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Lesson 6

In light of our examination of the American Dream and character as they relate to The Great Gatsby, we will examine how the novel depicts people from other racial or ethnic backgrounds than those of the main characters and Fitzgerald himself. We will then read and analyze an opposed view of race in America written by African American poet Langston Hughes.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I analyze and evaluate the tone of descriptions in the novel that reflect a judgmental attitude toward other races and ethnic groups?

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas of the Hughes poem?

  • Can I recognize points of connection between the ideas and perspectives in The Great Gatsby and the Hughes poem to make logical, objective comparisons?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Scribner, 1925
  • Unit Reader
    • “I, Too,” excerpt from The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, Langston Hughes, Estate of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC., 1994

Materials

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will read and analyze Nick’s descriptions and other evidence from the novel that suggest a judgmental attitude toward other races and ethnic groups.

As a class, discuss whether you think the American Dream is equally available to all people—as de Tocqueville seems to have suggested. Reference The Great Gatsby as you discuss this issue, thinking about how the novel contrasts characters who are “haves” (Tom, Daisy) with those who are “have-nots” (George, Myrtle).

With a reading partner, turn to pages 68-69 and reread the passage from the novel beginning with “Over the great bridge” and ending with “without any particular wonder.” Discuss the following questions:

  1. What is the tone of Nick's language as he describes his sighting of “a dead man” passing in a hearse and the entourage that follows?

  2. How does his description suggest his views about the people he observes?

Compare your responses with those of another pair. Discuss how you feel about the depictions of other ethnic groups and races by Nick.

  1. What thoughts and feelings did you have while reading the passages?

  2. What do these references suggest about the setting and themes of the novel?

Activity 2: Discuss

We will read and discuss Langston Hughes’ 1926 poem “I, Too,” as we continue to discuss racial attitudes in the 1920s and in the novel.

In small groups, choose one group member to read Langston Hughes’ 1926 poem “I, Too” aloud. As a group, discuss the following questions:

  1. Which words and phrases stand out as powerful or important?

  2. What does the language cause you to see or feel?

  3. Who is telling the story or providing the voice in the poem? Is the “darker brother” the poet himself, or someone else?

  4. What do you see as the central idea or theme of the poem?

  5. How do the poem’s theme or themes relate to what you know about human experience, society, or history?

  6. How does the perspective of the voice in the poem compare to Nick’s perspective in The Great Gatsby? How does the tone of the poem’s language compare to the tone of Nick’s descriptions?

Share your group’s thoughts about the poem, its themes, and its tone with the whole class.