What is the summary for Chapter 7 of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?This chapter is titled "Rowdy Sings the Blues".

Junior tells Rowdy about his plans to go to Reardan.  He knows that Rowdy might get angry, but Rowdy "was (his) best friend and (Junior) wanted him to know the truth".  He tells Rowdy that he is leaving the rez, and that he wants Rowdy to go with him.  Rowdy at first does not take Junior seriously.

When Junior thinks about Reardan, he has a picture in his mind of the school against which his own school played flag football, basketball, and baseball last year, and lost embarrassingly every time.  The only student from his own school who had any success at all in any of those games was Rowdy.  Junior remembers that even in the Academic Bowl competition in which the schools engaged the year before, his own school lost by "a grand total of 50-1".  When Junior thinks about the kids from Reardan, he thinks of kids who are "beautiful and smart and epic...filled with hope".

Rowdy "absolutely hate(s)" the idea of Junior going to Reardan.  He becomes violently angry, and when Junior reaches out to him, Rowdy starts crying.  When Rowdy realizing that he is crying, he begins to scream, making a sound that is "the worst thing (Junior'd) ever heard...it was pain, pure pain".  Junior tells Rowdy that he has to go, or he will die, and that Rowdy can go with him, but Rowdy, overcome by rage, punches his best friend in the face (Chapter 7).

What were the goals of reconstruction following the Civil War?Were these goals acomplished?

The goal, of President Lincoln and his supporters, was to rejoin all of the states to the Union and to help rebuild the "South".  Lincoln was going to grant amnesty to all that rejoined the Union without fear of punishment.  He was committed to following through with the Emancipation of the Slaves, and to make sure of their future in the United States of America.  Were these goals met?  It depends on which history book you read.  If you read a book published before 1960 then no the goals were not reached.  According to William Dunning’s late nineteenth-century theory:

"the failure of Reconstruction could be blamed on carpetbaggers, (Northerners who came south) scalawags (southern Republicans who supported the Union), and freed slaves."

However, if you were enrolled in school following 1965 your history books might follow the ideology of John Franklin, who believed the Reconstruction was more successful.

"Franklin’s perspective on Reconstruction was almost point-for-point the exact opposite of Dunning’s. While Franklin acknowledged that Radical Republican governments were often corrupt, he mostly defended the actions taken by freed blacks, southern white Republicans, and what he termed “so-called carpetbaggers.” "

The sort of people are Portia, Antonio, Bassanio, Shylock, Jessica at the beginning of the play? What caused the changes?

Of the five characters you mentioned, I would say all of them but Portia are dynamic.  It would be difficult to prove that Portia undergoes any significant changes.  At the beginning of Merchant, Portia is independent, wealthy, and clever.  She remains the same at the end of the play.  The other four characters change in the following ways:

-Antonio begins the play as a melancholy, wealthy merchant.  He is arrogant, insulting, but blindly loyal to his friend (Bassanio). Shakespeare never explains Antonio's depression from the beginning of the play, but it seems that Antonio ends the play still in a somber mood. After his near-death experience, thought, I believe that Antonio has been humbled and would be more careful about whom he chooses to do business.  The extent of Antonio's change depends upon the play director's interpretation of Antonio's courtroom scene.  By reading the play, I think that Shakespeared intended for Antonio to come across as a clever businessman who "resentences" Shylock not to show mercy or sympathy, but rather because his sentence benefits Antonio.  In that sense, Antonio is not a very different character at the end of the play.  But, if one sees Antonio's new sentence for Shylock as being merciful and almost an apology on Antonio's part, then he/she could argue that Antonio has become less prejudice because he realizes what his insults toward Shylock have done.

-Bassanio matures quite a bit throughout the play.  He begins as a fun-loving, likeable, free-spending young man.  But, because of what he puts his close friend Antonio through, he develops into a more responsible and thoughtful husband and friend.

-Jessica begins the play as a rather rebellious, wild daughter. As the reality of what she has done to her father and in turn what he has done to others, she is not quite so resentful toward him at the play's end. While she still loves Lorenzo, her speeches, especially in Act 5, demonstrate that she thinks somewhat like her father and might feel some regret for leaving him in the manner that she did.

-Shylock undergoes the most change.  At the beginning of the play, he is a cutthroat businessman. After his humiliating defeat during the trial, he leaves the Duke's Palace, a humbled, sick old man.  His change is the result of his insistence on exacting the letter of the law and then having the letter of the law thrown at him.

What did the family have to do in order for Gabriel to be allowed a second year of Nurturing in "The Giver"?

In order for Gabriel to be allowed a second year of Nurturing, "each family member, including Lily, had been required to sign a pledge that they would not become attached to (him), and that they would relinquish him without protest or appeal when he was assigned to his own family unit at next year's Ceremony". 

As a result of Father's "plea", Gabriel "had been labeled "Uncertain" and given the additional year".  Gabriel was small for his age, and had trouble sleeping through the night.  Ordinarily, a child who could not adjust in this manner would be "labeled inadequate and released from the community". 

Father, as one of the Nurturers at the Center, had taken a special interest in the little boy.  He had been bringing Gabriel home with him at night to see if he could help the child adjust more quickly, and had gone before the committee to petition on his behalf.  Surprisingly, Father's request had been considered and granted; Gabriel had been allowed a second year of Nurturing.  During this time he would continue to be nurtured at the Center during the day, and would spend his nights with Jonas's family.  It was hoped that with this arrangement, Jonas and his family could give Gabriel the special help he needed to gain weight and learn to sleep soundly enough at night to enable him to be placed in his own family unit (Chapter 6).

What is the summary for Chapter 24 of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?This chapter is titled "Valentine Heart".

A few days after Valentine's Day, Junior's Dad's best friend Eugene is shot in the face in a fight over a bottle of wine.  His death comes right on the heels of the passing of Junior's Grandmother.  To deal with their grief, Junior's Dad goes on a drinking binge, and his Mom goes to church.  To Junior, everything on the reservation seems to be about "booze and God, booze and God", and he feels helpless and stupid, and angry, especially at God.

Gordy shows Junior a book written by Euripides, from the play Medea.  Junior is especially impressed by a line that says, "What greater grief than the loss of one's native land?"  Junior realizes that this is what has happened to the Indians.  They have LOST EVERYTHING...(their) native land...languages...songs and dances...each other".  Junior reads on that Medea was so distraught that she "murdered her own kids", and he understands how she could have felt that way.

After missing fifteen or twenty days of school, Junior returns to Reardan, where his social studies teacher mocks him for all his absences.  Junior is too broken to fight back, but his classmates are furious for him.  Beginning with Gordy, they stand up one by one, drop their textbooks on the floor, and walk out in protest.  Despite the fact that they leave him behind in the classroom, Junior is buoyed by their support.  Before, he had believed that the world was divided by race, or by culture, but now he knows there are only "two tribes...the people who are assholes and the people who are not".

Junior begins to make lists, looking for "the little pieces of joy in (his) life".  This becomes his "grieving ceremony" (Chapter 24).

What are the similarities between "The Cast Of the Amontillado", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Masque of the Red Death"?

All three stories deal with untimely death, premature burial, and the grotesque. In Cask A man tricks a rival into a crypt and seals him alive within the walls.

The Tell-Tale Heart shows a man killing an older man (he is bothered by the man's eye) and confessing when he still hears the man's heartbeat under the floorboards.

Masque is a bit different, but there are still some threads to draw from; a prince has gathered all his loyal subjects to his castle to party and wait out the death that is sweeping the countryside. The death still comes, however, and all inside die horribly, entombed within the stone walls forever.

So, in the end, people die unnaturally in all three works.

How does Thomas Paine use religion to argue against King George to appeal to the colonist?

In "Common Sense," Thomas Paine argues against monarchy, as an unnatural position that man has presumed to acquire but is not granted by God.  The exalting of one man over others is not a God given right, it is not supported by scripture so he says it cannot be defended by scripture.

According to Thomas Paine, mankind is equal through the process of creation, a process that is of God.

"But there is another and great distinction for which no truly natural or religious reason can be assigned, and that is the distinction of men into KINGS and SUBJECTS."

Paine argues that the creation of kings comes from a heathen origin, it is a tool of the Devil to place ordinary men in positions to be revered as idols on earth when there is only one King, God who resides in heaven.  It is a dangerous practice and considered a flaw or a sin of the early Jewish people to have an earthly king revered and equated with God Almighty.

Monarchy, therefore, argues Paine, is an institution that needs to be abolished as a means of restoring the natural order of existence so determined by God which includes freedom.

Freedom is a God given right, it is government's job to protect that freedom, to secure it, not to diminish it, redefine it or otherwise alter it.  Paine passionately argues that it is necessary for the colonists to separate from England and govern themselves, to rid themselves of a monarch.  God, he says put a great distance between what some believe is the mother country and the colonies, this is proof that England should not interfere with this promised land that God provided.

" Even the distance at which the Almighty hath placed England and America is a strong and natural proof that the authority of the one over the other, was never the design of Heaven."  

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Atticus explain Boo Radley to Jem and Scout? What do Jem and Scout learn from what he has said?Please leave...

Atticus' most famous quote is "You really never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."  Atticus told her this in chapter 3 referring to her teacher, but Scout applies it to Boo in the final chapter as she's on his porch.

