What are three significant things we learn about the Cratchits in A Christmas Carol?

While the poor of Charles Dickens London were thought to be worthless and dull, the Crachits prove themselves spirited, caring, and fun-loving tightly -knit family despite their penury. For, as the Spirit of Christmas Present hovers over the home of the Crachits, Scrooge witnesses a happy, although pitiable, family.

As Bob Crachit heads home from his chair at the office of Ebenezer Scrooge, his daughter Martha returns at a late hour. Her mother kisses her repeatedly, urging her to warm herself by the fire; however her young siblings want Martha to hide in order to tease Bob Crachit. After she does so, tricking her father, Martha is troubled to have caused him anxiety, so she makes herself known. And, as the others surround him in glee, Mrs. Crachit asks him how well Tiny Tim has fared this day. Bob Crachit replies that Tim has done well because in his unselfish, caring nature, Tim has hoped that the people in the church will see him so that they will

...remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see."

After their meal, Mr. Crachit offers a toast to Scrooge, "the Founder of the Feast," a toast which raises the ire of Mrs. Crachit. Still, she toasts him out of consideration for her husband.

In "Of Mice and Men," how does George feel about Lennie and the mouse?Does George hate Lennie petting the mice?Does George like Lennie being happy...

George takes the dead mouse away from Lennie and says, "You ain't petting no mice while you walk with me." At first, then, we think that George disapproves of Lennie's petting mice. After Lennie retrieves the mouse, however, and George throws it away again, Lennie breaks down and cries. George explains, "I ain't takin' it away jus' for meanness. That mouse ain't fresh...and you've broke it pettin' it. You get another mouse that's fresh and I'll let you kept it a little while."

George understands that Lennie likes to touch soft things, which are a comfort somehow to Lennie; however, because Lennie doesn't know his own strength, he typically kills small animals. That the mouse is dead is what disturbs George, I think, because it could carry disease and make Lennie sick. George is willing for Lennie to have another mouse so he doesn't disapprove of Lennie's having mice.

Why does Ralph not blow the conch in "Lord of the Flies"?

"Ralph took the conch from where it lay on the polished seat and held it to his lips; but then he hesitated and did not blow.  He held the shell up instead and showed it to them and they understood."

This meeting occurs immediately after Samneric see the beast on the mountain.  Samneric inform Ralph that they saw a living beast on the mountain, so Ralph's assumption is that something on this island is dangerous.  He takes this into consideration before blowing the conch.  If he were to sound the trumpet, the beast would know where to find the boys.  His holding up the conch instead is a method of caution to avoid the beast.

This can be be further traced to the last meeting at the beginning of chapter five.  The boys were just milling around the meeting area waiting for Ralph to sound the conch so their meeting can being.  It's obvious that the conch itself isn't calling meetings anymore, so the significance of the sound is gone.  Silently holding up the conch is still effective because the conch is still a symbol of power on the lsland although it's in this chapter that Jack starts to pull himself and other boys away from Ralph and the conch.

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" what was Tom hiding about Jim"s freedom and how do Jim's and Huck's reactions fit with their personalities?

The entire time that Tom and Huck were devising all sorts of ridiculous "escape" plans to help Jim get out of the shed that he was being held prisoner in, Tom was keeping a secret about Jim:

"Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was ashamed she ever was going to sell him down the river, and said so; and she set him free in her will."

So, Jim never even needed to be held prisoner; Tom could've gone to his aunt and uncle and told them that Jim was a free man.  But, in order to fulfill his fantasies of adventure that he got from the books he read, Tom makes Jim his own personal prisoner.  He says he did it for "the adventure of it."

Jim's reaction comes after Tom gave him forty bucks for his trouble.  He is super pleased and happy, and ties his good luck back to superstitions, to the signs that he had seen that he was going to be rich someday.  This fits Jim's personality because throughout the entire book he didn't ever really hold grudges, even when Huck played some pretty nasty pranks on him.  And, Jim is probably the most superstitious character in the book, tying everything that happened back to some sign of good or bad luck.  Huck, true to his tendency to want to know the hows and whys of things, questions Tom in detail about why in the world he had done what he did when Jim was free.  He wanted answers; he wanted something to go ponder over, so that he could draw his own conclusions about it, just like he had done about many things in the story-prayer, slavery, Jim's friendship, and his eternal salvation.  So Huck just asks the logical questions, which is what he tends to do throughout the entire book.

What does Faber say to Montag about the night's event?

I assume you are asking about when Montag kills Beatty and then goes on the run. Faber tells Montag that he may have been foolish in his actions, particularly killing Beatty, but at least Montag was foolish about the right thing.  He also tells Montag where to go and how to get there.  Faber knows there are book people out there and while he doesn't tell Montag to head to them by name, he tells him to go to the river and what to do afterward.  Finally he tells Montag that he is willing to stay and suffer the consequences of actions of having helped Montag, but also he is willing to suffer the consequences of his actions of having done nothing to stop the society from becoming what it has become.  Faber indicated earlier to Montag, that he saw the signs, he saw the way things were headed and he did nothing.  He calls himself a coward for having simply sat back and let it all happen while silently hating it. Before Montag leaves, Faber says, "I deserve everything.  Run, for God's sake."  Faber's purpose in the story becomes clear at this point.  He is representative of those people who see bad things happening, who can detect the bad or negative trends, and do nothing to stop them.

How did the colonists' relationship with the Native Americans compare to their relationship with the African-Americans during the colonial period?

American colonists from European cultures viewed both Africans and Native Americans as substantially different in many ways.  Culturally, of course, both "Indians" and Africans were viewed as from totally different backgrounds and had totally different views of the world.  How the two non-Eurocentric groups were viewed was quite different, and varied by region.

Native Americans were viewed as human beings with a differing cultural perspective from the first in the Southern colonies.  Virginian William Byrd (1674-1744) wrote that "the best ambassador is a sprightly lover," as one of the justifications of intermarriage as a means of understanding and keeping the peace.  In New England, on the other hand, at first there was a debate as to whether or not the natives were human.  The Massachusetts colonials decided in the end that they were not, and had no souls.  Interesting, when one considers that neither colony would have survived without aid from the native peoples.

Africans were a different matter.  Europeans had had contact with Africans since Roman times, even black Africans from the interior.  Archaeology has discovered that there were great cities in the interior of Africa (not simply Carthage, Ethiopia or Egypt) long before Rome, but those cultures had disappeared long before contact of any sort with Europeans.  Black African cultures were mostly quite primitive outside of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and consequently were often viewed as inferior.  Blacks were first brought to the colonies by the Dutch to Virginia and traded to the colonists, but were treated as indentured servants and set free with pay and/or land after (usually) seven years.  The concept of slaves as chattel property in America, ie the equivalent of furniture or cattle, began in Massachusetts in 1644.  To justify this, a doctrine of black inferiority was developed, again in the Northern colonies rather than the South originally.  These concepts (chattel slavery and racial inferiority) spread throughout the colonies.

African-Americans played an important role during the Revolution, not only as soldiers but as spies.  Throughout the war George Washington personally ran one of the most successful spy rings in military history, largely consisting of blacks who worked as personal servants of British officers, including the generals commanding the British forces (Howe, etc.).

There were many free blacks in America during later colonial times (and in the South all the way to and through the Civil War).  Crispus Attucks, killed in the Boston Massacre, is perhaps the most famous.  There were also non-African slaves in the colonies, including Carribean "Indians" and some whites, largely from Scotland, kidnapped and sold in the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745.

What is the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy sources?

Basically, humans use lots of energy for heating, lighting, movement, machines, etc etc. That energy has to come from an energy source.  Some sources are renewable, some sources are non-renenwable.

Generally speaking, Non-renewable sources are fossil fuels. These come from underground and are Coal, Oil and Gas. There is a fixed amouint of coal oil and gas in the world and when we have used it all, there is no more. We cannot 're-new' them.

Renewable sources are energy sources that will not run out. They can be used 'forever'. They include Solar Energy; Wind Energy; Wave Energy; Geothermal energy.

Fossil Fuel cause lots of pollution. Renewable energy sources don't cause pollution.

Golding shows us mankind's dark side. But why doesn't he present a solution?

Yes - it's interesting isn't it. luannw has given you a good overview on Golding's theory of the "blackness within", and the "darkness of man's heart". But I think there's also a political dimension to this question:

Here's a quote from William Golding:

The theme (of Lord of the Flies) is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable.

The argument Golding is making that it is a society full of good individuals that becomes a good society. That you can't impose goodness through rules. You have to foster it from within. And the society in which "Lord of the Flies" is located is set in a war - the plane is "shot down", and at the end, its a naval officer who rescues. The sort of behaviour in the book, Golding argues, is what a society at war breeds.

So the structures of the civilisation in which the novel is set are at fault. And within that, the boys' behaviour - being seduced by the glamour of a mask, a hunt, and persecution of others, particularly with a tyrannous leader like Jack - is strongly reminiscient of the behaviour of many countries during World War II and the rise of Nazism. Our structures, Golding argues, are clearly not trouble-proof, clearly not darkness-proof.

But more interestingly, Golding seems to be arguing that any structure (however apparently logical or respectable) is wrong, is a bad thing. Society should depend on the ethics of an individual, not on a group policy or ideology.

So maybe that is the solution. Individuals forming societies based on their own ethics. It's a complicated one: wouldn't that be an anarchy - everyone doing their own thing? Where does a sadist like Roger fit into that? What about the vulnerable members of society (the littluns)?

But that, I think, is what Golding is arguing.

Who is Cordelia in "King Lear"?

