Teaching English Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Teaching English Language - Essay Example In 1990, one in 20 public school students in grades K-12 was an English language learner (ELL), that is, a student who speaks English either not at all or with enough limitations that he or she cannot fully participate in mainstream English instruction. Today the figure is 1 in 9. Demographers estimate that in 20 years it might be 1 in 4. The ELL population has grown from 2 million to5 million since 1990, a period when the overall school population increased only 20 percent. By far, the majority of ELLs - 80 percent - are Spanish speakers" (Teaching English Language Learners, p3). CALP - (cognitive academic language proficiency) the dimension of proficiency in which a learner manipulates or reflects on the surface features of language in academic contexts, such as text-taking, writing analysis, and reading academic texts. The following definitions have been earmarked for further study: "Predictable and consistent classroom management routines, aided by diagrams, lists, and easy-to-read schedules on the board or on charts, to which the teacher refers frequently; Graphic organizers that make content and the relationships among concepts and different lesson elements visually explicit; Additional time and opportunities for practice, either during the school day, after school, or for homework; Redundant key information, e.g., visual cues, pictures, and physical gestures about lesson content and classroom procedures; Identifying, highlighting, and clarifying difficult words and passages within texts to facilitate comprehension, and more generally greatly emphasizing vocabulary development; Helping students consolidate text knowledge by having the teacher, other students, and ELLs themselves

A machine for living Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

A machine for living - Essay Example This aspect of phenomenology in architecture is referent to both a philosophy that had a significant influence on contemporary architecture, as well as an experience of building materials and built space in sensory aspects. The environment in phenomenology is defined concretely as the place, while what occurs within it â€Å"Take’s place†. The place is made up of concrete things that have material color, texture, shape, and texture, which coalesce to create the character or atmosphere of the environment. In turn, this atmosphere enhances specific spaces to embody variant properties according to the unique environmental and cultural functions that they exist in2. This research paper will seek to evaluate the meaning of the architectural phenomenology experience in terms of conscious and unconscious vision. Interpretation of the phenomenological experience using these two aspects will be carried out using two works by Le Corbusier; the Villa Savoyet started in 1928 and the Ronchampe in 1945. The two works by Le Corbusier show marked difference in terms of integrating conscious and unconscious vision in their architectural concepts. The Villa Savoyet was a masterwork in purist design and acts as one of the best achievements of Le Corbusier in creating a house that was a machine for living in3. Along with other Villas created by le Corbusier during this period, the Villa Savoyet was demonstrative of precision architecture in which every feature of the design is justified in urban and design terms, emphasizing conscious vision. However, his work in the mid to latter part of the 20th century, including the Ronchampe, testified to a shift in this concept of visual precision, instead showing a duality of architectural experience with regards to conscious and unconscious vision, which is a major element of architectural phenomenology4. Le Corbusier’s early work, especially in the 20s, was a lighting rod for many architectural

Promote learning Essay Example for Free

Promote learning Essay In this area of play I believe it should be stressed that children should be praised as they have put a lot of work into something even if it is totally non-recognisable as anything, considering some of the most famous artists drew/painted in abstract and their work is widely appreciated. At this age creative activities will be greatly influenced by key stage one requirements. They will have creativity incorporated into the learning of other topics. They will be beginning to learn some creative skills and follow instructions to carry them out. Also children will be developing a wider concentration span and more advanced fine manipulative skills. Tassoni and Beith (2002 p375) state that between the age of four and six Children are more interested in creating things e. g. making a cake, drawing cards and planting seeds. They enjoy being with other children although they may play in pairs. Children are beginning to express themselves through painting and drawing as well as through play. They are enjoying using their physical skills in games and are confident when running and climbing. Materials that can be used in creative play and that will also promote learning: sand and alternate materials, water, painting and drawing materials, malleable materials, adhesive materials, construction and scrap materials. At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children use their bodies to explore texture and space, this will develop towards the end of the Foundation Stage to children exploring colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions. (Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage curriculum early learning goal for exploring materials p121). At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children show an interest in what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel and towards the end of the Foundation Stage this develops to the children responding in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. (Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage curriculum early learning goal for responding to experiences and expressing and communicating ideas p127). 