What is Chapter 9 about in "Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963"?• TT - 700• Mrs. Davidson• Planning of the trip

Kenny, concerned about Byron being sent to live in Alabama, has a man-to-man talk with his father.  Dad says that it is especially important, given the current difficulties black people must face because of backlash against the Civil Rights Movement, that Byron learn "that his time for playing is running out fast...the world doesn't have a lot of jokes waiting for him...he's got to be ready".  Dad and Momma don't feel he is learning what he needs to know in Flint, and so they will send him to stay awhile with Grandma Sands in Birmingham.

Mrs. Davidson, a neighbor, comes by and brings a little angel which she gushingly says reminds her of Joetta.  Joetta is polite but perturbed, because the angel is made of "white clay" and has blue eyes.

Momma has the trip to Birmingham planned in minute detail in a notebook entitled, "The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963".  The family will drive three hundred miles on "Day One",  travel "only" two hundred and fifty miles on "Day Two", complete the last three hundred miles on "Day Three".  Momma has outlined whan and where they will stop to eat and use restroom facilities, and made alternative preparations if things don't work out somewhere as anticipated.  She knows that in the South, there are many places where black people are not allowed to eat or stay.

Byron had planned to run away the night before the family left, but his plans had been foiled.  He resolves to spoil the trip by being silent the whole way, but after a few miles is fighting merrily with Kenny (Chapter 9).

Why does Odysseus have to speak to the blind prophet Teiresias in The Odyssey?

The journey to the underworld of Hades to speak to the dead Theban prophet Teiresias is a command given to Odysseus by the enchantress Circe.  Circe, who was initally hostile to Odysseus and his men (she changed them into pigs on their first meeting) has become a good host.  She has been Odysseus' lover, and hosted him and his crew on her island for a year.  But the crew and Odysseus now desire to go home.  When Odysseus tells her that it is time to leave, she replies:

Zeus-sprung son of Laertes, Odysseus of many devices, do not stay any longer against your will in my palace.  Yet you first must accomplish a different journey and go down into the palace of Hades and Persephone, honored and dreaded, seeking prophetic advice of the Theban Teiresias' spirit, that the blind prophet in whom is a mind still fresh in its vigor;

The idea of a journey to the underworld terrifies Odysseus, but he eventually realizes that he must go.  Circe, a goddess, knows that this is a necessary step in his pathway home to Ithaca.  When Odysseus gets to the realm of Hades, he talks with Teiresias.  The prophet gives him important advice about the perils he is about to undergo, and what awaits him on his home island of Ithaca.  Without this advice Odysseus would not have ever reached home.

Text Source: Homer. The Odyssey. Rodney Merrill, trans.  Ann Arbor: U of Michigan Press, 2006.

What are Amir's feelings after finding out that Hassan is his half brother? Did he ever have any idea that this could have been possible beforehand?

Amir experiences several feelings all at once.

First, he is angry with his father. He is angry because he always felt as if his father favored Hassan over him, and sometimes even felt his father loved Hassan more--now he understood that yes, in fact, his father did have those feelings, which arose out of his own guilt and shame.

He is also mad at his father because his father said the worst thing you can do in life is steal, and his father used the example that even lying is a form of stealing--when you lie you steal the truth from someone; he is angry because his father, the entire time, was lying to him, stealing the truth about Hassan's parentage.

Second, he feels increased guilty. It was one thing to have let his friend be raped in an alley, but to now know that Hassan is his brother makes the reality of what he did even more painful.

Third, he feels sorrow. He feels like if he had known this fact that things would have turned out very differently for himself and Hassan and their relationship.

As far as Amir knowing this beforehand, this information is definitely alluded to, especially in the beginning of the book--Baba always invites Hassan to go everywhere and always gets him birthday presents and treats Hassan very well. This leads to Amir's feelings of jealousy, which leads to Amir allowing the rape to happen in order to gain favoritism and higher standing in the eyes of his father.

How is Claudius ambitious in "Hamlet"? really need help!!!!!!!!!!

Claudius' ambition forms the heart of the entire play. Claudius is so ambitious, he is willing to kill his brother, the king, and take over his throne. He then marries his brother's wife to cement his hold on the throne. When this Hamlet begins to question Claudius and his actions, Claudius is willing to poison his own nephew/stepson. To protect his plan of poisoning Hamlet, he allows his wife to accidently drink the poison meant for Hamlet, resulting in her death. I'd say Claudius was pretty ambitious since he was willing to kill three members of his own family in order to be king of Denmark.

What effects did slavery have on Europe?

These are good and thought-provoking answers.  Serfs often lived in conditions so bad as to make slavery seem a vast improvement.  Slaves could not be taxed, and so their taxes could not be collected in advance, sometimes several years in advance, which happened frequently to serfs in Western Europe from the 13th Century on.  Serfs, however, were "owned" by the land they lived on, not owned as personal property by individuals.  If the owner of a slave sold his manor house or lands or castle, he took his slave with him.  The serf remained on the land, no matter who owned it.

Slavery was much the same in Europe as everywhere else throughout history, only less prevalent than in earlier cultures because of the fuedal system of serfdom.   Where in the ancient world wars always led to mass enslavement, this was rarely the case in Europe past about AD 1000.  Vikings had raided for slaves for centuries, as had the Irish until the 5th Century, when St. Patrick converted the Irish and ended slavery there (probably the first nation on earth to extinguish the practice).  Patrick himself had been a slave, captured by Irish raiders when a teenager.

The case was a little different in Eastern Europe, where Germanic or Bohemian peoples warred and took slaves from the Slavic peoples.  "Slav", in fact, means slave.  Of course, the southern Slavic peoples were ruled for centuries by the Ottoman Turks, among whom slavery was widespread.  The people who were really made rich by the slave trade were Arabs.  Statistically, very few African slaves were brought to America.  Almost all were sold to Arab countries or in the Indian subcontinent.  Central and Eastern Africa was nearly denuded of people by the slave trade, but the vast majority of that happened in the 1870s through the 1890s.

The food supply of Europe is a whole different matter.  It was the limits of technology that led to periodic famines.  Agricultural techniques had achieved parity with the population of Europe by the beginning of the 14th Century.  The "Little Ice Age" of that time, resulting in short, cool summers, made famine inevitable.  The technology to ship foodstuffs long distances did not exist, either in preserving the food or in shipping.  In hard times, if one did not live in an unusually productive agricultural area or along a major river, starvation was a real possibility.  Between short summers, the limits of contemporary technology, war, bandity and two occurences of the "Black Death" the population of Europe in 1401 was about half what it had been in 1301.

In chapter 15 of "Devil's Arithmetic," what is a rendar?

What a difficult question to answer! I searched Polish-American dictionaries and Yiddish-American dictionaries and couldn't find this word. I searched on Google and Yahoo and kept getting the message "did you mean render?" Finally, I decided to try a longshot and go right to the source: the author. I found Jane Yolen's official web site and sent her an email requesting a translation for this word. Ms. Yolen was gracious enough to write back to me and explain that a rendar was the head man of the village, comparable to a mayor in an American town. 

I hope this is helpful to you. Please visit Ms. Yolen's page and drop her a note of thanks if it is.

How does Chaucer describe the rise of the middle class in his writing?

In the "Canterbury Tales", the characters that comprise the middle class are the Cook, the Shipman, the Physician, and The Wife of Bath. All of these characters are portrayed as competent and knowledgeable. The Cook is a master tradesman who is greatly respected. The Shipman is also respected because of his knowledge of the world. The middle class characters are respected more than the clergy that is along on the pilgrimage.  The "immoral lower class" (the Lawyer, the Summoner, the Reeve) are painted as bawdy and selfish. Chaucer sees the rise of the middle class occurring because of their expertise and respect.

What are the effects of the letter on Hester Prynne over the seven year interval in "The Scarlet Letter"?

The effects of the scarlet letter on Hester can be seen by the words the townspeople associated with the letter "A". At first, the "A" stands for adultery, a sin which resulted in the birth of Pearl and Hester's treatment as an outcast in the community. Gradually, she uses her skills and talents, to make clothes for the poor, attends the sick and becomes close to troubled people because they can identify with her. The letter is then associated with the name "Able". After Dimmesdale's death and Hester's return to Boston from England, the letter takes on a new meaning, "Angel". This is because, after taking Pearl to England and seeing her marry, Hester returns to Boston, puts the scarlet letter back on, and continues her charitable work. At the end of her life, she is much respected and admired. Thus, the scarlet letter seems to turn Hester from a prideful, adulteress who stands defiantly on the scaffold in the first scenes of the novel, to a wise, humble and charitable woman who is known for her virtues.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", who gave Scout the blanket?

While we are not directly told that Boo Radley is responsible for placing the blanket around Scout, we can infer that information from, among other things, Atticus's reply to Scout when she enters the house with the blanket itself.

As Scout is standing in the cool night air outside the scene of Miss Maudie Atkinson's burning house, she fails to notice the person who places the blanket around her. Given her location (just outside the Radley place), we are also led to conclude that Boo is responsible for the act of kindness. This gesture makes the second generous act that we may believe Boo is responsible for. Prior to this event, we are also led to believe that Boo (Arthur) is the party who places trinkets, candy, and treasures in the old tree's knot hole for the Finch kids.

When and where does the beast get mentioned the first time?

In chapter 5, Ralph calls a meeting because he sees their civilization disintegrating and chaos beginning to take over.  There it comes out that, while things started out OK for them, people started getting frightened.  He wants to get the boys, especially the young ones, to realize that there is no beast as they think there is.  The little boys think there are beasts that live in the water and that the vines and creepers are like snakes - living, breathing, and dangerous. Ironically, Jack says that there is no beast in the forest and Piggy supports those words by saying he realizes there is no beast with claws and all, but he also understands that the beast the little boys refer to is real in another sense.  This is where the beast gets its first mention as a beast. In the next chapter, Simon realizes that the beast is human.  Chapter 8 is where Simon converses with the Lord of the Flies, which represents the beast that is actually the savagery inside each person.

What is the relationship between the narrator and his victim in "The Tell-tale Heart"?

