I was in Ms. Arkins' English class for TY.

The beginning of the year we read the Great Gatsby, a very interesting novel set in the 1920s in the United States. The novel discusses themes of wealth, power, gender roles and love.

For the second semester, we were tasked with making a PowerPoint presentation about any film that we liked. I did mine on the Ace Attorney film.

For the third semester, we watched the film Brooklyn and answered questions on it. The film dealt with themes of traditionalism, change and the future.

In the semester 1 exams, I got 100% on the English exam, which consisted of a reading comprehension as well as questions about The Great Gatsby.

Sample Work

I think that Gatsby is one of the most enigmatic characters I have ever read in fiction. Gatsby is a character not defined by what we know about him, but by what we don’t know about him. The reader learns just enough information to be able to speculate about him, without giving away too much information for there to be a clear answer, which speaks to the quality of Fitzgerald’s writing.

We never learn what his true motivations are, and are only left to infer what they could be based on other factors. For example, Gatsby invites Nick to his party, and Nick seems to be the only person he had ever invited, as Nick says “I got an invitation... seems I’m the only one.” We never concretely learn why Gatsby did this, and the reader is left to speculate.

Another example of this is Gatsby’s involvement with Mr. Wolfsheim, whom is described as being a shady person who got involved in the mafia. We never learn how Gatsby got his money, but it is implied that he was able to earn his fortune by illegal methods.

Finally, there are a myriad of rumours surrounding Gatsby, which are never expounded upon. For example, there is a rumour that he is a murderer; there’s a rumour that he is a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm II; there’s a rumour that he never actually went to Oxford university.

At the end of the novel, none of these questions are answered, but instead, Fitzgerald gives to us small hints that certain rumours might be more likely than others. For example, when it is revealed that Gatsby may have had involvement with the mafia, the rumour that he is a murderer is much more credible than before, meanwhile some rumours, such as that he is a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm II, are realized as the drivel they are, and discarded.

Overall, the enigma of Gatsby really speaks volumes about the quality of Fitzgerald’s writing. The different rumours surrounding Gatsby are masterfully executed, as well as the level of information given, being just enough to where you can speculate, but not enough for everybody to agree on even the basics. It is expertly crafted by Fitzgerald.