In To Kill a Mockingbird, set in Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, how must a person behave in order to be considered "responsible"?

In Maycomb society, responsible people are those who observe the Southern traditions of that time, including strict racial segregation. Racial prejudice is the way of life in Maycomb. Anyone who violates the code of racial conduct is scorned and ostracized as being irresponsible and not deserving of respect.

Mayella Ewell and Dolphus Raymond are two examples of how not to behave in order to be respected in Maycomb. Mayella pursues Tom Robinson, a young black man; Dolphus Raymond, who is white, pretends to be an alcoholic so that the citizens of Maycomb will have a way to understand how he could choose to live with a black woman and father her children. In Maycomb, Mayella Ewell and Dolphus Raymond are viewed with contempt for violating the rules of Maycomb society.

Other social conventions are presented in the novel. Responsible women dress up each day, regardless of the terrible heat. They attend teas and church meetings. They support missionary work in foreign lands.

Responsible men work and pay their bills. They do not accept charity. Mr. Walter Cunningham is a good example. He has no money, but he pays Atticus for legal services with whatever he does have of value, including that which he has grown or harvested. Bob Ewell, however, is contemptable because he has no work ethic.

The culture in Maycomb in the 1930s is presented as one in which people are considered responsible if, and only if, they follow the social code of conduct.

What do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth say to each other in Act 3, Scene 2?& how would you restate Lady Macbeth's soliloquy (lines 4-7) in contemporary...

To restate her soliloquy, Lady Macbeth is saying that it would be so much easier to be the vicitm rather than the killer(s).  If she was the victim, she wouldn't feel anything.  However, being the murderer, she must live in doubt and fear until she dies or until she is able to get away from her guilt over time.

Act III, scene II Macbeth thinks that there is still more to do.  Although Duncan is dead, he fears Banquo's sons, who will reign some day according to the prophesy.  "We have scorched the snake, not killed it" supports that. Lady Macbeth doesn't want to hear about Macbeth's brooding over Duncan's death.  She tells him to be "bright and jovial among [his] guests."

Macbeth admits to his wife that he's worried about Banquo and his sons, but he never says what he's going to do about it.  His plan will be the murder of Banquo, but he never shares that thought with Lady Macbeth.

I need a description of the king's arena from the short story "The Lady or The Tiger?".Can someone please give me descripsion of the king's arena?I...

Imagine a large round open arena. Seats are surrounding a large open area. We are told the following about the arena: "the king's arena, a structure which well deserved its name, for, although its form and plan were borrowed from afar ...When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by his court, sat high up on his throne of royal state on one side of the arena,  a door beneath him..  an amphitheater, on the other side of the enclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and side by side." Imagine a large arena like the Romans built for their gladiators.  Think of a large modern football stadium, only this would have been built of wood and stone.

What does Brian keep in his mental journal in "Hatchet?"Book by Gary Paulsen

In the novel Hatchet, Brian is stranded in the wilderness all by himself. He has no means of communication, no food unless he kills it himself, and no way of speaking with another human being. Because of this, Brian is forced to survive, learn the instincts of being in the wild, and test his ability to persevere. Since he needs to remember not only the survival techniques that he picks up in the wilderness, he also needs to remember and reminisce on all the things that he had before the wild, in order to stay sane. 

For instance, when Brian learns how to go fishing by using a hand crafted spear like object, he notes it down in his mental journal. As read in the book, this act of fishing becomes successful and leads to many meals for Brian. This would not be possible had he not remembered it or acknowledged it in his mental journal.

Imagine if you were stranded out in the wilderness. You would do everything possible not only to remember the techniques that kept you alive, but also the ones that kept you sane. 

What does the opening sentence suggest about the book?

There are two things I think are interesting about this opening sentence.  One is that it is April, and this reminds me of the opening of "The Wasteland":  "April is the cruelest month, breeding/Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing/Memory and desire, stirring/Dull roots with spring rain."  I have no way of knowing if Orwell had this in mind, but the lines provide and excellent introduction to Winston, who has the "stirring" of rebellion in him, who lives in the "dead land."

The other thing the opening sentence reminds me of is military time.  Again, I don't know if that method of referring to the afternoon is, but this clearly tells me that things are not normal, and suggest that some military or state power is running the show.

It all suggest that things are not going well ...

What is a good thesis statement on symbolism in Elie Wiesel's Night?

“Night,” by Elie Wiesel, is a novel of young Wiesel’s survival in the concentration camps during WWII.

There are several symbols in the novel.  One of the main symbols is the night itself.  Wiesel uses night to symbolize the darkness of the history of the Jewish people during this time.  It also symbolizes Elie’s loss of his faith in God.  Another symbol is fire.  There are many places in the novel where fire is mentioned and a good example of this is when they arrive at Auschwitz.  “A young Pole who was in charge welcomed us to Auschwitz, “The same smoke hovers over all our heads.” 

Another example is when they are first taken into custody and don’t really understand what is happening.  A more experienced Jewish man says, “Over there.  Do you see the chimney over there?  Do you see it?  And the flames, do you see them? (Yes, we saw the flames).  Over there, that is where they will take you. You will be burned; burned to cinders.”

As a thesis you might compare the symbols of night and fire and how they directly affect each other throughout the novel. 

In The Merchant Of Venice Act III, Scene 1, what is the purpose of Tubal's appearance, and is his character necessary?

Tubal's appearance in Act III, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice juxtaposes the preceding conversation between Shylock, Salarino, and Salanio in which Shylock expresses his feelings about the objectively horrible treatment he has received from Antonio. During Shylock's conversation with Tubal, Shylock reveals the depth of his desire for revenge for Antonio's treatment and the depth of his outrage that his daughter robbed him in order to abandon for a Christian. Without Tubal's presence in Act III, there would be no revelation of the powerful motivation that drives Shylock to proceed with his grissly court suit against Antonio, a suit in which he wishes to exact revenge for Antonio's offenses and for representationally for Jessica's offenses.

In Chapter 7 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," why is it significant that Jem had been crying?

Jem and Scout decide to leave a note for Boo Radley thanking him for the objects he has been leaving them. When Jem finds that the knothole in the tree has been filled with cement, he confronts Mr. Radley. Mr. Radley tells Jem that the tree is dying, but Jem doesn't believe him. He begins to suspect that Mr. Radley wants to keep the kids from communicating with Boo. When Jem asks Atticus if the tree is dying and Atticus tell him no, Jem realizes that his suspicious are true.

Jem's crying is significant because it is a defining moment when he begins to mature and not think of only himself. He cries for Boo Radley. Jem feels sorry for him because he understands how lonely Boo must feel. He also finally realizes that Boo’s seclusion is enforced by his family and that Boo’s family must be embarrassed or ashamed of him, something that Jem is unfamiliar with because Atticus is a supportive and caring father.

What is the symbolism displayed throughout Chapter 6? I need the symbolism for only Chapter 6, and I need quotes or evidence to support them. Also,...

One of the possibilities not examined by the previous post is that the parachutist, the pilot, stands for more than just fear or the beast within the boys.

If we look at more than just the irony that he died by violent means and look at his origin "a sign [that] came down from the world of grown-ups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it," we can see that his violence, the fact that the "grown ups" were in the midst of an orgy of violence, suggests that this messenger is bringing the beast to them, the beast isn't just within the boys, it is also in the men that are supposed to be the ones keeping civilization together.

So we can also look a the parachutist as another symbol for the evil, the beast, that not only resides in the boys or on the island, but is present in all the most sophisticated and "grown-up" aspects of the world as well.

In section 52 of "Song of Myself" in lines 7-8 it states: "I depart as air..." What do these lines mean? I need to know what...

To find the meaning of lines in poetry, it is good to look at what comes before and after, and to look at the poem's message as a whole.  In the lines 3-6, Whitman says that "the last scud of day holds back for me...it coaxes me to the vapor and the dusk."  He feels pulled by the rain and clouds (scud) to become one with the air, and so he answers that call, and "departs as air" (which is a simile), and symbolically lets his spirt or feelings "become" the air.  In the next line, he says that he effuses his flesh in eddies and drifts it in icy jags (metaphors for his symbolic "transformation" into being like nature again; eddies and icy jags refer to an icy ocean current). 

A common theme through this poem is Whitman comparing himself to nature (in lines 3-4 he compares himself to a hawk, in lines 9-10 he gives himself to the soil).  He ends it by saying that if you ever want to find him look in nature, and there his essence will be.  I hope that this helps!

In "Frankenstein", how does the creature convince Victor to make him a mate?

The creature appealed to Victor's guilt and fear.  He tells Victor that  because of the way he was created, he is the one creature in the world that is totally alone.  All other creatures can have a mate to share their life with; he has no one.  That appeals to Victor's guilt.  The appeal to fear is more direct.  The creature tells Victor that the only way to stop his killing spree, the only way to guarantee that Victor will no longer be a murderer.by.association, will be to create him a mate.  He promises that he will go off with her, never to be seen again, never to kill again.

Victor is consumed by fear and guilt, and he is willing to do anything to "atone" for his son's/creature's action is at first willing to go along with this.  In the process, however, he changes his mind and destroys the "mate."  It's interesting to discuss why he did this.  He says that he didn't want to create a race of "creatures," but how difficult would it have been to create a sterile mate?  Probably no more difficult than making a functioning creature ... but, then, it would be a totally different story.

How many men die in the first battle of the All Quiet on the Western Front film and how do you know?

(from the original film version of the novel directed in 1930 by Lewis Milestone)

In the film, nearly half the men of the Second Company die in the first battle.  The viewers know this because when the men return, they are going to be fed and the cook has prepared food for 150 men.  It is obvious that there are not this many men lined up for food.  The cook asks the men for the count, and there are only eighty men left.  Similar to the book, an argument ensues about whether or not the men can eat the leftover rations of their fallen comrades.

In the novel, Paul narrates the casualities of the battle, so this detail has been adapted for the film version.

Why does Romeo call himself "fortune's fool"?

