Required
Reading for This Assignment
· My Antonia, (NAAL, VOL. D, the rest of the novel — Books III, IV, and V)
The
Assignment
After
finishing the novel, answer the following questions adapted from Chicago Public
Library by using your own analysis supported by specific quotes from the book.
Don’t use outside sources; you just need the book and your own mind for this
assignment. Cite all your references using MLA guidelines.
1.
The novel creates
sharp contrasts between moments of great happiness and moments of deep sadness,
grief, and loss. In your analysis, what brings greatest happiness to Ántonia
and Jim at different times in their lives? Choose specific, cited references
from across the span of the novel, as well as thoughtful analysis.
2.
My
Ántonia gives readers
the opportunity to reflect on values that cannot be easily measured yet are
essential to a life well lived. The entire novel might be seen as Jim’s own
journey to discover what these values are. For example, in Book III, section
iv, Lena Lingard’s landlord, Mr. Ordinsky, tells Jim, “‘kindness of
heart…[is] not understood in a place like this. The noblest qualities are
ridiculed.’” In your analysis, what contributes to Jim’s understanding of “the
noblest qualities”? How does Ántonia help Jim reach this understanding? Provide
specific, cited references and thoughtful analysis.
3.
In a 1915 interview,
Cather commented, “No one without a good ear can write good fiction.” What
particular passages in My Ántonia show Cather’s “good ear” for the sound of
language? Discuss how and why these passages capture the moods and themes of
the novel. (I LOVE this question!!) Provide specific, cited references from
across the span of the novel and thoughtful analysis.
4.
My
Ántonia contrasts
characters who stay rooted to the land and those who emigrate or travel. By the
end of the novel, who seems more rooted in Nebraska, Jim or Ántonia? Use
specific, cited references that span the novel, as well as thoughtful analysis.
5.
How does the novel
address the promise and price of immigration? Provide thoughtful analysis of
specific, cited references that span the novel.
Grading
Guidelines
Full
credit will be given to answers that provide specific, cited references and
well-developed explanations and analysis.
Partial
credit will be given to answers that provide specifics but little or partially
developed analysis or explanations.
No
credit will be given to answers that provide no explanations or analysis, or
ones that provide no specific, cited references (or both, of course).