2. Imaginative play- imaginative play is a lot to do with role-play, it can be carried out for enjoyment purposes in everyday play and it can be incorporated by practitioners so the children can explore different situations and fantasy worlds and acting. At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children use isolated words and phrases and/or gestures to communicate with those well known to them and towards the end of the Foundation Stage children develop to speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener. (Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage curriculum early learning goal for language for communication p 55). 3. Physical play- The term physical play is a term that can be used to describe the type of play in which children use their large muscles and exercise their whole body. They learn to control large and small muscles and develop co-ordination and surplus energy is expended (Tassoni and Beith 2002 p 382). Physical play is where children are using their muscles (large and small)) for enjoyment purposes. There is a less called P.E (physical education) in which children can develop and refine their skills and muscles in different e. g. dancing, athletics, and climbing apparatus. During self-directed play, children can be physical in the following ways, rolling, balancing, skipping, sliding, hanging, running, kicking, jumping, hopping, pushing, pulling etc. there are ten areas of co-ordination in which children develop in: At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children should be able to negotiate an appropriate pathway both indoors and outdoors this will develop to the children showing respect for other childrens personal space when playing among them. This will eventually at the end of the Foundation Stage develop into the children showing awareness of space, of them and of others. Stage curriculum early learning goal for sense of space p109). Example of the three types of play and how they promote the desired learning 1. For an example of creative play, I am going to describe a play opportunity for this age group. Gloop is a mixture made simply from mixing corn flour and water in a bowl. A few additional resources that could be used are, smaller bowls, cups, plastic utensils (all of different shapes and sizes). It is a strange substance that can be made to different consistencies. When made with a lot of water it will be in liquid form when left dormant and will run through fingers when scooped up but when rolled between hands it will become solid and return to liquid when stopped. When made thicker it will be able to be sliced and it will slowly return to the original form. It can be picked up in a lump and will slowly drip/run. This activity I think is suitable for all ages that are a school, I have tried it with the following age groups, five, seven, ten and thirteen and was also enjoyed by adults. Children will begin to understand liquids and solids, shapes and sizes (through cups, bowls etc) and texture. The play opportunity Gloop will help to encourage creative skills because it takes many forms, the children can experiment and explore the texture, the consistency and the properties of it. It uses a lot of fine motor skills, using the fingers and hands to pick up and roll, squeeze through and transfer to other containers. This will promote in the way of experience, the children will learn by doing. 2. An example of imaginative play. Creating a home corner would encourage child-led imaginative play. A home corner can be adapted to suit a subject that is being taught. In the home corner or separately there could also be dressing up clothes to assist in role-play. For this type of play this is an example of an imaginative play opportunity. The subject being taught is animals; the home corner is rearranged and decorated to resemble either a jungle or a zoo. This could also be linked with asking children questions about animals and what theyre characteristics are, they could also take turns in groups acting in general about the subject. A home corner would improve imaginative skills in children by encouraging them to participate in role-play activities. The children can make up their own games and enforce their own rules for the game. The children can work in groups or alone and can also dress up and use props to assist their game. Imaginative play can be linked with social skills as the children will be working in groups and pairs in child led activities and in structured activities led by an adult in the setting. These skills will be helpful in later life for the children to make healthy relationships. 3. One play opportunity for physical play is swimming some schools have pools on the property and use them for regular lessons, however for schools that do not have this facility can organise to go on weekly trips to the local pool or just as a one off. Swimming is a great way of exercising as well as good physical fun. Swimming uses all of the muscles in the body and can be developed and refined. Swimming can link with all of the ten areas of co-ordination. It is suitable for all ages particularly because there can be different classes for different abilities and there is always room to progress. Children with any sort of impairment can also join in as there should be helpers available and equipment that would aid them getting in and out of the pool. Swimming would improve physical skills in children by working all of the muscles at the same time and progressing at this. It will strengthen muscle including the heart; maintaining and developing bone density. It allows the children to exercise their whole bodies inside and out! There is also opportunity for fine motor development in the form of bricks and bands, which are thrown to the bottom of the pool at different depths, which the children have to collect. It is important to encourage children but not pressure hem as it may have adverse affects later in life. The role of the adult in all of the play opportunities is to supervise the children; it is also to provide any materials or equipment that will be needed. The adult will have to think about health and safety for the activity to make sure that no harm comes to the children. The adult will be there to explain what to do initially and be there to answer any questions the children may have. The adult will also ask questions to encourage the children to think about the subject more deeply; these questions will normally be open ended so the childrens answers will not be one-worded. The adult will also encourage the children to stick at the activity for a decent amount of time and to help the children to think up new ways of playing the game and to plan different rules.

