Context
In this unit, you have studied F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. You have explored how this text represents the concepts of ‘power’ and ‘social elitism’ and the particular ethical issues related to the wealthy. You have also explored how these concepts are represented in contemporary media texts including Alex Gibney’s documentary Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American dream.
The Weekend Australian is a publication that is calling for writers to submit an analysis of both canonical and contemporary texts that provide a particular social commentary, enabling their readers to embark on an exploration of specific contentious societal constructs.
You have been asked to write a feature article for The Weekend Australian which considers the novel’s relevance as society continues to grapple with the question: what does it mean to live in a society where social inequality continues to define humanity?
Task
You are to write a feature article, analyzing the representation of a key concept across both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and the documentary Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American dream.
Choose one of the following concepts to focus your analysis:
society and class
obsession with the past and the future
isolation
or a concept of your choice (to be negotiated with your teacher).
To complete this task you will need to:
choose a key concept to focus your analysis
compare how this concept is represented in each text to devise a contention on the representation of your chosen concept
develop this across the piece, dedicating equal analysis to both texts, and supporting your perspectives with evidence from both
position the audience to think in particular ways about the representation in the texts, using the patterns and conventions of the genre and range of textual features of a feature article
add to ongoing, informed and public conversation about representations in literary and non-literary texts
consider the public audience of the feature article: well-read, informed readers, interested in discussing texts.