As in other stories of his, Poe does not establish a precise relationship of the narrator/killer and his victim.  This ambiguity serves to heighten the gothic suspense as the horrified reader wonders why the killer commits his action.  In "Tell-Tale Heart," for instance, the narrator declares,

It is impossible to say how the idea first entered my brain....Passion there was none.  I loved the old man. He had never wronged me.  He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire.  I think it was he eye! Yes! it was this!

Obviously, the narrator is well-acquainted with the old man.  However, there are none of the "normal" motives here for murder.  The motive seems to be generated by the obsessive "nervous" insanity of the narrator:  He focuses on the "pale blue eye, with a film over it."  As in the poem "The Raven" in which the narrator imagines that the bird itself has a sinister reason for persisting in the repetition of "Nevermore!" so the narrator here imagines that the eye itself is evil.  Thus, the narrator himself creates the deadly, grotesque relationship:

He had the eye of a vulture....Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold; and so by degrees, very gradually, [as he becomes more obsessed] I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

What does Vera learn about Mr. Nuttel before she begins her story?

Frampton Nuttel is in the country visiting people that he never met as a remedy for his nervous condition.  When he arrives at the Sappleton home, he is greeted by Vera, Mrs. Sappleton's niece. 

The only thing that Vera finds out about Mr. Nuttel is how many people he knows in the area.  She asks him if he is familiar with the area, because she would not be able to tell her tall tale if Mr. Nuttel was familiar with the area in the country and its inhabitants.

Once Vera is told that Mr. Nuttel does not know anyone in the country, but has come by way of his sister who is an acquaintance of her aunt's, Vera then goes into the story about her Uncles being lost in the bog.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," describe the character development betweem Boo Radley, Scout, and Jim.

In the beginning, Boo is a source of fascination for Scout and Jem.  He is the mysterious man on the street, kind of like living in the local haunted house.  Due to the mystery of his lifestyle and the stories about his past, they do what they can to spy on him and learn more about him.

After Atticus scolds them, they stop pursuing their interests in Boo.  He, however, has begun to notice them, and he leaves gifts for them in the tree.  When Nathan Radley seals up the hole with cement, Jem understands that Boo's brother has cruelly cut off Boo's contact with the outside world.

As the trial starts, the fascination with Boo lessens.  Then, of course, at the end, he saves the children from Bob Ewell's attack.  When Scout stands on the Radley porch, she sees what Boo saw; images of herself and of Jem passing through life, in front of Boo's house, every day.  They became the highlights of his day, and he began to think of them as his children.  When they were in trouble, he braved the outside world to save them.

At the end of hte novel, the kids have learned to appreciate Boo, and to understand more of what his life must be like.

Why doesn't the First Purchase Church have any hymn-books?

In Chapter 12, we learn that it is because hardly any of the congregation can read: Zeebo (Calpurnia's son) leads the hymns, singing each line and having everyone repeat it back to him.

The other reason, of course, is simply because the church is so poor: and Lee undoubtedly presents it as more spiritual because of its lack of material wealth. From the book:

First Purchase was unceiled and unpainted within. Along its walls unlighted kerosene lamps hung on brass brackets; pine benches served as pews. Behind the rough oak pulpit a faded pink silk banner proclaimed ‘God is love’, the church's only decoration except a rotogravure print of Hunt’s The Light of the World. There was no sign of piano, organ, hymn-books, church programmes-the familiar ecclesiastical impedimenta we saw every Sunday.

What are some quotes about the characters Parris, Mary Warren, Tituba, and Abigail, Proctor, Elizabeth, or Hale that describe each?

In his play "The Crucible", the author provides helpful descriptions of his characters in commentaries embedded in the action.

About Reverend Parris, he says,

"At the time of these events Parris was in his middle forties.  In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him.  He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went...He was a widower with no interest in children, or talent with them" (Act I, Scene 1).

Tituba, the second character to be introduced after Parris, is described as

"his Negro slave...Tituba is in her forties.  Parris brought her with him from Barbados...her slave sense...warn(s) her that...trouble in this house eventually lands on her back" (I,1).

Abigail, the third character to appear in the play, is

"strikingly beautiful, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling" (I,1).

Abigail provides further insight into her own hardened, ruthless character when she warns the girls,

""I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine...and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down" (I,1).

In contrast to Abigail, Mary Warren is

"seventeen, a subservient, naive, lonely girl" (I,1).

Why are Judith and Mercy are so astonished to hear that their mother had been very beautiful in "Witch of Blackbird Pond"? Why were they so...

Judith and Mercy are astonished to hear that their mother had been very beautiful when she was young because she is much changed now after years of hard work in the Puritan Community of Connecticut Colony.  Although Kit's grandfather had often told her of her Aunt Rachel's beauty, when Kit first sees her she thinks the "thin, gray-haired woman (standing) on the threshold" of her Uncle's house is "quite plainly a servant".  Not only has Aunt Rachel aged, but her demeanor is exceedingly timid and reserved.  It is only when she recognizes her niece and a look of "warmth and happiness (sweeps) over her pale face", that Kit sees that "once, a long time ago, she must have been very beautiful".

Judith and Rachel have never seen what their mother looked like when she was young, before toil and submission to the dominance of stern Matthew Wood wore down her vivacity and beauty.  Also, in their strict Puritan faith, attention to outward personal beauty is considered to be vanity, and pretty clothing and adornment are condemned as frippery.  Rachel does not have fine clothing and accessories to accentuate her beauty, and her daughters have never seen her dressed other than in a "nondescript sort of coarse gray stuff".  When she tentatively tries on the "little beribboned bonnet" given to her by Kit, "the years...(drop) away from her face...(and) her two daughters (stare) in unbelief...at her brilliant eyes and tremulous smile" (Chapters 3-4).

What is the painting in Santiago's room in "Old Man and the Sea"?

In Santiago's room there are two paintings.  One is "a picture in color of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and another of the Virgin of Cobre".  These images are "relics of his wife", testimony to her strong Catholic heritage.  Santiago had also once kept a "tinted photograph of his wife" on the wall, but after she died he had taken it down and put it on a shelf in the corner of his hut "under his clean shirt".  Seeing the photograph of his wife on the wall after she was gone was too difficult, and made him too lonely.

Santiago's shack itself is spare and simple.  It is made "of the tough budshields of the royal palm which are called guano and in it there (is) a bed, a table, one chair, and a place on the dirt floor to cook with charcoal".  The brown walls "of the flattened overlapping leaves of the sturdy fibered guano" are unadorned except for the two religious paintings that belonged to his wife.

How would you describe the Ewell family in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus rarely has a bad word to say about anyone, but the Ewells are an exception. He describes them best when he tells Scout that

... the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations.  (Chapter 3)

One can only imagine what Bob's father and grandfather must have been like since the present Ewell patriarch is positively the most evil character in the novel. Bob does not have a job--"None of them had done an honest day's work in his recollection," says Atticus--and drinks up his welfare check instead of providing for his children. He spends most of his time drinking and hunting out of season. Described as a "little bantam cock of a man" who bore "no resemblance to his namesake (Confederate hero General Robert E. Lee)," he absolutely gloats when giving the untruthful testimony about Tom Robinson raping his daughter. Tom's and Mayella's testimony actually suggests that Bob had beaten Mayella--and possibly even had other improper relations with her. Later, unsatisfied that Tom has been found guilty and faces the death penalty, Bob stalks the people he most despises--Tom's widow, Helen; Judge Taylor; and, apparently, Atticus's own children. In the end, he attempts to make good his threat to get even with Atticus "if it took the rest of his life." Sheriff Tate practically rejoices when he finds Bob's body: Bob

"... wasn't crazy, mean as hell. Low-down skunk... (the) kind of men you have to shoot before you say hidy to 'em. Ewell 'as one of 'em."  (Chapter 29)

Appropriately, the family lives in an old Negro cabin adjacent to the town dump: It is author Harper Lee's way of inferring that they are "white trash" without ever using the term. Bob's wife is dead, and he pays little attention to his children, instead allowing his oldest daughter, Mayella, to keep watch over them. The children are filthy, lice-ridden and illiterate.

They were people, but they lived like animals. (Chapter 3)

Burris--"the filthiest human I had ever seen"-- crudely curses and threatens his first grade teacher, Miss Caroline, calling her a "snot-nosed slut." Mayella, who does arouse some sympathy from Scout (and the reader) because she tries more than the other family members to provide a bit of beauty in the household with her lovingly-tended geraniums, nevertheless sinks to her father's level when she backs his story that Tom had raped her. Mayella comes across as both pitiful and untrustworthy, and

I guess if she hadn't been so poor and ignorant, Judge Taylor would have put her under the jail for the contempt she had shown everybody in the courtroom.  (Chapter 18)

How would you explain both Parson's and Syme's acceptance of obvious propaganda in "1984"? Discuss the reasons.Okay, I read over the other question...

Both Parson and Syme are loyal to the Party but for different reasons and it is this loyalty that causes them to accept overt propaganda with no questions.

Tom Parson is unintelligent and accepts what he told without question because he lacks the brains to do otherwise. It is easier for him to be told the 'truth' rather than think of it himself. Because he is just one of the masses, Parson just goes along with what is doctrine, even so far as praising his daughter for turning him in when he utters "Down with Big Brother" in his sleep. Winston mistakenly thinks that Parson will never be arrested.

Winston is however, correct about Syme being in danger of being vaporised. Syme is intellingent and savvy. He understands that loyalty is his only protection and so is highly enthusiastic about developing the newspeak dictionary. His major downfall is that he understands why newspeak is vital to the Party and its maintenance of power. He accepts propaganda because the consequences of doing otherwise would mean his instant arrest.

How did Sir Henry Baskerville react to the warning letter in "Hound of the Baskervilles"? The letter was mailed to him on his first day in London.

Sir Henry reacts to the warning letter in a seemingly nonchalant manner, but the fact that he seeks the help of the reknowned detective Sherlock Holmes in dealing with it indicates he is concerned.  It is Dr. Mortimer who brings Henry to Holmes, but Henry admits that if his friend "had not proposed coming round to (Holmes) this morning (he) should have come on (his) own account". 

Upon meeting with Holmes, Sir Henry at first attempts to make light of his concern, saying that it is "only a joke, as like as not".   He is definitely mystified, however, because "no one could have known" that he was going to be at the Northumberland Hotel, and there was "no possible indication" that his friend Dr. Mortimer would be staying there either.

