In Hamlet, why wouldn't Claudius provide a state funeral for Polonius?

Claudius fears the outcome of such a funeral.  As Hamlet is the guilty party, and being much loved by the multitude, he cannot risk the attention it would bring to Hamlet's supposed madness and conspicuous absence.  Even under the guise of obtaining help for Hamlet's madness in England, he would risk calling attention to the murder and the people of Denmark forgiving him considering the sudden death and hasty marriage of Claudius and Gertrude. Also, Denmark is in political turmoil and Claudius holds a tenuous position.  He has been approved by vote, and can be ousted just as easily, as is seen when Laertes returns to avenge his father's death with a mob calling for him to be king. 

What are Victor Frankenstein's weaknesses?

Victor Frankenstein's weaknesses include:

1. his over-vaulting ambition. In creating his monster and his hideous birth he hurt those around him and isolated him from the ones he loved.

2. Stubbornness. Victor was stubborn and unrelenting when the monster agreed to leave the world of man if only he had a similar mate to share his existence with.

3. His inability to assume responsibility in caring for and nurturing his creation. Things might not have turned out so horribly for Victor if only he had showered some love and attention on his creation. Instead, Victor was responsible for things turning out the way they did. If one was accepted and not abandoned, then the murders of Justine and Victor's brother wouldn't have happened.

What is the point of the long discussion between Joe and Mrs. Dilber?Hint:they relate to Scrooge's property.

When the last of the spirits, the Ghost of the Future, appears to Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol," he takes the old miser to "a low-browed, beetling shop" in a terrible quarter of London that "reeked with crime, with filth, and misery." There sits an old "rascal" of nearly seventy, smoking a pipe near a stove behind a tattered curtain.  Into this place come a charwoman, a laundress, and a man in faded black.  When they encounter one another, they burst into laughter.

These people are the jackals of society, for they have plundered what things they could obtain from the house of the dead Scrooge.  The charwoman has even taken the curtains--to the amazement of even the vile Joe--from his bedroom and stolen the very shirt from Scrooge's back, showing absolutely no respect for the dead. In fact, Mrs. Dilber laughs at the thought of their stealing in this manner from Scrooge.  The charwoman scoffs,

'If he wanted to keep 'em after he was dead, a wicked old screw,...why wasn't he natural in his lifetime?  If he had been, he'd have had somebody to look after him when he was struck with Death, instead of lying gasping out his last there, alone by himself.'

To this remark, Mrs. Diber agrees,

'It's the truest word that ever was spoke...It's a judgment on him.

Old Joe chalks the sums of what he owes them onto his wall.  These acts of the unconscionable people is somewhat suggestive of those who barter over the robe of Jesus, solitary and betrayed by Peter, as He was led to his crucifixion.  So, perhaps, Scrooge realizes how greatly he is despised when even the lowest of London society laugh at him and desecrate his corpse, carrying his final belongings to a filthy, disreputable rag shop.

What are 2 quotes from Macbeth that are of significance of a Confucian leadership role and a Machiavellian role?

By Confucian leadership role, it can be assumed that the character of Macbeth would be read against the philosophy of Ritual, Righteousness, Humanity, Knowledge, and Integrity. Thus, the "Confucian" Macbeth would be the Macbeth prior to murdering King Duncan.

MACBETH: He's here in double trust:
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,(15)
Not bear the knife myself.

At this point, Macbeth is deciding whether or not he should murder King Duncan, but his conscious is stronger than his desire to murder. It is particularly Confucian in that it demonstrates the importance of being a host, being a subject, and in a sense, filial piety (devotion to one's parents). Macbeth very much looks at Duncan like a father-figure, which can be shown when Lady Macbeth refuses to complete the murder but cannot because Duncan resembled her father as he slept.

Machiavellianism, on the opposite spectrum, is the means of deceiving others for personal gain. This, naturally, would be after King Duncan's murder. While there are a world of examples, the scene between Macbeth and the Murderers stands out as a perfect example of exploitation in the Machiavellian sense.

