Chapter II Questions

  1. What is the “valley of ashes?”
  2. What are the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg?
  3. Tom has a habit of bringing his mistress to popular venues and leaving her at a table, talking to everyone he knows.  What does this show about Tom?
  4. Who do Nick and Tom meet in the valley of ashes?  What are their names and who are they? Describe her.
  5. What does Tom tell Myrtle?
  6. What does Myrtle have Tom buy her in the city?
  7. What can we tell by the fact that Tom has a furnished apartment for himself and Myrtle in the city?
  8. How does Myrtle’s personality change as the afternoon/evening progresses?
  9. What do we hear about Gatsby from Myrtle’s sister, Catherine?
  10. What does Catherine say is true of Myrtle Wilson?
  11. What does Catherine say is true of Daisy Buchanan?
  12. Why does Myrtle say she married George Wilson? Based on the story of his wedding suit, what can we infer may be another reason she married him, especially since she’s with Tom now?
  13. Based on how they met, what is the basis for the relationship between Myrtle and Tom?
  14. We know her name is Myrtle, and Nick has said that after the first drink he started calling her Myrtle, so why, when he is describing her argument with Tom at the end of chapter II, does Fitzgerald (the author) have Nick refer to her as “Mrs. Wilson”?
  15. What does Tom do to end the argument? How is this consistent with what we know about Tom from chapter I?

 

Gatsby Questions Chapter I

  1.  What are some possible interpretations of the advice that Nick (the narrator)’s father gives him?
  2.  How do people react around Nick, thanks to his habit of reserving judgments? What does that mean that we, the readers, can anticipate will happen in the book?
  3.  In the fourth paragraph of Chapter 1, what is it Nick says was extraordinary about Gatsby?
  4.  From which university did Nick graduate, and how do you know?
  5.  What military service did Nick have?
  6.  Why does Nick move to the East from the Midwest?
  7.  What is the first evidence we see of the theme of loneliness and how is the loneliness resolved?
  8.  Which of the two “Eggs” does Nick live on, and how does his “Egg” differ from the other “Egg”?
  9.  Describe Tom Buchanan.
  10.  What parts of the description of the Buchanan’s mansion gives us an idea of exactly how rich they are?
  11.  What is your opinion of Tom’s saying “I’ve got a nice place here”?  What is unusual about this moment?
  12.  Who does Nick see inside Tom Buchanan’s house?
  13.  What words are used to describe Daisy’s voice?
  14.  What is implied by Nick’s use of the word “irrelevantly” to describe Daisy’s comment that he should see the baby?
  15.  What is shown to the reader that has previously only been told to us about West Egg, and how is it shown by Jordan Baker’s dialogue?
  16.  What sign do we see that Tom wants to be more than just another rich, washed-up college athlete?

Homework, 12/14/18

Hello,

Please remember to complete the following this weekend:

  1. A close read of “Against Headphones” for connections and roadblocks (try to push through the roadblocks)
  2. SOAPSTone, with a primary focus on greater occasion, purpose, and tone
  3. One-sentence summaries of each paragraph

“The Story of an Hour” Sentence Stems

  1. The tone of paragraphs 5-9 is… This is evident through the author’s…
  2. The narrator’s attitude about marriage is… She makes it clear by saying (evidence). By saying this, the narrator infers…
  3. Louise’s sister and Richards both react by… This contributes to the irony by…  
  4. We can infer that men view themselves as… Though this last paragraph is very short, the implications are clear…

“The Story of an Hour”

https://my.hrw.com/support/hos/hostpdf/host_text_219.pdf

  1. What is the tone of paragraphs 5-9? How do you know?
  2. What is the attitude of the narrator toward marriage? How do you know?
  3. How do the attitudes of Louise’s sister and Richards contribute to the irony of the story?
  4. Consider the tone of the last paragraph. Infer the author’s opinion about the way men view their importance to women.

Homework, 12/4/18

Please complete the following questions:

  1. Describe the importance of the title “Everyday Use” in the story (paragraph 66). How does this phrase highlight the conflicting values in the story?
  2. How is the title ironic? (Irony: a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.)
  3. What was the most challenging part of our work on “Everyday Use? Why was it challenging for you?
  4. How can you use your time–in our class and at home–to grow as a reader? Be specific.

Paraphrase and Reasoning

Please complete your paraphrase from “The Danger of a Single Story” and the reasoning for this evidence. Remember that reasoning answers the following question:

How does this anecdote support Adichie’s argument?

Your answer will begin with, “This anecdote shows…”

Then, you will complete the paragraph that we started together in class by including the parts of the paraphrase that are important along with the reasoning. Please do not wait until the last minute to do this.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!