As Holmes and Watson discuss the case, Sir Henry becomes aware that they appear to "know a great deal more than (he) does about (his) own affairs", and is a little miffed.  Politely but firmly, he demands to hear what they know in exchange for the information he is giving them.  When he learns the details of Charles Baskerville's death and the mysterious happenings on the moor, he considers all aspects of his situation carefully.  Although Sherlock Holmes is of the feeling that Henry should not go to Baskerville Hall for his own safety, Henry flatly refuses his advice, opting instead to think about the matter and decide for himself what he will do.  It is evident that Sir Henry is a man who is not easily intimidated, and who knows his own mind (Chapter 4).

What is your reaction to the "Scent of Apples" story?

While the author did not directly speak it, the words with which he wrote this sad story tells us how much he missed his country, the land that he had to leave.  It also showed us his great understanding for a friend who he had realized, or maybe even wished, feels the same way he does.

The scent of apples, which we do not find here in the Philippines, for him symbolizes the miles that stretch between him and his country.  This scent, which was very common in the place where he was then, constantly brings heartbreak.  It was a wave of tears that sweeps over him as he smells it, and his heart wants to shout, ‘this land is not mine.  I do not belong here.’  He had known how much the Americans, who had set out for war, missed this scent.

Looking around what used to be a dream to him, as we would have were we given the chance, he realizes instantly that this place, after all, does not belong to him.

I have realized how painful it is to part with your country.  The land of your birth.  I have realized that a thing so simple, such as a platter of apples, or a photograph of a person only Heaven knows whose, can bring us back to where we really are.  There is only one home where in our heart dwells, there is only one place where we long to stay most, there is only one land where you can look around and smile a real smile and say what your heart would have you say.  That is home.

How lonely could he have been, the writer of this sad story?  How often had he woken up to smell the scent of apples and break drown to tears of longing to smell the scent of his country instead?  “…How often does the lonely mind take such unpleasant detours, away from the familiar winding lanes toward home for fear of this, the long lost youth, the remembered hurt?” The author said, only the exile knows.  The exile…deprived to seek the recess of his heart and soul, deprived of the comfort the loving arms of the land of his people.  The exile…whose every single breath forces him to smell the scent of apples, whose every single step in a familiar yet foreign land forces him to feel pain.  The exile…the exile who had known better days, who had gripped his heart so many times to make himself accept the fact that he is destined to smell that scent forever.

Yes, truly, only the exile knows.

In Hamlet, how does Claudius stack up against other Shakespearean villains such as Iago in Othello or Aaron in Titus Andronicus?Is Claudius as evil...

I agree, evil is a relative term and matter of perspective.  Are these men evil?  They chose to do evil things.  It is too easy to label a character as good or evil but in Shakespeare it is not that easy.  All of his characters are human beings struggling with their world and survival.  They illustrate what can happen to a human being pushed to the limit by any number of things---lust, greed, power, envy, rage, etc.

Claudius, for example, is a younger brother in a world where younger brothers didn't inherit much.  Old Hamlet is referred to as old.  How old was Old Hamlet?  How old was Gertrude?  How old was Claudius?  They live in a warlike world where a younger man might be a better king.  Is his love and affection for Gertrude real and if so, is that evil?  As we all do, Claudius justifies his actions.

Is Iago evil or just somebody consumed with jealousy?  When referring to Othello, he tells us that he will inflict him (Otherllo) with the same poison that consumes him.  Next thing we know, Othello is jealous.  Does Iago feel justified in his actions?  Of course he does.

Aaron is an alien in both cultures, Goth and Rome.  He has been the victim of hatred and prejudice which has hardened him to other people's suffering.  He sees a chance to get his revenge and goes for it.

Shakespeare was a great playwright and gave us a glimpse into the vulnerability of these characters.  It would have been too easy to make them one dimensional.  The three dimensional versions of characters who do evil are much more interesting and very recognisably human.

All of these characters roll the dice.  They set things in motion and once begun they have no control over what will happen.  They get what they desire momentarily but lose in the end.

I don't think that makes them evil.  They chose their actions and know they must live or die with the consequences of those actions.

Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes.

In Chapter 21 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," what is the significance about Calpurnia as she comes into the courtroom and as she walks home with the...

It is no secret to the residents of Maycomb that Calpurnia is not just hired help in the Finch home but a mother surrogate for Jem and Scout. In the courtroom scene, moreover, Calpurnia's close affinity with the Finches is publicly displayed.

Symbolically, Calpurnia represents both the bridge and the chasm between the white and black communities. At the trial, the whites and the Negroes sit separately except for them. Calpurnia in her natural dignity shows that she is not ashamed to be black nor is she ashamed to identify with whites. She would be the truly integrated Negro, if only society would permit.

What effects did the trade policies of East Asian countries have on their development?

This is a very general question on a big topic.  Do you mean historically, in the post-World War era, or today?

Historically, East Asian countries had rural economies based on food production, especially rice, with cash crops being primarily opium.  In the Indochina area, many wars among the Thais, Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer were as much about the control of the opium trade as for territorial expansion.

In the early modern era, East Asian countries were largely colonized by the French, Dutch and British.   Trade policies were set by the colonial powers, and tended to concentrate on tea, spices rubber and cloth goods.  This brought more money into the local economies, but of course the economic gains were mostly to the benefit of the colonists and the trading companies in Europe which handled the goods, shipping, etc.

In the postwar era, Southeast Asia was riven by anti-colonial wars, with European countries and the local anti-colonial forces struggling primarily over control of rice and opium production.  In Indochina, if the French could control the rice farmers and the opium business, they could keep control of the population.  If the anti-colonial forces gained control of those crops, they could use the loyalty of the farmers for manpower and the money from the opium trade to finance their revolutions.  Rubber production was also a major cash srop in the region, and total control of that by colonial powers was a sore point.  Other East Asian countries had similar problems, while some others had an easier transition into the modern world, such as Singapore.  The effects of changing trade policies and the loss of colonial control by war and changing economic conditions in Europe brought more money into the indigenous population, and economic self-control meant eventual political self-control.

Modern trade policies vary a great deal from country to country . There are some links below which might help.  Sorry if this seems a vague answer, but it's a pretty vague question.

The Japanese saying "shikata ga nai" expresses what attitude?

The Japanese saying "shikata ga nai" expresses an attitude of resigned acceptance.  It loosely translates to "what else can we do", or "it can't be helped".  The attitude of "shikata ga nai" is deeply embedded in old Japanese culture.

During World War II, when the West Coast Japanese Americans were "relocated" to remote camps like Manzanar, there was comparatively little resistance from the victimized group itself against an order that disrupted the lives of the over 100,000 individuals.  Part of the reason was due to this cultural element which required facing and bearing up under whatever situations might occur in life without complaint.  Much of the older generation of Japanese Americans in particular responded from this ingrained perspective, dutifully leaving everything they had worked for behind, to submit with quiet dignity to the unprecedented directive issued against them.

What is a "kanban system"?

Kanban is a sub-system within JIT. It is one of many possible means, within a manufacturing set up, to signal the need for supply of more parts or material at a work center from the previous one along the manufacturing sequence.  In Japanese, it means a ‘card signal’, and refers to devices such as cards, signs, or other methods used to signal requirement for processing and supply of material at different work centers in a process.

The aim of Kanban system is to ensure that materials are procured or processed at each work center within the total manufacturing and supply operations, just in time to meet the requirement of next work center. To achieve this, it is essential for each work center to know exactly quantities and timing of material required by each of the work centers fed by it. This information is fed by the receiving work centers to the supplying work station using Kanban cards or some similar device.

In a typical Kanban system, optimal job lot quantities are fixed for each processing of each item of material for each work center. Also, the maximum work in process inventory allowed to build up in the process is decided in terms for job lots for each material at each process stage. Kanban cards are prepared for each of the maximum permitted job lot, giving details such as material, job lot quantity, processing work center and the receiving work center. Often these cards are attached to bins or containers that can accommodate full job lot quantity of material. These card are used as authorization or requests by receiving centers to supplying centers for their requirement of input material.

The receiving centers send the Kanban cards to supplying centers as and when they need material. The supplying department produces the required material on the basis of Kanban card received and supplies. The Kanban cards are returned to the receiving department along with process material. This arrangement ensures that the receiving department cannot ask for supply of input material unless they have some cards attached to empty bins, and in this way the total inventory is maintained within the permissible limit. At the same time quick replenishment of material is facilitated by prompt return of empty bins with Kanban cards, as soon as these become empty.

The Kanban system enables companies to carry on their operation without excessive inventories or material shortages without using centralized production planning systems, which need special planning skills, and are cumbersome to operate.

Kanban was an essential part of JIT during initial period of development of JIT. However, Kanban is the whole of JIT – It just one part of a larger system. Further, with development and use of sophisticated information technology, it is possible to implement JIT with alternate systems to provide information inputs to the system that were earlier provided by Kanban system.

What influenced William Blake to write "The Chimney Sweeper"?

William blake was an english poet who was guided by emotion and imagination.His lyrics were short,very simple expressed and often packed with meanings and thoughts.At the first sight he had seen millions of children calling sweep,sweep,sweep in the street by seeing this william blake had a strong impact in his mind.He had seen children after the chimney were cleaned, the children were covered in soot .He had also seen that they have no time to play and run.For awaring to other people how the children are being treated he decided to write a poem based on the lifestyle of a chimney sweeper.

written by,

manoranjan ghadei

How does Pearl's behaviour in the cementery express a link between Dimmesdale and Hester?

In the beginning of the story, the cemetery and the prison are used to symbolize the harsh, rigid moral impositions of Puritan life.  Later in the story, Dimmesdale is associated with the Puritan life and, thereby comes to represent the world of rigid morality.  By contrast, Hester is associated with the wild rose, flourishing and blooming without the need for tending and in spite of the constraints of her environment.  Pearl uses the cemetery as her playground.  Since the cemetery is linked to Dimmesdale's world and the playful, wild rosebush is linked to Hester, Pearl's play in the cemetery is meant to indicate that she, too, flourishes despite the constraints of her situation.  By playing in such a somber place, she refuses to be defined by the moral and behavioral restrictions of the Puritans.  She is a free spirit.  Her existence flies in the face of those who represent Puritan authority.

