I am required to do an anticipatory and closing set (5 to 10 minutes) for each 75 minute class on Tuesdays With Morrie. Does anyone have clever...

I assume from the placement of this question in the Tuesday's With Morrie group that you are asking about anticipatory and closing sets for lessons on this very book.  Keep in mind the basic purposes for anticipatory and closing sets as well as the objectives of your lesson.  An anticipatory set is designed to get students to use prior knowledge that they can apply to the lesson that day.  It often sparks interest, creates excitement, and builds anticipation, but the main purpose is to connect prior knowledge with new knowledge.  A closing set is used to wrap up the lesson and tie everything together.  Its main purpose is to drive home the main point of the lesson that day, and possibly get students to take the knowledge to a new level.

One of the greatest and in my opinion, easiest, things about this book is how quickly most students can relate to its different messages.  In several writing lessons (not necessarily studying this book) I've used different quotes from Tuesdays With Morrie as warm-up journal prompts.  I'll often post a quote with a few personal questions attached or I'll simply put the quote and write "Respond."  Here's a quick example:

It was only through default that the best professor I ever had became a teacher (from "The Professor").

1. Who has been your favorite teacher of all time and why?

Though it is a simple task, it gets students to draw from experience and make a personal connection before doing the lesson for the day.  Closing sets, for me, vary by lesson.  I will often have students go back to their journal entries from the beginning of class and explore their ideas further (given the subject of the lecture that day).  Once in a while I'll give them a question to discuss with a partner.  If your lesson has an "essential question" (the most important point of the lesson) it is often a good idea to have students answer that question in their own words at the end of class.  If you wish to be creative, you can have students come up with a "review question" and answer for the lesson that day.  You'll be surprised to see what individuals deem important and this is a way you can see what your students "got" out of the lesson that day.

Does Jack embody Hitler? Why or why not?

This is not the only time someone has suggested the connection, but in my mind there are several holes in the idea, even some that weren't mentioned by the previous post which does quite a good job.

Hitler couched much of his policy and his ideals in a very "righteous" way, the idea that they would be returning to the morals and righteousness of a forgotten time in Germany.  He obviously used the depredations of the Treaty of Versailles and the failed state-like conditions that it induced in Germany, but he also appealed to a sense of order and a sense of a higher power, something that Jack is clearly (at least in my mind) pushing back against as he appeals to the boys baser instincts.

The connection, I think, is one that people draw because of the idea of blood lust and the desire to kill and to maim and though Hitler certainly pushed the Army and the SS and many others to do horrible things, he rarely used that so blatantly as his appeal to the people, whereas Jack says simply that they are strong and can kill and satisfy themselves and that they needn't be afraid.

What are the male-female relations in "A Jury of Her Peers"?

Unfortunately, the male/female relations in "A Jury of our Peers" were typical of that time.  How women were able to be treated is best seen through the evidence, the "trifles," which are discovered by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters and dismissed by the men. 

Women were not to be persons in their own rights  Obviously Mr. Wright was furious at the singing of a bird, at the idea that his wife might interact with the outside world, at the idea that his wife coulod have a life and friends aside from him. He wielded the power and she was to be a silent, submissive woman.

Men were always right and superior.  Obviously the clues to this murder are all over the house and in plain sight; the men, however, think they know best what kinds of things are clues/evidence and in what kinds of places those clues would be found.  They laugh at the women and dismiss them at every turn.

Because of these two things, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters conduct their own infomal trial and act as Minnie's jury--and they obviously find her not guilty.

How do you make a proof using PMI for (n) + (n) + (n)+...+(n) = 2^n 0 1 2 n using the binomial theorom?I...

If you throw a coin one time,the possiblities of outcome are  2= 2^1 Head or Tail

If you throw a coin 2 times, possiblities of outcome are: hh, th,ht,tt=4 =2^2 possiblities.

Similarly if the coin is thown 3 times , possblities are:hhh,hht,hth,thh,htt,tht,tth,ttt = 2^3.

Thus each trial has 2 possible outcomes.