When the kids get caught trying to give Boo a letter (with the fishing pole) Atticus says about that and their play that they keep putting on for the neighborhood, "You stop this nonsense right now, every one of you."  From that point on, the kids don't enact the play any more.  The only thing they do is try to sneak a peak in Boo's back window, but they don't pester him again. 

In chapter 11 Atticus tells them, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."  This is applying at the time to Mrs. Dubose.  However, it also applies to Boo and how he stepped out and saved them, even though he doesn't leave the house.  He did it for them. That was true courage.

How does the Biblical relationship between Cain and Abel parallel the relationship between George and Lennie in Of Mice and Men?

In Steinbeck's work, George and Lennie are not brothers, but they live as brothers. George tells Lennie they are lucky to have each other. "We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us." George protects the mentally impaired Lennie much as a big brother would look after a defenseless younger brother. There is one basic parallel in George's relationship with Lennie and Cain's relationship with Abel. George murders Lennie; Cain murders Abel.

Beyond that, these relationships are more strongly characterized by their differences. Cain slays Abel out of hatred, pride, and jealousy. George kills Lennie out of love, to spare him a horribly painful death at Curly's hands. When confronted by God, Cain does not take responsibility for his actions. When Slim finds George at the river, George does take responsibility. Slim knows what George has done and understands why. He comforts George.

In reference to Abel, Cain asks, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Clearly, he was not. In Of Mice and Men, George is his brother's keeper, until the very end of Lennie's tragic life.

In On Beauty by Zadie Smith, do the phrases "only connect" and "do concentrate" apply and reflect the text? If not, what pair of phrases does?

This is an interesting question. I can see how "only connect" and "do concentrate" might be a representative pair of phrases to give a metaphysical and symbolic representation of Zadie Smith's On Beauty.

"Only connect" may be symbolically representative of the Belsey's and Kipps' need to and inability to connect to the right expressions of identity (except perhaps Kiki). This may be seen as symbolically illustrated when Howard bends down to connect the cord of his old projector to a power source even while Miller stands in the doorway explaining that "pah-point" [PowerPoint] is the newest best technology, saying "Ah could show you."

[Howard] got on his knees and plugged the projector's cord into the wall; [but] a snag of blue light lept from the [wall] socket ... He twiddles the connected cable. He pressed hard on the light box hoping to engage some loose connection.

"Do concentrate" may be representative of the need for various characters to concentrate on elements of living that seem to get buried under other indirectly related elements of other people's lives. For instance, Howard's scholarship on Rembrandt--on which he can no longer concentrate--is buried under Kipps' newly published and acclaimed work on Rembrandt. Another example is that Kiki was unable to concentrate on her potential friendship with Mrs. Kipps because the friendship was metaphorically and literally buried in Howard's confession of unfaithfulness and in "the magazine rack" and again in "her Alice Walker Barnes and Noble tote bag."

Another representative option might be the pair of phrases that end the novel and lead to the option of reconcilliation and new beginnings that Kiki and Howard experience:

Everyone was enjoying the sense of new beginning and fresh pastures that ...cycles offer ... They were starting again.

These phrases are "on beauty" and "being wrong." The world comes to right itself to some extent--after wrongs committed--in one of its cycles of movement forward, and beauty is redefined and rediscovered in perhaps unlikely ways and places. Kiki and Howard make just such rediscoveries the night of his big presentation with his projector:

The surface of the water was dark, reflective--a cautious bather could not be certain of what lurked beneath. Howard looked at Kiki. In her face, his life. Kiki looked up suddenly at Howard--not, he thought, unkindly.

In "Fahrenheit 451", why does Montag plant the book at Black's house?

Montag leaves the book at Black's house as Montag is on the run after having killed Beatty.  Earlier, when Montag had gone to Faber's house to talk to Faber about books and how to bring down the anti-book society, Montag's plan was to plant books in the homes of firemen, thus bringing about the end of the society from within (a salamander devouring its own tail). Montag believed that if those who were in charge of enforcing the law were found in violation of the law, then the laws would topple.  By the time Montag plants the book at Black's house, though, this plan is obviously not going to come about, so Montag's planting of the book at the home of a fellow fireman is more of a symbolic gesture at this point. The society is coming apart from within but not because of books being found in the homes of firemen - the people themselves, through their own lack of knowledge and intelligence, are bringing down the society in the form of the war that is about to open up.  This is what Bradbury is telling the reader, that reading and being aware are essential to maintaining a society.

In "1984", why does Winston, mumble the word ''Shakespeare'' when he awakens from the dream about the naked girl?

Good question! I'd say Winston awakes muttering "Shakespeare" because of three reasons. First, Shakespeare is a representative of that old culture that the Thought Police are trying to stamp out. Second, his language is the complete opposite of Newspeak, making many things possible. Third and most specifically, there is a line in "Hamlet" that sums up the attitude of this new society: "Why then 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or
" This society claims they can rework the world by controlling what people think, as the "mad" Hamlet suggests.

What is the theme of Chapter 6 of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton?Please give the theme of Chapter 6 and maybe a song to match the theme. Thanks :)

I believe there are several themes covered in Chapter 6 of The Outsiders. One is that of owning up to one's mistakes. Johnny decides for himself that he (along with Pony) is going to return to Tulsa and turn himself in to the authorities. Johnny doesn't think it's fair that Pony's brothers should be worried about him and wondering if he is alive or dead. Secondly, when the boys see the church fire, they immediately realize that they caused it by leaving their cigarettes burning. They quickly decide that it's their responsibility to save the children inside.

The other primary theme is that of family togetherness. Although Johnny's family life is a bad one, he misses his greaser pals. Pony is also ready to return to ease his brothers' minds. The final scene of the chapter reunites the three Curtis brothers, and Pony realizes how deeply Darry is affected by his absence when he sees his tears. Pony realizes that he has been at fault for not recognizing this.

In "A White Heron," what is the main conflict that Sylvia feels about the stranger?

In the story, Sylvia is a shy girl who is growing up. When she meets the stranger, the hunter in the story, she is drawn to him and enjoys his company. Sylvia feels the stirrings of a first love. The hunter wants to find and kill the white heron for his collection. Because he thinks Sylvia can help him find the bird, he offers her ten dollars to show him the heron's nest. Sylvia wants to gain his approval, and she and her grandmother need the money, but her conflict develops once she does find the heron's nest.

After climbing the tall pine and viewing the beautiful world in which the heron lives, Sylvia sees the heron itself. Its beauty and grace speak to her soul. For a little while, she lives in the heron's world and is changed forever. After that, Sylvia cannot give up the heron. She chooses instead to endure her grandmother's displeasure and the hunter's frustration and disappointment.

How does DNA direct the cell to make proteins?How are these terms related to this process? amino acid, DNA, mRNA, nucleotides, nucleus, protein,...

DNA has the instructions for making different kinds of proteins for your body. These proteins give you your unique characteristics and tell the cells in your body how to work. Both DNA and RNA fit into a group of molecules called nucleic acids.  Nucleic acids are made up of smaller subunits called nucleotides.

DNA is only found in the nucleus of cells; however, the proteins are only made outside of the nucleus at the ribosomes. In order to get a copy of the DNA's instructions out to the ribosomes, a copy of the DNA is made (through a process called transcription).  This copy of the DNA is called messenger RNA, or mRNA for short.

Once it is made, the mRNA leaves the nucleus and moves to the ribosomes.  It is at the ribosomes where the mRNA code is made into a protein through a process called translation. The mRNA code is "scanned" by the ribosome.  Another kind of RNA, called transfer RNA (tRNA), brings in the correct amino acids to make the protein according to the mRNA code.  (Amino acids join together in a long chain to make up a protein.)

To read more about nucleic acids and proteins, check the links below.

What are the Maycomb ladies like? In what ways is Miss Maudie different? (Chapter 24)THANK YOU!!!!!

The other ladies of Maycomb, like Aunt Alexandra, Mrs. Merriweather, Mrs. Perkins, and Mrs. Farrow, are highly judgmental and hypocritical. They all agree that it is important to help those who are less fortunate than others, particularly the Mrunas, yet when it comes to groups in Maycomb that need their help, in particular Tom Robinson's family, they are less than Christian.

Mrs. Merriweather even believes that things will calm down once the white people of Maycomb can forgive that "darky's wife," as though Helen Robinson has done anything wrong. Miss Maudie shows her integrity and courage when she essentially calls every single one of the women out, particularly Mrs. Merriweather, who claims that the only reason she keeps her black cook is because the depression is on. Miss Maudie makes a point to note that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Merriweather have any trouble enjoying the food Sophy cooks.

How do I add fractions with uncommon denominators?

First, I have to apologize for the fact that the formatting here will be hard to follow. It is not possible to set it up properly in here. I have had to show the fractions like this 1/2. I hope that isn't too confusing.

The first step in adding fractions with different denominators is to convert them to fractions with the same denominator.

