Brown,+Carissa

August 26, 2011 Discussion #1:
 * The author I will be studying is Willa Cather.
 * The book I am reading is //O Pioneers!////﻿//
 * I am looking forward to reading this book. Over the summer I read //My Antonia// by Willa Cather. I enjoyed it every much. I love to read books set in the pioneer days. I think this book will be a lot like //My Antonia.// It is set in the Midwest and the charactors are also immigrants. I think it will tell a story about the struggles the charactor Alexandra has with becoming in charge of the house and family. I can't wait to read it! :)

September 2, 2011 Discussion #2:
 * I am currently on page 36.
 * The charactor I am analyzing is Alexandra. She is the eldest in the family and after her father's passing she is in charge of the farm. In the eyes of her father she is intelligent, and will do more for the farm than her brothers. I believe Alexandra is a very strong driven charactor. She wants the best for the farm and her family.
 * I predict that the family will go though a time of stuggle. I am also predicting that Alexandra will find love.

September 9, 2011 Discussion #3: Here is what has happened since my last post. It has been three years since John Bergson, Alexandra's father, has passed away. The farm has prospered but hard times have come. The ground has worn down and the soil is old. Some families are moving back east. This includes the Linstum family, the Bergson's close friends. Alexandra is sad to hear that they are leaving because she will miss Carl. She tells him "...It's by understading me, and the boys, and mother, that you've helped me. I expect that is the only way one person ever really can help another. I think you are about the only one that ever helped me. Somehow it will take courage to bear your going than everything that has happened before." I love this quote. I feel that this shows more about Alexandra as a charactor and as a excellent reference to the lives of us today. In our lives today, we are able to connect with someone when we truely understand where they are coming from, and helps to communicate. When Alexandra says this it shows she has strong feelings for Carl. It also shows that deep down she is hurt and sad, but she is not going to burden herself with sad news because she is in charge of the farm. I think Alexandra also reliezes that things are getting bad with the farms and she needs to take action. Later in the week she goes down to the river valley to see what life is like down there. She forms a plan to buy land, but her brothers don't quite agree.
 * I am on page 57. So I have read 21 pages.
 * I am looking forward to reading more of the book. I have enjoyed it so far!!

September 17, 2011 Discussion #4 In my opinion my predictions were wrong. Even though the family did struggle I don't recall reading much about it. This book jumps ahead a lot. Alexandra has not fallen in love yet. She is not married but her older brothers are. At the moment Alexandra is in charge of a large estate. It sounds like her plan worked. She has moved up in this world. I have learned that Alexandra is a very compassionate person. She took in Ivar who people say is "crazy". Alexandra is very fond of him and knows he is a great man. I can really relate to Alexandra because she reminds me of me as being strong and kind toward others. I still really love this book. I love reading the stories about like back in the olden days and reading about how life has improved over they years. In the book, Alexandra's brother has installed a bathtub into his house. Plumbing and bathtubs are some of many things we take for granted but in those days it was a luxury. I am looking forward to see where Alexandra's life will go next. :)
 * I am on page 86 and have read 29 pages.

September 28, 2011 Final Discussion __Charactors__
 * Alexandra Bergson- Alexandra was the main charactor in this book. Alexandra has three brothers: Oscar, Lou, and Emil. __O Pioneers!__ is about Alexandra's life. Her family moved from Sweden to Nebraska, where they lived on a failing farm. Alexandra's father becomes very sick and gives Alexandra the farm. This began the rest of Alexandra's life. She made the farm into prosperous land. She is a great, strong buisness woman.
 * Carl Linstrum- Carl is a childhood friend of Alexandra. He and his family lived close to the Bergsons. Carl's family moves from their farm to a city. Over the years Carl travels around the country not knowing what to make of his life. Many years later he returns to Nebraska to see his old friend Alexandra. In the end after many years, Alexandra and Carl find love in each other.
 * Emil Bergson- Emil is Alexandra's younger brother. He was mostly raised by Alexandra and is the only one who attended college. His older brother's believe that Alexandra sending him to college ruined him. He traveled to Mexico and got a new outlook on life and found that his love was in Marie, who is married. He is a very inteligent.
 * Marie Shabata- Marie is a good friend to Alexandra. She is Bohemian and is married to Frank Shabata. She lives on the Linstum's old land which has an orchard, her favorite place. Although Marie loves Frank she doesn't love Frank as much as she loves Emil. Marie becomes confused about what her feelings where telling her.
 * Ivar- Ivar is a very different charactor. People think he is slightly mental, but I think he was just being himself and living the life he wanted. He lived the outdoors and was great with animals. When old age took over him he lived in Alexandra's barn and helped around the farm. I really like Ivar.

__Summary__ Alexandra Bergson has come to Nebraska with her family from Sweden. Their land is failing and her father is dying. After her father's death she takes over the farm. Alexandra becomes a strong buisness woman. She succeeds in prosperous land but she has trouble finding love. Love and lose are two big themes of this book, __O Pioneers!__ This book puts an emphasis on the pioneer life and the struggles women had at the time.

__Rating__ I would give this book a 4. It was a very, very good book in my opinion. The only downfall was that it was very descriptive. Some people may enjoy this but it was almost where I got bored reading it and my mind would drift. I also did enjoy the descriptions. They set the scene. Even though the descriptions got lengthy this book also kept you on your toes because it would jump many years at a time in each part. Overall it is a great book, and i recommend it to anyone who wants to read a quality piece of American Liturature.

__Wiki Reflections__ I really liked using wiki to blog. It was my first time using it but I didn't seem to have many problems besides it sometimes took long to save. I like doing blogs because it helps me remember what I had read and reflect on it.