In The Great Gatsby, what is the significance of the "owl-eyed" man?

This minor character contributes to the motif Fitzgerald introduces early in the novel through the presence of T.J. Eckleburg and his huge eyes on the billboard in the Valley of the Ashes. Like the inanimate Eckleburg, Owl Eyes acts as an impartial observer of events. Unlike Eckleburg, Owl Eyes does make a final moral judgment of Gatsby's life and death.

It is through his character that we learn Gatsby's library is full of books that are real, if unread. Owl Eyes is amazed.  For the reader, Owl Eye's discovery suggests Gatsby's wealth and the detail in which he constructed his new identity in order to impress Daisy. This incident gives us another insight into Gatsby's commitment to his dream.

The real significance of the owl-eyed man, however, is found in the novel's conclusion when he suddenly appears at Gatsby's funeral, one of only a handful of people who attend. His presence itself suggests moral responsibility in his character: He shows up. He also apologizes to Nick for not paying his respects at Gatsby's home. Owl Eyes is someone whose opinion deserves our respect.

It is he who recognizes and acknowledges the tragedy of Gatsby's life and destruction. Owl Eyes wipes the rain from his glasses. Seeing clearly, figuratively as well as literally, he pronounces Gatsby's benediction: "The poor son-of-a-bitch." With this, impartial observation becomes moral judgment and the novel's themes are further emphasized.

To whom is Sir Philip Sidney's "Sonnet 31" addressed?

Sir Philip Sidney’s “Sonnet 31,” as a perfect example of apostrophe (the figure of speech in which the speaker talks to an absent person or an inanimate object), is a direct address to the moon.  This is obvious even from the first line.  “With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb’st the skies!”  The speaker makes his direct address to the moon even more obvious within lines 9-10.  “Then even of fellowship, O Moon, tell me / Is constant love deemed there but want of wit?”  It is interesting that Sidney makes the moon into a proper noun by capitalizing it, almost giving it human qualities in doing so.  The speaker's address to the moon isn’t his main point, of course.  The moon, which remains “silent” and “wan” and with a “languished grace,” simply looks to the speaker the way he feels.  The speaker, then, uses his observance of the moon as a springboard to talk about the negative aspects of love:  loyalty looks like lack of intelligence, beauties are too proud, lovers scorn their partners, and ingratitude is something to be prized.  Taking the analysis of the poem a bit further, one can consider the speaker to be Astrophel and the woman in question to be Stella.  "Sonnet 31" is one of the more famous sonnets in Sidney's Astrophel and Stella sonnet sequence.

In the eleventh book of The Odyssey, what is the message Achilles delivers to Odysseus?

When Odysseus sees him in the Land of the Dead, Achilles doesn't really have a message for him, but wonders why Odysseus has ventured to such a horrible place.  Odysseus tells him he's there for information from Tieresias, but praises Achilles and tells him not be be disheartened because he's dead.  He is still the prince of the underworld.  To that, Achilles answers, "I would rather be a paid servant in a poor man's house and be above ground than king of kings among the dead."  In other words, he'd do anything to be able to live again, rather than have it all in the land of the dead.

The only other thing he wants to know from Odysseus is how both his father and his son are doing.  Odysseus gives him good news about his son's valiant efforts at war.  And then Achilles leaves him.

Can anyone write a suitable description essay for me?about 350 words and this should be the last paragraph of it. many people find autmn...

We are here to answer specific questions, not do your writing for you. The paragraph you have suggested for the ending is a nice one, and I am sure you could do a great job with the rest of it!  What other images does autumn bring to mind for you? Where I live in Minnesota there is a crisp, cleanness in the autumn air.  Grains are harvested and apples are picked.  What is it like where you live? 

An interpretation of the following lines from "Invictus"? "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll...

The lines…

"It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll ..."

…must be analyzed in light of the stanzas before it, because this gives these lines context and contributes to the whole of the poem and a better understanding of the first two lines of the final stanza.

One interpretation of these lines is that the writer of this poem, William Ernest Henley, believes, through his words in the opening stanza, that his soul is unconquerable.  He indicates here that he is the master of his own fate, that no god or gods, nor anyone in essence can conquer his soul. This is a defiant, bold statement that he will stand his ground concerning his beliefs, which he holds to (whether they are right or wrong).

In addition, the poet indicates that, although he has been beaten and bloodied in life because of time, chance, and circumstance, he has not wilted in defeat. He says that he has remained “unbowed.” He champions the thought that he has not cried aloud in distress with an attitude of defeat. He has plodded on and continued to fight the fights in life, because of his own sense of what bravery and stalwartness is, in association with his beliefs and ideologies.

He sees ahead, beyond the trials and tribulations of this life, a time of darkness of death. Whether he believes in an afterlife or not – his view is that life in an afterlife will be desolate; if there is no afterlife, then he ceases to be and that is it. This is, as he says, “…the Horror of the shade…”

As a result, the final stanza, and the abovementioned lines that prompted this question, are now clearer, based on the words preceding them. Henley doesn’t care how strait the gate is, or how charged with punishments the scroll is (talking of the Bible here). Defiantly, he, as one who has freedom of choice, is the master of his fate and the captain of his soul (his life) based on the decisions he makes.

These decisions do have consequences. He upholds his right to be the master of hi fate – he can choose right or wrong, good or evil, and reap the consequences of his choices. He is saying, no matter what, he will decide and hold his fate in his hands by his decisions and actions and beliefs . The rewards and punishments to come in the future will not stop him from being his own man now. He fears the "horror of the Shade", but this will not stop him from calling the shots in his life as suits him.

When looking at the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, explain why the poem begins with the Trojan War and not with King Arthur or Sir Gawain?

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins with a short recap of the Trojan War because the author desires to put the grand reign of King Arthur in historical context.  Within thirty short lines, the author gives a very poignant summation of English history.  By beginning with "Since the siege and the assault was ceased at Troy," the author proves that he is mentioning only the most important of events and eventually filtering down to King Arthur.  Ironically, however, it is a few lines down (from lines 20-26) that contains the support you are craving for the reason.

And since this Britain was built by this baron great, / Bold boys bred there, in broils delighting, / That did in their day many a deed most dire. / More marvels have happened in this merry land / Than in any other I know, since that olden time, / But of those that here built, of British kings, / King Arthur was counted most courteous of all.  (1.20-26)

In other words, Britain was built by great people and many amazing deeds have been accomplished there, but of all the marvels that have happened, the reign of King Arthur and his court is counted as the best of all.  Therefore, with all of the historical studies that we adhere to about Troy and Rome and France, nothing can top the story of England's King Arthur.

In addition, it is important to say that the poem not only begins with Troy but also ends with Troy, framing the story quite nicely.  Therefore there is another vastly significant quote from the very end of the poem:

After the siege ceased at Troy and the city fared amiss. / Many such, ere we were born, / Have befallen here, ere this. / May He that was crowned with thorn / Bring all men to His bliss!  Amen. (4.2525-2530)

Again the reader can see the author's point:  to glorify the reign of King Arthur and, even further, to show that under King Arthur England glorifies Jesus Christ.

What was another name for World War I?

World War I or the First World War: The name “world war” came into use shortly before the First World War and likely came from the German word “Weltkrieg,” or world war.

The Great War: World War I was one of the largest wars in history. It was the first global war and it lasted over four years. 70 million combatants were involved, 10 million of whom were killed and 20 million of whom were wounded.

The War to End All Wars: World War I was unprecedented when it happened. War on a global scale with that many casualties and advances in military technology was something no one had ever seen. After all the destruction the hope was that it would be the last war.

The War to Make the World Safe for Democracy: This name is based on a speech given by US President Woodrow Wilson to Congress on April 2, 1917 in which he asked them to declare war on Germany. This was his statement

“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them.”

The War of the Nations: Thirty-two countries were involved in World War I, thus the name the War of the Nations.

What did Chris mean when he said this quote? Can you explain please?"I know you're no worse than other men but I thought you were better. I never...

You might want to think of this story as a contemporary "Young Goodman Brown."  Chris, perhaps the supreme idealist, has never been able to see him as just another man, much as Brown held his townspeople in such high regard that he could not accept them as complicated moral beings.  Of course, part of this is Joe's fault since he did violate a basic moral principle.  But Chris always expects more of people that he, perhaps, has the right to.  The Bayliss neighbors have been "contaminated" by his idealism; Sue is very clear about what she sees as the damage his vision had done to her husband; she is the realist who knows that earning a living is what it is about.

Chris needed to understand that his father IS a man; expecting more than that can lead to trouble.  I suspect that if Chris had been able to accept his father even with his failings, Joe may not have committed suicide.  Who knows.  But I think Miller clearly suggests it as a possibility.

In Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People," what is the tone of the piece?

"Good Country People" has a deeply ironic, almost sardonic, tone. Consider the irony of the title itself—these are not good country people, especially the salesman—and then move on to the first lines: " Besides the neutral expression that she wore when she was alone, Mrs. Freeman had two others, forward and reverse, that she used for all her human dealings.  Her forward expression was steady and driving like the advance of a heavy truck."

She is supposedly "free" (a free-man), but has only three expressions, and acts like a machine…which is hardly like a person at all. To have only these expressions is hardly to be a good person; where is the nuance? The gentle spirit?

How would a paraphrase be put into APA style format for in-text citation?Paraphrase: The author speculated that negative exemplars within the...

APA in-text citation can take many forms depending on the surrounding text and the kind of quotation, paraphrase or reference being cited. Any reference to the research or findings of another person requires the author-date APA style of in-text citation. If the idea is only referenced one time without specific quotation or if a reference to an entire book, article, or other work or material is made one time, the in-text citation is all that is needed. Otherwise, an in-text citation must be accompanied by a required complete reference to the author and work in the reference section at the end of your article/paper.

When summarizing or paraphrasing what an author has said, APA in-text citation only requires author and date reference, although also providing the page number is encouraged by the APA. APA style in-text citation of author-date for your paraphrase, with APA encouraged but optional page number reference, would be:

Option 1:
Brintaup (1983) speculated that negative exemplars within the self-concept are more confidently known than affirmative exemplary (p. 52).
Option 2:
There is speculation that negative exemplars within the self-concept are more confidently known than affirmative exemplary  (Brintaup, 1983, p. 52).

