The Great Gatsby

AoE: Time & Space

The purpose of this assignment is to increase your schema in order to help you understand the nuances
of the historical and cultural allusions and context within the novel. Your goal is to explore each topic
through online articles and videos as a form of background research. Please type your answers in blue.

#1:
The
Roaring
Twenties
&
The Jazz
Age

The ROARING TWENTIES:

Check out this short 6 minute video and answer the following
questions. *I picked this movie because it was impressively
created by high school students!

1. What two primary media advances were made during

this time period? How do you think this affected
American society?
The two primary media advances that were made during this
time period were movies and radios become widely popular.
This allowed for ideas to spread even more rapidly across
american society.

2. In what ways did the arts progress during the 1920’s and
which group seemed to benefit most from it?
The arts progressed by the invention of jazz and film industry.
The middle class benefited the most because all the cheap
accessible entertainment they had would be great.

3. How did women evolve during this period?

Women became more independent and free in this time period.
Flappers became the name of a new generation of women who

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 dressed differently and were more open sexually.

4. Summarize the essential aspect of the Roaring 20’s and

explain what primarily caused it, according to the video:
The essential aspect of the roaring 20s would be the
development of many new ideas as well as new inventions. It
was caused by a boom in the weapons industry due to world
war one.

#2:
Immigration

IMMIGRATION:

Next, watch this Khan Academy video and answer the

following questions. *If you’re already tired of videos, feel free
to skip around the document, as the next two sections require
reading articles.

1.What causes mass migration into cities from rural

farms?
Economic opportunities and a higher standard of living.

2. Again, how does the role of women evolve during this

time period? Your answer will be different than the one

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 above…
Women were allowed to work at many places as clerics and
typists.

3. What causes a resurgence of the KKK, as well as the

government desiring to pass the Emergency Quota Act
and the Immigration Restriction Act?
Labor strikes and other “communist” warnings made the KKK
and the government believe that immigrants were making
America less American.

4. Finally, what do these laws and racist groups show

about who they believed were eligible to be part of the
American people during this time period?
Theses laws showed that only northern and western europeans
and their descendants were worthy to be a part of the
american people at the time.

#3:
Prohibition

PROHIBITION:

First, augment your schema by researching the term prohibition

and write the definition here IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
The prohibition was a ban on the selling and importation of all
alcoholic beverages in America for 13 years.

Do the same for the term bootlegger:

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 A bootlegger is a person who was involved in the moving,
selling, and creating of alcohol during the prohibition.

Then do the same for the term speakeasy:

A speakeasy is a secret bar that only few people were allowed
entry too, they often had passwords and sold alcohol during
the prohibition.

Next, visit the PBS article and skim through to find the crucial
information to answer the following questions. STOP READING
when the article starts to discuss The Great Gatsby storyline!
Spoiler alert!

1. What were TWO causes of America’s prohibition?

The epidemic of alcohol dependence and the amount of people
who filled the american prisons due to drunkness

2. According to the article, what were the unintended

effects of the prohibition laws (which would undoubtedly
happen again today!)?
Alcohol became even more popular, many people still made
alcohol but instead of being regulated, would often make
people sick, more people were put in jail due to owning alcohol
rather then public intoxication

#5:
The
American
Dream
&
The
Self-Made
Man

The AMERICAN DREAM:

Quickly review the Investopedia Article and watch the short

movie on the site to learn about the American Dream. Then,
list at least THREE main concepts associated with this dream:
1. The dream involves being a self made man

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 2. It states that anyone who works hard enough can
become wealthy
3. The dream promises freedom and equality for all
americans

Next, visit this article and read through the sub-section titled,
“The Self-Made Man Myth and The American Dream.” *You do
not have to read the entire page! Then, list at least EIGHT
qualities that a self-made man will have, or will definitely not
have, according to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

LAST, in a short paragraph of 4-5 sentences, make a case

whether or not the American Dream and the Self-Made
Man still exists today, nearly a hundred years after The
Great Gatsby was written:

The American Dream and Self-Made Man can still exist in

todays society but it is not possible for all to achieve it. In
todays society there is an extreme wealth gap, a larger one
then ever before in American society. This wealth gap is
only growing but, for the time being, the American dream
is still possible for any middle class americans to become
upper-middle or even upper class solely through hard work.
Unfortunately, this is not true for lower class Americans
due to extreme housing, gas, food, and other costs of
living. It is a vicious cycle wherein the poor only get poorer
due to their need to spend all the money they currently
earn to keep themselves afloat instead of being able to
invest it and grow their money. Essentially, the American
dream is still achievable for some members of american
society but is not available to all like how it was when
originally coined.

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