#7 The Great Gatsby Historical Context (Blog #7)

The Jazz Age

1. What time period in history is referred to as The Jazz Age? Click here for help

2. Who came up with the name "The Jazz Age"? Click here for help

3. List some activities associated with The Jazz Age. Click here for help

4. List some key people and events from The Jazz Age Click here for help

5. Why did jazz music become so popular during this time? Click here for help (scroll down and skim the whole article). 

6. Read the lyrics from this Jazz Age song. What attitudes and ideas are expressed in the lyrics? Click for song lyrics

About the Author

1. What is his full name? click here for help
2. List his birth and death years. Click here for help

3. List some places that he lived. Click here for help

4. How does F. Scott Fitzgerald's life contain elements of "The American Dream"? Click here for help

5. Describe the complications surrounding Zelda and F. Scott's marriage. Click here for help

6. What did Zelda Fitzgerald end up doing near the end of her life? Click here for help

Book Preview

1. Who narrates most of the novel? Click here 
2. List some of the narrator's traits. Click here
3. Where and when does the novel take place? Click here
4. List five major topics that are explored in the novel. Click here
5. Look at the map of East Egg and West Egg. What places and things are labeled on this map? click here

#6 Persuasive Letter: Meet Me Out West (Blog #6)

Note: This blog is worth 40 points. 20 for the letter, and 20 for the Pre-Writing Research notes.

Letter Assignment:  
SITUATION: The year is 1862. You (and some of your family, imaginary if you want) have moved westward from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to any territory of your choice. Maybe you settled with a big group, or maybe you struck out on your own. Use your imagination.

PURPOSE: Write to convince someone (another family member, a friend, or maybe even that *special* someone) to leave Bridgewater and join you out West.

DIRECTIONS: Write a persuasive letter describing all the benefits of your new home in the West. Use ethos, logos, and pathos to convince the recipient of your letter to move to wherever you are. 

CONTENT: Write with vivid imagery about your daily activities, the natural features of the land, how you make money and get everything you need to survive, and the relationships you have with those around you. For some extra pathos, throw in something about how much you miss the person you are writing to.

*Pick an old fashioned name for the person you are writing to: click here

Pre-Writing Research Notes: 
Use some of these primary sources to get details for your letter. 
Visit each link below. Take notes on two details from each link and how they appeal to readers/viewers to move west. 

Song about reasons to go west: click here
Landscape paintings of the West: click here
The Homestead Act: click here
Diaries of people who moved west: click here

Iowa and Nebraska: click here
California: click here
Kansas: click here