APA style is the guideline for writing papers/articles in the field of behavioral and social sciences and is published by the American Psychology Association. It recommends, among other things, that scientific writing be spare and straightforward while highlighting the ideas concerned and downplaying the author's personal writing style. In APA style all the style choices, such as how and where quotations, paraphrases or references are used; punctuation related to quotations (and other punctuation); graphics with or without quoted material, be selected to move the idea presented in the research forward with the minimum of distraction from the idea and a maximum of precision in communication.

[For further information, see American Psychology Association APA Style, About APA Style and Purdue OWL APA Style In-text Citation: The Basics.]

Who are the bookie, the bomber, the burglar, and the mistake in The Westing Game?

The bookie (short for "bookmaker", the name for a person who takes illegal bets) is, shockingly, none other than the respected podiatrist, Dr. Wexler.  The bomber, perhaps even more surprisingly, is his shy, quiet, "perfect" daughter Angela.  The mistake is the secretary Sydelle Pulaski, whose name was mistaken by Otis Amber for the intended heir, a woman named Sybil Pulaski.  The burglar is Madame Hoo, who in her non-English-speaking isolation is misguidedly stealing trinkets to sell in order to get enough money to go back to China.  Each of these people (even Ms Pulaski) is struggling with various issues which are eventually resolved through the personal interactions made possible by Sam Westing's game.  Dr. Wexler is far more interested in gambling (legal or otherwise) than he is in medicine.  He goes onto a different career after the game.  Angela, a quiet girl who has always wanted to go to college, would prefer studying to marrying the young up-and-coming Dr. Deere.  She sets the bombs in order to derail her mother's relentless plans for her early marriage.  Sydelle Pulaski craves attention, and through the game she gains money and confidence, which eventually leads to her marriage and the personal contact she wants.  Madame Hoo's depression becomes evident to her family during the game, and the discovery of her kleptomania leads to better understanding between her and her husband. 

Is "Lord of the Flies" a dystopian novel?

I don't think so, no. A utopia is a society in which everyone is happy, everything goes wonderfully, everything is fair - a dream world! A dystopia is the opposite: a society with awful conditions, usually ruled over by a strict regime, where everyone is miserable. And I don't think that "Lord of the Flies" is either a dystopia or a utopia.

Firstly, it's important to point out that, when talking about "Lord of the Flies" as a society, it's a sort of society, within a society. The boys crash to the island because their plane is shot down, the parachutist is shot out of the sky in his plane, and, at the end, they are rescued by a naval officer. A war is raging outside. We don't know the details of it - and certainly not enough to call it a dystopia - but the novel is set against a background of war.

Then there's the society on the island that the boys create. Ralph's equal society, though flawed, aims towards being a utopia with rescue as its main focus. Once Jack takes control, the boys' society veers toward utopia: Jack a tyrant, ruling unilaterally over the boys, and violence administered when Jack is disobeyed. Those last few chapters are as close to dystopia as the novel gets. But it's not a term I'd use to describe it - call it a "tyranny" if you like, or a sort of "sub-fascist regime".

What does this simile mean? "The facts closed in on him like prison-warders handcuffing a convict. There was no way out...."I'm terrible at...

The trick to understanding the simile or metaphor is to visualize it. Place yourself in the convicts shoes for instance. Imagine yourself surrounded by prison wardens, say four to gain a good understanding, and they are all trying to handcuff you. The prison wardens are overpowering and may make you feel suffocated or trapped. Then compare that to facts overwhelming someone as if they were huge wardens with handcuffs, trying to trap you. Get the idea? The handcuffs symbolize constraints on the prisoner as the facts do on the main character. Remember: a simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as".

How did the congregation of Calpurnia's church sing their hymns without hymn-books?

They had one hymnal. Calpurnia's son, Zeebo (the town trash collector), was taught to read by his mother, and he uses the call and response technique. He'll sing a line or two from the hymnal, and the congregation repeats it. This episode in the novel highlights many important elements, not the least of which is what the children learn about Cal. That her son is literate is important. In addition, they get a first hand sense of the scale of poverty within the town.

In Into the Wild, how is Krakauer's life related to McCandless'?

Krakauer's life and McCandless's life are similar in a few ways. Concretely, there is the similarity that both men decided to venture out, alone, into the wilds of Alaska.  Both men did so at relatively young ages as well.  

Another similarity between Krakauer and McCandless is their relationships with their fathers.  During college, McCandless quickly became disillusioned with his father.  As a result, McCandless began distancing himself from his dad and developed an aversion to his father's financial support.  For example, McCandless ended up donating his remaining college money to a charity.  Krakauer doesn't go into detail about his own father, but he does admit that he feels kinship with McCandless because of their father issue.  

But I believe we were similarly affected by the skewed relationships we had with our fathers. And I suspect we had a similar intensity, a similar heedlessness, a similar agitation of the soul.

A key difference between the two men though is that McCandless, by all accounts, was not likely to ever return to civilization. He was too much of an idealist for it.  Krakauer, on the other hand, is more of a realist. He realized that while he enjoyed his adventures, he ultimately saw them as exactly that -- adventures.  Not a way of life. 

What is the rising and falling action in this short story?

This short story is really all about the conflict between Jing-Mei and her mother. One useful exercise I get my students to do is to trace this conflict throughout the story on a graph with two lines: one representing Jing Mei and the other her mother. The distance or closeness between these two lines indicates the closeness in their relationship.

For me, the rising action begins when Jing Mei's mother comes up with the piano idea. Jing Mei talks about "warning signs" and then regrets defending the Chinese girl her mother is watching playing. After this we can see the conflict escalating between Jing Mei and her mother. Jing Mei feels like she has been "sent to hell" when told about her piano lessons and this leads to an outburst where she demands to be accepted for who she is: "Why don't you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius!" The centre of the conflict is clearly Jing Mei's disastrous performance and the accompanying fall-out with Jing Mei screams that she wishes she was dead like her dead baby brothers and sisters. The falling action therefore is what remains of the story between this point and the end - Jing Mei's gaining of the piano and her final self-acceptance. This period, before the end, Jing Mei describes as follows: "In the years that followed, I failed her so many times, each time asserting my own will, my right to fall short of expectations."

Why does Hawthorne choose the forest as the setting for the meeting in "Young Goodman Brown"?Is it a suitable setting?

Nathaniel Hawthorne's setting of the forest is appropriate for the story "Young Goodman Brown" because the forest is where all the "dark, black" events occur, thus where the devil (evil) presides.  The setting provides the perfect backdrop for the main theme of Good vs Evil.  In literature, it is universally known that the forest is where the devil resides.

In addition, Hawthorne's story is an allegory where "symbolic elements...represent various human characteristics and situations" such as the forest being the appropriate place where Goodman Brown challenges his "Faith."  Unfortunately for Brown, his spiritual journey begins in the forest and also ends there.  Upon returning home, Faith greets him with open arms, but Brown "looks sadly and sternly into her face and passes without greeting".  His spiritual journey into the forest has changed him forever in that he realizes that all mankind possesses evil.

Also, Hawthorne uses this setting as a characteristic of the literary movement, Romanticism.  In keeping with the characteristics of romanticism, "its writers emphasized the dignity and freedom of the individual; rebellion against restrictions, whether political, cultural, or social; the importance of emotion over intellect; and the need for a personal relationship with God and the natural world".  All of which the setting in "Young Goodman Brown" provides by having Brown search his spirituality in the "natural world," that being the woods. 

What happens at the end of Hamlet?

A lot of things happen, all in quick succession. Osric brings Hamlet an invitation to fence with Laertes, and Hamlet agrees. The duel will happen before the court and, when it does, everything comes apart. To be specific, Claudius poisons a cup of wine hoping to kill Hamlet that way. However, Queen Gertrude drinks it, accidentally killing herself. Laertes is using a poisoned blade. He wounds Hamlet, then they scuffle and end up swapping swords, and Hamlet wounds him. When Laertes asks forgiveness, pointing blame to Claudius, and Hamlet realizes that he's been betrayed again, Hamlet stabs his uncle with the poisoned blade. By the end of Act V, Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, and Laertes are all dead; Fortinbras is handed the Crown of Denmark thus according with Hamlet's last request.

In "Ozymandias," what is the thematic significance of the poem? What are its universal connections?

The poem deals with the transitory nature of power. The mighty Ozymandias lived and ruled with great power and cold arrogance. His words to future generations reflected his attitude: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" The "king of kings," however, dies and with the passage of time, his "works" consist of the remains of a shattered statue strewn about on the desert sands. The theme is clear: Powerful rulers and great empires rise, but eventually they fall; they are no match for the ravages of eternity. Considering the history of the world, this is certainly a universal theme.

In Lord of the Flies, how can you tell Ralph's life has not always been easy?

It's only a subtle mention that comes as one of Ralph's extended thought monologues. We know already that Ralph's father is in the navy: and that information plays out in the passage.

Once, following his father from Chatham to Devonport, they had lived in a cottage on the edge of the moors. In the succession of houses that Ralph had known, this one stood out with particular clarity because after that house he had been sent away to school. Mummy had still been with them and Daddy had come home every day. Wild ponies came to the stone wall at the bottom of the garden, and it had snowed.

Daddy clearly does not come home every day now - there's a war on, and he's fighting in the navy. But Mummy is no longer with them. Has she left? Is she dead? We don't know. But it is the one time that the word 'Mummy' appears in Golding's novel. So there clearly is some issue here. But the passage goes on to make the point, not that Ralph's life was difficult, but, actually, that 'everything was all right':

And the books—they stood on the shelf by the bed, leaning together with always two or three laid flat on top because he had not bothered to put them back properly. They were dog-eared and scratched. There was the bright, shining one about Topsy and Mopsy that he never read because it was about two girls; there was the one about the magician which you read with a kind of tied-down terror, skipping page twenty-seven with the awful picture of the spider; there was a book about people who had dug things up, Egyptian things; there was The Boy’s Book of Trains, The Boy’s Book of Ships. Vividly they came before him; he could have reached up and touched them, could feel the weight and slow slide with which The Mammoth Book for Boys would come out and slither down... Everything was all right; everything was good-humored and friendly.