What is the summary for Chapter 21 of The Kite Runner?

On the way to the Ghazi Stadium Amir and Farid see the corpse of a young man who had been hanged recently and a lame man selling his artificial leg. Shortly afterwards they arrive at Wazir Akbar Khan district and Amir identifies his childhood home correctly with the help of an old landmark.This neighbourhood is better maintained than the other places, because as Farid points out this is the  locality where the Taliban and foreign VIPs reside.

Amir peers through the rusted iron bars of the gate of his childhood home and is transported back in time and a wave of nostalgia brings back all the memories of his childhood Eden.The entire house and its surroundings had suffered neglect and Amir remarks sadly, "like so much else in Kabul, my father's house was the picture of fallen splendor." With great difficulty he resists the temptation to go in. Farid is impatient to get to the stadium, but Amir tells him that he has look up one more thing. Amir climbs up the hill north to Baba's house visits the cemetry where Hassan's mother is buried and then sees the same pomegranate tree on whose trunk the legend "Amir and Hassan. The Sultans of Kabul" had been inscribed. 

They spend the night in a very cheap hotel which had no electricity. Farid tells him about his past and they share many 'Mullah Nasruddin' jokes. Amir feels disgusted when Farid finds it difficult to believe why he should  risk his life for a 'Shiia' boy and he loses all sleep while Farid snores away blissfully.

The next day, they go to Ghazi Stadium to find the official who bought Sohrab. The stadium is filled with people watching a game of soccer. In keeping with the strict rules laid down by the Taliban the players are wearing "long pants" and the spectators are prevented from cheering too noisily. During halftime, a man and a woman are stoned to death for adultery on the same soccer field by a man in white and wearing "John Lennon sunglasses" - the same Taliban official whom they had come to meet. After half time, the bodies are removed and the soccer game continues. 

To their pleasant surprise and relief Amir and Farid arrange for a three o’clock appointment with the official.

What are the key differences shown in the movie between the book The Joy Luck Club and the movie directed by Wayne Wang?

The key differences between the novel The Joy Luck Club and the 1993 film version directed by Wayne Wang have to do with the narrative sequencing of the story.  The Joy Luck Club is a dense novel depicting the stories of eight characters in mother-daughter pairs.  Many scenes from the novel are left out of the film because attempting to include it all would burden the film.  Further, the narrative voice in the chapters in the novel alternate among the various characters and the stories are relayed in varying order.  For example, Jing-Mei (June) tells the reader about her failure at the piano competition in one chapter of the novel and in another chapter she discusses the dinner during which she left the best quality crab for others to eat.  However, these two stories are combined in the film as June discusses how she feels like a failure to her mother.  Other stories and scenes from the novel are similarly combined in the film to provide a more consistent portrayal of events for a viewing audience.  As a reader, one can piece together a fragmented story line; however, a viewer has a much more difficult time performing such a task.

In regards to The Aeneid, can you discover any possible influences on Virgil's religious thought? What does your answer allow you to infer about...

Vergil (that is a more accurate spelling of the name) was part of the Augustan age. So, his influences must have been those religions and philosophies of his day. So, the question is what was around?

First, we should probably say that Vergil got a lot of his material from the epics of the past, namely, Homer. The very first words of his epic show this. I sing of arms and a man. The arms = Iliad, Trojan War. Man = Odysseus. So, the religion of the Greeks probably influenced him.

Second, Roman religion influenced him. Roman religion was very much into religious rites. In short, Roman religion was about "right doing" and not so much about "right believing."

Third, there was a lot of philosophies. Epicureanism and Stoicism come to mind.

What are some literary elements or techniques in Julius Caesar Act 2.2 with Calpurnia?

This setting of this scene is Caesar’s house the morning of the day he is assassinated in the Roman Senate (the Ides of March, or March 15). Calpurnia tries desperately to make Caesar stay home instead of going to the capital as planned. Strange events in Rome during the night, as well as a terrible dream she has had, have convinced her that he is in great danger—which he is.

The primary literary technique at work in this scene is that of foreshadowing: the strange, unnatural happenings that have terrified Calpurnia strongly hint at the terrible events that will follow. Furthermore, her dream in which Caesar’s statue pours forth blood from “a hundred spouts” exactly foreshadows Caesar’s murder soon to occur in which he is stabbed repeatedly by the conspirators.

Foreshadowing is effective in creating mood and building suspense. This scene makes the reader aware that Caesar’s death is at hand. Because the play is rooted in history, Shakespeare’s audience knows that Caesar will not survive the day, but Shakespeare  creates suspense by developing the events leading up to the assassination.

Describe the six elements that are required to properly substantiate an employee’s business expense records.It's for tax accounting

Here is the quote from the IRS Tax Code:

Generally, in order to deduct an entertainment or meal expense, a taxpayer must substantiate by adequate records or sufficient evidence corroborating the taxpayer’s own statement the following elements:

(1) Amount;

(2) Date;

(3) Place (name and address or location) and type of entertainment or meal.

(4) Reason for entertainment or the business purpose and the nature of the business benefit expected to be gained;

(5) Business relationship to the taxpayer of the persons at the entertainment or meal (name, occupation, title); and

(6) Presence of the taxpayer or an employee at the business meal.

Numbers 1 - 3 must be demonstrated through the presence of a receipt.  Number 4 and 5 should be shown through the presence of the employee's expense diary.  Here is how that is described by the IRS:

Adequate Records and Sufficient Evidence (IRS pp. 3593)

To prove expenses for entertainment, travel, gifts, and listed property by “adequate record”, a detailed record must be kept, such as a diary, an account book or some other statement of expense. A taxpayer, however, does not have to record information in an account book, etc. that duplicates information reflected on a receipt so long as the two forms of evidence complement each other.  In addition to the diary or account book, the taxpayer must have documentary evidence (a receipt) for any lodging while traveling away from home and for any other expenditure over $75 or more.

Employees keeping expense reports should get in the habit of keeping detailed and consistent records, always in the same form, for easy reference and auditing.

The final element of the list - presence of the employee at the function - can be shown through the detailed diary, but it should also be shown through the use of payment method.  Employees should be in the habit of payign via credit card/check so that there is a reliable way of tracking the expenses and showing that the expenses were incurred by the employee himself/herself.

What does Jim's story about the way he treated his deaf daughter in Chapter 23 of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" tell us about him?Include...

Jim's story about the way he treated his deaf daughter illustrates his deep and abiding love for his family, and sense of decency and compassion that causes him to still berate himself for misperceiving her condition.

Jim is "low and homesick" thinking about his wife and children, and recalls the time when he slapped his daughter Elizabeth for not responding to his command to "shet de do'", not realizing she was deaf.  He still harbors remorse for treating her "so ornery", and prays, "the Lord God Amighty fogive po' ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to fogive hisself as lon'g he live".

Slave owners of the times justified their treatment of the Negro by rationalizing that slaves did not have the same feelings as white people.  When Huck hears Jim's story, he is amazed that Jim "cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n...it don't seem natural, but I reckon it's so".  Jim's story about his daughter shows that the slaves did indeed have the same ties of love and feeling towards their families, and that when they hurt or were separated from their loved ones, they suffered terribly.  Jim's compassionate and caring nature also stands in stark contrast to that of the king and the duke.  Even though they were white, those two scoundrels had no thought for others beyond what they could get from them, and spent their days lying and cheating, thinking only about themselves (Chapter 23). 

How is the mood/atmosphere created in "The Demon Lover"?

To create the mood and the atmosphere in “The Demon Lover” Bowen uses the setting, which is thee narrator’s abandoned house and later the taxi.

 

Bowen also uses descriptive language to set the mood. She describes the storm as “ink-dark” clouds piling up giving the street “an unfamiliar queerness.” The house is described as having a “yellow smoke stain…[a] bruise in the wallpaper…[and] cracks in the structure” (Bowen). She describes the eerie feeling that comes over the narrator when she finds the letter addressed to her and when she is the room getting her things.

 

Bowen then uses the flashback to make the reader understand the narrator’s fear when she opens the letter. The narrator’s superstitions also contribute to the mood.

How old is Arthur "Boo" Radley in "To Kill A Mockingbird"?

Boo's age is never specifically mentioned by Harper Lee, but we can make an assumption.  From the description of the trouble that Boo got into with his friends - the trouble that caused him to spend some time in the county jail - we can assume that Boo was a teenager at the time.  Lee says after this that "he was not seen for fifteen years."  This is because Boo's father, a devoutly and strictly religious man, kept Boo locked up in the house.  Add 16 to 15 and you get 31.  Boo's father has died and now his brother Nathan has moved in.  This seems to be well-established.  The kids know who Nathan is (and know to avoid him).  Thus, we can assume when the story starts that Boo's dad has been dead at least a year or two.

From all this conjecture, I would suggest that Boo is in his 30s.  It is important that Boo be clearly established as an adult, because it supports the theme of coming of age in this story.  Boo himself - having been isolated - is just coming of age.  Jem and Scout each have moments of coming of age, just as the town itself does.  What this proves is that "maturity" isn't about age as much as it is about experience and about becoming more tolerant of the world around you.

Where did Abraham Lincoln die? Who killed him?

On the evening of April 14, 1865, while attending a special performance of the comedy, "Our American Cousin," President Abraham Lincoln was shot. Accompanying him at Ford's Theater that night were his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, a twenty-eight year-old officer named Major Henry R. Rathbone, and Rathbone's fiancee, Clara Harris. After the play was in progress, a figure with a drawn derringer pistol stepped into the presidential box, aimed, and fired. The president slumped forward.

The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, dropped the pistol and waved a dagger. Rathbone lunged at him, and though slashed in the arm, forced the killer to the railing. Booth leapt from the balcony and caught the spur of his left boot on a flag draped over the rail, and shattered a bone in his leg on landing. Though injured, he rushed out the back door, and disappeared into the night on horseback.

