English 11 Honors S2 - M3 L3

The Great Gatsby - Chapter 1 Analysis

PURPOSE: This worksheet will help you prioritize the most important information to extract from Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby.

DIRECTIONS: Read through Chapter 1 before attempting to complete this worksheet. You should be familiar with the text before
attempting to complete each portion of this worksheet.

PART 1: Narrative Perspective

DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions. For this section, it is not necessary to use textual evidence.

What is the narrative perspective? First-person

What is the effect of this? It’s telling it from Nick's point of view

Describe the narrator in as many details possible. Nick’s a young guy from Minnesota, he’s honest, good listener,
open-minded, usually people come to him for their secrets

“Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction - Gatsby, who represented everything for
which I have an unaffected scorn.”

What does this excerpt tell us about the narrator and his view of
Gatsby?
In terms of Gatsby's pampering way of life of extravagant parties
brought about by illegal smuggling, Nick noticed that he had an
incredible sense of confidence and a "lovely" sense of
essentiality and eagerness that dazzled Nick to such a degree.
Not only does the nonsensical meaning of this announcement
enhance the distinctly mixed feelings that Nick has towards
Gatsby, but it allows the perusal to choose in their own
interpretation how much Gatsby can be graded as "Incredible."

PART 2: Vocabulary
DIRECTIONS: For each of the following terms, please give the part of speech and definition.

Created by K. Kulseth Originated: 10/30/2019

Nevada Learning Academy @ CCSD Updated: 12/01/2019
 Term Part of Speech Definition

privy adj. participating in the knowledge of something private or secret

feign verb to make belief; pretend

levity noun a manner lacking seriousness

supercilious adj. having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views
as unworthy; cocky

fractiousness adj. refractory or unruly: a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness.

complacency noun a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.

extemporize verb compose, perform, or produce something such as music or a speech without preparation;
improvise.

libel noun a false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's
reputation

peremptory adj. (especially of a person's manner or actions) insisting on immediate attention or obedience,
especially in a brusquely imperious way.

PART 3: Briefly summarize what happens in this chapter in 5-8 sentences.

The narrator, an ongoing college student named Nick Carraway, travels to an imaginary town called West Egg on Long Island,
New York. The goal is to convert it into a bond sales rep. It rents a tiny and humble house to an enormous manor owned by a man
named Mr. Gatsby. One night, he's going to visit his second cousin Daisy Fay Buchanan's place and Tom (her husband.) Similarly,
there's a sweetheart of Daisy at the chateau called Jordan Baker. As the night progresses, Nick realizes that there is a rift between
Tom and Daisy, most notably Tom's' lady in town.' The family has a two-year-old girl, but Daisy reveals nothing about her. Getting
back, Nick sees Gatsby looking over the water at a green light towards the end of the dock.

PART 4: Analyzing Imagery

DIRECTIONS: Read through the excerpt below and then follow through the annotations. Do not forget to answer the

Created by K. Kulseth Originated: 10/30/2019

Nevada Learning Academy @ CCSD Updated: 12/01/2019
 question that follows.
1. Read the excerpt below.
2. Underline all words which indicate sound.
3. Bold all words to do with movement.
4. Highlight and annotate any figurative language techniques.

The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though
upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown
back in after a short flight around the house. I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains
and the groan of a picture on the wall. Then there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows and the
caught wind died out about the room, and the curtains and the rugs and the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor.

Describe the mood of this excerpt. Use textual evidence to support your claim.

Disturbed by the noises of the wind

“whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall.” “there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows”

PART 5: First Impressions of the Introduced Characters

DIRECTIONS: For each of the characters listed below, give your impressions based upon Nick’s descriptions and
actions/behaviors by the characters within the chapter. Follow up with one key direct quote for each character. Do not forget
to answer the question that follows. REMEMBER: (1) Do not choose the easiest quote because this may help you with your
M3 Summative Assessment and (2) Do not forget to follow up your direct quote with an in-text citation in MLA format.

Character’s Name First Impressions Key Direct Quote with In-text Citation

Jordan Good looking guy but dishonest

Daisy Helpless and unthoughtful

Tom Arrogant

How do Nick’s descriptions of Tom give away his opinion of him? Explain with textual evidence.

That he’s brutal and cruel

Created by K. Kulseth Originated: 10/30/2019

Nevada Learning Academy @ CCSD Updated: 12/01/2019
 PART 6: Diction - Close Analysis
DIRECTIONS: Read the following direct quote then answer the questions that follow..

“When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.”

What does the word “vanished” imply about Gatsby? What is the effect of the word “unquiet” here?

It makes him seems somewhat apparition as he can disappear It brings an uneasy or ominous feeling when paired with the
“just like that” the word gives off there’s more to the man word “darkness”

PART 7: Summing Up CH 1
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions. Textual evidence is not required for this section.

Questions Responses

If this chapter were a color, what color would it be? Explain with An ombre blue to black. The mood is very dark, mysterious,
emphasis on possible connections to emotions, atmosphere or careless
mood within the chapter.

If you were to give this chapter a title, what would it be? Mysterious darkness

If Nick were to describe himself, what would be said? Use Mainly that he would refrain from judgment of others
information from CH 1 to help you form this description.

Created by K. Kulseth Originated: 10/30/2019

Nevada Learning Academy @ CCSD Updated: 12/01/2019