The Great Gatsby WebQuest
Directions: Answer thoroughly on your own paper. Do not "cut and paste” or copy answers verbatim. The answers MUST be rephrased in your own words.
The Fitzgeralds
Find the biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
What intrigues you about Fitzgerald's life and writing?
Note: Do not simply copy out the first sentence. Skim the entire biography and be sure you are thinking about this question (Five sentences minimum).
World War I
After the war ended, the economy skyrocketed, making it possible for people to spend more time and money on leisure activities. Review the website in this section. What are three major innovations that came out of the WWI experience?
After the War: What are the dominant postwar American attitudes and the major movements of the 1920's? Pay close attention to the attitudes of the "Lost Generation" and the "Prosperity & Consumerism" movement.
19th Amendment
What right did women gain from the passage of the 19th Amendment?
The Roaring Twenties Gatsby Style
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922
List three major events that occurred in 1922 (the year in which the novel is set). Note: You will want to skim this list and look for events that would have been important in America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
What exactly does the amendment abolish? What was the result?
Speakeasies
What are speakeasies? Based on information you have already collected from previous questions, why do you think Speakeasies popped up across the country?
Organized Crime and Mobs in the 1920's
What do you know about mobsters?
Do some research about organized crime and mobs in the 1920's. What are three things that stick out to you?
Flappers
Read the first FIVE paragraphs: http://arcadiasystems.org/academia/flapperjane.html
According to the author, what are the essential elements of being a true flapper?
Does she fit the "Flapper" profile as proposed by the author of "Flapper Jane"? Why or why not?
Read this poem: http://www.huffenglish.com/gatsby/parker.html
How does Ms. Parker feel about Flappers? Explain.
Automobiles
https://web.archive.org/web/20130915133455/http://gatsbycars.com/gatsbycars.html
http://www.huffenglish.com/gatsby/cars.html
http://www.huffenglish.com/gatsby/automobiles.html
Why were cars considered "the most important catalyst for social change in the 1920's"?
Slang
http://www.huffenglish.com/gatsby/slang.html
Which slang words have you heard before?
Which ones are brand new
Drawing Conclusions
Based on the information you have collected from this website, what do you think the plot and setting of The Great Gatsby will include? What kinds of characters do you expect to encounter in the novel? (A total of 10 sentences are needed).