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Lesson 6

We will extend our understanding by reading and discussing another critical interpretation of The Great Gatsby, James Mellard’s essay titled “Counterpoint as Technique in The Great Gatsby.” We will make connections between the ideas presented in this essay and our previous knowledge of the novel.

Lesson Goals

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

  • Can I identify the claims, reasoning, and evidence used to develop arguments and explanations in a literary analysis?

  • Can I evaluate the relevance and credibility of information, ideas, evidence, and reasoning presented in the critical analysis?

  • Can I recognize points of connection among the novel and the four critical analyses to make logical, objective comparisons?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • Central Claims and Conclusions, excerpt from “Counterpoint as Technique in The Great Gatsby,” James M. Mellard, National Council of Teachers of English, 1966
    • “Counterpoint as Technique in The Great Gatsby,” James M. Mellard, National Council of Teachers of English, 1966

Materials

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will identify and discuss the Central Claims and Conclusions of James Mellard’s critical essay, “Counterpoint As Technique In The Great Gatsby.”

As a class, discuss your initial thoughts about James Mellard’s critical analysis of the novel, "Counterpoint as Technique in The Great Gatsby."Use the following questions to guide the discussion:

  1. How does Mellard define his central concept of counterpoint? What are some examples he presents of Fitzgerald’s use of counterpoint in The Great Gatsby?

  2. What initial claims does Mellard make to establish the central position of his essay?

  3. What final claims about Gatsby, Nick, and the American Dream does Mellard make to conclude his essay?

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will closely examine passages from Mellard’s essay that establish his central claims and final conclusions about the novel.

Step 1

Access the text Central Claims and Conclusions from “Counterpoint as Technique in The Great Gatsby,” by James M. Mellard.

As a class, read and annotate the initial three claims made by Mellard about the importance of the technique of counterpoint. Paraphrase what Mellard is saying in the third claim about Nick’s importance in the "initiation story" that he sees as central to the meaning of the novel.

Individually, paraphrase what Mellard is saying in his fourth claim about the novel’s "comment upon the pursuit of the ‘American Dream’."

Step 2

In a reading team of five students, select one of the five concluding sentence claims listed in the handout (so that each member of the team has one of the concluding sentences). For your claim sentence, do the following:

  1. Find and annotate your sentence in the full text of the essay.

  2. Identify and annotate any key words that you might need to define in order to understand the claim. Use context clues or a vocabulary resource to define those words.

  3. Paraphrase what Mellard is saying about the novel and its characters and themes.

  4. Find one or more places in the essay where Mellard presents evidence from the text related to the claim you have examined and paraphrased.

In your reading team, share what each of you has analyzed about one of the essay’s final conclusions, moving from Claim 5 to Claim 9 on the handout.

Develop a summary claim about what your team sees as the central ideas that Mellard argues for in his essay.

Step 3

Compare your team’s claim with summary claims developed by other reading teams. Then perform the following task:

  1. Individually, reread the full essay and find a claim that establishes and explains an example of counterpoint as analyzed by Mellard in developing his interpretation and argument.

In your reading team, share what each of you has identified as an example of Fitzgerald’s use of counterpoint in the novel. Develop a summary of what you think Mellard is saying about Fitzgerald’s use of counterpoint as a literary device.

Share and compare your summary with those of other reading teams.

Activity 3: Discuss – Write

We will discuss the perspective and claims established by Mellard in his literary analysis and argument and relate them to our reading of the novel and to the ideas of the other literary critics.

Step 1

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. Who do you think Mellard views as the central character in the novel, Gatsby or Nick? What evidence from his essay or the novel supports your answer?

  2. How does Mellard’s view of Nick as a character and narrator compare to the views presented by Donaldson and Boyle?

  3. Do you agree or disagree with Mellard’s analysis and perspective on Nick as a central character and reliable narrator?

Step 2

Think about the four essays you have read and the critical analyses presented in each. Determine which of the four comes closest to your own reading of the novel, to your analyses of Nick and Gatsby as characters, and to your understanding of the novel’s commentary on the American Dream. In your Learning Log, write a short explanation of why you best relate to the essay you have chosen.

Activity 4: Write

We will write an analytical paragraph about counterpoint in The Great Gatsby.

For homework, write a paragraph in which you make a claim about what Mellard is saying in his analysis of the novel. Include at least one example of counterpoint that he cites and an explanation of what that example illustrates. Include at least one quotation from the essay, integrated into your discussion of Mellard’s argument.