If the coin is thrown  n times , the number possible outcomes are =2^n.

Let us see the other way these outcomes of n throws:

In n trials, number no heads

No heads and all are tails in ntrials is only one possiblityand symbolically it is nC0.

Number one head comining up of one head = nC1

Number of ways of appearing 2 heads =nC2

Number of ways of appearing 3 heads =nC3

Number of ways of appearing 4 heads =nC4

...........  ......... .................... .............

Number of ways of appearing all n heads=nCn.

Adding all the above ways heads from o heads to n heads in n trials exhausts all ways possiblities which is 2^n. Therefore,

nC0+nC1+nC2+nC4+................+nCn = 2^n

The Misfit says he kills for pleasure. Does he also kill to get even for what he perceives as society's unjust treatment of him?

As the brutal and unrepentant murderer in Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the Misfit has no qualms about killing men, women or children. He admits to not being a good man, and he seems resigned to living up to his father's prediction that he is "a different breed of dog... (who is) going to be into everything." His crimes are so lengthy that he cannot remember what he first did to land him in prison. But he has a strong belief that no matter what he does, "kill a man or take a tire off his car," he will be punished for it.

He believes that his various punishments have far surpassed his crimes. He understands that you should

"sign everything you do and keep a copy of it... in the end, you'll have something to prove you ain't been treated right. I call myself The Misfit," he said, "because I can't take what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment."

He asks the grandmother if it's fair that some people are never punished for their crimes when "another ain't punished at all?" The Misfit has been reduced to having "no pleasure but meanness."

What are the different boys' views of the beast?

The beast, of course, which doesn't exist, changes in the boys' imaginations. In Chapter 2, it begins as a "snake thing":

Ralph laughed... The small boy twisted further into himself.
“Tell us about the snake-thing.”
“Now he says it was a beastie.”
“Beastie?”
“A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it.”
“Where?”
“In the woods.”

Golding is always careful to let the reader know what the "beast" really is: in this case, it's simply vines:

“He says in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches."

In a later meeting, there's a suggestion that the beast comes from the sea, or even that the beast might be a ghost. Simon, in the same meeting, has it right: there is a beast, he says, but “What I mean is. . . maybe it’s only us.”

And the same thing happens later when the parachutist falls to the island, "beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs." This becomes, in the eyes of SamnEric,

“There were eyes—”
“Teeth—”
“Claws—”
“We ran as fast as we could—”
“Bashed into things—”
“The beast followed us—”
“I saw it slinking behind the trees—”

The key point here is that there is no consistency to the way the beast is imagined. Which makes sense: because the beast itself is entirely imaginary in any realistic way. The darkness which hides the "real beast" is, as Golding points out in the final paragraph of the novel, "the darkness of man's heart".

In The Crucible, what is Parris' speech from Act Four about? "Now Mr Hale's returned..." about? What is their "good purpose"?

Parris is worried that the town is becoming dissatisfied with the execution of its citizens: particularly when those executed are "people [who] have great weight yet in the town" (Act Four). Parris is arguing with Hathorne and Danforth, telling them that they should "postpone these hangin's for a time". Here's the full speech you refer to:

Now Mr Hale's returned, there is hope, I think - for if he brings even one of these to God, that confession surely damns the others in the public eye, and none may doubt more that they are all linked to Hell. This way, unconfessed and claiming innocence, doubts are multiplied, many honest people will weep for them, and our good purpose is lost in their tears.

If people are executed after they have confessed to witchcraft, then "none may doubt that they are all linked to Hell". But, if people are executed unconfessed and claiming innocence, then the other townspeople doubt how just the trials were, and discontent is bred. The people cry, and lose sight of the "purpose" of the trials.

And what is the "good purpose" behind all these executions? To wipe out the witches and witchcraft from Salem, and to turn it back into a noble, Christian community. But, of course, when people are being executed, the politics within the town have to be carefully managed - as executing people isn't the most Christian thing to do, per se. And this is what Parris is arguing about.

Hope it helps!

In "Hamlet" act 4 scenes 7 & 8 how does Claudius manipulate Laertes, an otherwise arguably honourable man, into his plan?

