Describe the physical setting of To Kill a Mockingbird.

This story takes place in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama.  Taking place during the depression era, not many people have work, such as the Cunningham family, and they live off the land through agricultural labors.  Others, such as Atticus Finch, are fortunate enough to have a job, as he is the town lawyer, and represents the county often at State legislative events.

Summers are hot, and winters are generaly mild, although there is an instance of the first light snow in nearly 100 years at one point in the summer.  Miss Maudie Atkinson complains because the frost might destroy her plants.

It is a poor town economically, but rich with culture and character.  The black members of the community live across the tracks in an area called "the quarters", while the white people live close by in town. 

What is Reverend Parris's relationship with the community in Act one of "The Crucible"? Where do you learn this information in the play?no

Reverend Parris is not in good with the community.  They are angry with him, and he is pushy with them.

In Act I scene 1, Parris lashes out at Abigail for being caught in the woods and for what this will mean for his career as Reverand.  He specifically tells her that there are those in the community that would have him gone and that her behavior will be attached to him since they are related.

In Act II, scene 3, John Proctor tells Reverand Hale other things that have put Parris at odds with the community.  Parris wants gold candlesticks when the community felt that pewter would do.  There is an issue about what Parris is paid and how much firewood he is allowed--Parris obviously arguing for more and the community stating that he is already paid more than reverends in nearby parishes.  Proctor states to Hale that Proctor, "does not see the hand of God" in Parris which is why their youngest child has not been baptized by the reverend.

What is, according to Hamlet, the purpose of drama? And what does Hamlet most admire about Horatio?

In Act III, scene 2, Hamlet is giving advice to the players who are about to perform "The Murder of Gonzago". He says the purpose of drama is to imitate life. He has cautions the players not to be too "tame" or to "overdo" their actions because "the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was/ and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature...".( III,ii,19-20) In other words, the purpose of acting and, therefore drama, is to come as close to reality as possible. A little later, he praises Horatio for being an "even" or not battered by his emotions. He says, Horatio, "thou art e'en as just a man

As e'er my conversation cop'd withal. ( III,ii,49-50)

Horatio is a little embarrassed by the compliment but Hamlet goes on to say,"Give me that man/ That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him/ In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart,/As I do thee."

( III,ii, 67-70) In other words, Horatio is not a slave to his emotions and that is what Hamlet admires in him.

What caused Rainsford to believe Zaroff knew he was hiding in the Tree? Do you think he was right? Give reasons.

Zaroff, on his knees, studies the ground, shaking his head as though puzzled; then, he straightens up and lights a cigarette. 

[HIs] eyes...were traveling inch by inch up the tree....But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face.  Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air; then he turned...and walked carelessly away...

The casual way in which Zaroff acts suggests that he controls "the game."  He knows Rainsford is hiding in the tree because he sends fragrant smoke upward and stops his eyes short; then he "carelessly" backtracks along the trail he has come. From Zaroff's careless behavior stopping his search and smoking, Rainsford realizes that the general plans on prolonging the game. The use of the word hunter, suggests that Zaroff is still the predator and Rainsford is "an animal at bay," who is  unwilling to risk jumping on him since Zaroff has his pistol in hand.  Rainsford understands the control of the "game" that is Zaroff's  "His first thought made him sick and numb" after descending. The general could easily have killed him in the tree; instead, he merely sends up smoke rings to let Rainsford know that he has been given another day, just for the fun of the hunt--Zaroff is like the fisherman who tosses his catch back for another day. 

What instances of dramatic irony appear in Oedipus Rex?

Well, the whole play is structured around what, to its original audience, would be one colossal case of dramatic irony. Sophocles' audience would have already known the Oedipus story, and the very name "Oedipus" would be synonymous with sleeping with his mother and killing his father. That means that, even before the play began, the audience would know the ending. This terrific dramatic irony would mean that, every time Oedipus talks about finding the cause of the Theban plague, the audience would know exactyl what the cause was: Oedipus himself.

Within the construction of the play, there are ironies all over the place. As Oedipus killed his father on the crossroads, he felt confident that he'd left his father behind him in Corinth. Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx (focussing on the way that time ages and weakens men) but the crown of Thebes which he wins causes him to become aged and weakened in just the same way.

Oedipus is determined to find out the truth, and seek the murderer so that he can see him and confront him. Of course, Oedipus does find the truth and the murderer - but he can't see him - because he is Oedipus. Oedipus' response is to blind himself.

Even Oedipus' name is an irony: it means "swollen-footed" or "I think I know", meaning that both Oedipus' origins as the Theban heir and his self-assured insistence on knowing are written tragically into his very name from the first moment of the play.

There are many more to find! Hope it helps!

How does Washington Irving use nature in "The Devil and Tom Walker" to show American Romanticism?

The American Romantics acknowledged the wonders of nature, and unlike the rationalists and Puritans, they were more inspired by nature than by the fear of God. They were especially fascinated by the supernatural, or that outside the natural world, and with the basic elements of human nature.

In "The Devil and Tom Walker," by having Tom meet the devil in a wooded swamp, Irving was able to combine both loves of the American Romantics, nature and the supernatural. He uses imagery, such as "gloomy pines," "dark, stagnant pools," and "half-drowned, half-rotting," to describe the wooded swamp where the devil appeared to Tom. It is in nature where the "evil spirit" resides and where Tom's soul is tested. The reader is able to witness human nature through the supernatural in an outdoor setting which is the epitome of American Romanticism.

Who is the antagonist?My teacher says there is only one antagonist.

Often when we are questioned about an antagonist in a story or novel we want to know which character is the antagonist.  In "A Long Way From Chicago," the antagonist isn't a person, or character.  In this novel Peck has created the antagonist of Injustice.  Every summer Joey and Mary Alice Dowdel go to a small town and visit their paternal grandmother.  Grandmother Dowdel believed strongly in justice and throughout the story, if she observed an injustice she did her best to straighten it out.  It didn't matter if it was a careless newspaper man, the rough and mean Cowgill boys, the insensitive banker, Mr. Weidenbach, the abusive mother Ms. Eubanks, the sheriff who ran off people he didn't want to deal with, or the prejudice narrow-minded towns people, Grandma Dowdel found a way to enforce her own type of justice.  The depression era story is full of injustices and Grandma Dowdel's attempts to right the wrongs of a most persistent antagonist named injustice.

How was the “prophecy” of the Lord of the Flies fulfilled?This question is from the book "The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

Two of Simon's prophecies are fulfilled. The first is, as ms-mcgregor points out, is that "the beast is us", but he also makes a second.

When the boys are on the other side of the island, Simon tells Ralph 'I just think you'll get back all right'. This, of course comes true at the end of the novel, meaning that Simon was right about Ralph.

It shows possibly even more foresight that Ralph uses the pronoun 'You', rather than 'We'. suggesting that he possibly knows he will no get home.

In Lord of the Flies, where you can realize Roger tendency to sadism?

Roger is representative of the sadist in the novel because he partakes in evil for evil's sake and delights in causing unnecessary pain and hardship on the other boys. The first instance where we see Roger's sadism occurs when Roger spears Simon's pet lizard. The next instance where the sadism is evident occurs as Roger throws rocks at one of the other boys. Roger participated in Simon's death by the firelight in chapter nine. Finally, Roger's sadism is at its apex when he topples the rock on Piggy in chapter 11.

I need to find the literary element(s) in the poem "Genius Child" by Langston Hughes.This is a song for the genius child. Sing it softly, for the...

There are several literary elements at work in the poem, the most obvious element being the author's use of metaphor. The poem itself is "a song" and the "genius child" is described metaphorically as both "an eagle" and "a monster." These metaphors can be interpreted in various ways, depending upon the reader's point of view and personal experience.

Other literary elements include the poem's refrain (Nobody loves a genius child.) and its startling and ironic thesis: "Kill him - and let his soul run wild."

Also, some alliteration can be found in the poem's first stanza with its repetition of the "s" sound [italics added here]: 

This is a song for the genius child.

Sing it softly for the song is wild.

Sing it softly as ever you can-

Lest the song get out of hand.

Finally, the poem includes perfect rhyme (wild/child and tame/name) and slant rhyme (can/hand). There is no regular rhyme scheme or meter in the poem.

In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", who is dreaming?

Good question! And the answer is - it depends on your interpretation of the play.

It's become a theatrical convention, I think, since Peter Brook's hugely influential 1970 staging of the play to double up Theseus and Oberon (i.e. have them played by the same actor) and Hippolyta and Titania. This has the effect of implying that, as per the first scene, the whole of the action "in the forest" is the pre-wedding dream of either Theseus or Hippolyta: and, of course, as the two seem to leave the stage at the end of Act 1, Scene 1, on an impasse, when they "re-enter" as Oberon and Titania, they are having a huge argument.

However, as the grand lady of Shakespearean criticism, Professor Anne Barton, has pointed out "How could Theseus possibly dream Bottom?". That is - if it is a dream of Theseus or Hippolyta, how could the translation of Bottom (into a donkey) make any sense in it?

Who else in the play gives us a hint it might be their dream? Well, Bottom does:

I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was.

And, in the same scene, so does Demetrius on behalf of the lovers:

                                    Are you sure
That we are awake? It seems to me
That yet we sleep, we dream.

Perhaps Shakespeare didn't want there to be one single, definitive answer!

Why does reading make a full man?

Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. -Sir Francis Bacon

The above sentence is a piece covered with multiple angles. But, as we are discussing about 'Reading maketh a full man', lets break things into tiny pieces.

READING, The concept of reading is a flow of thoughts. Here a single window, links to a multitude of external experiences as well as thoughts. Reading is a form of collecting information. But if you give voice to a book, reading becomes the most able way of listening. And as such has an ability to test, assimilate correct or question one’s own views.

Every society has a set of norms and rules which is followed by a variety of people, sometimes discriminative, sometimes not. These rules and regulations are sometimes questioned, appended modified, or even removed. The ones who can do this are those who are regarded in esteem in the society which set these rules. This comes with the power of speech. And someone needs to listen to the ones who are speaking. Thus, a control over your own self is required. The MAKING of the man who is in control of himself, in the presence of society, and to hold his/her ground in the face of a body which has always been the commander and the rules maker is the power of not just knowledge. The combined efforts of excessive reading leads for the making of a man who has a vast amount of words and a distinct use of vocabulary to present and sway the crowd to his/her will.