Have you heard the phrase "a hostage to fortune"? It's when you say something that's only too certain to come back and bite you later on. Your fortune is how well things are going for you - and that Romeo sees himself as fortune's "fool" (Fortune, of course, is personified in his line) tells us that he thinks fortune is laughing at him.

Why might fortune laugh at him? Well, he says the line just as he is realising that he has murdered Tybalt: "the citizens are up and Tybalt slain", Benvolio tells him, urgently. He has killed someone.

And, of course, he will be realising that he has not only murdered someone, but his wife's cousin. He'll have realised too that his and Juliet's plan to heal the rift between the Capulet and Montague households (the reason, you'll remember, that Friar Laurence agrees to perform the marriage ceremony) has just collapsed: he (a Montague) has just murdered a Capulet.

And, he'll be realising that his sentence (probably death, but - as it turns out - banishment) will mean that he will have to live in exile miles from Juliet.

There is a Jewish saying "when men plan, the gods laugh". In short, Romeo calls himself "fortune's fool" because he has just done something that immutably changes the course of his life, and ruins all his plans.  And that is exactly what makes fortune laugh. And what does a king laugh at?  His fool.

What do each of the three spirits in A Christmas Carol represent?

The most obvious thing that the ghosts all represent is choices.  Throughout his travels in the spirit world, Scrooge is confronted with choices he has made and the consequences of those choices.  Some choices, such as the ones in the past, Scrooge has tried to forget.  Choices in the present and future are just as important, but Scrooge has given little thought to them.

Specifically, the Ghost of Christmas Past represents events that shaped Scrooge’s life.  He shows Scrooge himself as a boy, as an apprentice, and as a young man.  The person he has become is shaped through this progression of sad, happy, and sad again.  Scrooge comes to realize that his choices in the past made him who he is.

“Spirit!” said Scrooge, “show me no more! Conduct me home. Why do you delight to torture me?” (Stave 2, p. 26)

Thus, Scrooge goes from being just a mean old miser to a man who is tortured by his past, and perhaps does not even realize it.  Scrooge has shut himself up away from everything, even his emotions.  When Scrooge says, “I don't wish to see it,” he is vocalizing how he does not want to face his past.

In the present, Scrooge is shown people enjoying themselves.  Scrooge never enjoys himself, and he realizes that Christmas Present symbolizes happiness and joy found in togetherness.  All of the people are poor, yet “content to be so” and happy to have each other.  Scrooge is stunned to see that his clerk has a crippled son. 

“Spirit,” said Scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before, “tell me if Tiny Tim will live.” (Stave 3, p. 34)

Scrooge has never felt affection or interest in anyone, but Tiny Tim’s gentle, pious manner has influenced him.  The spirit reminds him that Tiny Tim is a member of the “surplus population” and Scrooge regrets not having taken interest in the poor before.

The Present also represents what Scrooge can have.  He cannot change the past, but he can become a part of the present.  The Present is basically the future, because it is about to happen but has not happened yet.  Scrooge can relive the positive events, such as Fred’s party, with instant gratification the very next day.  He is thrilled when he learns this.

The true future is very bleak for Scrooge, as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows him that he will die alone and his deathbed will be looted by less than savory characters.  Scrooge is in complete denial until he realizes that the dead man whose life he is seeing is himself.

“Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said Scrooge. “But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change…” (Stave 4, p. 50)

Scrooge has clearly decided to reform. He wants to live the life he saw in Christmas Present.  This is what Dickens means when he says:

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.” (Stave 4, p. 51)

Scrooge does better than his word, and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim and a good friend to the Cratchits.  He also becomes a good Uncle.  Scrooge realizes, seeing the present as he did, that he has a ready-made family.  All he has to do is open his heart to them.

Why does Nwoye hate Okonkwo?

Okonkwo is frustrated by Nwoye because he reminds him so much of his own father, Unoka.  Okonkwo is disappointed that Nwoye resembles Unoka in that he's sensitive and often lazy.  Okonkwo views these as signs of femininity which he believes is one of the most disgraceful traits an Ibo man can display.  Because of this, Okonkwo is constantly criticizing and even beating Nwoye in hopes that it will help him become more masculine and less humiliating to his father.  When Ikemefuna comes to live with their family, Nwoye begins to demonstrate more masculine behavior which makes Okonkwo proud, although he never admits to it.  Nwoye develops a strong brotherhood with Ikemefuna and remembers their three years together as the happiest time in his life.

When the oracle decides that Ikemefuna must be killed, Okonkwo ends up being the one to follow through with the order.  Nwoye is enraged and devastated by the murder of his brother.  He develops an anger towards his father that never dissipates and eventually leads him to convert to Christianity when the Europeans arrive and begin to colonize the villages.

There are 3 speakers: the mariner, the marginal gloss, and Coleridge. What are each of their purposes and understanding in the poem?My professor...

Some of what your professor says I agree with, some I do not.  Let's look at the 3 speakers she says that there are in the poem.

First is the mariner, who is fated to tell his story for the rest of his days to the people who "need it."  The mariner, in my opinion, does completely understand why he has this purpose and why he is doomed to roam the Earth repeating his story.  He knows the wrong he has committed and he knows he is paying for it through his re-telling of his story.

Second, there is the narrator, not necessarily the poet himself.  We cannot assume that Coleridge is the narrator.  I separate the narrator and author completely and see the narrator's purpose to present the story objectively, as an outsider looking in.  If the poem were narrated by the mariner or the guest, for example, we would get two completely different views and ones that are subjective.

Lastly is the marginal gloss, which is full of definitions and explanations and notes. It disrupts the flow of the poem in ways and could definitely represent causality, as your professor says. 

I do believe there is definitely a theme not only of respecting nature and God's creatures, but one of repentance and salvation, in addition to one that involves the role that fate/chance plays.  The mariner's fate is that he must re-tell his story over and over again as part of his pentance and to help relay the moral of his story.

I want to know some important passages out of the book The Great Gatsby relative to the theme and symbolism.Any passage that you think contains...

One passage that relates to money, dishonesty, carelessness, hypocrisy, and the American dream is the scene in Chapter 5, in which Gatsby shows Daisy his house. This scene climaxes in Gatsby throwing his shirts on the bed while Daisy cries.

Throughout the reunion, he points out his obvious trappings of wealth in an attempt to impress Daisy. The shirts are no exception. He finishes the tour of his ostentatious mansion by desperately offering her his clothes:

[He] began throwing them, one by one, before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel.… While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher—shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange, with monograms of Indian blue. Suddenly … [Daisy] began to cry stormily.

“They’re such beautiful shirts,” she sobbed.… “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.”

At both the first meeting and the tossing into the air of Gatsby’s shirts, Daisy cries. Gatsby deludes himself into thinking it's because Daisy loves him, but in reality, she is revealing her shallow obsession with materialism. Frankly, for her, it could be anyone she's crying over, as long as he owns "such beautiful shirts."

Although Gatsby is deluding himself here, some part of him knows that Daisy will never be the same for him. An illusion has become reality, and on some level he understand that's not what he wants. He states that she has a green light “that burns all night” at the end of her dock. He directly admits that “the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever,” for the real Daisy, in contrast to the idealized Daisy, is no longer an “enchanted object.” The enchantment had become his total being, had consumed him—no human could have measured up. Thus his American dream is shattered. He has all the wealth anyone could want, but for what? He has been destroyed by his own dreams.

What is the summary for Act 5 of The Man of Mode?

Scene I: Leaving Dorimant's house in a chair at 5:00 a.m., Belinda arrives at Loveit's; however, Loveit knows the chair as the one she has taken from Dorimant's and becomes suspicious. Belinda lies about her whereabouts in order to save her reputation. But, when Dorimant is announced, she faints and is taken to Loveit's room.  Mocking Sir Fopling as he enters, he meets criticism by Loveit; she and Dorimant accuse each other and exchange witticisms in Truewit fashion. 

Loveit informs Dorimant she is aware that he feigns jealousy in order to give himself time with another while Dorimant accuses her of exchanging 'confidences ' with Sir Fopling.  Loveit acts indifferently, but cannot let him go:  "Equisite fiend!  I know you came but to torment me."  Belinda then enters, accusing Dorimant of  villainies, and Loveit wants Dorimant followed to expose his "masks."

Scene II: Emilia and Busy tell Harriet they know of her composed song, making Harriet blush.  As Dorimant arrives, Emilia tells him to mind his affairs with Harriet. He declares,

I will open my heart, and receive you where none yet did ever enter you have filled it with a secret.

Dorimant promises to renounce drink and all other women, but Harriet will not commit to marriage. In rushes Old Bellair, hoping to marry his son to Harriet--too late.  Now the "masks" of deception are removed from many of the characters:

• Lady Woodvil learns Dorimant is not Courtage
• Loveit learns that the violence of her nature has ruined things
• Belinda is the "mask" with whom Dorimant deceived Loveit
• Dorimant reveals his love for Harriet and renounces all interest in other women.

Dorimant agrees to leave London and go to the country with Harriet although he still has some debt and affairs in London to clear up.  The epiloque states, "Yet every man is safe from what he fear'd/For no one fool is hunted from the herd."

How to write a speech on "Inaugural Address by John F Kennedy" when it already is a speech?

One approach on writing a speech about a speech is what newcasters do after the President addresses the Nation:  They comment on the speech and its salient points and analyze it as to its effectiveness, etc.

With regard to the inaugural speech of JFK, you could analyze/comment upon Kennedy's use of rhetoric; that is, explain how Kennedy's words influenced the thoughts of his listeners through phrasing, figurative language, emotional appeals, etc.  Afterall, Kennedy's speech, like the "I Have a Dream" of Martin Luther King and the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" speech of Marc Antony contains many moving emotional appeals, the most famous of which is "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

So....research rhetorical devices and see how they apply to this speech if you wish to take the analytical approach.

Good Luck!

In The Kite Runner, where does the narrator live during his life?