In two basic ways:  he appeals to Laertes' sense of duty and honor in regards to his father, and, he flatters Laertes.  He starts by challenging his loyalties to his father:  "Was your father dear to you?  Or are you like the painting of a sorrow, a face without a heart?...show yourself your father's son in deed more than in words" (ll. 107-109, 126).  Claudius is insinuating that if Laertes really loved his father, he would defend his honor in action. This is a sneaky way to get an honorable man to feel that he is being honorable, by defending his father's death.  And, Laertes buys into it.

The king also hints around about Laertes' skill with the sword, and that certainly Hamlet would accept a challenge to a duel, where no one would blame Laertes if Hamlet were to "accidentally" die.  A duel is an accepted form of competition; it is a noble way to challenge Hamlet, and the king has suggested that Laertes should certainly take Hamlet-of famed skill at the sword-on in a challenge.

So, Claudius plays on Laertes' grief by challenging his loyalty to his father, and his pride by flattering his fencing skills-all to his advantage.

Did Sarty's father really die in Barn Burning?

I believe that Sarty's father, Ab does die in the story "Barn Burning" but not from the gunshots.  I think what is confusing you is there was a trilogy written by Faulkner after the book "Barn Burning" which does talk about Ab and his life. The trilogy is known as the "Snopes Trilogy" - "The Hamlet", "The Town", and "The Mansion".  Actually "Barn Burning" shows was happens to Ab in the future.  So you are seeing the end of Ab's life in the "Barn Burning" and then go back in time in the Trilogy.  Hope this helps answer your question.  Remember, I believe he dies in the end, but not from the gunshots because Faulkner refers to this in his future writings.

What key legislation has expanded rights for African Americans and for women?

The Bill of Rights was passed the safeguard individual liberties.  However, the rights guaranteed to all Americans haven't always been applied equally and fairly.  The Bill of Rights was intended originally to restrain only the national government.  Gradually, the Bill of Rights came to cover all Americans equally and to limit government power at all levels.  Additional amendments to the Constitution and court rulings both played a part in this process.

Three amendments were passed after the Civil War to extend civil liberties to African Americans.  These amendments were the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments-known as the "Civil War Amendments".  The 13th Amendment (1865) officially outlawed slavery in the U.S. and outlawed any sort of forced labor, except as punishment for a crime.  The 14th Amendment (1868) granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S; banned states from denying a person life, liberty, or property without due process of law; and banned states from denying any person equal protection under the laws.  The 15th Amendment (1870) guaranteed voting rights to African Americans by outlawing denial of the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

In 1948, President Harry Truman ordered an end to segregation in the nation's armed forces.  The civil rights laws of the 1960s certainly opened more doors for minorities.  The Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) ruled that racial segregation in the public schools was unconstitutional.  Segregation violated the 14th Amendment's principle of equal protection under the law.  The Civil Rights Act of 1963 was passed by Congress to set up commission on civil rights and created a division of civil rights in Justice Department.  The Equal Pay Act of 1963 banned wage discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or national origin. The 24th Amendment (1964) outlawed poll taxes.  Two years later the Supreme Court ruled that poll taxes were illegal in states elections as well. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 strengthened the 14th Amendments protections by banning discrimination in employment, voting, and public accommodations.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 empowered the federal government to intervene in voter registration discrimination.  The Open housing Act of 1968 prevented people selling or renting homes from using certain forms of discrimination.  The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 provided that businesses receiving federal funds must have affirmative action programs to increase the number of female and minority employees.

Although the Constitution didn't guarantee women the right to vote, it didn't explicitly deny them suffrage.  The territory of Wyoming permitted women to vote in 1869, and several other territories and states did so as well in the years that followed.  It was only in 1920, however, that the 19th Amendment protected the rights of women to vote in all national and state elections.

What are the difference between the Lord of the Flies and the parachute? Do both embody the real beast?