Cordelia is the good daughter in King Lear, the youngest and most loyal. She refuses to gain her father's approval with vain flatter, but rather shows her love and loyalty through her silent devotion to him. In his pride, Lear sends Cordelia away, banishing her for not praising him publicly and for not fighting for her inheritance. She marries the King of France, who shows love and devotion equal to Cordelia's by not refusing to marry her after her inheritance is taken from her (as Burgundy does). Cordelia continues to be loyal to her father despite his mistreatment of her by returning to aid him when Regan and Goneril try to usurp the throne.

Cordelia is one of the few good, static characters presented in the play. She is seen as the perfect image of what a daughter and princess should be, and stays unwavering even when it costs her very life. The death of Cordelia also shows that consequences of poor decisions affect even the most innocent of bystanders, a lesson that King Lear should have learned earlier in life. Her death is possibly the most tragic and uncalled for in the play.

Why was Dr. Manette arrested in the book Tale of Two Cities?

Dr. Manette was arrested for speaking out about the crimes and injustices perpetrated by the noble Evremonde brothers.

When Dr. Manette was a "young physician, originally an expert surgeon, who...(had) made a rising reputation in Paris", he was commandeered one evening by two noblemen and taken in secrecy to treat two patients.  One was a beautiful young woman with "a high fever of the brain", lying bound on a bed, and the other was her brother, a young man with a mortal wound from a sword thrust.  With his dying breath, the young man told Dr. Manette that he and his sister were peasants who had long lived under the ruthless oppression of the Evremonde brothers.  One of the brothers had become enamored by the beautiful sister and wanted her for his bed; he cruelly worked her husband to death in hopes he would influence his wife to give Evremonde her favors.  The woman's brother had come to avenge her, and was laid low by the sword of Evremonde.

Both patients died, and the brothers Evremonde, chillingly nonchalant and seemingly incapable of sympathy, swore Dr. Manette to secrecy.  The Doctor, however, was troubled, and wrote a letter to to Courts exposing the Evremondes' outrages against the peasant family.  The letter was intercepted;  Dr. Manette was abducted in the night, and put into prison for eighteen years (Book III, Chapter 10).

In Chapter 13 of To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Maycomb's social life?

The fact that Aunt Alexandria has turned up to help Atticus, shows a sense of family this would have been a large part of life in Maycomb. The women within the social circle would have excepted her on this basis.

Along with her appreciation on how women should show appropriateness at all times, she also took to Maycomb county her understanding of hierarchical status within the town, this was another reason for her acceptance within the town.

At the beginning of the story Aunt Alexandria is very racist against African Americans. This opinion would have helped her to fit into Maycomb.

Aunt Alexandria also starts a missionary circle with the Maycomb ladies, this would have been a social gatheriong which would help her to fit in better. She does take Scout alon with her to one also to try and force to be more lady like.

She is also a sterotypical Southern women, who believes in finery but no excess, she can be ignorant sometimes, which helps her to fit into the women's social circle when she arrives.

Absolute decentralization is as hypothetical as absolute centralization. Discuss. Explain factors affecting degree of decentralization.this is for...

Centralization and decentralization refer to the extent to which managerial authority is concentrated at the higher levels of management, or distributed down the organizational hierarchy.

In a centralized organization power and authority is concentrated at higher levels of management. Managers at higher levels take decisions even in minor matters, while managers at lower levels just follow instructions. In comparison, decentralized organizations have authority and power delegated more widely. The top management takes only the major decisions such as overall objectives, targets, budgets, resource allocation and the like. Lower level managers have substantial discretion and flexibility to decide details of their actions within the overall the limits of higher management decisions. For example, in a decentralized organization, a traveling salesman may be free to plan his day to day schedule of sales call provided he is able to meet his target of total number and types of sales calls to be made every week. In contrast, the sales manager in a highly centralized organization will instruct the sales man on time and sequence of each sales call.

Every organization, to be effective, must have a appropriate balance between centralization. No organization can become effective by adopting extremes of either centralization or decentralization. In fact, it is impossible to have an organization with either absolute centralization or absolute decentralization. Absolute centralization implies that all decisions are taken by just one person at the top of the organizational hierarchy. No other person in the organization has any discretion to make any decision. To start with, it will be impractical to decide and instruct individuals in so much detail that they don’t can work effectively without any initiative or decision on their part. Further, this will mean heavily under utilizing the brain power of human beings. Finally, human beings do not like to work under such restricting conditions, and it will be almost impossible o find suitable persons to work in such organization.

An absolutely decentralized organization also cannot exist in reality. Such an organization implies that everyone working in the organization is totally free to act in any manner he or she chooses. In this situation there is no mechanism possible to direct the effort of all the individuals in appropriate direction to achieve the organizational goals or to coordinate the efforts of different individuals.

The following factors influence the design of the extent and type of decentralization in any organization.

·           Complexity of Task

·           Subordinate Training/Capability

·           Subordinate Motivation

·           Manager Capability

·           Rate of Change

·           Amount of Personal Contact Needed

The information Technology (IT) also has substantial effect on nature of effect decentralization. On one hand, IT promotes centralization possible to exercise more control with less efforts. At the same time it promotes decentralization by enhancing the decision making capabilities of individuals. The resultant effect of this is that of reducing the total number of levels in organization. Managers at top and bottom levels of organization can both have more decision making power, making some of the intermediate level redundant.

What is the setting for "An Astrologer's Day"?

"An Astrologer's Day" is set in India. It is set in a city, but readers are not told what city. However, Narayan created an imaginary city named Malgudi, and it is possible, even likely, that this story is set there as well. (Not certain, but likely.)

Since the collection was published in 1947, readers can assume the story is set prior to this date. That means it was composed in an India that was not yet free of British rule, but that was moving towards it. That said, Narayan is better at capturing the feel of Indian society in general than at portraying specific periods (which does not seem to be his purpose).

What is the summary for Chapter 10 of The Blithedale Romance?

As Coverdale and Hollingsworth are sharing a lunch under a tree, a visitor appears. While many visitors come to investigate the Blithedale community, most come to participate (in a very limited way and with little success) in the bucolic life. Coverdale states that most people in the surrounding area view Blithedale as a farm run by frolicking free spirits. Little do they know of the strenuous work that the residents are performing as part of their philosophy.

The visitor turns out to be none other than Mr. Moodie, the one-eyed stranger who encountered Coverdale the evening before he came to Blithedale.

Moodie asks after Priscilla, whom it turns out was sent to Hollingsworth by Moodie. Hollingsworth states that she is well and thriving within the community. The thought of "his girl" thriving gives a shocked pleasure to Moodie.

The visitor then asks after Zenobia, seeming to have known her many years ago. He learns that she and Priscilla are close companions. When asked if Zenobia treats Priscilla as a servant, Hollingsworth replies that they are closer to sisters. Moodie seems to have trouble believing this.

Hollingsworth takes Moodie to visit Priscilla, leaving Coverdale to ponder the meaning of the visit. Later, he spies Moodie observing Priscilla playing on the lawn until called by Zenobia in an unusually peremptory fashion. It seems that this is just what Moodie expected.

In "Fahrenheit 451" why is it important that the mechanical hound rouses itself against Montag?

The mechanical hound is a super-fancy robot machine that injects a poison into anyone how is considered "dangerous" to Montag's society.  It is highly advanced; its sense of smell is much better than the best dog's sense of smell, so it is excellent at tracking people down.  The novel states that on long nights at the firehouse, they would "let loose rats in the firehouse...sometimes chickens, and sometimes cats...and there would be betting to see which...the Hound would seize first."  So, they played betting games on which animal the hound would kill first.

As Montag reaches for the hound in the beginning of the novel, it "growled...[and] half rose in its kennel and looked at him...[and] took a step from its kennel" with its needle raised.  This scares Montag (as it should) and he questions Beatty as to the possiblity of his own DNA codes being programmed into the hound, or if the hound could possibly be remembering Montag from previous burning excursions.  Beatty blows it off saying, "It doesn't like or dislike.  It just functions."  The hound reacting aggressively becomes more significant later as it is dispatched to Montag's house to "scare" or "check up" on him, and then later as Montag himself is hunted by it.  So, Montag's fears and intuitions were right on; it didn't "like" him, it was being sent after him, and he has every reason to fear it.

What is the true summary of chapter 7 in "Twilight?" I have gotten several different and indefinite answers but it's not really helping.

Chapter Seven in “Twilight” is entitled “Nightmare” it is located on pages 129-151.  Bella comes home after her trip to LA Push and goes up to her bedroom.  Bella falls asleep and has a nightmare.  Bella awakens from her dream screaming. It is 5:00 AM and Bella can’t go back to sleep.  She researches vampire on the Internet.  She evaluates all the vampire information and decides Edward fits some criteria like pale skin, speed, strength, and beauty, but he doesn’t fit other criteria.  Bella decides that she is completely drawn to Edward. In her dream, she realizes she screamed out of fear for Edward’s safety.  On Monday, back at school, she runs into Mike who again tries to ask her out on a date. Bella bluntly tells him that she isn’t interested, but that Jessica is. Bella looks for Edward, but he isn’t there. At lunch she notices that his whole family is absent too. Later, Jessica calls and changes the day she and Bella are supposed to go dress shopping because Mike has asked her out. Bella goes outside to read and falls asleep after being upset that all the characters in the novels seem to be named Edward. Bella wakes when she hears Charlie’s cruiser pull up, and has an eerie feeling she isn’t alone. Bella tells Charlie that she wants to go dress shopping with the girls. Charlie is confused because Bella isn’t going to the dance, and then decides that it’s just a girl thing.  The next day at school Cullens are absent again. Right after school Bella meets up with the Jessica and Angela so they can go dress shopping in Port Angeles.

