He was a conceited, boastful old thing, and even misfortune could not humble her. I was so annoyed that I felt coldly even toward Ántonia and listened unsympathetically when she told me her father was not well.

‘My papa sad for the old country. He not look good. He never make music any more. At home he play violin all the time; for weddings and for dance. Here never. When I beg him for play, he shake his head no. Some days he take his violin out of his box and make with his fingers on the strings, like this, but never he make the music. He don’t like this kawntree.’

‘People who don’t like this country ought to stay at home,’ I said severely. ‘We don’t make them come here.’

‘He not want to come, never!’ she burst out. ‘My mamenka make him come. All the time she say: “America big country; much money, much land for my boys, much husband for my girls.” My papa, he cry for leave his old friends what make music with him. He love very much the man what play the long horn like this’—she indicated a slide trombone. “They go to school together and are friends from boys. But my mama, she want Ambrosch for be rich, with many cattle.”’

VIII

Except when the father was at home, the Harling house was never quiet. Mrs. Harling and Nina and Ántonia made as much noise as a houseful of children, and there was usually somebody at the piano. Julia was the only one who was held down to regular hours of practising, but they all played. When Frances came home at noon, she played until dinner was ready. When Sally got back from school, she sat down in her hat and coat and drummed the plantation melodies that Negro minstrel troupes brought to town. Even Nina played the Swedish Wedding March.

Mrs. Harling had studied the piano under a good teacher, and somehow she managed to practise every day. I soon learned that if I were sent over on an errand and found Mrs. Harling at the piano, I must sit down and wait quietly until she turned to me. I can see her at this moment: her short, square person planted firmly on the stool, her little fat hands moving quickly and neatly over the keys, her eyes fixed on the music with intelligent concentration.

III

Ántonia talked and thought of nothing but the tent. She hummed the dance tunes all day. When supper was late, she hurried with her dishes, dropped and smashed them in her excitement. At the first call of the music, she became irresponsible. If she hadn’t time to dress, she merely flung off her apron and shot out of the kitchen door. Sometimes I went with her; the moment the lighted tent came into view she would break into a run, like a boy. There were always partners waiting for her; she began to dance before she got her breath.

X

Student selected examples of nostalgia

Silvia

Clara

Marie Paule 

Million Years Ago, Adele

“I know I’m not the only one
Who regrets the things they’ve done
Sometimes I just feel it’s only me
Who can’t stand the reflection that they see
I wish I could live a little more
Look up to the sky, not just the floor
I feel like my life is flashing by
And all I can do is watch and cry
I miss the air, I miss my friends
I miss my mother, I miss it when
Life was a party to be thrown
But that was a million years ago”

Marie 

First song : Gratitude to parents by Danny Chan

Some lyrics :       In the empty long night I am nostalgic

                         Facing the bright moon I think of my mother

                         The dear parental love is like the blue moon

                         How can I not be sad missing you? 

This is a translation of the original cantonese song.

陈百强 Danny Chan《念亲恩 Gratitude to Parents》无损高音质 粤语拼音 中英文歌词 学唱粤语歌 Best Songs to Learn Chinese Cantonese

Second song : You were beautiful by Day6

Some lyrics:     Just the way that you would look at me

                 Was so much I’d never wanna leave

                 I, I keep tryna forget how you were

                 Beautiful

You Were Beautiful (English Version)

Nostalgic Music Affects the Brain and Memory

“This specific pattern of encoding and retrieval of nostalgic music seems to be unique, and the ability of the music to retrieve autobiographical memories is personalized and relative to your story and narrative,” Habibi says. “If nostalgic music can help dementia patients access some memories that are typically not accessible to them, it can enhance the quality of life, even if it’s temporary.

“If a patient is with their children, and they can remember a birthday party associated with a song and details of it, it can bring back the richness and emotional connection of that memory,” she adds.

Does music unlock memory?

It’s all to do with the ‘reminiscence bump’. Psychologists have shown that we tend to remember more events from our teenage and early adult years, and that our favourite music also tends to be from this time. It’s during these years that our identities are forming, and the songs that accompany our adolescent experiences leave a lifelong emotional imprint in the brain. Research at Cambridge University in 2013 confirmed that we place less importance on music as we get older, and that the music we do seek out tends to be less intense and more ‘sophisticated’, such as jazz and classical.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-do-we-get-so-nostalgic-about-music

A symbol is a visible object or action that suggests additional meanings.There are three major symbols in My Ántonia: the snake, the crossroads, and the plough.

The Plough (Book Two, Chapter 14)

One of Cather’s most famous symbols, the plough “stood out against the sun, was exactly contained within the circle of the disk … There it was, heroic in size, a picture writing on the sun.” How does this image correspond to the novel’s epigraph? What does this ordinary farm object have to do with Jim’s and Ántonia’s diminishing childhood?

Student Samples of Perfect Paragraph on The Plough extract

A

In this extract, Cather uses diction of nature to assert that wild, free nature is more powerful and memorable than the threat of man’s plough.

First of all, in this extract, there is a repetition of the word “sun” six times. This shows clearly the dominance of the nature here, and it empowers the power and the magnificence of the sun, who is standing behind the plough in a threatening way.

In addition, some visual imagery express the strength of the nature: “the sun was sinking just behind it” (l.13). Here again Cather uses the sun as a metaphor of the nature, and it shows how important and present the sun is, compared to the plough which is in a weaker position. And finally, the personifications in this extract have a very important place here: “The long fingers of the sun touched their foreheads” (l.7). Once again the sun is represented as the reflection of nature. The personification make it more alive and gives him the ability to take a human form, to be able to defeat, or at least to prevent, the humans. In this personification, the sun is painted as superior but protector of the humans, telling them that he’ll take care of them. In conclusion, through the diction of nature, Cather encourages us not to destroy nature, because nature is way more powerful than us, humans.

