What is the significance of the story's title?

A Jury of Her Peers is a fitting title because it describes the understanding that was between the women as to what Minnie Wright had gone through, and they acquitted her of murder. Minnie had been badly treated, over- worked, and under-appreciated. Without the work that the women did, no one would survive the winter. The women kept the house, canned the food, and took care of everyone. However, the ones who came and investigated the crime were men who did not appreciate the value of what Minnie, or any of the women, did. They did not see the hard work that they put in, and they had no understanding of everything that the women had been through, but the women had understanding and empathy for her because they were truly her peers. They lived the same life. Most of the tension in the story has to do with what the women know to be true and what the men are just unable to see.  There are a number of small things that give the women hints as to what Minnie had been through. They saw the messy kitchen, canning supplies, and erratic quilt-stitching as important while the men did not see the value or importance in the small things.

Why was Buck unable to sleep and how did he finally solve the problem in "Call of the Wild"?

Buck is unable to sleep on his first night on the trail  because it is so cold.  Used to spending the night indoors, he first tries to enter the tent set up for Perrault and Francois, which "glow(s) warmly in the midst of the white plain", but the dog is quickly and unceremoniously "bombarded...with curses and cooking utensils...till he...(flees) ignominously into the outer cold".  Banished to the freezing elements, Buck feels he has no other option but to lay down in the snow, "but the frost soon (drives) him shivering to his feet".  Buck wanders miserably among the many tents for a time, but finds that "one place (is) as cold as another".  Finally, he seeks out his team-mates on the line, but finds "to his astonishment, (that) they (have) disappeared".  As he searches for them, the snow beneath his feet gives way, and when he sinks down into a neat and warm cavern, he discovers Billee, one of his fellow sled-dogs, "curled up under the snow in a snug ball".  Buck is a quick learner, and, having found out how the other dogs do it, immediately commences to dig a hole for himself and settle himself within it - "in a trice the heat from his body fill(s) the confined space and he (is) asleep" (Chapter 2).

In Chapter 27, what three incidents concerning Ewell occur? From these incidents and from Atticus, what do we learn about Bob Ewell?

Bob Ewell found acquired and lost a job, which led to him finding that his notoriety had been fleeting and he was no longer a local "celebrity".  Someone entered Judge Taylor's home without permission, which scared him.  Link Deas became aware of the Ewell family's (specifically, Bob's) harrassment of Helen Robinson and put an end to it by making Bob aware that it was not a secret and that Deas would charge him with assault if it continued.

The three incidents concerning Bob Ewell in Chapter 27 make it evident that Ewell is still consumed with matters of (false) pride, as he had been during the trial, and that he is a coward.  While Ewell is cowardly, he is also vindictive; this sort of person can be extremely dangerous.  It is evident that Ewell does intend to exact revenge on those he feels wronged him (primarily through embarrassment) and that he will do it through sneaky ways, rather than being "up front" and honest.

How would you characterize (describe) the relationship between Eliza and Nathaniel in Fever 1793?

Eliza is a free black woman who works alongside Mattie's mother Lucinda in running the coffeeshop.  Nathaniel is a young apprenctice to the painter Charles Wilson Peale who has a crush on Mattie.  Aside from a casual acquaintance, Eliza and Nathaniel really do not interact very much in the story; they have no relationship to speak of.  I wonder if you meant to ask about the relationship between Mattie and Nathaniel instead?

At the beginning of the book, Mattie and Nathaniel are about the same age, friends who might be interested in developing more of a relationship as time goes on.  Mattie recalls how Nathaniel "had rubbed snow in (her) face and chased (her) across the ice", a sure sign of interest; later, they go to see the historical launching of Jean Pierre Blanchard's hot air balloon together, and Nathaniel gives Mattie flowers during the height of the fever epidemic.  Mattie's mother does not approve of Nathaniel in the pre-epidemic days, snobbishly calling him unsuitable, with "no future...a scamp, possibly even a scoundrel" (Chapter 5).  After the fever, however, Mattie has grown up a lot and her mother's influence is much diminished.  Mattie says they have "an understanding", indicating that when the time is right, their relationship will most probably develop into something deeper and more permanent (Chapter 28).

In "Lord of the Flies", what do Piggy's concerns suggest about his character and level of intelligence? in "Lord of the Flies", Piggy reveals...

Piggy tells us that he believes there are other boys, like he and Ralph, scattered about the island. He also tells Ralph that the plane they were in that crash landed, and was apparently broken in half, was dragged out to sea by the storm.  He tells Ralph that his aunt told him he shouldn't run because of his asthma.  He explains that he doesn't care what people call him as long as they don't call him "Fatty" because that's what he was called at school and he clearly didn't like that name.  It's clear from what Piggy says that his aunt wouldn't let him do, that his aunt coddled him and that she's the reason he's overweight.  His aunt, with whom he lived, owned a candy store and they lived in an apartment above it.  Piggy reminds Ralph, who wants to believe that authorities know where they are, that the pilot told them there had been an atom bomb and that all the people back home were dead.  Piggy is the one who tells Ralph that they need to find the others; that they have to do something.  It is also Piggy who tells Ralph about how to use the conch shell.  This all tells us that Piggy is realistic and intelligent. He is organized and understands the need for them to take their situation seriously and to set up some sort of order.  Clearly, Piggy is intelligent and intuitive despite having lived a sheltered life.  He has probably struggled to be understood and listened to most of his life.

In Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal", he elaborates on an unfavorable balance of trade with England. To what is he referring?

The unfavorable balance has to do with England's use of Ireland's resources to the detriment of the Irish people.  Food, crops were exported to England while the poor Irish people were left to starve. 

In "A Modest Proposal," Swift is discussing the unfavorable use by England of Ireland's resources.  England, the dominant power, exported Ireland's crops for their own consumption, leaving the Irish, literally to starve. Swift's satire regarding the consumption needs of England, seemingly like a ravenous beast, suggests that the English begin to utilize the children of the poor Irish as their new food source.

What he is talking about, of course, is the fact that England is robbing the Irish of their very survival by removing their food crops, and the disparity between rich and poor is growing larger by the each passing day.

Swift is really making a political statement about the misuse of resources, the tyranny of the English against the Irish and the lack of proper governing provided by Irish politicians. He is also disappointed by the lack of fight against this inequality from the Irish people. 

Compare Manor Farm at the beginning of Animal Farm and at the end of the last chapter. What changes take place and what things remain the...

When Animal Farm opens, the reader is introduced to Manor Farm and Mr. Jones, its owner.  When Mr. Jones goes to bed in a drunken stupor, the animals of the farm gather to hear the Old Major's speech.  In the speech, the Old Major expresses the need and the hope for rebellion against human control.  In the second chapter, the animals take control of Manor Farm, and the pigs, under the leadership of Napoleon, assume the role of the ruling class.  In doing so, the pigs impose a set of "commandments" on the other animals.  For a short time, this system works well, as the animals eagerly work under the new rulership.

As the novel progresses, the animals come to realize that the leadership of Napoleon and the pigs is just as oppressive as that of Mr. Jones.  By the last chapter, the pigs, after having named the farm Animal Farm, change it back to Manor Farm.  This is a significant event in that it marks the acknowledgement that the farm has come full circle.  When the animals find they cannot distinguish the pigs from the humans, the circle completes itself.

The systems of government at the beginning of the novel and at the end share a great deal in common.  The perception of oppressive government in Chapter I becomes more of a reality by Chapter X.  In this sense, they are no better off by the end of the novel.  The only way the animals are any better off at the end is that they are wiser.  They have witnessed how "communist" government, for all of its protestations of freedom for the proletariat, leads to the same oppression it sought to replace.

How do the diction, irony, and suspense affect the short story "The Black Cat"?

All three of these elements contribute to the horror of this story, "The Black Cat."  In the exposition, the diction of the narrator is suggestive of an astute and sensitive  mind: " I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition."  He remarks upon the 'unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute which goes directly to the heart of him who has ...tested the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere man." Yet, in a grotesque turn of events, he kills both his wife and his cat. 

Later, the contrast between the diction and the action becomes more exaggerated, suggesting the arabesque of Poe:  grotesque irony and terror. The forces of good battle with evil in him until the horrific act, understated with ironic effect:  "But this blow [of the axe onto the cat]was arrested by the hand of my wife.  Goaded by the interference" he decides to kill her in his rage.  With grotesque calm he remarks, "This hideous murder accomplished, I set ...with entire deliberation to the task of concealing the body."  Calmly, the narrator chronicles the events following his wife's death and his confidence in his "guiltlessness" until in his "bravado" he knocks on the walls to prove their strength. In response is a "shriek, half of horror and half of triumph."  With suspense mounting, the wall is torn down, revealing the horror of a corpse and a "hideous beast." 

Why is Odysseus said to be the cleverest of the Greek heroes?

Odyessus is considered the cleverest of the Greeks for many reasons, not least of all because no matter how many times he messes up, he finds a way out of the mess.

It was Odyessus who came up with the idea of the Trojan horse, and perhaps even how to get the Trojans to take the horse into the city in the Aenad.

 It is that same man who, while bungling with Cyclops, figures out that if he ties his men to the underside of the sheep, the blinded Cyclops will not realize they are escaping.

 If you go through the Odyessey, you will find other instances of how Odyessus used clever techniques to get out of tough binds.

How do Leslie and Jess become friends?What interests and feelings regarding other people do they share?

Jess likes art and drawing. His skills are not appreciated by his traditional family and the other kids at school. He often feels like a misfit within his own family.  Leslie is a bit of a tomboy and wins the "races" at recess against the boys. This is unheard of for a girl to do, so she is quickly thought of as a misfit,too. Leslie also dresses differently than the other kids the first day of school and she mentions in class that she doesn't have a television. The other students in this small town think of her as odd. Jess recognizes that. They both enjoy using their imaginations. Both also get bullied by Janice Avery.

In Chapter 11 of "Lord of the Flies" while Ralph readies himself against a charge from Jack and his tribe, what does Roger do?

At the end of the novel, in Chapter 11 and 12 Roger does several different things.  In Chapter 11 Roger is the boy who uses a stick as a lever and causes the rock to roll down the hillside.  Even though Ralph just gets out of the way, the boulder knocks Piggy off the cliff and he falls to the rocks below.  

In the following chapter, Sameric tell Ralph he must run away because they are going to hunt him in the morning.  They tell Ralph that Roger has sharpened his stick on "both ends."

