Gatsby
Gatsby is described as standing on the shore, reaching toward the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. What does the green light most likely symbolize in the novel?
The American Dream
What does the term "Renaissance" mean?
Rebirth or renewal!
Beneatha often calls George Murchison an assimilationist when she is arguing with him. In this context, "assimilationist" most nearly means:
Someone who adopts the customs of another culture rather than preserving their own.
How many Grandfather's Teachings were there?
Seven.
Write an in-text citation for page 12 from The Great Gatsby. (Remember to add punctuation too!)
(Fitzgerald 12).
In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway describes Gatsby as having an “extraordinary gift for hope.” How does this statement characterize Gatsby?
It characterizes Gatsby as a dreamer and an optimist for the future.
When Langston Hughes refers to a "dream deferred", what does the word "deferred" mean?
Put on hold.
Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun takes its name from a line in Langston Hughes’s “Harlem” poem. Why might it be important for readers to know this information?
The play continues the conversations and works started by Langston Hughes.
Who sacrificed themselves to bring earth back from the bottom of the ocean in "The World on the Turtle's Back"?
The Muskrat
What goes in the first four lines of your MLA-style paper?
Your name
Teacher's name
Class name
Date (29 May 2026)
Gatsby throws lavish parties but rarely participates in them. What literary device does this situation best illustrate?
Irony - he's an introvert who constantly throws parties to meet other people, which is the opposite of what we would expect.
Langston Hughes often used his identity as a ___________ individual as inspiration for his writing.
Mixed-race
In A Raisin in the Sun, what motivates Walter to initially invest in the liquor store business?
He sees the liquor store as the only real option to break the family out of the cycle of poverty they find themselves in.
What is the name of the protagonist in "Borders"?
Trick question: we never learn their name!
Grammar review: what is an independent clause?
A complete thought within a sentence that doesn't need to be attached to anything else.
Example: "Mr. Kisse doesn't struggle with connecting with students."
Gatsby’s “blue gardens” are filled with guests who come and go like moths. What does the color blue in this context symbolize?
Gatsby's loneliness and sadness that he tries to hide behind his wealth and luxurious lifestyle.
What was the goal of the Harlem Renaissance?
To create a new cultural identity for African Americans.
What literary device would we consider Mama's plant to be?
A symbol (of the family's stunted growth)
What does it symbolize that the Right-Handed Twin lied, while the Left-Handed Twin told the truth in "The World on the Turtle's Back"?
That good and evil exist in all people - no one is all one or all the other.
Grammar review: what is a dependent clause?
An incomplete thought that needs to be attached to another to make sense.
Example: "because he's a pretty silly guy."
In The Great Gatsby, Daisy’s voice is described as being “full of money.” What does this description symbolize?
The superficial way that men view women, and the social allure that defines her character!
During what decades did the Harlem Renaissance take place?
The 1920's and 1930's.
What are three possible meanings behind George Murchison's "prometheus" insult?
1. George uses white culture to insult another black man.
2. Walter Lee isn't educated enough to understand the insult.
3. George is saying Walter Lee is destined to suffer.
4. George is poking fun at Walter Lee's liquor store plan by referencing the liver.
5. George is foreshadowing that Walter Lee's ambitions are only going to backfire on him and others.
Why did Mel tip off the news stations about the protagonist and their mother's struggles at the border?
To put pressure on the police departments to acknowledge and adhere to their Native citizenship.
What do you call a sentence with both an independent and a dependent clause?
A complex sentence.