The Madding Crowd Essay Example for Free

The Madding Crowd Essay Obsession is prevalent as a theme in Far from the Madding Crowd. Obsession carries the plot and creates action between the characters. In this essay, I will examine how the characters advance the plot through their obsessive behaviour towards each other. Far from the Madding Crowd is by Thomas Hardy and was first published in a series in the Cornhill Magazine in 1873. This can be seen by the large amount of short chapters, often with titles that make the reader wonder what the chapter contains, such as ‘The Following March – â€Å"Bathsheba Boldwood†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. It can also be seen in the cliff-hangers they often end with, encouraging the reader to buy the next magazine to read it. The title comes from ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ a poem by Thomas Gray, a favourite of Hardy’s poets. The complete line seventy-three reads: ‘Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife’, describing how life in towns is full of petty conflicts, whereas life in the countryside is more simple and therefore, better. Although the novel does often describe the beauty of the countryside, a part of England Hardy believed to be disappearing because of the industrial revolution, it may also be ironic, because the emotional turmoil, often caused by obsession, that the main characters go through is certainly not calm. The novel starts with Oak as he sees ‘an ornamental spring waggon’ with Bathsheba inside. She unwraps a ‘small swing looking-glass’ and gazes at herself, without showing any ‘necessity whatever’ for looking. Oak comments that ‘the greatest of [her faults]’ is she is obsessed with her own beauty. This vanity is continued for the majority of the book. An example of this is when Bathsheba has learnt sheep ‘have broken fence’ and eaten young clover. Hardy mentions that she was wearing a ‘rather dashing velvet dress’, which was ‘carefully put on before a glass’. It is this negative characteristic of Bathsheba which will cause her such misfortune later in the novel. Bathsheba’s obsession with herself drives her to ‘direct [a] missive to Boldwood’. This is because she feels piqued after Liddy tells he ‘didn’t turn his head’ in church that day, despite ‘his pew [being] exactly opposite [Bathsheba’s]’. Boldwood’s ‘nervous excitability’ about the fact that someone may want to marry him makes him first obsessed with finding the writer of the note, and then Bathsheba herself. This is reflected in the sunrise described the day after Boldwood receives the valentine. It symbolizes a strong new feeling in Boldwood of love, which Hardy likens to ‘a red and flameless fire’. The more she tells him she has ‘not fallen in love with’ him, the more he desires her. His true ‘mental derangement’ is revealed towards the end of the novel, when an ‘extraordinary collection’ of packages is found, ‘labelled â€Å"Bathsheba Boldwood†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Boldwood’s character shows obsession, in his case with Bathsheba, to be unhealthy and a trait of a crazed person. Bathsheba’s infatuation with Troy is another important obsession in Far from the Madding Crowd. Her name also hints at her potentiality to be tempted, the Bathsheba in the Bible being tempted to commit adultery by David. She confesses her feelings to Liddy, telling her she loves Troy ‘to very distractions and misery and agony’. However, Hardy describes Troy as ‘moderately truthful towards men but to women lied like a Cretan’. Therefore the reader knows the relationship is doomed from the start, being built on untruthfulness and obsession. This is hinted at through the song that Bathsheba sings before Troy comes to Weatherbury: On the banks of Allan Water. It tells of a soldier’s love of a miller’s daughter, which is found to be untrue. Like the soldier in the song, Troy’s love is false too. After marrying Bathsheba, Troy develops an obsession with gambling. Although the one obsession that does not move the plot along, it instead shows the mistake that Bathsheba made by giving in to her obsession to marry him. She calls their marriage a ‘mistake’ and laments that her once ‘independent and spirited’ self has ‘come to this’. The start of the chapter takes place on ‘Yalbury Hill’, a ‘steep long ascent’. This may denote