A doctor in the audience immediately went upstairs to the box. The bullet had entered through Lincoln's left ear and lodged behind his right eye. He was paralyzed and barely breathing. He was carried across Tenth Street, to a boarding-house opposite the theater, but the doctors' best efforts failed. Nine hours later, at 7:22 AM on April 15th, Lincoln died.

At almost the same moment Booth fired the fatal shot, his accomplice, Lewis Paine, attacked Lincoln's Secretary of State, William Henry Seward. Seward lay in bed, recovering from a carriage accident. Paine entered the mansion, claiming to have a delivery of medicine from the Secretary's doctor. Seward's son, Frederick, was brutally beaten while trying to keep Paine from his father's door. Paine slashed the Secretary's throat twice, then fought his way past Seward's son Augustus, an attending hospital corps veteran, and a State Department messenger.

Paine escaped into the night, believing his deed complete. However, a metal surgical collar saved Seward from certain death. The Secretary lived another seven years, during which he retained his seat with the Johnson administration, and purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.

There were at least four conspirators in addition to Booth involved in the mayhem. Booth was shot and captured while hiding in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia, and died later the same day, April 26, 1865. Four co-conspirators, Paine, George Atzerodt, David Herold, and Mary Surratt, were hanged at the gallows of the Old Penitentiary, on the site of present-day Fort McNair, on July 7, 1865.

What is the explanation for sonnets 1 & 2 of Sidney's "Astrophel and Stella?"

Sonnet 1 is somewhat a sonnet on how to write a sonnet to Stella.  1st quatrain: He loves her, but he cannot find the words to tell her.  He is "fain" (desirous) in his poem to show his love, and the "dear" (stella) might read his poems, discover he loves her, and feel pity for him and, therefore, he might obtain her grace" (favor).  2nd quatrain: He seeks the words to tell her and turns to "others' leaves" (He gets ideas from others.).  He hopes some fresh ideas will flow from his "sunburned brain."  The "sunburned brain" is symbolic in that it has been burned by the "sun" of Stella's beauty and by the brilliance of other poets' words.

Next is the turn--focus changes in 3rd quatrain: But! ideas left him--words were halting; his invention was lacking support; others' "feet" (their metrical feet--their words/poetry were "strangers"--not helping him.  He is "great with child"--wanting to give birth, so to speak, to poetry for her.  He is inthe throes of creation=labor pains.

Couplet: Figuratively, he is beating himself up for not being able to find ideas, etc.  And then his Muse calls him a Fool and tells him to simply write from his heart!

What is the relevance of the "Kiss of The Spider Woman" to the present society?

This is an interesting question. One of the themes of “Kiss Of The Spider Woman” is escapism versus reality.  Today the newscaster was talking about the effect of the weak economy and unemployment. He reported that ticket sales to movies are up 13% over last year.The psychologist they interviewed said this was due to people wanting to “escape” the unpleasantness of their lives for a few hours.  Juan Manuel Puig is the Argentinean author whose wrote this novel in 1976. His stories were filled with sexuality and his love of Hollywood movies. He used this these as an escape from a boyhood in rural Argentina where he was scorned and even assaulted for his homosexuality. Molina’s stories  in prison also blurred boundaries of reality and fiction. Another theme was the persecution of homosexuals.  This is still relevant today as there are many areas of our world that practice conditioned discrimination toward homosexuals. The political idealism in this drama is also relevant today.  “The character of Valentin, imprisoned for his revolutionary activities, begins the novel with a strong dedication to his political ideals, which he prioritizes over personal relationships and the satisfaction of physical desires.”  Political ideals are being fought over in today's society all over the planet.  From Iraq to Darfur to South America people are being imprisoned for their political beliefs.

How does Hawthorne move the story forward in chapter 9-15 in "The Scarlet Letter"?

Hawthorne uses these chapters move as a bridge between the seven years that have passed, and to develop symbolism and theme. The major action that is taking place is Dimmesdale's developing relationship with Chillingworth, which is directly connected to his failing health, Chilllingworth's conformation that Dimmesdale is guilty of adultery, and Hester's discussion to stop Chillingworth from further harm to Dimmesdale.

"I did not know then that pride was a wonderful thing, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death." What does this quote mean?

In the story, Brother had forced Doodle to learn many things that no one thought he could do. However, Brother's motivation for helping Doodle was pride, because he did not want anyone to think of him as a person with a handicapped brother. At first, everyone is amazed at the things that Doodle can do. These extraordinary feats are metaphorically the first vine pride can bring. However, once Doodle became old enough to go to school, Brother forced him to learn how to run because Brother didn't want to be embarrassed at school by Doodle's weaknesses. However, in pushing Doodle to run, Brother pushes too hard and Doodle dies. This is the second vine that pride can bring, death. Doodle gains more of life because of Brother's pride but in the end Brother's pride destroys Doodle because he is forced to do something he simply cannot physically accomplish.

What is the meaning of Jerry's going to the zoo in "The Zoo Story" by Edward Albee?

I don't agree. If you read carefully, you'llfind that the bench Peter is sitting on stands fronting 5th ave, near E74th.

The Zoo, as even Jerry reminds us, is more or less on the 65th, therefore he actually has walked north to reach Peter.

These are not my suggestions, it's all in the text.

The action does not take place At the zoo.

In Animal Farm, what happens to Snowball during the meeting about the windmill? What events in Soviet history does this scene suggest?

He is suddenly declared a traitor and escaped from Animal Farm with Napoleon's snarling dogs (remember Bluebell's puppies?) hard on his heels. 

Snowball represents Léon Trotsky, a militant communist leader who opposed Stalin's regime. He was the founder of the Fourth International League (which contested Stalin's Third International League though never managing to overpower it.)

In the power struggle which ensued, Trotsky (or 'Trotski' or 'Trotzsky') was "chased" from the government in 1924, then excluded from the Communist Party in 1927. He was banished from the USSR four years later after being sent into exile in central Asia. He was ultimately assassiated in Stalin's political purge.

I need to do a compare and contrast on "A Rose for Emily" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find". I need help getting started.

Both Faulkner and O'Connery are challenging the culture of the Old South in their respective short stories. In "A Rose For Emily," one of the central issues is that Emily has been made into an untouchable flower by her father, locked up in effect, and made into a "Miss." Misses, we all know, are unattached girls who belong to their fathers in traditional Southern culture. The fact that this tradition is taken to such an extreme is what leads to Emily's psychological detachment from reality and the world around her. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the grandmother clings to ideas from the Old South foolishly as the rest of the world progresses. She is annoying and condescending to her old family. At the end of the story, the grandmother is shot, which, it could be argued, is representative of O'Connor's disapproval toward the prideful clinging to of ideals over humanity.

On the contrast side, the characters are dealt with differently in each story. Emily is a tragic figure, a victim of the title of "Miss," which has been attached to her without her permission. The grandmother, on the other hand, is a character who almost makes the reader root for the serial killer. O'Connor herself said that he was her mouthpiece.

 I would explore for resources that focus on O'Connor's and Faulkner's treatment of Old Southern ideals in these stories. Start there, and see what you come up with. Good luck!                    

Explain the significance of the title of the poem "The Rainbow."

William Wordsworth was a Nature poet who worshipped Nature as his God. For Wordsworth, Nature was his main source of spirtual comfort  and escape from all the cares of this world. His association with life giving and life sustaining Nature began even when he was only a child and remained with him till his death.

In this short lyric, the 'rainbow' symbolizes the life sustaining and life nourishing goodness of Nature. The sight of the beautiful rainbow which he saw when he was only a child is deeply etched in his memory and the same joy that he experienced when he saw it as a child contiunes to remain with him through his adulthood. He desires that this same childhoood joy should continue to sustain him even in his old age. Wordsworth says that he would rather die than not being able to experience the same joy that he experienced when he saw the rainbow when he was a small boy after he becomes an old man.

The memory of the beautiful rainbow and its pleasant associations form the link between his childhood, adulthood and his old age:past, present and future. Wordsworth concludes the poem by expressing the desire that each day of his existence be linked with the next by beautiful and simple natural sights like the rainbow.

The rainbow which he saw when he was a child becomes the 'objective correlative' in the literary text which recalls to his mind the pleasant memories associated  with the beautiful rainbow.

What does Esperanza's house symbolize in The House on Mango Street?

On the one hand, Esperanza's house is representative of security.  It

"is ours, and we don't have to pay rent to anybody...and there isn't a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom".

On the other hand, the house is

"small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath...(with) bricks...crumbling in places, and the front door...so swollen you have to push hard to get in".

The house, which has only one washroom and one bedroom for all six of her family members, is a stark contrast from the dwelling the Corderos dream of owning, one with

"a basement and at least three washrooms so when (they) took a bath (they) wouldn't have to tell everybody...(a) house...(that is) white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence".

The house in this sense is symbolic of limited opportunities and dreams that don't quite measure up - it is "not the house we'd thought we'd get".  Esperanza is ashamed of her house, "it (makes) her feel like nothing".  The house on Mango Street represents the restricted options available to Esperanza as a poor Hispanic woman, and she is determined to rise above these limitations and one day "have a house...a real house...one I could point to" with pride (Chapter 1 - "The House on Mango Street").

How does the author create suspense in the tale of "The Sniper"?

The author creates suspense several different ways in the telling of "The Sniper."  First off, the setting of the story most definitely creates suspense for the reader.  The narrator, a sniper during the civil war in Ireland, is on a rooftop, completely isolated from anyone else.  The time of day, twilight into evening, also adds to the suspense. 

 Next, the reader's limited information gathered through the narrator creates and adds to suspense.  We only see what he sees, and we feel completely wrapped up in his predicament. 

The mood of the story also creates suspense.  Images and sounds detailed throughout the story foster an environment in which we know something bad is going to happen by the end of the story.

 Finally, the basic plot of the story creates suspense for the reader.  Because we are only privy to the narrator's thoughts, we aren't aware of anything else that might be going on with the other sniper he's shooting at (and who is shooting at the narrator!).  When the narrator feels the intense desire to see the man he's killed, the reader knows there's a reason why, however unconscious.  The moment where the narrator looks into the face of his brother is the culmination of suspense throughout the entire story. 

In act III of "The Crucible," how does John Proctor stand up for other citizens' rights?This takes place in the court with Judge Danforth, John...

