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Great Gatsby & the Roaring Twenties: Synthesis resources

Content note

A few sources on this list contain references to or descriptions of self-harm and suicide. We, your teachers, invite you to check in with us if you'd like to chat about any of the readings before diving in. We can offer support, strategies, and/or alternative readings.

Driving questions

  1. How does ambition manifest itself and drive people's behavior, and what are the consequences?
  2. How do social identifiers shape a sense of self and drive people's behavior? Choose ONE of the following specific identifiers to focus on, and consider its intersection with others, if relevant: gender, race/ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic class/status, geography, ability.
  3. How does the desire to be validated by others and establish or maintain membership in a group affect individuals or interpersonal dynamics?
  4. How does an "American" vision of individualism manifest itself and drive people's behavior, and what are the consequences?
  5. There is a tension in American culture between narratives about what America was, is, and can be. How does this tension between nostalgia for the past, discomfort in the present, and hope for the future affect individuals or interpersonal dynamics?

Click the link or use the drop down menu to navigate to the resources for your questions.

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5
Subjects: History