What does the following quote from "Romeo and Juliet" mean: "What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face. O, be some other name...

In this line, Juliet laments Romeo's last name as a result of the feud between their families. She asserts that his name is not as vital as a body part (hand, foot, arm, face). This line is closely akin to "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," as both relate to the idea that one's name holds little importance in the affairs of affection.

What's more, Juliet wishes Romeo's last name to be different in the last line: "O, be some other name belonging to a man." The "O" here shows her dire discontent with the situation, and her request plays directly into the idea of her previous statement about the unimportance of title. Despite her argument that names don't matter, she still desires Romeo's name to be something other than what it is.

In the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", Mark Twain uses Huck as the narrator. Why do you think he chose Huck to be the narrator?

First of all, Huck was one of the main characters in his previous novel, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".  So, it was convenient to carry on part of that storyline through Huck Finn in the next book.

Secondly, Huck is a young kid with a very unique mindset that works well for Twain's desire to satirize many elements.  Kids often state things how they really are, or comment on things in  a very  unique and funny way.  Huck, with little formal education, few lessons in civility, morality, or manners, is the perfect voice for many of the judgments that Twain passes on people in society.  We see Huck as he struggles with the concept of formal religion, his conscience in regards to slavery, his opinion on the Duke and the King, and along the way, every sort of person that you could possibly imagine.  As a kid, Huck tends to approach these people and situations with an open mind, which allows Twain to describe what is going on without bias.  Eventually, Huck makes comments or judgments, which allows Twain's bits of opinions to come through in a non-offensive way, because he's just Huck, a funny kid on the run.

Compare and contrast the Socs and the Greasers. How are they different? Are there any similarities?

Besides the monetary differences between the socs and the greasers, there is also the issue of appearance as a result of background -- the "greasers" are called such because of the greasy state of their hair. And while it is true that a fashion of the time was to add oil to one's hair, the greasers' "dos" seem to be a result primarily of poor grooming and lack of hygiene.

In contrast, the socs, having come from a more affluent background, have all the benefits of wealth: clean, neat personal appearance, the latest fashions, slick cars, etc. They are the social elite of this novel, whereas the greasers are considered the poorer, second-class citizens. 

Depending upon which of the socs or greasers we are talking about, there are also individual differences in the characters comprising each class or group. For instance, even within the greasers we have sensitive boys and tough boys, just as the socs have a variety of personalities, as well.

What plans does Pip believe Miss Havisham has for him in "Great Expectations"? Why does he believe this?

Pip believes that Miss Havisham plans to help him become a gentleman.  There are several reasons for his assumption:  He has seen Mr. Jaggers, who now tells him that he will have "Great Expectations," coming and going at Miss Havisham's and he knows no one else who is rich enough to support him as a gentleman.  Also, Mr. Jaggers is sworn to secrecy not to reveal Pip's patron, and Miss Havisham is eccentric enought to do such a thing.  When Mr. Jaggers tells Pip that his education is to begin, Jaggers mentions that Mr. Matthew Pocket, whom Pip knows as a relative of Miss Havisham, is to be his tutor; therefore, Pip perceives another connection with Miss Havisham

In "The Scarlet Letter", which quotes help show a connection between Chillingworth and evil?

This first one describes Chillingworth and shows him to appear demonic in form. 

"...there came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smoldering duskily within his breast, until, by some casual puff of passion, it was blown into a momentary flame...Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office".

This one is when Pearl refers to Chillingworth as "the black man", which is another term for "the devil" - and therefore connects him to evil.

--"Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old black man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already. Come away, mother or he will catch you! But he cannot catch little Pearl!"

This last quote is from the narrator, who expresses that Chillingworth has been taken over by evil tendencies.

"Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto latent, but active now, in this unfortunate old man, which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy. To make himself the one trusted friend, to whom should be confided all the fear, the remorse, the agony, the ineffectual repentance, the backward rush of sinful thoughts, expelled in vain!"

What is a good quote from the end of Oliver Twist that proves that Oliver is able to survive at the end despite so much evil and corruption?

The best quote from the end of Oliver Twist indicating that Oliver has survived all his misfortunes and adventures and misadventures is as follows:

Mr. Brownlow adopted Oliver as his son. Removing with him and the old housekeeper to within a mile of the parsonage-house, where his dear friends resided, he gratified the only remaining wish of Oliver's warm and earnest heart, and thus linked together a little society, whose condition approached as nearly to one of perfect happiness as can ever be known in this changing world.

This quote follows the narrator's description of Monks' fate. Mr. Brownlow advised Oliver that it would be fair and possibly advantageous to Monks if the inheritance left to Oliver by their father were divided between the two instead of going, as the will directed, solely to Oliver. Oliver joyfully agreed to the advised plan and Monks became the possessor of three thousand pounds. He left for Australia but the hopes for his new life there were dashed as he was again penniless, imprisoned, and soon dead.