What are the themes in Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh?

There are many themes in Mrs. Frisby.  For example...

1.  Courage, especially in those who are small, can overcome great obstacles.

2.  Loyalty to family and friends is important and valued.

3.  Teamwork is valued and successful.

4.  Surviving on one's own hard work is better than relying on others (such as stealing from humans).

5.  Everyone is an important part of a team, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant.

6.  Technology has its place in our world and should be used carefully.

7.  Perseverance brings reward or relief.

8.  Life is uncertain.

What is the theme of the novel The Thorn Birds? the thorn birds,themes,imagery,plot,point of view

The theme in The Thornbirds is complex.  The novel spans across three generations of a family, and deals primarily with the restrictions placed upon women in society.  The emphasis is women who have little freedom and are dependent on man.  In essence, women during the time period of the novel, 1915-1969, had little options without men.

In addition, the novel deals with forbidden love, as third generation Maggie falls in love and has an illegitimate child with a priest, Ralph de Bricassart.  It explores ambition, lies, and imperfection in a world of religious morality.  Maggie unhappily marries while still desiring Ralph, as Ralph does her.  But because of Ralph's ambition to further his career and the position he holds, they are torn apart left only with the burning desire of love for each other. 

So to summarize, the themes deal with forbidden love and the sacrifices made in the name of love, ambition and power, and the oppression of women to choose and be what they want.

In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," Prufrock is a character caught between desire and decision. Elaborate with suitable references.

His desire is strong, but always overpowered by his fear of rejection, by his fear of seeming absurd in his intensity.  Throughout the poem, there are many quotes that refer to his desire, and its intensity.  He calls his question "overwhelming" for one thing, one that is so important or big that it will "disturb the universe."  He really desires to speak to her, so much that he wonders, "Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,/Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?"  Key words:  "force" and "crisis" indicate the extent of his desire; he is dramatic when describing it.  This continues with "To have squeezed the universe into a ball/To roll it toward some overwhelming question/To say: 'I am Lazarus, come from the dead,/Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all'—".  Comparing himself to a man revived from death, to squeeze the entire universe into a ball; very powerful desire.  He feels such a drive to voice himself; if he didn't, he wouldn't come back to it over and over again in the poem.

That desire is overwhelmed by his fear though.  He justifies not speaking by saying, "would it be worth it, after all"?  He answers that near the end, saying, "No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be" referring to the fact that he is no great orator or mover of destinies, but "a bit obtuse...ridiculous...at time, the Fool".  He decides to not give play to his desires in the real world; his insecurities and fear win out in the end.

Who represents who in "The Crucible", and why?

Arthur Miller wrote this play as a commentary on the Red Scare that happened in the United States where people engaged in a "witch hunt" of communists.  Many people were brought before the government and questioned about being a communist.  They were brought in if anyone even suspected they were a communist; they were ratted out by fellow workers, friends, and brought in for any tiny communist-esque slants in their work.  So, in "The Crucible" the courts and the judges would represent Senator McCarthy (who led the red scare in the senate) and the others in government who questioned people and blacklisted them from working, just like Danforth and others jailed "witches".  Proctor would represent any rebellion movement against the red scare, and the voice of reason and logic against mass hysteria that often gets squelched in the craziness that accompanies any type of witch hunt.  Miller used Proctor and others like him to symbolize the ulterior motives that many people had for labelling people as witches, or as communists; for example, Abby was jealous of Elizabeth and so labelled her a witch.  Most of the accused in "The Crucible" can be tied back to greed, hatred, insecurities, grudges and hatred-not to actual witchcraft.  Miller also felt that many of the accusations of communism were motivated by politics, fear, and personal vendettas that were given a "just" playing ground.

Those are just a couple ideas; I hope they helped.

Please solve -4-5v

But when you multiply both sides of an inequality by a negative number, you reverse the inequality.  So the answer is v>5

Note this example, if answer were v < 5 :

suppose v=1;

then -4 -(5x1)<-29

-4 - 5 < -29

-9 < -29--which is not true.

But suppose v is a number greater than 5, like 6:

-4 - (5x6) < -29

-4 - (30) < -29

-34 < -29.

and just to be sure, let's make sure v cannot equal 5:

-4 - (5-5) < -29

-4 - (0) < -29

-4 < -29--not true, so that's settled.

To recap then, solve -4 - 5v < -29 like this:

-4 - (5v) < -29

-5v < -29 +4

-5v < -25

(-1/5)5v < -25(-1/5)

when multiplying both sides of an inequality by a negative number, you need to flip the inequality

v > 5

In "The Crucible", what two pieces of evidence regarding his Christian nature are presented against Proctor?

In Act Two of “The Crucible”, Rev. Hale comes to the Proctor’s house to question them since Elizabeth Proctor’s name had been mentioned in court and she may be the next to be accused.  Hale questions a few different things about the “Christian character” of John Proctor.  One of the aspects that Hale questions is the fact that only two of their three children have been baptized.  John Proctor’s response to this is that he does not want Rev. Parris to touch his children because he “does not see the light of God in the man.”  A second aspect that Hale questions is the amount of times that John Proctor has gone to church in the past six months – apparently he has not been there enough.  Also questioned is the Proctor’s knowledge of the Ten Commandments and the fact that Proctor plows his fields on Sundays which is looked down upon in the Puritan community.

From what paradox did the Salem tragedy develop according to Act 1 of The Crucible?

A paradox is,

"an assertion or sentiment seemingly contradictory, or opposed to common sense; that which in appearance or terms is absurd, but yet may be true in fact."

The paradox in Act I  stems from the action of the girls at the beginning of the play.  They were in fact in the woods with Tituba, and Abigail did drink a charm, blood, to inflict a curse on Elizabeth Proctor.  The accusation of witchcraft is true against Abigail and Tituba, but it is used by both of them to shift responsibility away from themselves and accuse other people, innocent people.

The absurdity lies in the fact that Tituba and Abigail and the other girls get away with their acts of witchcraft. While innocent people are punished because of false accusations. 

They start the witchcraft hysteria by pointing fingers at innocent people in the town who have not committed acts of witchcraft.  After they begin accusing, and people begin confessing, to save their lives, the witchcraft hysteria takes on a life of its own.  It is no longer necessary for the accusation to be true, the accusation alone is enough.

The truth is filtered through the paradox so it is defined by perception.  The truth is whatever Abigail and the girls want it to be, they create it to suit their needs.  This behavior flies in the face of common sense, especially when the whole town becomes involved in it.  Other people use the witchcraft hysteria as a way to exact vengeance on their neighbors.   

divide and write the quotient as a mixed number: 16/5 i don't get it.

A fraction is basically a division problem.  Think about 1/4.  This fraction represents 1 whole divided into 4 pieces.

So, in this problem, the first step is to divide 16 by 5.  It will go in 3 times, with a remainder of 1.

The problem says the answer must be in the form of a mixed number -- that is, a whole number and a fraction.

The remainder in division can be expressed as a fraction:  remainder/divisor.   In this case, the remainder is 1/5.

So, the answer is 3 1/5.

Why does Jing-Mei Woo's mother think she can become a prodigy?

Jing Mei's mother thinks she can become a prodigy because she has been watching clips of Shirley Temple, a young girl who was a famous actress well known for her singing and dancing abilities.  She believes that because Shirley Temple can be successful, her own girl, Jing Mei, must be able to as well.  She even goes so far as to cut her hair in a bob-cut, making it look terrible, just to have her daughter resemble the famous actress.  Later, she forces Jing-mei into a recital where she is extremely embarrassed due to her lack of skill.

Jing Mei's mother believes that Jing Mei can "be best anything", and compares her to her daughter's friend who has random skills and abilities, such as spelling, for example.  Later, she tells her daughter that this friend is "only best tricky", implying that trickery and luck have as much to do with being a prodigy as do true skill and talent.  She truly believes that with a lot of practice and dedication, Jing Mei can out perform her friends and be a real prodigy.

In Much Ado About Nothing, compare Benedick's two soliloquies in Act II Scene 3. Do they reveal a change in consciousness?

Benedick's first soliloquoy consists of two main parts -- the humorous ridicule of Claudio's change from soldier to lover, and the explanation of how he, Benedick, is immune to the blandishments of love.   Benedick has, thus far, never found a woman to move him to love:

One woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well; but till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my grace.  Rich she shall be, that's certain; wise, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an  angel; of good discourse, an excellent musician, and her hair shall be of what colour it please God.

At this point in the scene Benedick thinks of love (and women) only in terms of the general.  He thinks of women in terms of desired attributes only.  But when faced with the prospect of Beatrice having affections for him, he changes dramatically. 

They say the lady is fair—'tis a truth, I can bear them witness; and virtuous—'tis so, I cannot reprove it; and wise, but for loving me—by my troth, it is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with her.

Two things occur here -- he realizes others criticize his lack of love, and also that a real, specific woman (he thinks) loves him.  This makes love specific rather than general, and therefore more obtainable to him.

In "Everyday Use," explain how Mama is or is not a dynamic character.

Mama is a dynamic character, and because of the change in her, Maggie undergoes a significant change, as well. At the end of the story, Mama sees and understands both of her daughters clearly. She recognizes Dee for the selfish, hateful person she is, and she recognizes the depth of Maggie's loving nature, despite the suffering she has endured in her young life. Mama also understands clearly that Maggie has spent her entire life deferring to her smarter, more attractive, and quite aggressive sister:

When I looked at [Maggie] like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when I'm in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout. I did some.thing I never done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero's [Dee's] hands and dumped them into Maggie's lap. Maggie just sat there on my bed with her mouth open.

Mama's choosing Maggie's feelings over Dee's represents an important change in her character. Maggie responds to this act of love, the recognition of her own value in her mother's eyes, by smiling "a real smile."

In The Canterbury Tales, how does the Pardoner describe his own character and morals in the Prologue to his tale?