Finding the path and the ability to change people’s hearts and minds comes with a great understanding of oneself. But it is not complete with just knowing your own self, it is complete only when the idea of what is best for the time (world peace, anti pollution, economics, whatever be the topic) is understood. Thus making him FULL or complete when he understands the needs of the time/age/era.

All this can be achieved when someone reads. But, to gain the right direction is to understand the fact that, “A man’s knowledge container is a bottomless pit.”

Hope this helped.

In "Lord of the Flies", who is the parachutist on the island and what idea from the adult world does he represent?

There was a sudden bright explosion and a corkscrew trail across the sky; then darkness again and stars. There was a speck above the island, a figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs.

This is how the parachutist arrives into the island: dead, and following some sort of explosion. We don't know precisely who he is, or how he's arrived: has he been shot out of his plane? Has he been evacuated from a failing plane?

Either way, the key thing he represents from the adult world is the war which caused the boys to get stranded on the island in the first place (their plane, Golding implies, was shot down) and which has the naval officer who finds them at the end on the seas. War, and the violence of man to man is what the parachutist represents: both as a serviceman himself, and in his assigned (wrong!) role as the beast - which catalyses all the violence which breaks out on the island.

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, how does Robert Louis Stevenson create and continue a sense of suspense and intrigue?

Robert Louis Stevenson uses several structural elements to create and build suspense and intrigue in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Some of these structural elements follow.

1. Stevenson starts Chapter 1 with a detailed description about a character--actually two characters--other than Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde, the namesakes of the story. The reader expects to meet first Dr. Jekyll and then Mr. Hyde but instead Mr. Utterson and Mr Enfield are offered up.

2. He then introduces a narrative of an experience told by a participant--Mr. Enfield--in a horrible event centering on Mr. Hyde's inhuman behavior.

3. Next Mr. Utterson intimates that he has knowledge of the signatory of the bank check and of the physical relationship of the person's home with the building with the strange door entered by the vile Hyde.

All these structural elements create an instant suspense by (1) creating an interesting and intriguing  and trustworthy point of view (or focalizer) into the story (Mr. Utterson) and by (2) setting up a string of questions that inspire the reader to search for answers by turning the pages.

Stevenson continues in this vein of introducing characters or gradually deepening details about the characters and introducing puzzling events, such as Jekyll's peculiar will and Jekyll's that Utterson give Hyde help when Jekyll would be no longer there, as the conflict deepens and the plot unfolds.

The pivotal device for building and heightening intrigue and suspense is the introduction in Chapter 4 of the horrific murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Two things are accomplished at the point. First, the reader wants to know how it comes about that Hyde is tracked down and caught and whether he is made to pay for his crime. At the same time, the reader is horrified for the fate of Dr. Jekyll who at all times is presented as a sympathetic, although flawed and perhaps deluded, character.

Finally, Stevenson explores the emotional and psychological (combined emotional and cognitive) suffering of certain characters, particularly Jekyll and Hyde and Lanyon. All these elements--and the distance from Jekyll that is created by having the narrator tell the story through Utterson's experience of it instead of Jekyll's experience of it--contribute to the sense of intrigue and suspense in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie tells an angry George not to worry about his being left alone because he can do what?

At one point Lennie tells George he can just go off if he likes because he is well able to look after himself if he wants to. Both George and Lennie know, however, that this is not true. Even with George looking after him, Lennie has the knack of getting into trouble (such as the incident at Weed, where he accidentally tore a woman's blouse). He needs George to guide him and to cover for him whenever he messes things up.

Lennie's dependance upon George, though, has its moments of "reprieve." Lennie has a one-track mind; he can do without George for at least one evening as long as he knows he will eventually be able to look after the rabbits when they get their own farm.

When George leaves Lennie to go "for a night on the town" with the other men, Lennie is not the only one left behind. Crooks, the Negro kitchen help, has also been left behind. Lennie sees a light on at Crooks' place and pays him a visit, preoccupied with the same idea. Candy, incidentally, has also decided to stay at the bunk house for the evening. Lennie tells Crooks why:

'All the boys gone into town, huh?'

'All but old Candy. He just sets in the bunk-house figuring.'

'Figuring?' What's Candy figuring about?'

'Bout the rabbits.'...'Bout the rabbits we're gonna get,, and I get to tend 'em, cut grass and give 'em water, an' like that.'

In his simple way, Lennie knows that their dream is now serious business since Candy has offered to pitch in his share to help buy the farm. He is as close as he will ever get to fulfilling his dream - having a place that belongs to him and having a place he belongs to.

In "The Most Dangerous Game," when and why does General Zaroff first come to his island?

General Zaroff is from the Russian aristocracy. During the Russian Revolution of 1917, there was a bad defeat against upper-class Russians like Zaroff. Like most aristocracy, he then left Russia and spent years hunting in places such as Africa. Later, he heard about the great hunt available in the Amazon, but once there, he realized he was beyond traditional hunting. It was no longer a challenge for him and he was bored. He decided that instead of quiting the sport he would hunt a "new animal" and bought the island on which to do so.

In which way do the three narrators develop throughout the book "Frankenstein"?I so far have only started evaluating victor frankenstein. Basically...

The narrator that probably changes in the most positive way is Robert Walton. In the beginning of the story, he is willing to do anything, including risk his own life and the life of his men, in his pursuit of science. He wants to make it to the North Pole but is stuck in ice and is endangering everyone's lives by insisting his ship stay where it is so they can continue their journey. After witnessing and hearing Victor's story, he decides that risking all for science is not worth the price and he turns back.

Victor, on the other hand, has not learned from his experience. Even when he is close to death, he encourages Walton to pursue his “glorious expedition.” Victor has endured illness, the death of most of his family, including his beloved wife, the death of his best friend, plus an arduous journey to the arctic circle, and yet he still cannot see that Walton and his men should break free of the ice, save their own lives and perhaps try another time.

The monster's development is perhaps the saddest of all. Although he was initially a good and decent creation, he has been turned into a revengeful creature though the actions of mankind. Victor's rejection of him, the DeLacey's fear of him, and Victor's destruction of his "bride" have all contributed to making the creature into a real monster. He tells Walton that he is going to commit suicide after their conversation. Whether he actually goes through with his plan or not, a once caring creature is now a beast.

In 1984, what is reality control and how does Big Brother apply it to influence a large number of people?

"Who controls the present, controls the past.  Who controls the past, controls the future."  This is at the core of your question.  We base a good deal of our sense of who we are in the present on who we perceive we were in the past.  Actually most of us have no idea of who we (our culture) were in the past; we know what we were taught, what we read, what we find on the internet, and, perhaps most importantly, what our politicans/the media tell us it was.

If the past actually existed, we would be able to visit it and know just what happened and why it happened.  Since we cannot, the past is almost infinitely malleable, depending on what people want us to think about it.  (As a note, the same is actually true of the present ... the Democrats now tell us that every economic evil in our world was caused by the Republicans ... but could this be true?  Did some of them start with Clinton?  What about the Democrat controlled Congress of the past two years?  Who among us really knows?  I have tried to find out, and I can say that I can't figure it out.)

So "reality control" really boils down to information control.  And Big Brother and minitru are experts at this!

Does the author, Victor Hugo, accurately portray events?

For any novel to become a classic, there must be a universality to it.  That is, the theme must have a lesson for all times and the plot must be one that appeals to many and have a timelessness to it. There also must be a verisimitude to the novel. "Les Miserables" meets these criteria; Victor Hugo's attention to detail is marvelous and he portrays events accurately.  Certainly great attention to detail is given in the first book as Hugo writes of the Battle of Waterloo; he describes in great detail the weather problems, the anxiety of the Duke of Wellington at being outnumbered at Waterloo, the false reports to Napolean that his cavalry could make their way through this mud and gullies to the other side.

The description of the sewers and gamins around the seamier parts of town are, indeed, realistic and accurate, as well, as is the youthful revolution in the streets of Paris in which Marius becomes involved. 

In the play Death of a Salesman what are the three examples of character foils and how do they each have importance on the play?quotes would be...

Willy is a struggling salesman who can barely make ends meet.  Charley is a successful business man.  Willy thinks success means being well liked; success is being popular. Charley does not need people to like him, and he does not see that people’s adulation equates to success. Charley understands that people like others based on superficial material. 

  

Ben and Charley are successful businessmen. They are foils simply because the way in which they become successful.  Ben achieves success instantly; it takes Charley years to succeed.This foil shows how the American dream can be a disillusionment.  Willy sees Ben and thinks that success can fall into anyone’s lap.  In America, people can discover wealth, but this is not an everyday occurrence. Most American success is through hard work.  

Biff was an attractive, popular football star. Bernard was a nerd.  Biff never becomes the successful college athlete he was hoping to be.  Bernard, the one who is unpopular and “not well liked” (Miller 1576) becomes a lawyer.This foil shows how buying into an American dream without the ability to make wise choices produces more failure.  These two young men represent the next generation; they are extensions of their fathers.  However, if parents have the wrong values, they only bestow these ills to their children, causing more failures. Traditional hard work is always the best choice. 

To what is the speaker constantly drawn to in "The Seafarer"?

He is drawn to the sea.  It is in his blood.  Have you ever loved anything so much that you're constantly thinking of it and want to get back to it?  It's like Lance Armstrong with biking, or Michael Jordan with basketball. 

The speaker of this poem is in love with life on the sea.  No matter how cold and uncomfortable it is, or how hard the work tends to be, he can't keep himself from this life.  He recognizes that life on land is easier and more comfortable and that there is no shortage of warm beds, food, and women on land.  However, that is not what entices him.  The sea calls to him and beckons him back.

What elements of tragedy and comedy are there in The Tempest, and how does the play argue that justice should be tempered by mercy?

Lots of questions here. Though it does, just about, observe the Aristotelian unities of time and place (that is, the play takes place - nearly, at least - within one day and in one location), I don't think you can classify "The Tempest" as a tragedy. Nobody dies, and it ends in a marriage: which is, of course, usually seen as the definition of comedy.

But there are elements of tragedy in "The Tempest": the whole slavery question (Caliban, Ariel, and potentially even Miranda as slaves to Prospero - the argument that Prospero, usurped from Naples, usurps Caliban of his island, and so on), and - of course - the implication that Prospero will take his revenge on his brother for the way he has been treated.