the uphill struggle the couple were going through at that point. Troy’s shallow nature is also shown through is lack of care for Fanny, the girl who Troy breaks promise with to marry despite impregnating her. He does not want her when she is alive, but is obsessed with her when she is dead. His lack of care is shown when Fanny asks him ‘when shall [they] be married’, and after she is gone, Troy and his fellow soldiers mock her with a ‘low peal of laughter’, demonstrating his disregard for Fanny’s wants. This is shown by Fanny being described as a ‘little spot’; a mild annoyance to Troy. Troy is shown to be insensitive, Hardy often referring to him as ‘the wall’ rather than ‘Troy’ when he speaks. The wall is described as being blacker ‘than the sky’. Hardy compares him to the wall to show the reader he is a ‘bad, black-hearted man’, which Troy admits to, much later in the novel. In comparison, when Troy sees Fanny’s corpse for the first time, he feels an ‘indefinable union of remorse and reverence’ and declares she is his ‘very, very wife’. His full obsession is shown the next day, when he is told to be ‘almost oblivious of’ Bathsheba and to not think ‘there was any element of absurdity’ in spending the whole day tending to Fanny’s grave. Like Boldwood, his obsession has caused him to become temporally mentally deranged. The consequences of the characters’ obsessions come to a climax in Chapter 53. Boldwood’s and Troy’s behaviours result in tragic fates, Boldwood having ‘cocked’ and ‘discharged’ a gun at Troy, while Boldwood being sentenced to ‘life imprisonment’ after being shown to not be ‘morally responsible’ for his actions. Their fortunes are because of their dangerous obsessions with women they cannot have: Boldwood with Bathsheba who does not love him and Troy with Fanny after she has died. The results of giving into obsessions are reflected in the natural events which occur throughout the novel. An example of this is when Bathsheba’s flock ‘[get] into a field of young clover’. Here, they are giving into their impulses, before paying the consequences by ‘getting blasted’: being so bloated their stomachs expand which causes death. This is a mirroring of Bathsheba’s decision to give in to her obsession and marry Troy, despite Gabriel Oak’s heeding. Later in the novel, we see the disastrous consequences. Throughout the novel, the only character that remains above these obsessions is Gabriel Oak. Hardy illustrates this through his name: Gabriel, an angel, often said to be the spirit of truth, and Oak, a strong and sturdy tree, not often affected by weather around it. After Bathsheba tells Oak she ‘[does] not love [him]’, he resolves to ‘give his days and nights’ to Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes states that ‘everything is meaningless’, and this belief that Gabriel takes on is shown in his ability to move on quickly from distressing events. For example, when Bathsheba demands him to leave her farm. In this situation, Oak does not protest but says ‘calmly’: ‘Very well’. It may be argued that Oak is obsessed with Bathsheba because he loves her strongly. Hardy describes Oak’s desire of Bathsheba as a ‘beautiful thread’ that he did not want to break, rather than a ‘chain’ which was impossible to. However, his ability to control his desires separates him from Boldwood’s obsessive behaviour. This is shown when Bathsheba finally gives in to Boldwood’s harassing and agrees to ‘marry [Boldwood] in six years’, despite ‘burst[ing] out crying’. Here, Boldwood lets his obsessive love of Bathsheba stop her from being happy, whereas Oak would rather Bathsheba was happy without him rather than her being unhappy and with him. Because of this, he is rewarded by having a ‘private, secret, plainest wedding’ with Bathsheba. Bathsheba’s character also changes. This is epitomized at the end of the book, when ‘Bathsheba [smiles]’ rather than ‘laughed readily’ at one of the villager’s jokes. This shows she has learnt from her experiences that it is not a good idea to get carried away with your emotions, fuelled by obsession. So to conclude, obsession can be found throughout Far from the Madding Crowd, in the characters, the plot and even the landscape. It is a main cause of the drama in the story by impelling the character’s conflicts. Obsession is an essential theme in Far from the Madding Crowd.

