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Viewing Guide for The Song of the Lark
By Susan Thurman

Combining the viewing of a cinematic production with a reading of the actual text of a novel is an effective way to teach literature. In this era of high tech media and entertainment, students benefit greatly from being exposed to both representations of Willa Cather's story.  

Below is a resource guide to help your class get the most from viewing and or reading Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark.  The guide has been constructed to benefit students of all grades levels and abilities.  Whether your teaching interests lie in the Internet, film or close text reading, you may use these ideas to enhance your lessons of the novel.  The guide has been organized into the following sections: 

I.  Preparation, Comprehension and Analysis

• Pre-Viewing/Reading Discussion Questions
• Post-Viewing/Reading Assignment Ideas
• Quotes to Write About

II.  Supplemental Information

• Major Characters
• Maps
• Cinematic Techniques (under development)
• Literary Devices
• Vocabulary List

I.  Preparation, Comprehension and Analysis

     Pre-Viewing/Reading Discussion Questions

Below is a list of twenty discussion questions for you to pose to your students before viewing the film or reading the book.  These questions serve to stimulate students' thinking about the various themes in The Song of the Lark.

1)  What minimum age should a young woman be before her parents allow her to leave school and go to work?

2)  At what age should a young woman be allowed to leave home and go to another city to live?

3)  Is there anyone who has a special nickname for you, one that others do not use?  Do you like this person's using the nickname?  Is there a particular reason why this person uses the nickname?

4)  Thea, the heroine of the story, has several mentors while she is growing up.  Name some people whom you consider to be your mentors.  What makes these particular people unique to you?

5)  Thea, the heroine, is eleven in the beginning of the story, yet the man who wants to marry her when she grows up is in his thirties.  Do you consider it to be in bad taste for a man in his thirties to have his eyes already set for someone that young?  Fill in the blank: For a man in his thirties, a young lady would need to be at least __________ years old before he should have any "designs" on her future with him.

6)  If you were told you had talent in a certain area, how many hours a day would you be willing to devote to advancing your talent?  Suppose you knew you had the capacity to be the best in town in your field. Would you then increase your devotion?  What if you could be the best in the state? in the country?

7)  Where do you go when you need to be alone?  What special qualities does this place hold for you?

8)  If you left home for a year, whom — besides your family — would you be homesick for?

9)  If you left home for a year, what — besides your family's residence — would you be homesick for?

10)  Where can you go to feel close to nature?  At what particular times do you go there?

11)  How do you feel when family members brag about your achievements?  Does it make you feel even prouder or does it embarrass you?  Why?

12)  At this point in your life, do you think you would be happier living in a place of quite a different size from where you now live?  (For example, if you live in a big city, would you be happier in a small town or in the country?  If you live in a small town or in the country, would you be happier in a big city?)  Why?

13)  What would you do if you found out that someone you care about were keeping a secret from you, a secret that would alter your relationship with that person?  Would you confront the person or would you let the situation play itself out?

14)  Do you feel that the area where you live has a social hierarchy?  That is, do some people believe that they are better than others?  If so, what do you think makes them feel so superior?  Do you think that those they look down on realize that they're looked down on?  Are there different areas of town where the various social strata live?

15)  If you're at a party, what type of music do you like to listen to?  What other types of music do you enjoy?  Are there particular times when one type of music suits you better than others?

16)  If you were going somewhere abroad to live for a while, what mementos would you take to remind you of home, family or friends?  (Remember that you have to pack all of them — as well as your clothes and other personal items — in one trunk.)

17)  Thea, the main character in the movie and novel, says, "…I'd like to have somebody human to make a report to once in a while."  To whom do you "make a report"? In other words, to what friends or family do you tell your day-to-day activities?  How important is this to you?

18)  What do you think is the secret for a truly successful person?  Does talent alone seem to be enough to make someone a success?  If not, what else is needed?

19)  One of the characters in the movie is described as being "good at heart" but having "no head."  Do you know anyone who is like this — kind, but without common sense?

