1. Your Conclusion

2. Restate thesis in a creative way Thesis: Daisy is worthy of Gatsby’s time and energy because she is unusually beautiful, perceptive, and romantic. Conclusion: In terms of worth, Daisy is indeed a character who has enough redeeming qualities to completely captivate a man as great as Jay Gatsby.

3. Gatsby has wasted his life in pursuit of Daisy, an unworthy character who does not know what she wants and lacks the willpower to make decisions for herself. Despite the many efforts that Gatsby has expended in pursuing Daisy, she is not worth his time or energy because she lacks the conviction and passion that he has.

4. Gatsby is in no way a tragic hero because he is not noble or “great” in any way. Gatsby does not qualify as a tragic hero because he lacks the characteristics necessary to properly be called one.

5. Creatively restate thesis Gatsby is indeed a tragic hero because he lived a courageous and virtuous life and died because of a single characteristic-his unfading love for Daisy.

6. Elaborate/Explain thesis Jay Gatsby lived his life with the single-minded and noble purpose of reuniting with the love of his life, a glamorous and noble cause. He was able to successfully create an environment that allowed him to achieve his goal to some extent, but that which had once fueled him and motivated him also ended up being the cause of his demise. Because of the very intensity and passion that had gone into winning Daisy, he inadvertently put his life at risk to defend her conscience and reputation.

7. Expand Thesis Provide further details and/or counterargument Connect thesis to a larger worldview If/when appropriate, offer a solution

8. Further details/Counterargument Though some may argue that Gatsby does not qualify as a “hero” because he used corrupt ways to win back Daisy, readers must remember that Gatsby had to work against a society that did not easily allow poor men to ever become rich. If anything, Gatsby was simply smart enough to work the system, adding to his “heroic” status. His qualities and the way in which he lived and died truly make him a tragic hero.

9. Connect thesis to a larger worldview Gatsby lived the majority of his adult life in pursuit of a single and noble dream. He ended up dying for that dream, much in the same way that heroes such as JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. died for their causes. Perhaps for a person to truly become a hero, he/she must become a martyr for his/her cause. Most people will be willing to live for a certain ideal, but very few would be willing to die for one. True greatness and heroicness can only be achieved through martyrdom.

10. If/when appropriate, offer a solution Gatsby cannot be considered a hero because the object of his pursuit was not a worthy one to begin with. One must be careful in choosing causes to live and die for. Had Gatsby died in the pursuit of justice or freedom, in the way that JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. had, his death could be considered a tragedy. However, he chose to die for an infatuation that was not mutual. His life and death should serve as a reminder to be careful in choosing what to live and die for. Only if a pursuit improves the lives of others is it worth dying for. Otherwise, when that life ends, it is more pathetic than it is tragic.