"Lordynges," quod he, "in chirches whan I preche, 
I peyne me to han an hauteyn speche,
And rynge it out as round as gooth a belle,
 For I kan al by rote that I telle.
 My theme is alwey oon and evere was -
 'Radix malorum est Cupiditas.'

These are the Pardoner's opening words. When he preaches in churches, he cultivates a certain way of speaking, a "hauteyn speche". His voice rings out roundly like a bell does - and he knows everything "by rote" that he says. He only has one theme, and he's only ever had one: "Radix malorum est Cupiditas", or, in English "Greed is the root of all evil".

The problem is that the Pardoner himself is greedy, and he has no desire to help his congregation but instead simply wants to make money.

For myn entente is nat but for to wynne,
 And no thyng for correccioun of synne.

His "entente" (intention) is only to "wynne" (make profit) and his intention has nothing to do with the correction of sin. So the Pardoner's morals are entirely separate to those of his sermon - entirely opposite, even. He does not practice what he preaches.

Thus kan I preche agayn that same vice
 Which that I use, and that is avarice.

He preaches against the same vice which he himself has.

For though myself be a ful vicious man,
 A moral tale yet I you telle kan.

The Pardoner has no morals, and his character is "vicious" (fully vicious!). Yet here's the paradox - he can still ventriloquise a morally instructive story.

Why do Eliezer and the other prisoners respond so emotionally to the hanging of the child? Were the SS "more preoccupied, more disturbed" than usual?

The child is hanged for allegedly being part of the Resistance. This child is one who people really love. Besides the fact that it is a beloved child being hung, the child dies a very slow death. When he is hung, his neck does not break because he is not heavy enough to cause the force of the fall to sever his spinal column. If this had happened, death would have come quickly. Since his spinal column is in tact, he must die from asphyxiation. This makes his death slow and painful and the men who are forced to watch begin to cry. Someone asks "Where is God"? A voice from inside Eliezer tells him "God is on the gallows".

Is there a characteristic "style" of post-impressionism? If so, what are the defining traits of that style? Everything I find seems to just lump...

If you have access to pictures of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings and those of Claude Monet and Pissarro, especially, you will easily see differneces between Post-Impressionism and Impressionism.

In the pictorial biography "Van Gogh" writeen by Rainer Metzger and Ingo F. Walther this is written:

His pictures were a means of illustrating and backing up his view of the world.  When vanGogh considered the works of art he saw, he was not applying technical or compositional standards, or assessing colour values; his criteria were not aesthetic.  Instead, he was after expression of his own ideas.  His approach to art was distinctly literary in character:  he expected pictures to tell stories with which he could identify.

These remarks explain the the Post-Impressionists:  Like the Impressionists, they painted outdoors, utilizing light, and recorded the impressions of what they saw.  But, they added to their paintings more of themselves, it would seem.  The brush strokes are broader, the color more intense, more vibrant at times.  Painters such as Van Gogh experienced a tremendous liberation into color, a liberation of emotional intensity.

Another Post-Impressionist, Georges Seurat, put Impressionism on a scientific basis.  His tableau,
"Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte," is an outdoor painting with dabs of color as an Impressionistic painting would be.  However, there is an unnaturalness to this painting wrought by the individual dots of complementary color that the eye of the viewer blends together.  The repetiiton of curved shapes is obviously calculated so that they are repeted throughout the painting.  Each figure rests upon a shadow; therefore, there is no one light source in this supposedly outdoor depiction.  There is no movement in this painting, nor any breaking up of light as is the case with the Impressionists.

With painters like Cezanne, the brillant colors of Van Gogh are applied and some of the geometric design of Seurat is apparent in his paintings.  Cezanne began the outlining of geometric shapes in his colorful paintings; he united color and form in his paintings.  The palette of colors was purified and intensified with Post-Impressionists.

A fine example of the technique of purifing and intensifying colors can also be found in the paintings of Paul Gauguin as well as in the posters of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.  Their art differs greatly from the cubists, who broke up shapes into their geometric components.

What is Pearl's effect on Dimmesdale in "The Scarlet Letter"? Does she play a part in his decision to confess? Why or why not?Any information would...

In many ways, Pearl is responsible for contributing to the guilt that Dimmesdale feels, which in turn is responsible for his ultimate confession.  Whenever Pearl and Dimmesdale are in contact with one another, she displays an inherent knowledge of his identity.  This is from their first close meeting, where Pearl clearly recognizes something in Dimmesdale, and he responds to her with a fatherly tenderness:

Pearl, ...stole softly towards him, and, taking his hand in the grasp of both her own, laid her cheek against it; ... The minister looked round, laid his hand on the child's head, hesitated an instant, and then kissed her brow.

If he can be so tender, musn't he feel guilty about his actions and how he has helped to make Pearl and Hester outcasts in the community?  When Dimmesdale stands upone the scaffold, he discusses his confession with Pearl - not with Hester.  It is Pearl who challenges him.

“But wilt thou promise,” asked Pearl, “to take my hand, and mother's hand, to-morrow noontide?”

“Not then, Pearl,” said the minister, “but another time!”

“And what other time?” persisted the child.

“At the great judgment day!” whispered the minister.

And, finally of course, it is Pearl who he last turns to before dying, asking her forgiveness before he can be at peace:

Dear little Pearl, wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not yonder, in the forest! But now thou wilt?”

Dimmesdale clearly is driven to confess by his sense of obligation to Pearl.

In The Scarlet Letter, what does the last sentence in Chapter XVII mean? ("Then, all was spoken!")

The meeting in the forest between Arthur and Hester is both tender and poignant after their years of suffering and separation. Hester attempts to save Arthur's life--he obviously is failing fast--by freeing him from Chillingworth's grip and inspiring him to leave the village and his past behind him. Hester tries to enlarge Arthur's vision of his own life by making him aware that a good life exists for him outside the boundaries of their small, restrictive, and joyless community:

Then there is the broad pathway of the sea! . . It brought thee hither. If thou so choose, it will bear thee back again. In our native land, whether in some remote rural village, or in vast London,—or, surely, in Germany, in France, in pleasant Italy,—thou wouldst be beyond [Chillingworth's] power and knowledge! And what hast thou to do with all these iron men, and their opinions? They have kept thy better part in bondage too long already!

When Arthur responds that he lacks the strength to start a new life alone, Hester tells him that he will not be alone and "Then, all was spoken."

By telling Arthur that he will not go alone, Hester is vowing to go with him, thus effectively telling Arthur that she still loves him. What is spoken after that, we can infer, relates to their feelings for each other and what each has experienced during the years of Arthur's shame and Hester's punishment. Furthermore, it would be reasonable to infer that they also speak of their plans for the future and how specifically they can make their escape from this place.

In "A Rose for Emily" what does the author mean when he says "a huge meadow which no winter ever touches"?

In Section V of "A Rose for Emily," the funeral for Emily Grierson is held.  The old servant lets the "sibilant" women in and "walked right through the house and out the back was not seen again."  This action of the "Negro" signifies the further end of the Old South with Emily's death.  Likewise, as the last vestiges of the Old South, the "very old men" in their Confederate uniforms attend the funeral. Sitting on the lawn they speak of Miss Emily as though she has been a contemporary of theirs, but they have lost their sense of time

confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the old do, to whom all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by the narrow bottle-neck of the most recent decade of years.

The memories of the aged are selective and subjective.  Like a green meadow, they are romantic, fresh, lively, and pleasant.  These memories are of their glorious and happy youth, separated from the reality of old age, the "narrow bottle-neck" of the present that, for them, is winter as it represents the end of their era, with their eventual death ahead.

Why did the United states get involved in World War I?

An excellent answer, the sinking of shipping and the Zimmerman telegram were the overt reasons America got into the war.  The Lusitania incident was the most widely publicized, a little ironic when you consider that the Amercian government and the major newspapers all knew that the ship had been carrying 200 tons of munitions to Britain, thus making the Lusitania a legitimate military target under the laws of naval warfare.  But further shipping losses and the lives of civilian passengers, including both American and other neutral citizens, led to widespread outrage.

The underlying reason for eventual American involvement , however, was the same thing that led Britain into the war.  The British recognized it even before the war began, and President Wilson reluctantly shared the same view; a German victory over France would leave Europe dominated by a militarist power, and that simply could not be allowed.  The long-term consequences would have been too dangerous.

How does Baba confront his sins front the past and redeem himself?

Baba does not confront his sins from the past but relies on monetary wealth to make himself feel better by giving Hassan presents and caring about him on special occasions. Amir does not understand why Baba gives Hassan so much attention until the moment Rahim Khan reveals that Hassan was in fact his half brother.

Amir is given many small hints as to his father's attitude towards Hassan. One scene occurs when Baba asks Amir to invite Hassan down to the lake with them but Amir sees Hassan as an obstacle for his ambition to be recognised and 'loved' by Baba. Yet, Baba does not pursue seeking a strong connection with Hassan because of his regretful actions. In truth, Baba is unhappy with both of his sons. In Amir, he is reminded of his deceased princess. In Hassan, he is reminded of the Hazara, Sanaubar, he had commited adultery with. If the reader appeals from Baba's perspective, they can conclude that after Amir's mother's death, Baba would have been left secluded and alone. Sanaubar was unhappy with Ali and may have comforted Baba, leading to conception of Hassan. This explains why Baba would not view Hassan as an equal compared to Amir. Hassan is the constant reminded of how much of a hypocrite Baba truly was.

Baba inadvertently proclaims himself a hypocrite when he speaks to Amir about his own morals. How everything is related to theft/stealing. "It is against the law to steal someone's wife, someone's right to life, someone's belongings". Yet, Baba had committed adultery with Ali's own wife! Their relationship could never work as the social interactions between Hazaras and Pashtuns were seen as disgraceful and inappropriate.

==============================================

I hope this helps a bit, I can't be bothered writing an entire essay. These are just some key points with some ideas. If i WERE to continue I would mention:

- America's experiences of equality

-The incident of Amir planting his watch in Hassan's bed and Baba's reaction followed by his attempts in stopping Ali from leaving.

How does Bilbo's character change over the course of The Hobbit?