Sometimes this is really easy, because one of the denominators is a multiple of the other. So, for example,

½ + ¼ is simple to do, because ½ is the same as 2/4. That's one you probably knew, but often it's hard to guess the equivalent fraction. So, just multiply both the top and bottom of the fraction by the same number.

numerator 1 x 2 = 2

denominator 2 x 2 = 4

so, the equivalent fraction is 2/4

Now the addition is straightforward:

2/4 + 1/4 = 3/4

It’s a little harder when neither number goes evenly into the other one. Then you have to find the lowest common denominator. All this means is the lowest (or smallest) number that is common to both (it is a multiple of both numbers).

Let’s look at an example:

1/3 + 2/5

We know that 3 doesn’t go evenly into 5, and 5 doesn’t go evenly into 3. So, we have to look for the smallest number that is a multiple of both 3 and 5.

The 3 table: 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 ….

The 5 table: 5 10 15 20 25 . . .

The smallest number that is a multiple of both 3 and 5 is 15.

Now to convert the fractions. The main thing to remember here is that you have to multiply top and bottom of the fraction by the same number to keep the fraction equivalent.

numerator: 1 x 5 = 5

denominator: 3 x 5 = 15

So, 1/3 is equivalent to 5/15

Now we'll do the same thing for 2/5.

numerator: 2 x 3 = 6

denominator: 5 x 3 = 15

So, 2/5 is equivalent to 6/15

Now to do the addition:

5/15 + 6/15 = 11/15

What kind of relationship exists between Nick from "Indian Camp" and his father (the doctor)?all aspects please.

First, Nick and his father do have a positive relationship in the sense that Nick's dad obviously wants to spend time with his son and wants to teach him about life and helping others.  One gets the impression from the beginning of the story that Nick is used to traveling with his father, because he goes with his father to the shore and gets in the rowboat before even asking where they are going.

Likewise, Hemingway gives the impression that Nick's dad wants Nick to admire him and be interested in what he does. He comments at the beginning of his visit to the laboring Indian woman and specifically addresses Nick, trying to make him a part of the situation. When he and George discover that the new father has killed himself, Nick's dad's concern is for his son, and he asks that Nick be taken out of the hut.  He eventually says to Nick,

"I'm terribly sorry I brought you along; Nickie," . . . all his post-operative exhilaration gone. "It was an awful mess to put you through."

Despite these positive qualities in the father-son relationship, there is also a sort of distance between Nick and his father.  Nick's father seems to be forcing his own interests on Nick.  When Nick finds out where he and his father are going at the beginning, he gives the lackluster reply of "Oh."  When Nick's dad asks him how he likes being an intern, Nick demonstrates the same lack of enthusiasm and replies, "All right."  Nick's father does not even seem to realize that his son finds the ordeal gruesome and longs to escape.  This "distance," however, between the two characters could simply be Hemingway's manner of illustrating the strain that often occurs in parent-child relationships when the the child enters into young adulthood.  Parents often try to force their interests upon their children and do not even realize that their children would like to pursue their own course in life.

Overall, the reader should infer from "Indian Camp" that Nick and his father share a typical relationship.  Nick's dad is very honest with him and does not sugarcoat the trials of life, perhaps because of what he has seen living in a difficult environment and through working in the medical field. Nonetheless, Nick's dad seems to want his son to be prepared for life but still longs to shelter him from some of life's problems.

In Into the Wild, how can McCandless’ feelings about his family be contrasted with his family’s feelings about him?How does the Thoreau quote...

Chapter Twelve opens with a quote by Henry David Thoreau, McCandless'literary mentor:

"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me the truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices." (p. 117)

This parallels Chris's feelings about his family.  He feels betrayed by his father, because his father did not tell him that, while dating his mother and still continuing after Chris was born, he had an affair with his ex-wife. In chapter 12, Chris describes his childhood as feeling like a work of fiction, as if none of it were true. Throughout his short life, he simply could not let go of the fact that his father had never told him the truth.  He could not love a man who did not give the truth.

McCandless also resented his parents because they were rich.  Just as the quote says, McCandless simply wanted what he felt was the truth, more than he wanted love.  He felt that the truth was rich people were disgusting and they were ruining his country.  His parents were rich and he felt they tried to buy his respect so he could not love them.

However, this is in complete contrast with his parents' feelings about him. They loved their son and they were grateful they had the means to offer him things, like money for a new car and law school. They felt that giving him money showed their love because it would help him build a successful life. They also loved and respected most of Chris's choices. They understood he was made of a different cloth than most people, and he liked things done differently. For the most part, they respected this and loved him in spite of, or perhaps because of, his wild ideas borne of significant intelligence.

Therefore, while Chris could not love his parents because of who they were, Chris's parents loved him exactly because of who he was.

In "Fahrenheit 451", how is life in Montag's house very different from that in Clarisse's house?

In Montag's house, the wall television is the main focus.  When he comes home, it is on and that is all that Mildred is concerned with.  She hopes to buy the fourth wall television and she rambles on about having a part in a play that is on TV. She lives to be entertained and taken away from the real world with which she has no connection beyond friends who are just like her and share her interest in TV.  She has no thoughts in her head beyond what is on television.  In Clarisse's house, people talk with one another and share ideas and thoughts.  Clarisse tells Montag this when they first meet early in the story. When Clarisse tells Montag that her family talks, he exclaims in wonderment, "What do you talk about?" because talking with one another is such a rare occurrence.  At another meeting between Clarisse and Montag, he tells Clarisse that even though she is nearly half his wife's age, Clarisse seems so much older. Clarisse is much more of a person than Mildred who is little more than a robot because Mildred doesn't think or experience much in life.

What are some examples of imagery in Night by Elie Wiesel?

Weisel's memoir of the horrors of Nazi occupation and confinement in concentration camps is full of imagery. They are powerful, haunting, shocking images of what it was like for Weisel and other Jewish people at the time.

One of the most striking images is that of fire. In the train car, Madame Schachter becomes delirious and raves about a huge fire that will consume them all. It won't be long until Weisel learns that her delusion was actually prophetic, that fire awaits those who are not chosen to work.

Another image that haunts Weisel is that of the young boy who is hanged for refusing to give information about weapons that had been discovered hidden by one of the camp inmates. The boy and the man who had hidden the weapons were hanged, but the boy was so small that it took him a long time to die. Weisel had described the boy as having the face of an angel. After the hanging, there was nothing angelic about him.

A third image is that of the violin. One of the inmates has managed to keep his treasured violin with him, and on the night that they are made to run barefoot through the snow to another camp, many men die of starvation and exposure. Weisel hears music and wonders who could possibly play while corpses are piled all around them. It is the man who had saved his precious violin, and in the morning he too is dead.

Death, hunger, piles of clothing, ashes--all are images in this book.

Why is the island called Ship Trap Island in The Most Dangerous Game?

"Watch! Out there!" exclaimed the general, pointing into the night. Rainsford's eyes saw only blackness, and then, as the general pressed a button, far out to sea Rainsford saw the flash of lights.

The general chuckled. "They indicate a channel," he said, "where there's none; giant rocks with razor edges crouch like a sea monster with wide-open jaws. They can crush a ship as easily as I crush this nut." The reason the island is called Ship Trap is because that is exactly what it is.  Rainsford had difficulty seeing the island in the dark and had he not fallen off of his yacht, he would have headed straight for that channel, and according to the quote above, his ship would have been utterly destroyed, leaving him (and we can assume many others before him) “trapped” on the island.

1. C(4,4) , D(-2,-8) #1) find the slope of the line that passes through each pair of points

1. The slope of the line which passes through points C and D could be found using the formula:

(YD-YC)/(XD-XC), where

YD=-8; YC=4

XD=-2; XC=4, so

(-8-4)/(-2-4)=2

2.  The explicit equation of a line, given by the slope and the ordinate at origin is:

y=mx + n , where m-slope and n-odinate at origin

In this case, the equation is y=-2x.

So, from these two equations, it results the next statement:

-2x=mx + n

Two expressions are equivalent, if all the terms from the left side of equal sign are the same with all the terms from the right side of the equal sign, so:

m=-2 and n=0

3. Taking account of the explicit equation of a line:

y=mx + n,

We are trying to put both equations in this form:

a)  y=3/4 x, is a linear function, because the two variables,x and y, are at first power and m=3/4 and n=0

b) y=-3/2 x + 6, also a liner function, regarding what I've said at a), and m=-3/ and n=6

What object could I use to represent each of the four ghosts in A Christmas Carol?

The four ghosts are all symbolic of important eras in Scrooge's life.

The Ghost of Christmas past symbolizes a past where Scrooge was still joyful and hopeful about life. A plant of some sort might be a good object for this ghost, especially flowers or some holly, as these were objects the ghost was wearing.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is symbolic of how the other people in Scrooge's life are celebrating Christmas, and how Scrooge is missing out. Food or party favors might be a good symbolic object for this ghost, as the ghost shows up with an abundance of food and drink.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is symbolic of Scrooge's bleak future, with Tiny Tim dead and a very dark outlook if Scrooge continues on this path. A scythe (what the grim reaper carries) or a crutch (symbolizing Tiny Tim's crutch) might be a good object for this character.

The other ghost is that of Jacob Marley, who is there to warn Scrooge to live his life differently. A great object for Marley might be chains, as Marley is weighted down by chains that he created for himself by tying himself to the importance of money.

What do you think Johnny's last words to Ponyboy in The Outsiders means?