In "Macbeth," what makes Lady Macbeth more guilty than her husband?

Lady Macbeth, in the play is known as "The Fourth Witch" as it was she, who tempted Macbeth to get hold of power through a shortcut. However, Macbeth, himself is more responsible for the catastrophe that befalled him. He was insinuated by his wife to make use of unfair means to reach to the top, but, it was he, who followed her blindly. If he might be having sense and sensibility, he would have pondered longer before killing his hospitable king.

Secondly, Macbeth was having a wish to get the throne by hook or by crook. If it was not so, he was supposed to turn a dear ear to the prediction made by the three witches. But ironically, the witches' words not only remained at the back of his mind, influenced him, but he also shared these weird ideas with his wife. Hence, corresponding to his inward evil, and paving way to dethrone King Duncan, leading him to have a guilty conscience.

His scruples were more faulty as compared to that of his wife. He murdered the King, and after that, his inward wickedness and immorality gained strength as a result of which, he committed one evil after the other.Thus, reaching to the status of Tragic Hero.

Dont forget to remember that he also doesnot fit in the definitionof Tragic Hero given by Aristotle i.e. he must not have any sort of depravity, or moral dilemma. Howvere, Macbeth suffered from this drawback as well. So, i think, it wiuld be justified to claim that Macbeth is more faulty than his wife.

Hope, you will find it interesting.

What was the Wife of Bath's clothing, and what is the view of the Narrator and Chaucer in "The Canterbury Tales"?

The clothing of the Wife of Bath is decorative to the point of being ostentatious.  She is a skilled sewer, and obviously enjoys showing off:

Her kerchiefs were of finest weave and ground;
I dare swear that they weighed a full ten pound
Which, of a Sunday, she wore on her head.
Her hose were of the choicest scarlet red,
Close gartered, and her shoes were soft and new.
Bold was her face, and fair, and red of hue.

She used the best fabrics and used a lot of those fabrics.  She also used very colorful fabrics, which were both expensive and uncommon during this time.

The clothing is meant to reflect the woman herself.  She is confident, bold, and powerful.  She explains in her introduction that, as a wife (which she was often!), she always claimed the control over her relationship.  In only instance did she give her husband the power, only to steal it back from him in the end.  She is a feminist character, and explains through her story of the knight, the need of husbands to give control of the relationship itself to the wives.

The attitude of Chaucer, and through him the Narrator, is positive.  The Wife is interrupted a few times by the other guests, but this does not steal from her power in the conversation.  She is presented as an amusing character, and no judgement about her behavior is given by the Narrator, who instead describes her "wisdom" in the ways of love and her cheery nature.

Why and for whom did Charles Dickens write A Christmas Carol?

A Christmas Carol was probably written for a general audience. It was the first of five short books about Christmas, which was becoming more popular in Victorian England thanks to the Royal Family. Prince Albert, Victoria's husband, is credited with bringing the Christmas tree into style in England and the Royal family made quite a fuss celebrating this holiday. Before Victoria, Christmas was often thought of as a rather gaudy, rather pagan holiday because it was celebrated during the winter solstice. Dickens was obviously promoting the celebration of Christmas.

Although the story does contain a moral message about the poor, it was probably written for profit. When he finished the book, Dickens felt his story was so good that he refused to sell the rights of the book to his normal publisher and, instead, published the story himself. This was an excellent decision on Dickens' part. The story sold out soon after it was released and made Dickens quite a bit of money. Dickens would often read an abridged version of the story at public readings where people were charged money for listening to him read from his own works. In keeping with the idea of charity in the story, he would often donate part of that money to charity.

In "Of Mice and Men", why is Lennie responsible for the dream's death and how did it effect George?lennie is the person who encouraged george about...

The dream dies when Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife in the barn. Lennie doesn't know his own strength and wants to stroke Curley's wife's hair.  He accidentally jerks her neck back and kills her by accident.   Once George realizes that the woman was a victim of Lennie's strength, which he himself, does not realize how powerful it is, he knows that all the dreams they had together have died.

George makes a dramatic, courageous decision to shoot Lennie, so that his simple-minded, child-like friend with the super human strength does not have to go to prison and face execution.  Or worse, to be lynched right there on the spot by Curley and his men.  

George's life is dramatically changed once he kills Lennie.  Even though the burden of caring for Lennie was sometimes a heavy one, he loved him like a brother.  George will mourn for Lennie, feeling guilty that he could not protect his friend once more from his own strength and simpleness.

What is the importance of Janie's return to Eatonville?

Janie's return to Eatonville in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" both lends an irony to the title as well as establishing the conflicts of the novel.  The men and women of Eatonville who watch Janie come down the street, make "burning statements with questions, and killing tools out of laughs," but Janie ignores them and continues to walk to her house.  Unlike them, Janie has been "a delegate to de big 'ssociation of life."  She has truly lived and loved, and realized that "de dream is de truth" while the other women who are envious of her have gone nowhere.  Janie has had her eyes "watching God" and not just her neighbor out of envy.

The conflict established between Janie and others who would have her behave in a certain way is also established in the first chapter.  Thereafter, Janie finds herself struggling to maintain her self-identity in two marriages, one to an old man forced upon her by her grandmother, and another one into which she runs impulsively  in order to escape the first only to be later dominated by her new husband who does not want other men to see the beauty in his wife.  It is not until Tea Cake finds Janie in her husband's store and she goes with him after her husband's death that Janie truly finds herself as a woman fulfilled.

After the death of Tea Cake, Janie returns to Eatonville changed.  She wants the other women to see her and she wants to tell Phoeby her story for "meaning depends upon sharing" as Joseph Conrad wrote.  Janie's independence as a woman requires its telling.

In what ways does Piggy prove himself to be superior to Ralph?It is in chapter ten, somewhere.

In chapter ten of "Lord of The Flies," Piggy, Sam and Eric, and Ralph have just begun to recover from the terrible experiences of the night before.  Simon has been killed by the mob of frightened boys, and everyone has run off to join Jack except for these four boys and the little ones.  It is here that Piggy proves that he is, in someways, superior to Ralph.

Piggy must remind Ralph what is important and what needs to be done.  Ralph seems to fall apart in this chapter and can't keep his thoughts together.  Piggy reminds Ralph of the fire and why the fire is so important to their survival. Piggy is intellectually superior to Ralph when it comes to reasoning out what needs to be done.  Piggy takes over until Ralph can pull himself together, however, he doesn't start giving orders, he simply encourages Ralph to remember that he is still chief and they need to continue to carry on with the rules.

What do we learn about Scrooge's home life when Fan visits him at school?

We learn that Ebenezer isn't a part of it much, as he is away at boarding school. We also get the impression he might have been there for a while.  When Fan comes to retrieve him she says that their father is "much kinder now," so much so that she thought she would try one more time to ask him if Ebenezer could come home for Christmas. This indicates that she has asked before and has been refused, which further implies there may be some strain in the relationship between at least father and son, if not the whole family, until recently. 

Although the change in Ebenezer's father is not explained, it is interesting that Ebenezer himself becomes so cruel and harsh later in life only to also suddenly change right at Christmas, just as his father did.

In addition to the small amount we can glean about his father, we can also see that Ebenezer and his sister are very close. Although she is much younger than he is, they obviously adore one another, as we can tell by the way they interact:

"She clapped her hands and laughed, and tried to touch his head; but being too little, laughed again, and stood on tiptoe to embrace him. Then she began to drag him, in her childish eagerness, towards the door; and he, nothing loth to go, accompanied her" (Stave II).

He goes on to agree with the Ghost of Christmas Past when he says she had a big heart. 

From this Stave we learn nothing of the rest of Ebenezer's family, including his mother.

What details in “Cathedral” make clear the narrator’s initial attitude toward blind people?

The narrator is a narrow man.  He and his wife seem happy, but she clearly shows her frustration at their isolation from the rest of the world.  She is excited at the idea of a visit from an old friend - too excited, as if this sort of vist happens rarely.  Our prickly narrator is surly about the idea from the get-go.

However, when he finds out the visitor is a blind man, he not only shows himself even more caustic but more ignorant.  He believes, for example, that all "the blind don't smoke" and that they must always wear glasses.  It is his own narrative thoughts, as well as his resistant attitude, that show us his negative attitude.  Take this quote:

"And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed."

Robert - a named character as opposed to the unnamed narrator - is clearly a bright, energetic, and joyful man.  He immediately contradicts the narrator's presuppositions.  Carver skillfully builds his theme by using Robert as a foil to all the narrator's prejudices, and by allowing the blind man to teach the protagonist "to see".

What is the permeability of metamorphic rock?

Permeability in metamorphic rock tends to be nonexistent, as this particular kind of rock, formed from cooling lava,  is quite dense.  However, where these rocks are fractured, some permeability may occur; even so, only a small amount of water may exist in the fissures.  In the US, however, these rocks extend over large areas, and curiously, large amounts of ground water can be extracted from them.

Who did Buck dream about frequently?

Buck has a recurring dream of his distant ancestors. Namely, those animals who came before him and lived side by side with primitive man. These dreams become more prominent and vivid as the story progresses indicating Buck's transformation back into a more wild creature. Initially, Buck doesn't necessarily know what to make of the dream. It causes him restlessness. Eventually, he "acts" upon the dream, heeding the "Call of the Wild," and going back to roam with the wolves who live in the wild. On the surface, these dreams appear as just that, i.e., dreams. Some thought on them indicates that they are more than just random thoughts. They are, in reality, his true nature, the sounds of his heart, coming to fruition, speaking to him in the form of dreams. These dreams become a driving impetus for the realization of his destiny.

Can Bell's Palsy cause other stroke like symptoms? Such as memory lose, personality changes, chemical imbalances, or physical disablities? My son...

Bell's Palsy can cause pain, trouble speaking, and constant pain might tend to cause anger issues, but according to research, “Bells palsy should not cause any other part of the body to become paralyzed, weak or numb. If any other areas are affected Bell's palsy is not the cause of the symptoms, and further testing must be done.”

What emerges from Leper's threats in "A Separate Peace"? Chapter 10

Many of the boys at Devon School had threatened to enlist that winter, "but only Leper was serious".  A few weeks shy of his eighteenth birthday, Leper chose to join the ski troops rather than wait to be drafted.  The results of Leper's fulfillment of his threat to enlist were disastrous.