What is the role of technology in Fahrenheit 451, and can you recognize any elements in today's world?

I love Ray Bradbury’s stories because of his uncanny ability to predict the future of technology as it is just beginning.  Fahrenheit 451 was written in 1953, an era on the cusp of advanced technology like the space race, television, and computers.  His imagination about the future is one thing that makes him a renowned writer of science fiction. 

Fahrenheit 451 is full of a lot of cool technology. Here is a list of some of the things I found as a reader and how they correlate to today:

The mechanical hound shows the use of robots as tools for mankind.  Obviously, today we use robots in factories or the work place, and robot technology is advancing every day.

In order to enter his home, Montag has to stick his hand in an opening that identifies him.  This is similar to fingerprint or eye identification we have today.

Fast cars and air tube trains in the novel show how we are “addicted” to speed and convenience.  We need to get places fast and find information fast today.  We are impatient and want things at our fingertips.  That is one reason why advertisers build 200 foot billboards in Fahrenheit 451 so they have a chance to capture their consumer’s attention as they speed by.

The sea shells Mildred uses to drift away to sleep represent the small ear bud head phones we have today.  The same is true for the walkie-talkie Montag wears to hear Faber while he is trying to escape the mechanical hound.

The wall-size televisions found in the homes of Fahrenheit 451 are today’s 50” flat screens and theater projectors. 

The technologies Bradbury describes in Fahrenheit 451 are all the result of a society that has embraced entertainment over knowledge.  Books have been reduced to snippets and condensed versions of the originals.  Fake TV soap opera families have replaced real family life.  Life moves too fast in the novel and today.  No one talks anymore, and society is crumbling under the weight of technology it claims makes them happy. 

Who are the "outsiders"? Is the title a good one? Explain. I'm reading The Outsiders and I'm on chapter 2.

The "outsiders" are the kids in the Greaser group that Ponyboy, Sodapop and Darry Curtis, Steve Randall, Two-Bit Matthews, Dallas Winston, and Johnny Cade are in. The title is a very good one. When you first read the title, what is the first thing that comes to mind? You think that the kids are tough, macho jerks who pick fights and can't fit in anywhere. But, they are NOT outsiders in that way. They are outsiders in the way that they DONT pick fights. They love each other, they read novels like Gone With the Wind, they watch cartoons, etc. They are outsiders in the way that they have a loving relationship with each other. Like the movie quote:

"They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong."

In "The Crucible" Corey charges that Putnam is "killing his neighbors for their land." What does Danforth demand as proof?

Corey's charge is based on the testimony of "an honest man who heard Putnam say it", so Danforth demands:  "You will surely tell us the name" of the man who said this.  Corey refuses, and we can't blame him.  Corey says that "I mentioned my wife's name once and I'll burn in hell long enough for that.  I stand mute."  Plus, he just witnessed over 90 people be arrested for signing their name to a petition.  Danforth insists Corey reveal the name, claiming that "if you informant tells the truth let him come here openly like a decent man."  Corey still refuses, and in the end, is arrested for contempt of court.

In Of Mice and Men, how and why does Carlson say Candy's dog should be shot?

Carlson says that he will shoot Candy's dog in the back of the neck where the neck and head meet.  If he shots the dog at this place, he tells Candy that the dog won't feel anything.  He won't know what hit him.  Candy suggests doing this because the dog is old, smells, and is crippled.  Carlson says the dog isn't good to himself or anyone else.  He believes that dog is suffering, but Candy says that he has had hin so long that it is hard to get rid of him.  Candy's dog is his best companion.

Because Estella has called Pip a common boy in "Great Expectations", what does he want to become?

Pip, coming from humble beginnings, and seeing the benefits of affluence through his interaction with Miss Haversham, and being humiliated by Estella, wishes to become a gentleman, or rather, rise high enough socially to be worthy of her.  However, this is a false quest; in doing so, he alienates himself from Joe and others who truly love him, for the sole purpose of marrying Estella. She also endures a false quest by carrying out Miss Haversham's revenge plans.  At the end of the novel, Pip, no longer quite a gentleman, and Estella, no longer under detrimental influences, are able to have a relationship based on their own decisions and acceptance of each other.

What is the significance of the first sentence of "The Open Boat? It is: "None of them knew the color of the sky?"

"NONE of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the men knew the colors of the sea. The horizon narrowed and widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times its edge was jagged with waves that seemed thrust up in points like rocks. " (Stephen Crane; "The Open Boat, pg 728)

In the first sentence of the story we are drawn into the struggle of the survivors of a boat in a storm so bad that they can't do anything but row and bail.  They can't even see the sky, all they can see is wave after wave.  It is night for one thing.  The very next part of the story indicates that the sun begins to rise.  This opening sentence makes the reader realize that the situation is intense and we, like the occupants of the boat are in for a terrible ordeal.  They are intent and focused so hard on the waves that they share with the reader their desire to live.

What narrative techniques are used in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"?

Several narrative techniques are employed. First, the poem is a frame tale. It begins with the old mariner stopping three guests on their way to a wedding. To one of these wedding guests, the old mariner tells his fantastic story. The poem concludes with the mariner finishing his conversation with the wedding guest. Therefore, the mariner's encounter with the wedding guest frames the main story of the voyage.

By beginning the story with the frame, the story then employs flashback, taking the reader back to the time of the voyage itself. The events are then related in chronological order.

An unusual technique, perhaps, is a dramatic technique. The mariner's telling the story is structured as a dramatic monolog, but from time to time, the narrator interrupts, thus returning the reader to the setting of the frame. The reader in this sense is watching a dramatic scene in which one "actor" tells a story to another "actor." In his poem, Coleridge gives the reader two separate stories. The mariner's effect on the wedding guest emphasizes the compelling nature of the mariner himself, as well as the story he has lived to tell.

What belief does Cassius express to Messala before the battle? How might this belief influence Cassius' later desicion to commit suicide?Are...

Cassius' belief, expressed to Messala, suggests that the seeming coincidences and omens he sees around him might actually presage some doom to follow on the battlefield. Cassius begins by telling Messala

This is my birthday, as this very day
Was Cassius born...
You know that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion. Now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage. 

Cassius' birthday is an ominous omen of his death day (oddly - of course - Shakespeare died, we think, on his own birthday). Epicurus did not believe in godly interference, but in the power of humans to shape their own destiny - and the superstitions Cassius here credits would be distinctly unEpicurean. This is a different Cassius from the anti-superstition one in the thunderstorm in Act 2.

Cassius describes how two eagles flew around their army, but have now flown away, to be replaced by

...ravens, crows, and kites
Fly o'er our heads and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.

This is a Cassius who credits superstitions, omens and prophecies: quite different from his earlier Epicurean behaviour. And does it have something to do with his suicide? Undoubtedly. Before he kills himself, he says:

This day I breathed first: time is come round,
And where I did begin, there shall I end:
My life is run his compass.

In Act II of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, how does Brutus convince the conspirators that they should not swear an oath in killing Caesar?

Brutus first presents himself superior; he dismisses Cassius' question about being troubled, raising himself above it: "I have been up all night."  Then, he ignores the conspirators, asking Cassius, "Do I know these men that follow you"--making them not even important enough to consider himself, for they are not leaders but followers and in fact, followers of Cassius, who follows Brutus.  Next, as Cassius introduces the men by name, Brutus does not repeat any name, thus again, minimizing any of them as individually significant: "They are all welcome."  Next he deserts them to whisper with Cassius--they aren't in one the whole plan.  So the first stage is to dimish them.  Then he builds them up again by taking them to him: "Give me your hands."  By this physical action, he turns their meeting from one of words to one of action.  He physically impresses them with his power, dismissing the "oath" as "lazy" and feminine, which he will contrast to Roman strength in terms of a bloodbond made of real blood imagery--rather than abstract blood-ties.  Brutus needs them to be assassins, not thinkers, so he aligns words with weakness, separation and sleep; actions with power, unity and blood--he scoffs at names, plans, and oaths; their cause demands action--murder.  He turns a discussion group into an action plan and individuals into a single identity--a gang of murderers.

What is the climax of "Eveline"?

The short story "Eveline" written by James Joyce is a part of Dubliners. This is early-Joyce and the plot-structures are still more or less traditional and coherent and hence the question of a climax. Such Freytagian categories would become untenable in his late work.

The climax in "Eveline" is a complicated matter. The story uses the stock fairy-tale plotline of an incarcerated beauty and the romantic promise of a journey of liberation coming for her lover, Frank in this case. A classic climax of such a plot is the lovers' successful elope and it is this very structure that is subverted carefully by James Joyce. Eveline, who is often seen as a spirit of Ireland, is undecided even at the end and in the final final moment of departure, she remains stock-still and denies Frank. I think this moment is the climax of the story when Eveline does not go with Frank and the ship starts to move toward Argentina. The quick resolution is marked by Frank's incomprehension of Eveline's facial expression. The climactic moment of the story is thus made up of a subversive twist.

What are the subplots that have been introduced in Act One of Diary of Anne Frank?

In Act One of "The Diary of Anne Frank," in addition to the plot development which tells the story of Anne Frank and her companions as they hide from the Nazis in German-occupied Holland, there are several subplots.

One subplot is the beginning of Anne's rite of passage into adulthood as she develops a friendship with Peter.

Another subplot is Anne's struggle between adjusting to a dangerous, adult world when there is still a child, alive and well and living inside of her, aching to get out and behave as she normally would.

A third subplot is found in Anne's special fondness for her father.  Although she loves her mother, it is her father she asks to stay and comfort her after she wakes screaming from a nightmare.

