I’m getting ready to teach the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and I want to focus on happiness. I could use the Diogenes conversation right before introducing the novel to get the kids thinking about the meaning of happiness. Students answer the essential question “How do you know when you have enough to be happy?” as an exit slip after the conversation and then again at the end of the novel to compare their responses.
Level: Secondary English/Language Arts
Subject Area: American Literature
Author: Anonymous