Willa Cather, in her novel My Antonia, offers her view of life during the pioneer times. She portrays herself and all of her views through her characters. Through Jim and his experiences the audience gets a view of life in the good ol' days.
If the book were told in the point of view of Antonia instead of Jim, the story would have been drastically different. In her perspective, the audience would have gained insight into what it was like to be in a family who was new to the country and struggling for survival. Also, we might have gained a motive behind some of her actions, such as her behavior towards Jim and her dancing escapades. Her thoughts and feelings would have been made known during the tough times, such as when she had to work in the fields like a man or when she was betrayed by her supposed fiance, Larry, and left alone and pregnant. The book would have turned out completely different if we had learned all of the facts firsthand instead of hearing them through as Jim learned them through the grapevine.
Willa Cather was fairly effective at writing in the point of view of a man, considering she herself is not one. The only way that one could even guess that the author was a woman was that Jim seems to be fairly feminine for a guy. Not to the point of being ridiculously or overly girly, but still more so than some guys would have been. There was not really any description of him doing any manual labor, which could hint at the fact that the author is a girl due to the fact that most woman did not do any sort of field work in that time period. Overall, though, Cather did a good job portraying a man in the book.
Jim changed the title of the story from Antonia to My Antonia because he was telling the story of his friend Antonia as he saw her. The different people who grew up or lived around Antonia would have viewed her in a completely different way than Jim did. He saw the good in her; the willingness to do anything for her family and how she refused to give up on making something of herself even though she was left alone and pregnant in a time where that was highly frowned upon. However, others viewed her with pity, as the girl who was gullible enough to be tricked out of her money and left pregnant. She would have been seen as cheap and a floozy. Jim wanted to show people how he viewed her; how he loved her. The title My Antonia shows that the story is not about her flaws and mistakes and meant to degrade. It shows Jim's unconditional love towards her.
My Antonia is a very unique book that would have been completely different if the author had made even one minor change. Cather's novel is very good at showing the lifestyle of a typical family during the pioneer times. The story shows not only the good in life, but also the hard, unforgiving times that occurred so very often in those times. The book is well written and interesting enough that I would recommend it to anybody who likes classic books.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Effects of a Setting
Author Willa Cather embedded literary devices, such as metaphors, similes, and personification, within her writing.
"As I looked about me I felt that the grass was the country, as the water is the sea. The red of the grass made all the great prairie the colour of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up. And there was so much motion in it; the whole country seemed, somehow, to be running."
"The grave, with its tall red grass that was never mowed, was like a little island."
"Winter comes down savagely over a little town on the prairie. The wind that sweeps in from the open country strips away all the leafy screens that hide one yard from another in summer, and the houses seem to draw closer together. The roofs, that looked so far away across the green treetops, now stare you in the face, and they are so much uglier than when their angles were softened by vines and shrubs.
The setting plays a major role on the lives of the characters within the novel. For example, if the Shimerda family had moved to a large city, they might not have fallen on such hard times. Mr. Shimerda might have been happier and not killed himself and Antonia would not have been forced to live the rough lifestyle of a man. She may have been a prim and proper lady and been married off to some rich guy, never to have to work in the fields again. If Jim had not moved to the farm with his grandparents, he would have never learned to appreciate the things he has in life. By living on a farm, he learned to work hard and follow instructions. He also would not have been exposed to the people, such as Otto and Jake, who taught him all of the things that a father would teach a son. The setting of the story made a huge impact on the plot and all of the characters.
The woods are a paradise to me. The best time is during the fall when the leaves turn colors and float softly to the ground. The tall, imposing trees give me a sense of safety and comfort. They stand tall and proud, like a veteran soldier bravely defending his country. I love to hear the small creek whispering its song to the world as it weaves its way across the landscape. I can sit, relax and ponder the ways of the world when there is nothing but nature surrounding me. Off in the distance, the sun is slowly losing its battle with the night, leaving everything bathed orange in its warm glow. When I see this, I know it is time to head back to my home. However reluctant, I am placated by the realization that my paradise is permanent and I can always visit again tomorrow.
"As I looked about me I felt that the grass was the country, as the water is the sea. The red of the grass made all the great prairie the colour of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up. And there was so much motion in it; the whole country seemed, somehow, to be running."
"The grave, with its tall red grass that was never mowed, was like a little island."
"Winter comes down savagely over a little town on the prairie. The wind that sweeps in from the open country strips away all the leafy screens that hide one yard from another in summer, and the houses seem to draw closer together. The roofs, that looked so far away across the green treetops, now stare you in the face, and they are so much uglier than when their angles were softened by vines and shrubs.