At the close of the first act, one more subplot is presented: all the people hiding are Jews. (Although the Germans also targeted other groups, it seems they did so without the same ferocity with which they pursued the Jews.) This subplot shows how those hiding in the "Secret Annex" turn to their faith not just for comfort and to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives, but also as a distraction. To celebrate Hanukkah, Anne has made everyone gifts, which touches each person at the table.  At the end of the scene, to quiet fears raised by the interruption of a thief downstairs, Anne sings the Hanukkah song to ease their anxiety and restore the spirits of those around her.

In The Scarlet Letter book, for what reason does Pearl says her mother wears the scarlet letter?

When asked if she knows the reason her mother wears the red letter, Pearl exclaims that she does and explains (pg. 171 of my copy), "It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart!"

Though Pearl goes on to say that she doesn't know the reason for Dimmesdale's placing of his hand on his heart, she is aware of the connection, which is indicative of Pearl's powers of observation as well as the possibility that others have noticed.

How do the allusions to existentialism and nihilism help the reader understand the theme of "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"?

Existentialism says, in brief, that life is meaninglessness but that each individual has the personal necessity to try to sort out a value system or moral system by which to live in a thus self-ordered world so as to create meaningfulness and to prevent falling into despair.

Nihilism says, in brief, that any attempt to create order is futile and despair is inevitable. In other words, nihilism takes existentialism one step further while scorning its effort at creating order in a meaningless and orderless world and, in so doing, nihilism declares there is no possibility of ultimately imposing order or meaning because in the end, all is death and destruction. Nihilism then posits that if this is so, all efforts against meaninglessness are meaningless.

The old waiter expresses nihilism and existentialism in a combined existential nihilism in his opening remarks about the old man:

[Nihilism]: "He was in despair."

"What about?"

"Nothing."

"How do you know it was nothing?"

[Existentialism]: "He has plenty of money."

Existentialism would suggest that, given ample money, the old man might successfully create some meaningful or moral order with which to offset despair. Nihilism says off-setting despair is impossible because all ends in meaningless death, which the old man is approaching and doing so alone (his wife has died already).

If you wish to think of these existential and nihilistic dialogic remarks as "allusions," then these allusions to existentialism and nihilism don't simply "help the reader understand the theme," they represent the theme that they systematically build: thus the reader is "helped" by hearing existential nihilism expressed in common terms by ordinary characters. A central theme of this story is an existential one that suggests that while nihilistic meaninglessness is strongly felt, there may indeed be ways to offset the pull of nihilism and the strangle-hold of despair.

One suggestion to defeat nihilism Hemingway makes in the story is that of the security of a clean, well-lighted place. That a place is clean and well-lighted suggests an innate belief in meaningfulness: if all were meaninglessness, there would be none to clean and make a place well-lighted. Another suggestion is the immediacy of intimacy represented by the soldier, risking arrest, walking quickly down the street with a girl hurrying alongside him:

The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him.

"The guard will pick him up," one waiter said.

"What does it matter if he gets what he's after?"

Another suggestion is that of having "plenty of money ... a wife ... youth, confidence, and a job." These things provide the rewards of emotion, connection, accomplishment, satisfaction and opportunity. These rewards in turn provide a sense of order and meaning in a world that is devoid of order or meaning. This sense of order fends off feelings of despair by providing something to look forward to and desire and feel pride in: "I am of those who like to stay late at the cafe, ... because there may be some one who needs the cafe."

Hemingway makes a further suggestion through the older waiter's behavior and final thoughts as he lay in bed: "finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it's probably only insomnia. Many must have it." Apply an analysis to the waiter's speech about "nada" and to his final comments to see what you can find about Hemingways' final suggestion(s).

Why does Walt Whitman in "I Sit and Look Out" sit and remain a silent observer?"See, hear, and am silent"

In the poem, Whitman describes various people suffering horrible misery in different forms. However, as he describes them, he doesn't judge, get involved, make commentary, or pass some sort of overall moral or lesson to be learned.  This is what he means when he says he is "silent".  He simply opens a window for everyone to see what he sees, and lets the reader make their own interpretations and judgments.  For example, he describes the misery that exists, "the ranklings of jealousy and unrequited love attempted to be hid," and doesn't comment on how awful that is, or what we should learn from it, or how we should change the misery; his next line is simply, "I see these sights on the earth".  No moral imposition, no call to action.  He is simply reporting what he sees.  That is the silence he is referring to, a silence of judgment or analysis on the events.

Whitman, a great believer of individualism and trusting your own instincts to interpret the world, probably wanted to let the reader trust his or her own instincts, and to feel whatever they felt, without him telling them how to feel about it.  This fits the theme of individualism well, a movement that Whitman was a part of.

What is the summary for Part 4, Chapters 23-26 and the Epilogue of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books?

While writing in a coffee shop, Nafisi is approached by a former student, Miss Ruhi. Nafisi remembers how she had objected to what she called the immorality of characters in the novels they were studying, most notably Wuthering Heights. Miss Ruhi tells Nafisi that she is now married with a young daughter, whom she has given the secret name "Daisy," after the main character in Daisy Miller, a book she once had condemned as immoral. She misses college, she says, and reminiscences with Nafisi, even though she says she didn’t really like college at the time.

Nafisi meets one last time with her girls in a coffee shop. They take pictures to aid their memories. They discuss their plans, and how those plans have changed.

Nafisi also meets for a final good-bye with the magician. Nafisi tells him she would like to write a book about what Iran has taught her, about literature and life. The magician warns her that she cannot write about Iran without writing about her friends.

Nafisi fantasizes about adding one more article to the Bill of Rights, in which the right to free access to imagination is guaranteed. She believes that true democracy cannot exist without the freedom to imagine without restrictions.

Nafisi leaves Iran for America on June 24, 1997.

The girls and Nafisi keep in touch for a while, some she loses touch with. Some of them join her in leaving Iran, coming to Canada and America. She never again hears from her friend, the magician.

Identify one example of Farquhar's distorted perceptions in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge".

In the first part of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" as Farquhar stands, condemned, on the bridge and closes his eyes in order to "fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children," a sound strikes through these thoughts.  This sound is magnified to him:  "The intervals of silence grew progressively longer; the delays became maddening." 

Much like the narrator of Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart," Farquhar senses in his mind that the sounds increase in strength and sharpness; "They hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife"; he fears that he will scream out as Poe's narrator does.  In actuality, what he hears is the ticking of his watch, the author explains.  Thus, just as Poe's distressed and mad narrator who imagines the beating of the heart of his murder victim, Farquhar imagines the drums' beating--perhaps this is his beating heart--instead of the ticking of his watch.  Because he is at the point of death, Farquhar's senses muct surely be heightened and his mind greatly disturbed, both conditions which explain his distorted perception.

Does anyone have a good quote about greed in Macbeth?

Although we can identify greed in Macbeth, the word doesn't actually appear in this play. Rather, ambition (which is after all a kind of greed) is much more prevalent. We know that Macbeth has "black and deep desires" from his first soliloquy and it is clear that Lady Macbeth, his "partner in greatness" has high ambitions for her husband too.

One of the key quotes has to be Lady Macbeth speaking to her husband and dangling future possibilities in front of him:

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised.

In addition, Macbeth states: "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other." It is this greed or ambition that drives the play and results in such a high body count.

How does Hansberry challenge sterotypes of African Americans in her play? Discuss a character, relationship or situation that shows this.

Probably the character who challenges racial stereotypes the most in the play is Beneatha. Unlike the stereotypical uneducated African American, Beneatha is going to college and wants to become a doctor. This even challenges her own brother's ideal of what a Black woman should do. Several times during the play he asks her why she doesn't become a nurse like other women?

In addition, Beneatha is not content with the role that was assigned other Black women, women like Mama and Ruth who clean other people's houses or do their laundry. Instead, Beneatha wants to explore different ways of expressing herself, even if it means that Ruth and Mama laugh at her attempts. She even has the audacity to say she doesn't believe in God---a remark she is quickly forced to take back when Mama slaps her. But she is also the character who helps Walter to stand up to Linder and his offer. When Linder says he wants to buy the Youngers out, Beneatha quips, "Thirty pieces of silver" alluding to the price put on Jesus' head.

However, Hansberry also seems to believe that Beneatha still has a lot to learn from the traditional ways--especially those of Mama. When Beneatha wants to disown Walter for losing the money, Mama is quick to ask "When is the time to love a person the most?" and makes Beneatha stay to support her brother as he faces Linder for the second time. Thus, Beneatha seems to represent a new kind of African American, one who is educated, cultured but still can learn from the traditional values that helped African Americans survive in a hostile world.

How does the nun in "The Canterbury Tales" reveal that she is a hypocrite?

She also wears red stockings, has gapped teeth (known in Chaucer's time to indicate insatiable sexual cravings), red lips, and a little coral locket engraved "Love conquers all".  With her flirtatious ways, her dress and her red lips which may or may not be helped along with berries or lip stain, her locket is most likely interpreted as a woman who doesn't completely adhere to the vow of chastity that a nun should take.  She has proven she is much more in to appearances than she should be--her flashy apparel, her French, her table manners, her knowledge of courtly behavior--so perhaps vanity can also be added to the list of flaws that this nun has to overcome.  She is not what you would expect a nun to be.

In The Kite Runner, are Baba and Amir more similar or more different? How? Why?

Amir and his father Baba are alike in that they show a certain egocentricity and insensitivity to others. They both blunder around in life, acting out of impulse, which in turns hurts those around them.

They are even more alike than what one sees at first glance:

• They both are bound to regret for choices they have made in the past.