In Act III, Proctor, Nurse and Corey go to court armed with a petition signed by 91 people who have vouched for their wives Christian characters. 

John Proctor is told by the court that his wife, Elizabeth has told them that she is pregnant.  The court informs him that Elizabeth is safe until she delivers the child. 

He is then asked by the court if he will drop the charge against the court that the charges against everyone in jail are false. 

He says that he cannot drop his claim against the court because he will not abandon his friends Francis Nurse and Giles Corey. 

Proctor, once in court, realizes that they are standing firm in their pursuit of the charges against the innocent people who are in jail.  Proctor is determined to help Nurse and Corey, believing that once Mary Warren gives her testimony that the court will see that they have been wrong in their accusation of witchcraft.

Proctor wants to discredit Abigail, the leader of the group that has accused many innocent people of witchcraft, including his wife Elizabeth.  Proctor proclaims in court that he had an adulterous affair with Abigail, he tells the court that Abigail told him that there was no witchcraft involved in the woods.

Proctor sacrifices his reputation by publicly confessing to adultery, or lechery, a crime in order to help save the innocent people who are jailed for witchcraft.

What are the background, the major events, and the results of the French and Indian War?

The French and Indian War was just part of the continuing struggle between France and Great Britain for control of North America, and was the fourth war over this issue.  France claimed basically all of North America and vast areas of the Caribbean, except for the vaguely defined British colonies along the East coast of the continent and a few areas still owned by Spain.  France derived profit from merchandise sold to its colonies and Native Americans, and a trade in furs from the New World.  Britain and its colonies wanted more space for expansion and security from both Native populations and the Catholic French (the colonists being largely Protestant).

The immediate cause of the war was the question of who owned the "Ohio country", claimed by France and the colony of Virginia.  The ambush of a party of French soldiers and Iroquois warriors by a small Virginia party under the control of a young officer named George Washington was the initial combat of the war, and the alleged "assasination" of Sire Jumonville de Villiers, the French leader, was the actual political cause of the war.

The Battle of the Monangahela was a disastrous defeat for Britain, Gen. Braddock being killed and the army saved only through the action of Washington and the colonial troops. There were many battles, including French victories under the command of Montcalm at Fort Oswego and Fort William Henry, and a failed British expedition to take Louisbourg.

All defeats were redeemed by Wolfe's success in taking Quebec September 13, 1759.  When the remnants of the French forces approached from Montreal they were beaten at Sainte-Foy on September 28, but the British retreated back into the city.  The French besieged them, but had little ammunition, and the war essentially ended when British warships arrived  on May 15.

The effects of the war included the expulsion of French settlers from Nova Scotia and the final defeat of French hopes for an American empire.  It also left the British with the need to station a great many more troops in America to protect the much larger frontier, but without increased revenue to pay for the expense.  This led to succesive British governments attempts to raise more money in taxes from the colonies to help pay these expenses.  New taxes were invented, which caused discontent; more soldiers were stationed in the colonies, which also caused discontent.  Finally, many taxes on imports were reduced, but in the past most tariffs were not actually collected.  Lowererates but more enforcement would cost merchants more, and the smaller merchants couldn't afford this.  The larger traders (and smugglers), such as John Hancock and Benedict Arnold, did not want to pay.  This was the beginning of the agitation which eventually led to the American Revolution.

Of course, the French and Indian War was the initial cause and the New World campaigns of what is termed in Europe the Seven Years War, which also involved a struggle between Prussia and Austria for control of the Germanic states.

In Chapter 1 of Animal Farm, what is Old Major's main idea? in what different ways does he repeat this idea?

Major's main idea is that the animals will never really proper until humans are removed as their masters and they begin to treat each other equally. He first identifies humans as the enemy to animal prosperity because man is the only creature who consumes food with producing it. He promises that the animals will be free once they get rid of man.

Major then formulates his major points into what will become known as the principles of "Animalism". His first point reinforces his initial idea by saying, "“All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.” He then adds the obvious point that if all animals are comrades, the animals must treat each other equally. They should not imitate men by sleeping in a bed, wearing clothes, drinking, smoking or trading with their human neighbors. At the end, he reinforces his message that all animals are equal and one animal should take advantage of another animal. To reinforce this thought, he teaches the animals the song "Beasts of England" to help them remember his vision. Unfortunately, three days after giving the speech, Old Major dies in his sleep and his revolution is left in the hands of the pigs.

How would you summarize Abigail's prior relationship with the Proctors, Act I?

Abigail Williams previously occupied the position currently held by Mary Warren in the Proctors' household.  She would have helped with the cooking and washing, and the children, especially in light of Mrs. Proctor's illness following the birth of her last child.  However, it is clear that Abigail and John Proctor had more than just a physical relationship.  In Act One, when she insists that she has "a sense for heat [...] and [his] has drawn [her] to [her] window, and [she has] seen [him] looking up, burning in [his] loneliness," he admits to her that he "may have looked up" at her window.  He further admits that "[he] may think of [her] softly from time to time."  And although Proctor promises that he will not reach for her again, he has clearly admitted enough to confirm Abigail's belief that he loved her when Mrs. Proctor fired her and "[he does] now."  Thus, their "prior relationship" is still, in some way, present. 

In "Fahrenheit 451", what did Montag want from Faber?

A brief answer is that Montag wants to learn to read well enough so that he can understand what he is reading. He might be able to pronounce or "call" words, but he can't read well enough to understand the deeper meanings behind the surface of the words.

Faber simply tells Montag that he can help him, but that won't satisfy him. Montag wants someone to vent to as well. He doesn't completely understand why the burning of books is the law, and eventually becomes a rebel against this system of rules.

What do the words "canker blossom" and "waterfly" mean?

William Shakespeare is well known for his extensive use of metaphors, similes, symbolism and imagery in his writing. Although understanding his works requires knowledge of the English terms used at the time, it also requires reading the terms in their context.

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"Canker blossom" is mentioned in Act 3 Scene 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream in this context:

HERMIA (to HELENA):

You juggler! You canker-blossom!

You thief of love! What, have you come by night

And stol'n my love’s heart from him?

"Canker" is technically a reference to a cankerworm which eats through the blossoms of plants. In colloquial use though, it may refer to anything which destroys or causes bad things to occur.

"Blossom" is obviously the blossom of plants, but if you read the following lines, we can infer that "blossom" refers to the "blossom of love." 

So Hermia is calling Helena a destroyer of blossoming love. "Have you come by night and stol'n my love's heart from him?" They both love the same man but Helena has won him over and literally destroyed the blossoming love of Hermia.

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"Waterfly" is mentioned in Act 5 Scene 2 of Hamlet in this context:

HORATIO

Peace.—Who comes here?

Enter young OSRIC, a courtier, hat in hand

OSRIC

Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark.

HAMLET

I humbly thank you, sir. 

(aside to HORATIO) Dost know this water-fly?

HORATIO

(aside to HAMLET) No, my good lord.

HAMLET

(aside to HORATIO) Thy state is the more gracious, for ’tis a vice to know him. He hath much land, and fertile. Let a beast be lord of beasts and his crib shall stand at the king’s mess. 'Tis a chough, but, as I say, spacious in the possession of dirt.

A "waterfly" is an insect that aimlessly hovers over water. Hamlet is not very fond of Osric (who has just walked in) and tells Horatio that he is lucky not to know him. He thinks of Osric as an aimless, annoying person. Hamlet says that he is a "chough" which is thought to be a type of loud bird, so he is referring to someone who talks a lot, who is loud and crude but who receives respect because he is wealthy and owns a lot of land. So "waterfly" is an insult in all senses of the word.

What is Robert Walton searching for in "Frankenstein"?

Robert Walton is searching for the North Pole.  He is a very ambitious sea captain who wants to be the first to sail there, no matter what the risks are to him or to his crew.  He rescues Victor Frankenstein while on this dangerous voyage, and from him learns the cautionary tale Victor knows all too well:  beware of blinding ambitions (Victor, of course, has learned this lesson too late through his creation of a "monster" in his desire to play God).  Captain Walton luckily takes the lesson to heart, abandoning his quest for the sake of safety.

Please help me analyze this quote from Arthur Miller's play The Crucibe "..But you must understand sir that a person is either with this court...

This quote from Act 3 Sc. 1 from Arthur Miller's The Crucible" is said by Deputy Governor Danforth, and it basically epitomizes the type of justice that is conducted in Salem: radical and senseless. All in Salem is either good or bad, without a middle point. Therefore, what is not good is necessarily going to be seen as evil.

a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.

The authority that Danforth claims is the sanctioning by God of the colony of Massachussets. If God has granted the permission to exert justice against those against God, then there is no stopping to the process. It must be done.

Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it.

In Dansforth's mind, God is conducting the witch trial using the aldermen as His mouthpiece. Anyone who is against what the court decides, is against God himself. Hence, the illogical reasoning of the villagers concludes that whoever is against God is by default consulting with the Devil. It is as radical as that, and there is no "road between" as he stated.

In Fahrenheit 451, how does Granger impact the story?

When Montag rejects the censorship values of society, he is cast out and hunted by the mechanical hound for sport, broadcast on television. When fleeing, he meets Granger, who gives him a drink to change his biochemistry so the hound cannot track him anymore. Once they are safe, Granger shows Montag the hidden society of people who memorize books:

"...We all made the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn't be here. When we were separate individuals, all we had was rage. I struck a fireman when hecame to burn my library years ago."
(Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, Google Books)

Granger's group is something that Montag has been searching for without realizing it. After finding Granger, Montag's life gains a new purpose, to create and protect books instead of destroying them. Granger's influence gives Montag the ambition to continue reading and learning, instead of running blindly without a goal.

What is the theme of Anne of Green Gables? I don't understand what the theme in Anne of Green Gables is. Does it have something to do with her...

You could draw several themes from the story, but one could be that life's best gifts are often not the things we plan or expect but come as complete surprises.  This was certainly true of Anne, who was the best thing that ever happened to her adoptive family, so set on having a boy.

You could formulate another theme around the gender issue, but this is not necessarily the crux of the story. Anne's imagination, her generosity of spirit, her ability to transcend the commonplace all take a greater place in the story than a simple tale of the battle of the sexes. Perhaps the message is the age-old adage: "Bloom where you're planted." Anne certainly did.