Leper could not stand up under the rigors of military life; he suffered a breakdown and was released with a Section Eight discharge "for the nuts in the service, the psychos, the Funny Farm candidates".  The raw experience of Basic Training was so different from the idealistic perceptions Leper had formed from seeing the recruitment films that he found himself unable to sleep, or eat, or function.  He couldn't ever seem "to yell soon enough, or loud enough", and soon Leper began to hallucinate, seeing faces of people he knew on women's bodies, and imagining that a broom carried by another recruit was a man's amputated leg.  Leper was sent back home in disgrace, his nerves shot, and his hold on reality tenuous.  When Gene goes to visit him, he finds his old friend ruined, with little hope for the future.

In his unstable state, Leper paradoxically speaks the unfiltered truth in many areas.  Ominously, he talks about the "savage underneath" within Gene, manifest "like that time (he) knocked Finny out of the tree...like that time (Gene) crippled (Finny) for life" (Chapter 9).

Please give me a short summary of "The Catcher in the Rye"

The story is about a 16 year old boy named Holden Caulfield.  His story starts from a mental institution where he is currently undergoing treatment for a nervous breakdown which he suffered after being kicked out of Pencey Prep.  He had been kicked out of other schools before this, he continuously fails time after time.

Holden is a very depressed young man.  He is suffering from deep grief over the death of his younger brother, Allie, who died from Leukemia three years ago.  He cannot connect with his peers, he has no real friends at school, he fights with or critizes everyone around him.

Holden becomes very anxious after he fights with Stradlater over his date with Jane, leaves Pencey Prep without permission, days before he is supossed to, not letting his parents know where he is or where he is going.  He goes to NYC and gets into lots of trouble. 

He sneaks into his own apartment when his parents are out, he enjoys seeing his little sister, Phoebe, the only person in the book who he really trusts. 

He is afraid to grow up, he does not want to be an adult.  He would rather remain a child.  He dreams of being a catcher in the rye, literally catching children as they fall off  a cliff that is a symbol for childhood.  Holden wants to keep children in the innocence of childhood.

Adulthood is too scary, too phony, and not for Holden   

"The Last Leaf" by O. Henry, what can be a good thesis and conclusion?For example we learn in the story that through power of friendship, Hope made...

Yes, friendship and sacrifice for others is basically the theme of this work, but O'Henry's understated manner of telling the story emphasizes the fact that sacrifice can be hidden in love.  The story gives the best conclusion for sacrificial love:

" . . . look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece—he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell.”

Greater love has no man than he who lays down his life for another. That is your conclusion if you think about it.  Think about how unselfish Johnsy's friends are. Look at her reaction to the leaf and how she realizes suddenly that SHE has been selfish. A masterpiece, that leaf, was all she needed and all the old man could give.

Good luck with your work.

In Act 4, what is Macbeth's attitude towards the witches this time?In Act IV, how has Macbeth's attitude towards the witches changed?

From the outset, Macbeth has not shown any real fear of the witches. When he and Banquo encounter them the first time, he is his assertive self, demanding of them to:

"Speak, if you can: what are you?"

His response to the witches' prophecy is different from that of Banquo. Banquo is unaffected but he notices that Macbeth "starts" and asks him why he is startled and afraid when the prediction is so favourable. The fact that Macbeth responds in this manner is not because of his fear of the witches, but that they have so accurately expressed his ambition to become king - they have verbalised his innermost thoughts and desire. 

After Duncan's assassination and his ascension to the throne, Macbeth becomes ruthless and bloodthirsty, suspicious and overwrought. He is in a state of continuous anxiety and has now completely given himself over to evil and therefore seeks out the witches to provide him with assurances. 

On his next encounter, he shows them very little courtesy or respect. The witches' initial warnings and assurances please Macbeth, but he demands to know more and even threatens them with a curse if they do not cater to his request:

"I will be satisfied: deny me this

 And an eternal curse fall on you!"

The Macbeth we see here has become the epitome of evil, unlike the man we met earlier - a man whose wife believed was "too full o' the milk of human kindness". The Macbeth we now know has become evil itself, so much so that he dares to threaten the servants with evil without any doubt or reservation.

Is "Romeo and Juliet" a tragedy, or a comedy with tragic events?

Well, it's classified in the manuscripts as a tragedy - so the question is more about genre than about classification. That is, nobody really argues that "Romeo and Juliet", which ends with the death of two young lovers, is anything other than a tragedy.

But you're right to suggest that it absolutely does have elements that we might associate with a comedy. For example, The play seems to start as a comedy, and only twists into tragedy on Mercutio's (accidental) death. The youthful high-jinks of the first scenes of "Romeo and Juliet" seem closer to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in youthful high-jinks, rather than the ominousness of a "Macbeth" or a "King Lear". Is Shakespeare trying his hand at a different sort of tragedy?

The play also relies on fate (their love is "death-mark'd") and chance (and coincidence) for it to happen - look at the way Friar John cannot, randomly, deliver Romeo's letter to Mantua, which brings about the dual suicide of the final act. And chance, of course, is something far more associated with comedy: look at the reunion of the twins in "The Comedy of Errors" for only one of many examples in Shakespeare.

Perhaps one of the objectives of the play is to ask the question - why do bad things happen? What is "tragedy"?

How does Chaucer view the monk in The Canterbury Tales?

Not very positively, I'm afraid.  Chaucer only wholly approves of the Knight, the Parson, and the Plowman in his Prologue.

The monk wears fine clothing and disregards the oath of the holy life he has pledged himself to living.  He is more concerned with worldly things like hunting and eating and dressing well.  In fact, Chaucer calls him a "monk out of his cloister" who is not "worth an oyster". 

The monk keeps nice horses and fancy greyhounds for hunting purposes.  He dresses extremely well and is very fat.  In other words, he lives more richly than a holy man should, he squanders money that the poor could be using by supporting animals, and eats more than is necessary to keep himself alive and healthy.

What does the Ghost of Christmas Present mean when he shows Scrooge the miners and says, "But they know me. See!"?

In this chapter, the Ghost of Christmas Present visits Scrooge and shows him what is happening all around him at the present time. In addition to taking him to a bustling marketplace full of food, and to the Cratchit residence where Scrooge sees his employee's many children, including Tiny Tim who is ill and uses crutches, the Ghost brings him to a desolate landscape. 

"What place is this?" asked Scrooge.

"A place where Miners live, who labour in the bowels of the earth," returned the Spirit. "But they know me. See." 

A light shone from the window of a hut, and swiftly they advanced towards it. Passing through the wall of mud and stone, they found a cheerful company assembled round a glowing fire. An old, old man and woman, with their children and their children's children, and another generation beyond that, all decked out gaily in their holiday attire. The old man, in a voice that seldom rose above the howling of the wind upon the barren waste, was singing them a Christmas song -- it had been a very old song when he was a boy -- and from time to time they all joined in the chorus. So surely as they raised their voices, the old man got quite blithe and loud; and so surely as they stopped, his vigour sank again.

In this scene, Scrooge is shown a group of people whose daily lives are desolate and difficult (miners work underground and often live short lives due to the dangers of their jobs, ranging from accidents to health problems from inhaling coal dust). The Ghost shows him that such people nevertheless celebrate the Yuletide season with joy; they dress in their finery and sing around the fire. 

It could be said that the old man seen here is a stand-in for Scrooge  himself; the old man sings a song to the children, and when they join in on the chorus he becomes more happy and animated. The children invigorate him, much as Scrooge finds that his heart goes out to Tiny Tim, and is moved by his loving disposition, despite the boy's illness.

The Ghost makes a point that even these people whose lives are harsh can "see him"--this means they know how to find the joy in their lives every day, and savor the moments of happiness when they come. This is something Scrooge has not done in many years, and this Ghost's lesson for him is to "seize the day" and enjoy every moment for what it is, not worrying about money or focusing on small unpleasant tasks or annoyances. Scrooge takes this lesson to heart when he tries his best at the end to improve the lives of people around him, especially Bob Cratchit and his family.

Can anybody describe the main characters in Holes?

As there are three story lines in this book (one main one and two subplots on other time lines), you need to first study the characters who know Stanley, the main protagonist. After that, make a separate list of the people associated with Stanley's ancestor who didn't take the pig up the mountain and then the ones involved with "Kissing Kate."

Apart from his immediate family members, other people very present in the life of Stanley are the Warden, Mr Sir, Mr Pendanski, Stanley's best friend Hector Zeroni (Zero) and the other boys digging holes at Camp Green Lake. This gets a bit complicated as each boy has been dubbed with a nickname which suits his physical appearance or personality. For example, since Stanley immediately stood up to a bully at the Canteen, the other boys admired his courage and nicknamed him 'Caveman.'

As the list is quite long, I will not enumerate all the characters here, but you can click on one of the following reference to get this information.

How is the Ratignolle marriage a contrast to the Pontellier marriage in "Awakening"?

Monsieur and Madam Ratignolle have a "traditional" Southern marriage, and Adele Ratignolle exemplifies the "ideal" Southern woman.  She is beautiful, helpless, submissive, and completely domestic, and she relies "on her husband's direction and approval" to give her fulfillment in life.  Adele Ratignolle's whole identity is dependent upon her family.  She lives "for...and through" her husband and children, and she wants for nothing else. 

On the surface, Leonce and Edna Pontellier have a traditional Southern marriage as well.  Leonce is a successful businessman who provides well for his family, and he expects the same kind of love and devotion that Adele Ratignolle shows for her family from his own wife Edna.  Edna, however, intelligent and talented in her own right, wants more out of life and is not happy.  Although she has long and dutifully seen to the needs of her husband and children, she is tormented by conflicting desires of her own. 

Unable to continue in the mold of the "ideal" Southern wife, Edna asserts her individuality, refusing to sleep with her husband, ignoring her household responsibilities, and eventually moving out of the house to pursue her own interests.  While she relishes her newfound liberation, Edna also needs the love and approval of those around her.  Knowing that her choices will never be accepted by society, but unwilling to give up her freedom, she has no choice but to kill herself.

What is the parody in the secret life of Walter Mitty?

In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," the parody lies in the characters that Mitty creates in his daydreams.  His heroes are extraordinary, skilled, super-hero type people, they are so over the top that the author seems to be mocking these type of people. Either they don't exist, or if they do, James Thurber is mocking them in this work.

