- What is a hired girl? Why might the townspeople dislike them? Why might an immigrant or a foreginer be disliked? Compare/contrast the Harlings' and the Cutters' home life. How do the gendar roles differ between Mr. and Mrs. Harling and Mr. and Mrs. Cutter?
- Jim's commencement address to Antonia focuses on nostalgia and emotional success after the death of Antonia's father. What is emotional success? Why do you think that the event was an emotional success for Jim Burden? How do the feelings of Nostaligia affect the characters of Jim and Antonia? Their relationship with eachother? Is memory a reliable source of the past? How do memories mold and shape us?
BOOK III: All chapters (due Tuesday 6/2)
- A whole book in the novel is dedicated to Lena Lingard yet the book is titled My Antonia. Is My Antonia a book about Antonia? Why or why not? What might the author's intentions be dedicating a book to Lena Lingard?
- What two quotations from Virgil arrest Jims attention? How do these words give some insight into what Cather has done in My Antonia?
- How has Lena changed? Why does Jim find her interesting? What are her failings as a dressmaker? Why do her customers forgive her for them? Why does she care nto to get married? What does all of this indicate about her character?
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