Dialectical Journal For My Antonia

In the book, My Antonia, Willa Cather uses symbolism between the characters and parts of nature. She uses her love of living things and the earth to convey the story.

In Book one, Chapter two, Jim compared himself to a pumpkin. He expressed his feelings of contentment when he was lying in his grandparent’s garden and said, “I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep.” The pumpkin sitting in

Writing Assignment #2

It seems like we had been on the train for months, but it had really been days. My family was starting a new life in Nebraska. My father had saved money for years, he ran a tobacco farm in North Carolina, always wanting to own farm. Nebraska was his chance. He and my brothers were planning on starting a corn farm there.

I had just finished school at a small women’s college. I was hoping to get a teaching job at our new home. I would be busy, taking care of my family and teaching school. I had taken on the role of homemaker since my mom passed away last year.

We arrived in Nebraska in the first week of March. Our land was near the Missouri River, we were lucky to have enough trees on the land to use for building a log cabin. Dad was grateful that we had been blessed with land that was rich with resources. He and my brothers worked hard on the cabin. It was costing too much off his savings to stay at the boarding house in town. I helped out cleaning and fixing meals at the boarding house to help out with the

It was time to get the field ready for planting. While Dad and the boys spent the next several weeks ploughing and planting. My job outside was to milk the cows, collect the eggs from hen house and take care of all the animals. I was also responsible for all the cooking and housework in the cabin. I was by myself most of the day, but the animals kept me company. Once we got the farm up and running, my dream was to take the position of teacher in the town’s school.

We were blessed with good weather, enough sun and rain for our corn to do well. It proved our move was worth it. I helped my family pick the corn, enjoying being with them, even though it made more work for me. The days were longer, so I had more time to fit it all in.

August came, and I made several walks to town to ask about taking the teacher position in the school. Talking to town leaders, I did my best to persuade them to give me a chance. They thought I was too young to handle all the different needs of all the children in the area. I assured them that I was up for the