Mitty's alter egos in his fantasies are exceptional, they are superhuman in their abilities to confront conflict and solve problems.  Cast against the hapless real-life Mitty, the story is funny, or comical when you think that Mitty, in his everyday life can't remember what his wife said to buy at the store. He fantasizes about being these larger than life type heroes, who next to him, make him look like a fool. 

Thurber mocks Mitty in two ways, first, he is juvenile in his quick escape from real life. Having daydreams at his age, either Mitty is insane or mentally unstable or suffers from delayed development and remains emotionally a child. He wastes his time on daydreaming rather than making something with his real life.

Also, the sound effects used in his scenarios, such as, pocketa,  pocketa, pocketa, which is the same for the airplane as it is for the fancy machine in the operating room.  Linking the daydreams or fantasies together with this sound effect acts as a parody in that it mocks the different characters that Mitty assumes through the continued use of this sound.   The sound effect is silly and unrealistic, so we know that Mitty is in another daydream, not a memory.

What type of fiction is Paul's Case? Is it interpretive literature or escape literature?

Paul's Case would be defined as interpretive literature, not escape fiction. Escape fiction generally aims only to entertain and bring amuse, providing escape from reality. Paul's Case is deeply seated in reality, showing the modern generation's disillusionment with the American Dream.

Who are the antagonists in "The Adulterous Woman"?

The antagonist in "The Adulterous Woman" is actually Janine's husband Marcel. His antagonist's role is established from the beginning of the story as he persuades Janine to go on a trip she is not interested in, which results in Janine's open--though private--negative assessment of Marcel's qualities and of her life with him. The culmination of his status as the antagonist occurs when he stays asleep at the hotel while she goes again to the ruins of the fort, running faster and faster to get to the place where she can relive the freedom and joy she felt there the first time she, with Marcel accompanying, visited it.

The other men in the story act in an antagonistic manner although they are not antagonists in the story. The soldier in the bus and the other men who fail to notice Janine's feminine presence and power represent an antagonism toward Janine's female freedom and authenticity. This undergirds Camus's thematic concern for the discovery and expression of personal authenticity in an inauthentic life filled with habit, which drowns out an authentic understanding of self and an authentic life.

What are 3 examples of symbolism in the book "Maniac Magee"?

 One symbol was the address that Maniac didn’t have which symbolized homelessness.   When he left the Beals home he was once again not only without a home but without an address.Racial prejudice was symbolized by Hector Street being used as a line which black people and white people didn’t cross.  Maniac knew if he were to help people become more tolerant he would have to get them to cross the street.The importance of books in this novel was symbolic of the importance of literacy.  He read at the Beals, and when he left there he taught Grayson to read. 

In "Young Goodman Brown", what means does the devil use to persuade Brown to continue his journey to the devil baptism?

The devil uses several tactics to persuade Young Goodman Brown to continue on the journey towards the baptism. First, he makes himself amenable to Brown by claiming he knows many of his relatives. Young Goodman Brown doesn't quite believe the devil and claims that for his wife Faith he must go back, but immediately they come upon Goody Cloyse on the path who is the first in a series of pious people that Brown sees along this path to the baptism. Also at this point, the devil gives Young Goodman Brown his staff which, as the story suggests, has supernatural evil powers itself.

The devil also engages in a lively and reasoned discussion with Young Goodman Brown debating the evil of the situation. Brown becomes so interested in the conversation that he doesn't even realize he is continuing deeper into the forest. The final straw is when Brown hears his wife from the cloud above and sees her pink ribbons fall. He believes his wife is given over to Satan, so he looses his own 'faith' and tears through the forest directly into the baptism. Once their, he is drawn forward by members of the 'congregation' gathered for Brown's baptism. Young Goodman Brown seems to make one final appeal to Faith and his faith at the evil altar, but it's too late. Satan's destruction of Brown's life is complete, and becomes evident when Brown returns to town and lives the rest of his life in despair and gloom.

In "The Merchant of Venice", why does Shylock call Portia a Daniel?

In the Old Testament, Daniel was considered a wise man, and served as counselor to kings. He was a visionary who could see justice that others missed. Because Portia seems to be ruling for Shylock, he calls her a Daniel to praise her mercy and wisdom. (It also reminds audiences that he's Jewish, since Daniel's story is found in the portion of the Bible that Jews and Christians share.)

Why was the death of Romeo and Juliet tragic in this play?

The deaths of Romeo and Juliet were tragic for several reasons, but to name a few:  the deaths didn't have to happen.  Had they explained to their parents that they had married one another secretly, it would not have been pleasant, but no one would be dead.  They are also so very young.  Any time a young person takes his or her own life, it is very tragic indeed.  In addition, they had two adult allies, and neither of them stepped up to speak on behalf of the young couple.  So, the Friar and the Nurse have these two deaths on their heads as well.   Also, it is very sad that so many things went wrong which could have prevented the whole catastrophe:  the note from the Friar to Romeo wasn't delivered in time, Romeo thinks Juliet is truly dead, and he kills himself in the tomb; the Friar arrives too late to keep Romeo from doing the act, and also to prevent Juliet from killing herself.  On top of it all, the Friar's poor timing not only allows Romeo time to kill himself, but also Paris.  So, there are three young people slain in the tomb of the Capulets by the end of Act V.  It is all so senseless and sad.

How did the enlightenment change basic western attitudes toward faith, reform, and reason?

The Enlightenment philosophy engaged the idea that man was generally 'good' and that this 'goodness' would govern his decision making abilities. Those who adopted an 'enlightenment philosophy' believed that they had the capacity to reason and therefore were entitled to autonomy over their lives. Enlightenment thinkers believed that they themselves were capable of reforming the society they lived in and it did require permission from the church. This new belief flew in the face of religion, namely the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. As a result, many enlightened thinkers moved away from the absolute obedience the church required of them and instead adopted a Deist philosophy. Those who considered themselves Deists believed in a higher or supreme being however were free to worship as they saw fit. They viewed the Roman Catholic Church as an institution that lost its revelance in the new scientific, philosophical world they lived in. The rules and requirements the church 'forced upon the sinning masses' simply went against the idea that people were generally good.

I need a summary of "Arts Education Does Pay Off," by Livio Di Matteo

The subtitle of Di Matteo's essay encapsulates her argument:  "Support for Sciences Ignores the Benefits of Broader Education."

Basically, what she cautions is the gradual but steady decline of a society which ignores the arts in favor of sciences.  It is difficult to measure the benefits of an education in the arts.   Unlike an invention that can change the world or the price of a barrel of oil, there is no immediate or measurable standard by which to judge the success of artistic endeavors. 

Still, we ignore arts education at our own peril, for, as Di Matteo says,

"Just as a vaccination benefits people other than those inoculated by reducing disease transmission, the humanities and social sciences have spill-over benefits by transmitting wisdom to society."

Aside from societal altruism, there are other good reasons cited for continuing to fund the arts in higher education.  Among those reasons:

• While the sciences provide "technical solutions" to problems, "only individuals trained in human science can deal with the economic, ethical, cultural and social implications of these solutions"
• Liberal arts graduates are prized because of their ability to think creatively and laterally using skills acquired in analysis, synthesis, research and communication.
• Humanities and social science students make up approximately half of university enrollments.

Are General Zaroff (The Most Dangerous Game) and Montresor (The Cask of Amontillado) crazy?

They are equally cunning, manipulative, determined and indifferent to human life, but they are not crazy.  However, their motivation is different.

Montresor is motivated by revenge.  He needs to exact revenge on Fortunato to preserve/rescue, his family's honor.  He is acting on a family tradition that propels him to plan and execute a perfect murder.  He lures the unsuspecting Fortunato to his death without violence, there is no evidence.

Zaroff is motivated by his desire to be entertained through the sport of hunting humans.  He has grown bored with hunting animals, so he matches his wits with human prey.  He gives them a chance to defend themselves, so it is not too easy for him.  He thrives on the challenge of tracking a human, who is smart, with higher level thinking, rather than pursuing a simple animal.

Montresor is not a classic murderer, he has chosen his victim for a specific reason, a thousand injuries against him, Poe does not explain what they are, he is not likely to murder anyone else.  So he is not crazy, just filled with purposeful revenge.  His behavior is not normal, but it is easier to understand than Zaroff's.

Zaroff's behavior is more like that of a mad scientist who gets a thrill when he makes an unethical discovery in his lab.  Every time Zaroff hunts a human he must get a rush of adrenalin, like riding on a roller coaster.  It's easy to get addicted to this feeling.      

Verify the equality! arcsin (4/5) + arcsin (5/13) + arcsin(16/65)=pi/2

To start off, arcsin (4/5), arcsin (5/13), and arcsin (16/65) are angles, but we don't know the value of them. These being angles, it means that we can apply trigonometric functions. In this case, arcsin is the inverse function of trigonometric function sine. But there is a problem: we can calculate the sine of only a two angles addition, not three, like in this case. So, in order to proceed with the addition, we have to move any term from the left side to the right side. We've chosen to move the last term from the left side: arcsin (16/65).

arcsin (4/5) + arcsin (5/13) = pi/2 - arcsin (16/65)

sin [ arcsin (4/5) + arcsin (5/13)]=sin [pi/2 - arcsin (16/65)]

We'll use the formula sin(a+b)=sin(a)cos(b)+sin(b)cos(a) and instead of a and b angles, we'll have arcsin (4/5), arcsin (5/13), arcsin (16/65).

sin [arcsin (4/5)]*cos[arcsin (5/13)] + sin[arcsin (5/13)]*cos[arcsin (4/5)] = sin(pi/2)*cos[arcsin (16/65)] - sin[arcsin (16/65)]*cos(pi/2)

But sin arcsin a = a and cos arcsin a=[1-(arcsin a)^2]^1/2

sin [arcsin (4/5)] = 4/5

cos[arcsin (5/13)]=(1 - 25/169)^1/2=12/13

sin[arcsin (5/13)] = 5/13

cos[arcsin (4/5)]=(1 - 16/25)^1/2=3/5

sin(pi/2) = 1

cos[arcsin (16/65)]= (1-256/4225)=63/65

sin[arcsin (16/65)] = 16/65

cos(pi/2)=0

Now, we'll substitute the above values:

4/5*12/13 + 5/13*3/5 = 1*63/65 - 16/65*0

[(4*12) + (5*3)]/5*13=63/65

(48+15)/65 = 63/65

63/65 = 63/65

What did one of the soldiers attempt to steal from a civilian in "The Red Badge of Courage"?