Three ways that Bilbo Baggins changes from the beginning of The Hobbit to the end of the book are his understanding of the world around him, his sense of adventure, and his desire to live a comfortable life without thought for others. 

At the beginning of the book, Bilbo cares nothing for he world outside of the Shire or outside of his small hobbit home.  But by the end of the book, his eyes have been opened to the world outside of the Shire, and he has an understanding of different parts of the world as well as different people (elves, dwarves, dragons, to name a few) in the world. 

Also, his sense of adventure grows throughout the book.  At the beginning, Gandalf pretty much has to trick Bilbo into going on this adventure, but by the end of the book, Bilbo is much more courageous and willing adventure out on his own, as evidenced by his willingness to confront Smaug. 

Finally, although Bilbo is a hobbit who will always love his hobbit hole and his six meals a day, he has learned how to make sacrifices and how to live without these comforts if he must.  He even puts himself in danger when rescuing the dwarves from the Spiders and the Wood Elves and sacrifices his own comfort to ensure their safety. 

What details in Act I of Pygmalion suggest conflicts that might follow?

Some conflicts that are foretold in Act I of Pygmalion are foreshadowed in Liza's hysterical encounter with Higgins, The Note Taker; her encounter with Pickering; her encounter with Freddy, Higgins encounter with Pickering; and Clara's encounter with ... herself. Liza and Higgins begin on a high pitched note and they stay there throughout the play. Higgins offers Liza a chance for a transformation of their relationship to one of "fellowship" but she doesn't believe him and their conflict persists throughout the Sequel.

Liza's encounter with Pickering of a different sort. She speaks civilly, not hysterically, with him and he responds in kind with returned civility. He then responds with courtesy and spare change when she asks him to buy a flower and he cannot. Contrast this to Higgins who responds with discourtesy but tosses her a fistful of considerable money, enough money for her to treat herself to two taxi rides and language lessons (or so she thought ...).

Liza's encounter with Freddy shows a conflict of a different kind. she tells his mother that she called him "Freddy" just like anyone would do wanted to speak pleasantly to a stranger. When Freddy falls in love with Liza, his love isn't fervently returned, which presents a conflict of a different sort for Liza and for Freddy. However, Liza marries him anyway, which is the fulfillment of her "pleasant" feelings for him foretold in Act I.

Higgins' and Pickering's encounter establishes from the very start that Higgins is a bachelor and will remain a bachelor because he wants to be a bachelor and because he won't change his nature or his manners for anyone. This introduces the central conflict between Liza and Higgins: She may not be romantically in love with Higgins--or she may have taught herself not to be (there is some ambiguity in her behavior in Act V)--but she wants to be treated like a lady and with kindness. Higgins counters with the idea that he may not treat her the way Pickering does, but the real question is whether he treats anyone better than he treats her.

And Clara--well--the Sequel makes it clear that all throughout the time period of the play, Clara has been in conflict with most people and with most elements of society. Her mother could not manage to buy her an education, as the Sequel says, and so she is not intellectually or culturally at one with the social groups she thinks she ought to belong to. One day, she chances upon H.G. Wells, has the good fortune to meet him, and has her own life transformed (more of Shaw's belief in Life force) and new avenues of possibility opened up to her.

In "The Interlopers," what is Ulrich doing in the forest?

In the Saki short story "The Interlopers," Ulrich is in the forest looking for his sworn enemy.

“…eastern spurs of the Karpathians, a man stood one winter night watching and listening, as though he waited for some beast of the woods to come within the range of his vision, and, later, of his rifle. But the game for whose presence he kept so keen an outlook was none that figured in the sportsman's calendar as lawful and proper for the chase; Ulrich von Gradwitz patrolled the dark forest in quest of a human enemy, Georg Znaeym.”

Georg and Ulrich have been enemies since their birth because their fathers were enemies as were their fathers.  This animosity occurred over a land dispute and has been passed down over the generations.

What is the theme of the following quote from "The Great Gatsby":" I know. I've been everywhere and seen everything and done everything......

This quote, from the first chapter, is spoken by Daisy to Nick right after she told him about the birth of her daughter and how Daisy cried. Daisy reveals to the reader in this conversation that she is a sad person.  The first part of the conversation, when she talks about Pammy's birth, reveals that Tom has been cheating on Daisy for a long time since he was "...God knows where..." when Pammy was born.  Then Daisy's comment about being glad she had a girl and how she hoped her daughter would be a beautiful little fool tells us that Daisy realizes that her life is shallow and she feels it has no meaning.  It also tells us that Daisy has been hurt by life and that shying away from reality - acting as a fool - is the best way to protect oneself from the bitterness of reality. The next part of the conversation where Daisy talks about sophistication tells us further that Daisy sees her life as shallow.  One of the themes of the book is the culture clash that occurs between Daisy and Jay and how the two cultures can never co-exist.  The remark about being so sophisticated reveals that she realizes she has been thrust by birth into a station in life and that nothing she does will get her out of that station.  She feels bound by fate to be among the rich, priviledged class of people.  In truth, she is too weak to break free from that station and part of her realizes that, too.  She enjoys what her position in society affords her because she doesn't like reality and she doesn't like responsibility which is part of reality.  Daisy is a smart women, smart enough to realize her place and how to keep it and smart enough to realize that she is a shallow irresponsible woman who is too weak to change it.

In "A Separate Peace" in the imagery in Leper's description of the accident, what does his language add to the facts?

Leper describe the facts, but they way that he describes them adds a visual element; you are able to visualize exactly what happened.  He describes Gene's motion that knocks Finny out of the tree as a two-part engine, a piston moving.  With this, it is easy for use to visualize Gene bending his knees down, and the resulting wave that knocks Finny off.  He also says that they were surrounded with "golden machine-gun fire" and that their profiles were "as black as death."  This adds more imagery; you can see the dark profiles with the bright sunbeams striking out around their bodies.  It gives a great image.  But also note the words he uses; comparing Gene's action to "machine-gun fire", "black" and "death" adds a mood to it.  It makes the entire event seem more ominous, threatening, and intentful, rather than the on-a-whim action that Gene insists it was.  It is a poetic description that adds an air of morose morbidity to it, and this adds tension and suspense.  So, rather than just saying, "Yes, I saw it happen.  Gene knocked him out of the tree," Leper's imagery helps us to better visualize exactly what happened and how, and gives it an air of violence and intensity.

What aspects of love are defined in the relationship of Helena and Demitrius, Hermia and Lysander, and Titiana and Oberon?

Interestingly, your question could be widened to cover two more pairings in this play: Theseus and Hippolyta and Bottom and Titania. It is clear that love and its different manifestations and stages are a key theme of this play. In particular, note Helena's speech in Act I Scene i, where bemoaning her state, she states: "Things base and vile, holding no quantity / Love transposes to form and dignity." What love can do to us by blinding our eyes and looking with our mind (and therefore our imagination) is therefore key to the play - as modelled perfectly in the relationship between Titania and Bottom.

At the beginning of the play, therefore, Lysander and Hermia represent love in its first, glorious and unrealistic stages. The lovers are devoted to each other, and romantically resist authority (both parental and governmental) in their pursuit of that idealistic love. They seem to have a somewhat cliched attitude to love, as Lysander "consoles" Hermia with the idea that the "course of true love did n'er run smooth."

Demetrius and Helena represent the ability of love to wound and hurt. Helena indeed "dotes in idolatry" on Demetrius, and is ready to risk her friendship with Hermia, her virtue and her personal safety in her pursuit of his affections. She disparages herself, comparing herself to "a spaniel", who fawns upon her love. Unrequited love and the foolish things we do when in that position are thus modelled.

Titania and Oberon are a couple who model a love that although may have been strong in the past is now based on the desire to cause pain on either side. Both mention their former relationships with Theseus and Hippolyta into the fray, and Oberon's jealousy of not having the Indian boy throws the natural order into despair (Act II Scene 1). Oberon's revenge seems petty and in some ways unnecessarily cruel, though it is interesting that he is the controlling agent that brings happiness to Demetrius, Helena, Lysander and Hermia, and eventually, his own relationship with Titania. The relationship between Oberon and Titania perhaps then represents an older love that has allowed itself to become spoiled by petty jealousies and resentments.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," how and when does Young Goodman Brown know that his companion is the devil?

ecofan74
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College Teacher

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(Level 1) Associate Educator

Posted on June 18, 2009 at 7:17 AM

How did Curley's wife's dream of being an actress affect her in Of Mice and Men, and what change did it cause in her behavior?

In describing the dead girl, Steinbeck concludes with:

Now her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly. The curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her lips were parted.

Curley's wife spent much of her time alone because there were no women for her to associate with and the men shunned her. She has no inner resources. She is probably only semi-literate. There was, of course, no television in those days and very little on the radio to interest a teenage girl. She must have spent many hours looking at herself in the mirror and experimenting with makeup and hair styles. The curls were certainly not natural but were the result of much time and patient effort with a curling iron. She was evidently copying young Shirley Temple, who was a super-star at the time and noted for her blonde curls, which were likewise artificial and had to be restored every night, although the public was not aware of this. 

Steinbeck takes great pains to make the reader aware that Curley's wife is a very young girl. She was hanging around the Riverside Dance Palace in Salinas when she was only fifteen, as she tells Lennie in the barn, and married Curley shortly after nearly leaving home with two other men. So she is only fifteen or sixteen. Steinbeck apparently wanted Lennie's victim to be extremely young because an older woman would know better than to get too close to Lennie or to invite him to feel her hair. Also, Lennie is attracted to small things and would be attracted to a young girl. Steinbeck even gives him the last name of Small. Steinbeck probably invented the little curls to suggest a visual comparison with Shirley Temple, who was only nine years old when Of Mice and Men was published, but had been making three or four movies a year for the past several years and was world-famous. 

Curley's wife is terribly naive. She wants Lennie to stop stroking her hair, not because she senses he is becoming sexually aroused, but because she doesn't want her curls to get undone after she had spent so much time perfecting them. 

"Don't you muss it up," she said.

"Look out, now, you'll muss it....You stop it now, you'll mess it all up."