MACBETH:

Well then, now(80) Have you consider'd of my speeches? Know That it was he, in the times past, which held you So under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self? This I made good to you In our last conference, pass'd in probation with you(85) How you were borne in hand, how cross'd, the instruments, Who wrought with them, and all things else that might To half a soul and to a notion crazed Say, “Thus did Banquo.”

In an effort to convince the Murderers to murder Banquo, Macbeth brainwashes them into believing that Banquo was at fault for them not receiving their promotions. He reiterates the fact that he has drawn up papers that prove this, ignoring the fact that these papers are either false, or that Banquo had true reason for disqualifying these men (considering they are thinking of murder, we would probably understand Banquo's decision!).
Even further, Macbeth challenges their manhood by comparing them to dogs:
MACBETH:

Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men, As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,(100) Shoughs, waterrugs, and demi-wolves are clept All by the name of dogs.

He is berating them, challenging their masculinity, and accusing Banquo of falsity to convince these men to commit his crime -- and he does so successfully, thus making it a "Machiavelli" moment.

In The Crucible, what is Mary Warren's explanation to the court for having changed her mind now?

In The Crucible, Mary Warren unwillingly comes to court, though she comes prepared to tell the truth--that she and the rest of the girls, led by Abigail, have been lying in court.  She's unwilling because she's afraid of many things: Abigail, the court, undoubtedly her parents, punishment.  She changes her mind, of course, once Abigail turns her own words literally against her and she realizes her immediate future is better with Abigail than with Proctor. She turns back on Proctor, claiming he was the devil and he was forcing her to make a false confession.

What quotes show a Naturalist theme in "The Open Boat"?

The central theme of Naturalist style is that man is at the mercy of his environment.  This theme is evident in several quotes depicting the men in the vulnerable open boat being buffeted by the sea, the inexhorable force of nature.

In the opening paragraphs of the story, the injured captain thinks about the ineffectiveness of the actions of "even the bravest and most enduring" in general terms when he recalls man's utter helplessness when, 

"willy-nilly, the firm fails, the army loses, the ship goes down" (Section 1). 

Free will and human efforts count for little in the face of the harsh realities of the natural world.

In the following section, the author creates a vivid image of the little boat with four helpless men bobbing in the water, at the mercy of the sea around her:

"She seemed just a wee thing wallowing, miraculously top up, at the mercy of five oceans.  Occasionally a great spread of water, like white flames, swarmed into her",

while the tiny, insignificant men, cognizant of their position in the scheme of things, "bail...serenely" (Section 2).

As their little boat is tossed by the furious waves, the men cling to any hope they can find, but in the end they know they will survive only if the elements allow them to.  Their conversation reflects this feeling, when they say,

"we'll get ashore all right...if this wind holds...if we don't catch hell in the surf" (Section 2).

Discuss the function of Alfieri in A View from the Bridge.

After Eddie, Alfieriis the most important character in the play. His role is similar to that of the chorus of the Greek tragedies as he narrates, comments, and sometimes participates in the play. Although he is wise but he was unable to prevent Eddie's Betrayal to his family. He had said so,"being an intelligent man, he was so powerless to stop the tragedy". He is the first who opens the play by discussing how law is important in America. In Italy, there was no law to protect them therefore they took their revenge with there own hands.

Alfiere is a good lawyer as well as a rational judge of people. And professionaly detached himself (Emotionally as his family had advised him), and views situations from the bridge. He advises Eddie many times to settle for half and let Catherine go, all Eddie can do is "bless her".

He gives details on time, date, and place thus filling gaps between scenes. He skillfully weaves his opinions while throwing in a description on characters. It is obvious that he knows Eddie from before as he "presented his father in an accident case some years before" thus having some acquaintance with the family.

Alfieri is the voice of reason as he warned Eddie that he better settle for half or he wouldn't have a friend in the world. He is Arthur Millers Mouthpiece therfore he makes us understand, Condemn, Admire and Forgive Eddie on what he had put himself into due to his oversexuality that he had no control over.

