Gatsby's Figurative Language
Identify the device in: “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”
What is Simile
Fitzgerald often uses first-person narrative through Nick. What specific style of first-person narrative is used?
What is first-person limited?
The green light primarily symbolizes....
What is Gatsby's hope or yearning for Daisy
“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone…”
Who is Nick Carraway
Pick the device used to describe Gatsby’s parties as overwhelming and dreamlike: metaphor or hyperbole?
What is hyperbole
Which stylistic feature does Fitzgerald use when he shifts from detailed physical description to sharp, ironic commentary about a character?
What is tone shift
Identify the symbolic structure that looms over the valley of ashes and suggests a watching presence.
What is the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg
“I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world...”
Who is Daisy Buchanan
Identify the device if the city is described as “breathing” or “watching.”
What is personification
Fitzgerald frequently pairs elegant diction with moral critique when describing characters like Tom and Daisy. Which phrase describes this technique?
What is comparing and contrast
Which recurring setting symbolizes the moral emptiness beneath the glitter of wealth?
What is "The Valley of Ashes"
“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”
Who is Nick Carraway
“This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens...”
Identify the three literary devices
What are simile, imagery, and alliteration
When Fitzgerald small details (e.g., Gatsby’s smile, the green light) several times across scenes to shape reader perception, what stylistic device is he using?
What is repetition
Name the man-made object Gatsby uses to craft his public persona and attract attention from afar.
What is Gatsby's mansion
“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”
Who is Meyer Wolfsheim
“He must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream.”
What is foreshadowing
Fitzgerald uses precise color words (e.g., green, yellow, white) repeatedly to build associations. What stylistic device is this?
What is symbolism
Give the name of the physical object that directly causes Myrtle’s death and later underscores reckless privilege.
“You don’t understand…You’re not going to take care of me, and I can’t stand it.”
Who is Myrtle Wilson