George Bush Essay Example for Free

George Bush Essay Leadership is a quality that Americans always look for in a president. United States Presidents have an extreme amount of responsibility. Americans look for someone that can help our country grow. We look for someone who has charisma, strength and intelligence. George W. Bush had a very interesting presidency. It was filled with joy, turmoil and disaster, all which were times where a leader could either succeed or fail. George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States. He had all of the qualification of a great president. He came from a political family. He was the son of former President George H.W. Bush. He had a great educational and military background. He graduated from Yale University and then Harvard Business School. He was a pilot for the Air National Guard for six years. He worked in the oil industry after college where he was known for his smart business decisions. He served in Texas’ House of Representatives and then Governor of Texas. Most American’s would probably believe that all of these qualifications would make him a great candidate for President and in 2000 he was elected President, defeating Al Gore by only small margin. (Bush 3) Choosing George W. Bush I chose to research and analyze President Bush because he was president during the biggest attack on American’s during my lifetime. He had to step up and become the great leader that our nation needed during and after the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001. President Bush is still being blamed for some of the problems that America is having now. President Obama blames him for the economy and many American’s have blamed him for our continued presence in the Middle East. I wanted to research his leadership abilities and understand why he went from being a so-so President to a great president to a president that is being blamed for everything. I also see President Bush as a normal person with strengths and weaknesses. I see him as someone similar to myself. I want to better understand him and learn from his achievements and his mistakes. President Bush was not a born leader. Even though President Bush had the resume that American’s thought would make him a great leader, at the beginning of his presidency, he was lacking some of the key qualities of a  good leader. He did not show confidence in his decisions and he lacked the understanding of international affairs. (Domin 3) After the tragedy of September 11th, he really stepped up and took on his leadership role. He was able to show America that he was the leader that they thought that they would be getting in an American President. President Bush was able to bring his followers together in a time of tragedy, uniting them for a common goal. He was able to leave all of the criticism that he had gotten behind him and become a new leader that everyone respected. In addition, I wanted to research President Bush because many of the international problems that America faced during President Bush’s terms are still lingering today. American lives are still at risk because of terrorist groups. It was only a couple of months ago that the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was attacked by terrorist killing the US Ambassador and three others. I question the effectiveness of our current administration and their ability to keep America safe. (Kirkpatrick, and Myers) Abilities and Skills Even though President Bush was not a great leader from the beginning, I believe that he was able to step up and become the great leader that we needed him to be. He embraced the necessary abilities and skills that America needed in a leader after a crisis. The first and most important characteristic that he possessed after September 11th was emotional intelligence. He understood the severity of the situation and was able to address the public in a way that helped us come together as a country. Woodward made this comment about how President Bush addressed the public in front of Ground Zero. â€Å"Bush’s spontaneity allowed him to connect at a visceral level with his audience: acting simultaneously as their leader and expressing their feelings in the highly charged atmosphere of the time.† (Roper 5) I believe that President Bush also encompasses the four characteristics that describe a creative leader. President Bush faced one of the biggest obstacles of any President and he had the self-confidence to lead. (Nahavandi 115) Thousands of innocent Americans had been killed through a terrorist attack. He knew that America was entering a time of war. Even though many of his advisors were unsure of the decisions to attack Afghanistan, he was strong about his beliefs and he gave reassurance to his advisors. A reporter who was present during the National Security Council meeting before the initial attacks in Afghanistan noticed the tension in the room before President Bush was present but said that, â€Å"the tension suddenly drained from the room.† (Roper 5)

