85 pages • 2 hours read
O Pioneers!
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1913
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Introduction
O Pioneers!
- Genre: Fiction; historical classic
- Originally Published: 1913
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 930L; grades 9-12; college/adult
- Structure/Length: 5 parts; 30 chapters; approx. 159 pages; approx. 6 hours on audio
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: In the late 1800s, a young woman, Alexandra Bergson, struggles with loss and love as she attempts to develop a successful farm on the Nebraska prairie.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Murder; intolerant/insensitive language choices
Willa Cather, Author
- Bio: 1873-1947; moved from Virginia to Nebraska at age nine; worked as a journalist and teacher before turning to full-time writing; novelist, poet, and short story writer; known for her stories of life on the American Great Plains
- Other Works: My Antonia (1918); One of Ours (1922); Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927); “Neighbor Rosicky” (1930)
- Awards: Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours (1922)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- Respect the Power of the Land
- Sacrifice of Self for the Good of the Community
- Loneliness Is a Double-Edged Sword
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:
- Develop an understanding of different meanings and connotations associated with the term pioneer and use this knowledge in analyzing the novel’s premise and characters.
- Understand and analyze the author’s use of weather and nature as literary symbols.
- Consider and evaluate societal norms regarding gender and diversity in connection with the novel’s characters and situations.
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