The Relationship Between Father And Daughter English Literature Essay

The Relationship Between Father And Daughter English Literature Essay In this term paper I will compare two books that I really liked: The lovely bones and The liars club. I decided to write about them, because I believe that both stories are very similar and very well written. I also think that the authors of these books are admirable women who have struggled with life, society and family. For this reason, I consider important to compare the two books. I will start to write about the lovely bones. At the beginning, I did not wan to finish reading the book, because it is a hard story that talks about the raping of a little girl. Therefore, I felt so angry and frustrating. But then I understood that I had to continue reading the book if I wanted to know the meaning of it. The point of view of the lovely bones is first person and it is narrated by Susie Salmon, the girl that was horribly raped and murdered by her neighbor. The entire story is about the grief that the Salmon family is experimenting after Susies death. However, there was a member of the family who suffered the most: Susies father, Jack Salmon. This man loved her daughter so much that when he knew that she was killed, life became a hell for him. As a result, his marriage was very affected and his wife cheated on him. I found a quote that explains the relationship between Susie and her father: His own father had taught him how to build ships in bottles. They were something my mother, sister, and brother couldnt care less about. It was something I adored. The den was full of them. He would call me in whenever he was ready (Sebold, Alice p, 45) Unlike her siblings, Susie enjoyed her fathers hobby. This man loved to build ships in bottles, because his father taught him how to do them. So, he shared this hobby with their children, but the only one who liked and care about it was Susie because she had a very strong relationship with her father. Therefore, when she passed away, his father Jack wanted to die as well. On the other hand, Mary Karr in her book The liars club showed that her relationship with her father was very special and unique. For example, she mentioned that he used to be a very lovely father with her and her sister and that even though he was many years in the war, when he came back home he always wanted to spend time with his family. However, Marys father did not have a good relationship with the rest of the family, because his mother in law did not like him and as a result, his marriage was falling apart. This quote explains the situation he was living: Mother threatened divorce a lot of times, and Daddys response to it was usually a kind of patient eye-rolling. He never spoke of divorce as a n option. If I asked him worried questions about a particularly nasty fight, hed just say I shouldnt talk bad about my mother, as if even suggesting they might split up insulted her somehow (Karr, Mary pa, 35) As we can see, Marys father did not want to get divorce maybe because he wanted to be with her two children. Moreover, he said to Mary that even though he had conflicts with his wife, she had to love her mother no matter what. I think this man showed that he was a good husband and a good father since he always asked Mary to respect her mother. This case is very similar to the conflict that Susies parents had in the book The lovely bones. As we know, when Susie died, all the family struggled with the fact that she was not longer with them. Each of them faced Susies death differently. The father, for example, was obsessed to find the killer, the sister Lindsay did not want to talk about it, the brother was very innocent to realize that her sister had passed away and the mother decided to cheat on her husband to relieve the pain. I said before that Susies father and Marys were similar because both men were married with women that, from my point of view, did not care about their children . Marys mother cared only about herself. She just wanted to have fun and get another husband that is why she went on a trip with his Latin-American boyfriend and left her children. Susies mother did the same thing when she decided to move to another state in order to be alone and deal with her daughters death. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIBLINGS I believe that in the two books that I decided to compare, the relationship between siblings is one of the most important topics. In this part of my term paper, I will compare Susies relationship with her brother and sister and Mary Karr relationship with her sister Lecia. Susie Salmon had one brother called Buckley and one sister called Lindsay. The tree of them were very closed and cared very much about each other. There is a quote on the book The lovely bones where Susie says that once she saved her brother life. a three-year-old Buckley had swallowed it. Buckley was choking, his body bucking, and I carried him with Nate trailing into the garage, where my fathers precious Mustang sat. I put Buckley in the back and grabbed and grabbed the keys from the unused terra-cotta pots where my father hid them. I sped all the way to the hospital. if the hadnt been there, the doctor later told my mother you would have lost your little boy (Sebold, Alice p, 93,94) As the quote explains, Susie saved her brother because she loved him very much. She also had the courage to do it since many people would not dare to do what Susie