Oliver's other friends Rose and Harry are married and move into a cottage for Harry's first parish as a clergyman. It is they to whom Mr. Brownlow and Oliver become neighbors, thus fulfilling Oliver's wish of being within distance of his dearest friends. He has survived and will thrive under good and loving care and guidance.

What was Carl Sandburg's life like?I mean, I want to know about his early life, later life, his minor jobs, major jobs, his style of writing,...

Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Illinois, as the son of poor Swedish immigrant parents. His father was August Sandburg, a blacksmith and railroad worker, who had changed his name from Johnson. His mother was the former Clara Anderson. Sandburg was educated at public school until he was thirteen, and he then worked in odd jobs in Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. In 1898 he worked as a house-painter. Sandburg enjoyed telling people that he was that he was denied acceptance by West Point because he failed the test. When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Sandurg enlisted but saw no combat. Later he entered Lombard college in Galesburg. During these years he worked as a janitor as a "call man" on the Galesburg fire department. His first book, “In Reckless Ecstasy,” was printed privately in 1904.

Just short of receiving his degree in 1902, Sandburg moved to Wisconsin. He worked as traveler for a stereoptican slides firm, labor organizer, and as a journalist. He also was involved in the presidential campaign of Eugene Debs. In 1908 he married Lillian Steichen. From 1910 to 1912 he worked as secretary to the Socialist mayor of Milwaukee. Sandburg was considered a security risk by J. Edgar Hoover and F.B.I. kept a dossier on him. In 1913 Sandburg moved with his family to a suburb of Chicago. He worked as an editor of a business magazine, and published articles. Sandburg was not a political thinker but he was soon considered to be the voice of men and ideals for the Midwest. Sandburg's first major collection of poems, “Chicago Poems,”appeared in 1916. Sandburg was too old to serve in the army during World War I, but he went abroad to serve as a foreign correspondent.  Later, "Abraham Lincoln” The War Years” won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for history. In 1928 Sandburg moved to Harbert, Michigan, and in 1943, seeking a milder climate, the family moved again, this time to a farm in Flat Rock, North Carolina, where Sandburg lived the rest of his life. Between the wars Sandburg travelled widely as a poetry-reciter, accompanying himself on a guitar. From 1945 he lived as a farmer and writer, breeding goats and folk-singing, in Flat Rock, North Carolina.  He was the poet for the John Kennedy Inauguration in 1960. Sandburg died on July 22, in 1967.

In the story " The Guest" by Albert Camus, how does the setting contribute to the story's theme?

One of the primary themes in "The Guest" is the chasm that exists as a separation between the French and Arab experiences.  In this novel, Camus seeks to define a middle ground where the two entities - colonizer and colonized, established and "other" - can meet.  The physical setting where Daru's home and school are located is "in the desert on a high plateau - an intermediate area that belongs to neither the plains nor the mountains" that symbolizes "the moral space that Daru wants to find between the French and the Arabs".

Another element of the setting which contributes to the theme of finding a center, common ground between two elements is the weather.  The action of the narrative takes place between two radically different meteorologic states.  The Algerian desert landscape is ordinarily hot and dry, but during the narrative a violent storm occurs, dropping the temperature and bringing a blanket of snow.  The storm transforms the landscape, softening it somewhat for awhile, then leaving it in a harsh, clear light, similar to the effect that his forced interaction with the Arab leaves Daru's life changed forever.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, what does Miss Maudie think about Atticus?

Miss Maudie feels enormous respect for Atticus and strives to help Jem and Scout understand what a good and courageous man their father is. She points out to them that their father is the same in his home as he is on the public streets, Maudie's way of explaining to them the concept of personal integrity. 

After the heartbreak of Tom Robinson's conviction, Maudie explains to Jem and Scout their father's moral strength and courage:

. . . there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them . . . . We're so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we've got men like Atticus to go for us.

Maudie points out that Atticus was chosen specifically by Judge Taylor to take Tom's case for a reason: 

. . . I thought, Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that.

Maudie knows the children are too young to understand fully their father's integrity and moral character, but she knows they will one day. She speaks from her heart.

In Tess of the d'Urbevilles, was Tess raped by Alec d'Urberville, or did she willingly have sex with him?