That Prospero eventually forgives his brother - and tempers his desire for justice and vengeance with mercy and grace - is usually described as an entirely positive move, and, for the resolution of the play, it is. But have a look at Prospero's final epilogue: not the words of a man blessed and enlightened by his own forgiveness, but a worried, ambiguous speech that foresees an ending in despair.

Justice or forgiveness? Shakespeare leaves it very, very ambiguous.

What are some examples of irony and conflict in the short story, "The Guest" by Albert Camus?

Albert Camus was familiar with the setting of the story "The Guest." This was his birth place. The time of the story is October in the 1950s on the eve on the French/Algerian War.  The specific setting is a school house built at the base of the Atlas Mountains. It is an isolated region. 

Summary-

The main character/protagonist Daru is the French born Algerian local school master.  The title of the story comes from life altering event for the teacher.  A local policeman brings an Arab prisoner to stay the night with the teacher. This is the teacher's guest.   The teacher has been ordered to take the prisoner to a town several miles away to hand him over to the authorities. 

Daru refuses to accept this responsibility.  It is not is job. He does not like how the prisoner has been treated despite the fact that he has killed his cousin over a petty quarrel. 

And he cursed at one and the same time his own people who had sent him this Arab and the Arab too who had dared to kill and not managed to get away.

After the policeman leaves, Daru gives the Arab many opportunities to escape.  None of which he takes.  Daru treats him like a guest, providing meals for him, bedding, and warmer clothes. 

In the morning, Daru decides to take the Arab part of the way, provide him with rations, and leave him to go on wherever he chooses.  After leaving the Arab on the road and when the school master returns to the school, he finds a threatening note written on the blackboard because of his part in holding the criminal. 

Irony-

Ironically, Daru has provided the means for the Arab to escape.  He has done everything in his power to help the man.  Feeling alone and betrayed, it is likely that Daru will lose his life because of this incident.

Another exanple of irony, comes from the control that the government has had on the life of Daru.  He has been forced to take a job that he does not like in a place he does not want to be.  The irony comes when he is forced to do something against his conscience; then,  Daru stands against the government.  Understanding that his life has meaning only if he stands against the officials, he decides to  treat the Arab humanely and allow him to choose his own destiny.

Conflicts-

Two conflicts come to light for Daru.  The first is his stance against society. The government has ordered him to follow their rules despite the fact that Daru does not believe in them.  He chooses to go against the orders and stand alone in an hostile environment.

'But you can't let them have their way.'

'I won't hand him over,' Daru said again.

'It's an order, son, and I repeat it.'

'That's right. Repeat to them what l've said to you: I won't hand him over.'

Secondly, Daru does struggle with his distaste in what the Arab has done.  Of course, he does not agree with the murder.  However, he believes that this should be taken care of by the locals and their customs.  Again, he chooses to take his own path to solve the problem.

In "The Outsiders", why wouldn't Darry ever become an old hood like some of the Brumly gang members?

In the novel "The Outsiders" Darry is the oldest brother of the Curtis boys.  Before his parents were killed in a car wreck he was a popular boy and captain of the football team.  He was very successful in school and only quit school so he could keep his family together.  This is not the personality of a "gang-banger."  Darry was mature and responsible. As Ponyboy notes,"Darry is to smart to hang around the greasers too long. "

Darry went to work, watched after his brothers, and did everything possible to keep his family together.  The Brumley gang was made up of losers who did not have any goals or direction.  Darry's goal was very important to him.  He would do whatever was necessary to save his family.  Darry was a hard working, driven young man.  These type of people eventually find success.

What does "the sky is the bread of the eyes " mean?

This quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"The sky is the daily bread of the eyes"

The Concord transcendentalists believed that nature was awe-inspiring and spiritually rejuvenating.

The reference to 'daily bread' surely refers to the Lord's prayer, and Emerson was saying that the eyes -- and soul -- feast on the beauty of the sky. 

What did Miyax name the wolf group, and describe each wolf's role in "Julie of the Wolves".Please help me on this one!! Thank you so much!

Miyax has a name for each member of her "wolf family".  She calls the patriarch and leader of the pack, a "regal black wolf", "Amaroq".  Amaroq's mate, and the mother of the pups in the family, is an exceptionally beautiful animal whose fur seems to sparkle in the light of the sun such that she seems to glow.  Miyax names her Silver, and to another adult gray wolf in the pack, she gives the name "Nails".  The third adult wolf in the group occupies an obviously lesser status than the others.  He is a pathetic, cowering creature, and when Miyax sees him rolling "trembling (on) his back and wriggl(ing)", she calls him "Jello".

There are five pups in Miyax's "wolf family".  The largest, bravest one she names "Kapu", after her own father, "Kapugen".  She calls a quiet female in the group "Sister", and the "three tawny pups who had little personality" to her at first "Zing", "Zat", and "Zit".

Amoroq and his mate Silver are the undisputed king and queen of the pack.  Nails is Amoroq's "dependable friend...(and) spiritual father of the pups"; he takes orders from Amaroq, but stay(s) close to Silver and the little wolves.  Jello is an outcast, tolerated only as long as he is subservient.  He receives the lowly task of babysitting the pups while the other adults go out hunting, and gets the scraps after all the others have eaten (Part 1).

Why doesn't Macbeth put on his armor before he goes into battle?

Macbeth doesn't put on his armour before battle because the witches have told him that "none of woman born" can harm him. He therefore thinks he is invincible - and why would he need armour? 

Your second question is more difficult. We never know precisely what Macduff thinks - the only clues come in Act 2, Scene 4. He comments, when asked who is supposed to have killed him, "Those whom Macbeth has slain". And he also comments that Malcolm and Donalbain's escape "puts upon them suspicion of the deed". I'd say he suspects Macbeth killed Duncan, and that Malcolm and Donalbain, and the servants, are innocent.

Why does he order the murder of Banquo and Fleance? Because the witches have told him that Banquo's sons will be kings, adn he wants to secure his throne. So, it is because Macbeth's throne is weak that he resorts to more murdering.

Hope it helps!

In her reply, what flaws does the Nymph find in the Shepherd's idyllic vision? What are her conditions for living with him?

In Raleigh's reply to Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," the nymph points out the realities of life. The Shepherd had concentrated only on the joys of summer and endless time. He never mentions hard work or threats to safety or the loneliness a shepherd must endure. The nymph simply points out the realities of life. She says winter will come after summer, rivers will overflow their banks, rocks get cold, birds don't always sing and flowers eventually fade. She says she would live with him if youth and happiness lasted, however, she leaves the impression that she is more realistic than the shepherd.

Do the crowd and the narrator have the same views of the events in "A Party Down at the Square" by Ralph Ellison?

“A Party Down at the Square” took place in the south in the middle of the twentieth century.   Ralph Ellison described a scene in a small town that happened too frequently in the south. The atmosphere was brutal, terrifying, and despicable. 

The crowd

The townspeople are portrayed as out of control.  They yell and scream at the poor man who was being tortured and eventually burned to death. The crowd views the black man as less than an animal.  Most of the crowd feels that this is an event that serves as an outlet for their mundane lives.  The anger and frustration make the people look at the killing of a Negro as a source of entertainment.

Somebody hollered, “Well, nigger, it ain’t so cold now is it? You don’t need to put your hands in your pockets now.” The nigger looked up like his eyes were bout to pop out of his head…

When the black man is burning, he begs someone to cut his throat out of Christian kindness.  The response is that there are no Christians there to help him.  The platform burns through, and the black man tries to escape.  He falls to the ground.  He is burned so badly on his back that his ribs can be seen. 

The term “nigger” is continuously used. Obviously, the crowd looks at it as a derogatory remark. From the use of this term, the white men dehumanize the black man, and this aids in their justification of the execution. The animalistic behavior of the crowd as the man dies elicits a disgust and disappointment in man’s inhumanity to man.

A confederate statue of a general stands in the town square.  The author uses this statue as a symbol for the citizens of the town who are involved with the burning of the black man. On this night, the statue survives the storm, the execution, and the plane crash.  It represents the unchanged attitudes of the town toward the black race. 

The narrator

The story is a flashback told by a young boy from Ohio who is visiting his uncle.  The uncle invites him to a “party” in the middle of the town.  The boy is ill-prepared for the event that he witnesses.  The boy moves around the scene trying to avoid the most horrendous scenes in the Negro’s execution. 

As the boy states, it is a “hell of a night.”  There is a terrible storm, a plane crashes and kills the woman pilot, and the townspeople enjoy the burning alive of a black man.  Nothing will stop the execution. The young boy can hardly believe what he sees. 

The heart was too much for me…My heart was pounding…everything came up and spilled in a big gush over the ground. I was sick, and tired, and weak, and cold.

The boy never gives his uncle his true opinion of the “party.” As the boy evaluates his experience, it is obvious that he is numb and in shock.  As the narrator looks back, he feels that as a boy he used this experience to sort out his attitudes toward the black race. He never goes to another burning or lynching and comments on the ineffectiveness of such action: the white men do not change, and the black man becomes angrier.

With reference to Act II, who does Hamlet spy on? What is Hamlet's plan and reason for spying? Explain the reason.

I think you must be referring to Hamlet's plan to put on the play, "The Mousetrap" in front of Claudius to see if he can see any signs of guilt. It's the nearest thing I can think of to Hamlet actually spying on anyone - though he is spied on - at least, observed - himself by Polonius earlier in the scene, sort of.

Hamlet decides to put on the play to trap Claudius, and watch him in the audience, to see his reaction:

Hum, I have heard
That guilty creatures, sitting at a play,
Have by the very cunning of the scene
Been struck so to the soul that presently
They have proclaim'd their malefactions.

Though the play scene itself doesn't actually occur in Act 2: only Hamlet's idea and his revelation of the plan in his soliloquy right at the end of Act 2, Scene 2.

Do post again if this isn't what you mean - or you need further help.

What seems to be the speaker's purpose in "The Flea"?

The speaker in this poem is trying to seduce a young woman to have sex with him, and he is using the flea to bolster his argument.  While this may seem like a rather unconventional choice for a love poem, Donne makes it work.  The clever metaphor and argument make this a great example of a metaphysical poem.