As a child, Amir (who narrates The Kite Runner) lives in Kabul, Afghanistan. Specifically, he lives in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, which is known for being more prosperous and having many multi-cultural influences. Amir's life in Kabul is interrupted by the invasion of Russian forces. Later, when he flees Afghanistan with his father, he settles in Fremont, California, discovering that their status as upper-class citizens does not carry over to the United States. Here, he marries and learns about his heritage to a greater extent, as he is better able to understand it. While be returns to Afghanistan at the end of the novel, he does not move there, keeping California as his home.

Explain the poem "I, Too," by Langston Hughes.

Langston Hughes wrote the poem “I, Too,” forty-five years before Dr. Martin Luther King spoke the words:  “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” 

The poem was published in 1925.  Hughes wrote about the frustrations of the black man in his poetry.  He never gave up because he envisioned an America in which black and white men would eat at the same table and be considered equal Americans.

The setting of the poem is “everywhere America” that believed that black men were not Americans or equal to the white men as human beings.   

The narration is first person with the poet as the narrator.  Hughes was considered the foremost of the Harlem Renaissance poets.   When he wrote or spoke, the black man listened because what Hughes said was exactly what the black man felt. The poem is told in the present tense.

The form of the poem is free verse.  It is written in five brief stanzas.  The sentences are short and conversational in fluidity, yet the tone is strong.  

1st stanza

The title of the poem is a reference to the poem by Walt Whitman titled “I Hear America Singing.” Hughes’ poem enhances the idea that “Hey, wait a minute, I too am an American.  I can sing also." I am an American.  I was born in America and so were my parents.  Just because I am Black does not take away my patriotism or love for my country. 

2nd stanza

Hughes refers to the black man metaphorically as “the darker brother.”   All Americans have something in common: their heritage. Unfortunately in the time that Hughes was writing, the black man was not considered an equal in any respect.  He was not allowed to use the same restrooms, water fountains, or eat at the fountain bar in the drug store. In the home where he worked as a servant, handy man, or chauffeur, he was expected to eat in the kitchen with the rest of the help.

“I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes…”

The black man goes on, laughs, eats his dinner, and grows stronger.  This  statement implies that the “Negroes” were biding their time.  Living their lives and growing tough as an ethnic group led the way to the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

3rd stanza

Hughes perceives a tomorrow in America where the black man will be welcome to eat at the table with everyone else. He will dare not ask him to sit at the table. 

The implication of the word dare is  threatening because the  black Americans will assert themselves as equal at some point in the future; consequently, because of their power, they will not stand for anymore degradation.

4th stanza

The beauty of the black man is not just the outward appearance.  It is the quality of his character. To Hughes and  black Americans, the only difference between the white man and the black man was the color of the skin—not his intelligence, his personality, his character, or anything else.  If given the same freedom and equality, the black man would rise above his circumstances just as the white man has.  

5th stanza

To reinforce his idea, the poet ends with the impetus of the entire poem: “I, too, am America.” What a powerful statement for a black man in the era in which it was written!  Hughes convincingly proves with his wonderful expression and creativity that it took too long for the black man to be accepted as an authentic American. 

How does Holden percieve Carl Luce in Chapter 19?

Holden looks up to Carl Luce, a former schoolmate of Holden's when he attended the Whooten School.  Luce is older than Holden.  He was,  in fact, very excited to meet him because he really needed to talk to someone about how he was feeling about being kicked out of Pencey Prep. But when he tries to talk to Carl Luce about his problems, Luce is not interested in listening to Holden complain.  He recommends that Holden see his father a psychoanalyst for help.

Instead of talking about Holden's problems, Holden grills Luce on his romantic life, getting very personal with his questions about his sex life with his Oriental girlfriend.  Luce gets really mad at Holden and has no interest in spending any more time with him than necessary. 

How does Helen Burns bear her punishment in "Jane Eyre"?

Although Jane is embarrassed and angry over being punished, Helen takes her punishment and tells Jane she "thinks too much of the love of human beings." Helen is the true Christian martyr, who forgive people who abuse her and constantly tries to live Christ's words. Jane, however, has too much of a fiery nature to act like Helen. When she is dying as a result of the poor conditions at Lowood, she does not complain. In fact, she says she has no fear."I believe God is good; I can resign my immortal part to Him without any misgiving. God is my father; God is my friend: I love Him; I believe He loves me.” Most critics believe that the character of Helen was based on Charlotte Bronte's younger sister who died of typhus at a very young age.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," why does Aunt Alexandra represent for Scout "the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary"

Aunt Alexandra is a person who lives on 'doing the right thing, following the rules, and acting like fine people act.  "She is a conservative woman concerned with social and class distinctions and bound to the traditions of the South. She tries to counteract her brother's liberal influence on his children by reminding them of their family's eminence and by trying to make Scout behave in a more ladylike manner." She wants Scout to behave like the sweet little girl.  To Scout this is like being in prison.  Her Aunt wants her to dress, act, and behave like a nice little girl.  Aunt Alexandra is unbending, like starched walls.  She won't budge away from her values or standards and she wants Scout to be the same way she is.  To Scout this is like living in a nice, pretty prison.

Why does Goober empathize with Jerry in The Chocolate War?

Jerry and Goober are alike in a number of significant ways. The similarities the two share help to bring them together, creating a mutual sympathy between them. 

Both boys are "outsiders". They have few friends and are involved in a difficult process of finding their place in the school and in general. For these reasons, Goober and Jerry understand each other. 

Additionally, they are both on the football team. Goober watches Jerry get hit as the quarterback and get up again and again, absorbing the punishment required of his position.

He can get up again after being knocked down and come back for more.

This punishment is extended to Jerry's position when he takes a stand against the chocolate sale, the school and the Vigils. 

Jerrry continues to absorb the punishment demanded by his position, never giving in. Through his trials, Jerry shows a strength that Goober does not possess. This difference in character is clearly shown when Goober finds his sales report falsely inflated.

He does not speak up and rushes to his locker in tears, knowing that he has betrayed Jerry.

Watching Jerry edge toward defeat, Goober sympathizes with Jerry because he suspects that Jerry's strength will not be enough to save him. 

What are the main functions of managers in business?

"To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control." - Henry Fayol.

There are five basic functions of a manager, planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. 

"A plan is a trap laid to trap the future."- Allen.

Planning is the primary and pervasive function of management that is preliminary to all other functions. it regards to deciding the course of action. it merely means "what is to be done, when it is to be done and how it is to be done."
Planning includes choosing objectives, communicating them, identifying the planning premises and survey the resources. It also includes choosing alternatives and employing them, setting budgets, course of action, rules, policies, procedures, time table, and the standards.

Organizing is the second function of a manager whereby it is the responsibility of the manager to accumulate resources and dividing the activities required. 

It includes the following:
Identifying actions, dividing the activities, assigning the responsibilities, delegating authority, and keeping a thorough eye on the the way things are done.

"Staffing is the process by which a manager builds an organization by recruitment, selection and development of individuals as employees." - M.C. Farland.

Staffing is a very descriptive and elongated activity, it not only includes the recruitment of employees after determining the needs of organization, but also orientation, training, performance appraisal, promotion, compensation, and termination are a part of this function.

Leading is another major function of a manager whereby he sets rules, gives orders, supervises the staff, counsels the employees, and directs them in the way of achievement of objectives of organization.

Controlling is the last function of the manager but not the least. Controlling is required at all stages and after each and every function to ensure that all the activities are being done in the prescribed manner and paying off in the best way possible. it includes testing employee performance according to the standards set by the management, discovering reasons for low efficiency, employing people to discover the causes and factors, and finally finding out ways to better the situation and performance of the employees. 

Who are Anastasius and Photius in "Dante's Interno"?**I think they're characters of that masterpiece but, I don't know. Anyway, thanks for your...

Anastasius II was pope from during the middle ages (496-498). He was widely believed to have been a heretic. Deacon Photinus, a member of the Church of Constantinople, taught him to believe that Christ was conceived in the usual human manner rather than by divine visitation. Also, the Deacon lured the Pope into giving him communion, even though he was not a Roman Catholic. Both of these men are in a vault in Dante's Seventh Circle of Hell (Canto XI).

What is the significance of Ella and Lady Jones in Beloved?

Both Ella and Lady Jones help to gather community support for Sethe after Denver finally leaves 124 and asks for help. She goes to Lady Jones because she can remember her, and Lady Jones is responsible for alerting the church members about the sad situation involving Sethe's deteriorating physical condition and the debilitating influence Beloved seems to have. They provide food for the family.

Ella literally gathers a group of thirty women to go to Sethe's house, apparently with the goal of getting rid of Beloved to save Sethe. Once they arrive, the women begin to make "a sound," not singing, not yelling, and then Ella "hollers." The volume grows, causing Sethe and Beloved to come to the door to find the cause of the commotion.

When Sethe mistakes Mr. Bodkin for the schoolteacher because of the hat he's wearing, she charges him with an icepick because she is determined no one will take her children. This time she will protect them. To stop her, Ella "clips her jaw," and Denver brings her down.

Both Lady Jones and Ella are community figures who show female leadership and further emphasize Morrison's focus on the role of women in her novel. Initially, Ella is the first woman Sethe meets after Stamp Paid delivers her and her newborn to land; Ella provides some supplies and takes her to Baby Suggs.

What does Jack say about the conch in "Lord of the Flies", and what is the relevance to the story?

The conch is a major symbol in the book.  It represents order and civilization, or at least the quest for it.  Ralph uses the conch in the first chapter and gathers all the surviving boys together when he blows it.  The boys decide that, in meetings, whoever is holding the conch is the one who may speak.  Thus the conch also represents power.  Jack lusts for power, so he respects the conch in the earlier chapters.  In chapter 8, when Jack and Ralph clash once again, Jack tries to take over as leader.  At a meeting, Jack takes the conch and speaks.  He tells the boys that Ralph is an ineffectual leader and he should be replaced.  Jack demands a new vote.  When he loses once again to Ralph, he is humiliated and frustrated.  He gently lays the conch on the ground before leaving the group and running down the beach. His act is a symbolic shift for the conch.  It will not represent power from now on; only a feeble left-over representation of once was a civilization.  By chapter 11, when Piggy is killed holding the conch, the shell has ceased to have any meaning. Jack no longer sees it as anything more than a shell.