One of the solidiers attempts to steal a horse from a civilian.

Soon after the regiment begins its march to parts unknown, the mood of the men changes.  Happy to be moving at last, the men are in high spirits, and "blithe and merry speeches...(go) from rank to rank".  Henry observes that the men seem to have forgotten their mission; "whole brigades (grin) in unison, and regiments (laugh)".  In the atmosphere of giddy exuberance, "a rather fat soldier (attempts) to pilfer a horse from a dooryard...(he plans) to load his knapsack upon it".  A young girl rushes out of the house grabs the animal's mane, and a scuffle ensues.  The young girl, "with pink cheeks and shining eyes", is obdurate in her defense of the horse; she hangs on "like a dauntless statue.  The regiment, amused, whoops by the side of the road, entering the confrontation verbally "whole-souled upon the side of the maiden".  When the fat soldier finally retreats without the horse, "loud and vociferous congratulations (are) showered upon the maiden, who (stands) panting and regarding the troops with defiance" (Part 1, Chapter 2).

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" why does Calpurnia speak two languages?

When Calpurnia is asked why she speaks like other people of color when she attends church, her explanation is that she does not want her fellow congregation members thinking that she is condescending to them.

She even tries to frame her answer in a way that Scout can understand, by asking her if she would feel "right" about using a different dialect in the presence of her family and friends. By putting Scout into her own (Calpurnia's) shoes, Cal helps Scout to understand why her "double life" is necessary.

The irony is that Calpurnia is capable of not only speaking correct, unaccented English, but she is also one of the few church members who can read and write, by her own admission. Calpurnia's ability to slip between the worlds of white and black southerners is a bit distressing to the children at first, but once Cal calmly explains its necessity, the scene is one of the more memorable in this novel.

In Act II of "Julius Caesar", What is the purpose of Brutus' interview with Ligarius?

Brutus' chief purpose to meet and interview Ligarius is to discuss with him his plans to assasinate Caesar. It is Metellus who first suggests to Brutus that it would be a good idea to include Caius Ligarius in the conspiracy, because Caius Ligarius does not like Caesar for when Ligarius once praised Pompey, Caesar scolded him: "Caius Ligarius doth bear Caesar hard/who rated him for speaking well of Pompey." Immediately, Brutus asks Metellus to send for Caius Ligarius so that he can talk to him and convince him to to join the conspiracy to assasinate Julius Caesar, "now, good Metellus, go along by him/He loves me well and I have given him reasons/Send him but hither and I'll fashion him."

"I'll fashion him": I (Brutus) will convince him and persuade him to join the conspiracy to assasinate Julius Caesar.

If Macbeth felt so guilty about killing Duncan, why does he kill Banquo, Lady Macduff, and her children?

In a simple sentence, because he gets the crown and his guilt disappears. Straight after the murder, Macbeth feels extremely guilty, refusing to go back to leave the daggers with Duncan's grooms, and succumbing to horrible imaginings about his bloody hand reddening the sea:

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.

There's then an uneasy performance the next morning when Macbeth tries to pretend he knows nothing about the murder. And then the next time we see him, he's crowned. And he has to try and secure his throne - remember that Banquo's children are predicted to be kings!

So, to secure his throne he tries to kill Banquo (and his son Fleance, who escaped) and then to weaken Macduff, has Lady Macduff and her children murdered (mainly because the witches tell him to "Beware Macduff").

Macbeth keeps killing. But he does feel guilty - and he isn't sleeping, as the following soliloquy explains:

But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams
That shake us nightly. Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy.

He is guilty, but he keeps killing. One of the lessons of the play is that holding a moral opinion doesn't have to affect your actions.

Why was industrial power and the ability to mobilize it critical to the U.S. during World War II? Explain the Lend-Lease Program using the five...

Industrial power was essential to the United States during World War II simply because of the constant demand for military resources.  In World War II, more than in any other war, it was equally essential, given that the United States was so far removed from the areas of conflict - the Pacific and in Europe - for the United States to mobilize their industrial power quickly and efficiently.

Though the United States was technically not at war with Germany in 1938, President Roosevelt decided to provide conspicuous aid to the Allies.  The Lend-Lease program was Roosevelt's answer to contributing to the Allied effort without a formal declaration of war; though it was started in 1938, it came into full effect by 1941.  Under the Lend-Lease program, the United States would provide military resources to the Allied nations to aid them in their fight against the Axis powers in Europe. In exchange for the resources, Allies, particularly Great Britain, gave the United States cash.  Though it started as "cash-carry," Roosevelt eliminated the "carry" part, bringing the United States into more direct contact with Germany.  The Americans would bring aid directly to the Allies.  American aid included ships, tanks, and other weapons, as well as food and other supplies.

During the war, the United States government established the Office of Price Administration to combat the very real possibility of wartime inflation.  The office would regulate a range for prices, particularly on those commodities essential to the war effort - tin, rubber, copper, etc.  The War Production Board was given supreme authority by the government to gather necessary wartime materials.  The National Labor Relations Board helped to ensure the cooperation of unionized labor in the war effort, while the War Information Board regulated the dissemination of information, particularly information deemed necessary for national security.  Each of these government bodies had as their goal the efficient running of the wartime effort.

What types of figurative language is used in Island of the Blue Dolphins"?

The most predominant type of figurative language is Karana's standard use of metaphor to describe her surroundings.  She teases her brother for doing this very thing in Chapter 1, but the reader soon learns that Karana uses metaphor often and naturally as a part of her normal speech patterns. She also uses personification, especially of animals, to describe her time alone. The animals she "adopts" as pets during her years on the island become her family, and she describes them as individuals with thoughts and feelings who regard her actions as people would.

In regards to irony what are some comparisons between "The Yellow Wallpaper" and The Great Gatsby?I'm writing a paper in which I have to compare...

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator employs may instances of verbal irony when she is explaining things, especially about her husband. For instance, when she describes the house in the opening lines, she says that her husband laughs at her impressions of something "queer" about the house, ironically adding that "but one expects that in marriage." Through a double use of irony, the narrator uses verbal irony (saying one thing, meaning another: "I would not say it to a living soul...") to describe an ironic situation when she expresses her ironic sentiment that the reason she is still ill is that her husband is a doctor: "John is a physician, and--perhaps ... that is one reason I do not get well faster."

The Great Gatsby is full of irony, starting with the title: the great Gatsby, though wealthy, on many levels isn't so great, although the narrator does say, "Gatsby turned out all right at the end." There are many ironic situations, such as Gatsby searching nightly for Daisy while she lives just across the bay; Gatsby's new neighbor Nick being a distant cousin of Daisy; hundreds of guests at his many parties but few at his one and only funeral. There are also instances of verbal irony such as when Daisy says of the birth of her daughter that she hopes she'll be a fool: "I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool... ." 

Explain to me "Sonnet 123" by Shakespeare.

In many of his sonnets, Shakespeare addresses the personification of Death and Decay; sonnet 123 specifically addresses the personification of Time as a corrupting entity. Where in most of his sonnets the remedy to death is Love, here it appears the remedy to Time, or Decay, is Truth, because Truth never dies or alters.  No matter what monuments past generations have built to commemorate some event, the current generation doesn't quite see the intended meaning, but devises it's own interpretation of past events, even if wrong, because the monuments, due to their age, inspire reverence.  So even if the monuments are false but endure, the narrator in the sonnet will maintain the Truth, but will eventually die.  To paraphrase:

Time cannot change the Truth that I hold

Newly commemorated events, new monuments
Are nothing new to me
They're reflections of what earlier generations thought important
We live for a short time, so we marvel at ancient things
But project our own thoughts upon them
Rather than having heard about what they commemorate
History and Time I defy
And I don't worry about the past or present
For History and monuments aren't exactly true
Because Time never stops to get all the details correct
But what I perceive to be true I uphold forever
Despite that I decay and eventually die

Why does Rochester envy Jane's innocence in Chapter 14 of "Jane Eyre"?

Rochester envies Jane's innocence because it reminds him of what he was like when he was her age.  He reminisces, "when I was as old as you, I was a feeling fellow enough...but fortune has knocked me about since...I was your equal at eighteen - quite your equal...nature meant me to be, on the whole, a good man...one of the better kind".  Rochester hints that circumstances have caused him to become jaded and depraved, and that now he is little more than "a trite, commonplace sinner".

Rochester also envies Jane's innocence because it manifests itself in a directness and honesty which he finds refreshing.  He finds her manner "frank and sincere"; he appreciates that he can be candid with her and receive in return intelligent and truthful responses, unlike "the affectation...coldness...stupid coarse-minded misapprehension of one's meanings (which) are the usual rewards of candour".  Rochester is sick to death of phony people with "artificial" values and interests, like his daughter Adele shows signs of becoming with her exhuberant delight in presents and pretty things.  Jane, in her innocence, is a welcome diversion from the world in which Rochester lives, and she represents to him a time when he was a better person than he is now (Chapter 14).

Why did writing arise in and spread to some societies but not to others?

Most societies with writing did not develop it on their own.  Rather, they "borrowed" it from or were inspired to develop it by neighboring societies who already had writing.  If societies were isolated and so were not aware of writing and its value, they were unlikely to create it on their own.

The societies that did independently invent writing were those with complex hierarchies and sophisticated systems of food production.  Writing was needed for politics and was generally learned by bureaucrats who had the comfort of available time and energy.  As food was available to them, they had no need to hunt and gather for themselves. Since their basic needs were being met, they could focus on a higher level of existence and communication.

What is the poem "First Love" about?It was written by John Clare

This poem is about just what it says in the title: first love.  The first time the speaker ever felt that tug of his heartstrings is described completely in this poem. After he sees her for the first time and falls for her, he takes us through the different things that happen to him physically, including his hear, his appearance, his sight and his overall feelings.

"My face turned pale as deadly pale My legs refused to walk away" says that her face alone caused him to stop in his tracks and not be able to move.  "And then my blood rushed to my face and took my eyesight quite away" shows how the color came quickly back into his face and he "blacked out" because of his emotional state. And the speaker ends the poem with "My heart has left its dwelling-place and can return no more."  This just says that now that he has seen her, he will never be the same.  She forever has his heart.

It's a straightforward poem.  There really are no hidden meanings.  It's all about that first love.

What is the setting in the book Of Mice and Men?