In A Christmas Carol, what are Scrooge's thoughts as he lies in bed waiting to see the second spirit?

No movie version of A Christmas Carol has ever done justice to Dickens' own imagination in regards to the varied thoughts of Scrooge in between the first two spirits.  Scrooge awakens "in the right nick of time" before the clock strikes, and is moved to pull the curtains of his bed back himself (so that some unknown spirit doesn't do it).  After Scrooge does this, Dickens describes Scrooge's general thoughts:

I don't mind calling on you to believe that he was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances, and that nothing between a baby and a rhinoceros would have astonished him very much.

In other words, Scrooge was almost ready for anything.  Almost, that is, because what he got was "nothing."  There is genius in Dickens' next line: 

Now, being prepared for almost anything, he was not by any means prepared for nothing.

In other words, the only thing that happened was that Scrooge simply stayed in bed being "the core and centre of a blaze of ruddy light."  After a fit of sudden trembling which lasted quite a while, Scrooge begins thinking about the source of the light hitting him.  Dickens is quick to mention that we, as readers, would have thought of that first, but since it is Scrooge who was in the predicament, his mind wasn't clear enough to manage it.  Scrooge determines that the light is coming from the next room.  As soon as Scrooge ventures over there and begins to turn the door knob, he is called by name.

The fabulous irony here is that Dickens' readers are thinking more clearly than his main character.  I suppose that Scrooge can no longer utter his famous word of "humbug."

Identify simile, metaphor, an emotive word and a hyphenated word in "Lamb to the Slaughter"?

I've included definitions to ensure that you understand what each one is as well as examples.

Simile (A comparison using like or as): " to feel-almost as a sunbather feels the sun-that warm male glow"

Metaphor(A direct comparison by saying one thing IS another): "There was a slow smiling air about her"

Emotive(Words containing postitive or negative connotations): "tranquil", "blissful", " frantic"

Hyphenated word (A word with a hyphen separating the two parts...generally these are nouns): "bone-end"

What is the history behind the Tongan dances?It is about all of the dances not only one.

Dances in Tongan culture had a number of functions.  There were, and still are, dances to show allegience to tribal chieftans, a dance performed only before the king, dances performed at marriages, war dances, etc.  Some dances are performed standing, and some sitting.  They are usually dances which tell a story.

Christian missionaries in Tonga did not support the colonial power's distatse for the native dances.  Both the Methodist and Roman Catholic churches used indigenous dance to tell Christian stories, since the native dances were used to tell historical and cultural stories anyway.  The Catholics, especially, supported the traditional dance culture.

Many dances today are performed essentially as tourist attractions, but dance is still a big part of social and cultural life in Tonga.  Among the ancient dances still performed today are 'otuhaka, a dance for the king; tau'olunga, a wedding or social function dance; and several more.

Since the Tongan language was unwritten until well into the 19th century, the earlier history of the dances in somewhat vague.  Check the links below.

Marginal ethnic groups in the USA are more assertive participants in revising and redefining notion of American multiculturalism?

I certainly believe that groups that once were marginalized are more assertive participants in the multicultural discourse.  We seem to be in a time where addressing the "crisis of representation" is of critical importance in the social, academic, and political notions of the good.  From a collective point of view, the elements of diversity and multicultural identity are not "fads" or something that is temporary.  Rather, this is where we are at this time and the more we delve into this domain, the richer our multicultural fabric is.  Indeed, groups that used to live on the periphery are becoming more vocal in this discourse.  Whether this process of relegation happened in racial/ ethnic, gender, or sexual identity realms, there is a greater sense of articulation being heard.  We are even being more aware to the issues of conflicting notions of identity in the redefinition of the notion of multiculturalism.  For example, African- American women can articulate their perspectives on both racial and gender levels, and this is becoming more prevalent as revising our understanding of culture.  One area where we are still having some difficulty in articulating a fuller vision of multicultural identity is on the economic level of social class.  In a nation where an overwhelming majority of citizens define themselves as "middle class," this is a challenge to hear of a more authentic redefinition of economic based identity.  The recent economic crisis has brought out a this narrative a bit, but it can only be understood as something "everyone is going through."  We are still relatively silent in our engagement of a serious, substantive, and transformative discussion about the institutional and social biases that exist in our society, as well as the role of political and economic power that creates stratified level of wealth and ownership.  This might be the one area where a marginal ethnic group is struggling to be an active participant in redefining and revising American multiculturalism.