Discuss the relationships between parents and children in "Romeo and Juliet".

Let us first examine the relationship between Romeo and his parents and what their actions reveal. We learn, at the beginning of the play, that both Lord and Lady Montague share a deep concern for the welfare of their son. At the end of the brawl between the two feuding families, lady Montague desperately enquires about her son's whereabouts. She asks Benvolio:

O, where is Romeo? saw you him to-day?
Right glad I am he was not at this fray.

Lord Montague makes it clear that he has been observing his son, taking note of his actions. Truly the acts of a caring father. He mentions how Romeo had been keeping to himself, closing his curtains and staying in his room, how he has seen him in tears. He expresses concern for his son's apparent depression, stating:

Black and portentous must this humour prove,
Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

Lord Montague admits that he does not know the reason for Romeo's grievous state and says that he has been shunned by his son, who has refused to talk to him about what he feels. 

... to himself so secret and so close,
So far from sounding and discovery,

Romeo is obviously sulking and does not wish to confide in anyone, least of all his parents - typical teenage behaviour! It is clear, however, that his parents are worried and are more than prepared to help. Lord Montague mentions:

Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow.
We would as willingly give cure as know.

When Romeo appears at the scene, Lord Montague urges Benvolio to find the true reason for Romeo's melancholy:

I would thou wert so happy by thy stay,
To hear true shrift.

There is very little interaction between Romeo and his parents throughout the play, but we do learn in Act 5 that they were deeply distraught by Romeo's banishment, so much so that Lady Montague died on hearing the devastating news. Lord Montague declares:

Alas, my liege, my wife is dead to-night;
Grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath:

Lord Montague is utterly overwhelmed by his son's death and on seeing Romeo's lifeless body wails:

O thou untaught! what manners is in this?
To press before thy father to a grave?

The play places greater emphasis on the relationship between Juliet and her parents and there is much more focus on their interaction. It quickly becomes apparent that Juliet's parents want what is best for her, but wish to press her to abide to their decisions and their choices, such as for example, in choosing a husband. Lady Capulet asks Juliet in Act 1, scene 3:

How stands your disposition to be married?

Juliet expresses her unwillingness to even think about it, but her mother insists that she should consider wedlock now since the county Paris has shown his interest in her. She instructs Juliet to look at Paris and consider him an apt groom. Juliet reluctantly agrees.

Juliet rebels against her parents' choice of life partner after she falls in love with Romeo, to such an extent that she secretly weds him. After Romeo had killed Tybalt, Juliet openly lies to her mother, expressing hate for Romeo for committing such a foul deed. Her mother's declaration about 'joyful tidings' related to Juliet's marriage to Paris is venomously rejected by Juliet who declares:

I will not marry yet; and, when I do, I swear,
It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,
Rather than Paris.

Ironic words indeed. Juliet is confronted by her father and when he hears of her resistance he is greatly upset. He commands that Juliet go to church on Thursday to be wed. He refuses to listen to Juliet's pleas and warns her:

Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face:
Speak not, reply not, do not answer me;
My fingers itch. Wife, we scarce thought us blest
That God had lent us but this only child;
But now I see this one is one too much,
And that we have a curse in having her:

Harsh words indeed. It is clear that the relationship between Juliet and her parents has broken down irrevocably. Even though Lady Capulet tries to intervene, it is to no avail. Lord Capulet threatens to disown Juliet if she does not do as he commands and her mother, subservient to her husband, is forced, at this point, to also reject her daughter. It is this dramatic altercation which eventually forces Juliet's hand and leads to the tragic series of events culminating in her, Romeo and Paris' deaths.

It is clear, however, that both Lord and Lady Capulet love their daughter, for they enquire after her well-being. Lady Capulet still seeks some kind of appeasement from Juliet when she later offers to assist her - a request which is disdainfully rejected by Juliet. Further emphasis of their love is provided at the moment they discover Juliet's lifeless body and are both completely engulfed by grief.

What are the names of the two families who are enemies in Romeo and Juliet?

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a much loved classic. Most people know that the tragedy that results in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet and that is anticipated, even in the Prologue to the first act, stems from the "continuance of their parents' rage" (Prologue.10). The prologue even suggests that the feud between the families is so entrenched that only something as tragic and absolute as the death of these "star-crossed lovers" (6) could end this "ancient grudge" (3). 

Both the Montague and the Capulet families are well-respected in Verona but the deep-seated hatred between them even extends to the servants. Samson, a servant of the Capulet household, claims in Act I, scene i that even though he may not be inclined to fight, when it comes to "a dog of the house of Montague" (8), he will "show myself a tyrant" (21). Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, expresses a hatred so unshakable that he may not even be aware of the actual cause of the rift and would appear not to care. He is hot-headed and passionate and compares his hatred of the Montagues to hell itself. Tybalt's death later and at Romeo's hand will end any hope that Romeo and Juliet may have had for future happiness. 

The Capulets are having a feast and a servant says to Romeo that he is welcome at the feast as long as he is not from the house of Montague. It is in Romeo's best interests to go because Benvolio wants Romeo to get over his infatuation with Rosaline and see for himself that there are many other beautiful ladies who deserve his attention. As Mercutio, Romeo's friend, has been invited, Romeo will accompany him and, upon seeing Juliet is prepared to renounce the name that is "hateful to myself" (II.ii.55). Juliet is so in love with Romeo that she is also prepared to give up her name and says, "I'll no longer be a Capulet" (36). Juliet speaks the often quoted line, "What's in a name?" (43).

In Chapter 12 of The Hobbit, what motivates Bilbo to steal the cup?

This question can be answered in three different ways, all of which are true.  First, one could say that Bilbo is motivated by Thorin's words at the entrance to the cave.  Thorin spends a long time describing Bilbo as a "good companion" as a "hobbit full of courage" and "good luck" (191).  Bilbo finally admits having gotten Thorin "out of two messes already" but that the "third time pays for all" (191) and avidly begins the journey downward to Smaug's lair.  Second, one could say that it was the ring itself that finally motivated Bilbo to go farther, for Bilbo doesn't go far in the cave without slipping it on.  "Then the hobbit slipped on his ring, and . . . he crept noiselessly down, down, down into the dark" (192).  Finally, even though it isn't long before Bilbo complains "I have absolutely no use for dragon-guarded treasures," one could say that Bilbo is ultimately motivated by just that:  the lust for gold.  When Bilbo finally sees Smaug's glorious treasure, even though Bilbo had been told of it long before, "the splendor, the lust, the glory of such treasure had never yet come home to him.  His heart was filled and pierced with enchantment and with the desire of dwarves; and he gazed motionless, almost forgetting the frightful guardian, at the gold beyond price and count" (194).  It is only then that Bilbo reaches for the cup and brings it back successfully.  But is that lust Bilbo feels from his own heart, . . . or from donning the ring?  Ah, there's the rub.  For this reason, I believe the answer to your question can only be one:  the ring.

How are Shakespearean sonnets anti-Petrarchan?

The rhyme scheme is not as important as the content.

Petrarchan sonnets are modeled off of Petrarch's love poems for a women named Laura. Petrarch never met Laura but he followed her constantly and wrote about her idealized beauty and grace. He also often talked about the pain she made him feel as a result of his love for her. Often he would describe love using elements such as ice or fire as comparisons to love which is generally the opposites, but in this case is a similarity.

Petrarchan Sonnets generally describe women as ideally beautiful (eyes like pearls, lips as red as . . . ) while also using opposing forces such as pain-pleasure/fire-ice to describe love.

Shakespeare wrote some both types of sonnets but the anti-petrarchan sonnets tended to celebrate women for their uniqueness in a realistic way. ie. her skin was not as white as the sand or her eyes were not pearls, but I love her anyway

What is the difference between Dusk and Twilight?

According to Webster’s Dictionary twilight is the diffused light from the sky during the early evening or early morning when the sun is below the horizon and its light is refracted by the earth's atmosphere.  It is also described as the time of the day when the sun is just below the horizon, especially the period between sunset and dark.According to the US Military Definition "Twilight is the period of incomplete darkness following sunset and preceding sunrise. Twilight is designated as civil, nautical, or astronomical, as the darker limit occurs when the center of the sun is 6 degrees, 12 degrees, or 18 degrees, respectively, below the celestial horizon. Dusk or civil dusk is the time at which the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the evening." At this time objects are distinguishable and some stars and planets are visible to the naked eye. Nautical dusk is when the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon in the evening. At this time, objects are no longer distinguishable, and the horizon is no longer visible to the naked eye. Astronomical dusk is the time at which the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon in the evening.  At this time the sun no longer illuminates the sky, and thus no longer interferes with astronomical observations. Dusk should not be confused with sunset, which is the moment when the trailing edge of the Sun itself sinks below the horizon.

In The Scarlet Letter, who approaches Dimmesdale as he invites Pearl and Hester to join him near the scaffold?

This is Roger Chillingworth.  All he has worked for is about to be destroyed if Dimmesdale reveals that he is Pearl's father, and he does what he can to stop it from happening. 
"Madman, hold! What is your purpose?" whispered he. "Wave back that woman! Cast off this child! All shall be well! Do not blacken your fame, and perish in dishonor! I can yet save you! Would you bring infamy on your sacred profession?"

"Ha, tempter! Methinks thou art too late!" answered the minister, encountering his eye, fearfully, but firmly. "Thy power is not what it was! With God's help, I shall escape thee now!" (Chapter 23)

At this point Dimmesdale, though his public confession, will be freed from the Leech, and Chillingsworth acknowledges it:

"Hadst thou sought the whole earth over," said [Chillingworth], looking darkly at the clergyman, "there was no one place so secret,--no high place nor lowly place, where thou couldst have escaped me,--save on this very scaffold!"

Dimmesdale is at last free, and ironically so is Chillingworth.

How does Lorraine’s description of the librarian, Miss Reillen, illustrate Lorraine’s compassion in "Pigman"?