When Johnny tells  Ponyboy to "stay gold" he is referring back to the poem that Ponyboy recited while they were in the old church in Windrixville.  The poem, by Robert Frost, is called "Nothing Gold Can Stay". The basic idea of the poem is that life happens in fleeting moments. Good things do not stay long enough.  The poem is basically a metaphor for youth.  Johnny is reminding Pony to stay young and innocent. He doesn't want Ponyboy to become cold and hard like Dallas Winston. He wants him to remain the same, a good and intelligent young man, forever. He wants him to continue to be unique amongst the greasers and stay true to himself. He would like Ponyboy to continue to find happiness in sunsets, books, and movies. 

In Chapter 3 of "Animal Farm", give three instances of animal stupidity.

The most evident example of "stupidity" is the animals' illiteracy. Except for the pigs, the dogs and the donkey Muriel, the rest of the animals learned at least part of the alphabet but "got lost" along the way. Some never even made it past "D." Whever they tried to learn more, they would forget the first part.

Another example of stupidity is the inability to think in abstraction. When a forum is called to set up rules, only the pigs have any ideas of what laws might be needed in running the farm. The animals resort to symbols to express their new common identity, such as in hoisting the green and white flag (originally a tablecloth), renaming the farm, and singing "Beasts of England." They do no know how to differenciate between symbols and the things they represent.

Related to the above, the animals also have a big problem in their system of logic. They are unable to reason in analogies and can hardly think in terms of categories. When Snowball explains away why chickens are not part of creatures having "Two Legs," they are satisfied with his explanation:

The birds did not understand Snowball's long words, but they accepted his explanation, and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart.

Rote memorization replaces critical thinking. 

The animals' stupidity is perhaps not their fault, but they show themselves to be perfectly inept at defending their own interests even if they are sincere about wanting to "play fair."

What is the setting of Kate Chopin's story "A Pair of Silk Stockings"?

The city in which "A Pair of Silk Stockings" is set is unnamed; however it is large enough to have a department store, theatre, and a trolley car.  In the 1890s this could easily be New Orleans since Chopin lived in Louisiana herself and many other stories are set in Creole surroundings.

Having married a wealthy Creole plantation owner who lived in New Orleans, Kate Chopin was familiar with the fashionable life of this city as well as the repressive life for women in its society.  In this story Chopin portrays the conflict of the self-sacrificing mother who wishes to participate in the fashionable setting of a cosmopolitan city like New Orleans--if only for an afternoon.

Please explain each stanza of Wordsworth's poem "To the Skylark".

William Wordsworth's poem "To the Skylark" is an ode to a bird known for its beautiful morning songs. In this poem, Wordsworth celebrates the lark as the only bird capable of soaring on high, but remembering where it came from, which is what makes its song so joyous.

In the first stanza, Wordsworth asks the lark whether it preferes to soar on high or spend time in its nest, and he concludes that the lark has the capacity for both.

In the second stanza, Wordsworth tells the lark to sing proudly of the plains and the earth while soaring on high. He speaks of the lark's love of its home and its "privilege" to sing.

In the third stanza, Wordsworth compares the lark to its counterpart, the nightingale (that only sings at night), and tells the lark that it has the better job. He tells the lark that it has the ability to use its song to connect "heaven" and "home."

What does Hamlet think about suicide in act 5 and what does he realize when he looks at yoeicks skull?Any who really know hamlet please help!!

Before his journey to England, Hamlet is confused and depressed and in touch with his raw, damaged emotions. In the immortal 'to be' speech, he sensitively weighs up the value of life against the value of death. He is sick of the world and wants to leave it. But the option of death looks uncertain to him. He imagines many different things about the afterlife, "for in that sleep of death what dreams may come?", "the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns". It puzzles him. It interests him. He sees death as a surreal and strange journey into the unknown.

Later in the play he returns from England and he has cut himself off from his emotions. You might say he has grown up, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. He holds the silent, mouldy skull of Yorick, a court-jester who once was a laugh-loving, joke-cracking, party animal. Hamlet knew him as a child, and feels nothing personal as he stares into the empty eye-scokets of someone he once loved.

And he sees nothing in Yorick's lifeless head except decaying organic matter that one day may be recycled as something as lifeless and ordinary as clay wall-covering.

In Oedipus Rex, is Teiresias the one who sees, right from the start, the cause of the plague?What are the ironies associated with this?

Teiresias is, whenever he appears in Greek literature (and particularly in Greek drama) blessed with the skill of prophecy and foresight. He is blind (the symbolism usually being that - without eyes, and after suffering - one becomes wiser. Without eyes, you can see more than the world... you can see beyond time) and he is led by a little boy, usually, another symbol of his unusual relationship with between young/old, future/past.

Teiresias knows, and tells Oedipus, the truth. Oedipus asks him to name the murderer responsible for the plague (it's Oedipus!) and he refuses. Teiresias tells him that even his words “miss the mark”, and, to everyone present, announces “All of you here know nothing,”.

Teiresias then tells Oedipus that he himself is the cause of the plague. Oedipus doesn't believe Teiresias, calling him “blind in mind and ears / as well as in your eyes”. Why is this an ironic way for Oedipus to respond? Because Teiresias is right, and, as he goes on to say, the insults Oedipus heaps upon him will, before the play is over, be true of Oedipus himself. He will end up with everything he now thinks he "knows" in tatters: and, like Teiresias, he will end up able to see more clearly into the future (as he does in Oedipus at Colonos) and - with horrible irony - like, Teiresias, blind.

Hope it helps!

The Great Gatsby - Chapter 6: What is Daisy's opinion of Gatsby's party? How does this affect him?

Daisy tries very hard to appear to be impressed by Gatsby's guests and by his party.  The atmosphere at the party is subdued compared to the usual frivolity at Gatsby's parties however.  This is partly due to Tom being there.  Tom, acting opposite of Daisy, tries very hard to put down everyone at and everything about Gatsby's party.  He recognizes people and is secretly somewhat impressed by the group that Gatsby has gathered, but aloud he says that he doesn't know any of them.  Daisy's obvious effort, though, to appear impressed shows that she is not impressed by the party.  Daisy does not like to live in the present and deal with day to day life. She doesn't like reality because that means responsibility and Daisy is irresponsible to an extreme.  Appearing to have fun and to be impressed allows Daisy to at least pretend to be enveloped by the festive atmosphere that allows and encourages irresponsibility.  The effect Daisy's attitude has on Gatsby is that he realizes she didn't really have a good time.  When Nick admonishes Jay, telling him not to expect too much of Daisy because the past can't be repeated, Jay responds with the odd comment, "...of course you can!" Jay will not deal with reality either.

Examples of alliteration, personification, consonance and assonance in the poem "After Apple Picking" by Robert Frost.

Assonance is "stem, end, and blossom end" with the repetition of the short "e" vowel sound.

Alliteration is "one can see what will trouble" with the repetition of the "w" sound beginning the words.

Personification is "The woodchuck could say whether it's like his Long sleep" with giving an animal human characteristics of talking/speaking.

And consonance is "But I was well Upon my way to sleep before it fell, And I could tell" because "well, fell and tell" all end in the same consonant sound.

What do you make of the fact that the strange man in the woods in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" closely resembles Brown?

In literature, it is not uncommon for the devil to appear in a form that is familiar to the person he is deceiving.  Therefore, Hawthorne having the strange man in the woods look like Brown gives credibility to Brown continuing on this journey even when he has doubts.  In addition, resembling Brown himself foreshadows Brown's realization that all mankind at some point in life has dealings with the devil, including Brown's own family.  Thus, the devil in Brown's likeness connects Brown and all kin to the evil in the world.

Did Queen Gertrude know about the murder of Old Hamlet?If she did then did she know who was the murderer?

It's impossible precisely to say. There is a case to be made in the text for either possibility.

To argue that she did know about Old Hamlet's murder, people turn to the evidence that her marriage to Claudius, she says, is "o'erhasty" - as if they should have waited to allow suspicion to subside? You can also play her reactions in the play scene as deeply uncomfortable ("the lady doth protest too much").

To argue that she didn't know, productions (such as the recent staging by Sir Trevor Nunn at London's Old Vic Theatre) simply have to play Gertrude as not very bright, and not very knowing. So Gertrude is horrified at the play, but doesn't put two and two together, and - potentially - only realises during the closet scene (Act 3, Scene 4), which then (in some productions) leads to her deliberately drinking the poison in the final scene.

Even the ghost is ambiguous - is she to go to heaven, or go the thorny way:

Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven,
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge
To prick and sting her.

You can do it both ways. If you wanted a definite answer, it depends on how you read the closet scene, and Gertrude's behaviour after it. When Hamlet calls Claudius "a murderer and a villain" - does she understand what he means, specifically? Does she stop the "bloat king" Claudius from tempting her to bed after that scene? Shakespeare doesn't specify. It's up to your own reading of the text to make an argument for what Gertrude really knew.

Is the mud snowman a symbol in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?Why did Jem and Scout decide to make a mudman, and not a snowman? Why did the model of the...

Jem and Scout build a "mudman" because there isn't enough snow on the ground to construct a snowman. When Scout realizes what he is doing she says:

“‘Jem, I ain’t ever heard of a nigger snowman.’”

