Success: Money and Class

Transitional Power Point into The Great Gatsby and next unit.

A Stark Contrast from Transcendentalism…

Transcendentalism was all about:

- ANTI-CONFORMITY

-SIMPLICITY and SOLITUDE

-ANTI-MATERIALISM

THESE ARE PHILOSOPHIES THAT THE CHARACTERS OF THE GREAT GATSBY COMPLETELY REBEL AGAINST AS “THE LOST GENERATION.”

FAST FORWARD 100 YEARS TO THE 1920s!

Gertrude Stein, a recognized writer,

dubbed this group “The Lost Generation”:

the generation of men and women who came of age during or immediately following World War I –as a result of their war experiences and the social changes of the time. As a result, they became cynical and

without cultural or emotional stability.

What is the “Lost Generation”?

After WWI, many men returning from Europe became disillusioned (frustrated/baffled) by the rampant materialism seen in the United States especially in light of the devastation seen on the battlefields.

Ernest Hemingway & F. Scott Fitzgerald were just two of some popular American writers who chose to stay in Europe.

Authors & Artists of The Lost Generation

The Jazz Age

http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/jazzscene.jpg http://www.ccabr.org/ccahs/k8/reynolds/Jazz_age.gif

The Jazz Age was the period between the end of World War I (the war to end all wars) and the eve of the stock market crash (1917-1929).

This was a time of unprecedented economic growth in the United States and abroad.

This was also a time of political scandals and corruption, which were found in President Harding’s Administration (1921-1923). This mirrors the reckless spending by many in the upper classes.

What is the Jazz Age?

During this time, productivity and wages increased ( ↑ ) and production costs decreased ( ↓ ) due to technological improvements.

Middle and upper class investors bought large amount of stocks (capital raised by companies) on margin (paying for the stock with future stock earnings). Initially, these investors received huge returns on their investments.

All these factors contributed to an extraordinary amount of materialism, which is represented in The Great Gatsby.

United States Economics During the Jazz Age

The Fitzgeralds

F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott and his wife Zelda

http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/ http://www-pe.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/images/

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896

Francis Scott Fitzgerald - - second cousin three times removed from Francis Scott Key

Mother’s family had money – he came from old money

Went to St. Paul Academy (1908), Newman School (1911) and Princeton (1913)

Began writing plays while at St. Paul Academy

Found a mentor at the Newman School

Found himself on academic probation at Princeton and joined the army in 1917

Rejection of first novel in 1918

Background on the Author

Scott meets Zelda in 1918 and they get engaged. He moves to New York in 1919 to make money in order to marry Zelda. However, Zelda breaks off engagement because Scott is still fortuneless.

Rewrites first novel and This Side of Paradise is published later the same year.

Scott and Zelda marry in New York in 1919.

They begin a life of drinking, dancing, and extravagant spending during the 1920s.

Travel to and from Europe over the following years.

Zelda gives birth to daughter Scottie in 1921.

Both fight alcoholism and Scott writes erratically

Writes The Great Gatsby in 1925.

Zelda has the first of her three mental breakdowns in1930. She dies in tragically in 1948, eight years after Scott’s death.

At the time of his death, Scott’s career was considered over and he had been living in obscurity.

Nick Carroway - - the story’s narrator who has the materialistic world thrust upon him; he is in awe and ends in disgust at the close of the novel

Jay Gatsby - - newly rich (new money) and mysterious businessman who wants to be with Daisy

Daisy Buchanan - - Nick’s cousin and the object of Gatsby’s affections (upper class)

Tom Buchanan - - Daisy’s husband who comes from old money and is a brutely insensitive

Jordan Baker – - professional golfer and party girl

Myrtle Wilson - - the married lover of Tom (lower class)

George Wilson - - Myrtle’s gas station husband

Meyer Wolfsheim - - Gatsby’s mysterious business associate who is linked to organized crime

Characters in The Great Gatsby

The decline of the American Dream is the result of material excess and cynicism.

The Upper Class (“Old Money”) bathes in materialism and had little regard for the lower classes or those with recent financial gains (“New Money”).

Social status determines one’s identity.

Themes

Old Money vs. New Money

East Egg

vs.

West Egg:

East=Old $

West=New $

The green light from the Buchanan’s dock in East Egg represents hope for Gatsby. It also “represents the American ideal,” according to Nick.

The Valley of the Ashes: the long stretch of desolate road and undeveloped land between the Eggs and New York City. This represents the long path and the varying struggles between the two classes.

The Eyes: this is the faded painting of an outdoor advertisement billboard on the road in the Valley of the Ashes. This is seen as a symbol of God looking down on them; perhaps judging the specific characters in the novel or American society.

Symbolism in Gatsby

Essential Questions for the Unit

Success: What is the definition of success?

Money: Does money define success?

Class: How does one’s social class define them and is it permanent?

Success

The accomplishment of a purpose.

Example: Educational success (graduation), financial success (financial stability), etc.

Money

The assets, property, and resources owned by someone or something; wealth.

Example: Currency, material objects, land, etc.

Class

A division of a society based on economic and social status.

Example: Lower class, middle class, higher class.

In this unit…

You will explore varying definitions of success.

You will evaluate the importance of money in life.

You will identify the division among social classes and its permanency.

Your assignment for today…

Begin reading Chapters 1-3 of

The Great Gatsby

Venn Diagram due FRIDAY

Winter Break Assignment

(to be assigned Thursday) :

Finish reading The Great Gatsby (Chapters 4-9) and complete dialectical journals