The Great Gatsby Lesson Plan

Relying on Nick as Narrator

Kind of Activity:

Creative Writing

Objective:

To understand the influence of the first-person narrator on the reader's experience.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6 ; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.3

Structure:

Lead a brief discussion on the idea of the unreliable narrator. Note examples from other works that students might have come across, such as Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, or in films like A Beautiful Mind, The Sixth Sense, and Memento. Questions to explore include: What makes Nick an unreliable narrator? What...