Great Gatsby & the Roaring Twenties: Question 4

The caption to the article reads: “Sorting people by ‘merit’ will do nothing to fix inequality.”

Explores what the current border fight and Trump’s wall reveals about older myths of the American “wild west” and frontier.

Provides an historical overview of the phrase “American Dream” and traces how the novel relates to critiques of capitalism present in the 1920s.

Coaston recounts the history of and political associations with the word
“intersectionality."

A short article about a photography exhibition illustrating the lives of wealthy Americans over a 25 year time period.

A short opinion piece about the difference between the way public and private schools handle illegal drug offenses.

An essay by a Silicon Valley parent about the pressure of privilege and the effort to define what really matters.

What societal impact is made when a visionary dreams of the impossible?

In this philosophical opinion piece about career planning, the author argues against the idea of using reinvention as a means of denying one’s increasing age, and instead suggests celebrating the growth of knowledge and experience.

This article asserts that “By talking plainly about her qualifications, Harris embodies progress,” but questions if the country will accept an unapologetically ambitious and accomplished woman.

This article addresses how parenting anxiety in wealthy communities manifests in the pursuit of educational and academic outcomes.

An opinion piece about how the symbolism of Trump’s border wall transforms America's mythic identity as an expansionist, frontier-oriented society.

Looks at research exploring the relationship between wealth, social class, greed and compassion.

A few recent scholars, elaborating on how thoroughly Gatsby tries to erase his true origin as James Gatz, suggest that he may have been of Jewish or African descent, thus positioning Gatsby’s tale as a way to learn more about the American phenomenon of “passing” as white. This article serves as an introduction to Jewish “white-passing,” while the articles in the adjacent comment are more in-depth.

Offers an accessible and detailed introduction to the 2019 college admissions scandal.

This long-format article ties a rising culture of marital infidelity to the simultaneous shift from Communism to the growth of consumerist culture in Russia.

Written in the wake of the college-admissions scandal of 2019, “A look at some of the many ways that affluent applicants have an edge -- without bribery.”

This opinion piece critiques the “helicopter” parenting style (a highly involved form of parenting), drawing on examples from the 2019 college admissions scandal.

In this transcript of an Assembly speech at Menlo, alum Lopez ‘12 draws on his personal experience and challenges the Menlo community to see the ways in which Menlo is neither a meritocracy nor welcoming to students of color. [Also see Mr. Schafer’s written response to the speech.

In this post about designing better New Year's Resolutions, Mandybur points out some ways in which the concepts of reinvention and self-improvement are leveraged for money-making purposes.

The author presents a documented analysis of the major ethics themes in the book including, for example, moral growth, Gatsby's life of illusion, the withering of the American Dream, and the parallels between the 1920s and the 1980s.

News article from the beginning of the college admissions scandal, featuring excellent background information and lots of other sources you can click on.

In this opinion piece, Miranda argues that COVID-19 has exposed racial and economic inequalities, along with clarifying a need for a collectivist-minded, rather than an individualistic response.

This 39-minute episode of the weekly podcast discusses the challenges of bringing about societal change. Includes links to two news articles.

An article about how “The scandal could break down misconceptions about money, merit, and status.”

This video infographic shows what people believe about the distribution of wealth versus the reality.

This short piece documents new trends in ultra-wealthy inheritors seeking to both increase their wealth and achieve charitable goals.

Author of "The Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper-Middle Class is Leaving Everyone in the Dust," challenges the extent to which America is an equal-opportunity meritocracy.

An article describing recent suicide clusters in Palo Alto and the efforts being made to understand the cause and address the underlying issues.

Examines the recent trend of college women who use specialized online dating sites to find wealthy older men.

This long-format essay reviews how different thinkers have questioned the nature of equality, and explores what implications this has for societies that, like America, value equality on some level.

Author Sales investigates how a growing number of young people are selling their bodies online.

In this excerpt from Sandel’s book, the author argues that the idea of America as a meritocracy is “self-deluding” and “promotes divisiveness.”

"Donald Trump’s campaign slogan is ‘Make America Great Again.’ His supporters, it turns out, disagree on when that was."

Mr. Schafer responds to the Assembly speech given by Antonio Lopez [also included in the Project Sources] and a follow-up assembly where students of color addressed the community, offering his own perspective on equal opportunity in education and beyond.

Memoiristic book review of Anna Weiner’s San Francisco/Silicon Valley memoir, Uncanny Valley, which critiques the tech world’s reputation for exciting, purposeful, socially-conscious employment. Book excerpt at https://nplusonemag.com/issue-25/on-the-fringe/uncanny-valley/

Opinion piece about COVID-19 that posits that “Public health can legally be a priority above personal freedom to not wear masks.”

“In this extract from her new book, Rachel Sherman sets out to understand how wealthy parents decide to spend their money – and enters a tortuous world of moral conflict and self-doubt.”

In this Opinion-Editorial based in research for her book, Sherman documents the guilt and coping mechanisms of rich New York residents who do not want to identify with their socio-economic class and hope to find self-worth outside of it.

Traces the “drift in meaning” of the phrase “the American Dream.”

An assistant editor analyzes Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and argues that the social dynamics explored in the text both mirror and explain the behavior of President Trump.

This long-format essay examines the issue of student stress and how schools and communities are combating it.

This long format article examines the psychology of ambition and individualism from the perspective of the Millennial generation.

Examines the recent trend of college women who use specialized online dating sites to find wealthy older men

A look at how different people and political groups interpret what it means to be “culturally American.”

Pages 401-06. Check out the original “coining” of the phrase “the American Dream”!

Here’s the prototypical “American” schedule and goal-setting, which filtered into common understandings of American identity and may have influenced young James Gatz.

An 1872 painting.

From "Go West." Gast and Greeley are two primary sources that flesh out the mythic role the “West” and a “frontier mentality” play in American Identity.

In this excerpt of Herbert Hoover’s 1928 presidential campaign speech, the candidate asserts his belief that American success is based on “rugged individualism” and “self-reliance,” an ideological position that continues to correspond to conservative or Republican thought.

No explanation is necessary!

A secondary source about wealth inequality in America in the late 19th-c

Iconic 19th-c American poet puts his gloss on the project of American democracy.

A 17th-c preacher on the earliest ship that establishes the Massachusetts Bay Colony coins the phrase “City on a Hill,” a way of understanding America’s identity in the world that has become short-handed as the mythic conception of American Exceptionalism.