did. Susie loved Buckley so much that she did not think about anything but to safe her little brother. Later in the book, this strong connection is demonstrated when in one of the chapters, Buckley said to his dad that Susie touched his cheek and that he felt that Susie was seeing them from heaven. Susie also got along well with her sister Lindsay. Both girls enjoyed being together, not only because they were sister but also because they were the same age. As a result, when Lindsay knew that her sister was dead, she did not want to talk about this tragic event to anybody. For me, it is very understandable the way that Lindsay felt. Some people like her deal with death like by being quite and reserved. Some others share their feelings in order to release their pain. But what really cares is to remember the people who we love. Now, the author of The liars club also had a good relationship with her sister Lecia. These two girls suffered a lot not only because they had many problems in their home, but also because they have an alcoholic mother and a hysterical grandmother. I found a quote that explains how Mary Karr felt strong because of her sister: Lecia and I both behaved like savages at any opportunity. When she was only twelve, Lecia could beat the dogshit out of any neighbor boy up to the age of fifteen. For my part, I can remember standing behind the drainage ditch in our yard cussing Carol Sharp for bloodying my nose (Karr, Mary pa, 40) In this quote, Mary Karr explains that she used to play pranks with her sister and that thought she had problems in home, she tried to forget them by playing with her Lecia. From my point of view, it is very difficult to live you life normally when you know that your family is hurting each other. For this reason, I admired Mary Karr very much, because she tried to forget all her problems. Unfortunately, when you are a child, all these family conflicts affect you and the only thing that you can do about it is to move on with your life just as Mary Karr did. On the other hand, I also believe that she was conscious about her family problems, but she could not do anything about it. I can not imagine what it feels like to live with a family that is full of traumas and that does not care about you. For example, Mary Karrs grand mother was a bitter woman who did not love their grand children and who lived in the past. That is why Mary Karr did not suffer when her grand mother passed away. I nstead, she felt relieved and free. Susie Salmon also had a special grand mother, but unlike Marys she was a good person who loved their grand children very much. This woman was an alcoholic but she took cared of their grand children while her daughter Abigail decided to move to another state. These two women were so different, but as any human being has flaws. Now, in the next pages of my paper I will talk about the role of the mothers in the two books The lovely bones and The liars club THE ROLE OF A MOTHER IN A FAMILY It is well known that a mother represents many important things in a family. She is the one who takes care of her children, because she has a protective instinct that a father does not have. For this reason, it is unbelievable for me to understand why Susies mother abandoned their children in order to forget her dead daughter. I can understand that it is very painful to lose your daughter, but by abandoning your other children you are not going to resolve anything. Now, I also comprehend that as human beings we need to have our space, because is our right. But when you have a family like Susies mother you also have to think about them. Another thing that also surprised me was that Susies mother cheated on her husband. Even now I can not understand what she did. There is a very good quote that explains Abigails attitude according to Susies point of view: Len kissed her forehead hard and closed his eyes. She took his hand and placed it on her breast. She whispered in his ear. I knew what was happening. Her rage, her loss, her despair. The whole life lost tumbling out in an arc on that roof, clogging up her being. She needed Len to drive the dead daughter out (Sebold, Alice p, 152) This woman desired to forget her daughters death by cheating on her husband. She thought that her pain was going to disappear if she transferred all his sorrow in another person, but I think that is not the correct way to resolve our problems. She could have gone to a therapist or talking to her husband about Susies death. Infidelity is something that I can not comprehend. Unfortunately, Abigails infidelity did not bring Susie back. Instead, this deception caused Abigail more pain and more remorse to her life. At the end of the book, we know that Abigail returned with her family because Jack had a heart attack, but we never knew if she stayed again with them or if she decided to be brave enough in order to tell her husband that she had cheated on him with Len Fenerman. In the book The liars club Mary Karr explained that her mother was always worried about herself, just exactly like Susies mother. You might think that I am judging these women very hard, but I just can not understand why they behaved that way with their children. I mean, when you decide to have children is because you know that you have to take care of them, yet there are some mothers that do the opposite thing. Mary Karrs mother for example, tried to be a good mother, but I feel that she had a very hard background that did not allow