There are other reasons why Steinbeck, in plotting his story, wanted to have Lennie to kill a girl who was very young. George feels compassion for her when he sees her lying there dead. He realizes the enormous wrongness in a pretty girl having her life snuffed out, along with her hopes and dreams, however unrealistic, by an imbecile who has no future and is becoming a menace to society. This is one of the reasons George decides to shoot Lennie.

What qualities do Gene and Finny respectiveley represent? Does reading the novel as an allegory make it easier or harder to predict the outcome?

You have asked two questions so I will only respond to the first. You always need to be wary of reading any novel as an allegory. A simple allegorical reading can lead you to miss some of the depth of the novel. However, your question does point towards the central theme of the novel and how the relationship between Finny and Gene demonstrates it.

Gene appears to represent qualities of envy, jealousy and the ability to commit evil acts. He is so insecure in his relationship with Finny and cannot understand or accept Finny's innocence and naivety. He spends most of the novel silently envious of Finny's natural athletic ability, self-confidence and handsomeness and assumes Finny likewise envies Gene. He cannot understand how Finny does not want the glory that goes with his achievements, such as breaking the swimming record. It is when Finny encourages Gene to study instead of going to the "Suicide Society" that Gene realises that Finny has always innocently loved his best friend without envy or rancour. It is this knowledge of his own suspicion and evil that drives Gene to knock Finny out of the tree.

Finny's innocence on the other hand is established throughout the novel. He only appears to be able to acknowledge a small part of the evil and horror of the world, rejecting the rest. This is why he finds it so hard to suspect Gene and also we see this characteristic in his stubborn refusal to accept that the War exists. Thus Finny can be said to represent innocence and naivety, whilst Gene can be said to represent more wordly and (sinful) human emotions.

What is the difference between the Silence of the Lambs book and the Silence of the Lambs movie?no

There is not much difference between the two.  I would say that one of the major differences between the two is that the book is devoted to the idea of exploring Starling's apprehension of Buffalo Bill.  The film does the same, but I think that there is a greater aspect of social concern in the film regarding Starling's role as a strong female.  The film does a very good job of exploring the barriers that she, as a woman, must face in apprehending Buffalo Bill.  It doesn't belabor the point being made, but shows it subtly, to a point that the book does not.  Even in the opening titles sequence in showing Clarice boarding an elevator with all men and receiving slight glares, or when briefing the West Virginia police, as well as other moments where Clarice the special agent has to battle against being seen as Clarice the woman. This is really expanded when it seems as if the only person of mention to treat her as an equal would be Dr. Lecter, who exposes her psychological terror.  I thought that this was brought out nicely in the film and not something that occupied the thoughts of the book.

How does the subplot of Volpone develop the thematic elements of the main plot?

The subplot of this play concerns the two characters of Peregrine and the rather naive and foolish Sir Politic Would-Be. The key events in the subplot are the ways in which Sir Politic tries to present himself as an experienced traveller with an intimate knowledge of Venice, where the play is set. He also shares his ludicrous schemes for making money. Peregrine, rather more streetwise, sees through the pomp and vanity of Sir Politic Would-Be and determines to trick him for his own amusement.

There is a definite parallel in terms of theme and plot between the main plot of Volpone and his avarice and how this leads him to trick the various suitors who gather round his supposedly dying body and the way in which Peregrine fools Sir Politic Would-Be. Both Volpone and Peregrine show themselves to be very canny and intelligent individuals who are able to identify and use the weaknesses of others against them for their own benefit. The only difference would be that the kind of revenge that Peregrine visits upon the poor Sir Politic is far more ridiculous than what Volpone does to the suitors. Making Sir Politic crawl across the floor pretendign to be a tortoise hurts only his pride and exposes him for the vain, pompous fool that he is.

What connects the two is the way that Venice is presented as a world made up of deceivers and the deceived. Jonson through the subplot and the example of poor Sir Politic seems to suggest that it is only a very brave or/and foolish Englishman who would enter such a brutal environment.

Describe the character of Minnie Wright in "A Jury of Her Peers" as a young unmarried woman.

           A woman can tolerate just so much; when she is locked away from her dreams and the delightful life she was used to, morbid hatred begins to accumulate. Minnie Foster, in “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, had been forced to change her delightful self into an austere and obedient housewife, a tragic change that eventually leads her to murder her husband, John Wright. Minnie Foster, or Minnie Wright is therefore, a morbidly dynamic character whose dreams represented by the singing canary, was crushed by John Wright.

           The death of the singing canary, an alter ego of Minnie Foster, reveals the inanimate marriage she underwent and the motivation behind the murder of her husband, John Wright. There was a time when Minnie Foster was “…like the bird”; she was “…sweet and pretty…” and loved to sing. It was only after she married when she really “… [changed]”. Living a life full of “nothing”, the canary was her only companion, an alter ego that was still free enough to sing. Yet, when John Wright “…wrung its neck”, it not only led to the bird’s death but also Minnie Foster’s death due to “…lack of life”; he ultimately destroyed the last innocence and youth that was left inside her. It also explains why John Wright was “chocked” to death leaving the gun in the house untouched. It had only seemed fair to Minnie Wright that her husband should suffer the same way since he had wrung the dreams and therefore life out of her. 

In the Iliad, when Hephaestus is making a shield for Achilles what is the point of all the different pictures he puts on it?

Hephaestus shows so much on the shield; the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the pictures of two cities with all the activities of civilization in the Bronze Age: festivals and weddings, legal disputes, warfare, animal husbandry, agriculture, and, finally dancing -- that in essence the god fashions for Achilles the whole world in miniature.  Thetis asked Hephaestus to make this armor for Achilles because Achilles will die soon.  Hephaestus says, "How I wish I were able as surely to hide him away from/dolorous death, at the time his terrible fate overcomes him,/as now beautiful armor will be his, such as hereafter/many a mortal will wonder to look at, whoever beholds it." (335)  Thetis cannot save her son from his early death, but she can give him the most wonderful shield ever made, showing all the things of earth that he could have ever enjoyed, and which he will soon miss when he is dead.  There is also some foreshadowing in the images, for one of the cities pictured is being besieged (like Troy), and a herd of cattle is attacked by ravaging lions.  There is some irony, too, as Hephaestus, the "twice lame cripple" (338) makes an elaborate scene of dancing.  The god cannot dance, but he can sculpt the best dancers out of gold and tin on a shield for Achilles.  Both Achilles and Hephaestus have something represented on the shield which is denied to them.   Source: Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Rodney Merrill.  Ann Arbor: U of Mich. Press, 2007.

What does the tagline of "Dead Poets' Society" mean?"He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary."

"The Dead Poet's Society" was a movie about John Keating.  Keating was an inspirational teacher and this was Robin Williams portrayal of this amazing teacher.  He actually taught in Nashville, TN for a short time and I got to hear him speak to the topic of education and today's youth. Keating is a motivator and very engaging.  He makes you want to go into your classroom and challenge your students to challenge themselves. 

"The story is set at the fictional Welton Academy in Vermont The script was written based on the author's life, Samuel F. Pickering, at Montgomery Bell Academy, an all-boys preparatory school in Nashiville,Tennessee"

"He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary."  simply means that no student ever forgot that they had sat in this man's classroom. These young men and women are at a very impressionable age and Keating has a way of touching their soul and earning their loyalty.  He "gets" them. He has a unique and non-conforming way of reaching nearly every life he touches in the classroom.  His unique style certainly makes administrator's uncomfortable.  Can you imagine if you had walked into a stuffy English class and your teacher told you to rip out the first two chapters of the book and throw it away?  I bet he/she would have immediately have become an inspiration.  I hope some of my students feel that way about me.

What kind of people are the Fezziwigs?

The Fezziwigs are lovers of life. The Fezziwigs are known for their kindness, generosity, and affection for employees and friends. Mr. Fezziwig is visited by Scrooge with the Ghost of Christmas past during a Christmas party. Scrooge observed the Christmas party and the Fezziwigs were heartily celebrating the season with employees and friends. At this point, Scrooge is forced to reflect on his choices and he realizes that his actions are very different from the actions of Mr. Fezziwig, whom he admires. At the end of the story, Mr. Fezziwig is one of the few people Scrooge admits to being thankful for having in his life.

In Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points speech, in the simplest form, what do the 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 10th points mean?What do the 4th, 5th, 8th,...

Woodrow Wilson presented his Fourteen Points speech to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918 in hopes of promoting peace in the aftermath of WWI. The first five points of the speech provide general guidelines for peace. In points four and five, the power of peaceful nations is addressed and Wilson identified the need to change in order to create a stable and peaceful world.

In point four, Wilson says that all peaceful nations must disarm and retain only enough weaponry to provide domestic safety.

Point five is directed at the colonial powers, directing them to release all colonial claims and to work in with the colonized counties for the benefit of those populations.

In point eight Wilson requires that French territory be returned to France, including the Alsace-Lorraine portion that had been in contention since 1871.

In point nine, Wilson suggests the readjustment of Italian boarders by clearly defined nationality lines.

In point ten, Wilson states that the people of Austria-Hungary should be given the opportunity for self-government and that borders should be created along nationality lines.

What are some examples of Knowles's use of weather conditions in A Separate Peace to create a mood or atmosphere?

The novel begins with Gene's return to Devon after fifteen years. Knowles' description of the weather that day creates a somber tone and emphasizes Gene's emotional state. The day is cold and wet with gusty winds coming off the river. Gene walks through muddy ground. A fog hangs over the river, enveloping Gene and isolating him from everything except the river and the trees beside it.

In Chapter 4, Gene wakes up at the beach while Finny still sleeps. The dawn is not beautiful; it is strange and gray, "like sunshine through burlap." The ocean looks dead, the gray waves look dead and the beach looks gray and dead--a tone of foreboding. In sleep, Finny also looks dead, an example of foreshadowing.

In Chapter 6, fall comes to Devon. "Fall had barely touched the full splendor of the trees, and during the height of the day the sun briefly regained its summertime power." Yet there is an "edge of coolness to imply the coming winter." The atmosphere is one of quiet transition; summer still echoes, but the coming winter (literally and figuratively) cannot be avoided.

