Gatsby+Phishbowl


 * = **Date and Chapter of Phishbowl** ||= **Names of Leaders** ||= **Questions for Phishbowl (at least ten) Keep all questions in one cell for clarity** ||
 * = Monday, April 18th, Chapter 4 ||= Taylor ||= Question 1: What significance does the green light have to Gatsby in relation to the story that Jordan told Nick? Does it symbolize something more than Gatsby's desire for Daisy? ||
 * =  ||=   ||= Question 2: What is significant about the two Gatsby's that Nick sees: the lovesick, #|lonely soldier that Jordan told Nick about, and the corrupt businessman that Nick suspects him to be? ||
 * =  ||=   ||= Question 3: What is significant about Nick needing physical evidence to believe Gatsby's stories? Is it more telling of Nick or Gatsby's character? ||
 * =  ||= Chloe ||= Question 4: Throughout the text Gatsby refers to Nick as "old sport". Is this a nickname/ term of endearment or a subtle way of establishing the power and social differences between Gatsby and Nick? ||
 * ||  || Question 5: When Gatsby tells Nick about his past and how he tried very hard to get killed during the war he shows his want to escape reality in #|order to not #|face his disappointing past. Does this connect to society in the 1920's and modernist beliefs? If so what other texts that we've read through out the year can connect with this focus? ||
 * ||  || Question 6: Nick shows forms of racism and stereotyping like when he laughs at the negroes on page 69 as well as describing Mr. Wolfsheim, also on page 69. Does this attitude allow him to establish power to others or is it a way of showing his insecurity when he is around Gatsby? ||
 * ||  || Question 7: When Nick says to Gatsby, "I don't like mysteries" (70) is it because by not knowing the affairs that concern him allows him to not be able to control his fate? How do you think this links into people who lived and thrived in the twenties, after the war especially? Does this fear still #|apply to modern society? ||
 * || Nate || Question 8: How do you see humanization and glorification of Gatsby by Nick reflecting the social standards and priorities of the "roaring 20's"? ||
 * ||  || Question 9: How do the themes from the previous question connect with the life of Fitzgerald as we learned from the video? ||
 * ||  || Question 10: How do Nick and Jordan's relationship differ from pre-war relationships and what does this tell us about Fitzgerald's view of society's antics? ||
 * Tuesday, April 19th; chapter five || Sydney || 1. Nick says that “Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry” (93). I found this to be an extremely interesting statement because serfs are slaves while Webster’s defines peasants as farm laborers **OR** boorish, ignorant people. What is the purpose of Nick saying this? Does it still reflect society/government/mentality today? ||
 * ||  || 2. When talking to Nick after tea, Gatsby informs him that he was in the drug trade but is no longer, then shortly after Gatsby informs Daisy that he always keeps his house full of “interesting people… celebrated people” (96). Do you think he brings in “celebrated people” because he himself does not feel significant or “celebrated” because of his past? ||
 * ||  || 3. Most of the characters are scantly described through the #|book, think about it, the reader doesn't even know the narrator until near the end of the first chapter. Why do you think Fitzgerald chose to do this? Does it have anything to do with the plot or story as a whole? ||
 * || Lauren || 4. Consider the color motif of white throughout this chapter (ex. who is wearing white, what is white, etc). Does Fitzgerald subvert or promote the archetype of white? What does Fitzgerald tell us by his promotion/subversion in relationship to theme or conflict?
 * || Lauren || 4. Consider the color motif of white throughout this chapter (ex. who is wearing white, what is white, etc). Does Fitzgerald subvert or promote the archetype of white? What does Fitzgerald tell us by his promotion/subversion in relationship to theme or conflict?

5. Consider this #|quote on pg 95: "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of [Gatsby's] dreams--not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." How does this quote reflect the mindset and societal state of the 1920s?

6. Track Gatsby's emotional condition throughout the chapter. What does his internal conflict tell us about human nature/tendancies?