Most of Of Mice and Men occurs on the Tyler Ranch in California. George and Lennie’s job on the ranch is to help bring in the harvest. The fact that the story takes place during the Great Depression underscores the economic difficulties that George and Lennie face as seasonal workers.

Not all of the story takes place on the ranch, however. As the book opens, George and Lennie have found a nice quiet spot by a river. This is the only time in the novel when things will be this peaceful for them. Steinbeck uses setting to frame the story by having the characters return to this spot at the end of the book, but now things are no longer nice and quiet.

It is also worth noting that Steinbeck divides the ranch setting to show the isolation of the one black character, Crooks. While all the white workers live in the bunkhouse, Crooks is segregated into the barn as the “stable buck.”

Explain Hamlet's comparison of himself to the actor.

Hamlet has been concerned since he saw the ghost with the issue of appearance versus reality: who tells the truth and who lies? Is the ghost actually his dead father? Who among the courtiers in a corrupt court tells the truth? Is his uncle really a murderer?

It also weighs heavily on Hamlet, who is depressed and having suicidal ideation, that he feels paralyzed. He is terribly grieved over his father's death and feels the loss acutely. If the ghost is telling the truth, he feels the burden of needing to avenge his father's murder. 

When the traveling players come, Hamlet watches the First Player as he acts the part of Hecuba, the wife of King Priam, mourning her husband's death with tears and body language that communicate deep grief. Hamlet wonders that someone merely acting a part can so convincingly convey strong emotion. Hamlet asks

What’s Hecuba to him or he to Hecuba

That he should weep for her?

He then compares himself to the player, noting how deeply he, Hamlet, has genuine cause for emotion ("passion") and a real "cue" (the words of the ghost) to prompt him to act. He wonders 

What would he [the player would] do

Had he the motive and the cue for passion

That I have? He would drown the stage with tears

And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,

Make mad the guilty and appall the free ...

Hamlet judges himself harshly for not being able to muster the player's emotion. Why he wonders, can't he express or act on what he feels?

"Am I coward?" Hamlet wonders. Hamlet's inner struggles are acute and ongoing, a source of anguish to him that is only exacerbated by his encounter with the player. 

What are the main and secondary ideas in each paragraph of "Soldier's Home"?

This is a very important text talking about the horrors of war and the impact of fighting in war on some of the young, impressionable men that experienced warfare, so it is well worth reading yourself.

The story is set in the summer of 1919 in a small town in Oklahoma. The protagonist of the story, Harold Krebs, has just returned home from fighting in World War I. However, he has arrived too late for the hero's welcome that other returning soldier's received and as such, he finds he has come home to a community that wants to put the war behind them. Because of this, he feels he is unable to speak honestly about his own experiences of war. He does little to try and reintegrate into his family life and ends up drifting into passivity and inertia as he reads, plays pool and sleeps. Although he is attracted to several young girls in his town, he is not willing to make any effort to build a relationship, fearing commitment and the trouble that this brings. The climax of the story occurs when his mother confronts him about his life and what he is going to do with it, and he decides to leave "home" for good. Hemingway in this story depicts the thoughts of an anti-hero that is no longer willing to be part of mainstream life.

In "By the Waters of Babylon" how does John's rite of passage (journey to the place of the gods) change him?

Along his journey, he gathers strength and courage as he fights off wild animals, hides from the Forest tribes, and makes decisions on his own.  Before, he was beholden to the rules and rites of his tribe; on the journey, he gains confidence, and feels okay in passing previously set boundaries.  He takes things further than anyone else in his tribes has done before, and as a result, gains more knowledge than anyone else.

In the end, it opens his eyes to a great truth, that the gods were men, just like them.  This gives him incredible knowledge and power; then, when he gets home, upon the advice of his father, he tempers that knowledge with wisdom, choosing to dispense his knowledge a bit at a time, in order for his people to use each bit wisely.

So, he left his tribe a boy who saught permission to do all that he did.  He was naive and expectant, excited and had a very limited perspective.  He came back full of confidence, having passed numerous tests of strength and courage, and armed with knowledge that would change him and his people forever.

In Romeo and Juliet, in what ways is Romeo a hothead?

While Romeo is too preoccupied with love to be involved in the fray of Act I, in Act II he is impetuous as he climbs into  Juliet's orchard and later rushes to the Friar to have h im marry him and Juliet; however, he clearly displays a choleric nature in Act III when his friend Mercutio is slain by Tybalt.  Romeo is enraged as he sees Tybalt:

Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain!/Away to heaven, respective lenity,/And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!(III,i,104-106)

Here, he then slays Tybalt in his rage.  Then, when Romeo learns that he is banished from Verona, he flings himself on the floor of Friar Laurence's cell, weeping for himself.  Friar Laurence tries to get Romeo to listen to him:  "Thou fond mad man, hear me a little speak" (II, iii,  ). When Romeo will not listen, the Friar scolds him, but Romeo says that unless the Friar is he, the priest cannot understand. After the Nurse arrives, Romeo learns of Juliet's torment, Romeo wants to kill himself:

Doth my name lodge?  tell me, that I may sack/The hateful mansion (III,iii,105-106)

After Romeo has his secret night with Juliet before leaving Verona, she begs him to stay a little longer as it is not quite day yet; so, he impetuously entertains death again:

Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;/I am content, so thou wilt hav it so.../Come deth, and welcome! Juliet wills it so./How is't, my soul?  let's talk; it is not day (III,v,17-25)

Finally, when Balthasar informs Romeo of Juliet's apparent death, Romeo shouts "Then I defy you, stars!" (V,i,24).  His servant is concerned, tells Romeo to have patience, and remarks upon his pale and wild looks.  But, Romeo ignores him and rushes to an apothecary for poison.  When Romeo arrives at the Capulet crypt, he cries "By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint/And strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs (I,iii,   )  In a temper, he slays Paris who enters the tomb; then, despairing, he assumes Juliet is dead, and drinks the poison. Sadly, it is Romeo's impetuous, hotheaded nature that contributes to the fateful events of the play.

How are full-sentence outlines more beneficial than topic outlines?

Although I can think of no ways in which to answer this question in specific reference to The Iliad, I can certainly give you a good general reason.  When you write a full-sentence outline, you have less work to do when you go to write your actual essay.  Most everything is done for you already and in perfect form.  If you do only a topic outline, there is still a lot of thinking to be done and ideas to add.  When I write outlines, I often end up writing two:  first the topic outline and then the full-sentence outline.

Discuss the importance and symbolism of the clothing Jay Gatsby wears in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The response should...

There are a number of references to the attire Jay Gatsby wears throughout the novel. Each, in its own way, points to or is associated with the particular event in which it is mentioned. At first, there are hardly any references to Jay's clothes. On their first meeting, Nick Carraway does not even realize that he is speaking to the famous Mr. Gatsby.

We were sitting at a table with a man of about my age and a rowdy little girl, who gave way upon the slightest provocation to uncontrollable laughter.

His clothes are not mentioned at all. It is clear that Jay wore attire which did not draw too much attention to him. This fits in with the anonymity of his persona. It retains the mystery surrounding him, which obviously led to many rumors and much gossip.  

In this chapter (three), Nick gives us an idea of what Jay wears. He mentions 

...I was looking at an elegant young rough-neck,...

The oxymoron tells the reader that Jay was well-dressed and looked smart, fitting attire for a man of wealth, but that he had an air of roughness about him. There was an edge to Jay Gatsby which reflected the harsh conditions which he had to endure.

Fitzgerald develops Jay Gatsby's character by consecutively, although not necessarily in chronological order, describing the stages through which Jay's dress evolves.

In chapter four, Jordan Baker describes her first meeting with Jay:

...she was sitting in it with a lieutenant I had never seen before. 

He was obviously wearing a military uniform for her to recognize his position. This description informs of a point in Jay's life when he was about to leave Daisy to do military service during the war. At that point he had nothing to offer her in material terms.

In chapter 5, Nick had arranged tea for Daisy. This was a ruse so that Jay could meet her. It was a carefully planned, secret liaison. The clothing Jay wore for the occasion is symbolic of how he wished to present himself to his lost love, his holy grail. He went somewhat overboard, as the description shows:

An hour later the front door opened nervously, and Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in. 

The colors are significant, since they denote richness and the value of the occasion for Jay. It was to be a moment of great value, indicated by the colors silver and gold. Later in the chapter, Jay displays his grand possessions. These are an indication to Daisy that he has made it and will be able to take care of her material needs, just like Tom does.

...opened for us two hulking patent cabinets which held his massed suits and dressing-gowns and ties, and his shirts, piled like bricks in stacks a dozen high.

Jay, once again, wants to prove his status and confirm his value. He states that,

“I’ve got a man in England who buys me clothes. He sends over a selection of things at the beginning of each season, spring and fall.”

In the same chapter, we are given insight into Jay's humble past, just after he met Dan Cody.

There was a small picture of Gatsby, also in yachting costume, on the bureau —

Furthermore, Jay has now become very comfortable and happy and has changed from the almost garish silver shirt and gold tie and was:

...now decently clothed in a “sport shirt,” open at the neck, sneakers, and duck trousers of a nebulous hue.

The clothes he wears here indicate that he is at ease. The anxiety he had experienced before is all gone. He feels comfortable and happy for Daisy has given him a reason to be so.

Chapter 6 tells of his meeting with Dan Cody and the description of his clothes before this time indicates the harsh life he had to endure.

It was James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green jersey and a pair of canvas pants,... 

Jay was dirt poor and survived "as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or in any other capacity that brought him food and bed."

At any rate, Cody asked him a few questions (one of them elicited the brand new name) and found that he was quick and extravagantly ambitious. A few days later he took him to Duluth and bought him a blue coat, six pair of white duck trousers, and a yachting cap. 

The clothes here symbolized a new way of life for Jay. A new opportunity had arisen for him and he could achieve his ambitions.

In chapter 8, after the accident in which Myrtle Wilson was killed, Nick describes Jay's attire as follows:

His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color against the white steps, and I thought of the night when I first came to his ancestral home, three months before.

Once again, a contrast is created. The words "gorgeous" and "rag" form an antithesis which indicates Jay's confused state at that moment. He is unsure of what to do. Irony is created by the color pink, which represents hope, but it is clear that this bright hope has been damaged. Against the white steps it becomes glaringly obvious that there is nothing more, no turning back.

In chapter nine, Jay's vulnerability is effectively portrayed by what he wears: 

At two o’clock Gatsby put on his bathing-suit and left word with the butler that if any one phoned word was to be brought to him at the pool.