The Office Depot ECommerce Systems Information Technology Essay

The Office Depot ECommerce Systems Information Technology Essay Office Depot Inc., founded in 1986, is one of the leaders in the office supplies industry with its head quarters in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. The Office Depots supplies include business machines, computers, softwares and office furniture whereas the services cover printing, copying, document reproduction, shipping and mailing. The customers to the company include individual customers, small office/home offices, and medium-/large-sized businesses. The sales are obtained through numerous channels which comprises of office supply stores, an outbound telephone account management sales force, internet sites, direct marketing catalogues and call centres. Office Depot Inc., deals to customers in 52 countries all around North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The company operates more than 40 separate websites in the International Division. While the word e-commerce refers to all the online transactions, B2C stands for business-to-consumer and goes for any business organization that sells its products or services to consumers on the Internet. The business model followed by Office Depot is B2C e-commerce model. The model provides both strategic and operational benefits to the company. The model helps in low order processing costs; brand recognition; improved customer service; market extension to locations where no office supplies store exists; reduces labour cost due to streamlined internal process; and improved information system integration. The company follows click-and-mortar kind of B2C model where the company allows customer to buy products and services online as well as they have physical stores located at various locations. The model tied the e-commerce frontend to the companys inventory and order management systems, and conducted real time inventory checks to ensure stock was available nearby. The model is build in customer centric e-commerce systems were intended to make customers so satisfied with their online shopping experience that they would not bother looking elsewhere on the Internet to save a few pennies. Customers were able to check warehouse inventory in real-time, place orders online, pay for orders online, and arrange for returns at a local store. 4. Customer Value Proposition The customer value proposition basically means the benefits which the vendor is providing to the customers in return to the amount charged for the specific products or services. The Office Depot assures a broad selection of quality office products and services. These products and services encompass the following characteristics: great quality, innovation, value and satisfaction guarantee. The major challenges that officedepot.com has tackled reasonably are simple to use, have an improved search capability, an expanded range of item availability, and they are meeting the expectations of customers with shipping quality and timely delivery. 5. Revenue Model The main goal of introducing B2C website is to bring down the cost or improve customer service, however, the primary aims remains to be generation of revenue and earn profit. The officedepot.com is the website providing products as well as services to its customers. This is the most common type of e-business model for generating revenue. In this model, the electronic catalogue is made available to the consumers; they can select the desired products or services from the catalogue and put it in the shopping cart. Then the payment received from the customer is the source of earning revenue. After the successful implementation of the B2C model, the total sales revenue of the firm has gone up considerably because of e-sales. With over $4.9 billion in e-Business sales during 2007, Office Depot is one of the largest online retailers in the world. They believe in offering customers the best choice of electronic trading solutions available, with different purchasing options according to their needs. The figure1 indicates the sudden rise in the sales after the implementation of the website and the continuous rise thereafter. 6. Marketplace Office Depot deals in the segment of office products and services. They are in competition to be the market leaders in the segment. The range of products office depot sells includes business machines, computers, softwares and office furniture whereas the services cover printing, copying, document reproduction, shipping and mailing. The growing prevalence of the internet access has enabled new markets to emerge online. To tackle with the market of consumers and businesses of all sizes the company is being segmented into three the retail division, the business solution division and the international division. Office Depot operates over 1,200 office supply stores in North America.   Internationally, the company operates another 400 retail stores in 48 countries.   7. Main Competitors The main competitors to Office Depot are Staples and Officemax. Together the three companies are the market leaders in the office industry. However, together they account for about only 10% of the total estimated $300 billion market. They rest of the market is divided widely between supermarkets, wholesale retailers and smaller independent companies. Office Depot stands second to Staples in the total sales and profits but had greater sales and higher operating margin in the international market than the leading competitor. Office Depot by the division of the retail and business solution sales in the international market is trying to take advantage in the international market by acquiring contract office suppliers around the globe in profitable markets such as Asia and South America. Staples: www.staples.com OfficeMax: www.officemax.com 8. Comparative Advantages The Office Depot was the first to introduce the concept of shopping, ordering and managing shipments online for the office products and services segment. Office understands the nature, reasons, needs and concerns of customer by realizing that all the customers are not the same level. Every other customer has different wants and needs. The company has added the brick-and-mortar catalogue on their website and thus have successfully increased choices, selection and searching capabilities. Officedepot.com provides lower prices by discount offers, auctions and promotional prices. Special discounts are given to the schools. The product descriptions are clear and concise, and usually have measurements included, sometimes in graphical format as well. Officedepot.com has the advantage of belonging to a well established distribution infrastructure that can handle peak demand. It also has an established brand with a good and trustworthy image, large customer base, expertise and facilities to serve customers with catalogue sales, and has stores for handling product returns. Bricks-and-clicks retailers enjoy significant advantages over Internet pure-plays including lower customer acquisition and smaller marketing-related outlays. Officedepot.com website is designed with proper attention and it is capturing, dynamic, changing, offering new things and promotions, user friendly, not crowded or overwhelming, efficient and easy for navigation, just in time information for out of stock items, and easy to read text. 9. Market Strategy Office Depot targets consumers and businesses of all sizes. They range from individual customers to the small offices/home offices to the large offices and organizations. The main strategy is to provide maximum possible options combined with special discount offers. The basic market strategy followed by the officedepot.com to keep the customers intact and at the same time providing satisfaction is: Intelligent Search Facilities an amazingly easy way to locate the correct product every time Bulletin Board an effective online communication tool to reach all end users with important information User set-up and Management Office Depot Online is a self service solution putting our customers in the driving seat Controls tailored approval processes and budgeting are available to help you to manage your business Multiple Shopping lists list all your favourite items in one place to create your orders with 10. Conclusion Officedepot.com is one of the finest examples of the business-to-customer e-commerce model. The officedepot.com was introduced by Office Depot in order to meet the increasing requirements with the rapid growth of the Internet. The website officedepot.com is a click and mortar kind with inclusion of brick and mortar catalogue and thus increasing the options available to select from. The revenue generated is simply through the selling of the products. Officedepot.com does face stiff competition but with the kind of infrastructure and service it is being able to attract customers to itself. 11. References http://www.officedepot.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_value_proposition http://www.living2xcess.com/2010/06/office-depot-strategic-analysis_01.html http://www.slideshare.net/socialcoop/ebusiness-models http://www.buzzle.com/articles/b2c-marketing-a-guide-to-business-to-consumer-marketing.html

