
for me, a brief earthquake that roared through the stability of my family. In The
Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Pecola, a young girl who briefly touches the
life the narrator, Claudia, is depicted as a girl devastatingly insecure about
her place in the world. Several scenes involving both her family and those she
encounters outside her family illustrate this young girl's overwhelming sense
of insecurity.