Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
OR
West, The Day of the Locust
Directions: After reading the lecture, answer one of the questions below. This answer is due no later than Thursday, October 13.
A well thought out answer will probably be two or three substantial paragraphs (250-350 words on average).
Your responses to other students' answers are due by midnight on Saturday, October 15. Remember: in order to get the full 20 points, you MUST respond thoughtfully to at least 3 or 4 other people's postings.
This set of discussion questions is worth a possible 20 points. Late answers receive 0 points, so post early :)
Click on the button below to visit the English 208 Message Board:
Just answer one of the following questions.
1. Fitzgerald was certainly influenced by Eliot's The Wasteland. What similarities or differences can you see between the ideas in The Wasteland and The Great Gatsby? Give specific examples and quotes from the two works for support. (You may compare the ideas in The Wasteland and The Day of the Locust, if you prefer.)
2. Would you categorize West as a modernist writer? Explain, using specific examples and quotes from the novel for support.
3. In The Day of the Locust, what is the symbolic significance of Tod Hackett's painting, "The Burning of Los Angeles"? Explain, using specific quotes and examples from the novel for support.
4. In The Great Gatsby, what is the symbolic significance of the green light at the end of the dock? Explain, using specific quotes and examples from the novel for support.
For further information on these works, see the Links page.