The Lord of the Flies is a pig's head on a stick, which is severed from the body of a sow which is hunted and killed by Jack and his hunters. Jack puts it on a sharpened stick, and leaves it as a gift to the beast:

Jack spoke loudly.

“This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.”

The silence accepted the gift and awed them. The head remained there, dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackening between the teeth. All at once they were running away, as fast as they could, through the forest toward the open beach.

The pig's head then, obviously attracts flies, and hence becomes, in Simon's mind, "The Lord of the Flies". Simon has an odd prophetic, spiritual sense, and his mind seems to personify it as a representation of the beast:

“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” said the head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?"

Moreover, "Lord of the Flies" is a translation of "Beelzebub", a word of the devil. So it really is the "beast", the evil within man.

The parachuted man is, like the Lord of the Flies, just an innocent happening. Nothing scary. But the boy's imaginations and fears, just as Simon's did to the pig's head, make it into a beast. It's all in the mind - and the "evil" of the beast is too. What makes them scared - and what makes them behave badly - is the darkness of their own hearts.

What are six differences between spanish foods and mexican foods and six similarities?If you don't exactly know the answer, could you please direct...

There are actually few similarities between Mexican food and Spanish food. One example would be tortillas. They are used in the cooking of both cultures, although they are a staple in Mexican food and are used more sparingly in Spanish cuisine. Spanish food tends to be more Mediterranean. They use a large amount of shellfish. Potatoes, eggplant, and olive oil while Mexican dishes tend to use large amounts of chili peppers and tortillas. Mexican food tends to be spicier overall. Mexican dishes are more often served one per individual, while Spanish tapas (appetizers) are made for sharing. There is also more finger food in Mexican dishes. Seasonings between the foods of the two cultures tend to be different as well. The main example of this would be cilantro which is used in many Mexican dishes but seldom in Spanish ones (as fresh cilantro is quite difficult to find in Spain). 

Discuss its significance of racing in The Awakening, which comes into the plot in connection with Edna, Arobin, and the Colonel.

In The Awakening, racing is obviously a metaphor (a picture, a comparison) for what's going on with Edna.  In many ways racing is exhilarating and dangerous and forbidden--all the things Edna's feeling about her short-lived relationship with Alcée Arobin and her more serious and lasting relationship with Robert, as well as her attempt at becoming an artist.

This novel is set in a time and place which sees women in certain roles.  We see Adele as one kind of woman, the loving and doting mother figure.  We see Madamoiselle Reisz as another, kind of an eccentric artist.  We meet a whole slew of fashionable ladies, such as Mrs. Highcamp, who were a bit "naughty" but only within acceptable boundaries.  Edna fits none of these very well, though she dabbles in each of these roles.

She has chosen to live dangerously, to flaunt the role she once had, and it's a risk.  It's a gamble she loses, in the end, but she ran her race and took her chances. 

What seems to be the reason why the Wheatpatch Camp differs from the other camps in Grapes of Wrath?

Wheatpatch Camp, called Weedpatch Camp in the book, is much nicer than the other camps the Joads have seen.  It is a government camp, and it is well run; Weedpatch is a place where Ma Joad knows that they will finally be "treated decent".  The camp is well-organized and neat, the tents set in neat rows, with no litter around them.  There are community "toilets and showers and wash tubs", and best of all, there is hot running water.  It costs a dollar a week to camp at Weedpatch, and if a family does not have the money, they can work off the fee by doing odd jobs to keep the camp clean and running well.

A huge reason why Weedpatch differs from other camps is because the residents govern themselves.  They "elect their own cops", and the often ruthless law enforcement of the surrounding areas is not allowed in the Camp without a warrant.  The people also elect representatives to a Central Committee, which "makes the laws...what they say goes".  Those who do not follow the rules of the Camp are warned by the Central Committee, and after a third infraction, are forced to leave.  When the Joads arrive at Weedpatch, there is relatively little crime in the community, in contrast to the other places in which they have stayed.  Tom Joad finds it hard to believe that "the fellas that runs the camp is jus' fellas - camping here".

