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Created byLinda Garrett

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Redlining West Egg: A Spatial Justice Mapping Project

Grade 11English9 days

In this 11th-grade English project, students act as critical cartographers to investigate the "invisible lines" of systemic exclusion within F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. By synthesizing literary analysis with historical research on 1920s-era redlining and racial covenants, students apply a Critical Race Theory lens to identify how the novel's geography encodes social status and erases marginalized voices. The experience culminates in the creation of a "Spatial Justice Map" and an accompanying manifesto, where students use counter-cartography techniques to redesign the landscape of the novel for equity and inclusion.

Critical CartographyRedliningSpatial JusticeCritical Race TheoryLiterary GeographySystemic ExclusionCounter-Storytelling

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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we, as critical cartographers, redesign the geography of The Great Gatsby to expose the "invisible lines" of systemic exclusion and propose a new map that visualizes spatial justice for all?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.

How does the physical geography of East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes encode social status and racial exclusion in the novel?
In what ways do the characters’ movements across the map of Long Island and New York reveal the "invisible lines" of privilege and systemic restriction?
How did historical 1920s-era policies, such as redlining and racial covenants, inform the myth of meritocracy that Fitzgerald depicts?
Whose presence and history are "erased" from the landscape of Gatsby, and how does applying a Critical Race Theory lens challenge the traditional interpretation of the text?
How can we use counter-cartography (redesigning the map) to visualize spatial justice and propose a more equitable distribution of power and resources?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:

Students will analyze how Fitzgerald uses the specific geography of 1920s Long Island (East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes) to encode social status, wealth disparity, and racial exclusion.
Students will apply the tenets of Critical Race Theory (such as systemic racism and counter-storytelling) to investigate how spatial segregation and property rights serve as mechanisms for maintaining systemic racial and social hierarchies within the narrative.
Students will synthesize historical research on 1920s-era redlining, racial covenants, and urban planning with the fictional narrative to identify "invisible lines" of privilege and restriction.
Students will design a "Spatial Justice Map" using counter-cartography techniques to visualize an equitable redistribution of power and resources, justifying their design choices with textual and historical evidence.
Students will evaluate whose voices and histories are erased from the landscape of the novel and propose ways to center those marginalized perspectives through their redesigned geography.

Common Core State Standards (ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3

Primary

Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).Reason: This project centers on the setting of Gatsby and how the geographical 'lines' of the story develop themes of exclusion and status.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9

Primary

Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.Reason: Students are analyzing a foundational 20th-century American text (Gatsby) through the historical and thematic lens of systemic exclusion and the structural barriers inherent in early 20th-century society.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2

Secondary

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.Reason: Students must write detailed justifications and analyses to accompany their spatial justice maps, explaining the rationale behind their redesign.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7

Supporting

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.Reason: Students are required to integrate historical maps, redlining data, and literary text to create their final cartographic product.

Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards

Justice 12 (Grades 9-12)

Primary

Students will assess how social group dynamics and systemic inequality (e.g., racism, classism) affect the distribution of power and resources in society.Reason: The project explicitly uses Critical Race Theory to examine the systemic inequality and spatial injustice (redlining) represented in the novel.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

The Covenant of Exclusion Case File

Students are presented with a 'leaked' 1922 Restricted Deed for the Buchanan estate in East Egg, which contains explicit language barring anyone who isn't 'Caucasian' or 'of a certain social standing.' Students must analyze this legal document alongside the book’s descriptions of the Valley of Ashes to map out where the 'imaginary' lines of the novel meet the 'legal' lines of historical New York.

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Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.

Activity 1

The Literary Surveyor: Mapping the Myth

Before diving into historical redlining, students must first understand the 'mental map' Fitzgerald creates. In this activity, students will act as literary surveyors, extracting textual evidence to create a visual representation of the novel's geography (East Egg, West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and New York City). They will focus specifically on the 'borders' mentioned in the text—the water, the ash heaps, and the railroad tracks—and the symbolic language used to describe each zone.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Scan Chapters 1-4 of 'The Great Gatsby' to identify specific descriptions of East Egg, West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and the corridor to NYC.

2. Identify at least three 'boundary markers' (e.g., the 'courtesy bay,' the 'white palaces,' the 'gray land') and note the page numbers.

3. Create a hand-drawn or digital map that visualizes these areas, using color and scale to represent the social hierarchy described by Nick Carraway.

4. Annotate the map with 'Census Labels'—briefly describing the perceived class, race, and 'moral' standing of the inhabitants of each area based on Fitzgerald’s descriptions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityAn Annotated Literary Map featuring key quotes that define the boundaries and 'vibe' of each geographical area.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3 (Analyzing the impact of the author's choices regarding setting) and Justice 12 (Assessing how systemic inequality affects the distribution of resources).