her to live her life peacefully. Even Mary Karr recognized that when she finished her book, it was very hard for her mother to read it. At the same time, Mary said that she was very supportive when the book was done. Another thing that it was hard to assimilate for Mary and her sister Lecia was live with their stepfather Hector. He constantly had arguments with Marys mother and they did not have a good relationship. There is a quote that explains this situation: Other nights were occupied with Mother and Hector fighting. The litany of his innate low-lifedness got seared into skull during this time. Hector was a pussy, was her main gripe. Also, he lacked gainful employment, which meant Mother accused him of sponging off her all the time. As this quote explains, Marys stepfather did not support his wife economically. Therefore, Marys mother argued with him and had many conflicts. Plus, he was an alcoholic who was worried more about drinking than about taking care of his wife, his house and his stepdaughters. When I think about the problems that Mary had to deal with, I really felt sorry for her. She was only a child when her parents got divorce and when he had to accept a new father figure. I can see Marys life like a quest. During her childhood, she lived so many bad things that made her stronger, but at the same time made her more vulnerable. In order to conclude this term paper in the next to pages, I will talk about the most difficult topic in both books: raping. The reason why I decided to write about it at the end, was because I want to reflect about how raping can change your life. TWO GIRLS WHO LOST THEIR INNOCENCE The books that I decided to compare in this term paper talk about a very hard topic: raping. In the lovely bones, the main character Susie Salmon was horribly raped and killed bi her neighbor Mr. Harvey. This story is fiction, but the author of it was raped in real life. For that reason, she wrote this book. As we know, Susie Salmon was a fourteen year old girl who had a normal life and who wanted to fell in love for the first time. Unfortunately, all of her dreams were destroyed by a disgusting and despicable man named Mr. Harvey. He took away Susies innocence when he raped her. After this, he decided to kill her so she could not accuse him of anything. But Susie was not dead in a one hundred percent, because her spirit went to heaven. She saw her family and her killer from there. She saw all the pain that Mr. Harvey had caused after he killed her. But she also saw that her family got over her death and moved on. Here is a quote in which Susie explains her raping: Mr. Harvey made me lie still underneath him and listen to the beating of his heart and the beating of mine. How mine skipped like a rabbit, and how thudded, a hammer against cloth. We lay there with our bodies touching, and, as I shook, a powerful knowledge took hold. He had done this thing to me and I had lived. (Sebold, Alice p, 14) The only thing that I can say about this quote is that I can not imagine what this girl felt in that moment. For me, it is very difficult to understand how these criminals can exist. I mean, this man took advantage of a child who was not big or strong enough to defend herself. Killing a person is horrible, but killing a kid who is weak and innocent is the most despicable act in the world. From my point of view, Mr. Harvey was a scum of the earth who did not deserve to be alive, because she also killed other children. All of them were girls that had a life, dreams and hopes for the future. But this killer ruined their lives and left sorrow in their families. Finally, in the book The Liars club Mary Karr narrates that she was raped, when she was a little girl. This event changed her life and her perspective about the world. The quote says: He pulled me off my shorts and underwear and threw them in the corner in a ball, over where I knew there could be spiders. He pushed down his pants and put my hand on his thing, which was unlike any of the boys joke about hot dogs and garden hoses. It was hard as wood and felt big around and felt big around as my arm. He wrapped both my hands around it, and showed me how to slide them up and down (Karr, Mary p, 66) When I read this fragment of the book, I really felt so angry and frustrated. I can to imagine the desperation that Mary Karr experimented. She as Alice Sebold experienced how it felt to be raped and humiliated by a man. But at the same time this horrible experience made them successful and brave. So, my conclusion for this term paper is the following: every person forms his character based on his personal experiences. As a consequence, in life we can follow two paths: the one that is related with hate, vengeance and sadness and the one that is connected with love, success and hopes. I believe that the authors of the books that I compared follow the second path, because they decided to heal their emotional wounds in order to move on. That is a lesson that all human beings should learn. Nobody said that life is easy. Nobody said that life is pink color. However, god made us strong to achieve any objective that we have. He made us intelligent to understand that life is something that id full of bad and good moments. For this reason, these two authors, Alice Sebold and Mari Karr succeed when they decided to tell their stories to the world. They had a lot of pain in their lives, but they also decided to cure their traumas to move on and have a good life.

