Part 2: read Book I, Chapter X to the end of Book I (through Chapter XIX)
Cather devotes a great deal of attention to the death of Mr. Shimerda in the novel. In your opinion, what is the importance of Mr. Shimerda’s death? What do we lose in the passing of Mr.Shimerda? How does his death change the narrative? Make sure that you identify quotes and/or particulars from the text in responding to these questions.
Conclusion :(Books II-V)
Please note that there are three separate threads this week to cover the sections in the assigned reading. Please do a relatively short post for each of the three threads instead of big post as done in previous weeks. Be sure to respond to your classmates’ posts as we work through the week. Make sure that you identify quotes and/or particulars from the text in responding to these questions. Please be sure to post to the appropriate thread. I have set up the three threads. These mini-posts need to be separate and distinct from your peer posts, which should identify and discuss at least two elements in each of the mini-posts. The assignment requires that you complete three peer posts this week, one for each thread.
First Post: One of Jim Burden’s professors at college, Gaston Cleric, introduced him to the writings of Virgil, a prominent Roman poet. Jim was intrigued by one of Virgil’s observations: Optima dies . . . prima fugit–the translation from Latin to English reads: “in the lives of the mortals, the best days are the first to flee” (Bk. III, Ch. II). He again recalls “the mournful line” when he reflects upon Lena’s visit with him (Bk. III, Ch. II). This statement also appears on the first page of the novel. What would you consider to be “the best days” for Jim and Antonia over the course of the novel? Please discuss one of Jim’s or Antonia’s “best days” and read the other postings so that there is no repetition.
Second Post: What do you make of the title of Book IV, “The Pioneer Woman’s Story”? Who is the pioneer woman and what can you conclude about the story? What themes are conveyed in the story? Does the outcome of the story surprise you? Why or why not? Please refer to a key scene and/or incisive text within Book IV (Ch. I-Ch. IV) that helps you respond to this set of questions. As needed make connections between Book IV and the previous books in My Antonia. This is good practice for the upcoming Midterm Exam.
Third Post: What scenes/passages in Book V provide you with a sense of closure in the novel? Consider one or more of the themes and/or tensions in My Antonia–to what extent do they get resolved in Book V?
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