Describe delay in "Hamlet" that is displayed in the character of Hamlet.

Ham:  Denmark's a prison.

Ros:  Then is the world one.

Ham:  A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons.....

Ros:  We think not so, my lord.

Ham:  Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.  To me it is a prison (II,ii,236-242)

This man of thought, Hamlet, is also a man of great melancholia.  And, it is this melancholy and imprisonment, as it were, in depression--recall his debate of even existence in "to be or not to be"--that also contributes to his lack of decisive action.

How did Gatsby measure the success of his party in "The Great Gatsby"?Chapter 6

Gatsby's parties serve to give him name recognition.

Gatsby's notoriety, spread about by the hundreds who had accepted his hospitality and so become authorities upon his past, had increased all summer until he fell just short of being news.

The rumors that abound about him are "a source of satisfaction to James Gatz of North Dakota." Gatsby's desires notoriety; he wants people to know his name, a name he has had "ready for a long time," Nick notes. It is this very conception of himself to which Gatsby is faithful. These rumors provide Gatsby a promise of notoriety that will, perhaps, draw the attention of those whose notice he seeks. This is his American Dream, a dream in which material values are bound to imagination. Thus, the concept of Jay Gatsby has been filled in by the imaginations of others and given the "substantiality of a man." With his now famous parties, Jay Gatsby has made a name for himself, one he hopes will compete with the name of Tom Buchanan.

Once he draws the attention of Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby feels his parties have served his purpose and he stops them so that no one will know that Daisy has come to his house.

What is the denouement of "The Gift of the Magi"?

The denouement, or resolution, of "The Gift of the Magi" is that while Jim and Della do not have what they need to make use of their Christmas gifts, these gifts are anything but worthless.  For, they are proof of the real gift that each has given the other:  His and her love.  Della is willing to sacrifice her luxurious hair--hair that would "depreciate the Queen of Sheba's jewels" in its beauty.  She makes this sacrifice in order to buy for her darling Jim a watch chain which she feels his gold watch deserves. Likewise, Jim generously sells his gold watch--which even Solomon would envy--to buy decorative combs to adorn his wife's lovely hair.

As O. Henry tells the reader, these "foolish children in a flat ...most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house.  But, he continues, "...such as they are wisest.  Everywhere they are wisest.  They are the Magi."

"The Gift of the Magi" is a lovely story for Christmastime.  It teaches the reader the meaning of giving:  Love.  And, it is this selfless love that makes Della and Jim "the wisest."  This is the denouement.

Was Edward with Alice in the past?like was she his human...like bella is now?

Absolutely not. There has never been any romantic relationship between Edward and either sister. Unlike the rest of the Cullens, Carlisle did not turn Alice or Jasper. When they joined the family, they had already been turned. In fact, no one really knows how Alice came to be a vampire. We know that she has always had the gift of premonition, which is why she was in an asylum in her human life. Initially, Carlisle had hoped that Rosalie would be a partner for Edward. But, there was no romantic chemistry between the two. The relationship became more like that of siblings than lovers. Until Bella, Edward had no interest whatsoever in love or a relationship. He had accepted that he would live out eternity never knowing what it was to love someone.

In Vipers' Tangle, what is the relationship between Louis and Janine?

Louis is old and bitter about his life and his family. He sees them as a "nest of vipers," all trying to get an inheritance from him while pretending to be concerned about his health. Of all the relatives, he perhaps has the deepest connection with Janine, who he describes at first in very negative terms:

...until the day of her death, Janine will be a woman "in the know," repeating everything she hears... trotting out second-hand views about this, that, and the other, and not understanding a word.

He sees her as a woman without a personality or ideas of her own. In his mind, Janine is a woman who does not experience individuality, but instead receives her opinions and ideas from others; she is "putting on an act" in order to be seen as intellectual and worldly. However, despite the damage done to her own mental state by the family, Janine retains some individual intelligence, and is eventually repulsed by the family's actions in regards to herself and to Louis.

All our strength was employed in keeping out eyes fixed on material things,while Grand'pa... I wonder whether you will understand what I mean when I say that where his treasure was, his heart was not?
(Mauriac, Vipers' Tangle, amazon.com)

In the end, Louis reconciles with Janine; they find in each other parts of the individual that they were missing. Alone of the family, Janine stays with Louis as he dies, and comes to realize that his fortune was not important after all. Instead, the conversations she has with him on philosophy and faith change her for the better, and as she realizes this, Louis too comes to realize that his life was not in vain, and that he affected someone -- Janine -- for the good.

What is the author's purpose for writing "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?

The author is expressing the ideology of hedonism, where the purpose of life is to experience everything without any limits or boundaries. 

"Dorian Gray does not balance his love of beauty with a sense of morality, he sinks into selfish behavior."  

"Wilde was an admirer of Pater, and it was Wilde who later became the representative figure of Aestheticism. Pater’s influence on The Picture of Dorian Gray was profound."

Since Oscar Wilde was a follower of Walter Pater, he wrote a book celebrating the beliefs of his mentor.

"Pater emphasized the fleeting nature of life and argued that the most important thing was to relish the exquisite sensations life brings, especially those stimulated by a work of art. The aim was to be fully present and to live vividly in each passing moment."

Even though Dorian does not age or bear any evidence of a conscience, his portrait does, therefore, I believe that Wilde was making a comment on the risk of the hedonistic lifestyle, recognizing the consequences.  Although on the outside, the individual would appear to enjoy the indulgence in all pleasures, inside, there would be scars and all the signs of sin present in the ugliness that is well hidden.

How does the relationship between Bassanio and Antonio differ from the relationship between Bassanio and Portia in The Merchant of Venice?

First, there are quite a few similarities between Bassanio's relationship with his friend and his relationship with his wife.  He depends upon both of them financially; both are apparently wiser than Bassanio, and they both show mercy upon him (Antonio when he lends him money in the first place, even though Bassanio already owes him money, and Portia when she forgives him of giving her ring away).

The difference lies in how the two characters influence Bassanio.  Antonio could have, as a mentor to the young man, given him better suggestions on how to win the fair Portia's hand rather than adding to his obvious spending problems by lending him more money. In contrast, Portia does not let Bassanio take the easy way out of his troubles.  She is more proactive.  For example, when Bassanio travels to Venice to try to save his friend Antonio, Portia immediately recognizes the need the follow him and address the situation herself.

Describe the "Yes and No" game Scrooge witnesses at his nephew's Christmas party.

In Stave III of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present.  During their sojourn, the spirit takes Scrooge to the home of the old miser’s nephew, Fred, who is entertaining friends and clearly enjoying the camaraderie amid the spirit of the season.  Scrooge observes the group playing a series of games, one of which is called “Yes and No,” and is described as follows:

“. . .Scrooge’s nephew had to think of something, and the rest must find out what; he only answering to their questions yes or no, as the case was. The brisk fire of questioning to which he was exposed, elicited from him that he was thinking of an animal, a live animal, rather a disagreeable animal, a savage animal, an animal that growled and grunted sometimes, and talked sometimes, and lived in London, and walked about the streets . . .”

In short, “Yes or No” was a version of today’s guessing games wherein the participants try and figure out the nature of the designated person’s thoughts. In Dickens’ story, however, Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, is thinking of the perpetually angry old man, and the clues to his identity lies in the description of a living but disagreeable animal – a description that understandably upsets the eavesdropping tyrant.

How is Tony noticing the passage of time in Chapter 3 of "Bless Me, Ultima"?

Tony notices the passage of time with the rising of the sun in the morning.  As the day dawns, he realizes that "already the time of youth was fleeing the house which the three giants of (his) dreams had built on the hill of juniper tree and yucca and mesquite bush".  Tony luxuriates in the new day as he "lay(s) back and watch(es) the silent beams of light radiate in...colorful dust motes (he) (has) stirred up".  He "love(s) to watch the sun beams of each new morning enter the room...they make (him) feel fresh and clean and new...each morning (he) seem(s) to awaken with new experiences and dreams".  The morning sun provides a connection for Tony to his roots and his past, and gives him a sense of his own growth and burgeoning maturity as time passes with each new day (Tres).

In which hemisphere is Ireland located?

The northwestern hemisphere. Why?

Ireland lies north of the equator, which locates it in the northern hemisphere.

Ireland lies (just) west of England. And the Prime Meridian (which crosses through Greenwich in London) marks the boundary where the eastern and western hemispheres meet. Ireland is west of that, and so, in the western hemisphere.

In The Great Gatsby, describe the ambiguity in Nick's initial descriptions of Gatsby in Chapter I.

Nick discusses Gatsby twice in Chapter I, in the beginning of the novel and at the conclusion of the chapter. His first references seem both ambiguous and contradictory. He points out that in some way he thoroughly disapproved of Gatsby: "[he] represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn." However, Nick adds that "Gatsby turned out all right at the end." The only clues Nick gives us in understanding this contradiction are Gatsby's "extraordinary gift for hope" and his "romantic readiness."

Nick sees Gatsby for the first time at the end of Chapter I. Gatsby stands alone on his lawn, reaching out "in a curious way" toward the ocean and a green light across the bay. It appears to Nick that Gatsby trembles. Again, Nick's description of Gatsby creates many questions for the reader. Gatsby is presented as a mystery from the very beginning of the novel.

Act I of Macbeth, examples of paradox, similie, metaphor, Doctrine of Correspondence, literary allusion, and clothing imagry

An example of paradox is when the witches say, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." Their statement says that what is seemingly good turns out to be bad.

And example of a simile is when the first witch says in sc. 3 that "Like a rat without a tail, I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do." She's comparing herself to a rat without a tail.

An example of a metaphor is when Banquo says in the same scene "If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not." Grains and time are being compared--there are seconds and minutes in time, but not grains.

An example of Doctrine of Correspondence is when Lady Macbeth is addressing Macbeth and telling him how to act.  "To beguile the time, look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't."   She is using a tangible thing to explain something that is abstract.

An example of clothing imagery would be when Macbeth and Banquo approach the witches not knowing who or what they are.  "What are these so withered, and so wild in their attire, that look not like th' inhabitants o' th' earth, and yet are on't?"  This describes how they appear to the men.  Very crazy and unkempt.

