Antonia To Learn The English Language

In this passage from her autobiography, “One Writer’s Beginnings”, Eudora Welty recalls early experiences of reading and books that had later impact on her craft as a writer of fiction. Welty’s language conveys the intensity and values of these experiences with the use of imagery, with the use of diction, and the use of details.

My Antonia, by Willa Cather, is a novel about Jim Burden and his relationship and experiences growing up with Antonia Shimerda in Nebraska. Throughout the book Jim reflects on his memories of Nebraska and the Shimerda family, often times in a sad and depressing tone. One of the main ways Cather is able to provoke these sad emotions within the reader is through the suicide of Antonia’s father, Mr. Shimerda. His death was unexpected by everyone and it is thought that homesickness is what drove him to take his own life. Homesickness was surely felt by Mr. Shimerda, as it was by many, but it was the failure to adequately find a way to provide for his family that sent Mr. Shimerda into a

Throughout the essay, the use of vernacular speech can be observed when looking at the dialogue between characters. For example, “Good day, Mrs. Henderson. Momma responded with “How you, Sister Flowers?”. In the dialogue between Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Flowers, it can be seen that Flowers speaks respectively with sophistication while Mrs. Henderson speaks carelessly using an older southern tone. This results in a clear comparison between the characters in the essay which represent the importance of education and vocabulary. The constant use of the wrong verb by “Momma” bothers the author, giving us a better idea of language’s role in her life. In addition, the author foreshadows part of the lifeline, so we gain a better understanding of the story when the lifeline is presented later on.

2. Message coded. She talks to her carer about the books she used to read and how much she

Eudora Welty’s sheltered, adolescent life, coupled with her parent’s emphasis on education and reading, helped to shape her as the writer she was by making her stylistic approaches daring and intelligent while keeping a southern tone and state of mind.

Through all the readings that she had possessed she had become, what was the start of, an independent woman. The fact that she continued to read to further her knowledge and to learn more did not faze her that not many other women were doing as she was. At a young age she knew that “settling” with the roles of women during this time was a life that she had to choose but she also wanted more. She wanted to educate herself and that she did through the works of her favorite author’s books and poems.

And now and then in the afternoon she would burst through the door holding flowers and cookies and smelling fresh like the outdoors. She would stay for a moment or two and chat about with the children about the wonderful weather or her garden. The children would show her the pictures that they had drawn and ask her questions about their mother. Which she could never answer, but she would try.

There are few authors in the world that can change a person's life. Willa Cather is an amazing author that can transform the way a person thinks and their outlook on the subject. Henry Williams States, “The early years of young Willa’s life left a memorable impression on her and formed the basis for many of her stories and characters.” My Antonia, is one of America’s most loved stories. The main characters in her books face challenges, but find a way to persevere and live. Also by Willa Cather, A Wagner Matinee, a very informative text, is about a woman who leaves her home and seeks for what she is missing in her life.She realizes that the grass is greener on the other side, and never thinks of turning back. A person can learn many things about the old west from Willa Cather’s My Antonia and A Wagner Matinee.

The language barrier of Shimerdas, especially Mr. and Ms. Shimerda, affected their social life since American speakers were hard to get an understanding of them. In the first few months after their emigration, Shimerdas’ broken English made them seldom had effective interaction with other local residents. When Jimmy visited Shimerdas with Antonia, Mr. shimerda talked to him “kindly and gravely”, but Jimmy could only understand him from Antonia’s translation (p24). This inefficient

A unique relationship forms between the author and the reader through McCourt’s effective ‘show and tell’ narrative method. This gives the reader more involvement and greater emotional attachment. During the first part of this book, he ‘shows’ the reader, through innocent misunderstandings, that interpretation is needed in order to fully understand the context: “Sometimes he [Mr. Leibowitz] speaks to Mrs. Leibowitz and I don’t understand because strange sounds come from his mouth. Freddie understands…smiles back and makes the strange sounds” (38). Here the reader knows that the ‘strange sounds’ are the Leibowitz’s speaking another language. Frank does not understand that there are different languages that people speak other than just English, but the mature reader is informed.

Would let your young child read the story of Elsie Dinsmore a young heroine that is force by her father to practice on the piano for hours on end? Eudora Welty’s mother forbid her from reading those stories because she was “to impressionable”. The language convey in the autobiography shows the sentimental feelings the author has for her mother; the reason Ms. Welty enjoys reading so much is because of her mother.

Perhaps the greatest difficulty for immigrants adapting to life in a new country is the language barrier. Upon their arrival, the Shimerdas only speak a few sentences of broken English. According to Jim, “They could not speak enough English to ask for advice, or even to make their most pressing wants known” (Cather 46). In the beginning of their friendship, Antonia is unable to communicate efficiently with Jim. For example, during one of Antonia and Jim’s adventures, they come across a snake that sneaks up behind Jim. Antonia, who only speaks little English, is only able to scream at Jim in Bohemian. Although Jim is able to kill the snake, he lashes out at Antonia for speaking Bohemian gibberish. While this frustrates Antonia, it also makes her more determined to learn English. For instance, Antonia illustrates her desire to learn English as she makes daily trips, traveling by barefoot, to the Burden’s home to acquire new English phrases (Gerber 11). Because the Shimerdas do not speak English, they fall easy prey to those willing to take advantage of them.

Eleanor turned to books for solace and escape from these shocking personal losses and the suppressing nurture in her grandmother’s house. In the following years, Eleanor continued to receive her grandmother’s idea of a proper nurture. She still studied with the tutor her mother had hired, took classes for French

The author compares her love for “devouring” books with her mother’s mutual literary “insatiability”. Welty recollects the influence of books on the both of them to demonstrate the important effect reading had on her life even through her mother. Later in the paragraph another bit of narration in the form of an anecdote is present. Welty begins by alluding to her idol Mary Pickford and then discusses her mother reading a magazine with focus while playing with Welty’s siblings. The fact that Welty retained these memories is a testament to the position such events occupied for her as a child; books and reading maintained a vital spot in her

Elisa’s garden is her private escape, where she is free to daydream, yearn, and wonder about life outside of her valley. Her little fenced in garden not only keeps the dogs and cattle out, but her husband does not trespass in it either. It is hers and hers alone. Elisa shows signs that she is miserable in her marriage and her life, by being curt and dismissive to her husband, uninterested in his buyers, and equally rude and dismissive towards the panhandler that rides up in an ancient, rickety, covered wagon. being pulled by an old horse and a mule.