John bluntly introduces Miss Reillen, the librarian, by explaining that the kids call her "the Cricket" because she "is a little on the fat side, but that doesn't stop her from wearing these tight skirts which make her nylon stockings rub together when she walks so she makes this scraaaaaaatchy sound" (Chapter 1).  When Lorraine takes over the narration, she qualifies John's description, pointing out that Miss Reillen is "really a very nice woman, though it's true her clothes are too tight, and her nylons do make this scraaaaaaatchy sound when she walks".  In a sort of backhanded attempt to be positive, she emphasizes that Miss Reillen

"isn't trying to be sexy or anything.  If you could see her, you'd know that.  She just outgrew her clothes.  Maybe she doesn't have any money to buy new ones or get the old ones let out.  Who knows what kind of problems she has?  Maybe she's got a sick mother at home".

Lorraine, who prides herself for being able to look at people and the world with compassion, acknowledges that Miss Reillen may appear ludicrous, but, with awkward sincerity, tries to see the good side in her as well.  She makes it clear that the librarian is "nice", and tries to find reasons to excuse her for the way she dresses (Chapter 2).

In Act 5, what is Macbeth's mood in Scene 3?

Macbeth is so confident because of what the witches told him.  He seems to think that he is untouchable and that none of those crazy prophesies can come true.  The woods are not going to come marching up to his castle, and every man is woman born. He remembers and recites, "Fear not, Macbeth; no man that's born of woman Shall e'er have power upon thee."

His overconfidence is his downfall.  He is unable to see his fate as he should.  Even the declining mental health of his wife doesn't seem to bother him.  He tells the doctor to give her the cure, then walks away.  He seems to assume all will be well for him. 

How do Afghan women fare in America? Are they Better off now then they were in Afganistan before Taliban took power?

The only Afghan women that we see much of in the novel are Amir's wife and mother-in-law, Soraya and Khanum Taheri.  To a great degree, Khanum Taheri is a traditional Afghan wife.  She is modest and subservient to her husband.  She gave up singing as a career, in spite of showing great promise.  However, it would appear that being in America has changed her a bit because she actively encourages the relationship between Amir and Soraya, in the face of the General's disapproval.  Soraya seems to have more options than she might have had in Afghanistan, where she is unlikely to have chosen her own husband or to have chosen her own career.  She makes reference to what her parents wish her to be, either a lawyer or a doctor.  But she wishes to become a  teacher and does so. It is not even clear that she would have been able to choose to have a career in Afghanistan.  She probably would have been expected to marry someone of her father's choosing and spend her time being a full-time wife. 

It is not clear to what degree the Taliban taking power affected the lives of women, who clearly were repressed and had fewer rights than men even before the Taliban came.  However, it is fairly certain that, in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, neither woman would have been able to appear in public without being fully hidden by their clothing and that Soraya would not have been able to receive any education at all.  We know that the Taliban have destroyed girls' schools just from reading the newspapers.  So it is probably a fair statement to say that these women's lives were better in American than they had been in Afghanistan at any period, but significantly better than they would have been under the Taliban. 

In Part 3 of "1984", how are common criminals and political criminals treated differently in the temporary lock up?

In the temporary lock-up, the guards treat the common criminals

"with a certain forbearance, even when they (have) to handle them roughly...positions of trust (are) given only to the common criminals, sepecailly the gangsters, and the murderers, who (form) a sort of aristocracy...all the dirty jobs (are) done by the politicals". 

Even more astonishing is the "difference in demeanor between the Party prisoners and the others".  The Party prisoners are always "silent and terrified", while the ordinary criminals show no fear.  They fight back with the guards, write obscenities on the floor, openly eat smuggled food, and even defy the voice on the telescreen when it tries to keep order.  Some of the common prisoners even seem to be on good terms with the guards, and it is conceivable that "bribery, favoritism, and racketeering of every kind" abound.

Thoughtcrime is looked upon in the society as the worst transgression imaginable, far more lethal than ordinary lawlessness and vice.  Orwell's belief that mind-control is far more dangerous and effective than ordinary societal constraints is evident in the dichotomy between the treatment of common and political prisoners.  Although it appears that ordinary insolence and lack of fear are more effective in guaranteeing survival, however, the commoners are unaware of the power they might wield.  If they were to join together and rise against Big Brother, they could rule, but in their ignorance and focus on only themselves, they are insignificant (Book 3, Chapter 1).

What is the mood of The Call of the Wild?

The mood of "The Call of The Wild" can't be pinned down to just one mood.  The book is a violent story and it also has it's tender moments.  I personally cried through the book.  Buck, a loyal beast has the wildness of the wilderness beaten back into him.  The mood can be angry and harsh. Yet, when Buck breaks the sled free from the ice and pulls the sled from a dead stop, you can't help but rejoice in the courage and strength of this animal.

"Gee!” shouts Thornton to Buck.
.Buck goes into action, moving first to the right. The loads shakes. There is the sound of crackling ice. 
“Haw!” 
Buck then moves left and breaks the sled free.
“Now, MUSH!” (Chapter VI, "For the Love of Man").

His love for a master is so strong it pulls him continually back from his natural wilderness and the female wolf he has become close to. It is an adventure story and it is full of foreboding and mystery.  It's mood savage, fierce, wild.

In "The Scarlet Ibis", why does Brother leave Doodle in the rain?my teacher said i needed to redo my CM's and be simple and clear of why Brother...

When Brother leaves Doodle in the rain, it is clear that he is angry that Doodle has failed. Doodle already collapsed in the mud after getting out of the boat, and both boys realize Doodle is not going to run. So Brother's dream of a "regular" brother is dead. Brother walks faster and faster to get out of the storm, which a symbol of the storm that is raging inside Brother for his "failure" in teaching Doodle to run. However, Brother does eventually stop and go back for his brother. He finds Doodle dead with blood running out of his mouth, down his neck and onto the front of his shirt. Doodle resembles the Scarlet Ibis. Then he tries to cover Doodle's body to prevent the rain from cleaning the bloodstains from his brother's body. He realizes his brother tried so hard to survive but has died from exhaustion just like the ibis. So Doodle is not like everyone else; he is more like the beautiful, graceful, bird who tried so hard to survive but in the end could not withstand the pressures placed on him.

Why did Jethro help Eb in Chapter 9 of Across Five Aprils?

Jethro helps Eb in Chapter 9 because, when all is said and done, he would not be able to live with himself if he does not help someone who is so in need.

In his young life, Jethro "had never been faced with the responsibility of making a fearful decision like the one confronting him".  He is completely aware of the consequences he and his family might have to face at the hands of the law if he helps Eb, who is a deserter.  Also, he recognizes within himself a bit of resentment towards Eb, who has chosen to run while his brothers are sticking it out.  On the other hand, he puts himself in Eb's shoes, wondering how he would react if he were as "sick and scared and hopeless" as he knows Eb is, and he considers that Eb has acted heroically for two long years, and that to ask him to do so indefinitely might be too much to ask.  Mainly, though, Jethro wonders how it would feel to know that he was the one that sent his cousin to his death.

Jethro considers asking his Pa what he should do, but recognizes that his Pa would "be caught in the same trap (he's) in now...he'd put him in the spot where any way he decided would be bad - hurtful to a man's conscience".  Jethro understands that his decision about whether or not to help Eb is one he has to make himself, and that there are no easy answers.  In the end, like President Lincoln himself who grants amnesty to deserters like Eb who wish to return to their regiments, he makes his choice to the best of his ability after examining the situation from all sides, choosing to err, if he must, "on the side of mercy" (Chapter 9).

What is the summary for Chapter 39 of Rob Roy?

After a troubled sleep, Frank awakens to hear someone pounding on the gate, demanding entrance in the king’s name. He races to warn and protect Diana and her father.

It is Jobson at the door, with a warrant to arrest Diana and Sir Frederick, as well as Frank himself (charged with treason). In order to buy time for Diana and her father’s escape, Frank surrenders himself as a prisoner. Soon Rashleigh enters, with Sir Frederick and Diana as his prisoners. Syddall and Andrew are driven from the premises. Andrew is surprised when he runs into a group of Highlanders, who question him about the goings-on at the Hall. Soon they see Jobson and his prisoners drive away in a carriage. The carriage is ambushed, and Rob Roy stabs Rashleigh and releases the prisoners. Rob Roy, Sir Frederick, and Diana then depart, and Frank returns to Osbaldistone Hall.

Rashleigh is carried into the Hall, dying. With his dying breath, he reiterates his hatred for Frank.

Frank eventually hears from Diana from her exile in France. Her father is dying, and she herself is to go into the convent. Her father, however, has left the decision entirely to her. With his father’s blessing, Frank goes in search for Diana and makes her his wife. They lived long, happy lives until Diana’s death.

Frank in later years visited Scotland often, but never again saw Rob Roy. He hears tales of his continued fight against his enemies, until his death of old age in 1733.

What is the thesis statement of the essay "Civil Disobedience"?

A thesis statement is basically the topic of your paper, a statement of your opinion and what you intend to prove or discuss in the essay. Ordinarily, we're taught that the thesis statement should be the last sentence of the introduce. However, Thoreau did not follow this advice in his essay "Civil Disobedience." You might say that the very first sentence tells us what Thoreau believes and intends to write about. I think, though, that the next to last sentence in the introduction is his thesis:

...The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it....

If I were grading Thoreau's essay, I might write in the margin that his last sentence should begin a new paragraph.

See the postings in the Essay Lab group for more help with writing a thesis statement.

Who is Marilla in Anne of Green Gables?

