Let’s Repeat the Past
March 25, 2015
Time turned back this Tuesday, as sophomore students transformed from Converse-clad teenagers to the extravagant personas of the Roaring Twenties.
Every year, English teacher Susan DiFederico hosts ‘Gatsby Day,’ the conclusion to a quarter-long study of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, The Great Gatsby.
Dressed as flappers and gangsters, students spent the class period doing a final study of the cultural aspects seen throughout the book.
“It makes the book come alive for me after studying it. Now we’re able to truly experience it,” said Deanna Netzer (’17).
DiFederico uses this day as a chance to get in an interactive lesson before wrapping up the novel.
“I want them to think about the culture of the time and how important culture is to any novel that they read. It’s all a part of understanding what Fitzgerald wants us to know about his characters,” said DiFederico.
Gatsby Day enables students to become involved in their learning, as well as create memories of their high school years.
“When I can pull in the culture and the literary aspects of the novel and include something as important as fashion it seems to help students remember the content of the novel,” said DiFederico.
The students have been studying The Great Gatsby for almost two months, developing a deeper understanding of the author’s intent through deep analysis of the text.
“It’s been great to experience this book and to have done so much with it then to have something fun to celebrate our work,” said Patrick McGuire (’17) “It’s a great way to wrap up a great book.”