The speaker opens his argument by commenting that a flea has just bitten the speaker and then the woman, so "in this flea our two bloods mingled be."  He goes on to explain that to his way of thinking, this is not "a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead."  Therefore, since that is true, it would be OK to have sex because their blood is already mingled in the flea (they are one there) so they might as well be one in other ways.  Elizabethans believed that there was blood exchanged in intercourse which furthers the logic of this sentiment.

The woman has put her hand up to swat and kill the flea, and he tries to stop her (and further bolster his previous argument) by suggesting and killing the flea would be like killing a part of both of them because they (their blood) is contained in the flea. 

Even once she kills the flea, the speaker is not deterred.  Now he says points out that since killing the flea didn't have any negative affect on either of them, either will her having sex with him.  She had "false fears" that the flea their mixed blood in the flea meant a loss of honor, but now it seems that she won't lose anything by being with him.

What is the summary for Chapter 29 of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?This chapter is titled "Talking About Turtles".

The school year is over, and Junior is back on the reservation, which is beautiful.  There are pine trees everywhere, and Junior remembers a day when he and Rowdy were nine or ten, and they decided to climb the tallest tree over by Turtle Lake.  The tree was over one hundred feet tall, and they could have died, but they "weren't afraid of falling that day".  Their original intent was to go swimming in Turtle Lake, which in itself was an extremely scary undertaking because of the weird legends that surrounded it, but as it was, they ended up climbing to the top of the highest tree.

Looking back, Junior can't believe they did that, just like he can't believe that he survived his first year at Reardan.  He misses his friends from school; he has already written Penelope "three love letters", and to his amazement, Gordy wants to come to the rez and "stay for a week or two".  And most surprising of all, Rowdy comes to the house to visit!

Rowdy says he is visiting because he is bored, and he and Junior go out to shoot some hoops.  Junior asks Rowdy again to come to Reardan with him next year, but Rowdy declines.  He tells Junior that he read a book about how Indians used to be nomadic, moving around "in search of food and water and grazing land".  Rowdy doesn't think Indians are nomadic anymore, except for Junior.  He says he always knew that Junior would leave in search of his dreams, and that he is happy for him.

Junior will always "love and miss (his) reservation and (his) tribe".  He prays they will forgive him for leaving, and that he will forgive himself.  He cries a little as he wonders about the future.  Then he and Rowdy play ball, without keeping score (Chapter 29).

What is the explanation for why so much has happened to Montag within only a week?

After Montag has killed Beatty and is on the run, he goes to Faber's house.  Once there, he wonders aloud, how in a week's time he has killed a man once his friend, he's lost his wife, his house has been burned, he's lost his job, and he's planted a book at the home of a former fellow fireman in order to frame him.  Faber tells him that all of this was "coming for a long time." Montag agrees and says that for a long time, he'd felt that things were wrong, even though he went about his usual business and his usual life. He says, "It saved itself up to happen. I could feel it for a long time, I was saving something up. .... It's a wonder it didn't show on me, like fat."  The seed of thought about the errors of this society had been in Montag, but it took Clarisse to nurture that seed with her questions, and get it to grow.  She gets Montag to question his life and their society; to look at it with fresh eyes and see its flaws.

What percent of the earth is land and how much is water?

There are generally two versions of the answer to this question. The first is the more general about 70% of Earth is water while about 30% is land (US Geological Society). The second is the more specific 71% of Earth is water while 29% is land. Both will serve, depending upon your need and aim. The interesting thing is that the percentage of water on Earth does not include only the obvious sources of water, like oceans and lakes, but less obvious sources as well.

The totality of Earth's water is comprised of water in the oceans, water in the air, water in frozen icecaps and glaciers, water in underground aquifers, and water in lakes, rivers and ponds. The largest portion of all this water is found in oceans and seas--being saline water--which hold between 96.5% and 97.5% of all water. That leaves between 3.5% and 2.5% distributed between all Earth's freshwater sources, including water vapor in the air and water in occupants of Earth (US Geological Society). Earth's hydrologic cycle, the movement of water from Earth to air to Earth's occupants, keeps the water circulating and going through various hydrologic phases, liquid, vapor and frozen forms such as snow and ice.

If the water above ground, saline and freshwater, on Earth is measured by volume, the total volume would cover about 1,064 miles in diameter and more than 335,000,000 cubic miles. The third greatest source of water, after (1) oceans and seas and (2) icecaps and glaciers, is ground water, or aquifers. The volume of aquifer water is about 5,614,000 cubic miles. Compare this to the second greatest (icecaps, glaciers) at about 5,773,000 cubic miles. These volumes are surprisingly close while saline oceanic water bears no comparison at all, with a volume of 321,000,000 cubic miles. About 30%, then, of Earth's total freshwater is ground aquifer water or about one-third the amount frozen is icecaps and glaciers. Rivers constitute the smallest volume of Earth's water--aside from biological water in Earth's occupants--with a volume of 509 cubic miles. 

It is interesting to note that of Earth's freshwater sources, about 69% is in icecaps and glaciers (NOAA). This establishes a significant link between ocean levels and ice sheets as they calf, break off, or in other ways melt in mountain glaciers, Antarctica, Greenland and other significant ice zones. Since oceans cover so significant an expanse of Earth's surface, it is not surprising that they play a significant role in global climate stability and in global climate change. Because of the oceans' importance, more and more studies are revealing more and more interactions and connections. For instance, while warming temperatures from greenhouse gases cause greater ocean cloud cover, counteracting some of the rise in Earth temperature, the warming is also raising sea levels and making ocean waters more acidic affecting saltwater flora and sea creatures. Findings published in Nature in January 2014 show that warming currents in the North Atlantic adversely affect (1) "sea-ice redistribution" (i.e., shifting positions of large bodies of sea-ice) in Antarctica, (2) melting ice in the southern icecap of Antarctica, (3) a warming climate with (4) increased ice melt in Antarctica. Greenland and Antarctica together hold about 99% of Earth's freshwater ice, which is undergoing significant changes in location and water phase (from frozen to liquid and vapor).

What is the reader's first view of Jekyll's laboratory? What are the descriptive details in this part of Chapter 1?

Our introduction to Dr. Jekyll's laboratory seems somewhat off-handed, and only concerns a description of its exterior.  However, it reveals quite a bit and begins to set the mood for the entire story.

In chapter one, Mr. Enfield, a lawyer, tells his client, Mr. Utterson, a story, one that Mr. Enfield was reminded of by the sight of the laboratory's door.  As the story goes, he once observed a small, ugly man who seemed somewhat deformed, exit that door.  This man bumped into a little girl and trampled her without any regard for her whatsoever.  When passers-by stopped him and demanded that he compensate the child's family with a sum of 100 pounds, he disappeared back into the house and returned shortly with a check made out by one Dr. Jekyll.  Thus, Mr. Enfield reached the conclusion that this man must be blackmailing Dr. Jekyll (who is known to live elsewhere) and now refers to the house as the "Black Mail House."  He assumes that this ugly, evil-looking man must have information about some indiscretion in Dr. Jekyll's youth that he is holding over him in exchange for money.

Further, he says that he asked no questions of Dr. Jekyll in the wake of this scene because "the more it looks like Queer Street, the less [he] ask[s]."  Queer Street, as the footnote tells us, is an "Imaginary street where people in difficulties are supposed to reside."  Therefore, the building which houses the laboratory has, to respectable folk, become synonymous with a place where unrespectable or disreputable people live.  It is associated with criminal and malicious activity.

In "A Good Man is Hard to Find," why does The Misfit kill the grandmother last?

I frequently get asked this question when I teach this short story.  So far, my students and I have come up with two reasons:

1.  The Misfit kills the grandmother last to make her death more painful (at least to the reader).  The grandmother has to endure listening to the other five members of her family get shot in closer range (even though, in her selfish attitude, she doesn't seem to care much).  O'Connor may have done that to evoke pity for the grandmother.

2.  The other reason the Misfit may have killed the grandmother last is for suspense and plot purposes. The Misfit exchanges a lot of information with the grandmother.  If the grandmother were killed first, this wouldn't have happened.  The grandmother is also a more prominent figure in the story, so it wouldn't have made sense for the Misfit to have the conversation with, say, Bailey or one of the children.  Also, leaving the grandmother alive until the very end gives the reader the hope that the Misfit may redeem himself--he can be "redeemed" if he just takes the grandmother up on her offer of being "a good man".  It gets to the point where the reader may almost believe that the Mist fit won't kill her, but then he suddenly shoots her in her head.  Most of my students come in the next day with strong reactions to that ending--probably what O'Connor was looking for.  

Does Stanley or Stella show signs of low self esteem or emotional dependance with the domestic violence that goes on in A Streetcar Named Desire?

I would have to say that both Stella and Stanley, in "A Streetcar Named Desire", demonstrate signs of low self-esteem and emotional dependence. Given that the most famous quote from the movie is when Stanley is calling the Stella after abusing her shows his own dependence on her.

Stella is unable to leave Stanley after the abusive night when the men were playing poker. Even though she left the flat right after being struck by Stanley, she returns to her home because she cannot live without him  When Blanche tells Stella that Stanley is not a good man, Stella defends him and tells Blanche that she does not understand.

Another example that shows Stella's dependence on Stanley is when she chooses to believe him over Blanche regarding the rape. Stella cannot live with Stanly and believe that he raped Blanche- she chooses her husband over her sister.

The relationship between Stella and Stanley is the typical abuse/forgive realtionship depicted in many medias today. These realtionsahip exist solely on the dependance that each partner has on the other.

How is the significance of the seventh apartment revealed at the end of Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"?

The significance of the eerie seventh apartment is revealed at the end of "The Masque of the Red Death" through Prospero's final confrontation with his uninvited guest.  The uninvited guest, who represents the embodiment of the Red Death itself, comes unknown and uninvited at midnight.  This shows us the significance of the ebony clock found in the seventh apartment.  Shrouded in burial robes and bathed in blood, the figure mirrors the apartment itself with its black tapestries and blood-red windows.  The eerie red light emanating from these windows automatically hits each inhabitant of the room, showing that none of the guests can avoid the effects of the Red Death.  Of course, it is within the chamber itself that the figure claims its first victim:  Prince Prospero.  This is quite ironic, considering it is Prospero himself who tried to cheat death by inviting all of his friends into his home in order to defeat the pestilence from the beginning.  Prospero confronts the figure and immediately falls down dead in the middle of the seventh apartment.  All of the other partygoers follow suit, finding that (as expected) the uninvited guest has no "tangible form." 