In the beginning of the Anne series, Marilla lives with her brother, Matthew Cuthbert, in Green Gables (name of the house). She is a strict, no-nonsense kind of woman who hopes to adopt a boy to help Matthew on the farm. When Anne Shirley arrives, Marilla is not pleased. She expected a boy and cannot understand Anne's exaggerated emotions and fantastical imagination. Marilla tends to suppress her emotions, and whenever Anne expresses her innermost thoughts, often in contrast to Marilla's, Marilla scolds her. However, over the course of the first novel, Marilla cannot help but become amused by Anne's often humourous incidents and her fanciful imagination, and of course, proud of Anne's incredible scholastic achievements. She eventually opens up her emotions and outwardly cares for Anne's wellbeing. After Matthew's death, Marilla is alone at Green Gables apart from Anne, who decides to reject an offer from Redmond College and stay in Avonlea to teach, in order to remain with Marilla whose eyesight begins to fail. In addition, Marilla adopts twins, Dora and Davy Keith, because their mother dies and Marilla is the third cousin of their father. When Anne finally goes to college, Rachel Lynde, whose husband had passed away, goes to live with Marilla at Green Gables. When Anne gives birth to her first child, Joyce, Marilla and Rachel are present at the House of Dreams. Jem "can do no wrong in her eyes", and Marilla cares for Anne and Gilbert's children when they are away on a trip. In Rilla of Ingleside, Anne mentions that Marilla had passed away, "Aunt Marilla had died before Rilla was old enough to know her very well..." (Chapter 2, Rilla of Ingleside (1920))

Explain how, in Act 3 of "The Crucible," how characters are able, or not able, to defend themselves against the charges. "In an ordinary crime,...

According to that reasoning, you cannot defend yourself against that sort of accusation.  Consider all the ways that, in Act 3, the characters tried to disprove the accusations: The petition brought to the courts stating the Christian character of the women accused, Giles' testimony against Putnam, John's confession of adultery to try to disprove Abigail's testimonies, and even Mary attempting to discredit her friends.  None of that "other evidence" worked, and all else was overridden when Abigail started crying spirits in the room.  And as soon as Mary turned on John, saying he had come to her as a witch to turn her to Satan (very end of Act 3), the courts believed her above all else.  Even Elizabeth knowing her commandments (Act 2), and Rebecca Nurse being revered as almost saintly (look at Hale's greeting to her in Act 1) did not provide evidence against accusation.

What was Cleopatra's foreign policy?

During Ptolemic rule in Egypt there were seven Cleopatra's. I am going to guess you are referring to Cleopatra the seventh, the last pharoah of Egypt. Cleopatra the seventh's foreign policy was to rule the world. She would join with Caesar, bear an heir, and have their lineage rule the then known world. Cleopatra would be able to accomplish this due to the fact that she was educated by the best of Greek historians and philosophers of her time.  Although Greek, she understood the importance of popular appeal and what it would afford her,especially when it came to foreign rivals. She took the time to emmerse herself in the Ancient Egyptian religion, culture,and language and benefitted from it. She cemented her rule within Egypt, to better prepare herself for Egypt's future which in turn was her future. Due to her fathers' debt to Rome her foreign policy was centered around maintaining Egypt's independence, or at the very least a pseudo co-existence with Rome. In order to accomplish that task she allied herself and Egypt with the power of Rome. First with Julius Caesar and by all accounts her political equal,then Marc Antony who could never rival her political intellect, but the man she fell in love with. Realizing it was Rome that held the real power she used her intuitive political abilities to reinvent herself, accomodating for the differences between Caesar and Antony.Unfortunately,the result wasn't in her ability as a leader that led to her downfall, it was love.

How does the theme of belonging relate to "The Outsiders"?

The Greasers are not just a gang, but they're like family to each other. For some of the boys, like Johnny, they are more of a family and a better family than his real family. The Greasers care about each other and watch out for each other. Johnny and Ponyboy are the two that the older boys always look out for, and seem to have a lot of hope for. Darry has a lot of hope that Pony will be able to rise above their lot in life and really accomplish something. Ponyboy's family is very tight-knit, and it is his family that encourages him, protects him, and hopes for a better life for him. At the end of the book, though the "family" of Greasers have lost some of their number, Pony and his brothers know "if we don't have each other, we don't have anything." Belonging to the Greasers gives them all a sense of identity and a family.

In "The Merchant of Venice", does Venice assume common humanity - or is the state racist? Is this a state that assumes a universal common humanity,...

Undoubtedly, there is no common humanity to Venice or its court. Look, purely and simply, at the number of times Shylock is called "Jew", and the number of times he is called by his name - just in the last scene of the play. You won't need much more convincing: and that's even before reading his early speeches about the fact that Antonio has spat upon his "Jewish gaberdine" in the Rialto.

In my opinion, what Shakespeare depicts is a group of extremely bad Christians, who have forgotten that key Old Testament teaching that money is the root of all evil. There's no Christian worship or church or anything in this play: the "Christians" are basically a cliquey business network, rather like modern city boys. They are bad Christians - money-grabbing, racist, prejudiced, and more or less entirely without moral compunctions (even down to the way Bassanio just hands over his ring, easily, glibly breaking his marital promise).

None of this, however, justifies Shylock's, admittedly appalling behaviour, and actually - just as Antonio, Bassanio and all are bad Christians - Shylock is a bad Jew. It seems a very modern and pertinent thought of Shakespeare's: just because you align yourself to a religion, that doesn't mean that you can't be a thoroughly horrible and immoral person when it comes to your own personal (to use the key pun of the play) bonds, bounds, and boundaries.

Who is the main enemy in "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd"?

"The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" is the nymph's reply to the shepherd's request for her to come be his love.  Unfortunately for the shepherd, the nymph is simply not "feeling it"!  

The nymph, in this poem, informs the shepherd that she cannot love him and she gives him her reasons for this.  Among those is that love is not eternal.  She alludes to the fact that love is too fleeting and that he cannot guarantee he will love her forever.  She appears to have trust issues, as many of us can relate to that have been hurt in relationships.  She longs for a perfect and ideal love; however, she is realistic and does not want to take the risk of loving him and being hurt.  

The enemy in the poem really isn't an enemy at all; however, it prevents her from being able to go into a relationship with the shepherd.  Distrust prevents the nymph from pursuing this relationship.  It is also important to note, though, that traditionally in literature, relationships between mortals and nymphs were tumultuous at best!

How does the bank robbery furthur the plot as well as the story of "Hard Times"?

The robbery of Brounderby bank occurs in Chapter 7 "Gunpowder," in Book II "The Reaping." 

The immediate suspect is Stephen Blackroot, who had been observed hanging around the bank.  But Stephen has been set up.  In earlier chapters, we learn that Stephen has refused to be strong-armed into joining the Union.  Blackroot explains:

"Sir, I canna, wi' my little learning an my common way, thell the genelmen what will better aw this -- though some working men o' this town could, avove my powers -- but I can tell him what I know will never do't.  Agreeing fur to mak one side unta'rally awlus and for ever right, and toother side unnat'rally awlus and for ever wrong, will never, never do do't."

The bank robbery gives Slackbridge, and others, a way to not only ostracize Blackroot, but to punish him.

The robbery itself furthers the corruption of Bounderby, Harthouse and all like them: those who are ready to accuse without proof, to exploit the common man, and to line their own pockets.  Though it seems counter-intuitive, Dickens himself distrusted Unions and orators intensely.  He had an unwavering belief in the power of the individual; corporations like banks, and unions, as in the one depicted here in Coketown, were, for Dickens, pure evil. 

Where did the bus drop the two men off in "Of Mice and Men"?

The bus dropped the two men, George and Lenny, off in Soledad, a small town in the Salinas Valley.  The place where the men disembarked was at least four miles from their destination, and, as George says angrily,

"We could just as well of rode clear to the ranch if that bastard bus driver knew what he was talkin' about...didn't wanta stop at the ranch gate, that's what...too...lazy to pull up...wonder he isn't too damn good to stop in Soledad at all...kicks us out and says, 'Jes' a little stretch down the road...I bet it was more than four miles".

As it turns out, there are some positives that result from the bus driver's refusal to drop George and Lennie off closer to the ranch.  George decides that they will not walk all the way to the ranch until morning, and will spend the night under the stars, because he "likes it (there)".  He also gets a chance to familiarize himself with the territory, and pick a place to where Lennie can flee and where George will know to meet him in case Lennie gets in trouble like he did at their last place of employment, in Weed (Chapter 1). 

When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch in the morning, the boss is somewhat perturbed because they were expected the night before, but George, exaggerating a bit, blames it on the bus driver. He says they "hadda walk ten miles", because the man "says we was here when we wasn't" (Chapter 2). 

Atticus - "They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it – seems that only children weep?”...

The small towns of the south were known for their prejudice and cold feelings. Jem and Scout were so innocent to the ways of the world. Throughout the trial, the kids begin to see the harshness of their neighbors. They hadn't realized this before, but now they are seeing them for who they truly are.

After the verdict is read, Jem and Scout are in shock. Jem was sure that his father was going to get Tom Robinson set free. Atticus had proven that the man was innocent. The people of Maycomb, decided long before the trial even started, that Tom was guilty. Tom was a black man and there was no way he could have gotten a fair trial. Atticus knew this, but he did everything he could do to try. Jem cries when he hears the verdict. Atticus tries to tell him that this has happened before and will happen again, and that only the truly innocent of heart, like children, will cry of such an injustice. This is one of the most important quotes from the book.

Jem's crying, shows us that he knew Tom was innocent and it didn't matter to him that Tom was black. All that mattered to Jem, was that Tom didn't do it and they convicted him anyway, and it will continue to happen.  

What is one fact about Romeo that disturbs or bothers Juliet?

Difficult one. Obviously, to begin with, Juliet is distressed that her husband is a Montague: "why are you Romeo", she asks, in the famous lines below:

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name!
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

But she soon gets over that: as Friar Laurence comes up with the idea that a marriage between Romeo and Juliet would heal the rift between the Capulets and Montagues. A negative quickly becomes a positive.

After that, I can't find a single example in the text that suggests that Juliet is disturbed or bothered by anything that Romeo does or says. Even when he has murdered Tybalt, for one second, she thinks that Romeo might look great, but be awful:

Was ever book containing such vile matter
So fairly bound? O, that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous palace!

And then, in the next two speeches, she's back on side. And she never criticises him again:

He was not born to shame.
Upon his brow shame is asham'd to sit;
For 'tis a throne where honour may be crown'd
Sole monarch of the universal earth.
O, what a beast was I to chide at him!

So the one fact is that he's a Montague - and that goes away. The fact that he's also a murderer doesn't bear any more consideration, it seems. That's love for you!