Jem finishes building the "mudman" and then covers it with snow. 

The snowman (which later turns out to be a snow woman) is symbolic. It foreshadows events to come. The snowman is partly built with black Alabama soil. The colors—black, black and white, white, black again—foretell the racial unrest to occur later in the book.

At first the "snowman" resembles Mr. Avery.  This is appropriate because he is a very crude character.  He behaves worse than any black character in the story. He behaves the way that blacks are "supposed" to behave and yet he is white.  This is similar to the snowman who is "black" on the inside and white on the outside.

In "Macbeth", quote the word Banquo says that tells you how Macbeth reacts to the witches?

BANQUO: Look, how our partner's rapt.

This is the bit you're thinking of, I think. Banquo is noticing that Macbeth has been dreaming to himself (in fact, delivering an aside to the audience) since the witches spoke, and describes him as "rapt" (or "enraptured").

Hope it helps!

How did Mr. Lincoln respond to Jethro's letter in "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt, in chap. 9?

In chapter 9 of Irene Hunt's "Across Five Aprils," President Lincoln wrote to Jethro Creighton in response to a letter that Jethro had written to him concerning the men who had deserted their regiments.  Jethro was specifically trying to find help for his hometown friend, Eb.  Jethro had asked Mr. Lincoln if there was anything the he, as President, could do to help.  In his response to Jethro, Lincoln told him that he had just signed into law a decision that might help Jethro's friend.  Lincoln wrote:

"The conditions of that decision are as follows: all soldiers improperly absent from their posts, who will report at certain points designated by local recruit offices by April 1, will be restored to their regiments without punishment except for forfeiture of pay and allowances for the period of their absence." (pg 147)

What is the theme or message in the story "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry?

The message that comes through the most powerfully for me is that you should not judge people by their outward appearances or social persona.  In the story, the most gruff character, Behrman, "was a fierce little old man, who scoffed terribly at softness in any one."  And yet it is Behrman that takes the very "soft", compassionate step of painting the leaf, which in essence, saves Johnsy's life.  In a way, he sacrifices his own to save hers.  So we should not judge people by what image they promote, but instead by their actions, because it is, in the end, actions that truly make an impact.

What are two major themes in "The Killer Angels?" How do they compare and contrast to US History?

One of the main themes of “The Killer Angels” is the different beliefs about the cause of the war.  Both the North and the South believed they were right in the beliefs that they fought for.  The Northern Army believed they were fighting to free the slaves. 
The Southern Army did not think the war was about slavery they were fighting for state's rights. 

“We established this country in the first place with strong state governments . . . to avoid a central tyranny.”

In the history of the United States there has always been disagreement about the cause of war.  The present conflict in Iraq is a good example.  Many believe we are fighting to free the Iraqi people from tyranny, while another portion of our population believes we are in this conflict so we can control the oil and the profit from the oil in that region. 

Another major theme is the concept of war being God’s will or human will.  During the Civil War, General Lee believed that what he was doing was God’s will. “He believed in a Purpose as surely as he believed that the stars above him were really there.” When he hears news of the Confederate's victory on the first day, he thinks it was God’s will and offers a prayer of gratitude.  Yet, some of his generals and troops did not agree,  Longstreet was quoted:

 “[I]t isn’t God that is sending those men up that hill.” In other words, it is a human decision, one that could have been made differently. Not everything is predestined or fated to be the way it is. Humans also have responsibility.” 

We have the same argument today.  One part of our society thinks our presences in Iraq is a “righteous” stand, while another segment believes this involvement is a choice made by man for profit.

What is the climax of "Through the Tunnel"?

The dramatic climax of the story occurs when Jerry reaches the end of the tunnel and makes his way to the surface. Doris Lessing creates tremendous suspense prior to the story's climax. After Jerry enters the tunnel, it is questionable whether he will make it out or die in the effort. Once, he thinks he has reached the end only to discover it is not the end of the tunnel. The physical toll on him increases until he lapses in and out of consciousness. He struggles on, surrounded by darkness, believing that he is going to die. Because of this development of suspense, the climax of the story is very dramatic:

An immense, swelling pain filled his head, and then the darkness cracked with an explosion of green light. His hands, groping forward, met nothing; and his feet, kicking back, propelled him out into the open sea.

The climax of a story is reached when the main conflict is resolved. In this story, Jerry challenges the tunnel and himself. He wins--and lives.

In chapter 7, how is Snowball discredited?

In chapter 7 of "Animal Farm," Snowball becomes the scapegoat for everything that goes wrong on the farm. A rumor is begun that Snowball is working with the humans on the other farms and labeled as a traitor.  If a drain is blocked, or the food is missing, or a key is lost it is said that Snowball is sneaking in at night.  Napoleon insists on an investigation and he says he sniffs Snowball everywhere. 

"Squealer tells the frightened animals that Snowball is planning to guide the humans in another attack on Animal Farm. Squealer calls Snowball a traitor to Animal Farm and a secret agent of Mr. Jones. He says that Snowball was prevented from turning the farm over to Jones during the Battle of the Cowshed by Napoleon's bravery. When Boxer questions Squealer’s account of the events, he is told, “Our Leader, Comrade Napoleon's stated categorically…that Snowball was Jones’ agent from the very beginning…and from long before the Rebellion was ever thought of.” Although Boxer ultimately changes his mind after Squealer’s account, Squealer eyes him with suspicion and regards him as a possible troublemaker."

Which postive and negative character traits does Odysseus demonstrate in his adventure with the Cyclops?

The Odyssey centers around the theme, brain versus brawn. This theme is most prevalent during this instance with the Cyclopes. It is nearly impossible to deny that Odysseus acts brilliantly in this situation. The Cyclops traps Odysseus in a cave which he seals with a giant boulder that no mortal man can lift. Odysseus cannot kill the Cyclops because if he does so, he will never be able to escape from the cave. Instead he tells the Cyclopes that his name is Noman and gets him drunk on wine.

When the Cyclopes lies down for the night, Odysseus and his men sharpen a pike which they use to pierce the Cyclope's only eye. The Cyclopes, blinded, runs outside to tell his neighbors what has happened but when asked who blinded him he can only respond "Noman blinded me!" The next day, Odysseus ties his men to the bellies of the Cyclopes sheep, so when the Cyclopes lets out his sheep to the pasture, Odysseus and his men escape. 

But as Odysseus sails away, his pride overcomes him and he shouts his real name to the Cyclops. The Cyclopes then prays to Poseidon to curse Odysseus. This prevents Odysseus from returning home for ten years. 

So in answer to your question, Odysseus strength was his brilliance in escaping the Cyclopes and his weaknesses were both in his pride and in his gluttony. It was Odysseus's gluttony that lead him into the Cyclops' cave, where he feasted on cheese.  

Use three points of supporting evidence to compare and contrast Gene's and Finny's thoughts on friendship.

I think a key point to consider is the fact that Gene thinks horribly of Finny regularly, but any time Finny has even a flash of a negative thought about Gene, he apologizes for it and shakes it off.  Here are some example quotes you may be able to use:

1. Gene (p. 17):  "Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this?  Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" (this is when Gene jumps out of the tree for the first time, after Finny's peer pressure has gotten him into it)
Finny (p. 51):  "You never waste your time.  That's why I have to do it for you." (This is Finny explaining to Gene why he's always trying to get Gene to do crazy things; he wants Gene to have fun and feels responsible for providing that fun.)
I think the above set of quotes illustrates that Finny feels like their friendship is solid, and he wants good things for Gene.  He wants Gene to have fun, to loosen up, to enjoy his youth and the "separate peace" in which they live.  Gene, on the other hand, is suspicious of Finny's friendship, and can't see the positive side of the things Finny does.  He only sees Finny trying to get him into trouble, or Finny managing to avoid getting in trouble when he should be.

2. Gene (p. 53):  "It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity." (He is speaking of Finny's friendship with him.  This is the point where he "figures out" that he and Finny have been competing all along, jealous of one another's successes.)
Gene (p. 59):  "Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us.  I was not of the same quality as he."  (Now Gene realizes that HE was the jealous one, the cold/calculating one; Finny never was.  He understands now that all of that negativity he has been feeling was of his own invention, not caused by anything Finny has done or said.) 
Now Gene knows that Finny is a genuinely nice person, a true friend.  He hates that, because it means that he was just the opposite.  Shortly after this is where he bumps the tree limb to make Finny fall.  We see a similar realization later, when Finny falls down the stairs.  On p. 179, Gene says:  "Once again I had the desolating sense of having all along ignored what was finest in him."

In "The Pit and the Pendulum", what happens to walls of the prison to force him into the pit?Why does everything seem like a blur to narrator?

Everything seems blurry to the narrator, especially at first, because it alludes to the fact that they are drugging him.  They give him food and drink, but the narrator says "it must have been drugged" and after, he always falls into blurriness and sleep. 

In the beginning of his imprisonment, he is put in the dark chamber, with no lights whatsoever, in the hopes that he would get up and walk around, and thus fall into the pit.  He barely misses this fate when he trips and falls "at the very brink of a circular pit".  So, that doesn't work.  His captors, who open the door quickly to check  to see if he has fallen, are disappointed.  So, they drug him and tie him to a plank, in order to attempt the next torture:  The pendulum of death.  Fortunately, he uses his wit to escape that one too.  But then at the end, it is alluded to the fact that the walls themselves are turning hot, almost aglow with fire.  The walls have been set on fire, and the heat and air are so intense that the narrator "rushed to its [the pit's] deadly brink", tempted to throw himself over.  Gratefully, he is rescued before he takes the plunge.