• They first set "conditions" before being really able to accept each other as they are.


• Under duress and financial precarity, they learn to be better people than they were before.


• Each tries in his own way to keep his secret but at the same time attempts to make up for past wrongs.

So I guess in this story, the old adage holds: 'Like father, like son.'

'Hopes and dreams help people to survive, even if they can never become real.' How true is this for characters in "Of Mice and Men"?

The two main characters in “Of Mice and Men” have a dream of owning their own ranch and, as George says and Lennie loves to hear, “live of the fatta the land.”  Neither of these characters is ever going to achieve this but the hope of this dream is what keeps them going from day to day.  The reader can tell this from the points in the story in which Lennie asks George to tell him the story of their dream farm and living off of the land.  Lennie asks George to tell him this story whenever he is upset or in a bad position; the story is sort of used as a bedtime story for Lennie.  A third character, Candy, hears the story that George tells Lennie and practically begs them to let him be a part of it. Clearly, this man needs something to look forward to also considering the way that he is presented as a character in the novel.  Their hopes and dreams for the future are what keep them going in the horrible situation that these characters are placed in.   It is clear that these characters live in horrible conditions and will never better themselves but it is their dream that allows them to live in the place that they are. 

In Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby, what had Gatsby turned Daisy into in his own mind?

At the end of Chapter Five, Nick observes that Gatsby had turned Daisy into some kind of illusion. After spending their first afternoon together in five years, Nick says that for Gatsby, "There must have been moments...when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams---not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." He adds, "No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up hin his ghostly heart." At that point, Nick leaves the couple by themselves.

Describe the levels of management and the skills needed by managers at each level. This is from my management course syllabus...I'm doing a diploma...

In any common managerial functions performed by managers in any organization can be classified in four main management functions. Managers in all organizations and at all levels of management perform all these management function. All managers need skills to perform all these functions, although, not necessarily in the same proportions.

The four management functions are:

1.       Planning

2.      Organizing

3.      Leading

4.      Controlling

Planning covers the process of objectives and deciding on actions to be taken to achieve these objectives. Organizing is the process of designing and developing structure of relationships between members of the team or group assigned to carry out the planned tasks, and filling and keeping filled the positions in the organization. Leading refers to motivating, directing and guiding people in the organization It involves ensuring that the people in the organization are willing and capable of performing the required tasks. Controlling involves ascertaining the actual results and situation of the organization and taking corrective action when significant deviations from expectations occur.

These management functions are common to all managers at different levels in organizational hierarchy. However, the importance and of each oh these function and the effort managers need to put in, is influenced significantly by the hierarchical level of managers. Accordingly, the skill requirements of managers also change with their level in management hierarchy.

For examining the relationship between hierarchical level of managers and the skill required by them we can group managers in any organization in three broad groups..

1.      Top-management: This refers to the top one or two hierarchical levels in the organization structure. Managers at these levels have responsibilities for the total organizational performance covering multiple business activities.

2.      Middle-management: These are the managers between the top- and first-level management. They generally do not have the responsibility for more than one type of business activity, and even within that may be responsible for only a segment of the total work in the organization.

3.      First-level-management: They are at the lowest one or two levels of management hierarchy. They are the people responsible for directly supervising the work of operational staff, and form a link between them and the management.

As we move down the organizational hierarchy the importance of planning and controlling functions tends to decrease, and on leading function tends to increase, as we move down the organizational hierarchy. There is a drop in amount of organizing effort requirement also with decreasing level of organization hierarchy, but much less pronounced drop in comparison to that for planning and leading. In view of this we can conclude that importance for planning and controlling skill required in managers tends to reduce with reducing level in management hierarchy. However, importance for leading skills increases with educing level of management hierarchy. Thus the first line managers, dealing directly with the operating personnel need very high leading skills to motivate, supervise and guide their subordinates. The importance of organizing skill does not change very much with hierarchical level, however, there is small drop in importance of organizing skill as we go down the organizational hierarchy.

What attitude toward death is shown in "Julius Caesar"? How do Caesar, Cassius, Titinius, Portia, and Brutus die and why?

I don't think there is a single attitude toward death shown across the play as a whole. There are two key attitudes, really, I think: and they work against each other. One is that death is noble / the other that death is deeply unpleasant.

Here's Brutus, for example, talking about the murder of Caesar:

Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.
We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar;
And in the spirit of men there is no blood:
O, that we then could come by Caesar's spirit,
And not dismember Caesar!

Death is a noble, unbrutal (note the pun on Brutus' own name) honorable thing. Except it isn't:

...no instrument
Of half that worth as those your swords, made rich
With the most noble blood of all this world.
I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,
Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and smoke,
Fulfil your pleasure.

That's Antony after the murder. It's not unbloody: it's horrific. And both Brutus and Cassius kill themselves in a supposedly honorable way: though, I guess, it's up to the production as to whether the deaths are as smooth as their moral justification. I saw one production in which the planned suicides were painfully botched and drawn out: in stark contrast to their easy morals.

As for your list of deaths: Caesar is murdered with knives by the conspirators. This is because they fear he is becoming too powerful, and needs to be stopped.

Cassius and Brutus both run on their swords, and commit suicide, both attempts at an honorable death, preferable to being beaten and enslaved after battle. Portia kills herself by swallowing fire - because she's mad. Titinius kills himself, after Cassius had died, with Cassius' sword in a gesture of honour toward his master.

Hope it helps!

What does this quote mean? "A GOOD LISTENER IS NOT ONLY POPULAR EVERYWHERE BUT AFTER A WHILE HE GETS TO KNOW SOMETHING."

Essentially, this quote is pointing out the merits of being a good listener. For instance, if one is constantly listening to others, they become popular as a friend or comrade simply because they are willing to hear what another person has to say.

In addition, by constantly listening to others, one may gain the knowledge of others' experience. For instance, every person has had different life story, and by listening to those of others, we are able to learn from their individual accounts. Being a good listener definitely has its advantages, and this quote is attempting to elucidate two of them.

In Macbeth, what demonstrates the guilt (and subconscious guilt) of Lady Macbeth, other than the sleep walking scene?

Lady Macbeth's guilt catches up to her in Act V, as detailed in the famous sleep walking scene. One of her attendants tells Macbeth of his wife's strange nocturnal behavior:

I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon 't, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep.

We are not told what exactly she writes. A confession, perhaps? Clearly, something deep in Lady Macbeth's subconscious disturbs her sleep and prompts her odd behavior. 

Her guilt becomes very clear later in the scene when she is observed walking and talking in her sleep, rubbing her hands, seeming to wash them. However, there are earlier signs that Lady Macbeth was not completely hardened to the acts she performed in the name of ambition. It had been her intention to murder Duncan herself, but when the time came, she was unable to kill him: "Had he [Duncan] not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done't." This offers an interesting insight into Lady Macbeth's character. Had she been a loving daughter? Had her father expected better of her than the conduct she was now embracing? Something in Duncan's appearance, vulnerable in his sleep, stirs her conscience.

When Macbeth returns from Duncan's chamber, so shaken by the murder he still carries the bloody daggers, Lady Macbeth resumes her cold demeanor and castigates him for his fear: "Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead / Are but as pictures." Her remonstrance lacks credibility. She protests too much. Only moments before, she had related to King Duncan as far more than a picture as he slept. She buries her guilt, but it resurfaces with a vengeance at the conclusion of the play.

In "Fahrenheit 451", what happens to Clarisse McClellan in section 2?

The simple answer is that she disappears.  What happens to  her exactly is more complicated.  The book never fully explains it.  Mildred says that she heard that the "whole family moved out somewhere", and that Clarisse was "run over by a car".  Beatty hints that girls like her are "better off dead."  So, she could have been taken away by the government because she was trouble, she could have ran away, or she could have been killed.  The vague rumors that float around about her do help to keep it something that can't be pinned down and blamed though, which is handy if the government did take or kill her.

What does the title mean and have to do with the story "The Chaser"?

The word "chaser" has multiple meanings, and interestingly enough, each of them can be related to the story in different ways.  The most obvious meaning of the word is "one who pursues".  This can refer to both the young man who goes to the old man who deals with potions, and the young woman whose affections he is trying to win.  The young man is pursuing the woman, and after he uses the love potion on her, it is she who will be pursuing him.

A "chaser" is also a drink which is taken after a first, stronger one, ostensibly to take the taste of the first away.  This "chaser" can be related to the second potion the old man sells, the poison that takes away the effect of the love potion he sells first.  The love potion, which sells for only a dollar, will cause the woman to fall in love with the young man, in a way that is so total and consuming that he will soon wish he had never set eyes upon her.  He will need the second potion, the poison which sells for five-thousand dollars for a single teaspoonful, as a "chaser" to rid himself of the bad experience, or taste, engendered by the first.

In Chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies, why might Piggy be fearful of people?In Chapter 5, Piggy says the only fear worth considering is the fear of...

Piggy represents the rational element in the novel, and, as such, he comes into intense conflict with the more primordial urges of others such as Jack and, especially, Roger.

Concerned with existential questions, Chapter 5 has Ralph, separated now from the others, beginning to question existence:

Again he fell into that strange mood of speculation that was so foreign to him.  If faces were differnt when lit from above or below--what was a face?  What was anything?....The troube was, if you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise. And then the occasion slipped by so that you had to grab at a decision....thought was a valuable thing, that got results....

Now, Ralph recognizes thought in Piggy and better understands him as well as comprehending the difference in others who need "fundamental statements" repeated "at least twice before everyone understood them."  After Ralph finishes, Jack takes the conch and makes his appeal to the boys, not as a rational one, but an empirical one:  "If there were a beast, I'd have seen it." 