William G. Morgan and Volleyball Essay -- sports, history, YMCA, net

Fundamentals of Volleyball Volleyball was originally meant for middle-aged men who weren’t able to move well enough to play basketball, but now it is a fast-paced and highly competitive sport for both men and women. Today, people dive and leap across the floor in order to keep the ball from hitting the ground on their side of the court. So it is safe to say that the game of volleyball has evolved from the relatively calm game it once was when it originated in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895. The fundamentals of volleyball include passing, digging, serving, attacking, setting, and blocking. It also involves the skills needed to do these things. Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan. Morgan wanted to come up with an indoor sport that was better accustomed to the fitness level of older men. He invented the sport by looking at elements of other sports (basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball) and assorted them together to fit his needs. Volleyball was initially played with an inflated basketball bladder (the inner lining of the ball). However, Morgan found that this was too light and a normal basketball was too heavy. It was eventually decided that the ball would be a rubber bladder covered with leather or canvas. In the beginning, Morgan called the new game â€Å"mintonette† because it reminded him of badminton. According to Sherrow, â€Å"He presented an exhibition match for a group of YMCA physical education directors. One spectator, Dr. Alfred Halsted, suggested that Morgan change the name of the game from â€Å"mintonette† to â€Å"volley ball,† because the players were volleying the ball b ack and forth with each hit. The first official volleyball game was played at Springfield College on July 7, 1896† (14). Formerly, the game was organiz... ...see how all of the fundamentals come back together to compliment each other and form the game of volleyball. Works Cited â€Å"Basic Skills in Volleyball.† Basic Skills in Volleyball . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 April 2014 Kelly, Zachary A. Volleyball, Attacking to Win. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke, 1998. Print. Kelly, Zachary A. Volleyball—the Serve. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke, 1998. Print. â€Å"Rules of the Game of Volleyball.† Rules of the Game of Volleyball. Volleyball World Wide, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014 Sherrow, Victoria. Volleyball. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2002. Print. â€Å"Special Olympics Oregon- Training for Life.† Special Olympics Oregon- Training for Life. Special Olympic Oregon, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. "TriState Volunteers ®: About/Home." TriState Volunteers ®: About/Home. Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, n.d. Web. 30 April 2014.

Catcher In The Rye- Movie Proposal Essay -- essays research papers

Movie Proposal: The Catcher in the Rye To the Producer:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Catcher in the Rye, a contemporary novel by J.D. Salinger, is a thought-provoking, fascinating look at society’s values and issues in the 1950’s. This book would make an excellent transition to film because it is full of both action and implication. It focuses on a four-day period of time in the life of a sixteen-year-old cynic with emotional problems. The book follows Holden Caulfield as he struggles with others and himself to find his way through the â€Å"phoniness† and disillusionment involved in his adolescent life. These struggles essentially make up the novel, occurring during a long â€Å"flashback† of the four days as he relates them to a psychoanalyst. It would make a brilliant movie because it is written with so much detail, so many pictures that would be beautifully expressed through visual representation. Not only that, but the novel possesses substance, providing a subjective view of the superficiality of modern life, which is represented by the world Salinger creates around Holden. Summary: The movie would be named after the novel it is based on, and would attempt to follow the exact storyline. Pencey Prep, the private school that Holden attended would not have to be in Pennsylvania, but somewhere resembling the area. Most of the city incidents would actually be filmed in New York City. Of course, certain streets would have to be singled out, and the costuming and cars, etc., would have to resemble1950’s New York in order to fit the time period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie would be narrated by Holden, who would stop talking at times to allow focus on the flashbacks taking place in what would then seem like present tense. Much of the narration does not need to be put into dialogue because Holden spends a great deal of time in his descriptions of what is going on around him. This aspect of the book would have to be carried out carefully and precisely by actors with the right kind of talent (see Characters/Acting) in order to make the movie successful in capturing Salinger’s exact tones and concepts. Note: the main objective of the movie is to present The Catcher in the Rye in visual format. This means to follow as closely as possible to the original plot, dialogue, settings, etc. as written in the book unless truly impo... ...ovel, whether obviously or inconspicuously. The novel accurately describes most of the other characters, because of Holden’s observant nature. All details given by Holden should be carried out accordingly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie would be best directed by Stephen Spielberg, because of his ability to keep movies true to nature, and still produce a compelling story. This would be an excellent project for him because the objective of the film is to do exactly what Spielberg did with movies such as Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan: to take a story, fiction or non-, and portray it as a emotionally moving picture, while keeping it true to the original vision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie spin-off of The Catcher in the Rye should accurately represent the novel written by J.D. Salinger. The budget for the film should be whatever is deemed necessary by the director to make the movie as realistic and well done as possible. The budget should not be a consideration because it would hinder the quality of the film and therefore not allow it to live up to the wonderful the novel could have as a film. If carried out well, this film would be a huge success.