20)  At this stage in your life, do you feel you listen to your own heart or do you generally do what's expected of you?  How has this changed in the last five years?

Below are thirty-nine thought provoking ideas for writing and or research about The Song of the Lark.  Assignments built around these ideas require students to (1) conduct research through library and Internet resources; (2) think in a multidisciplinary fashion; and (3) make creative leaps in their analysis and interpretation of the novel.

1)  The title of the book and the film is taken from a painting by the French painter Jules Breton (1827-1906). Thea visited the Art Institute of Chicago to view the painting, and you can see it at this homepage: http://www.powerlines.com/personal/lark.html.

Thea found home in viewing the painting and in hearing Dvorak's Symphony in E Minor. Look through books of paintings and find a work of art with which you identify.  Give the title (remember to put a painting's title in italics), the painter and where the painting now can be found.  Also, be sure to explain what about this artwork makes you connect with it. Alternately, find a musical work with which you identify and tell what about it makes you "find home." (Remember that titles of long works are put in italics; titles of short works are enclosed in quotation marks.)

2)  A number of geographic areas are mentioned in the book and film. Research any of the following places to determine current facts about them (population, type of government, employment data, historical change in the last one hundred years, etc.): Colorado, Chicago, New York City, Germany, Dresden (Germany), Mexico and Arizona.

3)  Mining in Colorado played a role in the lives of two main characters of The Song of the Lark (Ray Kennedy and Dr. Archie).  Research Colorado silver mining in the late 1800s and report to the class.

4)  Throughout most of the book, the main method of long-distance transportation was the railroad.  Examine the role the railroad played in the development of the country in the latter part of the 1800s.

5)  At the end of the book and film, the automobile had come into existence. Take a look at the automobile in the early part of the 1900s and report on its growth as a popular vehicle for the masses.

6)  The ancient homes of the Cliff Dwellers were particularly moving for Thea Kronborg. Investigate more about the Cliff Dwellers, their habitat, their ways of life, their time span and why they died out. One place on the Internet to find information is: http://www.mesaverde.org/mvnp/pages/cliffp1.html

7)  The Art Institute of Chicago was important during Thea's time and it continues to be so today.  Research the Art Institute and report to the class about other important paintings and artwork which can be viewed there.  The Internet address is: http://www.artic.edu/aic/index.html.

8)  Thea rose to sing some of the most difficult and demanding operatic roles, those by German composer Richard Wagner.  Research the life of this influential composer and report to the class.  If you can find parts of some of his famous pieces, bring in the music and let your classmates put the music with the man.  One site to find information about Wagner is at: http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/8947/wagner.html.

9)  Swedish-American opera mezzo-soprano Olive Fremstad was said to be the inspiration for Thea Kronborg.  Research this opera singer and report highlights of her career to the class.

10)  Willa Cather's life is also paralleled in The Song of the Lark.  Research how the author reflected her own life in the book and movie.

11)  Cather cut almost one-tenth of the novel for its 1932 reissue.  Read the revised novel and write a compare/contrast paper, or give a book review in which you write why one version is better than the other.

12)  Ray Kennedy left Thea $600 in insurance.  Since the book was set in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, research how much $600 would be in modern terms.

13)  In the end of the book and film, mention is made of the Dresden Opera House.  You can view the current building at this site:  http://www.semperoper.de/Semper_eng/index.html

The facility in Dresden was built in 1838-41 and has been restored twice.  The first restoration came as a result of a fire in 1860.  Research why the second restoration was necessary.  ( Teacher's Note: The answer is that the building was destroyed by Allied firebombing in February 1945. The restoration was completed in 1985.)

14)  Thea's triumphal performance at the New York City Metropolitan Opera House shows that she has finally achieved what she yearned for.  History about the opera house in the late 1800s and early 1900s can be found at:  http://www.metopera.org/history/week-961021.html.

Study the former opera house and then compare it to the present New York City Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center.  Try this homepage for interesting information: http://www.metopera.org/history/week-960916.html .