Whippets :: essays research papers

In this research paper I will attempt to explain what whippets are. I will try to give the necessary information to show the benefits and possible side effects. I will discuss a brief history of the gas and how young adults obtain the chemicals to make â€Å"whippets†. Whippets are charge dispensers that deliver nitrous oxide as (en.wikipedia.org) describes. Nitrous oxide is a colorless, non-flammable gas. It has a slightly sweet taste and odor. It is non-toxic and non-irritating and when inhaled in small quantities can produce mild hysteria and giggling or laughter. That is why it is also referred as the "laughing gas". When inhaled in pure form it will cause death by asphyxiation because at atmospheric temperatures and pressure, the oxygen in nitrous oxide is not available to the body. (www.idavette.net) Nitrous Oxide gas was first discovered by English scientist in 1772 and was first published about in 1776. Through his experiments he discovered Nitrous oxide's analgesic effects in 1800. From 1800 to 1840, Nitrous was primarily used for recreation at traveling public shows, but in 1844-1845 Nitrous was recognized as having some medical use in dentistry. In the late 1800's William James published some accounts of his work with Nitrous Oxide and called its effects of "some metaphysical significance". Nitrous has remained popular throughout the 20th Century and is sold over the counter in small cartridges ("whippets") for making whipped cream and in large tanks for industrial and medical purposes. Whipped cream dispensers are the most common used by young adults. The nitrous oxide is then inhaled. Many people use nitrous oxide for the benefit of its psychological effects. Long-term use in large quantities has been associated with symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency: anemia and neuropathy. It can be habit-forming, mainly because of its short-lived effect and ease of access. Its use is thus restricted in many districts such as California. (en.wikipedia.org) Nitrous oxide causes euphoria, dizziness, and, in some cases, a mild aphrodisiac effect. It can also result in mild nausea or dizziness if too much is inhaled in a short time. The anaesthetic function of nitrous oxide is not completely understood, but it is thought that the gas interacts with the plasma membranes of nerve cells in the brain and thus affects the communication among such cells at their synapses. Nitrous oxide induces a state of behavioral disinhibition, analgesia, and euphoria. Unless the compound is administered with at least 20 percent oxygen, hypoxia can be induced.