The Joads are happy at the government camp, but after awhile, they realize that there is a major problem there.  There is no work to be had anywhere in the area, and as families run out of money and cannot buy food to sustain themselves, crime, especially theft born of desperation, increases.  Ma Joad sees that the health of each of them is suffering because of malnutrition, and forces the men to confront the problem and make an unwanted decision.  Although Weedpatch is the nicest place in which they have stayed since leaving home, the Joads are forced to leave in order to find work (Chapters 22-26).

What symbols does Joyce use in "Eveline"?

One symbol that appears at the conclusion of the story "Eveline" is the iron rail that Eveline clutches so tightly in her dazed confusion. Since while in her confused state she continues to muse over the same questions and mouth the same unvoiced prayers to understand what her duty is, it might be said that the rail she clutches is the symbol of her act of clutching steadfastly to her confusion. It is her confusion--that she resolves but pursues yet again--that leads to her frozen immobility and inability to decide. At the moment during which she is clutching the rail her eyes show no sign of cognition, feeling, recognition; they only have a blank frenzied animal stare to them. The cold rigid rail is a good symbol of this death of her humanity and human reason.

Another symbol is Buenos Ayres which is translated to English as "good air." Joyce surrounds Eveline with stifling air; even the curtains framing the window through which she listens to the organ grinder smell of dust, meaning she has long neglected them and their cleaning. In Buenos Aires is the promise of life sustaining air to breath and the hope of a healthy life of happiness. It is this promise that conflicts with the oppressive ideas of duty that bind Eveline to a life that is choking the breath and life out of her.

In the story "Of Love and Other Demons" by Garcia Marqez, what are some symbols/elements associated with the characters.

Sievra Maria - is the slave of all angels.

Bernarda Cabrera is associated with Saint Bernard who married following a wish of his father - just as Bernarda did.

Don Ygnacio has several connotations, for example, in Roman times his name has Etruscan elements, meaning something is unknown. Then later in Latin his name is connected with fire. There is also an association that can be made with Ignacio of Loyola - obviously one in jest.  Also by being Lord Darien, one has an idea of him tottering between two things as Darien borders Panama and Columbia - it is possible to argue that he may border life and death. This is coupled with the connection of bats to him.  Bats are often seen to symbolize the underworld, destruction and decay. They also suffer isolation and shame in their lack of feathers according to Oaxacan belief. They are also loosely link to dragons - this compliments Ygnacio's connection to fire - as fire breathing dragons. There is though the issue of his passivity which does not alter until he finally decides one day that his daughter is his life - and then he borders between action and non-action.

In The Great Gatsby, how do the motifs of parties, alcohol, crime, and cars relate to Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby?

These motifs do relate to both characters, but in somewhat different ways.

The Party Motif: Gatsby's parties are a means to an end. He stages huge, glamorous, elaborate garden parties hoping that Daisy might wander in one night. Once he is reunited with her, the parties cease. The party most closely associated with Tom occurs in the apartment he rents in New York City where he can meet Myrtle. This party is small and crowded, smoky and unpleasant. It ends in violence when Tom breaks Myrtle's nose during a drunken argument.

The Alcohol Motif: Gatsby serves alcohol to his guests, he earns money by bootlegging alcohol, but he does not drink it. During his years with Dan Cody, Gatsby observed the effects of alcohol and did not touch it himself, although women sometimes rubbed champagne into his hair. Tom drinks bootlegged liquor while condemning Gatsby for selling it; he is a hypocrite.

The Crime Motif: Gatsby built his fortune through criminal activities after going into business with Meyer Wolfsheim, a gangster. Besides selling liquor which was outlawed under Prohibition, Gatsby's activities included the theft of bearer bonds. Tom scorns Gatsby for his criminal activities, while covering up Daisy's role in Myrtle Wilson's death. Tom also bears some responsibility for Gatsby's death because he deliberately directed the distraught and dangerous George Wilson to Gatsby's home.