What are external and internal conflicts in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad?

In "Heart of Darkness" the internal and external conflicts are intertwined with Marlow's trip into colonial Africa. Initially seeking adventure, Marlow is looking forward to taking a journey up the Congo River to find Kurtz, a man whom he initially admires. However, during the trip, Marlow encounters many external conflicts that begin to change Marlow's internal beliefs. His journey is a difficult one and the external conflicts Marlow sees are horrific. He sees a French ship shelling the bush country but there seem to be no humans in sight. He sees naked black men dead and dying of disease. He boat is fired upon by supporters of Kurtz. Finally, when Marlow meets Kurtz, he finds a man whom he can no longer admire. He sees and feels how low man can sink into corruption. Internally, Marlow is disgusted. Then he takes Kurtz, who is dying, back down the Congo. Kurtz has become his "choice of nightmares". When he hears Kurtz's last words, "The horror, the horror". Marlow assumes that Kurtz has seen the consequences of his actions and resumes his loyalty to Kurtz. But seeing the horrors of Africa changes Marlow. At the beginning of the novel, he says he hates lies. However, one year after returning to Belgium, he sees Kurtz's fiancee and lies to her, telling her Kurtz died with her name on his lips. He lies in order to prevent her from seeing the same kinds of horrors he witnessed in Africa. Thus, his external voyage has affected his interior beliefs.

In "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat", what was the effect of the crime on the murderers?

The initial effect on the murderers is relief to be free from their tormentors.  In "The Tell-Tale Heart", after he murders the old man, he relays his relief:  "His eye would trouble me no more."  In "The Black Cat", he says, "My happiness was supreme!".  This relief soons turns to cocky egotism at the cleverness of their crime, at their assurance of having covered it so well, they would never be caught.  In "The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator leads the cops into the room of the murder, and "in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim."  In "The Black Cat", the narrator brags to the cops about how well the walls in his house are built, and "through the mere phrenzy of bravado, I rapped heavily, with a cane which I held in my hand, upon that very portion of the brick-work behind which stood the corpse of the wife of my bosom."

The effect of this bravado and egotism in "The Black Cat" leads to the discovery of the murder.  In "The Tell-Tale Heart" it is the narrator's own hallucinatory guilt that reveals his evil deed.  Up to that point though, the after-effects of their crimes are remarkably similar.

How does Poe create atmosphere and tension in his short stories?

First things first: Poe creates atmosphere by setting a tone and mood from the outset of all his short stories. We as readers are led into dark and foreboding places, and the stories themselves build from that darkness.

Tension is created by Poe's use of language. Whether it's the constant heartbeat in "The Tell-Tale Heart," or the finger-tapping suspense in "Fall of the House of Usher," we as readers are kept waiting in suspense for the next plot event.

Overall, Poe's characters and settings contributed to the gothic feel of each of his works. We can picture the stony, shadowed places that he leads us, and as a result, we become more involved with each piece.

How can I justify why this work is titled The Lonely Londoners?

The novel The Lonely Londoners is a story written by Samuel Selvon about a man who helps his new country men arrive in London, get jobs, and find suitable housing.  The author calls this novel The Lonely Londoners because of the hatred, bigotry and mistreatment of the West Indians during this era.  There is even a quote from the book where one person says, "Why can't you be blue, or red, or yellow?  Anything but black." This is the type of isolation these people had to deal with during this period in London. The new people felt alone, afraid, and unwanted.

Please explain some of the literary elements of The Color Purple and how the text is historically relevant.

One literary element that has historical relevance is the setting. The Color Purple takes place in rural Georgia, the deep South, and spans the years from approximately 1900-1940. The setting is important for several reasons. First, Georgia is a southern state, which was rife with racism against the African-Americans that lived there. This comes to light clearly in the scene where Sophia hits the Mayor's wife as well as the scene in which Celie and Corrine are in the store and the clerk speaks very rudely to them. 

Secondly, the time period is important because this all takes place before the Civil Rights movement at a time when African Americans are subjected to Jim Crow Laws.

What is the difference, if any, between Huck's "good" lies to protect Jim, and the King and the Duke's "bad" lies?Lying occurs frequently in this...

Huck lies in order to protect his friend and save him from slavery and from separation from his family. Huck lies to help Jim, putting himself at risk in the process. For example, in Chapter 16, Huck begins to doubt himself and almost reveals Jim to the men with guns on the skiff. He paddles over to them in the canoe with the intention of telling on Jim. However, when he gets there, the men ask him if the other man on the raft is black or white, and Huck replies, "He's white." Huck concocts an elaborate lie to protect Jim, and later feels conflicted about his choice, "S'pose you'd a done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I'd feel bad- I'd just feel the same way I do now. Well then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right when its troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages just the same?" (Chapter 16)

The duke and the king lie in order for their own gain, and they never feel conflicted about their choices. For example, when they lie to the Wilkes girls, they do so in order to steal their money from them. They don't do it to help anyone or to act on any good impulses.

Why does Macbeth see Banquo as a threat?this question is taken from act 3 scene 1

The witches predicted that Banquo's descendants would become kings; therefore, Macbeth fears that these descendants may take his place. He says in Act 3, scene 1, lines 70-71: "For Banquo's issue [descendants] have I filed [defiled] my mind;/For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered...." If Banquo lives (or his son Fleance, for that matter), then Macbeth thinks he has killed the king only so that Banquo's children/grandchildren could perhaps wear the crown. Macbeth has no children, no one he can name as heir to the throne. Only Banquo now stands in the way of his happiness and security, Macbeth believes. To eliminate this threat, he thinks he must kill Banquo---and Fleance.

In "Lord of the flies", what does the beast signify?In "Lord of the flies", in the early chapter, what does the beast signify? What is it symbolic...

The beast signifies different things to different people: both characters in the book and readers. At its most basic level, the beast is associated with the dead airman who parachutes over the island in the Chapter Beast from the Air. Sam and Eric make this association. Symboloically, therefore, the war that wages outside the island, which ahd also caused the boys to be stranded initially, can be viewed as the beast.

The beast also symbolises the boys' fear and fear of the unknown. In Beast from the Water, the multiplying theories about the beast indicate the mass panic and terror taking the group. The various descriptions of the beast also connect it to the jungle which may symbolise its connection with the boys' increasing savagery and barbarism.

Simon may come closest to describing the beast as "us": an inherent and internal 'evil' or savagery which all humanity carries around and which becomes explicit in characters like Jack and Roger. It is highly ironic and appropriate that Simon identifies the 'true' nature of the beast and is killed as the beast.

To a religious reader, the concept of the beast is readily associated with both Satan and the concept of original sin. In this interpretation, the island becomes a second garden of eden, the boys' descent into savagery a second Fall.

To characters like Jack, the beast becomes a method of control through fear and intimidation. In many ways, Jack is the embodiment of the beast.

In "Of Mice and Men", what is the reason that Curley's wife's dreams were destroyed?

A great deal of Curley's wife's characterization comes from her actions, dialogue with the other characters, and what other characters think of her. Until the end of the book, the reader is only able to see Curley as a "tart," or morally loose woman. It appears as though a great deal of her dreams have been repressed by the men in her life. It is not until Curley's wife speaks to Lennie in the barn towards the end of the novel that we realize she wanted to be an actress, and, because of her mother, she was unable to pursue this dream. Since her mother would not allow her to become an actress, she runs off with Curley, which begins a life steeped in loneliness and regret.

How does Hamlet relate to the theme of isolation?

Hamlet is basically isolated from everyone at the court. The only real friend he can trust is Horatio. Even Hamlet's own mother has married his uncle and Hamlet does not really know her degree of involvement, if any, in his father's death.

Ophelia is too close to her father, Polonius, to be trusted. After all, all Polonius has to do is tell her not to see Hamlet and she obeys him. This sense of isolation must lead to both desperation and depression for Hamlet, who is trying to find out the truth about his father's death before he does anything.

After the play, "The Mousetrap," Hamlet discovers what he thinks is the truth but he is still alone in his search for revenge. Horatio can listen, but he is not a member of the royal family, and therefore has no real power to help Hamlet. Then he is sent to England with Rosencranz and Guildenstern, two so-called friends that he does not trust. His suspicions are confirmed once he gets ahold of the letter Claudius is sending to the King of England, asking the English king to execute Hamlet.

He returns to Denmark, only to find Ophelia dead, Laertes his enemy and still only Horatio to confide in. His sense of isolation must be almost total towards the end of the play. I think that is one of the reasons he accepts whatever fate has planned for him during the sword fight with Laertes. Even if he had survived the sword fight and Fortinbras' challenge, life as the King of Denmark would have made him even more isolated than before because leadership by itself is isolating.

How do Scout and Jem lose their innocence in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

TKAM is a "coming of age" story, meaning that in its pages, the main character reaches a point of understanding or maturity. In this case, Scout and Jem come to an understanding of society's darker side.