Why does Mrs. Mallard fight her feeling of freedom in "The Story an Hour"?

I don't think that Mrs. Mallard fights her feeling of freedom, in fact, I think she has to contain her joy at the thought of this freedom.  It is the idea of freedom, the absolute exhilaration from it that she must keep in check, she is expected to be mourning the sudden death of her husband.  It would be inappropriate for her to appear happy at this sad time so she must conceal her joy at the thought of being free.

That is the struggle that Mrs. Mallard has emotionally, not the idea that she doesn't deserve to be free.  She has desired to be free for so long that when she gets what she wants most in life, she can't believe that she could be so fortunate. It is like getting the one thing that you want most in the whole world, when you get it you just can't believe it. 

It is so overwhelming that at first you feel giddy with a dreamlike feeling, that is the way the Louise Mallard feels when she gets the news of her husband's death.  Light-headed with utter relief at her good fortune to be given her heart's desire.

It is the thought of losing this wonder gift of freedom at the end of the story, when her husband walks into the door, fine and fit, that she dies, overcome from the pain of having to surrender her life to the control and domination of another.

Mrs. Mallard had the freedom for only a short period of time, and it was only in her mind that she was able to enjoy it, but for that little amount of time, she was happier than she had ever been in her life.   

What is the significance of the "three peat" of the line "So how should I presume?" in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock?"

This question highlights many of the issues and insecurities that Prufrock talks about within the poem.  "So how should I presume" is Prufrock asking, "Who am I to ask such an important question, to feel like I am important enough to feel cared about by someone?"  He feels completely insecure in himself; because of this insecurity, he backs down and is wishy-washy in asking speaking his heart to the woman he is thinking of.  He doesn't presume to be anyone of any importance, and only people who are confident in themselves and their place in the world are comfortable asking life-changing questions such as the one he is wanting to ask. This question is not the only place he ponders his insecurities:

"Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
[They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!"]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the
chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a
simple pin—
[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are
thin!"]"

This passage empahsizes his lack of confidence in his appearance and the fact that he feels people will mock him and ridicule his presumption that he is worth considering.
He also feels that he

"should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas,"

comparing himself to a crab at the bottom of the ocean, an unflattering comparison to say the least. He proclaims later that he is not prince Hamlet, "nor was meant to be." He is not eloquent, interesting, profound or impactful. Instead, he is "obtuse...ridiculous...the Fool."

So, "how should I presume?" reflects his attitude towards himself, that he feels he is insignificant, just a tiny crab of a human being, not important enough to presume that he will be considered kindly, or with any measure of significance by the person he is afraid to speak to.

What is "The Chimney Sweeper" about?

The Chimney Sweeper from the Songs of Innocence is very different from the one from the Songs of Experience.  The first link summarizes the Innocence poem.  It is about a little boy who has been sold at a very young age into this sort of slavery of cleaning chimneys with other young boys.  In this poem he has an optimistic perspective and believes that if he works hard and does his duties, then he will go to heaven.  In other words, this is a naive and innocent little child who does not see the world as harsh and unforgiving. If he keeps his faith, he'll go to heaven someday.

In the second Chimney Sweeper (from the Songs of Experience) the boy's attitude is very different.  He is very much aware of what his parents have done to him.  They have sold him into this "slavery" and while he works this horribly dangerous job, they are off at church.  This same church is the institution that supports what his parents and other parents are doing to all children in this era.  The was before any children had rights.  There were no laws against children doing labor like we have today.  This boy saw the world/society for how cruel it really was, and he is calling everyone out for it.