When Jack finishes, Piggy takes up the conch, but he is not respected by the boys who continue to talk.  When he attempts to reason with them--"We know what goes on and if there's something wrong, there's someone to put it right"--no one listens; instead, they make fun of Piggy's stomach.  It is at this point that Piggy says there "isn't no fear....Unless we get frightened of people."  Here he alludes to the mob and primordial mentality, the baser nature of man that follows the stronger leader.  Piggy understands that the more savage nature in mass shuts down all reason--a situation to be feared, indeed.

What is ironic about Huck not understanding the stunt with the drunken horseman at the circus? Why does Twain include this episode in this...

Huck is a born trickster himself and the irony is that he cannot understand that a trick is being played on him. The man on the horse is really just pretending to be drunk, just as Huck pretends to be many things on his trip down the river. This episode is included while the king and the duke prepare to trick the town into watching their "play". So Twain doubles the irony. Huck can't tell that he is being tricked while he knows the king and the duke are preparing their trick.

Why does Attean's Grandmother have a bad attitude towards the white men in Sign of the Beaver?What about Saknis? Show why and how.

Attean's Grandmother "hate(s) all white men" because white men caused the deaths of both Attean's mother and his father.  Attean tells Matt that his mother was shot when she went out looking for bark to make baskets.  She had not posed a threat to the men, had "done them no harm", yet still they killed her to take her scalp.  Even though the Indians were no longer at war with the white men at the time, the governor of Massachusetts had previously offered a bounty for Indian scalps, even the scalps of children. 

Enraged, Attean's father had gone on the "war trail" to find the men who killed his wife.  He had never returned.  Attean's grandmother can never forget what has happened to her family because of the white men.  She hates them all, and will not allow Matt to sleep in her wigwam because of this.

Saknis must also have been devastated by what happened to his family, but he is a wise and practical man, and does not let his emotions take over his common sense.  He believes that the white man is here to stay, and that the Indians "must learn to live with (them)", for their own survival.  It is for this reason that he is so insistent that Attean learn how to read the white man's words, so the Indians can better protect themselves.  Saknis also has a deep sense of compassion and the ability to see people as individuals.  Matt realizes that, in spite of what he had experienced in his life, as well as the opposition of his own wife, Saknis himself had invited him to the Indian camp and made him feel welcome (Chapter 17).

What connection is there, if any, between Biff's return and Willy's inability to get past Yonkers?

It would be difficult to prove there is any direct connection.  Willie has been having a tough time driving for a while, and this may be just another example.  However, it's always interesting to try to establish why he included the specific incident and why Yonkers.  It is safe to assume, I think, that Willie lived in Brooklyn (based on the reference to Ebetts Field).  Yonkers is just above the county line in the Bronx.  That tells us that Willie didn't get very far, just outside his "home" zone.  It also tells us that, if it took him hours to drive home, he was driving very slowly.

I sounds like this may not be the first time this has happened to Willie, and that leads us to consider why this happened.  It is quite possibe that this is linked to the added stress of having Biff home.  Biff shares Willie's secrets of his infidelities; it is probably safe to assume that after all these years Bif is not going to reveal his secret, but it's always something to be concerned about.  Perhaps more importantly, Willie knows that Biff's "failure" is directly connected to his own infidelities. Knowing that Biff was going to be there meant that he would have to deal with these realities again, and may have caused greater than normal stress for him.  So that may be the connection ....

In Of Mice and Men, in what ways is Candy like his dog?

Like his dog, Candy in "Of Mice and Men" is old and has nearly out-lived his usefulness.  The dog's death is suggestive of what will soon happen to him--he will be discarded by society. 

The skinner [Slim] had been studying the old dog with his calm eyes.  "Yeah," he said.  "You can have a pup if you wnat to."  He seemed to shake himself free for speech.  "Carl's right, Candy.  That dog ain't no good to himself.  I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple.'

Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim's opinions were law....Candy looked for help from face to face.

Candy is alone in his anxiety. For, as George says, "Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world.  They got no family.  They don't belong no place...."  While George has Lennie to give his life some meaning against the terrible isolation of his state, Candy has his old dog.  But, when Carlson takes the dog and shoots it, Candy is bereft in a group of isolated misfits.

Steinbeck's theme of the interdependence of society is one that he explores throughout the novella; one method that he uses is to show the negative effects of isolation as exemplified in the episodes of Candy and his dog.

Science fiction novels are a form of fantasy. What is the setting for The Giver? Provide evidence from the novel to support your opinion.

The setting of the novel is referred to simply as "the community."  There is an implication that other communities exist "Elsewhere," which we find out when Jonas learns about how some people apply for release and are sent Elsewhere.  He assumes, early in the novel, that people who are released simply go to live in another community where they might find a better match for their lifestyle or personality preferences.

The community is extremely well-organized.  An example of this can be the way that families are put together by a governing body, and everyone is matched for specific traits of compatibility.  Another example is the process by which children are educated, and how they are given specific privileges at specific ages.  Finally, the process of assigning jobs is also very orderly, where each person's job is selected based on his or her own talents and abilities.

The community has obviously been planned meticulously.  The people have been genetically engineered for sameness, so that most of them even have the same eye color.  Somehow, they have been altered so that they cannot see color, and therefore color cannot be used to distinguish between things or create differences.  The rules are so logical that hardly anyone thinks to question them, thus ensuring a peaceful existence.  The pills they take for "Stirrings" ensure that passion will never exist, and therefore neither will the conflicts that normally follow passion.

The community is a society where the founders evidently thought that they could eliminate war, conflict, hunger, and other world problems by planning everything down to the letter.  They also thought, apparently, that if they could isolate their own community then they would never be in danger of change, because their citizens would never get ideas from outside places to cause them to want to change.  Certainly, it is easy to see the appeal of such an orderly lifestyle, until you start to understand the darkness that must accompany it (such as the releases and the lack of feelings).

How does O'Connor view Southern women in "Good Country People"?

It would appear as if she sees them as very true to their faith, simplistic, and narrow-minded.  This is especially true of Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman.  However, Joy, or Hulga, as she prefers, is the opposite. She is a very strong character and a staunch athiest.  As such, she rejects the simplistic, fundamentalist faith espoused by the other women in the story.

While Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman fail to see through Manly Pointer, who presents himself as "good country people", and a simple traveling Bible salesman, Hulga does not appear to accept him as clever at first.  She feels he is lacking intellectually, but that he is basically benign, and agrees to go out with him. 

Hulga may be presented as a strong woman with dissident views, especially about religion and the meaning of life, but she is allowed to be made a fool in the end.  When Manly convinces her to remove her false leg and runs away with it, he leaves her both literally and figuratively without a leg to stand on, a common Southern cliche with which O'Connor was undoubtedly familiar. 

Where did Captain John Smith and his group of colonist settle?

Captain John Smith and the other settlers aboard the three ships that set sail for the Virginia Colony settled in Jamestown, Virginia in May, 1607. The Jamestown colony suffered badly from harsh weather, hunger, lack of water and Indian attacks. Smith was taken captive in one of these attacks, and according to his version of events was saved by the chief's daughter, Pocahontas. Jamestown's future was later secured by the cultivation and sale of tobacco.

What is Napoleon's physical and behavioural characteristics found in chapters 9 and 10?I need to make a profile of Napoleon from chapters 9 and 10.

One of the major changes in chapter nine is that the farm is declared a republic, but of course there is only one candidate for president, Napoleon.  So he is elected without opposition and continues to use propaganda and other means to control the rest of the animals and convince them that their lives are better than they were previously.

Even after Boxer is sent to the knackers, Squealer is always telling the rest of the animals that Napoleon is always right.  Of course after he goes off to the knackers, he convinces the other animals that it was just a ride to the hospital, after which the pigs get another case of whiskey and drink themselves into a stupor.

Napoleon gets fatter, and makes the farm more profitable rather than improving it for the animals with the things he once went on and on about.  The pigs (Napoleon included) eventually begin to walk on two feet and carry whips and wear human clothes.

In "The Kite Runner", what does Farid not like about Amir?

"A driver and guide introduced to Amir by Rahim Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan. Farid is a tough man who has lost several family members to Taliban violence. He drives Amir to Kabul to rescue Sohrab, Hassan's son."

Farid does not like Amir because he perceives him to be a spoiled man who, because of his class and money did not suffer the plight of the Afghanistan people.  Farid has a family and is separated from them.  He has lost many family members in the war and is suspicious of Amir.  He feels that the only reason Amir has the luxury he now has as an American is because his father escaped and "ran" when the communist invaded.

In "The Odyssey", what does Athena convince Zeus to do in order to free Odysseus? What is Zeus's role?

There was a meeting of the gods on Mount Olympus and Athena was arguing that they should help Odysseus. Through her arguments, she convinced Zeus to send his son Hermes to Ogygia to save Odysseus from Calypso. Calypso knew that it was a bad idea to go against Zeus, so she agreed to follow the directions of Hermes. She released Odysseus and gave him supplies and a raft, but she did not sent him with an escort.

In "Wuthering Heights" how do Lockwood's dreams add to the mystery amd gloom of the novel?

Lockwood's dreams set up the mystery of who Catherine Earnshaw Linton really was. They also heighten and foreshadow some of the cruelty that is evident in later parts of the book. For instance, Lockwood rubs the wrist of Catherine's ghost across a pane of glass so she will let go of him. The supernatural elements of his dreams also add to the Gothic mystery surrounding Wuthering Heights. They also heighten the tension in the novel which is initially established with Lockwood's arrival and his strange treatment by Heathcliff. All of these occurrences eventually lead Lockwood to try to solve these mysteries by asking Nelly Dean about Heathcliff and that leads to her narrative of the rest of the story.

