1. MONEY & WEALTH

2. Ultra Wealthy Wealthy Upper Middle Middle Lower Middle Poverty Place and X where you think you would fall.

3. Qs to think about  What does vacation mean to you?  What are your biggest concerns?  What is your household income?  What is your attitude about family?  What is your attitude about education?

4. When are you seriously rich?  Is the idea of being rich or feeling rich about having no debts, mortgage and being able to pay bills on time?  Is the idea of being rich about owning things like a Van Gogh or an early Picasso?  Bill Gates is worth 48,000 million  The Walton (Wal-mart) kids are worth 18,000 million each and there are 5 of them.

5. Nouveau Riche  A French term meaning “newly rich”.  The connotation implies a judgment that “new” money is somehow “dirty”  The possessor of this “new” money is an outsider.  It takes generations for “new” money to lose its stigma and the so-called “nouveau riche” people to become accepted.

7. Nouveau Riche & Gatsby  All established characters in the book, Tom, Daisy, Jordan & Nick are wealthy.  They have inherited wealth = Old Money  Gatsby = New Money. His fortune is much too recently acquired to give him acceptance from the upper classes.

8. Gatsby v. Tom  Gatsby’s wealth and the way he uses it (i.e. parties, fancy cars) seems to smack of vulgar ostentation.  At the same time, Tom’s extravagancies (i.e. having a “girl”, bringing a stable of ponies from Chicago) are accepted as part of his lifestyle as an upper class gentleman.