Why are melting point and freezing point the same temperature for any substance?

The two terms mean the same thing--the temperature at which the state of a substance changes from a solid to a liquid, or vice versa. When it goes from solid to liquid, we refer to "melting point"; when the change is from liquid to solid, it is the "freezing point", but the temperature of the change is the same.

How could I summarize chapter 3 of A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin?

This chapter, entitled "The School of Wizards", deals principally with Ged's arrival at Roke, his admittance into the school of wizardry, the beginning of his rivalry with Jasper and his friendship with Vetch.

Ged arrives at the Isle of Roke and eventually finds his way to the entrance of the school of wizardry. To enter the door, he has to utter his true name to the door and the doorkeeper which admits him into the school. ONce there he meets the Archmage Nemmerle, the Warder of Roke. The Archmage asks Ged to read the note that Ogion gave him to him, which says that Ogion believes Ged will become the greatest wizard of Gont. The Archmage accepts Ged into the school and Jasper shows Ged around. Jasper's mocking tone sparks off resentment in Ged, but he also meets Vetch, who befriends him. Jasper asks Ged to show them some magic, but he refuses, feeling he knows nothing to show off with, and feels that Jasper is shaming him. Ged begins his studies and works hard and does well. The conflict between Jasper and Ged escalates. In the winter, Ged goes with other students to a tower in the north of the island to Master Namer to learn the true names of objects. As he walks back he befriends an otak - a kind of rat-like animal - who stays with Ged. Back at the school, Jasper casts an illusion to please the Lady of O and her Master who are visiting, and is given praise. Seeing this, Ged is struck with bitter envy thinking he could do better.

Hope that helps! Key factors then to focus on are Ged's pride and how his conflict with Jasper really exacerbates this failing. Also, Ged's natural skill at wizardry, his otak and his friendship with Vetch. Hope it helps and good luck!

What are some examples of imagery in chapter 18 of The Catcher in the Rye?

The Catcher in the Rye is full of imagery, or descriptive language that evokes sensory experience, especially in the Chapter 18 where Holden does a lot of talking about what it means to be “phony.”  This is a great opportunity to speak of the five senses and how Salinger succeeds in a full sensory experience from the descriptive language in this particular chapter.  First, Holden doesn’t seem too concerned with his recent episode with Sally as “I felt sort of hungry, so I went in this drugstore and had a Swiss cheese sandwich and a malted” (135).  No better way to show nonchalance than with some apt taste imagery.  However, the main portion of literary imagery involves Holden’s description of the stage show at Radio City, the movie that follows, and Holden’s eventual revelation about war.  The visual imagery of the Christmas Spectacular is amazing.  “I came in when the goddam stage show was on.  The Rockettes were kicking their heads off” (137).  “Then after the Rockettes, a guy came out in a tuxedo and roller skates on, and started skating under a bunch of little tables, and telling jokes while he did it” (137).  “And the whole bunch of them—thousands of them—singing ‘Come All Ye Faithful” like mad (137).  Lots of sight, sound, and touch imagery.  All of this Holden finds very “phony,” but succeeds in painting a very graphic picture through descriptive imagery, doesn’t he?  Holden furthers his image with the very loaded word of “puke” which he uses as the ultimate descriptive image when something is “phony.” Puke:  an image of all five senses. “I said old Jesus probably would’ve puked if He could see it—all those fancy costumes and all” (138).  In regards to the film, Salinger’s descriptive imagery focuses more on Holden’s view of the woman beside him.  “The part that got me was, there was a lady sitting next to me that cried all through the whole goddam picture” while neglecting her little boy who needed to go to the bathroom (139).  Through descriptive imagery focusing on sight and sound, then, Holden discovers an important truth of human nature:  people are more likely to be concerned with imaginary people’s imaginary problems than with real people’s real problems.  Holden finally concludes, in utter disgust, that “I swear if there’s ever another war, they better just take me out and stick me in front of a firing squad. . . . If there’s ever another war, I’m going to sit right the hell on top of [the atomic bomb]” (141).  The Catcher in the Rye full of imagery?  I would say so.