B

In this extract, Cather uses personification and repetition to assert that wild, free nature is more powerful and memorable than the threat of man’s plough. By using personifications like “the face of the sun” and “the long fingers of the sun touched their foreheads”, Cather wants to underline the power and importance of the sun in the book. Here, the sun is emphasized and present so much that the girls can feel its warmth as if it were really caressing them. Furthermore, “it” is repeated 3 times when referring to the plough, therefore giving it no importance. This repetition devalues the plough and therefore makes us focus and giving all our attention to nature that is omnipresent in the text. Finally, the repetition of “sun” eight times suggests that not only is it important but vital. Cather uses contrast and opposition between the descriptions of the sun and plough to illustrate the beauty against the shadow. In conclusion, throughout all the book, nature is omnipresent and more significant than the rest.

C

In this extract, Cather uses personification to assert that wild, free nature is more powerful and memorable than the threat of man’s plough. The extract starts with Jim and the girls watching nature. The first thing that comes up is the sun. It is described: “The long fingers of the sun touched their foreheads.” In this sentence Cather personifies the sun as a protecting, even a parental figure. The sun is being described touching the foreheads of the girls like a mother often does. Therefore, the sun is established as a superior, powerful entity. Later on, Jim notices the plough. As he describes its situation he says “magnified across the distance by the horizontal light, it stood out against the sun, was exactly contained within the circle of the disk…”. Although its steadfast and rebellious nature is seen, the plough is still contained within the limits of the sun. By adding this personification, Cather creates the image of inferiority, as if the plough could not exist without the sun. This directly mirrors the relationship between nature and man-made technology as humans owe their lives to nature. Finally, as time passes, the landscape begins to change. Jim and the girls take notice of this change as well: “The fields below us were dark, the sky was growing pale, and that forgotten plough had sunk back to its own littleness somewhere on the prairie”. The word “littleness” is a reminder of how insignificant man-made technology is on a grand scale. It is also temporary–as the sun sinks, the plough is forgotten. In addition, despite its first eye-catching entrance, it is now deemed obsolete. Just like the fate of man-made technology after humans become extinct. The plough is temporary; nature is forever.

For each example:

Underline the mini-thesis statement
Highlight or underline transition words in blue
Label the analysis of each example
Cross out extraneous words and correct grammatical errors
Put a squiggly line under any confusing phrases or syntax
Circle repeated words that need to be transformed into synonyms; write some suggested synonyms to the side
Highlight in yellow any helpful analytical verbs/terms (suggests, signifies, etc)
Star the best sentence
Award points!
4 max points for analysis of examples (examples clearly prove thesis),

4 maximum points for fluidity and transitions/clear argumentation from beginning to end,

4 maximum if it is written in present tense, without we, and focuses on what the author is doing, 4 maximum points for staying on target and proving the thesis statement

2 for spelling and grammar

2 for appropriate vocabulary and using synonyms

Write a teacher’s comment with 1 thing to improve for next time, and 1 thing that they did really well

“All those fall afternoons were the same, but I never got used to them. As far as we could see, the miles of copper-red grass were drenched in sunlight that was stronger and fiercer than at any other time of the day. The blond cornfields were red gold, the haystacks turned rosy and threw long shadows. The whole prairie was like the bush that burned with fire and was not consumed. That hour always had the exultation of victory, of triumphant ending like a hero’s death—heroes who died young and gloriously. It was a sudden transfiguration, a lifting-up of day.

How many an afternoon Antonia and I have trailed along the prairie under that magnificence! And always two long black shadows flitted before us or followed after, dark spots on the ruddy grass.” (Chapter VI)

Look at the following responses and identify what is successful and what could be improved:

1. The effect that produced the personification is the comparison between to subjects for example : “ the whole prairie was like the bush that burned with fire and was not consumed.” There we compare “whole prairie” at “bush that burned with fire”

2. The personification here “the blond cornfields … threw long shadows” makes the nature more powerful, makes its colors more vibrant and bright, to make it feel more alive.

3. Here the shadows are personified in means of humanizing them. We are supposed to feel the attachment of their shadows to Antonia and Jim – it is a part of them, and could also represent how their past will always be a part of them too. It follows them before or after; but it’s there, attached. This ties in with Jim, who is recounting his memories to us.

4. If we look at the personification of the sunlight (“stronger and fiercer than any other time of the day), we can see that its effect is to insist. It accentuates the fact that the light was present that day.

5. If we look at the simile “triumphant ending like a hero’s death,” we can see it is meant for us to really have a vision of what it looked like. We are all familiar with what a hero’s death looks like (spectaculrar because of a hero’s bravery) so we can imagine the scene. 

6. “the whole prairie was like the bush that burned with fire and was not consumed” this simile shows that the prairie was dead

7. I think that this simile means that the grass of the prairie is red like fire and when we’re far of this prairie it seems to burning but never be consumed to always keep this red.

8. This simile compares the prairie with a bush that burned. It emphasizes the power and the strength of the sun but also the beauty of the land. Even if it is exposed to the sun, it seems to burn but it is never consumed, showing the beauty of the color of the red grass in the light.

9. When Jim talk about copper red grass he then uses ruddy grass to describe it again. It accentuates the brightness of the grass and its dark red color, plus its wildness.

10. This simile refers to the fact that leaves and many plants turn a reddish-brown color when Fall hits. This may also refer to the season of Fall here instead of the plants withering, they instead turn a different color, to symbolize not dying consumed by the fire that is Fall.

11. It refers to the bible but it means that the whole prairie is in on fire.

12. It is a reference to the bible. In my opinion, I thin Cather choose this simile to make us feel that this prairie is kind of invincible, and that nothing and no one can damage it.