I started reading Chapter One of Gatsby today, and I had forgotten how difficult it was to get through the first two pages. Maybe I skipped over it when I read it the first time around many moons ago because it was simply too confusing. I can better understand now why students would be quick to give up on the reading if it was simply assigned as an individual endeavor. I really value in class reading, where the teacher can model the tone of the narrator in the beginning and allow students to take over. Reading the first few chapters of the NCTE book helped me to realize how very important it is to provide students with enough background of the time period information using a variety of modes to create a jumping point into the text. When you already have some of this knowledge under your belt, when it is encountered in the text, it will be a little less daunting, allowing you to focus on the bigger ideas being conveyed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I remember having a similar experience when reading the first few pages of Gatsby in high school. I’m still not sure if I just wasn’t mature enough to understand the context of the story, or if I just wasn’t interested in reading it, period. What I do know, however, is when I read the novel again in college, a certain professor shined a completely spectacular light on themes and issues I had completely missed the first time around. So I completely agree with Nicole, that as a student, I too value when teachers model the tone of the narrator. This college professor had done that and so much more, and that really made me love Gatsby. Even today after a few years of being in his class, I still remember the discussions, I still have my notes, and I still love the novel.
Nicole:
As I read Gatsby again, i note how my perspective as a reader has changed with time. The previous notes that had been written in the margins are faded, and as I look at them I wonder: Why on earth did I highlight this passage? Why did I think this was important? And I keep in mind that I already know where this plot is going (though at times I am awestuck at how much I have forgotten over the years), though I am reading the subtleties of dialogue and relationships differently now, whereas during my first read I was looking for any insights that would help me make sense of the characters and plot as a first time reader.
Also, the recurring symbol of the eyes is very prevalent, but what I noticed as I was looking at the cover of my book is that the looming eyes in the sky have tiny bodies painted in them. If you have the same version of the text as I, the one with the preface by Matthew J. Bruccoli, check out the cover. Is this somehow related to the text so far? Is the face on the cover supposed to be Daisy? Just an idea to think about.
Nicole:
Tom is represented in a most unflattering light from the first time we meet him. Our narrator describes the arrogant nature of Tom's eyes, and Tom's body is described as "a body capable of enormous leverage--a cruel body." His voice is "gruff" and "husky" and his "paternal contempt" allows the reader to establish an early opinion of Tom in the text. We also learn that Tom has been involved with other women since early on in his marriage, including the one who breaks her arm in the car crash and Myrtle. Every woman Tom is associated with is physically injured by him: the woman in the car breaks an arm, Daisy accuses him of being the reason for her bruised hand, and Tom breaks Myrtle's nose in front of many onlookers.
With this kind of track record, we have to ask, why is Daisy still with him? Both the narrator, Nick, and the "incurably" deceitful Jordan Baker raise this question. Tom has invented the lie that he doesn't leave Daisy because she is Catholic. And Daisy says that her marriage has led to her self-proclaimed cynical nature, hoping her baby girl will grow to be a fool so that she doesn't see all the cruelties of the world in which she will be raised in. So, what is the real reason Daisy and Tom remain together? Is there the stigma of divorce during this era? I don't know the answer because I haven't gotten that far in the text yet, but do you have any thoughts on the matter?
Nicole, you ask an insightful question at the end of your latest post regarding Tom and Daisy’s relationship. By no means do I think I have the answer, but I have some ideas I'd like to share. First, I think Daisy thrives on the fact that any real type of relationship with Gatsby is unattainable, and this is mostly due to the sanctity of her catholic marriage and Gatsby’s avant-garde life style. Therefore, this idea that their relationship will never truly be makes their affair that much more passionate. Also, I feel that Daisy feels fear when faced with the idea of leaving Tom. Even though I feel she recognizes his various arrogances and faults and at points seems even depressed by his behavior, she may like the idea of a disconnected marriage, as this requires little or no maintenance on her part.
I guess I consider The Great Gatsby to be one of my favorite books. I haven't actually sat down and read it since high school. I'll go back and look at parts from time to time. Maybe I am afraid of ruining my initial experience with it. I feel that now especially I will be forced to look at it from a different perspective. These past two years of graduate work have opened my mind to new ways of critical analysis. I will certainly be looking at the text with class structure as the basis of my thinking. The beginning of the book is one section that I have read more than a few times. I just like the way it sounds in the very beginning. A professorial voice reads it to me in my head every time I look at it.
Daisy's relationship with Tom can be frustrating. Tom reminds me of Biff fro the Back to the Future movies. He solves his problems by hitting people, and he is very easy to hate as a character. I think the fact that Daisy stays with her says a lot about her character as well. She is not all that Gatsby has her dreamed up to be.
Ok, so I never read this novel before so it has been hard to find the time to read it but I am getting through it. I apologize for not posting sooner. One thing that I do remember when hearing about this novel is the American Dream. I think this novel maybe could fit in a larger unit about the American Dream. We could have a guiding thematic question, such as what is the American dream to you? Or something like that. I will get more into my reading but I was just thinking on the larger scale how one could teach this. I think having that as a unit theme could help to incorporate different types of texts as well. And could culminate to an interesting film project. Alright, I am sort of rambling, just a few initial thoughts. I suppose I should finish reading the book first though. :)
Brian:
I am loving this book again. I personally enjoy Fitzgerald's style of writing. I am not sure what it is really. Maybe I just like Nick as the narrator. I bought the audio version for my ipod. I found it is a great way to catch up on reading while driving. Perhaps someday students will be in trouble for NOT having their ipod out in the classroom.
I like the connections made in the youtube videos. I forgot how much violence and death is present throughout this text. Tom's violence towards Myrtle and his breaking her nose could be a very worthy topic of discussion. I think that talking about relationships would be a good way to hook students into this text. One could talk about the way women are portrayed and treated in the book, and analyze Gatsby's attraction to Daisy.
Post a Comment