Summer Reading Review Questions

[Lily]

Questions on summer reading.

1) Did Antonia achieve the American dream at the end?
2) Did Willy fit the definition of an tragic hero?
3) Who was the protagonist in My Antonia? Was it Jim or Antonia?

[charlottelang]

1) Why did Biff say that Willy had the "wrong dream"?
2) Who does Jim end up marrying?
3) Why does Antonia leave the Harlings' employment?

[Anneka]

1) In My Antonia, Willa Cather demonstrates how nature always prevails over humanity. What symbols does she use for nature and humanity and how does she depict nature prevailing?
2) What is the significance of the seed Willy plants near the end of the play?
3) Why did Howard fire Willy, even after Willy begged him to let him keep his job at a lower salary that he was already making (and struggling to survive on)?

[lydia]

1.)What causes Mr. Shimerda to commit suicide?
2.) Why does Jim prefer the "hired girls" to the Back Hawk girls?
3.) How might Biff's inclination to steal and Happy's attitude toward women be affected by Willy and their upbringing?

[Aubrey]

1.) How does Biff ultimately feel about Willy at the end of the play? Did Biff forgive Willy and accept who Willy is?
2.) What is the climax of Death of a Salesman? What is the climax of My Antonia?
3.) At what point does the role of caretaker of the family switch from parent to child in My Antonia in terms of Antonia? What about Death of a Salesman?

[Alicia]

1. What is the nature of Jim's feelings for Antonia?
2. How do feelings of abandonment affect Willy's life?
3. What could be the origin of Biff's bad stealing habit?

[rafilessard]

1) What is Cather suggesting about gender roles with the characters Frances, Antonia, and Lena?
2) In My Antonia, what does the land symbolize to Jim and how does he apply it as a symbol?
3) How has Willy's moral values affected Biff and Happy's ideals?

[Adannia]

1. How much do you think all of the lies that surrounded Willy's family influenced his delusions?
2. In My Antonia many of the immigrants' lives have different outcomes. What does this mean in terms of the American Dream /Identity (ie do some people deserve it more than others, etc)
3.Why do you believe it was so easy for Willy to constantly fall into his delusions?

[sophialorraine]

1. What made Jim think Mrs. Shimerda was ungrateful?

2. Why is Willy so obsessed with Biff being successful?

3. In Death of a Salesman there are many objects that symbolize important elements in the story. What are those objects and what do they symbolize? 

[McKenzie]

1) What do the seeds in Death of a Salesman represent, and why was Willy so desperate to plant them?
2) Was Linda's tolerant nature too much? Do you think she could have prevented Willy's death if she hadn't humored his delusions and helped him to face reality?
3) What is Jim's relation to Lena? What are his affections for her, as compared to his feelings for Antonia?

[Erica]

1.) Was the American Dream worth it to Antonia's family? To Willy?
2.) Willa Cather modeled the town of Black Hawk after what real town in Nebraska?
3.) Oysters contain beautiful pearls inside of them. What do oysters symbolize in Death of a Salesman?

[Taylor Willis]

1)What is the symbolism of nature in "My Antonia"?
2)What is Willy's hubris?
3)"Death of a Salesman" could be classified as a modernist novel, what is an example of social evil in the novel?

[Eva Fandozzi]

1. Who is the protagonist of My Antonia, Antonia or Jim?
2. Who does Jim dedicate his commencement oration to?
3. How much does Charley usually give Willy each week?