What is the climax in the story "The Piece of String"?

The story title is "The Piece of String,"  details the events concerning the main character, Maitre Hauchecorne, an old peasant, who picks up a piece of useless string on the road near the market and is accused of stealing a pocketbook containing 500 Francs.  No matter what he says, no one believes that he just picked up a piece of string. 

The climax of the story comes when the pocketbook and its contents are returned to its owner.  Still the people in the town don't believe that Hauchecorne just picked up a piece of string.  He spends hours and hours trying to convince the villagers of his innocence.  He becomes ill from his efforts and eventually dies at the end of the story, muttering it was only a piece of string.

When did Johnny die in The Outsiders?

How Johnny dies, very in depth:

Before I get into detail about when he died, I'll explain how he dies. Johnny Cade is teenage boy that has a burden against his family. He hates his parents for they don't care about him. They kick him out of the house and he usually sleeps in the vacant parking lot. He gets his love from his friends or the other gang members in the so call gang the greasers [By the way the author doesn't capilize the G in greasers]. One day when Ponyboy was hanging out with Johnny looking into the stars Pony fell asleep later to be woken up by Johnny. Ponyboy's parents die in a car accident when he was young. So Dally has to take care of him, but if other people finds out that Dally doesn't have the rights to take care of them they'll be sent to children homes, which makes Dally worry about calling the police or not to find Ponyboy. Ponyboy shows up very late, so Dally slaps him in the face. Pony runs away to Johnny and told him to walk in the park with him. Maybe he'll get his mind cooled off before you goes back home. Things that night didn't really go the way Pony wanted. A blue Mustang pulled up, and the same day, Johnny, Two-bit, and Pony was caught taking the Soc's girlfriend on a walk. The Socs in the blue Mustang was of course drunk, and they got off the car to start trouble. As they walked out Johnny noticed the ring on one of the Soc's hand and remembered that, that particular Socs was the one that knocked him out cold. They were drowning Ponyboy in the fountain, so Johnny took out his swish-blade and stabbed Bob in the back, the guy who beat him up last time. They decided to run for it to Dally who was sleeping in a party. Dally gave Johnny a gun, money, and a location to run away to. Dally later told the police that they went to Texas, so he mislead them on purpose. They were staying at an abandoned church and playing poker cards and reading, Gone By The Wind all day until Dally shows up. Dally picked them up to dinner but later when they came back the church was on fire while the children was playing inside. Johnny and Pony went for the rescue and Pony got fire on his back which Dally knocked up, while the roof collapsed on Johnny.

When did Johnny die:

Now I will talk about when Johnny dies. Johnny dies right after the rumble. When Dally and Ponyboy want to go and tell Johnny about their victory of the Socs, he was still alive. So they told him, and Johnny knew he wasn't going to stay long after. So he told Ponyboy to take his book, which he has written a note inside that Pony discover too late. The note says that show Dally sunsets so he will be more kind. Of course he wouldn't know that Dally would suicide because of him. Johnny replied to them, that's great. Finally the last word from Johnny was to Ponyboy. His last words was, "Stay Gold Ponyboy, Stay Gold." Stay gold means stay pure not like what Dally, is more like the opposite. He heard it from Ponyboy about the poem that Robert Frost made.

Short Answer:

Johnny dies right after Ponyboy and Dally tells him about winning the rumble. His last words was towards Ponyboy telling him to stay gold. [chapter 9] Dally felt so upset or depressed that the thing that he most cared for died, he suicides by pulling a gun in front of a police, which he had an unloaded gun. [chapter 10]

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" why doesn't Jim just escape after Huck and Tom dig the escape hole?

I have asked myself that very question, many times.  He's a grown man letting these two kids mess around with him, keeping him in a miserable shanty and torturing him with various-and unecessary-antics.  He does complain quite a bit; but whenever he does, Tom lectures him about being a good and famous prisoner, and Jim ends up apologizing.  Towards the end, he complains about all of it, get a lecture, and the book states, "Jim he was sorry, and said he wouldn't behave so no more."  So, Jim is completely subservient and docile in his position, and takes it all.  In the end, it causes him to actually get caught.

To really answer the question, we have to realize a few things about their society.  Jim has spent his entire live as a slave, completely beholden to his masters, probably living in fear of what might happen if he goes against their will.  He might have seen friends and family punished for going against a white person.  And Tom is part of that entire mind-set.  If you have spent your whole life following the will and orders of white people, it's hard to break that mold.  Jim was probably afraid also that he would get caught.  He was in the deep south, lost, and didn't have a plan.  He had already been caught once, and was fearful of the repercussions of leaving.  So, being a slave beholden to white people his entire life, being lost and disoriented, and being afraid of getting caught or lynched, might have kept him in that shed longer than some other person.

What is the impression of Macbeth and what do we learn about Duncan's character in Act 1, Scene 2?

The scene, Act 1 Scene 2, is where we first learn about how brave and fierce Macbeth is. We first learn of him as a loyal subject, tireless in battle, courageous, and vicious (he does, after all, "unseam" a man from the navel to the "chaps"). We are told that even though the battle seemed to be lost, Macbeth never surrendered, but instead, fought harder than ever to get to the traitor and kill him. Here is the first reference to Macbeth not paying any mind to fortune or fate--it says he was "disdaining fortune". What this means is that Macbeth is already taking fate into his own hands. He is not the type of person to just give up and let life unfold whatever way it wants to.

In this scene, we learn that Duncan is a generous king who repays loyal service with honours. He is also a king who is not afraid to order a traitor put to death, so he is a capable ruler. He gives Macbeth the Cawdor's title because Macbeth has served him well and made money for his coffers in the process. Later on, we hear Duncan say something even more revealing about his character. Speaking of the first Cawdor, he says "there's no art to find the mind's construction in the face." This suggests he takes people as they appear to be on the surface. He does not know how to tell if someone is actually his ally or not. This proves to be part of the reason for his downfall.

Who lived a life of greater value? Dunstan Ramsay or Percy Boyd Stauton?Could you please offer your opinion and some examples to support it that I...

Right from the very beginning we see the conflicting of the materialistic world view and a spiritual world view in the infamous sledding and snowball incident. Percy's mittens were purchased at a store in the city, while Dunstan's mittens were made lovingly by his mother. Percy's sled is new; Dunstan's is old. The anger and animousity Percy feels and displays toward Dunstan is the psychological struggle each has with these two world views. Dunstan's possessions might be older, made by a loving parent, but they possess a deeper spirituality than Percy's mass produced collection of possessions. Percy is upset not just at losing, but losing to something he cannot or does not possess-soulful objects and a growing sense of spirituality. When we read further we see that Dunstan is psychologically and spiritually affected by the snowball incident which he sees as his fault. Percy is curiously absent from the incident despite being the guilty culprit. All of this is set up in just the first five pages of the novel....

In To Kill A Mockingbird, in what chapter does Mrs. Dubose call Scout an "ugly girl"? And why?

This is a good question. The above answer gives some good points, but there is more. If we look at the context, we learn a few things about Mrs. Dubose. From the outside she is a nasty and mean woman. And yes she does yell at the kids a lot, and she does call Scout an "ugly girl" - not to mention she is also racist.  But there is another side to her that no one saw, except Atticus and a few other kind adults. 

Mrs. Dubose is a sickly old woman who is addicted to morphine. She is also on the verge of dying and shortly after Jem reads to her as a punishment for destroying her flowers, she does pass away. 

However, before she died she successfully battled her addiction to morphine. From this perspective, Atticus called her one of the bravest women he has ever met. Not only did Mrs. Dubose face death with courage, she also battled her addiction. Finally, after she died she gave Jem a present, a box with with a single white camellia. This showed her heart of kindness. With Mrs. Dubose, there was more than met the eyes.

In "The Minister's Black Veil," what words/phrases add to the tone, and is it neutral or emotional?

The narrator in this excellent short story is clear to present events in a detached manner, but there is also a clearly tragic tone added when the veil is referred to. Consider, for example, the part where we first see the minister with his new veil:

There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and banging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil. On a nearer view, it seemed to consist of two fold of crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, farther than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things.

Here we see a classic example of a very matter-of-fact tone that is neutral in its description - consider how the veil is described very accurately. However, this suddenly changes with the reference to the "darkened aspect" that it gives to the minister's sight. Consider other references to the veil such as the "gloomy shade" that it gives to examine this further. Such a disparity between the main tone of the story and the references to the veil emphasise its spooky and threatening nature as it stands out from the neutral tone of the story.

Compare and contrast Mr. Tate’s mob and Mr. Cunningham’s mob in "To Kill a Mockingbird". How are they different and why?

Mr. Tate's mob consists of well known men from the town. They have come to persuade Atticus to have Tom Robinson moved out of Maycomb jurisdiction. They also try to persuade Atticus into letting the case go. Their attempts to change Atticus's mind are threatening in a subtle way. They do not intend to kill Tom Robinson, but because of their prejudices, they do not really care what happens to him. The members of the mob are upstanding citizens of Maycomb; however, their actions prove otherwise. Mr. Cunningham’s mob has different intentions. They want to take Tom Robinson and hang him. They are not secretive about their actions. They let Atticus know exactly what they are after and threaten him.  The two mobs intend on getting rid of Tom Robinson. However, one mob is up front about their intentions while the other hides behind their hypocrisy.

Why does Phineas decide to wear his pink shirt in A Separate Peace?

Phineas decides to wear the pink shirt as "an emblem".  He says vaguely that he heard that the Allies "bombed Central Europe for the first time the other day", so he feels he must "do something to celebrate".  Since the boys do not have a flag they can "float...proudly out the window", he decides to wear the pink shirt as his own personal statement of celebration instead.

Phineas's flouting of the pink shirt and his outlandish explanation for doing so symbolizes two things.  First of all, it represents his amazing propensity for thinking and acting completely outrageously, and getting away with it.  Gene notes with amazement that "no one else in the school could have...(worn the shirt) without some risk of having it torn from his back".  Not only does Finny manage to escape the censure of his peers for his attire, but he also avoids punishment at the hands of Mr. Patch-Withers, who, uncharacteristically, can only laugh upon listening to his student's convoluted reasoning.  The pink shirt also symbolizes the "separate peace" enjoyed by the students in the summer session at Devon; there is a war going on, but they are far removed from it.  Their perception of the war at this time, like the incongruous pink shirt, is wildly detached from reality (Chapter 2).