In "Lord of the Flies", describe how the characters of Simon, Ralph, Jack and Piggy change in the course of the novel.

None of these characters undergoes a dramatic change, except for Ralph.  For the most part, the boys' characters are set and the events on the island only enhance the most prominent aspects of their personalities.  Simon is a mystic and a thinker.  When we first see him, we see him just as one of the boys, but one with a medical problem (the seizures). When he emerges as a character, we see him as one who observes his environment quietly.  He changes somewhat when he comes to the full realization of the source of evil on the island immediately followed by the realization of what the "beast" on the mountain top really is.  Piggy is the one who thinks things out in a practical, logical manner.  This is shown as soon as he tells Ralph about the conch shell.  He also changes somewhat when he realizes that the source of evil on the island is all of them, but like Simon, he dies for this knowledge.  Jack is shown from the beginning to be one who likes being in charge and something of a bully.  He makes the choirboys march in their hot robes and shows no sympathy for Simon's seizure.  As the story progresses, these qualities simply expand.  His desire for power and his brutish character become stronger and more evident until he is the dicator on the island with blood on his hands.  Ralph begins the story as a carefree boy enjoying the freedom that comes with no parental or supervisor restrictions.  He develops maturity as he comes to understand the need for order and rules.  By the end of the story, he also has come to realize the source of the evil is within each person, including himself.  This knowledge ages him tremendously and he cries for the loss of innocense that all this knowledge brings him.

What is Lawrence Kohlberg's stage theory of moral development?

Kohlberg, seeing that 10-11 years old is the beginning of formal operations (according to Piaget), questioned whether thinking about moral issues might have more stages. He determined that there were actually six stages, only 3 of which share features of Piaget’s stages. He asks children and adolescents questions about a man stealing a drug to save his wife’s life. He asks if it was right or wrong, but what he is really looking for is how they come up with their answer.

Level 1- Preconventional Morality

Stage 1-Obedience and Punishment Orientation- punishment proves it is bad to do certain things

Stage 2-Individualism and Exchange- punishment is something that you risk, but does not inherently make something bad

Level 2-Conventional Morality

Stage 3- Good Interpersonal Relationships- usually entered as children become teens. Belief that people should live up to certain standards or expectations. Be “good”. Character judgments are seen as vital to understanding a person and what they do (good, bad, nice, fair, unfair etc. )

Stage 4- Maintaining the Social Order-concern with society as a whole. Emphasis on obeying the law, showing respect for authority, and performing one’s duties.

Level 3- Postconventional Morality

Stage 5-Social Contract and Individual Rights- question what makes for a good society. Theoretical. What are the rights and values that people should be guaranteed? Idea that a good society is one that people freely enter into to work toward the benefit of all. Morality and rights take some precedence of over particular laws.

Stage 6- Universal Principals- define the principals by which we achieve justice. Justice such as that practiced by great moral leaders such as MLK and Gandhi. We would not vote for a law that helps some and hurts others. Empathy for others and dignity for all. (Kohlberg and other researchers have had a hard time finding subjects who function at level 6 consistently. Currently referring to this stage as a “theoretical stage.”)

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn trace Huck's troubled conscience. Identify the conflict, where it appears, and how it's resolved.

Huck's conscience is a direct result of education, society, social norms, and what is considered appropriate in his culture.  Most of the conflict revolves around the fact that he is skipping around the country with a runaway slave.  Huck, his entire life, had been taught that slaves were not people but property, and Huck feels that way about Jim throughout a huge portion of the novel.  In fact, he actually gets mad when Jim is excited about gaining his freedom and buying his family; Huck feels that Jim's family doesn't belong to him, but to the slave owner.  So, this attitude is with him from the very beginning of the novel.

There are a few key events that start to turn Huck's attitude around.  The first is when Jim declares that Huck is his best friend, just as Huck is about to turn him in.  That makes him feel guilty.  Another incident is when Jim is bitten by the rattlesnake; Huck feels bad about it and doesn't pull a prank like that again. Then, after Jim gets mad at him after the fog prank, Huck is truly sorry, and apologizes; this shows that he is starting to view Jim as a friend and equal, instead of property to be messed with.

Huck's true crisis of conscience comes when he discovers that Jim has been sold off by the duke and king.  He tries to write a letter to Miss Watson, telling her where Jim is, but can't do it.  He just can't bring himself to keep Jim in slavery, whether it is at the Phelps place or at the Watson place.  So, he tears up the letter and in a telling statement says, "Fine, I'll go to hell then."  Here we see him feeling evil for deciding to help a runaway slave, but not caring, because he considers Jim to be his friend.  Huck risks his own safety and salvation to go get Jim.  That resolves his doubts; he has a clean conscience, and moves forward from that point.  By the end of the novel he is able to declare that he feels that Jim is "white on the inside," meaning, his equal.

I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

Would I use combinations or permutations?If 6 people are running in a race, how many possible ways can they come in if there are no ties and...

Permutation is as good as arranging. Whereas,in selecting a group of persons, we are interested only in number of persons irrespective of the order of selection. So we use combinations .

Let A,B,C,D,E,F be the 6 persons in race.

A may come in any of the 6 places. So, 6 choice.

For any one place of A, B can occupy any one of the other 5 places.

For any particular order of A and B, C ha the choice of the places  6-2=4 places.

Similarly D has the choice of 6-3= 3places.

E can occupy 2 places and F has to be at the available one place.

Thus, the choces being free and indepedent, the number of aarrangements or ways is 6P6 given by:

6P6 = 6(6-1)(6-2)(6-3)(6-4)(6-5) = 6! = 720

Tell me what you like about Hamlet the play. What is it about?

There is much to like about the play. The wordplay between the characters is key. There is a reason why so many actors love to perform this play. Almost every character gets a spotlight and great dialouge to boot.

The story bares a passing resemblance to an earlier play, also titled Hamlet, but Shakespeare changes a few details. At a glance it is about Hamlet setting up a plot to murder his uncle for the death of his father, but moreso it is Hamlet trying to prove his uncle's guilt. Remember, his father's ghost does tell him fairly earily on who killed him, but Hamlet wants to make sure. There is misundertanding aplenty, and like any great tragedy it ends in murder. The pages below should help.

What type of bullying is used in "To Kill a Mockingbird"? How does it affect the victims?

They bullying in the book is evident on different levels.  You have the more childlike bullying that Scout gives to her cousin, Walter Cunningham, and others that speak poorly of her father.  The victims here either receive the satisfaction of having riled Scout, or a good beating.  There is the "bullying" that Jem gives Scout when she whines about not wanting to harrass Boo Radley, which is more in the form of mockery or dismissal, and prompts her to exhibit her bravery.

The more serious examples of bullying occur in regards to the Tom Robinson case.  Atticus indicates that a Cunningham on the jury did his best to stand up for what was right, but most likely peer pressure and bullying got him in the end; the effect was a guilty conviction for Tom.  Bob Ewell bullies Atticus and his family, first verbally, and then through his actual attack.  The effect of that attack was huge; Boo Radley saved the day, Scout and Jem were traumatized, and it was an event that they pondered for the rest of their lives.  Tom Robinson himself was bullied by the Ewells in their false testimonies, and when he was shot at the end.  His family is forever impacted by those events.

There are many instances of bullying. some pretty harmless and others life-changing and cruel.  Either way, they all had an effect on the victims one way or another.

In "Julius Caesar", what are the good things about Antony?

Antony is a hugely ambiguous character. He hardly appears in the first half of the play at all, and only really comes into focus once Caesar has been murdered. All we really find out about him in the early part of the play is that he's something of a party-animal, and that he enjoys plays. And Cassius, who's always right in this play, fears him as a potential threat.

His good points only come into focus after the murder. First thing to say is that he's an extremely skilful politician. He knows to take the conspirators' hands, and he makes sure that he makes it seem completely uncalculated:

Gentlemen all,—alas, what shall I say?
My credit now stands on such slippery ground,
That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,
Either a coward or a flatterer.
That I did love thee, Caesar, O, 'tis true!

He is, of course, a flatterer. A complete flatterer. So much so that the audience actually believe that he's on the side of the conspirators. It's only when he makes his speech that you think he might be genuine:

O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!

And then, of course, his famous speech at the funeral turns the tide against the conspirators, and makes the act of doing so seem uncalculated. He's an amazing speaker.  In fact, he's such a good speaker, that you never know whether to believe him. Is he a good friend - is he loyal to Caesar - is he self-serving? Depends which of his lines you buy and which you don't.

At the end of "Lord of the Flies", what three boys do not make it off the island?

1) the littlun with the "mulberry-coloured birthmark", who died at the end of chapter two ("Fire on the Mountain")

2) Simon, who is killed by the rest of the boys upon his return from the top of the mountain, where he had just realized that the "beast" they had seen was a dead paratrooper

3) Piggy, who is killed when Roger drops a boulder on him and he falls into the sea

Is the short story "The Lottery" an interpretive fiction ?

To determine whether or not “The Lottery” is interpretive fiction you must ask yourself, does this story’s theme challenge our beliefs and provide somber truths?   A reader need not accept a theme that is contrary to his or her personal beliefs. However, any theme is worthy of consideration in that it is someone's view. Does this story have a meaningful realistic plot, conflict, setting and characters? Some critics believe it is a parable and "the shocking ending prompts readers to think about the moral implications of the lottery and how such issues relate to society as a whole."  I this is the way you view the story then the answer to your question would be yes. 

I have always thought of “The Lottery” as more of a speculative fiction, as in "what if this really happened."  What would I do?  How would I handle dealing with this tradition?  The theme of this story is a community which refuses to let go of tradition, no matter how terrible that tradition is and the “Lottery” is performed as commonplace as any other activity in the town.  It is accepted as readily as the yearly prom, an election, or any other annual occurrence.

How would one describe Montresor's character in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The easiest way to describe Montresor would be as vengeful, single-minded, and unforgiving. We know from the very beginning of the story that he is intent on exacting revenge for the “injuries” and “insults” of Fortunato, and that he is patient, willing to wait “at length” for an opportunity to arise to allow him to achieve his end. He does not once waver in his plan to murder Fortunato, hesitating only once as he is bricking up the recess in which Fortunato is chained; and even then he hesitates not out of indecision, but out of fear that Fortunato has escaped his bindings. And consider the Montresor family’s motto: Nemo me impune lacessit—“no one attacks me with impunity.” Here we have confirmation that the man is vengeful, and learn that this vengeance is rooted in his family’s values and history. The man is proud—he comes, after all, from “a great and numerous family,” with a reputation that he is burdened with upholding.