The setting plays a major role on the lives of the characters within the novel. For example, if the Shimerda family had moved to a large city, they might not have fallen on such hard times. Mr. Shimerda might have been happier and not killed himself and Antonia would not have been forced to live the rough lifestyle of a man. She may have been a prim and proper lady and been married off to some rich guy, never to have to work in the fields again. If Jim had not moved to the farm with his grandparents, he would have never learned to appreciate the things he has in life. By living on a farm, he learned to work hard and follow instructions. He also would not have been exposed to the people, such as Otto and Jake, who taught him all of the things that a father would teach a son. The setting of the story made a huge impact on the plot and all of the characters.
The woods are a paradise to me. The best time is during the fall when the leaves turn colors and float softly to the ground. The tall, imposing trees give me a sense of safety and comfort. They stand tall and proud, like a veteran soldier bravely defending his country. I love to hear the small creek whispering its song to the world as it weaves its way across the landscape. I can sit, relax and ponder the ways of the world when there is nothing but nature surrounding me. Off in the distance, the sun is slowly losing its battle with the night, leaving everything bathed orange in its warm glow. When I see this, I know it is time to head back to my home. However reluctant, I am placated by the realization that my paradise is permanent and I can always visit again tomorrow.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Argument: Pit Bull Bans
Assertion/Claim (Topic Sentence) = Main Idea
My Thinking: I believe that this paragraph is based mainly on inductive reasoning due to the fact that the conclusion can still be argued and is not a definite fact.
Sources:
- Pit bull bans should be abolished.
Evidence -Concrete Detail:
- The problems that occur seemingly due to the breed are actually caused by the owners, not the dogs themselves.
- Commentary 1: Pit bulls are not born killers, they are turned that way as a result of a bad upbringing or traumatic experience. Most of the dogs that attack people have been the victims of abuse or neglect or have taught to fight or kill.
- Commentary 2: There are thousands upon thousands of pit bulls around the world that have never attacked anyone. All of the dogs are not vicious just because some of them have attacked people before. Besides, how many times do ban supporters mention the pit bulls that have saved their owners from certain death? Or do they ever specify whether or not the dog was provoked by the person they attacked? Hardly ever.
- The breed "pit bull" is probably one of the most misused terms ever.
- Commentary 1: Most people group any dog with certain characteristics, such as a stocky build, as a pit bull. a majority of the time, it is one of the many other breeds that are incorrectly labeled as a pit bull.
- Commentary 2: The pit bull gets blamed for the actions of dozens of many other breeds due to their misidentification. This would multiply the attack number for the breed by huge amounts and would account for why the numbers are so high and why the breed has such a bad reputation.
Opposing Claims/They Say:
- The Dog Bite Law Center argues that "these dogs are bred killers."
- Some claim that they "have not place in a family home" and that any "defense of them is misplaced affection."
- However, I say that the majority of pit bulls are being unrightfully punished for the mistakes and actions of the few. Most of the "pit bulls" aren't actually pit bulls at all. If you are counting the number of attacks for many different breeds all under one breed, of course the number is going to be higher than any one single breed.
My Paragraph
Pit bull bans should be abolished. The problems that occur seemingly due to the breed are actually caused by the owners, not the dogs themselves. Pit bulls are not born killers, they are turned that way as a result of a bad upbringing or traumatic experience. Most of the dogs that attack people have been the victims of abuse or neglect or have taught to fight or kill. There are thousands upon thousands of pit bulls around the world that have never attacked anyone. All of the dogs are not vicious just because some of them have attacked people before. Besides, how many times do ban supporters mention the pit bulls that have saved their owners from certain death? Or do they ever specify whether or not the dog was provoked by the person they attacked? Hardly ever. The breed "pit bull" is probably one of the most misused terms ever. Most people group any dog with certain characteristics, such as a stocky build, as a pit bull. a majority of the time, it is one of the many other breeds that are incorrectly labeled as a pit bull. The pit bull gets blamed for the actions of dozens of many other breeds due to their misidentification. This would multiply the attack number for the breed by huge amounts and would account for why the numbers are so high and why the breed has such a bad reputation. However, not everybody believes as I do. The people at the Dog Bite Law Center argue that "these dogs are bred killers." Some claim that they "have not place in a family home" and that any "defense of them is misplaced affection." Nevertheless, I say that the majority of pit bulls are being unrightfully punished for the mistakes and actions of the few. Most of the "pit bulls" aren't actually pit bulls at all. If you are counting the number of attacks for many different breeds all under one breed, of course the number is going to be higher than any one single breed. Thus, pit bulls should not be banned and they should get the same treatment that any other dog breed does.My Thinking:
Sources:
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