Activity 2

The Redline Reveal: Investigating Invisible Borders

Students will now bridge the gap between fiction and history. Using the 'Covenant of Exclusion Case File' and historical HOLC (Home Owners' Loan Corporation) maps from the 1920s, students will investigate how real-world racial covenants and redlining mirrored the social walls in Gatsby’s world. They will look for the 'invisible lines' that kept the Valley of Ashes a wasteland and the 'palaces' of East Egg exclusive.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Analyze the 'Leaked 1922 Restricted Deed' provided in the entry event, highlighting keywords related to race, ethnicity, and social standing.

2. Research 'Mapping Inequality' or similar databases to find a 1920s-1930s redlining map of a New York suburb (like Queens or Long Island).

3. Compare the 'D' rated (Hazardous) areas on the historical map to Fitzgerald’s description of the Valley of Ashes.

4. Write a comparative analysis explaining how the 'invisible lines' of the book were actually codified in real-world legal and financial policy.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA 'Redline Overlay' report that compares a specific fictional boundary in the book to a real-world 1920s restrictive covenant.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7 (Integrating multiple sources of information) and Justice 12 (Social group dynamics and systemic inequality).

Activity 3

Counter-Narrative Cartography: Re-centering the Margins

Applying Critical Race Theory, students will identify the 'ghosts' of the landscape—the people of color, immigrant workers, and marginalized groups who are present in the 1920s context but largely erased or marginalized in Fitzgerald's narrative. Students will research who actually lived in the areas surrounding 'West Egg' and 'The Valley of Ashes' to provide a counter-story to the main narrative.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Identify three moments in the text where 'outsiders' appear (e.g., the 'modish Negroes' in the limo, the Greek neighbor Michaelis, the laborers in the Valley of Ashes).

2. Conduct brief research on the demographic reality of 1920s Corona, Queens (the real Valley of Ashes) or the service workers of the Gold Coast.

3. Draft a 'Counter-Story' for one of these individuals, explaining how spatial exclusion (redlining) affected their daily life compared to Gatsby or Buchanan.

4. Create a 'Justice Legend' that adds these voices back onto the map using specific icons or symbols.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA 'Counter-Narrative Legend' for their map, featuring three 'Lost Profiles' of individuals or groups erased from the traditional Gatsby map.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9 (Foundational works and thematic treatment) and Justice 12 (Assessing power and resource distribution).

Activity 4

The Spatial Justice Blueprint: Redesigning for Equity

In the final activity, students act as 'Spatial Justice Architects.' They will redesign the geography of the novel to dismantle the systems of exclusion they have studied. This isn't just about moving buildings; it’s about reimagining land use, transportation, and housing to create an equitable version of the Long Island landscape. They must justify every change using CRT principles.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Review the 'Invisible Lines' identified in Activity 2 and the 'Erasures' from Activity 3.

2. Redraw the map to eliminate the Valley of Ashes' 'wasteland' status, proposing new infrastructure (e.g., public transit, integrated housing, community spaces) that bridges the Eggs.

3. Assign new 'Zoning Laws' for this redesigned world that prioritize equity and access rather than exclusion and 'covenants.'

4. Write a 500-750 word 'Architect’s Manifesto' explaining how your new map addresses specific instances of systemic inequality found in the novel and historical research.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityThe Spatial Justice Map of West Egg: A large-scale visual redesign accompanied by an 'Architect’s Manifesto' (explanatory essay).

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2 (Writing informative/explanatory texts) and RI.11-12.7 (Integrating multiple sources).

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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Redlining West Egg: Spatial Justice Rubric

Category 1

Critical Analysis & Research

Focuses on the student's ability to analyze the intersection of literary setting and historical systemic exclusion.

Criterion 1

Literary Geography & Symbolism

Analyzes the symbolic and social hierarchy of Fitzgerald's geography (East Egg, West Egg, Valley of Ashes) using specific textual evidence.

Exemplary

4 Points

Provides a sophisticated analysis of symbolic geography; uses nuanced textual evidence to identify subtle boundary markers and explains how setting mirrors complex social hierarchies. Maps are meticulously annotated with insightful literary evidence.

Proficient

3 Points

Accurately identifies and maps the primary geographical zones. Uses relevant textual evidence and quotes to describe the 'vibe' and class status of each area. Annotations are clear and grounded in the text.

Developing

2 Points

Maps the basic zones but may miss symbolic nuances. Textual evidence is present but may be limited or superficial. Annotations describe physical traits rather than social hierarchy.

Beginning

1 Points

Mapping of zones is incomplete or inaccurate. Minimal or irrelevant textual evidence is used to support the geographical layout. Annotations are missing or vague.