Given Montresor’s unerring performance in tricking Fortunato into his cellar and his chosen method of murdering his “friend,” we can confidently say that Montresor is a creative man, and clever. His tactics involve a good amount of knowledge about his acquaintances—he knows that Fortunato, a “quack” in many ways, is a genuine connoisseur of wine, and that he believes Luchresi to be “an ignoramus” who “cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry.” Montresor plays off of Fortunato’s own biases and pride to lure him deeper and deeper into his trap, until there is no escape. The fact that Fortunato is led very deep into Montresor’s cellar without having any doubts or suspicions about the events at hand is testament to Montresor’s acting abilities—all this time, harboring the most sinister of intentions, he manages to disarm Fortunato and maintain a friendly demeanor. Also, we know that Montresor is never punished for his crime, which indicates that he feels little to no guilt, and that he has a very strong command of his emotions, such that he can keep his secret and raise no suspicions for decades after the crime is committed.

Montresor is a scheming and intelligent man, patient and careful. He is true to himself and loyal to his family’s legacy, unafraid—indeed, determined—to do anything necessary to free his name from what he perceives as unjust insult. He is strong-willed and innovative, utilizing the resources available to him to maximum effect. And, of course, he is a murderous villain.

What were the circumstances surrounding Dorian Gray's birth in the book "Picture of Dorian Gray"?

Although Dorian Gray is twenty years old when the story begins, the author describes the circumstances of his birth in Chapter 3.  Dorian is the grandson of the esteemed Lord Kelso, and his mother was the very beautiful Lady Margaret Devereaux.  Margaret married a man of whom her father did not approve, "a penniless young fellow, a mere nobody, a subaltern in a foot regiment, or something of that kind".  Margaret's husband was killed in a duel not long after their marriage, and it was rumored that Lord Kelso himself set the young man up, arranging for "some rascally adventurer, some Belgian brute", to insult his son-in-law in public, and thus necessitating a duel.  The hapless young man was grossly overmatched, and the Belgian "spitted the man as if he had been a pigeon".  Lady Margaret never spoke to her father again, and died within a year, leaving a son, Dorian Gray.  Dorian was raised, ironically, by his grandfather, the man who was so instrumental in making him an orphan (chapter 3).

What is the significance of the reoccuring symbol/motif of hair in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler?

The motif of hair in this brilliant play is used to signal the way in which Hedda is more preoccupied with the aesthetics of life rather than the messy relaities of day-to-day living. She has a picture of the world as being a romantic and beautiful poetic place and we can see that she withdraws into her image of this world to avoid having to confront the very difficult realities of life. Note how she tells George, "I don't want to look on sickness and death. I want to be free of everything ugly."

For Hedda, she makes up her own little world where everything is beautiful and good. She places Eilert very firmly in this world, and casts him as her romantic hero. One of the most important references to hair is when she pictures him with vine leaves in his hair and reading his book aloud. This picture of him is of course just like a picture out of a novel, and Hedda also carefully configures his death so that it is deeply romantic. This allows her to claim that "there is beauty" in his manner of dying and that it was "liberating" for her to see his death. Hair becomes a powerful symbol therefore of how beauty and its appearance is more important to Hedda than human life itself.

Why is the winning horse named "Malabar" in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?

The first winning horse that Paul chose was named Daffodil. After earning quite a bit of money, Lawrence writes, "There were flowers in the winter and a blossoming of luxury Paul's mother had not been used to ...and yet behind the sprays of mimosa and almond blossom...[she screamed} "There must be more money! This "frightens Paul" and he begins riding the rocking horse more and more to try to discern the winner of the National Derby. Finally, Paul says the winner will be "Malabar" Malabar is a plant that can be used as a poison, part of the nightshade family. When one is poisoned by the malabar plant, its symptoms are very much Paul's symptoms, fever, and then madness, followed by death. The horse's name foreshadows Paul's demise.

In Animal Farm, what is ironic in Chapter 2 based on previous knowledge about the pigs? Irony is a literary device where words are used to express...

What is ironic about this is that even though the animals do fight to rid themselves of their human masters, believing that as their own masters, they will live a happy, productive and full life on the farm.  They don't realize that a few among them expect to seize power and force the rest of the animals into submissive labor, food deprivation, lack of sleep and removal from the farm without notice to the executioner.

The animals cast off Farmer Jones, declaring him a tyrant, joyfully they celebrate their new found freedom, when all along the whole process was done to allow the boars, Napoleon and Snowball, at first, to lead the animals.  What Snowball does not know is that Napoleon has no intention of sharing power with him.  He plans on managing the farm and dictating from a position of complete authority what everyone will do.

The treatment that the animals receive under Napoleon transcends, rises high above anything the farmer ever did to them.  Napoleon is cruel, heartless, cold, calculating and exceptionally brutal to the animals as he works them to near death. 

They starve while he and his minions feast, they labor, while he sleeps in a bed.  They suffer for the farm that they think belongs to the animals, while Napoleon makes deals with the humans.  His rule is utterly authoritarian, tyranny and absolute rule with an iron fist.   

In "The Crucible," how do the performers demonstrate the tensions in their relationships through their actions?

In the film version of The Crucible, that the tension between John Proctor and Abigail Williams is demonstrated through their eyes.  How she looks at him is very telling, it is obvious that she pines for him, loves him, longs for him.  The tension of having to stay away from her has made John Proctor act cautiously around her, staying at an arm's distance when they talk alone together in Act I.

In Act II, in the Proctor home, the tension between husband and wife is evident in her wooden actions of serving the evening meal.  There is little conversation, and it is very formal.  Elizabeth has an unforgiving nature, her face is stern and cold.    

Act III the tension is obvious in the posture of Nurse, Proctor and Corey.  These practical men appeal to the court on behalf of their jailed wives, believing that the court is interested in the truth.  When the truth is treated with disregard and twisted into evidence against innocent people, the outrage is evident in the tension expressed by the pleading of these men, who stand in great disbelief at the court's decision.

Act IV, the tension is at its highest point.  The respectable members of society, Corey, Nurse and Proctor are scheduled for execution.  Hale is so full of tension that he can barely contain his speech, he becomes shrill with hysteria in his attempt to save the lives of the innocent. 

In "The Scarlet Letter," why is Hester's declaration, "Once in my life I met the Black man! This scarlet letter is his mark" important?

This quote comes from an interesting situation.  Pearl had overheard the story of the black man.  She heard the story that thousands and thousands had met the black man and signed his book.  She heard that the Scarlet Letter was the black man's mark on her, and that it glowed in the dark when she went to meet nightly.   Hester asked Pearl if she had ever awoken in the morning to find her mother missing.  When Pearl says that she had not, Hester then makes the admission that she did indeed meet the black man and that the scarlet letter is his mark.  But a mark of what?  

The Letter is an external sign of the "sin" that Hester has committed.  She wears it not because of her sense of personal sin, but because she has violated a rule of their society and accepts the fact that they have the right to judge her.   She understands that the black man comes in two versions, personal and communal "sin."  The second is the black man she has met, just once, and for that she wears the mark of social sin.

In what ways is "Rip van Winkle" a classic tale of wish fulfillment?

Hmm. This sounds like a question asked by a teacher; teachers like to force you to define things like "classic" at the same time you define "fulfillment."

In any case, it is a story of fulfillment because Rip gets what he wants, and more than any of us could hope to do. He wants to loaf, and he gets to--he sleeps the years away. However, when he wakes up, he's old enough that he can "do nothing" without penalty. He's skipped all the hard work. What's more, things got better while he slept, not worse as so many of us fear. America had rebelled and was now free--and he didn't have to help!

As far as what makes it classic, I'd say it is the fact that it has appealed to so many people, which is due in turn to the way the author uses a then-modern method of telling the story (the found manuscript) and an ancient, fable-like setting.

Greg

Why is it relevant for a 5 year old child to develop appropriate social skills?This question pertains to the need of a social society in a public...

The development of young children's social skills is foundational to leading a productive life. Specifically, professionals have linked children's social interactions with others to their emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development regarding roles, sexuality, socialization, and personality (McCoy, Brody, & Stoneman, 2002; Salmon, 2003; Spitze & Logan, 1991).

Children's social skills are particularly relevant to developing emotion regulation, self-concept, and communication skills, all of which shape later interactions with authority figures, coworkers, colleagues, and spouses (Anderson, Sabatelli, & Kosutic, 2007; Brody & Murry, 2001; Tucker et al., 1999; Weisner, 1989; Whiteman et al., 2007). In fact, researchers have linked deficits in social skills with negative behaviors such as quitting school, delinquency and aggression, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, development of mental health problems, and involvement in criminal activities (Ary, Tildesley, Hops, & Andrews, 1993; Bank, Patterson, & Reid, 1996; Bard & Rodgers, 2003; Dunn, 2000; Slomkowski, Rende, Novak, Lloyd-Richardson, & Niaura, 2005). Thus, the more we understand how social skills impact young children’s later emotional attachments, the more effective we will be in equipping young people with social skills to deal with others constructively (Lockwood et al., 2001).

What is the meaning of "Yea, slimy things....... slimy sea" in "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" part II?

Part II of the poem reveals the ill effects of the curse that have come upon the ship because of the cruel and thoughtless act of the "ancient mariner" in killing  the albatross with his cross bow. The ship drifts into a region where no breeze blows and remains there for several days. Consequently, the entire ship and its crew were scorched by the hot sun. Their supply of fresh water was soon exhausted. It became so hot that the wooden boards of the ship began to shrink and the salty sea water around the ship began to evaporate so fast that it seemed as though the entire sea had begun to rot and stink. The "ancient mariner" remarks that the situation became so grim that the level of the sea water had fallen so low because of the rapid rate of evaporation that he was able to see the deep sea creatures crawling and slithering about on the sea floor. The sea itself had become "slimy"-muddy, because of the low level of the sea water as a result of the unrelenting heat of the sun: "The very deep did rot: O Christ!/That ever this should be!/Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs/Upon the slimy sea."

