My Antonia: Chapters 7 to 14 response Questions:

Response Questions:

BOOK I: Chapters 4 – 8:

The untamed land of Nebraska is difficult for the new immigrant family, and Mr. Shimerda encounters great hardships. Mr. Shimerds’s hopes brighten when he meets two Ukrainian friends, Peter and Pave. The two Russian immigrants escaped the Ukraine and came to the United States (and for some of you, this is similar to your interview assignment) after a tragic evening: an entire wedding party was over taken by wolves! Also, in these chapters, Antonia and Jim Burden’s relationship blossoms and develops around one of varying roles: age, gender, strength, language, and origin.

• What hardship does Mr. Shimerda Face? How do Peter and Pavel help to lighten his depression? Hoe does the story of Peter and Pavel in the Ukraine affect their new lives in the United States? What are the various factors that affect Jim and Antonia’s relationship? How do the other characters’ experiences change/affect their perspective on gender, age, education, language, and origin?


BOOK I: Chapters 9 – 14:

In this section two major concepts are in focus: religion and hardships. The Shimerdas are struggling during their first winter in Nebraska’s countryside while the Burdens are enjoying a snowy comfortable Christmas in the same region. The Shimerdas living conditions, food supply, and mental and physical health are in jeopardy. As a result, the Burdens take care of them. Despite their different religious beliefs, the Shimerdas find that differences in religion are overridden by the goodness in people

• How does religion play a part in setting the TONE of My Antonia? Find THREE passages that indicate the tone and explain how religion is important in those passages. Do religious differences divide or separate the Shimerdas and the Burdens? How do the hardship that the Shimerdas face during their first country winter and the family’s strong faith in religion connect?