The Great Gatsby
AP Essay Prompts
Choose one of the essay prompts below. Write a thoughtful, focused, and organized response. Your essay should focus on the novel as evidence—do not bring in your personal experiences or unrelated outside sources. Because this is literary analysis, you should not use the personal pronoun. No “I” or “me,” etc.
Your essay will be graded using the AP style rubric on how well you answer the chosen prompt with careful analysis of the text and adequate support.
* * * * *
Gender: Write an essay analyzing the role of women in The Great Gatsby, as represented by Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle. What kind of influence or power do they wield? Consider their social positions and interactions.
Money: Analyze the portrayal of wealth in the novel—the difference between “old money” and “new money” as well as the things that money can and cannot buy. What is Fitzgerald ultimately trying to say about money and materialism? What does Gatsby’s rise and fall say about the pursuit of wealth and status in the world of the novel?
Phony vs. Real: One of the main themes of the novel is how illusion is mistaken for reality. Illustrate how this is true in the various party scenes, in the empty gestures and speeches of...