Criterion 2

Historical Policy Synthesis

Integrates historical 1920s redlining data and restrictive covenants with the fictional setting to expose systemic exclusion.

Exemplary

4 Points

Demonstrates a profound understanding of how real-world policy (HOLC maps, covenants) dictated fictional outcomes. Synthesis of historical data and literary setting is seamless and reveals deep structural insights.

Proficient

3 Points

Effectively compares historical redlining maps and deeds with fictional boundaries. Analysis clearly explains how 'invisible lines' were codified in legal and financial policy within the 1920s context.

Developing

2 Points

Identifies historical policies and fictional boundaries but the connection between them is inconsistent or lacks depth. Comparative analysis is present but primarily descriptive.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to identify the connection between real-world policy and the text. Historical research is missing, inaccurate, or unrelated to the literary analysis.

Category 2

Equity & Perspective-Taking

Evaluates the application of Critical Race Theory and the inclusion of marginalized perspectives.

Criterion 1

Counter-Narrative Development

Applies Critical Race Theory to identify and re-center marginalized voices or groups erased from the original narrative landscape.

Exemplary

4 Points

Develops compelling, well-researched counter-stories that fundamentally challenge the dominant narrative. 'Lost Profiles' are deeply integrated into the map and reflect sophisticated CRT application.

Proficient

3 Points

Identifies three specific marginalized groups or individuals and creates plausible counter-stories grounded in historical demographic research. 'Justice Legend' effectively visualizes these presences.

Developing

2 Points

Identifies 'outsiders' but counter-stories lack historical detail or narrative depth. Voices are added to the map but remain peripheral to the analysis.

Beginning

1 Points

Fails to identify marginalized groups or provides counter-stories that are stereotypical or unsupported by research. Representation on the map is missing.

Category 3

Synthesis & Communication

Assesses the final synthesis of knowledge through creative redesign and written justification.

Criterion 1

Spatial Justice Design

Redesigns the map of West Egg and the Valley of Ashes to dismantle systems of exclusion and visualize spatial justice.

Exemplary

4 Points

Proposes an innovative and visionary redesign that systematically replaces exclusionary structures with equitable infrastructure. Design choices reflect a masterly application of spatial justice principles.

Proficient

3 Points

Redesign clearly addresses 'invisible lines' by proposing specific infrastructure (e.g., housing, transit) that promotes equity. Zoning laws are rewritten to prioritize access over exclusion.

Developing

2 Points

Redesign includes some changes to the landscape, but they are either cosmetic or do not fully address the systemic nature of spatial injustice identified earlier.

Beginning

1 Points

Redesign is incomplete or maintains the existing systems of exclusion. Changes lack a clear connection to the goal of spatial justice.

Criterion 2

Architect’s Manifesto (Explanatory Writing)

Writes a clear, persuasive manifesto justifying design choices through the lens of CRT and historical research.

Exemplary

4 Points

Architect’s Manifesto is a powerful, high-level argument (500-750 words) that expertly synthesizes literature, history, and CRT. Writing is sophisticated, logically flawless, and deeply persuasive.

Proficient

3 Points

Manifesto (500-750 words) clearly explains the rationale for redesign choices. Writing is organized and accurately cites textual and historical evidence to support the 'Spatial Justice' vision.

Developing

2 Points

Manifesto provides a basic explanation of changes but lacks a strong argumentative link to CRT or historical data. Writing may be disorganized or fall short of the required length.

Beginning

1 Points

Manifesto is missing, excessively brief, or fails to provide a logical justification for the redesigned map. Reasoning is not grounded in the project’s themes.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning

Question 1

To what extent did applying a Critical Race Theory lens and the history of redlining change your understanding of Gatsby’s pursuit of the 'American Dream'?

Scale

Required

Question 2

What was the most challenging 'invisible line' to dismantle in your Spatial Justice Map, and what does that challenge suggest about the permanence of systemic inequality?

Text

Required

Question 3

Which element of the 'Counter-Narrative Cartography' activity did you find most impactful in challenging the 'erasure' of marginalized voices in the novel?

Multiple choice

Required

Options

Giving a voice to the laborers in the Valley of Ashes

Mapping the demographic reality of 1920s Corona (Queens)

Documenting the impact of racial covenants on 'outsiders' in the text

Visualizing the service workers who maintained the East Egg estates

Question 4

Now that you have mapped the 'invisible lines' of the 1920s, how has your perspective shifted regarding the way your own local geography might encode social status or exclusion today?

Text

Required

Question 5

How confident do you feel in your ability to apply 'counter-cartography' techniques to analyze and propose a redesign for a specific neighborhood or border within our own city to promote spatial justice?

Scale

Required