Jay is unprotected and vulnerable to any attack. It is at this point that George Wilson, husband of the tragically unfortunate Myrtle, arrives and shoots Jay, killing him.

In "Bartleby the Scrivener," what does the lawyer see in Bartleby? After all, the lawyer has never seen him before he hires him.

The lawyer, who has just taken on new work, is looking for a copyist or scrivener, not another lawyer. Since there were no copy machines in those days, lawyers had to have all legal documents copied by hand. The work was tedious and stressful because each copy had to be exactly like the other copy. Since the lawyer is in a hurry to hire someone to do the extra work, and Bartleby seems to be qualified, the lawyer hires him. At first, everything goes well. Then, of course, Bartleby begin "preferring not" to do things. I'm sure if the lawyer had checked out some of Bartleby's references, he would have been warned that his scrivener was a little odd. But the lawyer is a kind man and seems to trust others easily. That and his haste to hire someone leads to tragic consequences.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", how does Scout’s initial description of Mayella Ewell show Scout’s character growth?

Scout describes Mayella physically--she seems strong, but stealthy. She also notices that Mayella seems to try most than the rest of the Ewells--she seems as though she tries to keep clean on a regular basis rather than just on special occasions.

The big moment that shows Scout is growing up is that she comes to the conclusion that Mayella must be lonelier than Boo Radley. White people won't have anything to do with her because of her family and poverty and black people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she is white. Scout and Dill have already come to the conclusion that Boo Radley perhaps wants to stay in his house--but Mayella seems to want to be a part of a society that won't have anything to do with her.

Scout is able to put herself in Mayella's shoes and understand what it must feel like to be Mayella. Scout is also not simply judging Mayella on what she has heard about Mayella or the Ewells. Scout is able to see that a person doesn't have to be all one thing--like Boo isn't just creepy and Mayella isn't just a rude Ewell--there are different parts to everyone's personality.

In "Lord of the Flies", how is the boys' behavior on the island similar or different to the adults in the outside world? I'm not an adult, so I...

The boys behavior on the island is similiar to adults in the outside world in many ways.

At the beginning of the novel the boys set out to make a democratic society with rules and regulations. They are friendly and civilied.  This is how most adult relationships begin in the outside world. However, just like in the outside world, things begin to fall apart as defects of society are revealed.

Golding himself has said that the writing of Lord of the Files was "an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature."

Golding uses the young children to represent the evils and defects that exist in society. We see this in our everyday world as well.  The struggle for power exists everywhere in the outside world.  Think of corporate America.  There is a constant struggle amongst people to get to the top.  Everybody wants to have complete power and will abuse the power they have (think of Jack) to gain more. 

The island and the boys are just one way to represent man-kind and the outside world. 

What parts of Fahrenheit 451 seem most believable or unbelievable? Why?

As a science-fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451 features some futuristic technology that seems unbelievable to us now. For instance, the firehouse "mascot," the mechanical hound with its poisonous needle nose, seems far from realistic. Also unbelievable is the hound's ability to track people who have forbidden collections of books. When Bradbury's novel first appeared, the concept of a TV wall probably seemed really unbelievable, but now-- not so much as our flat-screen television sets become larger and larger.

The actions of the characters in this society seem unbelievable in contrast to the way we live. Firemen set fires, instead of putting them out, and reading books is not only a bad thing, it is illegal and can be punished by death. Once Montag rebels and runs away, he joins "the wanderers," others in rebellion who have dedicated themselves to memorizing books so that their contents will not be lost. This idea is not realistic for us since we have so many ways to preserve documents and find it hard to imagine having to memorize books to save them.

The most realistic element in the novel is human nature, which does not change. We can easily identify with the emotions and beliefs of the various characters: fear, anger, depression, rebellion, conformity, self-preservation, moral idealism, and the determination to protect and defend personal freedom at any cost. This novel is very real indeed when we consider the characters and the choices they make.

How do I find the complete subject and the complete predicate in a sentence? What is a compound subject, a compound predicate?Two sentences from my...

The complete subject of a sentence contains the simple subject (usually a noun or a pronoun) and all the words and phrases that logically belong with it as describers.

The complete predicate of a sentence contains the main verb in the sentence and, again, all the words and phrases that logically relate to it--in other words, that "go with it."

Usually in English the complete subject of a sentence will come first, followed by the complete predicate.

"Compound" means two or more. Sometimes a sentence has more than one simple subject, which makes it a compound subject. Sometimes there is more than one main verb, which makes it a compound predicate.

In finding the subjects and predicates of a sentence, look first for the subject noun(s) or pronoun(s) to find out what the sentence is about. Then look for the verb or verbs that will follow.

Here are your sentences to use as examples"

The worldwide disappearence of frogs disturbs and worries me.

The worldwide disappearance of frogs . . . complete subject; not compound for there is only one noun, "disappearance."

dusturbs and worries me . . . complete predicate; compound because there are two verbs, "disturbs" and "worries."

My partner and I want to know the truth.

My partner and I . . . complete subject; compound because thre are two nouns, "partner" and "I".

want to know the truth . . . complete predicate; not compound because there is only one verb , "want."

How do the soliloquies in Acts I to III help us to understand Hamlet as a tragic hero?

Hamlet's first soliloquy in Act 1, sc. 2, shows us how Hamlet is feeling at this point, before he has seen the ghost of his father. He is depressed, frustrated, and confused.  He is sad that his father died and frustrated and confused about his mother's remarriage so soon to her dead husband's brother.  The soliloquy in Act 2, sc. 2 shows more of Hamlet's frustration, but this time it is with himself.  His father's ghost asked him to get revenge several weeks ago and he has not done anything yet.  In this speech, Hamlet rails against his inaction and then decides that he'll check the authenticity of the ghost through the traveling actors and their play.  In both of the speeches, Hamlet is established as one who thinks matters through and dwells upon them.  We see him as one who had a happy life until his father's untimely death.  He sees his own weaknesses and does not blame those weaknesses on others.  He was a good, loving son to his father. Through both soliloquies, we see that he is a wronged man given a heavy burden of responsibility when asked by his father's ghost to get revenge against the murderer, his uncle.   Hamlet accepts this responsibility, but also realizes that the ghost may not have been his father's spirit, so he doesn't accept matters at face value.  All of this sets up Hamlet as a heroic character who will face even greater tragedy than he has already faced.

Describe Doodle’s appearance as a baby in "The Scarlet Ibis". Describe Doodle’s appearance as a baby. Please i need help with this question

Doodle was described almost as a wrinkly old man.  He wasn't quite the normal color either because his heart was so weak.  HIs head was a lot larger than the rest of his body, too.  He just did not look like a normal little baby as he should have. 

The story describes him in the following sentence.  "He seemed all head with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man's."

Doodle most likely had a big smile for a baby.  It was that smile that saved his life when Brother went into his room to smother him--he couldn't live with a brother who wasn't "all there."  But Doodle smiled.  He was all there.

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, why is Dr. Manette imprisoned?

This is something that we are only actually told in Book the Third, Chapter Ten, and this is one of the central questions that lurk behind the rest of the action of the novel. Let us remember that in this chapter, Defarge reads the letter that Dr. Manette wrote before be slipped into insanity whilst he was a prisoner. It details how Darnay's father and uncle raped a peasant woman, killed her husband and mortally wounded her brother. Dr. Manette is ordered to care for them. When Dr. Manette discovers the truth of what has happened, he refuses to agree never to divulge what he has seen and the horrific acts of the Evremonde brothers. As a result, they arrange for his wrongful imprisonment in the Bastille.

It is of course particularly important that this truth which is hinted at throughout the novel is only revealed at this critical juncture when Darnay's life is in the balance, and Dr. Manette believes that, as before, his presence can actually save his son-in-law. The tremendous irony of this event is of course that it is Dr. Manette who, out of his own mouth (or hand) condemns him to a certain death.

What are the major differences between Victorian and Modernist literature?

The Victorian period, characterized by the forward progression in science and technology and the age of religious doubt, began in 1837 and officially lasted until 1901. By the 1890s, writers began expressing differing opinions on social issues and cultural norms. These Modern writers sought to free themselves from the massive embrace of their predecessors and many believed the Victorians to be repressed, over-confident, and thoroughly philistine. With the onset of WWI, in 1914, British culture saw the most abrupt movement into the Modernist era. The violence and brutality of the war led many writers to question all they know about humanity and life.

Stylistically, the Victorians embraced lengthy, often serialized, realistic novels. Authors such as George Eliot and Charles Dickens saw the height of this movement with their highly constructed, chronological works. In contrast, the Modernist novel is characterized by its non-linear, fragmented style. This stylistic change is attributed to the Great War, which caused many individuals to lose hope in the progress of humanity. Consequently, many Modernist texts – such as those by Virginia Woolf or Sylvia Plath – have despondent and cynical undertones that question the role of the individual in larger society.

In "The Merchant of Venice", why all the rhetorical ornament for such a plain bargain?Even Bassanio is dazzled by Portia's speech (3.2.175-183)....

You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand,
Such as I am... for you,
I would be trebled twenty times myself:
A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times
More rich that only to stand high in your account,
I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends,
Exceed account: but the full sum of me
Is sum of nothing...
Myself and what is mine, to you and yours
Is now converted...
This house, these servants, and this same myself,
Are yours, my lord,—I give them with this ring;
Which when you part from, lose, or give away,
Let it presage the ruin of your love...

You're quite right: it's an unusual speech, a bizarre melting-pot of financial bargain-striking imagery combined with a hugely complex rhetorical voice, packed with emphatic, rhetorical repetitions ("unlesson'd girl, unschool'd, unpractis'd"). It sounds, actually, like a glorious speech from Love's Labour's Lost.

It isn't, though, it's a bargain: it transfers her assets to him, and it pins everything on the ring. Despite the language, it's a cold bargain - and Bassanio breaks it, which (I think) certainly does presage the ruin of their love at the end of the play.

Why doesn't the "form" fit the "content", then? Perhaps Shakespeare is giving his audience an object lesson in the key theme of the play: "all that glisters is not gold". In language, as in life, substance above "worth".

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" Atticus finds things to admire in Mrs. Dubose. Explain what these are and why he feels this way.

When Mrs. Dubose requests that Jem come every day and read to her, Jem balks at this punishment for his cutting the camellia bushes after she says that Atticus is no better than the "trash he works for."  Jem complains that the house has a gothic air: "There's shadows and things on the ceiling..."  Atticus tells his son to pretend he is in Boo Radley's house, and he'll have fun.