In A Separate Peace, what does the tree represent?

The tree is the central symbol in the novel. It represents the enormous fear in which Gene lived at school, from the summer of 1942 until the spring of 1943. When he was a student at Devon, the tree seemed "tremendous" to Gene, "an irate, steely black steeple beside the river." When Gene does climb the tree, he enters into "a mild state of shock." He jumps from the tree "[w]ith the sensation that I was throwing my life away . . . ."

When Gene returns to Devon after fifteen years, the tree is the main focus of his visit. Going to the river, Gene has trouble even distinguishing it from the other trees. When he does identify it, the tree seems smaller to Gene, "shrunken by age." It seems "weary from age, enfeebled, dry." The tree no longer looms over Gene as some kind of lethal threat. The tree has not changed; Gene has changed. As an adult who has survived Devon and its traumas, he no longer lives in fear.

Analyze the Pardoner from The Canterbury Tales.

The Pardoner is characterized as an individual lacking moral scruples during the Prologue.  As a member of the Roman Catholic church, he is expected to embody the tenets of this faith; however, the irony is established by the Pardoner's confession: he crafts fake relics in order to exact a pretty penny from the church congregation and pockets the indulgences that were meant to buy spiritual salvation.  This is a flagrant disregard for the Christian teachings, since he is endorsing greed and dishonesty.

Important to note is the way in which the Pardoner is physically depicted.  Being compared to a "gelding" or "mare" creates a unique characterization of the Pardoner.  Gelding referred to a eunuch, who is a castrated, pre-pubescent male; this would explain the pardoner's high-pitched voice and lack of facial hair.  The "mare" would be someone who was effeminate, potentially hermaphroditic or homosexual.  In either interpretation, the Pardoner is crafted as aberrant sexually.  This sexual deficiency would align with the Pardoner's moral deficiency, as it’s believed that the outward mirrored the soul.  Therefore, through the physical depiction of the Pardoner, Chaucer furthers the base characterization of the Pardoner.

The actual tale indicts greed and jealousy; it reinforces Church teachings.  However, the fact that the tale ends with the Pardoner trying to sell fakes after his confession indicates that the words of the Pardoner do not match his true self.

What are the differences between East Egg and West Egg citizens?

Fitzgerald has used East Egg and West Egg to represent old wealth and prestige versus new money and bourgeoisie. The people in East Egg, such as the Buchanans, have come from families who have always had money; they have been well educated at Ivy League colleges such as Yale. Those in West Egg, on the other hand, like Gatsby, are newcomers. They don't come from wealthy backgrounds; rather, they have made their own fortunes. Instead of Ivy League college degrees, people in West Egg are more likely to have work experience gained while they made their money. The people here tend to build ostentatious houses; Gatsby's is unbelievably huge, luxuriously furnished and decorated.

Generally speaking, those in East Egg look down on the people in West Egg as brash newcomers. Fitzgerald reinforces the contrast with the difference in values between those who live in the American East and the Midwest. Although Nick Carraway, a native of the Midwest, lives in West Egg, he merely rents a cottage. Daisy's cousin, Nick is more like those in East Egg because of his background, but he chooses to live in West Egg because he's trying to make it in the bond business and doesn't have much money of his own. The East Egg citizens are portrayed as corrupt and jaded while those in West Egg are seen are less sophisticated, more innocent.

Why did the alchemist befriend Santiago, through he knew the Englishman was the one looking for him in Coelho's The Alchemist?

