Tragic Gatsby
Subject: English III
Topic: Gatsby as a Tragedy
Title of Lesson: “Tragic Gatsby”
Objectives:
Students will:
1. Categorize and classify The Great Gatsby into a specific literary genre (RL 11-12 #5).
2. Apply the basic plot structure of a tragedy to The Great Gatsby (W 11-12 #9).
Purpose:
Thinking about Gatsby as a tragedy should be beneficial for the students because it will combine the novel’s plot with tragic elements, with which the students should already be familiar. This is useful not only as a review exercise, but also as a way to hopefully illuminate the purpose of several key scenes/moments in the novel.
Materials:
The Great Gatsby
“Gatsby as Tragedy” handout
Laptop/tablet
Procedures:
Procedures for Introducing the Lesson:
To begin the lesson, the student’s will complete a bell-ringer in which they answer the following question: “Into which genre (drama, romance, action-adventure, comedy, tragedy, etc.) would you place Gatsby. Why?” We will then discuss as a group. (10 minutes).
Procedures for Developing the Lesson:
Following discussion of the bell-ringer, I will position Gatsby as a tragedy and hand out the “Gatsby as Tragedy Handout,” on which the students will work for approximately an hour (60 minutes.)
Procedures for Concluding the Lesson:
After the students have had time to complete the assignment, I will have each group project their chart on the board. This will allow the class to compare and contrast the different lists. I will give the students the ability to challenge any scene placed into a stage, which would prompt a group to justify their answer (20 minutes).
Evaluating/Assessing the Learning:
During the lesson: Each student will receive a + or – for their daily grade based on participation in the group activity.
After the lesson: The “Gatsby as Tragedy” assignment will be graded as indicated on the handout.
Gatsby as Tragedy Assignment
In his 2005 book The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, Christopher Booker argues that all stories can be placed into one of seven basic plots, of which tragedy is one. According to Booker, all tragedies follow the same basic plot structure:
Anticipation Stage: The call to adventure, and the promise of what is to come. Often driven by greed or selfishness.
Dream Stage: protagonist experiences some initial success - everything seems to be going well, sometimes with a dreamlike sense of invincibility.
Frustration Stage: First confrontation with the real enemy. Things begin to go wrong.
Nightmare Stage: At the point of maximum dramatic tension, disaster has erupted and it seems all hope is lost.
Destruction or Death Wish Stage: The protagonist, completely beaten down by failure or tragedy, either dies or wishes for death.
In groups of four, you will organize The Great Gatsby’s plot so that it fits Booker’s pattern. For each stage, your group will write a one paragraph rationale explaining and defending your choice of scenes/moments from the novel. For the second part, your group will include a flowchart created using Dabbleboard that will show the flow of the plot from Anticipation to Destruction.
You will be graded based on your rationales and explanation (up to a possible 18 points a piece) and the clarity of your flowchart (10 points).
Subject: English III
Topic: Gatsby as a Tragedy
Title of Lesson: “Tragic Gatsby”
Objectives:
Students will:
1. Categorize and classify The Great Gatsby into a specific literary genre (RL 11-12 #5).
2. Apply the basic plot structure of a tragedy to The Great Gatsby (W 11-12 #9).
Purpose:
Thinking about Gatsby as a tragedy should be beneficial for the students because it will combine the novel’s plot with tragic elements, with which the students should already be familiar. This is useful not only as a review exercise, but also as a way to hopefully illuminate the purpose of several key scenes/moments in the novel.
Materials:
The Great Gatsby
“Gatsby as Tragedy” handout
Laptop/tablet
Procedures:
Procedures for Introducing the Lesson:
To begin the lesson, the student’s will complete a bell-ringer in which they answer the following question: “Into which genre (drama, romance, action-adventure, comedy, tragedy, etc.) would you place Gatsby. Why?” We will then discuss as a group. (10 minutes).
Procedures for Developing the Lesson:
Following discussion of the bell-ringer, I will position Gatsby as a tragedy and hand out the “Gatsby as Tragedy Handout,” on which the students will work for approximately an hour (60 minutes.)
Procedures for Concluding the Lesson:
After the students have had time to complete the assignment, I will have each group project their chart on the board. This will allow the class to compare and contrast the different lists. I will give the students the ability to challenge any scene placed into a stage, which would prompt a group to justify their answer (20 minutes).
Evaluating/Assessing the Learning:
During the lesson: Each student will receive a + or – for their daily grade based on participation in the group activity.
After the lesson: The “Gatsby as Tragedy” assignment will be graded as indicated on the handout.
Gatsby as Tragedy Assignment
In his 2005 book The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, Christopher Booker argues that all stories can be placed into one of seven basic plots, of which tragedy is one. According to Booker, all tragedies follow the same basic plot structure:
Anticipation Stage: The call to adventure, and the promise of what is to come. Often driven by greed or selfishness.
Dream Stage: protagonist experiences some initial success - everything seems to be going well, sometimes with a dreamlike sense of invincibility.
Frustration Stage: First confrontation with the real enemy. Things begin to go wrong.
Nightmare Stage: At the point of maximum dramatic tension, disaster has erupted and it seems all hope is lost.
Destruction or Death Wish Stage: The protagonist, completely beaten down by failure or tragedy, either dies or wishes for death.
In groups of four, you will organize The Great Gatsby’s plot so that it fits Booker’s pattern. For each stage, your group will write a one paragraph rationale explaining and defending your choice of scenes/moments from the novel. For the second part, your group will include a flowchart created using Dabbleboard that will show the flow of the plot from Anticipation to Destruction.
You will be graded based on your rationales and explanation (up to a possible 18 points a piece) and the clarity of your flowchart (10 points).