My Antonia

Willa Cather in her novel My Antonia offers her view of life during the pioneer time.

• It would be told different in many ways if it was told in Antonias perspective. The story would be told as a girl who went through all these struggles, and the thoughts she might have of had about jim. Compared to Jims thoughts of Antonia being mean or stubborn the story could have actually been seen why she acted this way, and why she wanted to live so rough for. Also as she was growing up when Jim thought she was being foolish for the parties and dances, she probably thought Jim was being selfish for acting like that to her. So personally this story would be almost opposite with alot of the same.
• I think Cather was very effective at playing Jim. She went through what would go through alot of young boys minds and played a normal man just as well as could be expected. When he was a boy he did all the things a boy did, he ran barefoot, liked Antonia, got a temper easily. Jims character is put out as a little girly though. Instead of working in the fields and laboring all the time he was studying or helping his grandma in the house. He didnt go to the dances and flirt with all the girls but instead stayed home. All in all though Cather did a good job at playing Jim.
• I think Jim changed the title from Antonia to My Antonia because he thought of her as his. Jim was in love with Antonia so it can be assumed that he seen her as the one he was in a relationship with. Even though they were not Jim always cared about Antonia more than any of the other girls and he had took care of her since they were kids. So possibly Jim changed the title because Antonia was in someway his.
• All in all this book was an excellent book about a mans life story with the girl he loved. The bohemian girl, Antonia, who learned so much from Jim, all the way till they were grown. A story of hard times, romance, and care.

Setting Bellwork 12/7/11

Author Willa Cather embedded literary devices, such as metaphors, similes, and personification, within her writing. 

"As I looked about me I felt that the grass was the country, as the water is the sea. The red of the grass made all the great prairie the colour of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up. And there was so much motion in it; the whole country seemed, somehow, to be running."

"The grave, with its tall red grass that was never mowed, was like a little island."

"Winter comes down savagely over a little town on the prairie.  The wind that sweeps in from the open country strips away all the leafy screens that hide one yard from another in summer, and the houses seem to draw closer together.  The roofs, that looked so far away across the green treetops, now stare you in the face, and they are so much uglier than when their angles were softened by vines and shrubs.

      The setting has a major effect on the characters in this book. Its just like an animal in their habitat, the conditions are what makes them act the way they do. Ambrosch is always in the fields working and so it gives  him a negative attitude towards jim and his family. The poor living situation of the shimerdas makes Mrs. Shimerda angry and unhappy all the time. The hard farm work has made Antonia full of pride and makes her think she is more like the men. 
Setting has a major effect on me. Such as today when i looked out the window and seen the white gleaming snow i was extremely happy. When it is winter and all the lushious green has gone theirs always a gloomy effect.

Arguement: Soccer should be called football.

Assertion/Claim (Topic Sentence)= Main idea

• Soccer should be called football.

Evidence- Concrete detail:

• Soccer should be called football mainly for the fact that football would refer to a game played with your feet. It also should be called this based on the FIFA name the "International Futbol Association."
• Commentary 1: In European countries soccer is known as futbol, which in American terms would be pronounced football. Football referring to a ball that should be played with by feet. American football does not use their feet they use their hands, the sport has almost nothing to do with using feet to handle the ball.Futbol, or soccer, uses feet throughout the whole game.
• Commentary 2: American football was originally called gridiron. So shouldn't it still be? The word football has nothing in common with the full contact sport that uses hand and body instead of just feet. Soccer has nothing in common with the all foot sport. Doesn't soccer sound like soccem, or something that sounds like hitting? So i think it gives American football more justice then it does soccer.
• Would it not make more since for a sport that uses their feet to play the game be called football? I think so.
• Commentary 1: Football in America is not referred to a sport played with feet. The main thing you use in American football is your hands (the exact opposite of feet). N.G.L. (National Gridiron League) would make more since than the National Football League, because gridiron fits an all contact sport more than talking about a football.
• Commentary 2: Football should be a sport played with feet because it is clearly stated in the name FOOT ball. Not to break this year old tradition but futbol has been around longer and is internationally recognized not just in America. So in all fairness i would say that it should be able to keep it's name and be referred to as football. 

Opposing claims; Football should be called football because it has been an American tradition and was introduced before soccer was introduced to America.
My rebuttal; Even though football has been around longer and is an American tradition. Futbol has been around longer in the world and was called football before football was born.