Economic Markets and State Governments: Adversaries or Symbiotic in the

Do economic markets and state governments share an adversarial or symbiotic relationship? Scholars of International Political Economics have been at odds over what role, if any, the state should have in the International Economy. Despite such disagreements, most scholars can concur that IPE is ultimately concerned with the ways in which states shape the systems through which economic interactions are expressed, and conversely the results that economic interactions (including the power of collective markets and individuals acting both within and outside them) have upon political structures and outcomes. The relation between states and markets in the international scene, and whether, the relationship at home affects relationships abroad, is of great importance. One contemporary in particular Ian Bremmer has attempted to explain this relationship in light of the latest economic recession, and what impact the state should have in the future. In his book titled The End of the Free Marke t Bremmer believes that the Free Market Capitalism which has been a staple of American Economic prosperity is still the system that will provide for innovation and the free flow of ideas, information, people, money, goods, and services (Bremmer,183-184). Countries like China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, and regions like Southeast Asia and Africa have all converted from command economies to a degree into state capitalist countries. These countries have all experienced the positives of the free market system, but are just now seeing the results of unregulated US domestic bubbles. Globalization, therefore, has created a system that requires government regulation of domestic products and services to ensure that a symbiotic relationship between governments cont... ...elationships between states roar back the world will continue down the current recessionary path which quite possibly could lead to war on a truly global scale. The best way to ensure soverignty for all is with the free-market system which Adam Smith made so famous. As long as nation-states continue to exist (and it appears that they always will) their will be a temptation to revert back into protectionist ways. This I feel is only normal as it bolsters the national scene at home. If America and the rest of the world wants to continue to thrive and expand the pie much needed investment is necessary but maybe we should seek foreign investment help/advice when it is offered. One thing is for certain regulation domestically would go far in instilling the confidence foreign governments had in the United States to not only police the world but also police itself.

