march 9

[from my MOM to yours: "It feels good to be healthy."]

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today's journal asks you to consider an imaginary question. 

Imagine that your ability to pass this course on the semester report card is based on one thing: at some point, a random person will walk up to you somewhere on campus and say, "Hey, I heard you read The Great Gatsby.  What's it about?"  If you answer the question correctly, you will receive an A in the course; if you blow it, and just describe the action in the plot, you will... oh, let's not worry about that.

How would you answer the Gatsby question?  What was this book about?

AGENDA:
[MOM]
1. Journal
2. Discussion: Gatsby

POST:
Describe your perspective on today's discussion.  What do you think is the central message of the book? (title: CUE THEME MUSIC)

march 6

JOURNAL TOPIC:
On a scale from 1-10 (1 being least confident, 10 being most), how confident are you about writing an essay about The Great Gatsby?  What do you feel good about, and what (if anything) makes you nervous?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish up notes/posts from this week's work on Gatsby

POST:
Anything you have left over from Gatsby that will help you prepare for next week's writer's conferences and essay work

march 5

[*take a MOM for yourself today]

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Gatsby wanted Daisy more than anything.  Imagine that Daisy left Tom and decided to be with Gatsby.  Now imagine Gatsby and Daisy two years later.  Are they happy?  Still together?  Having kids?  Or...?  (Please make sure to give a reason or two based on your reading notes.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Your comments yesterday were terrific!  I used them to create the following prompts. Choose one of the prompts and create a pre-write that you can put on your blog:

• The last line of the book is arguably the most important: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly into the past.”  How does this line embody the thematic conflict that defines The Great Gatsby?

•           Is Gatsby’s desire for success—however we define it—evidence of the American dream, obsession, a personal sense of honor, or something else? Does Gatsby symbolize our culture and even our own desires, or is he an outlier?

•           How does Fitzgerald’s characterization create a tone around the theme of happiness?  What is Fitzgerald’s attitude toward happiness?  Does it depend on love, on external markers such as wealth, on repairing or atoning for the past, or on something that is unattainable?

•           The notion of the American dream figures prominently in this story.  How do readers define the American dream?  Moreover, is pursuing the American dream necessarily a good thing?

POST:
Your pre-write (title: PREVIEW OF GATSBY ESSAY)

gatsby ideas

What was interesting to you about the book?  What part did you enjoy reading?  What technique did the author use that made you sit back and say (something like), "Dang... I see what he did there... huh: clever."

Please comment to this post with a suggestion for an essay prompt.  The topic can be something that you know well, or something that you're curious about.  It can be about the plot, or a character, or comparisons between the time period of the book and now, it can be about the way Fitzgerald writes or Nick narrates, or it can be something brand new that you invent.  You are welcome to talk with colleagues or do some research online (of course, if you adopt someone else's idea, be sure to give them credit and cite your source where appropriate).

Remember to copy your comment to your clipboard before you click 'Publish' -- if it doesn't go through, please paste into an email and send it to me so that I can post it for you.

march 4

[for your MOM: think of something for which you are grateful]

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Holiday" by Madonna; "Holiday in Cambodia" by The Dead Kennedys]
Wednesday. March 4. Not really on anyone's radar for celebrating, unless you know someone with a birthday/anniversary/SON. Invent a holiday for today, explain why it's important, and how it should be celebrated.

AGENDA:
[MOM]
1. Journal
2. You Have One Job
3. (If you finish that job: $$$)

march 3

[Today your MOM is up to you.]

JOURNAL TOPIC:
The end of The Great Gatsby is really a meditation on goals, the future, and ultimately the past.  Read the last couple paragraphs one more time and let them sink in. As you consider how the words make you feel (the mood), ask yourself: What is the author's tone here?  What is Fitzgerald's attitude toward the characters, the subject, and the audience?  Is he optimistic that we can change ourselves and our lives, or does he believe that our futures are already determined by our pasts?

AGENDA:
1. Journal (write this as if it were a junior essay, because...)
2. Finish all Gatsby-related posts (notes, yesterday's, all of them)

march 2

[for your MOM: can you focus on a single object for 60 seconds?]

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do you hope will happen to/for you today?

AGENDA:
[MOM]
1. Journal
2. Finish Gatsby

POSTS:
1. Please make sure all your notes are complete and up to date
2. Please finish your WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT GATSBY post