Why is Thanksgiving in November?

"Thanksgiving Days" were established by the Puritans as religious holidays.  They only observed 3 types of holidays, the Sabbath, Fast Days, and Thanksgiving Days, which were typically followed by a big dinner.  Fast days over time were relegated to springtime, and thanksgiving days, when the harvest was in, started to be celebrated in the fall.  So the holiday was associated with the fall early on, and the leaders would issue a proclamation of thanksgiving when they felt the time was right.  In 1789, President Washington issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation, to be held on Thursday, November 26th.   In 1863, President Lincoln issued a proclamation "to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise..."  In 1939 President Roosevelt issued a call for Thanksgiving on the last thursday in November, ostensibly to extend the Christmas shopping season and stimulate the economy.  Finally, in 1941, Congress declared that Thanksgiving will be observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November every year.

What killed Edmund in King Lear? Was there a sickiness in his family? Was it biological?

In the last scene of Act 5 of King Lear, Edmund is exposed as a traitor for plotting against the Duke of Albany with Albany's wife Regan with their mutual intention of murdering him and marrying each other. Albany then calls for Edmund to sound his trumpet summoning any challenger to appear and verify his charge of treason. Edgar appears in armor, having abandoned his disguise as a mad vagrant, and the following exchange ensues between the two half-brothers.

EDGAR

Draw thy sword,
That, if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee justice: here is mine.
Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours,
My oath, and my profession: I protest,
Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and eminence,
Despite thy victor sword and fire-new fortune,
Thy valour and thy heart, thou art a traitor;
False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father;
Conspirant 'gainst this high-illustrious prince;
And, from the extremest upward of thy head
To the descent and dust below thy foot,
A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou 'No,'
This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are bent
To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak,
Thou liest.

EDMUND

In wisdom I should ask thy name;
But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some say of breeding breathes,
What safe and nicely I might well delay
By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn:
Back do I toss these treasons to thy head;
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;
Which, for they yet glance by and scarcely bruise,
This sword of mine shall give them instant way,
Where they shall rest for ever. Trumpets, speak!

Trumpets, speak! Alarums. They fight. Edmund falls.

Edmund is badly wounded but not killed instantly. While dying he confesses that he is guilty of the crimes charged against him by Albany and Edgar. He goes on to warn them that he has ordered one of his officers to murder King Lear and Cordelia, who are being held captive after the defeat of the invading French army. The officer arrives too late. Cordelia is slain offstage. Moments later Lear appears carrying her body.

There are many deaths in the last scene of the play. Regan is poisoned by her jealous sister Goneril in order to prevent her from marrying Edmund. Then it is discovered that Goneril has committed suicide with a dagger. Edmund is fatally wounded in the duel with Edgar and dies after confessing his sins. Cordelia is slain in prison. After winning the duel, Edgar tells Albany that his father the Duke of Gloucester had died of something like a heart attack only a short time before Edgar appeared in answer to Edmund's trumpet challenge. Edgar was able to identify himself to his father before he expired. Then, finally, King Lear himself dies of old age, exposure, and heartbreak over the death of his beloved daughter Cordelia, the only one of his daughters who truly loved him and was loyal to him.

There is no disease in Gloucester or in either of his sons. Edmund is especially handsome and virile, as shown by the fact that both Regan and Goneril fall madly in love with him. Edgar proves himself to be comparably strong and hardy, surviving in the outdoors, killing Oswald with a wooden staff while protecting his father, and finally killing Edmund in their duel.

In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" what feelings about the other guests at the party does Prufrock express in lines 49-69?

In these lines, he is painting a picture of the polite, structured, expected routine that many of the gatherings that he attends has. His expressions indicate a bit of frustration with his guests and the fact that every gathering is the same:

"For I have known them all already, known them all:—
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;"

Instead, he wants to "disturb the universe," disrupting their safe little world by asking a question that will change everything. But, the tedious, formal routine drowns out all else.  He also expresses his feelings of insignificance and inadequacy when in the presence of those guests-especially female ones. He is intimidated by them, fascinated by them, and scared of them all at once. He says,

"The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin,"

comparing himself to an insect, pinned, helpless, and under intense scrutiny and analysis by these guests. It makes him uncomfortable, and question his motives. He is fascinated by the female guest:

"Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
[But in the lamplight, downed with light brown
hair!]"
Is it perfume from a dress
that makes me so digress?"

Here he expresses his fascination with them, but at the same time, that same resignation that everything is the same as always, and how he doesn't dare change that.

All in all, he expresses an intense insecurity in the presence of those guests that fascinate and intimidate him, along with a quiet frustration at the meaningless conversation and time spent. All he wants to do is speak his heart, openly, but that would disrupt the routine and bring further scrutiny upon himself, which he fears above all.

In Of Mice and Men, what shows us in Chapter 5 that Curley does not love his wife?

In Chapter 5, there is more to show that Curley’s wife doesn’t love him than that he doesn’t love her. She says:

‘I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.’

It’s clear that Curley’s wife didn’t marry him for love:

‘Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself, an’ where they stole your letters. I ast her if she stole it, too, an’ she says no. So I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace that same night.’

She goes on:

‘I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.’

As for Curley’s feelings about his wife, the first quote reminds us that he’s jealous (see the first quote), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he doesn’t love her. The most we can conclude from that is that he isn’t sensitive to the fact that she is lonely.

Curley’s reaction to her death tells us a bit more. It is Slim, not Curley, who gently checks her neck and touches her cheek. Curley never expresses any sense of loss or sorrow about losing her. Instead, he is furious and determined to get Lennie. Later, when Slim suggests that Curley should stay with his wife, Curley insists that he’s going to be the one to get Lennie.

Slim adds to this impression in talking with George, who wants to protect Lennie by bringing him in rather than shooting him.

‘If we could keep Curley in, we might. But Curley’s gonna want to shoot ‘im. Curley's still mad about his hand.’ (emphasis added)

What reason does Iago give for his hatred of Othello?

There are several reasons given for Iago's hatred of, and intended ruination of Othello.  First, he is insulted by Othello's promotion of Cassio; he felt that he deserved the promotion.  That is probably the most obvious reason.  Second, he is suspicious that Othello is sleeping with his wife, Emilia, although there really is no foundation for this suspicion.  Third, there are some hints that Iago really desires Desdemona and is jealous of Iago for his relationship with her.  

He is clearly presented as the villain, and as such, can be played simply as evil, but most actors will search for greater depth than this.  Most close readers will also look for this greater depth.  Many modern productions play up the race issue, painting Iago as a racist who is unhappy with the Moor's marriage to the white Desdemona.  There is some textual support for this, in Iago's conversations with Othello when he is trying to convince Othello that he and Desdemona have too many differences to be happy together.  

What did Abigail Williams reveal to John Proctor in "The Crucible"? Elizabeth reminds him of this.

Abigail reveals that the girls are just pretending and Betty's basic problem was fear, not the work of the devil. Elizabeth wants John to go to the court to reveal this to the judges. However, John refuses. Elizabeth is sure his refusal is because he still harbors feelings for Abigail. After Elizabeth is arrested, John finally goes to the court and reveals Abigail's admission. By this time, however, John's testimony seems to self-serving and the judges seem unconvinced. In order to get the court's attention, John does admit his affair with Abigail but Elizabeth refuses to confirm his story. Ironically, John himself is arrested for witchcraft, something Abigail had not planned.

What are some concrete details in "Great Expectations" that sum up Herbert and Pip's friendship?By concrete detaili mean like something said in...

When Herbert and Pip first become roommates, in his great desire to become a gentleman, Pip asks Herbert if he will teach him table manners.  Herbert politely replies, "With pleasure...though I venture to prophesy that you'll want [need] very few hints.  Will you begin at once to call me by my Christian name, Herbert?"  Herbert wishes to put Pip at ease by complimenting him, giving him some confidence, and putting them on an equal plane by calling him by his first name.  These gestures are those of one who wishes to be a friend.

Pip describes Herbert as "so unassuming that I felt grateful to him for not being puffed up.  It was a pleasnt addition to his naturall pleasant ways, and we got on famously."   Even when Joe comes to visit and Pip is embarrassed by his awkward behavior, Herbert, a true gentleman, eases the tension by acting the gracious host to Joe.   He even goes so far as to aid Pip in helping the convict Magwitch escape.  Tolerant, fair, and loyal, Herbert always tries to ease Pip's discomfiture--a true friend.

What are three significant characteristics of the Renaissance in Northern Europe?

The Northern Renaissance developed characteristics distinguishing it from its Italian counterpart.  First and foremost, treatment of mythological subjects was very rare in Northern Renaissance paintings and sculpture.  Instead, Northern artists focused their attention on religious subjects; however, rather than celebrating Christianity, Northern works served as warnings, often taking on an austere or even a frightening appearance.  The work of Hieronymus Bosch, particularly the Garden of Earthly Delights (1510), illustrates humanity indulging in all manner of worldly pleasure, at the same time also indicating the result of such indulgence.  Comparing Bosch's Last Judgment to Michelangelo's Last Judgment from the Sistine Chapel clearly illustrates the different mindsets.

Unlike the Italian Renaissance, the Renaissance in the North did not change in response to humanism; instead, change was religiously motivated.  Thinkers in the North felt that Rome, physically distant from the North, had also distanced itself from the true Christian path.  This feeling brought about the events culminating in the Protestant Reformation.  The typically austere Protestant religious perspective is evidenced a great deal in the art of the region.

Beyond the subject matter, Northern artists generally preferred to consider color and the amount of detail in their works; they were more concerned with how the overall piece looked.  Perspective really does not develop in Northern painting until much later than it does in Italy.  For this reason, Northern paintings, with some exceptions, do not share the same sense of depth and are less spatially representational than Italian paintings.