Mr.

Gallagher The Dream English III

Name: __________________ Date:___________________

As we start thinking about the key aspects of The Great Gatsby, the idea of The American Dream seems to be glaring us in the face. But what makes up The American Dream? How do we find happiness in it? And perhaps most importantly, what happens if we cannot achieve our dream? Can we still be happy? These are some essential questions to think about and keep in mind as we begin reading. Directions: Below are the 8 major characteristics of The American Dream. In groups, discuss examples from your life, from popular culture, or from movies, TV shows etc., which reinforce these ideas. Later, we will go come back to this sheet and indentify examples from The Great Gatsby, so DO NOT THROW THIS AWAY. 1) Having eternal youth:

2) Avoid manual labor:

3) Being a success:

4) Helping children to be more successful:

5) Investing in material goods:

6) Being well liked:

7) Having security:

8) Concealing Weakness