Jem and Scout end up going to the house of Mrs. Dubose for a month; Jem reads from "Ivanhoe" while Mrs. Dubose corrects him, then slips into a daze in which she writhes and drools.  Finally, after extended visits, Mrs. Dubose tells the children they do not need to come any more.  Then, one night Atticus goes to visit Mrs. Dubose who has not been seen on her porch for a while.  She has died, he tells the children; also, he explains the "fits" that Jem and Scout have observed:  She was a morphine addict and withdrew with the help of the distraction of Jem's reading.

Atticus explains further that Mrs. Dubose could have remained on the morphine and not died in agony; however, she chose to meet death with a conscious mind--she would be "beholden to nothing and nobody." She has died "free."  Atticus tells Jem that he wanted him to see something about Mrs. Dubose:  real courage.

It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.  

Of course, Atticus exemplifies this same courage in the courtroom at the trial of Tom Robinson as he does his best to defend his client, knowing that he is "licked before" he has started because of the prejudices of the jurors and town.

Describe the statue of the angel in "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler".

The statue of the angel is made of marble and is two-feet tall.  The figure has "her arms...folded, and...look(s) holy".  It is "graceful" and "polished"; Claudia thinks that the angel is "the most beautiful, most graceful little statue she had ever seen".

The statue, which is thought to have been created by the great Michaelangelo, was acquired by the museum from the collection of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  Mrs. Frankweiler claims to have gotten it from an art dealer in Bologna, Italy, before World War II.  When Mrs. Frankweiler closed her Manhattan residence a few years back, many of the miscellaneous pieces of art she had collected over the years found their way "to various auctions and galleries".

The New York Metropolitan Museum purchased the statue at an auction for the bargain rate of $225.  If it is determined that the angel is indeed the work of the famed Michaelangelo, it would be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,250,000.  The mystery surrounding the origins and worth of the statue make it a subject of intense interest at the museum and in the press.  Claudia, however, is mesmerized simply by the angel's beauty.  She feels that it bears a resemblance to someone she knows, possibly herself (Chapter 4).

Describe the character of Mr Hyde in Chapters 1-3 of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

In the early chapters of the book, Mr. Hyde is described as a mysterious man who has some type of deformity.  Mr. Utterson is very curious about Mr. Hyde especially since Dr. Jekyl has written his will with unusual instructions concerning his possessions and Mr. Hyde. 

Through Mr. Utterson, the reader begins to wonder who Mr. Hyde is and what his relationship to Dr. Jekyll really is.  Mr. Utterson goes to the door that Mr. Enfield saw Mr. Hyde enter, finally sees the approach of the man.  He confronts him and is horrified by his appearance.  He is deformed in a very disturbing way.

Mr. Hyde's appearance is hideous, he is frightening to look at. Mr. Utterson is very worried about Dr. Jekyll's relationship with Hyde, who engages in criminal, immoral behavior. 

Hyde is a primitive version of Jekyl, he is connected to the well-mannered, sophisticated doctor, but only on the inside. 

"Not all of these together could explain the ... unknown disgust, loathing and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him." In his final estimation, Hyde seemed "hardly human" and marked with "Satan's signature."

What is the summary for Chapter 15 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?

Chapter Fifteen:  The Forbidden Forest

Cornered by McGonagall, Harry and Hermione allow her to believe that they lied to both Neville and Malfoy about the dragon.  Everyone gets detention in addition to 150 points being taken from Griffindor.  As a result of this, Griffindors start to despise Harry even though he was one of their most admired after his last Quidditch match.  As Harry and Hermione are taunted by classmates, Harry overhears Quirrell sobbing and believes that Snape is torturing him again for information about how to get to the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Malfoy all serve their detention with Hagrid in the forbidden forest looking for a wounded unicorn.  The group splits up with Hagrid leading Harry and Hermione and Fang leading Neville and Malfoy.  Hagrid’s group has rotten luck getting any specific unicorn information from Ronan and Bane who are centaurs.  After Neville sends up red sparks in a panic, Hagrid has them switch groups.  Now working with Malfoy and Fang, Harry finds the dead unicorn and a cloaked shadow figure drinking the unicorn’s blood.  Fang and Malfoy run as Harry stands paralyzed with fear and with a terrible pain in his scar.  As the figure moves toward Harry, a centaur named Firenze charges to stop it.  Firenze puts Harry on his back to carry him to safety.  After being chided by his fellow centaurs for doing this, Firenze reveals that drinking a unicorn’s blood allows a being to live a cursed life, but a life just the same, until something else can bring more strength and power.  Harry’s heart sinks as he realizes that it was Voldemort drinking the blood and awaiting the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Harry paces the common room thinking that Snape could steal the Sorcerer’s Stone for Voldemort at any moment.  Hermione reminds Harry that he’s safe as long as Dumbledore is around.  Then Harry goes to bed only to find that someone has anonymously returned the invisibility cloak.

Why do multi-cellular organisms need a transport system?

A system of transport is found in most multicellular organisms. It allows the growth of these organisms to a substantial size in contrast with single-celled organisms. As the surface to volume ratio increases, those cells that are too far from the external environment would not be able to rely on osmosis and diffusion as these processes would not be able to get the needed nutrients, oxygen and other materials to the cell in time. Therefore, a system of transport allows for all cells in the body to get the necessary substances for life in a timely manner. In multicellular animals, you will a heart(pumping mechanism), a liquid tissue known as blood, arteries, veins and tiny capillaries. The capillaries are thin--walled and moist, allowing for transport of materials from blood to cells. In primitive multicellular animals, because they usually lack a transport system, their sizes remain small as they rely on diffusion and osmosis to get the substances they need. In plants, there are roots, stem, leaves and inside, xylem and phloem vascular tissues. These act as a transport system however, there is no heart to pump materials. Instead, capillary action and evapotranspiration drive materials up through the plant, against the pull of gravity.

"Lord of the Flies" presents a view of human nature. Give reasons why it is realistic or not.

The novel itself isn't entirely realistic: Piggy's glasses, for example, if they were the prescription of the time for the myopia he suffers from, certainly wouldn't be able to light a fire in the way they do in the novel - it's also hugely unlikely that a conch found on a beach would sound like that. Come to mention it, it's also quite unlikely that so many boys (do they ever actually mention any dead?) would survive a plane crash.

You'll notice though, that the conch and the spectacles both function explicitly as symbols: the conch representing democracy, equality and civilised behaviour, the glasses clear-sightedness and wisdom (of course, they become gradually destroyed as Jack and his gang rise to prominence on the island).

I'd argue that "Lord of the Flies" is a fable, rather like Aesop's Fables, a deliberately heightened and neatened story, packed full of symbols to read, and judged carefully to deliver its message: its message being that, I think, every man's heart contains darkness (slightly paraphrased from the final page of the novel).

Golding's view of human nature is extremely pessimistic: do we really like to think that this is naturally how we evolve - toward war, towards violence, towards the murder of Piggy and Simon? I suppose not. But could anyone really, truly say that they don't think the behaviour of those boys is plausible? I don't think so.

Golding's presentation isn't wholly realistic: but I fear his message is.

What is a detailed summary of the poem "The Chimney Sweeper"?

"The Chimney Sweeper" is one of my favourite poems of Blake. I find in the poem about poverty and unkindness. In the first stanza, we find that the speaker is a very young boy who is a chimney sweeper. During the period of Blake, in England little boys were employed for sweeping chimneys.

The teen ages boy lost his mother and his father sold him to a master-sweeper. He carried a brush and shouted searching work of chimney sweeping. He was sold when he was unable to pronounce the word 'sweep'.Thus a note of tragedy is struck at the very beginning of the poem. The child pronounced 'weep' in stead of 'sweep' because he was put into a condition to weep or children of his age weeps to attract attention of parents or others. It conveys distress of a little chimney sweeper.

we can also see this way that children of poor parents are not fed unless they cry. In England at the time of Blake people might have lost sense of christianity and employed such children to work who were suppose to be in charity school. A child sleeping in soot suggests that the morality of English people got darkened.

Then in the second stanza, a such teen aged sweeper named Tom Dacre who had nice curley hair was shaved his head in order not to catch fire. Also, his beautiful hair will not get spoilled by the soot, was a statement of giving consolation to the boy.

In the third stanza we see that Tom Dacre went to sleep at night and he dreamt a dream that thousand of teen aged sweeper like him were locked in coffins of black.

In the fourth stanza, the boy dreamt that an angel with abright key opened the coffins and set them all free. The boys ran towards the river leaping and laughing and took bath there and they emerged bright.

In the fifth stanza we see that those boys left their brown bags behind and played with the wind and the angel told Tom that God would be his father if he had been a good boy and then he would want joy never.

In the last stanza it is told that Tom woke up next day morning when it was dark and went to work with his brush and bag happily in a warm mood.

From what point-of-view is "By the Waters of Babylon" written? How do you know?

By the Waters of Babylon is written in the first person.  You can tell this right away because the protagonist, John, says the word I throughout the story.  Thus, the story is told from his point of view which is first person.

“My father is a priest; I am the son of a priest.  I have been in the Dead Places near us with my father; at first I was afraid…"

Why is it possible to have a family of six girls and no boys, but extremely unlikely that there will be a public school with 500 girls and no...

It is a matter of probability. Males produce 1/2 sperm cells carrying the X chromosome and 1/2 with the Y chromosome, thus determining 1/2 girls and 1/2 boys in the progeny, respectively.

If different matings are independent (and this assumption could be analysed separately for matings within a couple and among couples), then the probability of having a progeny or generation of n individuals of only one sex is 1/2 to the power of n.

In your question, n is 5 or 500, then the probability under these assumptions is 1/32 = 3.125% (unlikely, not impossible) for the first and a value under 10 to the power of -150, that is, 0.(150 zeros)3, for the second -- virtually 0.

Another assumption that must be made is that public schools draw randomly from the general population, or if there is a bias (for example economical) this does not affect the girls/boys natural distribution.

One assumption that needs to be made further is whether the 1:1 distribution holds from meiosis to conjugation, prenatal development, birth and childhood. It is here that it is believed that some bias is introduced. Nevertheless, all other assumptions being true, if girls going to a public school are 52% of the total, then the above probability would go to aproximately 0.(141 zeros)1.