7. What significance does rain have as a symbol in relationship to the conflict between Gatsby and Daisy? || April 22nd; Chapter 8 || Margot || **Question 1:** Consider page 149 – “he was at present a penniless young man without a past, and at any moment the invisible cloak of his uniform might slip from his shoulders.” What other characters wear an “invisible cloak”? How can that be applied to society in the 1920s?
 * || Adam || 8. On page 82, Gatsby states "I want to get the grass cut", though he is referring to Nick's lawn. Throughout the chapter Gatsby can be seen as trying to impress Daisy with his extravagance. What does this show about the people of the 20's and does this characteristic still apply to modern society? ||
 * ||  || 9. The idea of secrecy is portrayed in near every character in the novel so far. Tom has a mistress and the whole meeting for tea between the three is kept secret. On page 83, Daisy does not even know the "Tom" that Nick is referring to. Why do these characters wish to keep secrets from the rest of the general population? What good do they have for keeping certain things to themselves? ||
 * ||  || 10. The ecstasy that Gatsby faces after talking privately with Daisy is not truely explained. What could have caused such extreme joy for him? ||
 * Wednesday, April 20th; chapter 6 || Evan || **Question 1:** Could Gatsby be seen as the man Fitzgerald wanted and strived to be? ||
 * ||  || **Question 2:** Examining the quote: “Or perhaps I had merely grown used to it, grown to accept West Egg as a world complete in itself, with its own standards and its own great figures, second to nothing because it had no consciousness of being so…” (Page 104) Could this be applied to the entire upper class and how they see themselves today and/or yesterday? ||
 * ||  || **Question 3:** Is there delusion within Gatsby, as in, he makes himself believe that his dreams are what’s happening around him, while that actually isn’t happening. I.e. Daisy and him. ||
 * || Jason || **Question 4:** On page 98 read the quote, "The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself." Why do you think Gatsby would envision himself as such a high-praised person at such a young age? Do you think it has anything to do with Fitzgerald's own conception? ||
 * ||  || **Question 5:** On page 100 it describes Dan Cody's drinking problems, do you think Fitzgerald purposely included this to teach readers about his own problems? ||
 * ||  || **Question 6:** " I'd like to know who he is and what he does..." (referring to Gatsby) "...And I think I'll make a point of finding out." (108) Do you think Tom knows about Daisy and Gatsby and is now trying make Gatsby seem like a thief so Daisy will leave him? ||
 * Friday,


 * Question 2:** The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg are again referenced in the eighth chapter. What is the symbolism behind the eyes? How have your ideas about them changed from the beginning?

**Question 3:** How is Daisy associated with materialism? Does she embody wealth? How does this relate to her relationship with Gatsby? ||
 * || Ruthie || **Question 1:** Why is Gatsby so obsessed with Daisy's love for him in the past rather than the present? What does this tell us about his character?

**Question 2:** Could Daisy and Gatsby's relationship be a reflection of Fitzgerald's many relationships? How are they similar and different from Fitzgerald's life? Why would Fitzgerald portray some of the aspects of his relationships in either Gatsby or Daisy?

**Question 3:** Refer to the quote on page 149: "he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself- that he was fully able to take care of her". How can this be related to Dickenson's "Tell All the Truth but Tell it Slant"? How can this be applied to both the 20's and modern society? ||
 * || Abby || **Question 1:** On page 149, it read, "It excited him [Gatsby], too, that many men had already loved Daisy- it increased her value in his eyes." Is Gatsby in love with Daisy or the idea of being in love wtih her?


 * Question 2:** Throughout the novel, water has made several appearances. Gatsby worked on a boat, lived across a bay from Daisy, and in Chapter 8, went swimming. What is the purpose of the symbol throughout the novel? How does it change meanings in the end?


 * Question 3:** How does Gatsby's death show his humanity? Where did he lose his god-complex, to become a human?


 * Question 4:** On page 154, it says, "It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from the beginning to end." Nick has mentioned numerous times that he doesn't exactly like Gatsby, yet he still remains friends with him. Is this representative of the 1920's and the impersonal friendships they make to protect themselves? Or does Gatsby have some redeeming quality that Nick sees that allows him to keep their friendship. ||

REMEMBER DISCUSSERS: You must choose three to four questions PRIOR TO PHISHBOWL; answer them in your A/P chart. REMEMBER OUTER CIRCLE: If you intend to discuss during phishbowl, you must answer three to four questions in your A/P chart prior to phishbowl.
 * Notes: REMEMBER, LEADERS: You must post all your questions by 9:00 p.m. on the night before your phishbowl. Be certain to reference page numbers, if that is pertinent to your question.