I haven't found an allusion to use.  But the others are all examples for you.

How does William Golding show evil at work in Lord of the Flies?

It is a tribute to Golding's art that his inclusion of evil into "The Lord of the Flies" is as insidious as evil is in real life. For, with the removal of the trappings of civilization--the primeval island and absence of adults as representative of civilization--the inconspicuous proceedings of evil subtlely enter in Chapter I as Jack Merridew, the leader of the choir, appears:

tall, thin, and bony [with] red hair beneath the black cap...[and a] face crumpled and freckled and ugly without silliness. Out of his face stared two light blue eyes, frustrated now and turning, or ready to turn to anger.

Jack is charismatic in a cruel way. Ordering the choir to stand, they are "wearily obedient." Soon, Jack asserts himself with "arrogance": "'I ought to be chief,' Thus begins the conflict between good in the character of Ralph and evil in the character of Jack in Golding's allegory. And, as long as the vestiges of society remain in the forms of order as directed by Ralph and reason as proposed by Piggy, the boys remain controlled.

However, when fear and doubt enter their minds, evil is able to begin its subtle operation to grave effects. Because of their isolation from society, their primal needs supercede the reasonable goal of being rescued.  And, their fears make them susceptible to Jack's evil persuasions. Giving their fear form, the boys imagine having seen a "beast." It is only Simon who intuitively knows that this is the evil within them, so Jack declares that there is no beast, realizing he can control them by capitalizing on their fear.  Against this manipulative power of Jack, the flawed Ralph, who "cannot  think as well as Piggy," and Piggy, who is physically flawed, fail in their control of the boys.

In "The Stranger," what do we learn of Meursault's work, his attitude towards it and towards promotion?

We don't learn specifically what his job was, but at the beginning of Chapter 3, Meursault says, "There was a stack of freight invoices that had piled up on my desk and I had to go through them all."  As with everything, Meursault has a relatively apathetic attitude towards his job.  He doesn't like or dislike it, he just does it.  In order to better understand this you might want to look into Absurdism and Existentialism.  His attitude towards promotion is indifferent.  When his boss offers him a job in Paris and a chance to travel he says that it doesn't really matter and that his life in Algiers is as good as it would be anywhere else.  He didn't see any reason in making a life change when he was already content with things as they were.

What is the background of the poem "The solitary Reaper" by Wordsworth?

This poem is an example of pastoral poetry. The poem was greatly influenced by Wordsworth's actual surroundings, but was probably not actually autobiographical. As a Romantic poet, Wordsworth was greatly influenced by the beauty of nature which inspired the image of the girl in the field. The poem may also have been influenced by "Tour in Scotland" by Thomas Wilkinson.

Why does Scout get into fights with Cecil Jacobs and her cousin Francis? What do these fights reveal about Scout and about Maycomb?

Scout is just defending her father's honour. The children call Atticus Finch a "nigger-lover" for defending Tom Robinson in court. Although she doesn't even know what such words mean, Scout knows from the tone that it is meant to be an insult, so she fights back in the only way she knows how.

Atticus tries to teach Scout to "fight" back with words instead of fists. He goes ever further to say that he indeed loves Negroes, as he should love all people.

Atticus also explains to both his children that the prejudice in Maycomb is a sort of disease afflicting even "good" people. The scene of his shooting the rabid dog wandering the streets is an implicit metaphor of Atticus's efforts to eradicate the "disease" before it spreads around and does even more harm throughout the community. 

Please write a summary of the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling.

The poem is a father defining for his son the qualities of a good man.. He is setting the parameters or boundaries for his son and giving him a goal to achieve.  The poem deals with life’s  challenges and how to deal with them.

Stanza one deals with being confident about the decisions you make and taking responsibility for those decisions. If others, who cannot take that responsibility for themselves  react negatively, you will be patient with them and not reduce yourself to their level by telling lies or dealing in hate. However, don’t ever think you are above anyone else. 

Stanza Two  states that it is good to dream, but don’t let your dreams control your life.  It is good to think, but don’t just think and not put those thoughts into action.  You will experience triumph and disasters in your life, but don’t take them seriously because they are not the substance of life, they are the extremes.  If you hear things you said misused  or things you have done destroyed, you need to be able to pick yourself up and rebuild them with everything that you have left in you.

Stanza Three counsels don’t be afraid to take risks and possibly lose everything. If you do lose everything, don’t talk about it, just start all over again at the beginning.   When you are tired and exhausted and your body just feels like it can’t continue on, use your mind and your will to tell yourself to “Hold on” and persevere. Push through it.

Stanza four deals with a person’s reaction to others.  You need to be able to talk to large groups of people and yet not let them influence your belief in what is right,wrong, moral, or immoral.  You need to be able to walk with men of power and influence and yet not forget the common man and his needs. You need to know yourself and your beliefs so well that neither your friends nor your enemies can hurt you because you know who you are and what you stand for.  People can depend on you, but don’t let others become too dependent on you. You need to live every single minute of your life to the fullest.  If you do these things, then the world is yours, and you will be  a good man.

What is the x and y intercept of: y=x/2(times)6 and y=5-2x?What are the x-intercept and y-intercept for each:1. y = (x/2)*62. y = 5 - 2x

In order to find the x and y intercepts on a graph, you will need to know how to work with slope-intercept form, y=mx + b in which m is the slope and b is the y intercept, or point at which the linear equation crosses the y-axis.  

 For question 1, x/2 means 1/2 x times 6 so the slope is 1/2 * 6/1 which would be 1/2 of 6 or 3.  or rise over run 3/1 (up 3 units, over right 1 unit and plot a point)

The y-intercept is at 0.

Another simple way to find the answer without graphing is to set your x value = 0 in order to find your y-intercept, so anything times 0=0 (zero property).

For the x-intercept, set your y value = 0 and solve for x, giving you 0.

For question 2, in slope-intercept form, you would rewrite it as y=-2x+5.  By applying the same rules, your x intercept would make your y value=0 and solve for x by subtracting 5 from both sides of the equation and then divide by -2. -5/-2 would yield 2 1/2 (two and one half) for your x intercept.

Your y-intercept would be found by setting your x =0, so you would have 5-0 or 5. 

What are the benefits of hiking?

Your doctor will tell you that any sort of physical activity that increases your heart rate and causes you to break a sweat is beneficial to your health. More specifically,  hiking can help you to control  your weight and blood pressure. Researchers have found that hiking uphill and downhill reduces triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. While hiking is great exercise for anyone, it has been found to be more beneficial to certain people. For example, diabetics. Hiking has been found to lower glucose levels. Which is perfect for people who suffer from diabetes. Hiking is also good exercise for people who cannot participate in more strenuous exercise like the elderly or those with heart conditions.

Similarly, hiking can be good for your mental and spiritual health as well as you body. It gives you an opportunity to leave the gym and enjoy the great outdoors.  Some people may enjoy the peacefulness and solitude that a hike on a park trail can offer.

In Chapter 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird, are the missionary ladies are sincere in worrying about the "mrunas"?

An important aspect of Chapter 24 is the hypocricy of Mrs. Merriweather. She thinks J Grimes Everett is so wonderful for helping the Mrunas, but bad-mouths Atticus in his own home in front of his sister and daughter. We see Miss Maudie stick up for him here and put Merriweather in her place.  We also see (when Atticus comes home briefly) a different side to Aunt Alexandra.  So far we haven't liked her.  But we see a tender side to her as she feels for all Atticus has gone through.  After she, Maudie and Scout learn from Atticus that Tom is dead (shot to death trying to escape), we see Alexandra raise her head up high and enter the room where the ladies are as if nothing was wrong.  From this, Scout learns the true meaning of "acting like a lady." (grace under fire is a term that can be used here)

In the story "The Most Dangerous Game" what caused Rainsford to believe Zaroff knew he was hiding in the tree?

Rainsford is being hunted by Zaroff and to escape the hunter he climbs a tree.  Zaroff stops and his eyes climb up the trunk of the tree.  He smiles and blows a smoke ring toward the tree.  Then Zaroff goes off in the opposite direction. 

"Rainsford held his breath. The general's eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree. Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed for a spring. But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face. Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air; then he turned his back on the tree and walked carelessly away, back along the trail he had come."

“Rainsford's second thought was even more terrible. It sent a shudder of cold horror through his whole being. Why had the general smiled? Why had he turned back?”

“Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth was as evident as the sun that had by now pushed through the morning mists. The general was playing with him! The general was saving him for another day's sport! The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.”

The smile is what makes Rainsford believe that he is being played with.

Who are the characters in A Piece of String by Guy de Maupassant?

A Piece of String is a short story by Guy de Maupassant. It reveals how misunderstanding and trivial detail can ruin a person's reputation. Such is the case of the central character, Maitre Hauchecorne of Breate. A seemingly inconsequential action of picking up a piece of string from the floor (due to his need to be "economical") becomes the sole proof of his dishonesty when he is accused of having picked up a pocket-book from the floor and not a piece of string at all. The more he protests his innocence, the more others mock him. Even long after the pocketbook has been returned by the man who did in fact pick it up, and whose name is Marius Paumelle, a minor character but one who does develop the plot, people still taunt Maitre Hauchecorne for his presumed complicity in the act of stealing it. Paumelle claims that he had had to take it home and could only return it the following day because he is unable to read and so could not return it to its owner being unable to read the name. There is no connection between Paumelle and Hauchecorne. The other main character is Maitre Malandain who is Hauchecorne's enemy, both men unable to feel anything but "malice" towards each other. It is he who accuses Hauchecorne of stealing the pocketbook and he makes up an elaborate story of what he saw. As a reputable businessman, his word is preferred over Hauchecorne.

Other than crowds of peasants and the women selling chickens who sell to Maitre Anthime, the minor characters are the innkeeper Maitre Jourdain, the public crier who announces the loss of the pocketbook, the corporal of gendarmes (the policeman), the mayor ("M'sieu le Maire") who is tasked with laying the charge against Hauchecorne, a farmer at Criquetot who calls him a "great rogue," and a horse dealer. 

Hauchecorne is so badly affected by the thought that no one believes him that "his mind kept growing weaker" and he dies shortly thereafter.