Because they become exposed to the goings-on surrounding Tom Robinson's trial and the racially-motivated conflicts that ensue as a result, both characters are forced to learn very adult lessons.

What's more, when the children are attacked by Bob Ewell, Scout loses the perception that all adults are kind and competent toward children. The idea that an adult would attack a child shatters some of her naivete as she learns this lesson.

In the end, Scout and Jem have both made many "real-world" realizations, and this is what causes their loss of childlike innocence in the novel.

How do Ronald Franz and Wayne Westerberg meet Chris in "Into the Wild"?How and where?

In Montana, in mid-September, he met a South Dakota man named Wayne Westerberg, who was harvesting wheat there with his combines.  Departing Bighorn Lake, Montana on September 20th, Chris wrote, “Alexander decides to cease wandering aimlessly and heads directly east for South Dakota and work for Wayne Westerberg.” He did odd jobs for Westerberg during most of October, but then set out again, hitchhiking to Idaho and down to the Mojave Desert. He mailed a postcard thanking Westerberg for his hospitality he wrote, “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t met you though. Tramping is too easy with all this money. My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to Forage Around for my next meal…”  He left and traveled only to return in January, 1992.  He returned to  the town of Carthage, population 274, which is located on the plains of eastern South Dakota.  Alex went to work cleaning the bromegrass dust off the girders in Westerberg’s warehouse. He learned to handle a loader-tractor, and in the spring he chopped weeds with his machete, pretending he was Darth Vader. He painted Wayne’s house.

The old man to whom Krakauer gave the name 'Ron Franz' met  McCandless after he headed into the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and set up a camp. He was camped only four miles out of Salton City and one day while in town for supplies he ran across Roland Franz and requested a ride back to his site. McCandless made impressions on the people he met, but he affected Franz more than anyone else, so much so that the old man with no surviving next of kin wanted to adopt the 24 year old as his grandson. The story of their encounter is recounted in the chapter entitled 'Anza-Borrego'

“When Alex left for Alaska," Franz remembers, "I prayed. I asked God to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special. But he let Alex die. So on December 26, when I learned what happened, I renounced the Lord. I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist. I decided I couldn't believe in a God who would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex." (p. 60)”

In Ethan Frome, what is Mattie's internal conflict?

Mattie Silver experiences an intense internal conflict in the novel. Furthermore, its resolution leads directly to the novel's tragic conclusion.

Mattie is a sweet and beautiful young woman, but she is also frail and somewhat helpless in making her way through life. Her family background has put her in the position of being dependent upon others. Zeena takes her in out of obligation. She has no love for Mattie. Ethan, in contrast, feels gentleness toward Mattie; he wants to help her and to protect her. Soon they love each other very deeply.

Despite their compelling feelings for each other, moral conventions are respected since Ethan is a married man. During the one night Ethan and Mattie share alone in Zeena's absence, they obviously long for each other and share a strong sense of intimacy, but later Ethan realizes they had not even touched.

Mattie's internal conflict is just as intense as Ethan's. She wants a life with him every bit as much as he wants to live and die with her, but she does not give in to her forbidden feelings, until Zeena sends her away. When Ethan drives Mattie to the station, she kisses Ethan, clings to him, and finally acknowledges her love. For the first time, she learns he loves her, also.

One conflict is resolved, but Mattie is suddenly trapped by another. She can't have Ethan, and now she can't live without him. She asks Ethan to take them coasting down the hill so that they never come up again. Tragedy ensues.

I need help writting a thesis statement for Melville's story "Bartleby the Scrivener, A Story of Wall Street."

A thesis statement for "Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street" depends on the idea you have about the story, just like any other thesis statement (which is short for hypothesis statement: something to assert, examine, and prove). The point of a thesis statement is to tell your reader what you want to talk about in your essay; and what you want to talk about depends on what ideas you have about the story: what question does it make you think of; what disagreement with the story do you think of; what insight into the meaning of the story do you think of; etc.

For "Bartleby," you might have an insight into why Melville mentions the dead letter office at the end of the story. You might have an idea about whether Turkey and Ginger Nut and Nippers are respectfully treated in their jobs, jobs which, by the way, were standard jobs for many, many people in that era. You might have an idea about why the lawyer couldn't be assertive with Bartleby.

Until you state your idea, guidance on a thesis statement is limited. A thesis in general is a short summary statement that explains what you think. A thesis for one of the ideas I mention might be something like this: "Melville mentions the dead letter office at the end of the story to show that Bartleby's troubles started before his work for the lawyer and that he really has more freedom at the lawyer's office than at the dead letter office."

How do you add a fraction like 1/8 + 2/3? You can't make 3 a 8!!!!I dont get it????

Here's how you solve a problem like this.

You are right that 3 can't go evenly into 8 -- that would be too easy!! :-)  If 3 went into 8, all you would need to do is change the 2/3 fraction into 8ths.

Since neither denominator fits evenly into the other, you need to change both fractions.  The first step is to find the smallest number that they both go into evenly -- this number is called the LCM or Lowest Common Multiple.  To find this, it's usually easiest to just go up the times table for the larger number til you find one that the smaller number also goes into.  So, 8 x 1 = 8 (no help); 8 x 2 = 16 (no help); 8 x 3 = 24 (bingo! 3 also goes evenly into 24).

Now you know that you need to change both fractions into 24ths.  To do this, multiply both top and bottom by the number needed to get to 24.

1  x 3     3

__        __

8  x 3 = 24

2 x 8   16

__       __

3 x 8 = 24

So, now you have two fractions you can add together:

3/24 + 16/24 = 19/24

You should always simplify your answer if you can, by dividing top and bottom by the same number.  In this case you can't simplify since 19 is a prime number and so can't be divided evenly by any number other than itself and 1.

So, your final answer is 19/24

What is the theme of Macbeth?

The major theme of the play concerns Macbeth, the play's protagonist and tragic hero. From Macbeth's rise, fall, and destruction, a clear idea develops concerning political ambition: The lust for power--unfettered ambition--leads to the destruction of self and of others. In other words, once Macbeth's ambition is aroused, his overwhelming desire for the throne of Scotland leads to his own destruction as well as to the destruction of many other characters in the play.

As a result of his desire to claim and then retain the crown, Macbeth turns into a liar first, then a murderer, and finally a tyrant under whom Scotland suffers. By the conclusion of the play, Macbeth's actions have resulted directly in the deaths of King Duncan; Banquo; Lady Macduff, her children and servants; young Siward; many soldiers; and finally his own death. Indirectly, Macbeth also plays an important role in his wife's suicide, having been her accomplice, especially in Duncan's murder.

In The Great Gatsby, how does Nick Carraway lie, deceive or tell only half truths to other characters in the novel or to the reader?Also for...

  Nick is the omniscient narrator which means that he sees everything that is going on and the way that he does this is by accumulating as much information as he can from as many people / characters as he can.  Nick tells the reader that he is one of the most honest people that he knows or has ever met but, at the same time, his truthfulness depends upon how truthful the information that he receives is.  If Nick passes on false information, it is probably due to the fact that he got the information from unreliable sources.  For example, everything that Nick knows about Gatsby, up to the point when Gatsby’s father comes into the novel, is a complete fabrication because he is being lied to or given false information. 

  As for the other two characters – Daisy lies mostly to make herself feel better about her own life because it is clear that she is unhappy and Gatsby lies because he must in order to keep up the false life that he has created for himself in order to eventually get to Daisy.

What does The Outsiders demonstrate about the nature of appearances?

"The Outsiders" is a novel that demonstrates quite a bit about the nature of appearances. Through a close examination of the characters and the two different social groups -- the Greasers and the Socs -- it is clear that outward appearance is not always what it seems to be. Looking at the appearance of the Greasers, one would think that they are complete hoodlum animals who have no care or regard for anything. However, looking at the character of them in more depth, the reader can see that they are only that way because they are a product of the society that they came from and do not really feel the way that they are sometimes forced to act. It is true that these characters seem to fight quite often but this is because they have no choice because they have to fight for their territory and in order to stand up to those who try to put them down. On the same token, if the reader looks at the outward appearance of the Socs, he/she sees rich kids who dress well and drive nice cars; but at the same time, the male Socs are mean and nasty boys who torture the Greasers continuously. Cherry Valence explains the difference between the two groups to Ponyboy in Chapter 2. If you look at the actual personalities of characters like Ponyboy and Johnny and compare them to Bob , for example, the reader can see the difference in appearance and reality.

In the story of the same name, what connotations does the word "Araby" have for the narrator?

For the narrator, the word Araby conjures up exotic visions of all that is missing in his daily life: color, wealth, beauty, romance, and mystery. These feelings are especially strong when the concept of Araby illuminates his reveries about Mangan's sister:

The syllables of the word Araby were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated and cast an Eastern enchantment over me.

Just the word itself draws the narrator out of his own drab life into one of rich and exciting possibilities.

Why do the youngest Cratchits cram spoons into their mouths after they finish setting the table in Stave III of "A Christmas Carol"?

As noted in the previous answer, the children had to wait their turn and they were obviously very excited.

They are trying to avoid shrieking because,

"Such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon, to which a black swan was a matter of course—and in truth it was something very like it in that house" (Stave III).

