Analyzing Willa Cather's Writing

Willa Cather in her novel My Antonia offers her view of life during the pioneer time.

If Antonia had written My Antonia, she would have added more bias than Willa Cather. For example, when Ambrosch fought Jake, she would have made the event sound like Ambrosch was the victim. Also, when Mr. Shimerda died, Antonia might have been able to describe how she felt and what the loss meant for her family's situation. While hearing the story from Jim, Willa might not know all the specifics of both sides, just Jim's take on everything. Since Cather was only told, and never experienced the story, she could leave out crucial details.

Willa did not do a good job at narrating the story from a man's viewpoint. The book often seemed to lack emotion, where if written by Jim, there would be passion emanating from the page. She had no way of completely conveying how Jim would feel during certain events, and Jim, most likely, did not feel inclined to share every intimate detail with her.

Jim obviously grew to love Antonia. Not only as a friend, but more than that at times. While their comradeship started out rough, they learned to appreciate one another and their backgrounds. My Antonia, in a way, was a love story and the title reflects Jim's possessive nature towards Antonia. He was not controlling, but rather wanted what was best for her and looked out for her well-being. Although marriage was not in Jim and Antonia's destiny, they became close and would never forget their history.

Willa's book was full of twists, misadventures, love, and loss. The overall point of the story is not how great she wrote the book, but the obstacles Antonia and Jim went through to become the people they were. They were meant for each other in many ways, but neither wanted to see what was right in front of them. So instead, they parted ways and went on to be uniquely successful.

The Effects of Setting

Chunk #1:
Setting is often an important part of how the story plays out, and it effects the characters in different ways. For Antonia, when she worked on the farm, helping her brother, she was a major tomboy. She got tanned and freckled and didn't like dressing up just to get muddy from the work. Then, after she moved to the city she began to become much more lady-like and learn her place in society. She started to look more polished and refined. Also, her accent and english had a major turn around. In the country she could communicate ok, but you could tell english wasn't her first language. Moving to the city did wonders for her speech. She was around people who were fluent and she picked it up quickly and soon it was hard to tell she was from Bohemia from her dialogue.


Chunk #2:

The mountains, a quiet and chilling setting. With their snow frosted tips and bitter ice filled wind hitting my face it isn't always the most enjoyable place. Setting aside the cold for a minute, the peace and serenity you feel when you're at the top skiing down is unimaginable. All thoughts are blown away from you're head as adrenaline kicks in and you are flying down like a bird. The smell of pine and sweet sap is enough to give you that cheerful feeling of Christmas and joyful times. If you are focusing on the cold sweat pooling on your head and the hypothermic feeling you get in your fingers, you won't be able to enjoy the aromas and peace of it all.

Argument: Global Warming and its Effects

Claim:

Global Warming is diminishing our resources and hurting our environment

Reason 1:

• Animal species will become extinct because of "disappearing habitat, changing ecosystems, and acidifying oceans."
• Commentary 1: The animals we rely on for food will die off and cause food shortages.
• Commentary 2: The animal kingdom's natural food web will be thrown off balance.

Reason 2:

• Ocean ecosystems are "highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature" and the reefs are "dy[ing] off in response to [the] stress" from global warming.
• Commentary 1: Resources we get from coral reefs will no longer exist.
• Commentary 2: Sea life will suffer from lack of vegetation and habitat.

Opposing Claims:

• Global warming is just the world taking its natural course.
• Why does it matter if we ruin the resources, if it will not effect us personally and we'll be long dead?

My Rebuttal:

• Although I beleive that the argument brought up by those who do not care to take care of the earth is legitamate, I cannot accept their overall conclusion that it would be too much a hassle to fix this problem.

My Paragraph:

Animal species will become extinct because of "disappearing habitat, changing ecosystems, and acidifying oceans." The animals we rely on for food will die off and cause food shortages. The animal kingdom's natural food web will be thrown off balance. Ocean ecosystems are "highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature" and the reefs are "dy[ing] off in response to [the] stress" from global warming. Resources we get from coral reefs will no longer exist. Sea life will suffer from lack of vegetation and habitat. Global warming is just the world taking its natural course. Why does it matter if we ruin the resources, if it will not effect us personally and we'll be long deadthe time it is noticed? Although I beleive that the argument brought up by those who do not care to take care of the earth is legitamate, I cannot accept their overall conclusion that it would be too much a hassle to fix this problem. Our previous generations took care of the environment so that we could have a safe and healthy place to live, so we should do the same. The man-made power plants and chemical sare the source of ozone depletion and warming, so if not for us nature would not be harmed.

My thinking:

This paragraph is deductive based because there is not room for opinions, the facts show our environment is swiftyly deteriorating.

My source:

National Geographic News: Global Warming Fast Facts

Their Eyes WEre Watching God- Book Review

                Janie wants nothing more than to find a man that will love and respect her. Throughout the book she dabbles in different marriages and cannot seem to have any luck with any of them. By the end, she realizes it is what she has learned through those relationships that has made her strong. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God taught me what it means to learn and move on.

