Analyzing Writer's Effect
A Grade 12 ELA worksheet focusing on analyzing how writers achieve specific effects through language and literary devices.
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Analyzing Writer's Effect
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Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Pay close attention to the writer's use of language and literary devices to create specific effects.
Passage from 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer. There was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified as the 'creative temperament.' It was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men."
1. What effect does the simile "just as things grow in fast movies" create in the first sentence?
A sense of slow, deliberate growth.
A feeling of rapid, almost overwhelming renewal.
An impression of artificiality and fakery.
A nostalgic longing for the past.
2. The phrase "foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams" primarily evokes what kind of mood?
Optimistic and hopeful.
Celebratory and joyous.
Disillusioned and somber.
Excited and energetic.
3. The writer's description of Gatsby's "extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness" creates an impression of Gatsby as being profoundly .
4. The contrast between Gatsby's inherent qualities and the "foul dust" suggests a thematic tension between idealism and .
5. Analyze the effect of the metaphor comparing Gatsby's sensitivity to "one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away." What does this reveal about Gatsby's character?
6. The author's use of phrases like "abortive sorrows" and "short-winded elations" suggests a cynical view of human emotions.
True
False
7. Discuss how Fitzgerald's word choice and imagery in the provided passage contribute to the overall tone and thematic concerns of 'The Great Gatsby.' Provide specific examples from the text to support your analysis.