Social media users are rolling with laughter after a college student was assigned an essay on the classic American novel The Great Gatsby — and instead wrote an essay on the cartoon Tom & Jerry.

New York-based Twitter user Alexis Pereira, 35, shared a photo of the essay on Monday, writing: 'Teaching my first English course this semester has been rewarding but I don't know what to do with this student.'

The attached essay is titled 'What Exactly Does Tom Want with Jerry?' and discusses the famous Looney Tunes characters — but an irate note scribbled in red at the top grades the paper with a 'D' and says that it was supposed to be about Tom Buchanan from F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous book.

Pereira shared just the top of the essay, for a 100-level English class, with the name obscured

It reads: 'In the Looney Tunes cinematic universe, many of the cartoon nemeses have a very clear goal. Wild Coyote wants to eat Roadrunner. Pepe Le Pue wants to impregnate Penelope. Elmer Fudd wants to shoot Bugs (and who doesn't?).