How I Learned To Read The Book 'My Antonia'

In the novel My Antonia by Willa Cather is a book based upon the main characters memories. Many critics have criticized this novel, and have focused on such literary elements as setting,theme, tone and etc. However the strongest argument is the one that states that the foundation of every element in the book is based on the personal memories of Willa Cather. After researching Willa Cather you can discover many biographies that talk about her life. In many instances I found stories about her life that I found similar to Jim and Antonias. Since she used personal experiences and turned them into a story it adds a special touch to her writing.

Digging into a chapter and realizing that each one is a different event in her life, is thrilling. The reader forms opinions and creates a vision in their mind about the characters and scenery. There are times where I found myself asking questions and wondering what

While reading a variety of stories, I am able to point out literary elements to my students. I know reading to my students can teach my students about good writing (Bruning, 2011, p. 295). I also

As time passes by, society changes but the land man lives on never does. In Willa Cather’s My Antonia, Cather describes the Nebraska landscape to convey her attitude toward each character and to introduce and support the novels overall theme. As the novel progresses, Cather constantly explains the theme of man’s relationship with land and as the overall theme of this novel. Throughout the course of this story, Cather’s language institutes an unthought of deeper meaning to this account and clearly identifies relationship between man and the land they live on as the main theme.

Willa Cather’s My Antonia and Mary Austin’s The Land of Little Rain are two literary works that effectively recreate the landscape of the stories they are telling. Their writing styles have a few similar characteristics, such as their word choice and their usage of visual elements; however, they take advantage of various writing elements that make their writing styles distinct, such as the use of figurative language, emotion, and rhetorical questioning.

“There in the shelter draw-bottom the wind did not blow very hard, but I could hear it singing its humming tune up on a level, and I could see the tall grasses wave.”pg. 14 This quote tells readers how even small things such as the soft blow of the wind can cause many things to happen, such as the humming of the wind and the grass’s movements.It also symbolizes how the world is at peace right now. The tone of this quote is in a describing manner by the details they provide in this quote. These all contribute to helping the reader understand the scene in Jim’s point of view.

This dialogue Ántonia says to Jim brings upon a huge change in his character. Until now, Ántonia has always treated Jim in a patronizing manner, which is based purely on age. He tries not to acknowledge or believe that he is inferior, and tirelessly tries to prove to her and consequently himself that he is her equal. However, now that he has demonstrated his strength and valor in a time of peril, she thinks of him highly rather than looking down upon him condescendingly. Jim “longed for this opportunity”, and now that he receives it, he feels pleased about this incident with the snake and “hails it with joy”, instead of feeling quite the contrary which is typical in such situations (Cather 35). Therefore, this leads him to gain some of the past self-esteem he has lost in the previous months, leading him to his development in such character. From this point on in the novel, Jim has more confidence and carries himself with pride, all due to how he overcomes one of his deepest internal struggles with himself. Although this incident is a time of great danger to his life, it further develops him into a mature young man and “a big fellow” (Cather 37).

First off, I want to thank you for making this year and my first honors English experience fun for me! Though this year was challenging for me, it has also been extremely knowledgeable. From my freshman year to sophomore year, I can definitely notice the difference in my writing and reading. I can definitely see how much I have grown, and I am sure you could see these improvements too. Last year, I was in regular English and jumping from regular to honors was a huge step for me, which at first, I was not fully comfortable with. But as I got to know this year’s class and of course you, Mrs. Walker, I felt like I belonged here, in an honors English class. Throughout this year, I have learnt and improved at my skills of properly annotating texts, writing a proper claim, analyzing author’s style, and also analyzing rhetorical situations.

My senior year has gone by so unbelievably quickly. It had been only four years ago when I first stood in front of the school a mere freshman. Throughout the years I gained a new experience that either made me a more global citizen or better prepared as an academic student. This year has been no exception and I feel ready enough for what’s ahead.

I really enjoyed your class. I've learned a lot from you and feel like you've gotten to know me well. English is definitely my favorite subject, and I am proud of my grade that I received in your class last semester. As you may recall, I decided to self-study both AP Literature and AP English Language this year. When I told people that I wanted to take these exams as a junior, they all thought I was joking due to the fact that AP Literature is one of the toughest courses to self-study. Surprisingly, I found the inspiration to take these exams from the assignments and works of literature that we went through in your class. Without all the activities we did in class, I certainly would not feel as confident with my performance as I am now. On the actual test, I wrote my AP Lit

Antonia was admired for her great strength and integrity that gave her the determination never to give up. Antonia suffered many hardships in her life but remained free spirited through all her struggles. Most people would have giving up but she made the best of her circumstances.

The American West: Things Learned from My Antonia The story, My Antonia by Willa Cather holds many historically accurate information; especially about the way of life on the Nebraska frontier. Through the Adventures of Jim and Antonia there is much to be learned about the American West. Be it the hardships of winter, the monetary struggles of immigrants into the land, the trials of farming, or humble living of everyday citizens; the American West had plenty of learning opportunities.

“Willa Cather really didn't want me to read her letters. And she was hoping you would mind your own business”. This comment stuck out to me so much because it was able to open many different points of view on My Antonia . We have been briefly discussing what this letter from which this story was pulled from meant to us. With much of the newly found knowledge this book just got more interesting. In the upcoming paragraphs I will explain more of what I interpreted.

Literary pieces are frequently linked to historical trends to enhance and strengthen their rhetoric. Accordingly, this is the case of My Ántonia, a book written by the American novelist Willa Cather. Historical events can easily be associated with the book’s main theme by examining the religious aspects of the setting, the conflicts rooted in ethnic backgrounds due to nativist sentiments, and the freedom that the Midwest prairie presented for European immigrants.

Reading develops a person’s creativity. Unlike movies where everything is determined by the producer, writer and director, books allow students to create in their minds how a particular character looks like or imagine how a scene plays out.