Narrative Essay :: My Grandpa

"Hello," I stated as I hopped through the door to my grandparent's home without even a knock. My grandma looked up from the book she was reading in her cozy corner chair, "Well, hello there" "Where is grandpa?" I asked as I leaned down to brush my lips across the soft wrinkled cheek of my elderly grandma. "Who's there?" a familiar deep, rough voice sounded from the next room. Smiling I skipped through the kitchen and into a long dimly lit room filled with bookcases, couches, a dining room table and a grand piano. My grandpa, across the room, was surrounded by music stands and piles of sheet music. His trusty violin was in one hand and the long wooden bow with the horse hair strings, that I was always warned never to touch, was in the other. As I walked toward the figure across the room, I noticed his full head of snowy white hair glowing in the dark room. Over his short stocky body hung a green dress shirt and a fuzzy cardigan sweater. He wore slacks held up awkwardly by a belt allowing his small potbelly to hang over it. His face hardly showed the years of worry and stress, but his white bushy eyebrows and growing second chin showed his old age. His smile greeted me. As I drew close to him, his aging arms reached out and wrapped around my body pulling me into a warm loving hug. As he released me from the hug, I said, "Grandpa, I learned a new song I want you to hear." I plopped down on the hard piano bench, and my fingers flowed over the keys. My foot pumped the cold pedal, and the room was magically filled with tones, one after another slowly warming the room. Looking up at my grandfather's soft, blue eyes I saw him crack a smile and nod with encouragement. Soon his violin found its way to its familiar spot between my grandpa's shoulder and his unshaven chin. He swayed slightly as his arm moved the bow across the strings of the violin producing a harmony to the melody I was performing. With a long last note, we both dropped our hands to our sides allowing the music, which had just filled the room with its thick tone, to abruptly end. The room was left in a dead silence, frozen for a brief period of time, as we recovered from the intensity of the piece.

Review of Willa Cather’s My Antonia

My Antonia shows us that it takes time to really uncover everyones true person, and that a book’s cover rarely does the writing any justice. I also found that the Lone Plough represents a mistake that many of us often find ourselves making. But for myself, the biggest learning curve from this book would be that life can at times pass by slowly and seem boring and mundane, but before one knows it life changes, and one is left wondering, how the heck did I get here?Jim Burden’s life changes drastically at the age of 10, when he is forced to travel cross-country by train to live on the Nebraska frontier with his grandparents after the death of his parents. Jim was accompanied by his father’s former farmhand Jake. On that same train headed to Nebraska, there is a Bohemian family headed to the same place. ? Jim's grandparents are simple yet kind people with generous natures. He begins to enjoy the wide open spaces of the frontier. Soon after his arrival, the Burdens g o to meet their new neighbors, the Shimerdas. Jim meets Mr.Shimerda, an educated musician, Mrs. Shimerda a shrewish woman who comes across as demanding, the eldest son Ambrosch, Marek, Yulka, and the eldest daughter Antonia. Soon after meeting, Antonia and Jim become friends. The Shimerdas unfortunately are not faring well in their new country, but do eventually become friends with Peter and Pavel, two Russian men. Jim and Antonia become even closer, after Jim impresses her by killing a snake. Winter follows, Jim gets very ill, and Pavel passes away. Peter then decides to move away, which greatly upsets Mr. Shimerdas.Right in the middle of one of the largest snowstorms that Nebraska had seen in ten years. Mr. Shimerda commits suicide after neatly arranging himself in the barn. The following day when Jim is left alone in the house, he then feels Mr. Shimerda's spirit. The Shimerda family insist that Mr. Shimerda’s body must be buried on their property. While unorganized, the f uneral ceremony is very moving. After this, the Burdens and a few other neighbors come together as one in a combined effort to aid the Shimerdas. In order to help her family, Antonia stops attending school and begins farming in the fields just as a man would.Jim becomes resentful that Antonia is no longer able to spend as much time with him as he would have liked. The Shimerdas briefly upset their neighbors by acting in a very ungrateful way in response to all of the help that they had received from their friends. Eventually though, everyone is reconciled. After living in the country for three years Jim's grandparents decide it best to move to Black Hawk in order for Jim to go to school. Antonia also comes into this town to work for the Harlings. Other immigrant country girls also start working in the town, and they become known as the hired girls.Jim begins to spend a lot of his free time with Antonia and the Harling children. Dancing becomes the new rage in Black Hawk, and Antonia really starts to enjoy it and begins going all the time. When Antonia starts making a bad name for herself, the Harlings ask Antonia to quit