In those days, no one had dived deep into the bottom of the sea and this reference by Coleridge  to "slimy creatures" at the bottom of the sea is meant to heighten  the element of mystery in the poem.

What was Angela Wexler's possible motive for killing Sam Westing in "The Westing Game"?Why is Angela Wexler suspicious?

Angela Wexler's possible motive for killing Sam Westing might be to gain his inheritance.  The money would allow her be independent, and pursue the career that she longs to have.

Intelligent and beautiful, Angela Wexler exists completely under her mother Grace's control.  Grace has arranged for Angela to marry Dr. Denton Deere, and is revelling in the excitement of wedding preparations and plans for Angela's life.  "Perfect Angela" (Ch.14), though, does not want to get married yet, but is too timid to stand up to her mother;  whenever Grace wants something, "Angela does everything she says" (Ch.12)  Angela chafes about being asked about Denton "all the time, as though she was nobody" (Ch.14).  Although she is admired for her beauty, Angela is never asked about her own hopes and dreams.  No one cares to know who she really is, and she is starved for attention.

Angela had gone to college for a year, and often wonders about the exciting lives her friends must be living now, with their careers.  She herself wants to be a doctor, but does not have the money nor the will to make her dreams come true.  It is possible that Angela thinks that her potential inheritance from Sam Westing might help her eliminate at least one of the impediments to achieving her aspirations.

In the last two lines of the novel, what do you think this tells us about Carlson and the wider environment in which the story takes place?‘Now...

As a "bindle stiff" Carlson is callous and insensitive. The alienation of so many men as a result of their displacement from their homes and the experiences from this loss in the 1930s is represented in the character of Carlson.  For, he does not understand the feelings that old Candy has for his old dog or the brotherly bonds shared by George and Lennie.

Regarding the "wider environment" as you so aptly term it, in the setting of the desperate 1930s and its itinerant workers, such paradises of freedom, contentment, safety in the protection of friendship are not to be found.  With the death of Lennie, his and George's dream, too, dies, proving what Crooks says to be true:  There is no protection from a hostile world; Life is no good without a companion to turn to.  With Lennie's death, George loses not only his dream, but also his chance to be a better man.

Slim, with his "God-like eyes"

twitches George's elbow. 'Come on George.  Me an' you'll go in an' get a drink.....You hadds, George.  come on with me.'

In direct contrast to Carlson, Slim understands the magnitude of what George has had to do.

In "The Crucible" what is Reverend Hale doing that brings “hope” and how does that tie to Danforth thinking that he has been preaching in Andover?

Hale is going to each of the prisoners who have not confessed to witchcraft, and trying to help convince them that if they lie to save their life, it isn't that big of a deal, and that "God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride."  For many people in the jails who have been refusing to lie, because for all of their lives they have been taught that "God damns all liars", this might be a ray of hope for them, a way out of the awful situation that they have found themselves in.  For a minister, a man of god, to come to them and tell them that it is okay to lie, that in fact NOT lying is the bigger sin, it would be a great burden lifted off their shoulders.  He tries this argument with Elizabeth, stating that "life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it."

Danforth and others suspect he has been preaching in Andover because he is going against the courts here, so why not there too, and in Andover there have been rumors of rebellion.  So, they attribute the rebellion to Hale and his ministry of "hope."  Hale denies this claim, stating that "Thank God they have no need of me in Andover".

Could I have an explanation of the poem "The Second Coming?"

William Butler Yeats (1865- 1939) poem The Second Coming is a description of the end of the Christian Era.  Yeats, in his work, A Vision, describes his belief in alternating cycles of history, Christianity being just one facet of one of the cycles.  Having just witnessed the end of World War I, he's conveying his belief through the poem that the Christian cycle is over, that the other cycle, a world described in the Apocalypse, is now beginning.  However, even that world will run its course, and the "beast" will "slouch towards Bethlehem" to be born and initiate a new Christian cycle.

How do I start an essay about my chlidhood?

Even with an essay, you want to grab the reader’s attention right away. You do need to honor the structure. The first paragraph needs to contain your topic sentence and generally introduce the essay. However, there is NO reason why you can’t start with something catchy.

Think about interesting or unusual angles on your childhood. Even if you can’t think of anything you find interesting (most of us think our childhoods were ‘normal’) you can express it in an interesting way. For example:

There was only one dog on our street, and it had to be mine.

“This I have never seen before!” the doctor said as he pulled 5 peanuts from my nose.

As the youngest in my family, I was the guinea pig for all my siblings’ experiments.

The light filtered dimly through the leaves, casting shifting patterns across the pages of my life.

You get the idea. A great first sentence will both catch the reader’s attention AND get you thinking about interesting ways to tell your tale.

When did Mrs.Olinski decide that Hamilton Knapp was not the right fit for the academic team in "View From Saturday"?

Mrs. Olinski decided that Hamilton Knapp was not right for the academic team when she realized that he was behind the cruel taunting that occurred during the Annie play.  She "had a great tolerance for mischief, but she had no patience for malice", and Ham's stunt in instigating the chanting proved to her that he was not just naughty, but "terribly mean" (Ch. 5).

Mrs. Olinski did not know herself exactly what qualities she was looking for in her team members in the beginning.  She chose Noah first after reading his essay on the First Amendment (Ch. 5), and was drawn to Nadia when the young girl, after being so "cautious about being friendly" over the first month of school, broke out of her shell and began to greet Mrs. Olinski each morning with a bright smile and a "Hey" (Ch. 2).  Ethan was chosen next because of his positive attitude; he was one of the rare sixth graders who asked "Now what?" instead of "So what?" (Ch. 3).  Mrs. Olinski did not at first consider Julian, the last member chosen, to be on the team because he seemed so much "an island unto himself, definitely not a team player", but she changed her mind after visiting Sillington House.  There she discovered that Julian, along with Noah, Nadia, and Ethan, were exceptionally creative, loving, and kind individuals, and she realized that "kindness" was the essential quality she wanted in a team member (Chapter 11).

What are some examples of characterization of Atticus, Jem, Scout in Ch. 9? Thanks

In this chapter Atticus shows how patient he is as a father.  When Scout tries to get out of school, he looks at her with "amusement in his eyes." He also shows that he is a good and decent human being who does what is morally right, even if it is not accepted by most in the community.  Speaking about Tom's slight chance at winning this case he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." Atticus then shows his concern for Scout's behavior, but also his cunningness when he speaks to Jack, but says it so Scout can hear it, too.

Scout is very aggressive.  She attacks Cecil for calling her father an n-lover. Then she paid a nickel so she could rub her head against someone who had ringworm.  She did that so she could miss school.  However, after her talk with Atticus, Scout held her fists down when Cecil teased her again.  She did have some restraint after all.  When she met up with her brat of a cousin, though, she socked him a good one.  That was because the information was really coming from Atticus' sister, Aunt Alexandra.  The way he said it, too, makes the reader want to sock him one.

Jem isn't in any of the dialogue or action in this chapter.

How does Paul determine the names of the winning horses in Rocking Horse Winner? Does Paul always pick a winner? How did he learn about...

Paul determines the names of the winning horses by riding his wooden rocking horse.  If he can ride his horse until he "gets there", he receives a kind of revelation so that he is "absolutely sure" which horse will win the next race.  It is a frightening experience when Paul rides to this extent, because he urges his horse on with an intensity which borders on frenzy, "madly surging", seemingly possessed by a strange, inner power.  Paul is never wrong, however, when he is "sure"; and it is in this manner that he was able to predict that the longshots Daffodil and Malabar would win the Lincoln and the Derby, respectively.

Paul does not always pick a winner - "sometimes (he) (has) an idea, and sometimes (he) (hasn't) even an idea".  Then, when he is not "absolutely sure", he "mostly go(es) down", betting wrongly and losing money.  After he was correct about the Lincoln, he took a chance on the Grand National, but because he had not really "known" which horse would win, he had lost a hundred pounds. 

Paul learned about horse racing from Basset, a young gardener who is "a perfect blade of the 'turf'...he live(s) in the racing events".  Paul had come to Bassett and asked what he knew about horse racing, and Basset had lent him his "first five shillings, which (he) lost".  Bassett is so involved with racing that he speaks of them "as if he were speaking of religious matters".

In act V, scene 2 of "Hamlet", what is the purpose served by Fortinbras' appearance at the end of the play? (its dramatic purpose)

His appearance is necessary to re-establish the civil order that has been disrupted by the murder of King Hamlet and then by the numerous deaths of those that lie slain on the stage. The Elizabethans of Shakespeare's day believed in the Chain of Being, which connected all of creation in ascending order beginning with inorganic matter and rising to God. The king was God's representative on earth so when the king was murdered, the civil order was disturbed. Not until the rightful king is on the throne will order be restored. Unfortunately in this play, Hamlet also dies so Fortinbras is next in line to claim the Danish throne. He is the highest ranking character on stage at the end of the play, and it is his responsibility to re-establish order in the chaotic kingdom of Denmark. Hamlet tells Horatio before the prince dies that Fortinbras should be king. Note that he is the one who gives the orders about how Hamlet is to be buried. Without Fortinbras' appearance at the end of the play, there is no resolution to the plot.

How do I write an obituary for Claudius in "Hamlet"?

It depends precisely what you mean. An obituary is a piece of writing which sums up someone's life after their death, though usually it is written with an entirely positive spin. Though, obviously, when someone like Saddam Hussein dies, the obituaries don't take a positive spin. It depends.

I've put a link below for you which explains how to write an obituary generally. The basic, key point is that it's written in the third person ("He...") and that it goes in vaguely chronological order.

So you might want to make up something about Claudius' childhood (born in Denmark, surely?) and his early life, and decide whether he went to university. The play actually starts telling you about him when it tells you that he poisoned his brother in order to usurp his crown. After that, he married Gertrude at some point, and it's about then that the play's action begins.

What happens to Claudius during it? Well, he's preparing the country for some sort of war (cf Act 1, Scene 1). He has to cope with the problem of Hamlet - he brings in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on him. Hamlet kills Polonius, and Claudius packs Hamlet off to England. Claudius then persuades a vengeful Laertes to join with him in a plot against Hamlet (poisoned swords for fencing, and poison in a cup). After Laertes dies, Hamlet kills Claudius by forcing him to drink his own poison. Hamlet is king for all of one minute before he dies himself.

Hope that helps!

In "The Scarlet Letter", what is the topic and mood of Dimmesdale’s sermon?