The Cratchits are very poor and so this is truly a feast for them. The children are not simply excited because it is Christmas dinner, but because this is really an exception in their household. They cannot afford to eat this well but once a year, so their excitement is even more accentuated here. In many ways, that goose is their Christmas present. They do not want to risk shrieking and being admonished, which might not only get them sent form the table, but also show disrespect. These children are very respectful and very obedient, so putting the spoons in their mouths is another way of showing both their excitement and their ability to control themselves in spite of that excitement.

What is significant about Myrtle's questioning whether the dog is a boy or a girl?

I agree that Myrtle is not too bright if she has to ask the sex of the puppy. But looking at the context of the question reveals a little more of Fitzgerald's intent. First, the dog is called an "airdale", a word that closely resembles "airhead"--and a term that could describe Myrtle. Just before this, Myrtle has said she prefers a "police dog". Perhaps this is to protect herself from Tom. When the man doesn't have a "police dog", he offers Myrtle a dog which supposedly has a beautiful coat. Myrtle thinks the dog is cute--probably because the fur coat reminds her of the things Tom can buy her. But once Tom has purchased the dog, he says, "That dog's a bitch..." inferring Tom's attitude towards all females. Later that day, he breaks Myrtle's nose.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Scout mean when she says Maycomb gives the Ewells “the back of its hand”?Thank you!!

In this quote by Scout the author is letting us know that the Ewells are not accepted by the other classes in Maycomb.  They get hand-outs, they get

"Christmas baskets,they get welfare, "and the back of its (Macomb) hand." 

The Ewells are isolated in Macomb.  White people don't have anything to do with them because of the way they live, according to Scout, and black people don't deal with them because they are white.  Scout is beginning to realize that Mayella must be as lonely as Boo Radley. 

Why does Scout quiz Atticus about visit to the Radley house? How much does Atticus tell her?

In chapter 26 Scout and Atticus have a minor discussion about Boo Radley.  Most of the paragraphs in the beginning are her thoughts on how she's changed her thoughts about Boo.  It's not so terrifying to her anymore.  She even "felt a twinge of remorse, when passing by the old place, at ever having taken part in what must have been sheer torment to Arthur Radley--What reasonable recluse wants children peeping through his shutters..."

She goes on to fantasize about how it would be if she were ever to see him.  She wonders about their conversation and how they'd act.  The only conversation she has with Atticus is a brief mentioning to him that she'd like to get a quick glimpse of him before she died.

What he reveals is that he knew all along that Jem had lost his pants that night--and that the 3 of them were running around Boo's backyard.  He says to her, "You know Mr. Nathan shoots at every shadow he sees, even shadows that leave size-four bare footprints.  You were lucky not to be killed."

That is how he shows her that he knows a lot more about the incident than they ever suspected he knew.

What is the summary for Chapter 2 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?

Chapter 2 – Dobby’s Warning

On the bed is a small, excitable creature with large, bat-like ears, a long thin nose and bulging big green eyes – the eyes Harry’d seen in the hedge.  Named Dobby, he explains in a high-pitched voice that he is a house-elf.  He is bound to serve one wizard family forever unless the family sets him free.  

He’ll have to punish himself for doing it, but Dobby has come to warn Harry that he mustn’t return to Hogwarts.  There is a dark plot that would put Harry in mortal danger, but Dobby can’t reveal the details.  Uncle Vernon comes up to investigate the noise, and Harry stuffs Dobby in the closet.  When the coast is clear, Dobby admits to stopping Harry’s letters so he’ll think no one likes him at Hogwarts.  Harry tries to grab the letters, but Dobby jumps away and Harry has to chase him downstairs into the kitchen. 

Harry won’t promise to quit Hogwarts, so Dobby tips over Aunt Petunia’s fancy dessert and disappears.  Uncle Vernon tries to carry on with the party, but all is ruined when a huge owl swoops into the dining room with a letter for Harry.  It’s from the Ministry of Magic, threatening to expel Harry from Hogwarts because he used a Hover Charm.  Now Uncle Vernon knows that Harry can’t use magic, so they needn’t be afraid of him.  He locks Harry in his room around the clock.  After several days, Harry dreams of being caged in a zoo.  When he wakes, he looks out the window to see Ron staring in!

How would you characterize Jim's predictions in chapters 8-11? Does the reader get any sense of which ones will come true and which will not?i am...

Most of the things Jim predicts are superstitions. For example, he says that if a person has hairy arms and a hairy chest, he'll be rich. Since Jim has both hairy arms and legs, he expects to be rich. But Jim's attitude also reflects this idea. He says, "“. . .I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns mysef, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars." With this kind of attitude, we somehow expect Jim's dream will come true. Another superstition of Jim is recalled by Huck when he tells Jim, " You said it was the worst bad luck in the world to touch a snake-skin with my hands." And the bad luck does come true but only because Huck doesn't listen to Jim. Huck places a snakeskin  next to Jim and a rattlesnake curls up in the skin and then bites Jim. He " was laid up for four days and nights. Then the swelling was all gone and he was around again." Huck says, "I made up my mind I wouldn't ever take a-holt of a snake-skin again with my hands, now that I see what had come of it." The point Twain is trying to make is that Jim may seem ignorant and foolish, but he is actually very intelligent and Huck can and will learn a lot from him.

Who are the characters in The Pinballs?

The main characters in The Pinballs are a girl (Carlie) and two boys (Harvey and Thomas J). The kids are in foster care for various reasons. They have been moved from foster home to foster home and they feel that there is no place that they really belong. Thomas J is there because the two elderly women who found and raised him are both ill and in the hospital. Harvey is there because his mother abandoned him. Then his father ran over his legs with the car when he was drunk. Harvey is in a wheelchair. Carlie has been in foster homes for years and has a bit of an attitude about it. She acts like she doesn't care about anything, but she is actually very lonely and just wants to belong somewhere. However, she is scared and so she actually pushes people away with the way she approaches them.

Explain Atticus's views on people's being equal in "To Kill a Mockingbird".(In chapter 20)

The amazing thing about Atticus' character is that he treats EVERYONE as an equal.  One of the first examples that we see Atticus treat others as equal is when he speaks to Walter (the son) Cunningham when he comes over in chapter 3 for lunch.  They speak like to men about crops.  He treats Walter like an equal by discussing what Walter is interested in.

In chapter 5, Atticus defends Boo (Arthur) Radley when he goes into a tirade at the children for trying to get Boo to come out.  He lectures that what Boo did was his own business, and if he wanted to come out, he would.  They were to leave him alone.  Atticus could have let the kids continue their games (like any of the other parents would have), but he stopped them, then and there.  Boo was a person, too, and what he did was his business.

Of course the most important character (who he desperately wants to make others believe is their equal) is Tom Robinson.  Atticus does everything he can to convince the jury that Mayella and Bob are lying.  He defends Tom at the jailhouse in front of a bunch of men with guns, too.  He wants others to see Tom as a man, an equal, but because he's black in this time period, the town would never see Tom in that light.  But Atticus made them all think about it.  He was the only one who could keep a jury out that long.  Maudie mentions that to the kids after the verdict.  He was "making a baby step" in the right direction.

In "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" how does the mule, Jenny symobolize manhood?

The mule represents manhood because manhood often symbolizes a crossroads in life, and making the right decision "makes you a man".  Jenny, who Dave has shot, represents that crossroads for Dave.  It presents him with a variety of different options.  After he shoots her, he can lie about it, try to cover it up, or confess to it and take responsibility for his actions.  As children, we don't have to take responsibility like an adult does, so the decision that will confirm Dave's status as an adult would be to confess and take responsibility.  However, Dave fails this test of manhood.  He lies.  He whines.  He rants and rails internally.  And in the end, he commits the ultimate act that seals his cowardice and lack of responsibility:  He skips town, bailing out on all of his responsibilities.

Jenny represented to opportunity for Dave to prove his right to be called a man.  Unfortunately, he behaves more like a petulant child, and affirms the second half of the title of the story, indicating that he was "Almost a Man".  He wasn't there yet, and Jenny brought that to light.  I hope that helps!

In "The Rocking Horse Winner", what does the passage below tell us about Paul's mother? "Two nights before the Derby, she was at a big party in...

At the beginning it states that "when her children were present, she always felt the centre of her heart go hard." This is why the passage you provided is so interesting.  It describes that "one of her rushes of anxiety about her boy, her first-born, gripped her heart till she could hardly speak."  How could such a cold woman feel such anxiety for someone that supposedly made "the centre of her heart go hard"?  The statements directly contradict each other. 

Paul's mother, upon feeling this intense anxiety, "fought with the feeling, might and main, for she believed in common-sense".  For some reason, feeling love and concern for her son was not sensical to her, perhaps because she didn't feel it very often.  She puts ridiculous excuses in front of her concern, like "She did not want her son's privacy intruded upon" when she calls to check on him.  The author seems to be condemning of her idea of common sense.  If she is worried, common sense would dictate that she act on it, not maintain her public face, which is what she does.  She is a woman full of good intentions but no follow-through, no real sense for what is important.  From the beginning we realize she is obsessed with money, but not enough to change her lifestyle.  In this passage, we see her worried about her son, but not enough to do something that really matters about it.