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.