The Great Gatsby Comes to Life While Analyzing Symbolism and Sipping Tea by Kayleen Velaquez
Mrs. Reynolds' sophomore English class brought The Great Gatsby to life with a captivating recreation of the most famous scene from the novel. Transforming the classroom into a 1920’s festivity, complete with big tables, food, and decorations, the students replicated the emotional reunion of Gatsby and Daisy during the tea party. “The purpose of the tea party was to set a scene and mood for the interaction between Gatsby, Daisy, and Nick,” said sophomore Jennifer Stevens, one of the students in the class.
Highlighting the importance of the atmosphere, Stevens observed how important the emotion was within the moment of the story. The recreated tea party became a hands-on way for the class to explore themes of love, passing of time, and more. “Something that stood out to me was how often the characters' moods changed during the tea party,” said Stevens. Although the scene’s mood in the novel was emotionally charged, the class felt uneasy and hesitant while recreating it. “I would describe the reenactment of the scene as awkward, tense, and nerve-racking,” said Stevens.
The students not only focused on the emotional aspect of the scene, but also what they thought could have been different. Although they believed the recreation was pretty accurate, anything can be improved. “I think we could have had the guys on one side and the girls on the other to make it seem more like it would’ve been at the time,” said Stevens. Sophomore Justin Hartley added “If I was hosting, I would have had flowers to recreate the book.” This tea party wouldn’t have been one without, of course, the food. “We were served a choice of sweet tea or peach tea with biscuits,” said Hartley.
Mrs. Reynolds' English class of sophomores experienced what it felt like to be in the Great Gatsby, by recreating the tea party scene. Mrs. Reynolds poured either sweet or peach tea into each of the students cups as they each had a plate with biscuits. “The type of cups and table cloths stood out to me the most,” said Hartley.
PHOTO BY KINLEY CARDINAL