My
Antonia (Willa Cather)
Study Questions
WEEK 1: Before
reading
Discussion
– Literary Terms:
Setting, Theme, Characterization. Simile, Metaphor, Personification
– Bildungsroman (“formation novel”) or coming-of-age
story
Themes: Themes
are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
–
Humakind’s
relationship to the past
–
Humankind’s
relationship to its environment
–
The immigrant
experience in the United States
– The traditional nature of frontier values
– The American dream
– Happiness and success
About the Study Guide Questions and Optional
Responses:
Each
week, students are assigned 3 study guide questions to answer relating to the
assigned reading. These answers should be thoughtful and refer back to specific
points in the book. However, written
answers to prescribed questions are not the only way to respond to a book. Therefore, at the end of the Week 9
questions, students will find a list of “ala carte” options that can substitute
for one of the questions.
WEEK 2 -- Intro & Book I; Sections I – VI (p. 1 –
23)
Study Guide Questions
1. Describe Jim’s first impressions of the Nebraska
prairie. How does the prairie make him
feel?
2. Contrast the ways of life of the Burden family and the
Shimerda family.
3. What is Mrs. Shimerda’s attitude towards the Burden
family?
4. What clues in the writing does Cather give that this
is a nostalgic novel?
5. List some specific descriptions of nature that Jim
includes.
6. Ala carte selection.
WEEK 3 -- Book I, Sections VII – XIII (p. 24 – 47)
Study Guide Questions
1. Describe Antonia’s father’s character and his
relationships in his family.
2. What is significant about the encounter with the
snake?
3. What cultural differences make it difficult for the
various families to understand each other.
4. What effects does the landscape have on the
characters? Give specific examples from
the text.
5. How are both Jim and Antonia “immigrants?” How are their situations similar, and how are
they different?
6. List differences between the different cultures of the
families in this story.
7. Ala carte selection.
WEEK 4 -- Book I, Sections XIV – XIX (p. 47 – 69)
Study Guide Questions
1. How would you describe the friendship of Jim and
Antonia?
2. Which events did you find the most memorable? Why?
3.
Describe Jim’s character. Describe Antonia’s character.
4. “Personification” refers to giving human
characteristics to non-human entities.
Give examples of the personification of the landscape and weather found
in Book I.
5. How are differences in religion portrayed? What are the characters’ attitudes and
perspectives?
6. What differences in gender roles are expressed by the
characters and by the author?
7. Ala carte selection.
WEEK 5 -- Book II, Sections I – VII (p. 70 – 94)
Study Guide Questions
1. In this book, the emphasis changes from the influence
and power of the land to an increased emphasis on individuals. Name some of the newly introduced people and
discuss how the writer describes them.
2. In the town, Jim becomes “quite another boy.” Describe how his behavior changes.
3. Who are the “hired girls”? How are they different from
other people in Black Hawk?
4. Ala carte selection.
WEEK 6 -- Book II, Sections VIII – XV (p. 94 – 118)
Study Guide Questions
1. What happens to Jim when he spends the night at Wick
Cutter’s home?
2. Jim says of the immigrant girls who work in Black
Hawk, “If there were no girls like them in the world, then there would be no
poetry.” Explain his statement.
3. Frances Harling says of Jim, “the problems with you,
Jim, is that you’re romantic.” Was this
meant as a compliment or as an insult.
Is it an accurate comment?
4. How does the dancing pavilion represent differences in
social and gender roles?
5. How do the characters deal with growing up and leaving
childhood behind?
6. Jim and Antonia have experienced a number of changes
so far in the book. List at least 6
changes for each.
7. Ala carte selection.
WEEK 7 -- Book III, Sections I – IV (p. 119 – 140)
Study Guide Questions
1. Describe the character of Lena Lingard. In what ways
is she different from Ántonia in terms of her values and her relationship with
Jim?
2. In your opinion, why does Cather temporarily shift the
focus from Ántonia and devote a section of the novel to Lena Lingard?
3. Does Jim feel any nostalgia for his home, family, or
old times once he’s at the university?
Explain.
4. Does the play, Camille,
symbolize anything? Why did Cather
write this into the novel? Explain.
5. Ala carte selection.
WEEK 8 -- Book IV, Sections I – IV (p. 141 – 153)
Study Guide Questions
1. When Jim first returns to Nebraska after being at
Harvard, what does he learn about Ántonia? Why does Jim feel bitterness when
Mrs. Harling says “poor Ántonia”?
2. What is Ántonia’s response to the idea of raising her
child by herself? What does her response reveal about her character?
3. Do Lena Lingard and Tiny Soderball become
successful? What does Jim think about
them?
4. “To the romantic individual, a specific place becomes
invested with the quality of an emotion felt at a specific time.” How is this statement expressed in this
novel? To whom does it apply? Give specific examples.
5. What part does reminiscing play with Jim and
Antonia? Why is it important?
6. Ala carte selection.
WEEK 9 -- Book V; Sections I – III (p. 154 – 175)
Study Guide Questions
1. “battered but not diminished.” What does he mean? How
does her appearance reflect her character and her life?
2. Describe Ántonia’s life with her family at the end of
the novel. How does her family life affect Jim?
3. In your opinion, why did Jim and Ántonia never marry?
Do you believe this would have been a logical path for their relationship? Why
or why not?
4. When you reached the end of the novel, how did you
feel about Ántonia and Jim?
5. Ala carte selection.
Ala Carte Responses
Any of the activities below can be substituted for one
of the weekly study guide questions.
Some options could be repeated as long as it is a new response that
relates to the assigned reading.
1. Create a new book cover.
2. Select 3 – 5 quotes that sum up the
selection or especially highlight a specific quality of a character, the
setting, or the plot.
3. Write a paragraph that describes your
relationship with a grandparent.
4. Write a paragraph about someone from
your past who is especially memorable.
5. Write a text conversation that
coincides with an actual conversation or “could have happened.”
6. Write a series of Facebook posts for
the plot of the section.
7. Write a paragraph that starts “I
would change . . .” that relates to the assigned reading.
8. Write a poem that relates to the
assigned reading.
9. Illustrate a scene.
10. Create a found poem. To create a concrete found poem, students
must only use words, phrases or even whole sentences “found” in their text.
Then, they must shape these words into a visual representation on paper. They
are not drawing; they must arrange the words, phrases, or sentences into an
image on the page.
11. Make a character “To Do” list.
12. Write a set of 5 – 6 postcards that
one of the characters might send to someone.
13. Create a soundtrack or playlist that
relates to the assigned reading.
14. Write diary entries that relate to
the assigned reading.
15. Put together a cast for a film
version of the book
16. Write a radio play excerpt that
relates to the assigned reading.
17. Write a letter to the author that
relates to the assigned reading.
18. Write a letter to one of the
characters that relates to the assigned reading.
19. Design/draw the clothing of one of
the characters that relates to the assigned reading.
20. Make a word game, such as a crossword
or word search, that relates to the assigned reading.
21. Write up a quiz that relates to the
assigned reading.
22. Draw a comic strip that relates to
the assigned reading.
23. Write a paragraph that starts “I
wonder why . . .” that relates to the assigned reading.
24. Rewrite a paragraph in a different
style. For example, write it in a
“flowery” over-dramatic style or as a play or as slang, etc.
25. Design a t-shirt that relates to the
assigned reading.
26. Make a collage that relates to the
assigned reading.
27. Design/draw a timeline that relates
to the assigned reading
28. Draw a map that relates to the
assigned reading.
29. Compare two characters that relates
to the assigned reading.
30. Find or create a recipe for one of
the foods mentioned.