In Chapter 7, winter settles in as Devon is buried under several snows: "[T]he ground had been clamped under snow for the winter." The arrival of real winter parallels the arrival of the "real" war" at school: "In the same way [that winter arrived] the war . . . commenced its invasion of the school. The early snow was commandeered as its advance guard."

Finally, with the conclusion of the novel, summer returns to Devon with "a beautiful New England day."  Knowles writes that "Peace lay on Devon like a blessing, the summer's peace, the reprieve . . . ." The novel begins in cold rain and fog (Gene's emotional quest), but it ends in the warmth of another summer; Gene had survived the terrible year.

How would you make a family tree for Across Five Aprils?Our class just finished reading Across Five Aprils. We have to make a family tree for...

The book does not include a family tree as such; that is something you will have to put together yourself.  I am assuming that your assignment is to make a family tree for the Creighton family, and to do this you would have to start with a list including the names of each member of the family, and organize them by generation.

At the top of your family tree, you would have Matthew and Ellen Creighton.  Matthew and Ellen each have at least one sibling, who can be put on the same line with them, since they belong to the same generation.  Matthew's sibling gave birth to Eb Carron, who would be on the second line of the tree with the Creighton children, the next generation.  In like manner, Ellen's sister had a son, Wilse Graham.  Wilse would belong on the same line as Eb Carron and the Creighton children as well.

Matthew and Ellen Creighton have a total of nine children, four of whom are dead and buried on Walnut Hill at the beginning of the story.  All of these children, living and dead, would appear on the same line as Eb and Wilse on the family tree.  Although their birth order is not specifically stated, it appears that either John or Mary is the oldest Creighton child.  Mary, a beautiful young lady, was killed two years back in a tragic accident.  John, the eldest son, is married to Nancy, whose name would be placed next to his on the family tree.  Below them would be their two children, a boy and a girl, the only ones belonging to the next generation in the family.

Bill Creighton would probably come next after John and Mary, followed by Tom, who, like his cousin Eb, is eighteen when the story begins.  Following Tom would be Jenny, who is born four years after Tom, and when she marries Shadrach Yale, his name would be added next to hers.  Following Jenny, I believe, are three little boys, all of whom died of polio the year Jethro was born.  One of the boys' names is Nate, the others, I don't think, are given.  Finally, there is Jethro himself, the youngest of the Creighton children, who is nine when the story begins.

How long did Shakespeare live?

I do not mean to be contradictory, but there are many modern scholars (S. Greenblatt, R.A. Cohen, etc.) who believe that Shakespeare was really more middle-aged, as he would have been if he were a playwright of today. Because it is based on an AVERAGE, the measurement for determining Elizabethan (or Jacobean) lifespans is a little skewed when it comes to determining whether 52 years was "old." The evidence actually suggests that 52 was not old for men of this period of time.

Yes, the AVERAGE age has been calculated to be in the mid-30's, but, remember that an average is taken from the entire pool of the population, which included a high level of mortality at an early age. The *average* was relatively short due to disease, dangerous times, etc. Consider that most children did not survive to adulthood; many young men were killed in dangerous occupations; the plague(s) would wipe out huge portions of the population.

But, the longer men and women survived these "unnatural" causes of death, the longer they lived -- those who survived would live to ages comparable to modern life-spans.

Shakespeare survived many plagues, he survived the rough streets of Southwark, he survived his long "commutes" to Stratford. And there is no conclusive evidence that he could not have easily survived another 20 years. He was considered middle-aged by even his contemporaries.

If you need some concrete references, let me know.

I want to know about literary devices of "The Kitten" by Richard Wright.

The scene where Richard kills the kitten serves mostly to introduce the conflict between characters, Richard and his father. Trying to sleep so he can rest up for his job as a night porter, his father yells to the boys to kill the noisy kitten. This, of course, is not taken to be literally but Richard's act of defiance is precisely in this act of failing or being unwilling to interpret his father's words. He kills the kitten.

The situation is really amoral, neither good nor bad in itself because on the one hand Richard followed his father's command, but on the other hand he killed. The scene illustrates the conflict between characters in power and Richard himself, a tension that will follow him throughout the narrative. The death of the kitten also symbolizes the realm of the unspoken and the failure to look for deeper meaning.

How can the plot and structure of the story be analyzed in terms of the main character?This question defintely confused me. I haven't the slightest...

The main character would be Mrs. Hale.  We see everything through her eyes.  At the beginning of the story, she is dragged from her kitchen, and we are informed of how frustrating it is to her to leave things unfinished.  This "unfinished" theme becomes part of the evidence that proves that Minnie killed her husband.  We see through Mrs. Hale's eyes how her kitchen is messy, how her stitches are crooked in her quilting, and how the bird cage is empty. 

Along with Mrs. Hale is the sheriff's wife, Mrs. Peters.  Although Mrs. Peters wants to follow the law, like her husband does, she also feels what Mrs. Hale feels about what Minnie's husband has done to her over the years of their marriage.  The story is built around Mrs. Hale's observations and how she convinces Mrs. Peters that they should keep the evidence to themselves. They even do away with the evidence so that the men can't prove Minnie killed her husband. 

Without Mrs. Hale, we never would have noticed things like uneven stitching or messy kitchens or empty birdcages.  The men would never have noticed them as evidence, either.  However, Mrs Hale provides us with such insight so that we can find the killer as easily as she did.  Yet, with her compassion for Minnie, and who she's become in her misery, we agree with the women's decision to keep the information from the men and let Minnie walk free.

Why does Lord of the Flies begin with making friends and end in death and violence?What do you think are the main reasons for this change and what...

In the second link it explains how thoughts were changed after WWII.  Before the violence of the war, most believed in the goodness of people and the world.  However, after the war, Golding had a completely different viewpoint.  The destruction and violence brought on by the war gave us a new concept:

"The prevailing concept of man and society included two basic viewpoints: man was essentially good and society was inherently evil."

This explains your question quite well.  In the beginning, the boys all got to know one another and after establishing some rules and a leader, things were going pretty well.  In the beginning, each boy showed good traits.  Ralph led to the best interest of everyone, Piggy was helpful with his scientific knowledge, and Simon was always willing to help out wherever he could. Yet, they all fell victim to the evils of mankind.  Jack and Roger represented the evil (in different ways). Their tribe evolved into a violent machine. It ended up killing Simon and Piggy.  It would have killed Ralph had they had enough time.  So Golding is showing that although man (each boy individually) has the capacity to be good, society (their tribe) was inherently evil. We see this today in mobs of people.  Individually, people are good.  However, once a big group gets together with a common goal, violence can occur and things can go horribly wrong.

What do you think makes one liquid more dense than another?I'm trying to find a liquid that I havent yet identified (color green) with a density of...

Density is defined as mass per unit volume (D=m/v). The standard against which liquid densities are compared is of course water, with a density of about 1 g/ml.  Something more dense than water has more of its molecules (mass) packed into a given space (volume); something less dense is just the opposite, having a lesser number of molecules in a given space.  Since by experiment, you've got an unknown liquid with a density 1.0028 g/ml, round the number to 1.003 and compare with known values in your textbook.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what "trick" does Atticus teach Scout about getting along with people?

Atticus taught her that you never really know a person until you "climb into their skin" and walk around in it.  In other words, you've got to climb into their shoes and see things from their perspective.  By teaching her how to understand the views of others, Atticus is preparing her to understand life in a unique and mature way.

This is particularly important considering the drama that will begin to unfold in the town as Tom Robinson's trial takes place.  People who Scout thought were good will go "stark-raving mad" when the trial begins, because it involves race at the core of the subject matter. 

Sterotypically, the South has always had race problems.  While it is true that a lot of documented racial persecution and strife has taken place in the Southern United States, it is also true that all areas experience some sort of racial tubulance from time to time.  This is important to note as one reads the story, so as to avoid forming a negative opinion of the South as a whole.  Atticus even tries to explain that the people are genuinely good, but when race becomes an issue, their perspective changes nearly 100%. 

In Scene II of "Hamlet", Claudius takes two actions to show he is an able administrator. What are they?

Yes,  he does. They're to do with the Norweigans, who there have been political problems with since before Claudius was on the throne. Here's what Claudius says

Now follows, that you know, young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth,
Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Colleagued with this dream of his advantage,
He hath not fail'd to pester us with message,
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our most valiant brother. So much for him.
Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting.
Thus much the business is: we have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras—
Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
Of this his nephew's purpose—to suppress
His further gait herein, in that the levies,
The lists, and full proportions, are all made
Out of his subject; and we here dispatch
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltimand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway,
Giving to you no further personal power
To business with the King, more than the scope
Of these dilated articles allow.
Farewell, and let your haste commend your duty.

Young Fortinbras thinks Denmark is weak, after Old Hamlet's death. He's been pestering Denmark with messages, and so Claudius has written to his uncle, Old Norway, to tell him to tell his young nephew to back off. There's the first decision Claudius makes - and it is a strong statement.

Claudius then moves neatly from political to private. Laertes wants to return to France, as he only came to Denmark for the coronation. Polonius gives his consent, and then Claudius gives his:

Take thy fair hour, Laertes. Time be thine,
And thy best graces spend it at thy will!

Claudius may be a villain. But he knows how to smoothly administrate the Danish court.

What two views of manhood are presented in Act 1 of Macbeth?

Macbeth is an example of one of the views of manhood in Act I, he is a courageous soldier who has distinguished himself on the battlefield, confronting the enemies of the King with great bravery.  He is rewarded by the Duncan for his devotion, loyalty and willingness to fight for King and country.

Here manhood is defined by bravery in battle, fearlessness when facing a fierce enemy, a willingness to die for one's beliefs.  All these characteristics describe Macbeth in the early acts of the play. 

In Act I, Scene IV, King Duncan expresses his gratitude to Macbeth. The King desires to reward Macbeth telling him that he cannot ever really repay him for what he has done on the battlefield.  Duncan also tells him that his son Malcolm has been elevated to Prince of Cumberland, and now he wishes to celebrate Macbeth.

