The Great Gatsby Anticipation Guide 1 Outward appearances

The Great Gatsby Anticipation Guide • 1. Outward appearances can be deceptive. • �Can you give specific examples from your own life in which outward appearances were misleading? • �In what ways do you think that people in American society may be too concerned with outward appearances? Explain.

• 2. Attainment of a dream may be less satisfying than the pursuit of that dream. • �Why do you think pursuing a dream or goal might be more satisfying than actually achieving it? Explain. • �Can you give an example of this happening to someone you know or have heard about

• 3. Wealth can breed carelessness. • �Under what circumstances do you think this could happen? Describe. • �Can you think of a situation in which wealthy persons have demonstrated great generosity, kindness, or sensitivity to others?

• 4. Blind pursuit of an ideal is destructive. • �In what ways might the “blind pursuit” of any dream or goal be damaging to both the pursuer and those around him? • �Why do you think people become obsessed with a particular goal?

• 5. The American Dream is corrupted by the desire for wealth. • �What do you think is meant by the concept of the American Dream? What means are generally used to attain it? • �In what ways do you think the original American Dream, the dream of the people who settled this country, may differ from its modern definition?