O Pioneers ! By Willa Cather

Margaret Elliot is “beautiful, talented, critical, unsatisfied, tired of the world at twenty-four” (Great Short Works, 8). Engaged to a man she has no feelings for, life feels bleak and without purpose. She feels true love once with Eric, but just for a moment. For her whole life, Margaret “had searched the faces of men for the look that lay in his eyes. She knew that look had never shone before, would never shine for her on earth again, that such love comes to one only in dreams or in impossible places like this, unattainable always. This was Love’s self, and in a moment it would die” (Great Short Works, 29). For Willa Cather this is how love exists. Happy relationships are plentiful, but the enchanted, all encapsulating love of dreams only exists in glances. For Eric this glance is enough. He does not regret his decision or the damnation he is sure it will cause. For him “a day shall be as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day” as his love lives on.

Alexandra dealt with criticism not only from other farmers but even from her own brother’s. Lou turned to his brother. "This is what comes of letting a woman meddle in business," he said bitterly. We ought to have taken things in our own hands years ago. But she liked to run things, and we humored her” (Cather). She only wanted the best for their family and to respect her father’s wishes but her own brother’s doubted her time and time again. Even though she did not have full support of her family she knew that she was going to stay on their land and that they would eventually begin to prosper again.

How do authors generate ideas when writing? Many authors shape their works by reflecting on occurrences in their lives. While some utilize positive occurrences, more often than not, poets incorporate unpleasant experiences in their compositions. Mary Oliver exhibits this technique by incorporating her tough childhood into her poetry. “…with words, I could build a world I could live in. I had a very dysfunctional family, and a very hard childhood. So I made a world out of words. And it was my salvation” (Shriver). As a result of her sufferings, Oliver also turned to nature for inspiration. Mary Oliver’s works focused on her observations in nature, which provided an escape from reality. Mary Oliver’s experiences in life profoundly influenced

Alexandra puts her entire life into the land. In fact, Alexandra seems to exemplify the land itself. She epitomizes the American Dream and everything it stands for. She takes a raw piece of Nebraskan soil and works it until it becomes bountiful and she becomes wealthy and seemingly successful. In all of her success in achieving the American Dream, very little is said about Alexandra’s own hopes and dreams. Though Alexandra is the only one to have achieved anything close to the American Dream, she is the only character to become completely downhearted. In the novel it is written that “she was actually tired of life” (112) and that “what was left of life seemed so unimportant” (113). She also relates life to a poem she loved as a girl, and the poem reads as follows: Hence Forth the world will only be/A wider prison-house to me…(118). Regardless of the fact that Alexandra signifies everything that is the American Dream, she is still unhappy with and imprisoned by life. It is not until she indulges in her own dream, the companionship of Carl Linstrum that she begins to see life in an optimistic light.

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe for the first time. The book that the former president is referring to is Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a 1850s book about the moral wrongs of slavery. It has been said to be the most influential anti-slavery book that has ever been written. Harriet Beecher Stowe is an effective author. She uses numerous literary devices such as facile characters, character foils, and symbolism to highlight her abolitionist views and constructs a persuasive argument against slavery.

“But, I 'm already resigned to this fate / Looking over my life, I recall / If it hadn 't been / for the loneliness / I 'd have no companion at all. ” This stanza from “Loneliness”, by Lora Colon evokes the negative impact a lonely fate has on a person. Words like “resigned” and “loneliness” establish a sense of depression and resignation. During the times of the Great Depression, many people felt similar feelings of melancholy and stoicism. Jobs were hard to come by, and realistic dreams of success were scarce. John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, allows readers to see the life of the Great Depression. The two main characters, George and Lennie, search for jobs, like many other migrant workers. They dream of owning their own land, however, Lennie’s habit of getting in trouble prevents their dream from being reality. After he accidentally causes more trouble at their new job, George is forced to kill him out of mercy. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck shows that even if one meticulously plans out the road to their American Dream, fate will inevitably intervene and lead one to desolation and loneliness.

A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash definitely fits the category of “grit lit.” It is a novel about the Hall’s, a family who is wracked with grief, anxiety, and guilt after the ‘mysterious’ death of one of their sons, Christopher or Stump. The story encompasses more than just the story of the family though as it is told from the perspective of Adelaide Lyle, an old wise woman from the town, Jess Hall the youngest son of the family, and Clem Barefield, the sheriff of Marshall who also had heartache of his own that is intertwined with this families story in more ways than one. The novel incorporates most if not all of the features that is “grit lit” including: an element of crime, a focus on the bleakness of life, lyrical language, and a central character who wishes to escape their environment or get peace inside it.

The pioneers showed an exceptional example of the American Dream. As many Americans learned about the new opportunities and the land on the west coast, they made the decision to leave behind their

The book New Found Land was written by Allan Wolf in 2004, Allan used striking poetic features and fictional characters to recreate Lewis and Clark 's expedition across the continent. There mission, find the fabled Northwest passage to the pacific ocean, this group of courageous Americans may never come back. Through his use of Historical and fictional characters, Wolf was able to showcase the different viewpoints of Lewis and Clark 's crew. One of the key characters that led the expedition to success was Meriwether Lewis. I chose to look up his last name due to the fact that his last name is the more well known than his first name. Lewis is the english form of the french name Louis, this form was also derived from the german name Ludwig

At this point, Alexandra had spent numerous days and nights alone, those days when she only had her little brother, Emil, to accompany her; however, he eventually went off to school and to pursue his own career. As a result, Alexandra was left to confide in her neighbor Marie who didn’t quite understand her, herself, and her dreams.

Let the Circle be Unbroken portrays an african american family’s hardships against powerful white landowners and family tragedies. All in the perception of the strong-willed Cassie Logan. Let the Circle be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor is an enjoyable book with engaging characters, unpredictable plots, and an amusing genre.

Aldous Huxley is the author of Brave New World and several different literary works. He was born into an aristocratic family in an English county called Surrey in 1894. Huxley probably received the best education a young writer could’ve gotten in England, attending Oxford University. In 1963, he died at the age of 69 in Los Angeles, California.

One of the points that is consistently brought up in Toni Morrison’s Paradise is that of the all black town “Ruby”. Paradise uses the setting of Oklahoma to discuss how many black towns are shaped by past history and religion. While the town in this novel is fictional, there have been real all black towns in the United States, and it seems that these towns influenced many aspects of the town Ruby, which is why it is so easy to imagine that the story could actually be real. Many authors have written in general about the novel, and specifically about the town within it.

Alexandra overcomes many obstacles in life. Option 3 tells us that she is very determined and courageous. In the story, Alexandra overcomes three main obstacles that occurs in her life. The break up between Lou and Oscar took affect over her life, her friend, Carl, leaving the Divide, and the death of her youngest brother, Emil Bergson, and Frank Shabata's wife, Marie Shabata. "[Alexandra Bergson] is tough, she's strong, and she doesn't back down."

First, when listening to the radio play the main character was a male, Ronald Adams. On the other hand, in the Twilight Zone the character was a female, Nat Adams. The gender of the characters makes a difference in the story because the sailor decided to go with her in the car because of how pretty she looks. Also, he thought again when he leaving her because she told him she would date him if he stayed. Another contrast was that the hitchhiker had fresh rain drops on his shoulder and was hold a cheap overnight bag. Unlike the radio play, in the Twilight Zone the hitchhiker didn't have either rain on his shoulders or a cheap bag in his hand.