In "A Separate Peace", what is the irony of the latin inscription over the door?

The Latin inscription over the door states that boys are made into men at Devon School.  The irony of this statement is that Gene and Finny do become men, but their maturation comes at great expense.  For, Gene lives long with guilt over his shaking the limb that causes Finny to fall and severely fracture his leg. Likewise, Finny matures, but at the loss of his athleticism and with disillusionment in his friend, Gene.  After he returns to school and again breaks his leg and lies in the Infirmary; seeing Gene enter, Finny cries, "Are you here to break something else?" 

This second break of the same leg on Phineas eventually leads to his death, and Gene carries this guilt for a long time.  However, Gene has become a man from this experience.

What is a good character analysis of Danforth, John Proctor, and Abigail?

Danforth is the judge in charge of making decisions at the witch-trials. He is arrogant and feels superior to everyone in Salem.  He is determined to take care of the witch problem, therefore his mind is already made up before he hears any testimony. Once one person is hanged as a witch, he must be consistent in his rulings to maintain the legitimacy of his authority. 

When he discovers that Abigail's testimony is questionable, and not reliable, he does not worry about the 12 people he has executed on her say so, he worries that his life will be threatened by an angry mob of citizens once they realize that the whole process has been false.   

Proctor is a hard working farmer who has made a mistake, having an affair with Abigail.  He loves his family and is trying to make things work with his wife, Elizabeth.  He believes in the truth and does not want anything to do with the witch trials.  He is dragged into the process by Abigail, when his wife is accused. 

Proctor is an honest man, he confesses his crime of adultery and hopes to clear his name of the witchcraft accusation, but chooses to die instead of sacrificing his integrity. 

Abigail is a confused, lonely girl who falls in love with a father figure, Proctor.  She wants him with a passion that she cannot control.  Abigail engages in behavior that is forbidden by the Puritan community.  She is selfish, cold and capable of great cruelty. 

What motivated Dante to write The Divine Comedy?

Since the poem is such a multi-faceted work, there are several answers to this question.  First, as a great artist, Dante reflects the ideas, concerns, and attitudes of his time; The Divine Comedy is no less than a summation of the medieval European mind.

In a letter he wrote to his patron, Dante states that his goal was to lead his readers from the state of misery to the state of happiness.  In other words, the poem is supposed to teach the reader.

Finally, Beatrice is a major figure in the poem.  At the end of his poetic autobiography called La Vita Nuova, Dante says that he intends to write of Beatrice "that which has not ever been said of another."  So, in addition to being a religious, philosophical, and political poem, The Divine Comedy is an astonishing love poem.   

Who were the two main characters in "Two Kinds"?

The two main characters in this story are the narrator, Jing-Mei "June" Woo, and her mother, Suyuan Woo.

Jing-Mei is a young woman who tells tells the story in the aftermath of her mother's death.  She recalls her childhood, when, in reaction to her mother's insistence on living her own hopes and dreams through her daughter, she was bitter, insecure, and rebellious, caught between two cultures and unable to live up to her mother's unrealistic expectations.  Jing-Mei's mother had wanted her to be a prodigy in some area so that she could "brag" about her like her friend Lindo Jong always spoke about her own daughter Waverley.  Repeated failure eventually left Jing-Mei feeling inadequate and angry, always at odds with her mother and only wanting to be allowed to be herself.

Suyuan Woo emigrated to San Francisco in the years after World War II.  She had suffered terribly in China, having lost her first husband and twin baby girls in the War.  Suyuan came to America with the belief that in that new land, a person could achieve anything they wanted.  A harsh, competitive, mean-spirited woman, at times, Suyuan seeks to attain her ambitions through Jing-Mei, her only remaining daughter, with seemingly little concern for how the little girl might feel.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," when and how did Atticus and his brother learn how to read and write?

Near the end of chapter 3, Atticus says to the children that he never went to school.  He's discussing their situation with Miss Caroline.  He doesn't want Scout to upset her teacher by continuing to read at home, so he tells Scout to keep between the two of them. 

Atticus and his brother must have learned to read and write, like most of his generation at home, because both of them were able to go on to college to pursue their careers.  Atticus was admitted to the bar, and his brother Jack went on to study medicine.  So both were taught pretty well before going off to college.

What is the difference between overhead expenses and operating expenses?Can operating expenses be classified as overhead expenses

A businesses expenses are split into two categories because operating expenses apply exclusively to the costs incurred in the connection with a product or service.

"All of the costs associated with production itself, including engineering, warehousing, energy, maintenance, and the like—and not least labor and raw materials costs—are accounted for as operating expenses."

While overhead expenses are administrative expenses such as salaries, rent, utility bills, insurance, travel expenses, benefits to employees.  Overhead costs are usually more constant in their value, while operating expenses tend to fluctuate depending on the product or service that the company provides.

In Cry, the Beloved Country, what are the contrasts and comparisons between Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis?

The differences between Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis are most obvious in the novel, but it is their similarities that are thematically most significant and satisfying. These two men of South Africa represent the reality of apartheid as it was practiced. Kumalo is a poor African, living in the barren and impoverished village of Ndotsheni, located symbolically in a valley. Jarvis, in contrast, is a wealthy white man living on a lovely estate, High Place, near Ixopo. High Place is located near Ndotsheni geographically, but exists culturally in another world. Stephen and James live as neighbors who never meet because of the political and cultural divide enforced by apartheid, as well as by centuries of social tradition. Neither man knows or understands the life of the other, until their lives intersect through an act of violence, and they both become grieving fathers.

The similarities between Stephen and James become increasingly evident as they are portrayed as the fathers of lost sons, one a murderer and the other murdered, yet both victims in a larger sense. Stephen and James both love and grieve for their sons. Neither understands the senselessness of Arthur Jarvis's death. Each had lost touch with his son and was unaware of the life he had been leading at the time of the crime. Both men, gentle and compassionate, feel their wives' suffering. 

The most profound similarity between Stephen and James is that in their grief, they choose love over hatred. When Stephen approaches James to express his shame and sorrow over Arthur's death, James does not turn him away. Out of this meeting, a bond is formed, one man feeling deep compassion for the other. James comes down from High Place, literally, to embrace the people of Ndotsheni and continue his son's social work. Arthur's young son seeks to learn the Zulu language from the elder Stephen. The lives of Stephen and James are far more similar than different in terms of each man's humanity, and through their relationship, Patton's novel holds out hope for the future of South Africa.

What does the ''touch-me-not-appearance'' of the cottage mean in "Tuck Everlasting"?It is from the book Tuck Everlasting

The Tuck's cottage is a small, plain little cottage that is very disorderly and homey. The cottage is symbolic of the Tucks -- they are very laid back people, with dusty rooms, piles of stuff laying around the house, disorganized and mismatched furniture, and colorful bits of sewing lying around. And while the Tucks are laid back and disorganized, very plain, down-home kind of people, they are also really interesting and different from anything Winnie has ever seen. She is used to order, a way that things are supposed to be, and the Tucks defy that order. They live in a different manner, come from a different social class, and even defy the natural order of things. And they are not concerned with neatness and with appearances, they are only concerned with living the best life they can live and making the most out of life. Winnie learns this lesson while staying with them. She begins to discover what is important, living and experiencing life, and not worrying about living an orderly life that is stilted and suffocating.

In Fahrenheit 451 how is the family next door different, and why?

Clarisse's family, who lives next door to the Montag's house, is different in that they are still interested in each other as human beings.  While people in the rest of society (represented primarily in Mildred) live their lives connected only on a superficial level, Clarisse's family (in particular her uncle) have discussions that last into the night.  While Mildred's friends joke in all seriousness about getting rid of their children as soon as possible, Clarisse's family nurtures her and gives her advice.

Honestly, I think the neighbors are different in order to provide a foil to the Montags.  Clarisse sparks Guy's awakening, and she could not do so without some background that would nurture her awareness of the real world.

In regards to Montag's feelings for Clarisse, I think he is in awe of her more than he is in love with her.  If she were a few years older, then I think he could fall in love with her (provided the emotion love has not been obliterated from his emotional repertoire).  However, with things as they are, he ends up feeling vaguely paternal towards her, in spite of the fact that Clarisse has more knowledge of the world than he does.

In The Giver, what are the responsibilities of the Committee of Elders?

The Committee of Elders is the governing body in the community.  They make the laws, organize the major events and ceremonies, and assign the jobs to the children who turn 12.  The running joke among the citizens is that if you ever want a rule to be changed, the Committee of Elders will not change it, but instead let the idea rot in committee.  Whenever the Elders need extra guidance, they ask the Receiver for his input on an issue.

In "Chanclas" from The House on Mango Street, how does Esperanza react to dancing with her uncle?

At the beginning of "Chanclas," Esperanza is embarrassed to dance with her Uncle Nacho because she is wearing her old saddle shoes from school.  Her mother has remembered to buy her a new dress and other accessories, but she forgot the shoes.  As a result, Esperanza feels like she stands out and does not want everyone looking at her in her old shoes.  Throughout the novel, Esperanza becomes increasingly aware of her family's financial situation, and this may be another situation in which she feels embarrassed because her family has little money.  However, when her Uncle Nacho gets her on the dance floor, she begins to relax and gets into the rhythm of the music.  She sees that her Uncle Nacho is happy to dance with her, and her mother looks proud of her.  Plus a guy watches her dance, so she feels attractive.  So, Esperanza's feelings about dancing shift in this vignette.

