Characters #1
This companion of Nick Carraway is "incurably dishonest".
Jordan Baker
Twyla's childhood friend
Roberta
East Egg is home to ____ money, while West Egg is home to ____ money.
old; new
What happens at Howard Johnson's?
Roberta snubs Twyla; then Twyla asks how Roberta's mother is doing.
Symbolizes the titanic power of dreams; the elusive pull of the American Dream.
The Green Light
Describe the narrative structure of "Recitatif"
Told in 5 acts, linear storytelling, highlights evolving perceptions of their pasts.
The narrator of "Recitatif"
Twyla
This woman is in charge of St. Bonaventure's
Big Bozo
How does Morrison challenge reader perception and bias in "Recitatif"?
By blurring the lines of racial distinction.
What does Gatsby do for work?
He is a bootlegger.
Moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury.
Decadence
Beautiful on the outside but grotesque on the inside; at the end of the day objects only have value if we give it to them.
"Carries her surplus flesh voluptuously"; meets a tragic end.
Myrtle Wilson
Has a rare smile with a quality of eternal reassurance
Jay Gatsby
1. Dinner w/ Tom, Daisy, Nick & Jordan
2. Apartment w/ Tom, Myrtle, Nick, & The McKees
3. Party at Gatsby's Mansion
Who is Dan Cody and why is he important?
Dan Cody was Gatsby's mentor; gave him a job and a taste of wealth.
Both The Great Gatsby and "Recitatif" feature this; another word for an untrustworthy storyteller
unreliable narrator
Toni Morrison combines two storytelling techniques. Name them.
(Hint - genres)
Folktales & Postmodernism
This suspicious character wears human molars as cufflinks.
Meyer Wolfshiem
Claims to have been drunk only twice in his life
Nick Carraway
Describe how Roberta changes throughout the course of "Recitatif".
1. a child who can't read with an overly religious mother
2. a doped up Jimi Hendrix fan
3. a bougie stepmom to 4 who grocery shops in a limo
4. a protestor
Explain the history between Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby.
In The Great Gatsby; this aspect of setting is used to emphasize oppressive force and add a sense of foreboding
Weather (specifically heat/threat of thunderstorm)
In "Recitatif" characters are mostly developed through:
A. Vivid descriptions and narrator reflection
B. Dialogue
Dialogue
This disabled woman works at St. Bonny's
Maggie
A group of teenage girls at St. Bonny's that intimidate the younger girls and bully Maggie
Gar Girls
During his reunion with Daisy, Gatsby knocks over a clock. Why is this significant?
The clock represents time and Gatsby's awkward attempts to recreate the past.
What happens to Myrtle Wilson?
She is run over by Daisy and Gatsby
An advertisement on a billboard near Wilson’s garage; these eyes seem to watch over everyone with a Godlike presence.
Dr. T.J. Eckleburg
What is the significance of East and West Egg? What is Fitzgerald trying to emphasize?
Equal money but not equal status; Gatsby's futile attempts to win Daisy back. He will never be one of them. ;-(
This character wishes her daughter to be "a beautiful little fool"
Daisy Buchanan
Very worried about the "Rise of the Colored Empire"
Tom Buchanan
What happens to Jay Gatsby?
He is murdered by George Wilson for revenge of Myrtle's death
What is the significance of the confrontation between Twyla and Roberta at the protest?
It reinforces the racial divide and conflict
The barren area in between East and West Egg; emphasizes the moral decay and poverty that result from the decadence, excess, and capitalism of the 1920s.
Valley of Ashes
Name at least one theme in The Great Gatsby.
(Elaborate - don't just use one word)
1. Man's futile attempts to recreate the past
2. The unattainability of the American Dream
3. The hollowness/moral decay of the upper class; warning against the dangers of decadence and capitalism
etc.