Unit 1:
| Key Term: | Definition: | How it relates to the book: |
| Complexity | State of being intricate or complicated | Every character portrays a complex set of characteristics that we get to analyze throughout reading the novel |
| Relevance | State of being closely connected or appropriate | The big question “how has the novel stayed relevant?” |
| Curiosity | Strong desire to know or learn something | The book creates a curiosity of the American Dream for the readers |
| American Dream | The ideal that equality of opportunity is available to any American | What Gatsby is trying to achieve throughout the book |
| Unattainable | Not able to be reached or achieved | This term describes the American Dream |
| Extravagant | Exceeding what is reasonable or appropriate | Gatsby’s possessions and parties |
| Parties | A social gathering for invited guests | The events that Gatsby throw; notorious in the book |
| Social Class | The grouping of individuals based on wealth, income, occupation, etc | One of the main themes in the novel; the corrupt wealthy social class |
| Materialism | Tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values | Another main theme in this novel; most of the characters specifically Daisy and Gatsby, use material items to compensate for the missing pieces in their lives |
| Consumerism | The propensity to consume and keep consuming; defining one’s identity by what they consume | Ideology in the 20s where the rich consume as much as they want |
| Unrealistic | Not realistic | Gatsby’s dream of rekindling with Daisy |
| Dramatic | Sudden and striking; extreme | Everything that Gatsby does and the way Nick describes these things |
| Realistic | Having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected | Nick is the most realistic character in the book aside from Jordan |
| Internal conflict | Occurs when a character in literature experiences tension with themselves | Each character has their own that they deal with in the novel Ex. Gatsby- cannot get over Daisy and move onDaisy- chose wealth over love and is stuck |
| Character development | The craft of giving a character a personality, depth, and motivations that propel them through the story | Each character undergoes a development in this novel; they grow as a character or change from what they were originally |
| Honest | Free of deceit and untruthfulness | Nick is honest, besides with Gatsby |
| Outsider perspective | Viewpoint of someone who is not a part of the certain plot that is being explained | Nick is the outsider in this plotline; he is speaking as a third party witness |
| Greedy | Having or showing an intense and selfish desire for something | Tom, Daisy, Myrtle |
| Selfish | Lacking consideration for others | Daisy- she wants the best of both worlds |
| Superficial | Existing or occurring at or on the surface | The whole wealthy lifestyle is superficial and most of the characters are as well |
| Hopeless romantic | Someone who continues to believe in love, no matter the struggles they might have experienced in the past | Gatsby and sometimes Nick are hopeless romantics in the novel |
| Mysterious | Difficult to understand, explain, or identify | Gatsby’s overall aura; because nobody except for a select few people truly know who he is |
| Love triangle | Scenario or rivalry in which two people are pursuing a relationship with another person | One between Tom, Daisy, and GatsbyOne between Tom, Daisy, and Myrtle |
| Organized crime | Criminal activities that are planned and controlled by powerful groups and carried out on a large scale | One of Gatsby’s experiences that shaped his character |
| Fault | Unattractive or unsatisfactory feature; especially in a piece of work or in a person’s character | |
| Passive aggressive | Characterized by indirect resistance to the demands of others and avoidance of direct confrontation | Describes the way Daisy is towards Tom after finding out about the affair |
| Mistress | A woman having an extramarital relationship, especially with a married man | Myrtle Wilson |
| Arrogant | Having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities | Tom’s character trait |
| Protagonist | Leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other text | Gatsby |
| Antagonist | A person who opposes or is hostile towards the protagonist | Tom |
| Competition | The activity or condition of competing | Gatsby’s competes for Daisy’s love by trying to outdo everyone in everything he does |
| Entitled | Believing oneself to be deserving of privileges or special treatment | Tom and Daisy are entitled; they walk away at the end of the novel unbothered when the people they were involved with diedTom thinks he can have a wife and a mistress and Daisy thinks that she because she has money she has everything |
| “Stuck in the past” | Someone who is unable or unwilling to move forward from past experiences | Gatsby’s fatal flaw |
| Unreliable | Not able to be relied upon | Nick’s narration |
| Judgemental | Of or concerning the use of judgment | Nick claims he is not judgemental but I think he is and he gets called out for it in the novel |
| Flaws | A mark, fault, or other imperfection that mars a substance or object | Each character has their own flaws that contribute to their character development in the novel |
| Affair | A relationship between two people; one of both of whom are married to or in a long-term relationship with someone else | Tom and Myrtle are having an affair on both of their spouses |
| Graceful | Having or showing grace or elegance | Describes Daisy’s presence everytime she is talked about |
Unit 2:
| Key Term | Definition | How it Relates to Unit |
| unexpressed self | an identity that is not presented to the public eye; hidden | Term from Braudy’s book that describes one portion of the self identity; Gatsby’s life in organized crime |
| talked of self | An identity that is “talked of” or known about a person | The other identity from Braudy’s book; Gatsby’s wealthy life |
| solitary eminence | Being of high ranking but alone | This explains how Gatsby had the high ranking but was lonely |
| mercy of storytellers | The action of trusting the person telling the story that they will tell the truth | Term from Braudy’s book; explains how Gatsby’s story is at the mercy of Nick’s narration |
| self inside | your own experience within your current organization | Term from Braudy’s book that can be described by Gatsby’s life |
| propaganda | information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. | From Braudy; shows how something can be misinterpreted through the use of propaganda and talk such as the different lives people rumored Gatsby had lived because of what people said. |
| American tragedy | a detailed portrayal of the dark side of the American Dream | Used by multiple sources throughout Unit 2 to express a main idea of the American Dream; what the novel expresses as well throughout Gatsby’s life |
| shorthand for aspirations | The act of not living up to expectations | This term describes the American Dream’s failure to fulfill its expectations. |
| social mobility | change in a person’s social status throughout their lifetime | This term can express how Gatsby |
| utopia | imaginary society that possesses highly desirable qualities | Term from Goldblatt’s article that explains an aspect of the American Dream |
| racist/nativist | showing prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group | This term is from Goldblatt and it is labeling the novel itself as portraying racist/nativist ideals. |
| false consciousness | a way of thinking that prevents a person from perceiving the true nature of their social situation | From Goldblatt and describes a trait she believes the American Dream has. |
| fruitless toil | Putting in work and getting no result | Goldblatt calls the action of chasing the American Dream this term. |
| exceptionalism | perception or belief that a society is “exceptional” or superior | This term describes what the American Dream should be or what people want it to be. |
| fatalism | the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. | This term describes what results in chasing the American Dream and an emotion people gain after this chase. |
Comments by Kynli Jones