It's difficult to answer your question because Dimmesdale gives several sermons in the novel. The sermon that has the most recorded about it comes right after Chillingworth has moved into the same house as Dimmesdale and Hester has been allowed to keep Pearl. In that sermon, his subject is sin and he expresses the thought that he is the worst of sinners. Hawthorne makes it clear that Dimmesdale wanted to confess his sin of adultery during that sermon, but he never does. Ironically, people think of Dimmesdale as more of a saint after the sermon because they reason that only a saint could think of himself as such a sinner. Little do they realize that he is an adulterer and the father of Pearl.

In Julius Caesar, what are the two things that Brutus says he will never do, even if he loses the war?

Good question. Both answers are in Act 5, Scene 1.

Even by the rule of that philosophy
By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself: I know not how,
But I do find it cowardly and vile,
For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life....

Brutus says that he finds suicide "cowardly and vile", and that its unphilosophical. Ironic, really, given that by the end of this act he will have run on his own sword.

Cassius then asks him whether he's content to be bound and taken back to Rome in disgrace. Brutus also says that he won't do that either, with characteristic arrogance:

No, Cassius, no. Think not, thou noble Roman,
That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;
He bears too great a mind.

Hope it helps!

What is the significance of the bird in the poem "The Listeners"?

I believe the bird is significant because it represents a part of nature which is disturbed when the traveler shatters the silence by knocking loudly at the door.  In keeping with the theme of the poem, the scene in the wood is quiet and placid - "the horse in the silence champed the grasses of the forest's ferny floor", and the lone house with its spirits within is shrouded in silence, at peace with the wildlife around it.  The traveler, with his loud, imperative ways is an encroacher, incongruous in the serenity of the natural world.  The bird, startled, flies "up out of the turret" when the traveler breaks the silence by calling out loudly, "Is anybody there?", and rapping sharply on the cottage door.

The bird might also be significant because, by its presence, it provides the answer to the traveler's question, "Is anybody there?"  There is, in fact, no one there, no one from the world of men, at least.  The cottage is completely given over to nature, uninhabited, it is a part of its idyllic surroundings.   It is at one with the forest and the wild things that inhabit it.  The birds and other creatures live there in their natural state, unmolested by the discordant ways of men. 

What is Nietzsche's opinion of Hamlet's character? And also Harry Levin's?

Here's Nietzsche on "Hamlet" in his own words: 

In this sense the Dionysian man has similarities to Hamlet. Both have had a real glimpse into the essence of things. They have understood, and it now disgusts them to act, for their actions can change nothing in the eternal nature of things. They perceive as ridiculous or humiliating the fact that they are expected to set right a world which is out of joint. The knowledge kills action, for action requires a state of being in which we are covered with the veil of illusion. That is what Hamlet has to teach us, not that really venal wisdom about John-a-Dreams, who cannot move himself to act because of too much reflection, too many possibilities, so to speak. It’s not a case of reflection. No! The true knowledge, the glimpse into the cruel truth overcomes every driving motive to act, both in Hamlet as well as in the Dionysian man. Now no consolation has any effect. His longing goes out over a world, even beyond the gods themselves, toward death.

Nietzsche sees Hamlet as someone who has completely comprehended the world in all of its massive, confusing possibilities - and is therefore unable to act. Hamlet knows, Nietzsche thinks, the absurdity of a tiny human action in the face of a massive, huge, cruel world.

What Nietzsche doesn't cover is the fact that Hamlet, of course, eventually does act, and kill Claudius - and revenge his father. Never mind.

More next post...

What can we conclude about Erik Erikson and his developmental theory? Why was he so important for childhood education?

Erikson had two important contributions to developmental theories.

1. Erikson tied development to problems and conflicts that must be dealt with at different ages. As opposed to Freud, who stated that the conflicts are intrapscyhic, Erikson looked at the social and interactional goals necessary for progression. For example, if an infant did not learn to 'trust' , it would be very difficult for it to progress on to the next stage and  through out life.

2. Erikson posited that development continued through out life. Freud said development ending with heterosexual coupling and identity. Erikson stated that each stage brought different societal difficulties that needed to be resolved. For example, in old age, people are to strive for integrity. Despite losses of friends, economic power, physical stamina, social status, it is hoped that an individual, in their life review, can identify worthwhile and significant events in their lives that leave them feeling a sense of worth. If not able to do this, they may experience despair and feel overwhelmed by the prospect of death.

Children's education allows an arena for children to work on their development. Using Erikson's stages, we see the latency age child, 6-12, learning initiative and a sense of mastery. In response of cognitive and physioloigical changes in children, they are presented with increasingly complicated lesson plans, so that they can develop mastery.  For example, in math the children start with identification and understanding about numbers. They progress to addition and subtraction with increasingly higher numbers, and then multiplication and division.

High school also provides a place for adolescence to work on " ego identity vs. ego diffusion". Especially in American high schools, there are clear achievements or ways that the child can identify him- or herself. They can be smart, or musical, or  a performer,athlete, or be academically bright.  Also, in high school, 'types' help align children with possible identities.   They may be classified or classify themselves as a 'nerd' or a 'jock' or a 'punk'. These artificial "caricatures" may help them feel included with others through this time, but it is expected that as they move on to the next stage, the high school "identity" can be softened.

Education provided the social settings for these developmental challenges to be resolved.

How was the Roman Army responsible for the rise of the Roman civilization?we're doing a project about ancient Rome

The Roman Army played a tremendous role in the rise of Roman power. When Rome won a battle, it would request that men from the area join the army. Although they would 'ask' it clearly possessed an element of force. Having said that, what is important to understand is that the growing army included men from many places creating a centralized Roman identity. Early Roman society had an inclusive nature about it, enabling different peoples to 'feel' Roman. While it was true that not all conquered peoples could become Roman citizens immediately, they were able to share in some of the rights of Roman citizens. The Roman Army also offered the greatest protection the ancient world had to offer. It could be argued that being taken over by Rome did have some advantages. The army also served as a unifying force for the civilization, both emotionally and physically. As the army grew the civilization grew, people developed an emotional sense of national identity. Roads were built by the army to physically connect the ever growing Roman civilization. In both of these cases as well as others it was the Roman army that led the way in creating this ancient civilization.   

Who were the Celts?who they where and what they did? When they came about?

The Celts were a group of peoples that occupied lands stretching from the British Isles to Gallatia. The Celts had many dealings with other cultures that bordered the lands occupied by these peoples.

The first historical recorded encounter of a people displaying the cultural traits associated with the Celts comes from northern Italy around 400 BC, when a previously unkown group of barbarians came down from the Alps and displaced the Etruscans from the fertile Po valley, a displacment that helped to push the Etruscans from history's limelight.

use the link for more info

How do I solve this math problem?The digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are each used once in some order to compose a single 9-digit number....

The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 have to be used once to create a 9 digit number such that the first digit is divisible by 1, the first two are divisible by 2, the first three digits are divisible by 3, and so on ending with 9-digit number being divisible by 9. There are many numbers that satisfy all the given conditions.

All numbers are divisible by 1. The left most digit can be either of the nine. A number is divisible by 2 if the last digit is either of 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8. The second digit can be either of these. A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of the last 2 digits is divisible by 3. A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of the last three digits is divisible by 9.

Choose any three digits that form a number divisible by 9. For instance, 126, 621 etc. These form the last digits of the number. Now if we take 126, of the remaining digits any can be the first digit of the number. Take 4. The first 2 digits form a number divisible by 2, this can be 34. To make the number formed by the first 3 digits one that is divisible by 3, the third digit can be 8. Use the other 3 digits in any order.

This gives one of the possible numbers as 348759126

In "Remembering the Good Times" which character commited or thought about commiting suicide and why?

Richard Peck is well known for his works in which young adults confront personal problems such as rape, divorce, peer pressure, suicide, and the pains of growing up. In Remembering the Good Times, Kate Lucas, Trav Kirby, and Buck Mendenhall are three close friends who must deal with several of these problems. Although Kate and Buck had met before, the two form a close friendship with Trav when the three of them begin eighth grade together. From then until the beginning of their sophomore year in high school, they are almost inseparable in spite of school plays, debate teams, freshman football, and Skeeter Calhoun who is the school bully. As they struggle through adolescence, their community is also struggling through change from a rural township to suburban sprawl.

Kate and Buck adjust, but Trav seems lost under the pressures to achieve and succeed.

What is a comparision and contrast between the poems "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell and "To Virgins, to Make Much of Time"?

Both poems reflect the ancient Roman idea of "Carpe Diem" or "sieze the day". They both encourage women to live life to the fullest each day since life does not last forever. Herrick addresses all "virgins" or young women. Since Herrick was a priest, he encourages women to marry before it's too late. Marvell was a bachelor and most people assume that he is addressing only one woman. There is no mention of marriage in his admonition to become like "amorous birds of prey." But both he and Herrick seem to emphasize the idea that pleasure should not be delayed because death is inevitable.

How does Part One of "To Kill a Mockingbird" show the theme of avoiding cruelty toward others?PLZ TELL ME IN DETAILS

The most obvious case concerns Boo - Atticus scolds his children for spying around his house, telling them to stop torrturing the poor man. They are not to act out the scissors scene on their front porch either, as this humiliates the Radley family.

Jem hushes his sister when she insists on knowing more about Dill's father. Dill takes the lead, inventing "whoppers" about his fictive father. He doesn't get punished or even chided, for people realize this is a form of compensation.

Atticus accepts payment for legal services in collards and hickory nuts because Mr Cunningham can't pay cash. He is not "at home" when Mr Cunningham delivers, for Atticus understands this is embarrassing for him.

At school Scout tries to explain to Miss Caroline Walter Cunningham's situation, an act of kindness in the beginning but which finishes in a school yard brawl. Atticus explains to Scout how Miss Caroline, though unfair, felt overcome as a new teacher confronting such problems. At the Finches' table, when Scout comments on the syrup Walter pours all over his food, Calpurnia sends her to the kitchen, telling her if Walter wants to eat the tablecloth he can, but he must be treated as "company."

Mrs Maudie also puts Miss Crawford's acrid tongue in its place when criticizing Atticus' involvement with the Robinson case.

Atticus "One Shot" puts the rabid dog out of its misery.

All these incidents illustrate kindness and compassion shown towards others in need.