                Zora’s writing style has a big impact on what this book is about. ”Yeah but he was uh man dat wuz more’n man”(p. 66) she really places the reader in that time by writing exactly how the characters would have spoken then. “..Still and all, ‘tain’t no use in telling lies just ‘cause uh heap uh folks don’t know no better..”(p.39). Like in this sentence, most of the story was told in dialogue, adding to the effect.  The mixture of dialogue and slang made the book very difficult to comprehend quickly, so each page required intense focus to keep up.

                Janie was the main character in Their Eyes Were Watching God, along with Logan, her first relationship, Jody, her second, and Tea Cake, her third. Janie was a strong-willed woman who did not like being told what she could and could not do. She enjoyed her freedom and that often left her unhappy when married. "Janie loved the conversation and sometimes she thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge.”(p.50). Jody was my least favorite of the three men. “Thank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech- makin'.. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home.”(p.40-1). He would always find ways to abuse her mentally and put her down, so she would be too scared to leave him. When Janie was with Tea Cake, she was her happiest. “Janie is wherever Ah wants tuh be. Dat’s de kind uh wife she is and Ah love her for it.”(p. 148). The relationship between them was by far the truest, with each respecting the other.

                The setting played an important part on how the characters acted and what they said, because white and black people were still segregated during this time. “You know, honey, us colored folks is branches without roots and that makes things come round in queer ways.”(p.15) People still referred to whites and blacks as two separate groups. Also, Florida’s hurricane weather was evidently what lead to Tea Cake’s untimely death. “Janie buried Tea Cake in Palm Beach. She knew he loved the everglades.” (p.188). When he became sick and crazy, and Janie was forced to shoot him. Women were also not given the respect they are today. "'Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don't think none theirselves.'"(p. 67). They were constantly being told where their place was. Janie was constantly being held back by something whether it be her race, sex, or her husband.

                This is not an easy read; it requires an open mind that’s looking for a deep and heart-touching story. If a reader is willing to put forth the effort, they won’t be disappointed with this story to find love.

"Run!" Henry vs. Forrest

In intense situations, a person's instinctual reaction causes him/her to react for self-preservation, whether that means taking flight or taking a stand. In The Red Badge of Courage Henry ran from conflict instead of facing it. His fear got the best of him, and all he could concentrate on was to save himself and forget about everything else. In contrast, Forrest Gump set aside his fear in order to save his fellow soldiers and more specifically, Bubba. Forrest runs like Henry, but Forrest runs, not because he is scared but because he wants to help. He puts all his focus on finding Bubba and getting him out alive, even after he gets shot. Both Forrest and Henry decide to run, but with very different intentions.

Wounded Warrior Project

The Wounded Warrior Project is a charity I was unfamiliar with until reading Chad Brumpton and Anthony Villareal frightening trials. Chad's decision to become a "below the knee amputee" was a difficult one that would benefit him later in life. The WWP supported him through the whole process, helping him make the decision to amputate and helping him follow through with it. Although Anthony's "rehab was long and painful" he managed to keep a good attitude and positive outlook on life. Through this charity he encourages other soldiers in their recovery process and wants to give back what WWP gave to him. Sodiers are able to carry on in their daily lives because of this inspiring charity, without which so many would still be recovering mentally and physically.

War is...

War is needed, protecting our rights.
War is tough, demanding our people.
War is violent, shedding blood.
War is persuasive, convincing the enemy.
War is united, strengthening our country.
War is expensive, spending our money.
War is selfless, defending the innocent.
War is unknown, praying for good news.
War is patriotic, standing for what you believe.
War is hope, believing in something bigger.

Book Review #1

"Anton grads go on to become U.S. senators, Nobel Prize and Academy Award winners, astronauts, Olympic athletes, and international chess champions." This book follows a teenage girl’s transition into a new school, and all the drama that comes with it. Tish Cohen's Little Black Lies captured my attention with the canny insight into a teenager's sea of emotion.

As I began reading, I noticed Cohen’s writing style was slightly different. She would often reflect back on the main character’s past experiences. Normally, this style wouldn’t bother me, but in this book the flashbacks didn’t seem to relate to the main point. They were boring and often random. The storyline would then get hard to follow.

Also, Lundon’s dad constantly bothered me. Every time I came to a part featuring him, I would fight the urge to skip it. He frustrated me with his OCD disease and even more so with his denial towards the problem. Even through this ordeal, Lundon still took her father’s side when her parents separated.

This book centered on a number-one-in-the-nation school with the only most elite students in the country attending. I would sometimes find myself stressing out over the insane amount of homework given. “A heavy workload I can handle. This workload is pulverizing. By the time I’m done I should be milled into a finely ground powder.” This would make Little Black Lies a great example of imagery. The anxiety and pressure of doing well in school was a common theme in this book. I could relate, since academics has always been a large part of my life.

I would definitely recommend this book to other teens. If people can get past the dull parts then the rest has a wildly entertaining story and message.

Remembering 9/11

Architects are making sure to pay tribute to the first World Trade Center. According to the inforgraphic, they will have a glass enclosure at the height of the former WTC 1 and an observation deck at the height of former WTC 2. Hundreds of years from now, the loss on 9/11 will still be remembered through these recognitions. The height similarity also shows that we Americans can pick ourselves up from tragedy and recreate even better towers. This new building will always stand as a beacon of what we have lost and gained throughout this tragedy.