Name: ______Date: ______Block: ____
Gatsby, You and Greatness: “What a piece of work is man. . .”
Just for a re-cap and review, tell me whether you like the character of Jay Gatsby and support your opinion with some facts.
Gatsby is someone who has truly dedicated himself to a dream, to “a beautiful woman with a deep, thrilling voice”. Like Gatsby, an NHL coach, Mike Keenan, also has dedicated his life to a dream—for it, he’s sacrificed his friends, marriage, sanity, even his own identity, in pursuit of his own perception of “perfection.” Read the article, and then respond to the questions.
- In your opinion, what isgreatness in terms of achievement? Explain your thoughts here.
- What do you suppose or imagine the demands of greatness might be?
- Do you think his dream is a worthy one? Explain.
- Regardless of your opinion in response to #3, what can you say about the pursuit of his dream?
- In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet remarks about “what a piece of work is a man.” He contrasts ideas about man, on the one hand, being the most noble of God’s creations with an enormous potential for GOOD, and on the other hand, man has the same capacity for manipulation, bloodshed, and EVIL. What are your thoughts about this commentary on humanity?
- Where do you see this concept in relation to The Great Gatsby?
- Where do you see this concept in relation to 21st Century America?
6. Do you have dreams of achieving greatness? If so, what is
your definition of greatness?
7. Do you think achieving that greatness will require the same kind of sacrifices that Gatsby and Keenan (and others) were willing to accept?
- Is there anything you aren’t willing to sacrifice for your dream?
8. Should people place restrictions on how far they’re willing to go in
chase of their dream, even if it means relinquishing the dream
altogether?
There is an NHL hockey coach named Mike Keenan (recently hired by the Vancouver Canucks, I believe). From all reports, he is a horrible human being who knows how to win championships, but is bizarre when it comes to human relationships. Four years ago, Sports Illustrated did a story on him. It turns out his favorite book is The Great Gatsby. He sees himself, a la Gatsby, as someone who has dedicated himself to a dream. He has been willing to sacrifice his friends, his marriage, even his sanity in his pursuit of perfection...not unlike Gatsby, willing to sacrifice his identity in the pursuit of "a beautiful woman with a deep, thrilling voice." Using this article as a starting point, I engage my class a discussion/dialogue of the demands of greatness. Like Ahab and Keenan, Gatsby's dream may turn out to be deadly, even hollow, but the pursuit -- properly conducted -- is magnificent, if only that it reminds us "what a piece of work is a man..."