English 11 Literature #17 Mr. Rinka Willa Cather Chief Joseph

Willa Cather

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (1873– 1947) was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize

for One of Ours (1922), a novel set during World War I. Cather grew up in Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska. She lived and worked in Pittsburgh for ten years, then at age 33 she moved to New York where she lived for the rest of her life.

Homesteads A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant ownership at no cost of farmland called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River. It was an expression of the

"Free Soil" policy of Northerners who wanted individual farmers to own and operate their own farms, as opposed to slave owners who would use gangs of slaves. The first act, the Homestead Act of 1862, had been blocked in Congress by Southern Democrats who wanted lands for slave owners. Once they

were gone the Republican Congress passed the bill; it was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, The law required three steps: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. Anyone including freed slaves who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government could file an

application to claim a federal land grant. The occupant also had to be 21 or older, had to live on the land for five years and show evidence of having made improvements.

A Wagner Matinee

“A Wagner Matinee” Discussion Brief Summary: A young Bostonian named Clark receives word that his Aunt Georgiana is coming to visit from Nebraska to settle an estate. As a young woman, Georgiana had been a talented music teacher at

the Boston Conservatory until, during a trip to the Green Mountains, she met Howard Carpenter, ten years her junior. They eloped and moved to a homestead in Nebraska. Thirty years have passed since Georgiana has seen Boston. Clark recalls her kindness to him when, as a boy, he visited Nebraska and she

introduced him to Shakespeare, classic mythology, and the music she played on her small parlor organ. Clark takes his aunt to a symphony concert of music from Richard Wagner's Tannhauser, Tristan und Isolde, and The Flying Dutchman. She is intensely moved by the music and

listens with tears running down her face. When the concert ends, she says, "I don't want to go, Clark. I don't want to go.“ Clark realizes that she has nothing ahead of her but the grim drudgery of life back in Nebraska.

“A Wagner Matinee” Discussion What are some of the contrasts Cather makes? 1. The stark Nebraska landscape to Boston’s urban beauty and stimulus. 2. The music of Wagner and the Methodist choir back in Nebraska.

3. Georgiana’s worn hands to the delicate hands she had as a musician. 4. The inconsiderate husband back in Nebraska and the narrator. 5. The experience of the matinee to what awaits Georgiana on her return to Nebraska.

“A Wagner Matinee” Discussion What are the themes of this story? 1. The hard and difficult lives that the pioneers faced. 2. The incredible power music has on the human spirit. 3. The choices we make in life.

“A Wagner Matinee” Discussion Evaluate Georgiana’s decision that found her spending 30 years in Nebraska. At the age of 30, Georgiana seemed to be somewhat desperate to marry and ended up eloping with a man 9 years younger. This seemingly

impulsive move sealed her fate to a future of hardship and hard work with none of the activities that she loved and would have had if she had not married and left Boston.

“A Wagner Matinee” Discussion Why is the 3 rd person point of view so effective in this story? The narrator’s observations allow the writer to show the reader what is happening to Georgiana instead of listening to her thoughts.

Chief Joseph I Will fight No More forever

Chief Seattle’ Speech hHbpYI&feature=related

Discussion In a Socratic Seminar explore this topic: When there are such great cultural differences, is it necessary for one culture to conquer the other or can there be a blending of both cultures?

Additional Assignment #1 Read about Edwin Arlington Robinson and then read two of his poems. Edwin Arlington Robinson The Children of the Night

Additional Assignment #2 Read about Edgar Lee Masters and then read some poems from Spoon River Anthology. Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology

English 11 Literature #17 Mr. Rinka Willa Cather Chief Joseph