The alchemist probably chose to befriend Santiago because, like all "seers," he realized that it was Santiago who was "open" to finding him. The Englishman was looking for something other than what the alchemist could offer him. The Englishman was searching for something that the alchemist couldn't provide him, i.e., something tangible. What the Englshman was searching for was driven more by his own selfish needs rather than any intrinsic answers. In other words, the Englishman was searching for tangible riches. He was looking for a way to turn metal into gold in the strict sense. He didn't realize that the "riches" the alchemist could help him find were of the intangible sort. The alchemist knew this. He knew that, like so many others who came before the Englishman, what he sought were material riches. Those types of riches could not be provided by the alchemist. The riches that the alchemist could "provide," had more to do with uncovering "riches" already possessed by those who sought them for unselfish reasons. Realizing this in Santiago, the alchemist befriended Santiago; a "seeker" in the purest sense.

Nick remembers his father's suggestion that "a sense of fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth." What are "fundamental decencies"?

Nick's statement refers to tolerance of conduct, . . . but the quotation you speak of has a deeper meaning than one may suspect.  First, it is important to put the comment from Nick's father in further context in order to delve further:

I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth. (1)

Upon first glance, the reader may mistakenly think that the term "fundamental decencies" refers to money.  In fact, perhaps it did refer to riches in Nick's mind when he was younger and more naive, . . . before Nick lived in West Egg on Long Island. However, the real meaning behind the term "fundamental decencies" is revealed just a few sentences later:

And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit.  Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes, but after a certain point I don't care what it's founded on.  When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. (2)

Point blank, Nick tells us here that "fundamental decencies" refers to "conduct" between people.  And although we may have been led to believe that the rich seem to have the upper hand in this arena, Nick is here to tell the reader that that is most certainly not the case.  Ironically, he tells us this before the story even begins!  However, by the end, the reader will realize the despicable conduct of these East Eggers and West Eggers and have no doubt about the reason why Nick flees back to the Midwest, . . . for he gave us the reason on the very first two pages.

In chapter 2 when references to Holden's red hunting hat begin, how might Salinger use this hat as a symbol?

The hat, first mentioned in chapter 3 when Holden returns to his room after visiting his professor, symbolizes several of Holden's internal struggles within the novel.  The color red, a color that does not easily go unnoticed, points to one of Holden's biggest fears, which is disappearing as he grows older; this fear stems from the death of his brother Allie.  The color red also symbolizes Holden's aggressive feelings towards growing up.  The appearance of the hat "with one of those very, very long peaks" is different than a common baseball cap (Salinger 17).  Holden is drawn to this because part of him yearns to be different than his peers and most of the people he meets within the course of the novel.  Even the way that he "swung the old peak way around to the back" noting that he felt this to be "-very corny...but [he] liked it that way" shows that he wants to feel comfortable in being different than those he deems phony (18).   However, he is very conscientious about when he wears the hat and who is around him because there is another part of him that wants to fit in and be a part of the mainstream crowd; he just does not know how to go about achieving this due to his skewed view of the world and growing older.  The hat symbolizes this internal struggle by allowing him to stand out when he feels comfortable doing so, but its removal also allows him to conform without doing so in an overtly obvious way. 

Is there any symbolism in the poem "The Unknown Citizen"?

The poem itself is pretty direct; the increase in technology in the world, and the ability of government to be able to "track" a man's life based on that data gathered from that technology, is all satirically commented on by Auden.

The title and dedication itself can be seen as a kind of symbol; instead of naming the man, he is known as "the unknown citizen", symbolizing how his society doesn't need a name for him, just a number: "JS/07/M/38/".  The lack of name and the number is a symbol of the alienation of the individual from the society, the lack of humanness in technology.  An uknown citizen symbolizes the masses of men who go to war to lay down their lives for their country (akin to "an uknown soldier).

The monument erected in the citizen's honor is a symbol of what this type of society values most: a citizen who follows the rules, follows their opinions, and never causes trouble.  According to their stats, this man fit the bill, so they erected a monument.  All of this implies "do what you are expected to do, and we will honor you" and symbolizes the deindividuation of people expected by that society.

The various representative organizations presenting information on the man represent the cold, distant nature of technology and statistics, and how they cannot possibly reflect who a person really is.  As the last lines state, "Was he free?  Was he happy?  The question is absurd."  They didn't know him at all, and didn't care.