In "The Outsiders", hat do the Curtis brothers’ breakfast likes and dislikes symbolize?

I agree with the poster above, their breakfast choices symbolize their age. Remember, the boys are 14, 17, and 20 years old.  When they eat cake for breakfast, it reminds the reader of their age and innocence.  They are in a horrible situation, having lost both parents tragically, and Darry is doing the best he can to take care of his brothers. Allowing them to eat cake for breakfast shows that he is still a child himself.

Is New Mexico an anti-deficiency state? What does anti-deficiency mean in real estate language?

New Mexico does have anti-deficiency laws; however, certain requirements must be met for a person to benefit from these laws.

In general, anti-deficiency laws only apply to primary mortgages on primary residential residences. Generally speaking, a primary residence is one where the person lives (as opposed to a house she might rent out or a property she purchased in order to “flip” and sell at a profit). A primary mortgage, generally, is the mortgage that you would take out in order to purchase your house (as opposed to a second mortgage that you might take out in order to raise capital.) Each state has its own requirements regarding when these laws apply. In Arizona, for example, the property must usually be 2.5 acres or less and be a one or two family dwelling.

Anti-deficiency laws protect people whose foreclosed homes sell for less than the amount of the outstanding debt on their mortgages by prohibiting the lender from collecting the remaining balance of the foreclosure. For example, if you owe your lender $300,000 on your mortgage but your house sells for $200,000 in a foreclosure sale, an anti-deficiency law will prohibit the lender from collecting the $100,000 remaining balance. By choosing to foreclose on your home, the lender cannot receive any money from you beyond what she can raise by selling that property.

Text of New Mexico’s anti-deficiency law (A.R.S. 33-729(A)) available at http://www.azleg.state.az.us/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/33/00729.htm&Title=33&DocType=ARS

What is the McCourt's bathroom like in Angela's Ashes?

The squalor and filth in which the McCourt children have to live is unbelievable. I suppose you are referring to the incident in the book where the bottom floor gets flooded out, so the family retreats upstairs. When an inspector comes he confesses to his colleague, "......(It's) Calcutta up there."

There is indeed cold running water, however, and Angela has salvaged empty jam jars to use as drinking glasses. That's it. There is no 'sanitary system' - only unsanitary conditions:

'It's December and it's freezing and we can see our breath. We pee into the bucket by the bedroom door and run down stairs for the warmth of the fire Dad has already started. We wash our face and hands in a basin that sits under the water tap by the door. The pipe that leads to the tap has to be held to the wall by a piece of twine looped around a nail. Every- thing around the tap is damp, the floor the wall, the chair the basin sits on. The water from the tap is icy and our fingers turn numb.'

- from Angela's Ashes, Chapter 3

In The Iliad, who is responsible for the death of Achilles and who helps him?

Achilles death is not described in the text of The Iliad.  The story of his death is part of later Greek myths.  However the death of Achilles is predicted by Hector in Book 22, as he is dying by Achilles' hand.  Hector, the prince of Troy, says that Achilles will be killed by Hector's brother Paris (who had stolen or lured Helen away from King Menelaus of Sparta and thus caused the Trojan War).  Hector said:

"I know you and what you are, and was sure that I should not move you, for your heart is hard as iron; look to it that I bring not heaven's anger upon you on the day when Paris and Phoebus Apollo, valiant though you be, shall slay you at the Scaen gates." (345)

The later myths tell how Paris shot Achilles, wounding him fatally in the only vulnerable place on his body -- his heel. 

There is also a story that Achilles had fallen in love with Polyxena, a princess of Troy, and had gone to the Temple of Apollo to negotiate peace with the Trojans so he could marry her.  At this meeting the Trojans betrayed him, and Paris killed him (helped by Apollo.) 

None of these stories appear in either of Homer's poems, but in The Odyssey Book 11 Odysseus meets and talks with the ghost of Achilles, so by the time of Odysseus' journey the hero is dead. 

Source: Homer, The Iliad. Samuel Butler, trans. Roslyn, New York: Walter J. Black, Inc., 1942.

What is a summary of the Wife of Bath's Tale?

In Arthur's court, a young knight comes across a beautiful young maiden and overcome by lust rapes her. The knight is ordered to be put to death. However, Arthur's queen and other ladies of the court intercede on his behalf and ask the king to give him one chance to save his own life:if, within one year, he can discover what women want most in the world and report his findings back to the court, he will keep his life. If he cannot find the answer to the queen's question, or if his answer is wrong, he will lose his head.

The Knight after wandering all over the place is not able find a satisfactory answer. Finally, an old and ugly woman promises to help him on condition that he marry her. The knight agrees reluctantly and they return to King Arthur's court where she tells the right answer: what women most desire is to be in charge of their husbands and lovers. The knight's life is spared but he is forced to marry her. Needless to say the knight is unhappy, so his old and ugly wife offers the knight a choice: either he can have her to be ugly but loyal and good, or he can have her young and fair but also coquettish and unfaithful, he replies that he would rather trust her judgment, and he asks her to choose whatever she thinks best. Because the knight's answer gave the woman what she most desired, the authority to choose for herself, she becomes both beautiful and good. The two have a long, happy marriage, and the woman becomes completely obedient to her husband.

In The Great Gatsby, why does Gatsby conduct parties in his house, but doesn’t participate in the parties?

Gatsby knows that Daisy lives directly across the bay from his own mansion. He can stand on his lawn at night and see the green light on the dock at Daisy's home. He throws wild and lavish parties, hoping that Daisy will wander in one evening and he can see her again. Gatsby doesn't invite people to his parties; they just come. Hundreds of people from East Egg, West Egg, and New York all come to Gatsby's parties to drink his liquor, eat his food, and dance to his music. After Gatsby does see Daisy again when Nick arranges a meeting, Gatsby stops giving parties altogether. He has no further need of them.

In "The Adventures of Huck Finn", what is Huck's motivation for traveling down the Mississippi?

 Huck believes that he needs to get away from his Pap so that Pap won't kill him. Just before Huck decides to leave, his Pap get so drunk that he chases Huck around their cabin with a knife calling Huck "The angel of death". Huck grabs his Pap's gun to protect himself but his Pap passes out in a drunken stupor before Huck has to shoot. The next day, he makes plans to leave. He fakes his own death and goes to hide on Jackson Island. There he accidently finds Jim who has run away from Miss Watson who was about to sell him away from his wife and family. The two outcasts join together to try to get Jim to a free state where Jim will be free to earn money to buy his wife and children back. The irony is that Pap is killed a few days after Huck escapes. His body floats by in a house that has been abandoned in a storm. Jim sees the body of Pap but doesn't tell Huck until the end of the novel. Jim doesn't want Huck leaving him alone. Of course, there is also irony in Jim's position because Miss Watson soon becomes ill and sets Jim free in her will just before she dies. So, both Huck and Jim have been running for reasons that no longer exist.

In "Mending Wall," which metaphorical walls could the reader infer as sometimes impeding communication between people?

The wall in the poem can certainly be seen as a metaphor for barriers that exist between people, preventing communication and understanding. One "wall" suggested in the poem is generational. The speaker in the poem seems younger than his neighbor, perhaps because he is more open-minded and less bound by tradition. His neighbor does not understand why doing away with the wall would be a good idea, and the speaker does not understand why his neighbor continues to live by his father's old philosophy. They view the stone wall from different generational perspectives.

Another kind of wall suggested by the poem is that of personality. The speaker possesses a humorous nature. He does not take this yearly ritual very seriously; he sees it as "just another kind of outdoor game." Placing the stones back into the wall is a balancing act, requiring a magic spell, of sorts. The speaker whimsically says to the pesky stones, "Stay where you are until our backs are turned!" He thinks of suggesting to his neighbor that "elves" are responsible for the damage each spring, but he doesn't. He would rather his neighbor thought of it himself, which he never will. His neighbor, in contrast, shows no sense of humor. He goes about his work grimly and methodically, moving like "an old-stone savage."

Many other kinds of walls serve to separate people: for instance, prejudice, poverty, fear, anger, pride, and cultural differences.

According to Krishna, what constitutes sin and what is evil?

I believe your question relates to the dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield just before the start of the great war between Kauravas and Pandavas.

Whether or not these events actually took place has not been established authoritatively. However, the advice and teachings of Lord Krishna to Arjuna, as recorded in the ancient Sanskrit text Bhagwad Gita, is still very relevant and useful today to help people lead a happy life.

Before understanding concept of sin and evil, we need to clarify some other concepts. Lord Krishna considers that the intention and feelings that motivate behaviour of individuals is more important for their long term happiness. The appropriate motivations aim at good of the total society, rather than personal benefits and comforts of the individual. Also, Lord Krishna says that decisions on actions to be taken must be based on codes of conducts, called dharma, designed to promote the welfare of total society in the long run. This has a very significant implication - all action must conform to dharma, irrespective of possibility of failure. This advice is supported by modern concepts of decision making process, wherein decisions are taken on the basis of expected benefits over a long term rather than immediate prospects of loss or gain. John Argenti, a reputed corporate planning expert puts the same idea in these words:

"A best decision does not always give best result, and a poor decision may some ties give very good result."

Once this basic concept of dharma is clear, we can describe sin - called papa in Sanskrit- as all actions not in line with dharma. Evil covers all actions intended to cause harm to others and society.

At times, society may be harmed by some action sanctioned by dharma because of the uncertainty of result. Such action is not sin. But if the intention is to deliberately cause harm to others, rather than total good of the society, then such action is evil. All evil actions are also sins, because they violate the basic requirement of dharma that our action must be guided by good of the total society rather than by considerations of personal benefits.