Should The Great Gatsby Be Our School Curriculum

Books are one of the many things that are incorporated into school curriculums. However, the question is what books should be prioritized in schools over others? Many would argue that these should be the books that intrigue the reader while also letting them look through the lenses of the books to understand more about the critiquing values of the time period. The novel Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald allows readers to look through the lens of the roaring twenties in America. The novel takes place with a character named Nick Carraway who follows Jay Gatsby, a man who orders his life around one desire: to be with his love Daisy. Throughout the story, the reader follows the dramatic ups and downs of Gatsby as they see him rise from a poor

Scott Fitzgerald should be our school curriculum for a number of reasons, one of the prominent reasons is that it gives insight into the critiquing values and ideals of the Roaring Twenties. Books are put into the school curriculum to help students better understand the stance writers had during a specific time period. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Nick Carraway to serve as a moral compass, observing and commenting on the consequences of the Roaring Twenties. One of the many aspects the Great Gatsby illustrates to its readers is the lack of opportunities women had. As Nick states, "I hope she'll be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool (Fitzgerald 17)." Just from this little quote, it is seen that women are not granted the same opportunities as men during the Roaring Twenties. This type of information makes it reasonable for this book to be in school curriculums as the author brings awareness of the lack of opportunities women had during this time period. Another aspect the Great Gatsby illustrates to its readers is the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, one of the main characters, shows how one can work hard and move up in life to pursue the American Dream. The American Dream was big during this time because many immigrants were coming to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream. As Jay Gatsby states, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us

Giving life lessons for students to succeed in life is one of the most important parts of school and Great Gatsby does it best. One of the lessons the Great Gatsby teaches readers is the dangers of living in a superficial world obsessed with material wealth. As Fitzgerald writes, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made (Fitzgerald 179).” This quote exemplifies how the characters in the book, particularly Tom and Daisy, This passage perfectly illustrates how the book's characters, especially Tom and Daisy, are so preoccupied with their wealth and prestige that they lose concern for the consequences of their deeds. This can serve as a warning to students about the importance of being aware of the impact their actions have on others and the world around them. These types of life lessons help build the youth of the new generation. To further prove this experts say, “Learning life skills helps young people understand who they are and what they want out of life. Moreover, young people grow more aware of their own struggles and those of the people around them.” Students are able to further understand what they want to do in life