15)  Pretend you are a news reporter for the Moonstone paper.  Write an article telling about the "hometown girl" who became a star.

16)  As a news reporter for the Moonstone paper, write an article about Ray Kennedy's death.

17)  Pretend you are Aunt Tilly. Write a letter to Thea, telling about your life in Moonstone and how you keep up with Thea's career — and how you make sure the other Moonstone residents are aware of her career as well.

18)  There are a number of differences in fashion in between the time in which the book and film are set and the present day.  Research what was fashionable in Thea's day.  If you have access to vintage clothing, see if you can wear an outfit that fits Thea's time period.

19)  Fred Ottenburg tells Thea that he brought a half dozen Worth gowns through customs for Mrs. Nathanmeyer.  Research the Worth name in fashion and report to the class.  Some information can be found at:  http://carolsutton.net/worth_source_story.html

20)  Take a look at old newspapers from end of the1800s and the beginning of the 1900s and see what was happening in your town at that time.  What were some of the news items?  What were types of stores that are no longer in existence?  Are any stores that advertised then still in existence?  How would you characterize the style of writing in the old papers?  Is it easier or more difficult to read?

21)  At one point early in the book and film, Mrs. Kohler was cooking hasenpfeffer, a traditional German dish.  If you are interested in the culinary arts, find a recipe for this dish. It's even better if you make it and bring it in for the class to sample.  A few sources for the recipe can be found at these sites:

http://gabiscott.com/wwwboard/messages/687.html

http://www.antique-center.com/notesbyp2.htm

http://soar.Berkeley.EDU/recipes/meat/rabbit/

22)  Ray Kennedy talks about looting the aboriginal burial mounds, a subject that has recently been in the news.  Research the current laws and standards about such a deed.

23)  Mention is made of the famous Tabor Opera House in Colorado.  Research why this structure is so renowned.  Some information can be found at:

http://leadvilleherald.com/walking/silver.html

http://denver.sidewalk.com/link/12270

http://www.leadville.com/walktour/combined.htm

http://scripts-onscreen.com/match.htm

24)  The Brown Palace Hotel is still one of the best places to stay when in Denver. Find information about it and share your discoveries with the class. Among other places, you can look at:

http://denver.sidewalk.com/link/18432

http://www.brownpalace.com/

http://www.insiders.com/denver/main-accommodations.htm

25)  Both Dr. Archie and Fred Ottenburg suffered from very unhappy marriages.  Write a paper comparing and contrasting the two marriages and the way the husbands and wives conducted themselves.

26)  At the end of the book and film, Tilly reads in the New York paper about Thea's having sung for the king at Buckingham Palace.  This would have been King Edward VII.  Research this king and his Buckingham Palace residence.

27)  The Waldorf in New York City mentioned in the book and movie has moved to a new location.  The Waldorf that Thea knew was razed to make way for another famous building.  Research and find out what famous building now sits on the site of the former Waldorf.  Try this site for the information:  http://www.thecityreview.com/waldorf.html

(Teacher's note: The old Waldorf-Astoria was razed in 1930 for construction of the Empire State Building. For an interesting sidebar about a Waldorf employee during Thea's time period, see this site:  http://www.1000islands.com/castle/oscarotw.htm .)

28)  Mention is made of Thea's and Fred's friend Landry singing at Weber and Fields.  Weber and Fields were two halves of a vaudeville act who later went on to other business enterprises, including owning their own Broadway theater — the 665-seat Weber & Fields Music Hall.  Find more information about this famous duo.  One source can be found at: http://calliope.jhu.edu/demo/reviews_in_american_history/23.4glenn.html

29)  The famous Carnegie Hall was the site of a concert by Harsanyi.  Research Carnegie Hall then and now.  One place to find information is located at this site: http://www.carnegiehall.org/visit/timeline/index.html  

30)  Tilly was also proud of Thea's "successes at Covent Garden." You can read about the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden at http://www.fsz.bme.hu/opera/roh_history.html and then report to the class about this famous building.