Jews Without Money Essay

1. Make connections from the book to show how the immigrants who came to America in the late 1800’s tried to keep some of their â€Å"homeland† traditions alive in their new environment. Describe, at least 3 different examples of this. One way how the immigrants who came to America tried to keep their â€Å"homeland† traditions is when Jim and Antonia wanted to go see the new Russian’s who had lived in their town. When they visited Peter (One of the Russian’s), he wanted to keep the guests entertained, so he pulled out a harmonica and started playing it for them. Jim said that † Peter looked about perplexity for something that would entertain us. He ran into the storeroom and brought out a gaudily painted harmonica†(pg 29) this means that back in Russia they used harmonicas as a use of entertainment which is a homeland tradition. Another â€Å"homeland tradition† is when â€Å"Mr. Shimerda rose, crossed himself, and quietly knelt down before the tree†(pg 61) this means that the Bohemian family is very religious and the Burdens family doesn’t do that behavior. Another example of a homeland tradition is when Mr. Shimerda used to play his trombone in Russia with his friend and watch the flowers bloom which Antonia says â€Å"he used to sit there with his friend and play trombone†(pg 159) he couldn’t play his trombone anymore because he had no other friends over in America and the tradition died out since he moved to America. 2. Why did Mr. Shimerda commit suicide and how did it impact his family. Give 2 specific examples. Mr. Shimerda committed suicide because he was feeling depressed and couldn’t handle the stress. His only friends that he made in America had died and went back to their country, which was Pavel and Peter. Peter told Mr. Shimerda that â€Å"he was unable to meet a note which fell due on the first of November†(pg 38) which means that they were in debt and couldn’t pay Wick Cutter and this lead to him leaving America. Also when â€Å"Pavel strained himself lifting timbers for a new barn, and fell over among the shavings  with such a gush of blood from the lungs†(pg 38) he died shortly after this incident and wished to speak with Mr. Shimerda before he died which impacted him a lot into killing himself from the loss of his friends. Another reason why Mr. Shimerda killed himself is because his family didn’t have a lot of food stored up for winter â€Å"the potatoes had been frozen and were rotting, in the other was a little pile of flour†(pg 52) The loss of Mr. Shimerda friends and the shortage of food eventually led him to committing suicide. 3. How does the â€Å"coming of age† experience differ for Jim and Antonia as they move from childhood to adulthood? Explain one of their â€Å"coming of age† experiences from the book. The â€Å"coming of age† is definitely different between Jim and Antonia because they have totally different lives. Antonia has it a lot harder and she even tells this to Jim when she says â€Å"If I live here, like you, that is different. Things will be easy for you. But they will be hard for us.†(pg 96) Antonia can not have a normal child life as Jim has since she is too busy working on her farm, he asks her if she wants to join the first term of the school year but she says â€Å"I ain’t got time to learn. I can work like mans now. My mother can’t say no more how Ambrosch do all and nobody to help him†(pg 85) this shows that Jim can get a proper education by going to school but Antonia can not because of all the work that had to be done on her farm. When Antonia is older she works for Mr. Cutter, he is a very sick man who tries to rape Antonia when his wife is not in town. He buys a Mrs. Cutter a ticket for the train sends her away and tries to engage Antonia while she is gone. He puts jewelery under Antonia bed which gives him a reason to go in her room to seduce her and tells her not invite her friends to stay with her at night. Life for Antonia is a lot harder for her than it is for Jim. 4. How does the environment of the great plains impact the development of Jim and Antonia? As Jim grows older into adulthood what does he remember of the Great Plains. Do these memories create anxiety or bring comfort to Jim? Explain The environment of the great plains impacts Jim and Antonia in different ways. Jim feels that the environment of the great plains would be boring when he says â€Å"here was nothing but land: not a country at all, but the  material out of which countries are made. No, there was nothing but land slightly undulating†(pg 9) The environment that the Great Plains impacts Antonia is negative because she tells Jim â€Å"If I live here, like you, that is different. Things will be easy for you. But they will be hard for us.†(pg 96) This means that Jim and Antonia have different ways of viewing the environment that they live in. When Jim grows older he becomes more focussed in his studies but he still remembers the Great Plains and those memories comfort Jim. Jim says that â€Å"For the first time it occurred to me that I should be homesick for that river after I left it.† (pg 158) This means that for the first time Jim actually misses his old life on the Great Plains. 5. Compare the different immigrant groups differing values and religious beliefs to the traditional values of frontier life. Give 2-3 specific examples from the book. When Mr. Shimerda was alive he â€Å"rose, crossed himself, and quietly knelt down before the tree†(pg 61) on Christmas. He values what he has on Christmas and he sees how the Burden’s act on Christmas so this makes him pray in front of the Christmas Tree while Jim watches him. Christmas must be very important religiously to Mr. Shimerda because the Burden’s did not kneel in front of the tree. Mr. Shimerda is Catholic while the Burdens are Protestant. When Mr. Shimerda died â€Å"It developed that Mrs. Shimerda and Ambrosch wanted the old man buried on the southwest corner of their own land.†(pg 78) This was a custom in Bohemia and to the neighbors around them it looked bad. These are the different beliefs that the Shimerda’s had to the traditional ways of frontier life. 6. What symbols does Cather use to represent the key ideas in her novel? (hint: the plow, sunsets, the landscape, sunflowers) The landscape is used to represent a key idea of the novel because it represents how Jim feels about life on the Great Plains. Jim feels at first â€Å"For more than anything else I felt motion in the landscape; in the fresh, easy blowing morning wind, and in he earth itself†(pg 15) This means that the landscape made Jim feel good and in a mellow mood. It did not put him in negative feeling but made him feel fresh and happy. Cather uses flowers to represent home sickness for Antonia when she tells Jim â€Å"It makes me  homesick, Jimmy, this flower, this smell,†(pg 159) When Antonia smells this flower it makes her think of her country, this same feeling happens to Jim when he moves from the Great Plains to the city he still misses the old life he had as a child.