going to the dances. In response, Antonia decides to quit her job and starts working for Wick Cutter. During this time Jim becomes a bit antisocial and beings only spending time with Antonia and a few other hired girls. Jim begins to focus on his studies a lot in preparation for college and can’t wait to leave Black Hawk behind as soon as he can.At his college in Lincoln, Jim becomes extremely close with Gaston Cleric, his Latin instructor and mentor. The two start to spend a good amount of time talking intimately together. Although Jim does come to the realization that he is not, and never will, an academic as Gaston is. One of Jim’s favorite hired girl, Lena Lingard, comes to visit him one day, and they begin to rekindle their past friendship by going to plays together. The two begin spend a lot of time together, even though tw o other men are openly in love with her.As a result of Lena’s sudden reappearance his life, Jim begins to let his grades drop. In response to Jim’s lax approach to his schoolwork, Gaston Cleric asks Jim to come with him to Harvard to continue his studies. To Lena’s dismay, Jim agrees, and follows Gaston to Harvard. Before entering law school two years later, Jim decides to return home to Black Hawk, where he hears of Antonia. Antonia had apparently gotten pregnant and was engaged to be married to Larry Donovan. She had apparently followed Larry to Denver, where he proceeded to run off after all of her money was gone.Antonia was forced to then return home to her family's farm where she then gave birth and helped to work the land. Jim heres of this and goes to visit her. Antonia is a bit surprised that Jim is not disappointed in her for poor decisions. Jim finally returns to see Antonia after twenty years passed. He heard that Antonia had finally gotten married, t o a man named Anton Cuzak, and together they had bore about ten children. Jim has also heard that Antonia has had a hard life, and he’s a bit nervous about seeing how the years had affected her.When he arrives at their farm, Jim is greeted by her large family. Antonia doesn't seem recognize him immediately, but becomes extremely excited once she does. She proceeds to show him all around her family’s farm, which seems to be so full of life. Everywhere they go, everyone seems so happy and content. Jim is happy to see his childhood friend Antonia looking well. He stays the night in the barn with two of the boys, so that he may meet Antonia’s husband and eldest son the next day. The following day Jim meets Cuzak, Antonia’s husband.Jim and Cuzak hit it off immediately, and it becomes apparent to him that Cuzak and Antonia's marriage is one of mutual happiness and equality. Jim leaves but promises Antonia’s sons that he will return to Black Hawk one day soon, and take them all hunting. On his way out, Jim finds the old dirt road that he once used to lead him home to his grandparents' farm, and he begins to think about how that road changed his future and how now he has returned full circle back to where he had started years and years ago. Just like with any novel, setting plays a key role.Jim's first impression of his new home on the Nebraska frontier is that it seems vast and empty. He feels that he has stepped out of civilization as he knew it, and that Nebraska will be a new experience, in which he will have to learn to live by a new set of rules and conduct. Jim is leaving his past life completely behind, and will become an entirely new person on the Nebraska frontier. Because of this, he feels as though his old self is now â€Å"erased† and â€Å"blotted out† as he travels to his grandfather's house. I found that the â€Å"lone plough† also held great significance in this novel.To me, it showed that while in the moment something may seem highly important, but in the end its really nothing more than an insignificant memory. Years ago that plough was probably a must have on the Nebraska frontier, and was seen as a shiny new toy to most farmers, but now years later it is left to rust in a field after it became no longer useful to its owner. Looking back at the plough, the farmer probably wouldn’t remember it as the shiny new toy he thought it once was, but instead remembers it as a reliable piece of farm equipment, nothing more and nothing less.While these some what small details hold much importance, I found that the larger picture took me somewhat by surprise and left me remembering this story. For me, while I read the book I found it somewhat interesting with little things happening here and there. With subplots every now and again, and different rising actions eventually leading to a climax. But I thought that the book was rather dull, and lacked interest. Reading it, became mundane to me. That was until the very end. I found that end brought it all together for me.While the story seemed to drag on with little motivation, the end made me realize how much the characters really had accomplished. This reminds me life, from day to day things may seem boring but before you know it, you have accomplished one of your largest goals, and are now looking back wishing that you could do it all over again. I find myself wanting to reread My Antonia to reminisce in the character’s small accomplishments along the way; because while in reality I may not be able to, at least with this book I can relive the climb.