Duncan provides a wonderful example of how a just and right king should behave.  He is grateful, gracious and not intimidated by the idea of rewarding those who deserve praise.  Duncan is secure in his reign as king, he does not have to protect his position by keeping others down, below him.  Duncan exemplifies what manhood is in a true leader.  A true leader acknowledges the sacrifice and service of others.  He respects this service, rewards it and allows the individual to ascend in the ranks.

Who is Dennis in The Pigman?

Dennis Kobin is a friend of John and Lorraine.  He is usually paired with Norton Kelly, and the two are described as "demented", and are always causing trouble.  Of the pair, Dennis is the follower, and is nowhere near as malicious and conniving as the more assertive Norton.  John says that Dennis is "not very bright", and notes that "he talks so slowly some people think he has brain damage".  Dennis does hold the record for the being able to engage a stranger in the longest conversation ever in a "phone marathon" game that the four teens have created.  The object of the game is to call a number at random and see how long one can keep the person who answers on the line.  Dennis once called a lonely old woman and made up a story about needing advice about how to treat a skin disease which he had as a result of having had his nose bitten off by a rat when he was a baby.  He was able to keep the woman on the phone for well over two hours.

Dennis's father works long hours and drinks a lot.  When his mother is not home, the group sometimes gathers at his house to play the phone marathon game (Chapter 3).  When John and Lorraine decide to throw a party at the Pigman's house, they invite Dennis, but caution him not to tell Norton because they know that Norton will take the opportunity to steal from the Pigman, and otherwise cause trouble.  Dennis, however, can be counted on to be discreet and to follow instructions.  Because John has asked him to, Dennis steals some alcohol to bring to the party from his father's whiskey cabinet, and supplies some soda mixers and glasses from his house as well (Chapter 13).

Would you describe the narrator as an antihero? What details early in the story that show the narrator’s more sensitive side and thus help to...

Yes. The narrator is close-minded, fearful, judgmental, prejudiced, possessive, and unfriendly, not to mention a substance abuser; these are not generally attributes viewed as heroic. That said, the narrator does have positive qualities, and most of his negative characteristics seem to come from a fear of being abandoned/alone and his frustration re: his inability to express himself. For instance, he obviously loves his wife. His seemingly callous reaction to her suicide attempt covers up his deep-seated fear of losing her. He seems to have based his whole life around her; he doesn't have friends, and he is so focused on her that he tells us much more about her past than his own. He is jealous of her first husband, and also of the blind man; the blind man has an intimate relationship with his wife and can communicate with her more more easily than the narrator can.

The narrator gets stoned and drunk. This inebriation allows him to let down some of his defenses so that he can help the blind man experience the cathedral; the wonderment that he feels seems to hint at an underlying urge to understand the world and to learn to communicate with and connect to other people. The cathedral itself (the most important symbol in the story) has various meanings. One of the things it represents is grace/redemption, and that's just what the narrator seems to want, whether he will admit it or not. All of these small details hint that he is more sensitive and loving than he may first appear.

What is the definition of "accounting?"

American Accounting Association defines accounting as:

The process of identifying, measuring and communicating information to permit judgment and decision by users of accounts.

It is a tool for recording, reporting and evaluating, in monetary terms, the transactions, events and situations that effect an enterprise.

Accounting function consists of following five type of activities:

1. Collection and recording of data.


2. Classification of data


3. Processing of data including calculating and summarising


4. Maintenance or storage of results


5. Reporting of results

Accounting serves many purposes. It is broadly divided in three types according to the purpose served by it. These three types of accounting are:

1. Basic accounting


2. Management Accounting


3. External Accounting

Basic accounting, also called Bookkeeping, represents the earliest application of accounting. It serves the purpose of facilitating the operating activities of an enterprise involving financial transactions. For example to determine the money to be paid to suppliers, or to be collected from customers.

The information available from the basic accounting can be further analysed and presented to management of a firm to help them in their planning and controlling functions. This is the function served by management accounting.

With advent of large corporation the ownership of companies got separated from management, and a need arose for providing information on activities and performance of companies to shareholder and other stakeholders outside the company, not involved in direct operation or management of company. External accounting meets the need for this type of external accounting.

How does Jane Austen present the themes of love and marriage in Pride and Prejudice?

For Jane Austen love was absolutely necessary for a good marriage.  However, in English society at the time, which is depicted in the novel, love is not the greatest consideration for marriage.  The ideal goal for marriage is to marry someone financially capable of supporting you. Love is secondary. Austen mocks this practice in the book.

For example, Mrs. Bennett is constantly reminding her daughters about the rule that since there is no male heir among her children, that their home will pass out of their family to the next male in the family, Mr. Collins.  The Bennetts will be homeless when Mr. Bennett dies. So it is imperative that the girls, especially Jane and Lizzy, find husbands who can provide them with a home and possibly their mother and sisters as well.

Marriage is considered an arrangement between parties who occupy the same social level.  Love is certainly a necessary consideration, but not required for a good match.  For example, Darcy has been promised to Lady Catherine Debourgh's daughter since birth. 

Even though he does not love her, he is supposed to marry her.  Darcy is an exception, since he does fall in love with Lizzy, but is reluctant, at first to court her because he believes that her family is socially inferior.  Darcy and Lizzy's marriage is an example of both love and financial security coming together.  She and Jane both marry men who not only love them but can support them well.

In the story's final sentence, what does Sammy mean when he says, "I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter"?

Sammy, having quit his job on a whim to impress the girls who have come into the store improperly dressed, stands outside now, realizing that he has just made his life a lot harder.  He has no job.  If he does not want to follow the rules of the game, if he chooses to go his own way and opposes the standards, the rules that govern society, he will find himself on the outside all the time.

Sammy has learned that choices have consequences.  Some choices need to be made more carefully, with greater consideration for the possible outcomes. 

Sammy is young and immature, he does not understand that there are times that an individual has to keep his opinions to himself in an effort to follow the rules that govern an environment.  He will learn that there is a time and place for his opinions and beliefs, but that expressing them all the time without discretion will result in him being fired, excluded or ostracized from polite society.

Sammy will learn as he grows and matures that sometimes it is better to keep your opinion to yourself.  You can think anything you want, just be careful what you say out loud.   

What is the main theme in sonnet 75 by Edmund Spenser?what is the main theme in sonnet 75 by Edmund Spenser

When he writes her name on the sand, her name is washed away by the waves. He tries again and again but his all attempts when the tide is in will be washed. The lover here emphasize that allegorically;

The tide represents "the time" and

The sand of seashore represents his "memories"

The word "tide" refers to the word "time" also in means of written and "sand" also refers to his memories because memory is a reflection of the past and it has a particular shape in minds to indicate particular moments and events which we experienced. but this shape in time becomes uncertain as the time passed memory skips over some important or trivial details. So everthing can be forgetton, ,n memory there can be nothing everlasting JUST LİKE HER NAME ON THE SAND OF SEASHORE..

the poet has a great longing to immortalize her name. But he deduces that nature wants to explain that love is temporary. Because when he wrote her name the tide washes it away. Then the lady speaks that his effort is in vain he can not change the intrinsic nature of the mortality. She believes every mortal thing will be perished. She is offended by his attempt to immortalize her.But the lover believes when the love becomes immortal her name will be written in heaven.

How does Jack handle those who disobey his wishes?in chapter ten

Jack handles those who disobey him by force and by simply beating them. Jack is symbolic of the brutal dictator who rules his subjects with force and the threat of force. Jack holds "councils" naked to the waist with his face "painted." Jack also handles difficult situations by ignoring them, or by easily dismissing them. His handling of Simon's death, for example. Overall, Jack is a leader of force, emotion, and irrational actions. His methods of control reflect all this.

Is "Hamlet" primarily a tragedy of revenge?

On the surface, it is a tale about revenge, that ends in devastating tragedy for most of its main characters.  Think of all the people that died:  Polonius, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and finally Hamlet.  That sure is a lot of death.  And because Hamlet's main purpose in the play is to enact revenge, it does fit under the category of revenge.

However, there are many underlying layers, all connected to Hamlet and his inability to act.  The entire play consists of him moping about, whining, hesitating, pondering life and death, making excuses--all when he could have enacted revenge from the very first suspicion of Claudius.  So, the play is more a commentary on inaction, on procrastination, on how "the mind is its own beautiful prisoner", trapping people in analysis and logic instead of determination and action.  Hamlet overthinks, overanalyzes, overponders, oversteps bouds of decency in order to more fully ponder the situation, and all of this is what really leads to the tragedy, not his pursuit of revenge.  It is useful to also consider those elements as you decide how to think about and label the play.

To what extent is 'All My Sons' a Classical Greek Tragedy, and are there elements of modern tragedy in it?

"All My Sons" falls into the category for Classical Greek Tragedy because the tragic hero, Joe Keller suffers from hubris, or the sin of too much pride, and because of this sin, he makes a tragic mistake which ends up causing his death. Joe's behavior is responsible for his tragic circumstances, it is not by accident that he ends up committing suicide. 

There is a relationship between Joe Keller's fate and his free will, he chose to send the faulty parts to the military, thereby putting his fate or destiny in jeopardy by making such a tragic decision.  And, in Classical Greek Tragedy, the tragic hero's actual strength becomes the means of his undoing. 

There are four specific elements that must be present:

"1. Shame, 2. Suffering, 3. Knowledge,

4. Affirmation of what is right." (See link below for more details)

Or in Joe Keller's case, his ability to support his family, his ability to build his business, work his way up, this very aspect of his life, what he said drove him to make the decision to send the faulty parts, because he was afraid to not meet the contracts deadline, is what leads to his ultimate end.  

One important difference between Classical Greek Tragedy which usually involves a tragic hero who is of noble birth and Modern Tragedy is that the latter involves ordinary people in tragic circumstances.

Also, according to Modern Tragedy, once the tragic hero realizes that he has made a terrible mistake, there is no undoing it, you can't take it back, as much as he may want to retrieve the mistake, it is done.  Ultimately in the Modern Tragedy, the protagonist takes responsibility for his actions and ends up suffering or dying.   And, those around him suffer permanent emotional damage, thereby changing their lives forever.