Hotel California Meets The Great Gatsby: Music as a Teaching Resource for Literature - Using The Eagles’ Hotel California as a resource for teaching F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
|
|
Business Related Topics...
Entertainment, Recreation & Sports Related Topics...
Health & Fitness Related Topics...
Home & Family Related Topics...
You are here: DIME Home > Online Education > Hotel California Meets The Great Gatsby: Music as a Teaching Resource for Literature
Using The Eagles’ Hotel California as a resource for teaching F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Author: Paul Thomson
Date: May 21, 2010 - 10:38:04 AM
Printer friendly page
The most famous artistic product of the boozy 1920’s is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby, a novel about a man trying to recreate an ideal past in a drunken, materialistic present. It’s one of those books just about everyone has a strong impression of whether or not they’ve actually read it – which makes it hard for many to approach the story with fresh eyes.
If you’re a teacher looking for interesting, relevant ways to dig into
The Great Gatsby, why not try something like this on for size: the 1920’s were to WWI what the 1970’s were to the hippy movement. The unprecedented global carnage following the so-called “War to End All Wars” turned disillusioned Americans inwards, setting their priorities on money, bootlegged liquor, and partying. Similarly, after the hippies failed to elevate worldwide consciousness with peace, love, and patchouli oil, 1970’s America drowned its sorrows in disco, drugs, and polyester pants.
As an assignment, have your students compare The Great Gatsby to a 1970’s song in this same vein. Take, for example, The Eagles’
Hotel California, one of the best-selling and most recognizable songs from this (or any) era of American history.
Hotel California boasts some of the most analyzed and memorized lyrics in rock and roll. If the element of mystery means a lot to you, you’ll probably be disappointed to hear Don Henley’s two cents: “It's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream.” Not that a bunch of rock stars would know anything about that. In other words, the symbol of Californian prosperity (back when that still existed) stands in as a microcosm of American decadence in the 1970’s.
The “hotel” (wink, wink) California is no Motel 6. It has mirrored ceilings, courtyards, master’s chambers, pink champagne, and high-falutin’ guests. The narrator can’t help but notice the seductive woman with a Benz, a mind that’s “Tiffany-twisted,” and a lot of hot guys following her around. He asks for wine, to which the captain famously replies, “We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.” Since wine isn’t a spirit (and we’re betting The Eagles have a basic understanding of liquor), we’re going to go ahead and assume Henley is referring to some
other spirit of ’69.
In a creepy turn of events, there is then a beast-killing ceremony involving “steely knives,” which prompts the narrator to high-tail it “back to the place [he] was before.” Only when it’s too late does he realize that he can “check out” but “never leave.” How, pray tell, can a person be checked out without going anywhere physically? We’re thinking there might be some chemistry involved.
So let’s review: luxury, substance abuse, a beautiful temptress, materialism, violence, living in the past, and being trapped. Remind you of anyone?
As a rule of thumb, music is one of the best teacher resources because it can be deeply personal and easily relatable at the same time. Plus, the fact that lyrics are usually highly open to interpretation means your students will be putting in a lot more work than they think.
View all articles by Paul Thomson
How to make a Strategic PlanJul 14, 2011 - 7:30:41 AM Strategy is like a game plan that helps a company in gaining competitive advantage. Strategic planning results in creating focus to value the customer and making better utilization of resources. It integrates the work of every employee toward a definite goal that increases the ability to manage sustainable growth (Bryson & Alston 2004). It is dynamic in nature.... [Read the full story] |
Microsoft Office Training CoursewareJun 18, 2011 - 10:07:36 PM As a teacher or trainer who wants to provide the best Microsoft Office training to their students, you're faced with a bewildering range of training materials to choose from. Choosing the right material for your students can be a minefield, so here are some factors that might influence your choice:... [Read the full story] |
High School Bullying Statistics - The Disturbing Trends of Modern BullyingApr 10, 2011 - 9:38:48 PM It was once very common for parents to consider bullying a natural part of growing up. Those were the days when high school bullying consisted of locking smaller kids in their lockers and calling them names like "four eyes."... [Read the full story] |
Facebook Bullying Deaths and the Bullycide MovementApr 6, 2011 - 9:05:04 PM Most people know what "bullycide" is today. It speaks of the sad movement progressing across the country – and overseas - where victims of online bullying take their own lives. Facebook bullying deaths are becoming all too common.... [Read the full story] |
| Search for articles: |
|
|
 Putting Up a Small Commercial Printing Business |
| So You Might Be Unemployed And Desire To Become A San Francisco Real Estate Investor Now |
| Meditation and Mindfulness: Dealing With Emotion |
| CPA Websites: Five Essential Ideas for Composing Convincing Articles |
| Set Goals In Order to Come Up With Your Action Plan |
| Is the Air in Your Home Safe to Breathe? |
| Coarse Fishing Tackle Review: The JW Young 13ft Trotter Rod |
| Section 1031 Exchanges For San Diego Real Estate Investors |
| Phoenix Real Estate Investing For Highest Possible Earnings |
| Legendary are the Volk Racing TE37 Wheels |
| Developing the Next Generation Wall Station (ChaseDesk™) for Healthcare - A Case Study |
| What are step down transformers? |
| Introducing Sharehype, the Revolutionary Tool for Online Marketers |
| Rewards To Shopping For Austin Real Estate On The Web |
| Hydroponics for Beginners |
Would you like submit your articles and have them approved on a priority status? Find out more about how you can become a Priority author for pennies a day! Click here.
|
| Dime-co.com Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About
Featured Authors
Subscribe to our RSS feed for immediate alerts