The Work of Willa Cather
Inspiration is a passionate spark that influences people. It can arises from nature, people, and a personal experiences. Artists throughout history have found inspiration from within their own personal experiences, the people in their lives, and their surroundings. An artist can look into their past to inspire their art work. Whether an artist channels their inspiration though music, paintings, or writing they all have a goal in mind to show the world what sparked their inspiration. Critically acclaimed writer, Willa Cather used her personal life experiences to inspire her literature. Willa Cather’s personal experience as a journalist, her appreciation for the prairie, and the cherished relationships she formed throughout her life all influenced her literary work through the vivid settings and unique characters she created.
Willa Cather’s personal experience as a journalist influenced her literary work. Cather became a journalist working for several publications after graduating from The University of Nebraska (“Willa Cather Timeline”). During her time as a journalist she gained valuable skills such as research and investigative skills. As a journalist she learned to efficiently interview people, and ensure the information she gathered was accurate. Cather’s award winning novel, One of Ours, follows the story of a young male solider during World War I in France. The story took Cather four long years to complete because she wanted to write an accurate war-tale. Merrill Skaggs author of, After the World Broke in Two, describes Cather’s extensive research, “The novel started well… Cather went back to Nebraska and then to France to research it further” (Skaggs 4). The novel takes place in both Nebraska a...
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Inspiration comes from many forms; it comes from friends, family, music, television, and even strangers. Inspiration can come at one subtlety or it can hit you like a bus. Professional, amateur, or even a novice can be inspired to make something. No matter what, an artist needs inspiration in order to create something out of nothing or in order to help finish an already existing art work. Here the inspiration from Mariko Mori will be conveyed, to know what helps give her inspiration that motivates her to do the art work that she does. Whether she herself is doing the performance or it is just a sculpture in a gallery, her works are unique, just like a finger print. What gave her the inspiration on two of her works;
Sharon Creech’s childhood memories, college experiences, and creative brain significantly affected her writings. She rarely thought of being an author growing up, but as time progressed, she began to really think about it. Creech first became interested when she entered college and something sparked her career. She wrote multiple books with her much thought and creativeness leading her to an outstanding writing career.
The American college dictionary defines success as 1. The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, 2. The gaining of wealth, possessions, or the like. This has been the general seances for the past hundred years or more. But in more modern days the prospective of success has changed slightly. It has shifted to having a good education, going to collage, getting a carrier getting married & having children. Having your own home and eventually dying and passing it all on to a child or children. Success is no longer satisfaction or personal goals. It has been supplemented by the goals society has preset for the populous that have been drilled into the minds of the young from the very beginning. To a man named Santiago in The Old Man and The Sea by: Earnest Hemingway, success was to conquer the Marlin Santiago had fought for so long. But as a cruel twist of fate his success is taken away in an instant when the prize he had fought so hard for was eaten by sharks, leaving Santiago with no spoils left to show for his hard fight. He was even so crushed by of the loss of the Marlin that he cried out to the sea "I am beaten.....hear stands a broken man" (234). Santiago still experienced success in the fashion that when he returned to port the little boy named Manolin that he had taught how to fish earlier in the novel was allowed to come back to fish with him. This was the ultimate form of success that was perceived for Santiago by Hemingway. To Jean Valjean in Les Misreables By: Victor Hugo , Valjean's success was represented in the form of going from convict to loving father of a daughter. The little girl named Cosette may not have been his true daughter, but after he had had dinner with a bishop that had seen the possibility of good in he started the transformation of his life. he met Cosettes mother and vowed to save her daughter from the place where she was being kept. The success Valjean experienced was what made his character the man that he was. But to Willa Cather in My
Randall III, John H. "Intrepretation of My Antonia." Willa Cather and Her Critics. Ed. James Schroeter. New York: Cornell University Press, 1967. 272-323.
To discover an erotics of place in Willa Cather's A Lost Lady, takes little preparation. One begins by simply allowing Sweet Water marsh to seep into one's consciousness through Cather's exquisite prose. Two paragraphs from the middle of the novel beckon us to follow Neil Herbert, now 20 years old, into the marsh that lies on the Forrester property. This passage, rich in pastoral beauty, embraces the heart of the novel-appearing not only at the novel's center point but enfolding ideas central to the novel's theme:
When Willa Cather wrote her novel My Antonia in 1918, there probably was not any doubt that it was the story of a woman's accomplishment. However, today there have been many critics that claim this work to be the legacy of a girl's struggle, not triumph. This perception can easily be argued. This leaves readers with the choice of interpreting the book as enlightening or depressing.
Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case,” displays the conflict between conformity and individuality through the main character, Paul. On a number of occasions, Paul is forced to lie and steal to escape the conformists who wish to control him and stifle his unique imagination. However, his lying, stealing, and attempts to escape the conformists, only force Paul into isolation, depression, and feeling a sense of shame for his individuality. Throughout the story one might see Cather’s constant contrast of individuality versus conformity, as well as Paul’s lying and stealing. Cather seems to draw the conclusion that extreme individuals, much like Paul are simply misunderstood, and not offered the acceptance they desire from conformist society.
A novel should be something that is easy to define. One would expect the novel to have a plot, a central theme, a central character and a consistent style? The truth is that all of these things are important but not specifically necessary. Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop cannot be easily classified as a novel in normal terms. It lacks a central plot that carries the work from beginning to some sort of an ending. It does, however, contain central characters, themes, and a clearly consistent style, but the story that is told consists of small vignettes.
One of the many authors who’s works we have read this year is Willa Cather. Cather is an author who in a way I feel I can relate to. Cather not only writes about Nebraska in many of her novels, she is also grew up in Red Cloud, The same town as me.
“I felt suddenly a stranger to all the present conditions of my existence, wholly ill at ease and out of place amid the surroundings of my study.” (Wagner, 654) When the United States is mentioned, there are a few places that immediately come to mind, places like Florida, Nevada, New York and California. There are a lot of places in the middle that often times tend to get left out, though the truth is that these places are the most important. Places like Nebraska and Wyoming are crucial pieces of the nation. Though these places are not necessarily the most popular, they are perhaps the most important. These states are like the common workers of the world, taking on tasks that no one else was willing to. These states are some of the most crucial pieces of the United States simply because they are full of people willing to do the work that all of the other far more glamorous states are not. This is something expertly depicted within Willa Cather’s text A Wagner Matinee, where Cather perfectly depicts just how much internal strength it takes to lead one of these lives. A Wagner Matinee by Willa Cather shows the everyday struggle of individuals living all over the Midwestern area of the United States.
Willa Cather’s use of sentimentality-inspiring diction creates a nostalgic memory of Jim’s childhood. Her words are very descriptive and immerse the reader in the scene and tone she
Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1994.
Everybody in this world has a talent. He or she can use his talent to express about himself or herself. Also, the writers can explain some themes from their societies in their articles, novels, and books. The artistic works can treat some problems and face the society with it. For an example, Khaled Hosseini on his novel The Kite Runner, explains some themes from the society like, how the children affected by their parents, how the society and the religious matter effect on the people, and the value of having someone by your side supports you.
A mother loves and helps you. She will persuade you to not make a huge mistake. She will provide you with everything you need. One of the most important influential figures is your mother because she is kind, loving, and a big inspiration.