The Car Motif: Gatsby's huge, cream-colored Rolls-Royce with its three-note melody horn and shiny glass symbolizes his great wealth and the gaudy display of his fortune. The car identifies Gatsby as a member of the "new money" set who make up West Egg. Tom feels snobbish contempt for Gatsby's car, calling it a "circus wagon." Tom's association with cars concerns George Wilson. Tom leads George on, pretending to be interested in buying a car from him, while seeing Myrtle at Wilson's garage. Tom feels quite superior and smug in fooling the naive, gullible husband of his mistress.

why does rapid cooling of a saturated solution produce small crystals , but slow cooling produce large crystals?

A solute when dissoved in a solvent produces a solution. For example, grain sugar dissolves in water at room temperature to produce a sugar solution. The maximum amount of sugar that dissolves in water at room temperature produces what is known as a saturated sugar solution. Beyond this stage, if the solution is warmed it will dissolve more sugar to produce what is known as a supersaturated sugar solution.

When a supersaturated sugar solution is cooled, it cannot hold the excess sugar. This is thrown out of the solution in the form of crystals i.e. recrystallization takes place. This is principle for manufacture of sugar crystals from sugar cane or sugar beet juice.

The size of sugar crystals depends on the number of nuclei present (i.e. graining stage). The lesser the number of nuclei and the longer the cooling time will lead to production of larger sugar crystals.

In Lord of the Flies, Ralph is changed by his experiences on the island. How does Golding show this?

In the beginning, Ralph is just a 12 year old boy, doing what many boys would do in his situation.  He plays in the warm, ocean water.  Ralph grabs ahold of the one name Piggy asked not to be called and calls Piggy that.  Typical boy actions. He has to mature quickly though when he is placed in charge of the boys.  He accepts his duties and tries to be reasonable with the boys, appealing to what he perceives as their combined desire to be rescued off the island. He is civilized and he tries to treat others with civility as best a 12 year old can.  By the last chapter, he is being hunted like an animal and he must think like an animal.  When he encounters the pig's skull stuck on the stick sharpened at both ends, he knocks the skull off the stick and grabs the stick to use as a weapon.  He has degenerated and become as savage as those who are hunting him.  When the officer appears at the end to rescue the boys, Ralph weeps for "...the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart...".  Ralph fully understands finally that the beast the boys feared was not an outside opponent, but it lived inside of each one of them.  It took him the entire novel to realize what Simon and Piggy both realized much earlier.  It also took Ralph the entire novel to finally let out the beast within him.  He realizes that he is no better than Jack and the others because he was prepared to kill just as they were prepared to kill. 

Each side of a square measures 65 m 5 dm.Find its area. By how many square metres does it fall short of a hectare?

To find the Area of a quadrilateral, you always multiply Length * Width. In the case of a square, all sides are the same length, so you simply multiply 65.5* 65.5. The reason you can use 65.5 is that there are 10 decimeters in one meter, so if you convert decimeters to meters you have 5/10 of a meter.

This is a two-step problem. After you have found the Area of the square, you must then subtract it from 10,000 which is how many square meters are in a hectare.

Your problem will look like this:

65.5*65.5 = A of square

10,000 - A = X sq meters

What are the themes of "The Namesake" and explain how they are significant to the title.

Identity: Gogol struggles throughout the novel with his dual identity - American and Bengali. He changes his name in an effort to do away with any negative connotation there is with the origin of his name. Nikolai Gogol was considered an eccentric man and Gogol Ganguli does not want to be associated with the weirdness of Gogol the author. However, he feels this way because he does not know the true origin of his namesake. This theme is relevant to the title because the namesake means different things to different people. Most people are indifferent towards the name Gogol. To Ashoke, it has a great significance because a) it is the name of his favorite Russian author and b) he was clutching a page from Nikolai Gogol's "The Overcoat" when he was pulled from the train wreck. To Gogol, it is not connected to him or his Bengali heritage in any way and therefore he initially rejects it.

Culture Clash: In an attempt to do things the Bengali way, Ashima and Ashoke take their kids to Bengali cultural events, read them Bengali literature and take them on trips to Calcutta. However, the Ganguli children quickly adopt the American way of doing things and their parents, in order to please their children, incorporate these traditions in the Ganguli home. The relevance of this theme to the title is that Gogol's name means nothing in this country but to his Bengali parents it has much significance. Gogol represents his Bengali side whereas Nikhil represents his American side. Hence, two name for one person further conveys this idea of cultures clashing.

