The Great Gatsby: Chapters 8-9 Educational Resources K12 Learning, Literary Studies, Reading Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

There is an old expression, "Money makes the world go 'round." Many people think money will solve all their problems and will do anything to amass wealth.

What is the real value of money?

One theme that consistently presents itself in The Great Gatsby is the theme of money.

The entire novel, in fact, revolves around money, how it is made, and what it can buy.

The 1920s was a period of extraordinary wealth in America, that was fueled by the gains in the stock market. The stock market was still on the rise in 1922 — the year in which the novel is set — well before the stock market crash in 1929 that led to the Great Depression.

There are two forms of money that are discussed in the novel: old money and new money. Old money was that which was inherited from one's ancestors, while new money was that which a person made for oneself.

Which characters do you think came by old money and which characters have made new money?

If you said that Jordan Baker, Daisy, and Tom Buchanan are old money while Gatsby was new money, you would be correct.

While less wealthy than the Buchanans, Gatsby, or Jordan; Nick Carraway was also a member of the old money class because his father was able to support Nick's ambition of becoming a bondsman.

To learn more about old money versus new money, read The Great Gatsby And Old Money Versus New, by Byron Tully for Ivy Stylethe. As you read, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:

What are the characteristics of old money and new money?
Do the characters in The Great Gatsby uphold their duties based on the type of money they have, according to the article?

After you've answered the questions, consider the following question:

Would you want to be a member of the old money or the new money class? Why?

Once you've read the article and answered the questions, read Chapters 8 and 9 in The Great Gatsby.

If you do not have a copy of the book, you may use Planet eBook's free version of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

As you read, take notes on the subject of money and social class. Write down at least six examples or direct quotations where old or new money is discussed in the final two chapters. These notes will help you complete the final activity in this lesson.

When you've finished the novel, move on to the Got It? section to test your knowledge of the events of these final two chapters.