Welcome to West Egg: Becoming the Perfect Citizen in Gatsby’s
World
|
|
Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion |
Introduction
Welcome
to West Egg! You and your family have made a wise decision moving here and we
are glad to welcome you into our neighborhood. It is important, however, that
you know the history of our area and those people who are a part of it, seeing
as how we all here just love to have parties and it’s best to throw a party for
people when you know who and with what they interact well with. It is our hope
that you will become one of our best citizens here in West Egg and we look
forward to your upcoming housewarming…you are having a housewarming aren’t you?
Task
You and your group will be responsible for putting together a
presentation as though you were family moving into West Egg in the 1920s. It
will include who you are, what your lives are like before/after moving into
West Egg, as well as character descriptions from the novel as an aide on how to
act and interpret your fellow residents of
- Your role: Resident of
West Egg
- Your mission: To find out
what the real-life equivalent of West Egg would be and what the
characteristics of the "perfect resident" would be
- Your goal: To portray
yourself as the perfect citizen and be well informed about your new home
town and the people in it.
- Identify the key
characteristics of the physicality of the area in which you will be
living.
- Analyze characters from
the novel who will be living in West Egg with you
and give descriptions of their personalities and ties.
Process
You and your four group members will each
have jobs assigned to you for your role to play in the research and
presentation. Each job has three specific things that must be accomplished in
order to fully complete your role.
- Detective – Your role
will be to investigate the other residents of both West and East Egg. You
will need this information in order to become a successful member of the society
in that you do knot want to be surprised or offensive when attending any
social gathering or perhaps calling upon any of the other residents in
West or East Egg.
Create a specific character analysis of all the characters in the novel.
List best/worst qualities of each.
Describe any relationships they might have with other characters and how that could affect the family’s interactions with these characters.
- Social Director – Your
job is to decide what events would be important for the family to host/attend
in the community. What are some of the more important social structural
elements and ideals held by the residents of the
What are the pastimes the family engages in?
List the events that they will attend/host and their importance.
Display any pictures/descriptions of country clubs or social areas they will attend.
- Etiquette Coach – What is
the proper way for the family to behave in these new surroundings? How
should the family portray themselves in order to be considered ideal
citizens? What are the important characteristics to display in order for
the family to be liked/respected?
What characteristics make the ideal citizen?
How does the family need to act in order to earn respect or at least tolerance from the rest of the residents?
Describe the attitudes and actions of the family during their everyday lives and during social events.
- Real Estate Agent – It
is your job to find a home for the family to live in, that would be a
respectable home for West Egg. Take into consideration what pieces of art
and other details that should be included in the house of a newly wealthy
family of the 1920s.
Research the
Describe the physicality of the
Display pictures and descriptions of the house the family will live in and what will be inside it as far as culture is concerned.
- Historian – Your job is
to create a family history. How did the family come across the money to
move to West Egg? How have their lives changed since the move/money? Who
are they and who do they know?
Create a story for how the family came into "new money".
Describe who the family was beforehand, and who they have become since gaining the wealth.
Give a "who’s who" list of who the fictitious family might know of importance to the residents.
Resources
Full online text.
Offers not only character
analysis and setting descriptions, but also literary critiques.
A look at all things
Offers an extensive history on
the decade of Gatsby: the 1920s.
Offers a look at the art and culture available in the 1920s.
A look at the real estate
available in
Evaluation
|
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Score |
|
Research Materials shared with group |
Information presented from research is vague and general and of little use to the group. (0-1 point) |
Information presented from research is appropriate and requires little revision by the group. (2-4 points) |
Information presented from research is appropriate, specific and is ready to use by the group. (5 points) |
|
|
Completion of Role |
Research shows nothing
significantly relating to three points assigned. (0-1 point) |
Research shows (2-4 points) |
Research completed is
diverse and wide-ranging, covering all aspects of the topic. (5 points) |
|
|
Design |
No graphics or poor use
of them. Color is lacking and there is
nothing really eye catching. (0-1 point) |
Appropriate use of graphics
and/or color. May not always be
relatable to material. (2-4 points) |
Excellent use of color
and graphics. All are applicable to
material and help support presentation. (5 points) |
|
|
Grasp of Material |
Shows little or no understanding of the book and the assignment. (0-1 point) |
Shows adequate
knowledge on book and assignment, although ideas may still be unclear. (2-4 points) |
Shows strong grasp of the book and assignment. Makes insightful deductions and inferences. (5 points) |
|
|
Presentation |
Boring presentation,
not well prepared or rehearsed. Makes many mistakes. (0-1 point) |
Knows the material and presents it well, but lacking extras to make it interesting or fun. (2-4 points) |
Presents well.
Excellent grasp of the material and presentation was exciting and/or fun to
watch/ participate in. (5 points) |
|
Conclusion
Congratulations! You are now model citizens of West Egg! Hopefully your
journey into the "new money" has enlightened you to the social and
emotional aspects of this culture and the people in it, as well as given you
new insight into the lives and motivations of the characters in Fitzgerald’s The
Great Gatsby.
Last revised:
Questions?
Comments? Concerns? E-mail me