What is the political situation in Scotland when Macbeth opens?

A war between the Scottish army and invading Norwegian troops reinforced by some Scottish rebels, led by Macdonwald and the Thane of Cawdor, is taking place. Macbeth and Banquo are the captains leading Duncan's forces. The outcome of the battles will determine Scotland's future. Will it continue to be a sovereign nation with Duncan as king, or will it fall to the invaders?

How is Dimmesdale the most tragic character in the book and one of Hawthorne's best psychological portraits? If not, then why is he not?

Dimmesdale is one of Hawthorne’s best psychological portraits in that Hawthorne allows us to glimpse Dimmedale’s inner life, and his struggle and rejection of that inner life. 

In rejecting his authentic inner experience in favor of the beliefs of the church fathers, Dimmesdale is the most tragic character in The Scarlet Letter. Unlike Hester, Dimmedale accepts the church fathers’ definition of adultery as a sin. 

Dimmesdale’s greater sin, however, is not adultery but that of denying himself a loving and sexual relationship with Hester.  If Dimmesdale had admitted his sexual relationship with Hester and had chosen to leave town with her, as she suggested, he would have found redemption in their relationship. After all, it is his relationship with Hester that evokes his passion, his spirituality, and makes him an effective preacher.  

Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale’s preaching voice like this: “This vocal organ was in itself a rich endowment;. . .  Like all other music, it breathed passion and pathos, and emotions high or tender, in a tongue native to the human heart.” Dimmesdale’s ability to connect with the human heart is a result of his connecting with his own heart through loving Hester.

Hester sees that Dimmesdale is denying his inner life and is suffering mentally and physically because of it. She confronts him saying, “Thou art crushed under this seven years’ of weight and misery. . . Exchange this false life of thine for a true one.”

As a result of this conversation with Hester, “His spirit rose as it were, with a bound, and attained a nearer prospect of the sky, than throughout all the misery which had kept him groveling on the earth. . .” Dimmesdale says, “Do I feel joy again?. . . O Hester, thou art my better angle! I seem to have flung myself-sick, sin-stained, and sorrow-blackened-down upon these forest-leaves, and to have risen up all made anew, with new powers to glorify Him that hath been merciful? This is already the better life!”

In the forest, Hester and Dimmesdale resurrect their love and Hawthorn provides us the following description about their love. “Such was the sympathy of Nature--that wild, heathen Nature of the forest, never subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth--with the bliss of these two spirits! Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world.”

Hawthorn describes Dimmesdale’s insight in the forest with Hester like this, “Another man had returned out of the forest; a wiser one; one with a knowledge of hidden mysteries which the simplicity of the former never could have reached.”

Dimmesdale’s tragedy is that he lacks the courage to hold on to that new and wiser man, and to his new insight that Hester is his better angle. Instead of validating his own inner experience, Dimmedale allows himself to revert to the repressive beliefs held by the church fathers. In so choosing, he deserts Hester for the second time and dooms himself to a public and tragic death on the scaffold.

Post Script: Dimmesdale will not have died in vain if those of us living today learn from his tragedy by learning to respect our own inner experience and learning that a passionate, loving, sexual relationship is a path to a spiritual experience. When we can do that, we will have gained knowledge of the hidden mysteries.

In "A Separate Peace" what symbolic role does Finny's death play in the story?

Finny was a unique character who possessed a special quality of happiness and peace that many other characters strived to have, and failed.  Genes states of Finny,

"He possessed an extra vigor, a heightened confidence in himself, a serene capacity for affection which saved him...nothing...had broken his harmonious and natural unity."

Before this, Gene explained that most people came up against something in their lives that tested them to the max, and broke them, "and they were not the same again."  For most characters in this story, it was the war.  Once they realized that there was "this overwhelmingly hostile thing in the world with them," they broke, changing forever.  However, Finny didn't.  He remained himself.  So, at last, Gene states, he broke Finny.  So when Finny dies, it symbolizes how nothing is invincible; each of us will be changed by something in the world around us-a war, a trial, even a jealous friend-and we will have to surrender our peace to that change.  It is a dismal ending; Finny represented the ability to stay happy and separate from the brutal world around us, and when he dies, the last bit of peace fled with him.  Finny symbolized peace, harmony and innocence; his death symbolized the departure of that.  It is a "growing up", a surrender to the world, and the conquest of reality over innocence.

How is honesty the most prevalent theme in The Great Gatsby? Explain the importance of this theme and why it should take priority over two of...

In The Great Gatsby, honesty is a huge theme, as no one is quite what they seem.  Be it Tom who plays the devoted husband, yet leads Nick to his apartment in the city where he has an open affair with a girl from the Valley of Ashes, or Daisy who appears weak and defenseless, yet later on runs over her husband's mistress in Gatsby's car, characters are very multidimensional.

Gatsby refuses to give straight answers, and it is not until after he all but loses hope for achieving his goal of winning back Daisy that he comes close to being honest with Nick, the narrator.  In fact, Nick doesn't get the whole picture of Gatsby's life until after he is dead, and he has an opportunity to speak with his father, Mr. Gatz, at a very poorly attended funeral. 

No one is what they seem.  Jordan cheats at Golf, while Tom, Daisy, and Myrtle all have extramarital affairs.  When Nick tells Gatsby that he's worth "the whole damn lot of the put together", he is making a valid judgement call in that no one else ever comes clean and exhibits true honesty except for Gatsby in the end.  This adds a lot of meaning to the quote early on in the novel where Nick says, "No, Gatsby turned out alright in the end... it was what preyed on him" that finally got to him.

Why are Macbeth's first words, "So foul and fair a day I have not seen," important?

These words are important since they immediately introduce us to the theme of paradox and equivocation. Macbeth's statement engenders a clear contrast. Two conflicting ideas are expressed in the same sentence, 'foul' is the direct opposite of 'fair'. This is exactly the kinds of situations Macbeth will be confronted with throughout the play.

The evil sisters sisters, though, do not deem the two as contrasting ideas and treat them as equals. Their paradoxical statement, 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' is an expression of their duplicity. They intentionally set out to deceive the gullible Macbeth and drive him to strive for ambition. In the process, he commits the most heinous of crimes. Ambition is a good thing and therefore fair. Macbeth's 'overriding ambition,' though, is malevolent and thus foul. Macbeth's desire to achieve the golden round turns him into a remorseless killer who spares no one.

It is not only the witches, though, who practice this kind of dastardly deception. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth actually encourage one another to be devious. She for example, tells her husband to 'look the innocent flower, but be the serpent underneath'. He, likewise, advises, 'false face must hide what the false heart doth know.' In both instances they urge one another to appear one way but in actual fact be the exact opposite. The appearance is fair, but the real intent is foul. They are remorseless in this and commit murder without batting an eyelid.

Throughout the play Macbeth commits the most heinous deeds which, to him, are fair measures to protect his position, even though he uses foul means to ensure his security. He has the innocent Banquo murdered and has Macduff's entire family slain because he sees the two men as threats to his status.

However, Macbeth soon realises that he had been misled by the witches' seemingly favourable prophesies. He believed, for example that he was invincible for the witches had told him that:

none of woman born shall harm Macbeth

and  

Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.

Macbeth realizes his folly in both instances. Firstly, he is told by one of his messengers that Birnam Wood seems to be marching towards the castle. This was Malcolm's troops who had each cut a bough off a tree to camouflage their numbers. Secondly, when he is confronted by Macduff and he commands him to surrender since he is protected by a charm, Macduff tells him that he was not naturally born since he had been from his mother's womb, 'untimely ripped.'

It is then that Macbeth realizes that the game is up and that he had been a pawn in the scheming witches' hands. He refuses to surrender and is killed by Macduff. What had been fair to Macbeth had become foul in the most dramatic and tragic manner.