Tess is seduced, not raped; although, it might as well be called rape due to the many variables that weakened her before succumbing to Alec's selfish desires. On page 45 on the etext ofTess of the D'Ubervilles, she is asleep on the ground after Alec has manipulated the situation beyond her strength. She had been up at five a.m. working, then she was out partying late with friends, then she gets into a fight with one of the girls in the group and Alec "saves" her from these troubles. Little does she know that he takes her riding around in circles for longer than is needed for which she gets angry; but, he avoids her wrath by telling her that he's sent toys and a new horse to her family. She starts crying and she is in a vulnerable position being conflicted by her "nice" stalker and physically and mentally weakened by the day. (There is no pitchfork in this scene as mentioned above in other posts. The pitchfork isn't in Alec's hands until page 217 where he sneakily works along side her in disguise for most of the day. He gets upset and leaves her, but he never uses the pitchfork to threaten her.) Hardy doesn't say if Alec wakes Tess up before taking what he wants from her, but the guilt and resentment that Tess clings to throughout the rest of the book and her life proves that she partially consented. She was taken advantage of, but she was innocent and naive and didn't know what hit her until afterwards.  She even asks her mother why she didn't warn her about men before she left to work for Alec.

"Nights grow chilly in September. Let me see." He pulled off a light overcoat that he had worn, and put it round her tenderly. "That's it—now you'll feel warmer," he continued. "Now, my pretty, rest there; I shall soon be back again."

Having buttoned the overcoat round her shoulders he plunged into the webs of vapour which by this time formed veils between the trees. She could hear the rustling of the branches as he ascended the adjoining slope, till his movements were no louder than the hopping of a bird, and finally died away. With the setting of the moon the pale light lessened, and Tess became invisible as she fell into reverie upon the leaves where he had left her.

[...]

Roaming up and down, round and round, he at length heard a slight movement of the horse close at hand; and the sleeve of his overcoat unexpectedly caught his foot.

"Tess!" said d'Urberville.

There was no answer. The obscurity was now so great that he could see absolutely nothing but a pale nebulousness at his feet, which represented the white muslin figure he had left upon the dead leaves. Everything else was blackness alike. D'Urberville stooped; and heard a gentle regular breathing. He knelt and bent lower, till her breath warmed his face, and in a moment his cheek was in contact with hers. She was sleeping soundly, and upon her eyelashes there lingered tears.

Darkness and silence ruled everywhere around. Above them rose the primeval yews and oaks of The Chase, in which there poised gentle roosting birds in their last nap; and about them stole the hopping rabbits and hares. But, might some say, where was Tess's guardian angel? where was the providence of her simple faith? Perhaps, like that other god of whom the ironical Tishbite spoke, he was talking, or he was pursuing, or he was in a journey, or he was sleeping and not to be awaked.

Why it was that upon this beautiful feminine tissue, sensitive as gossamer, and practically blank as snow as yet, there should have been traced such a coarse pattern as it was doomed to receive; why so often the coarse appropriates the finer thus, the wrong man the woman, the wrong woman the man, many thousand years of analytical philosophy have failed to explain to our sense of order. One may, indeed, admit the possibility of a retribution lurking in the present catastrophe.

[...]

"I didn't understand your meaning till it was too late."

"That's what every woman says."

"How can you dare to use such words!" she cried, turning impetuously upon him, her eyes flashing as the latent spirit (of which he was to see more some day) awoke in her. "My God! I could knock you out of the gig! Did it never strike your mind that what every woman says some women may feel?"

"Very well," he said, laughing; "I am sorry to wound you. I did wrong—I admit it." He dropped into some little bitterness as he continued: "Only you needn't be so everlastingly flinging it in my face. I am ready to pay to the uttermost farthing. You know you need not work in the fields or the dairies again. You know you may clothe yourself with the best, instead of in the bald plain way you have lately affected, as if you couldn't get a ribbon more than you earn."

Why does Oberon want Titania to fall in love with a vile thing when she awakes from the spell he has cast on her?

Oberon decides to cast a spell on Titania in order to allow himself time to obtain the young boy she has obtained from a servant woman who died and left him to Titania.  Oberon wants the young boy to be his "hunting" buddy, but Titania will not allow it.  She is determined to keep him all for herself.  ALso, in the process, Oberon will be embarrassing Titania because she is falling in love with a vile, disgusting creature.  

Puck has a hand in Oberon's plan.  He transforms Bottom into a donkey and he obtains the flower that contains the juice to apply to Titania's eyes.  Puck will play an even bigger part in the four young lovers' fates later on in the play.

In "By the Waters of Babylon", what does John learn about the gods and why doesn't his dad want him to share it?

John learns that the gods "were men -- they went a dark road, but they were men".  He realizes how advanced they were, but also how they destroyed each other.  This is significant information, considering who they have been revering for so long were just men, like them. 

When he gets back, his dad asks him to tell him everything,and once he does, his father states, "Truth is a hard deer to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth."  So, the reason his dad doesn't want him to share it all, at least at once, is that it is too much to bear.  The people have been living a certain way, and believe certain things, and the information that John holds would change everything for them.  So, his dad recommends that they "the truth should come little by little"  to their people so that it doesn't crash their entire world around them.  John agrees, stating that "Perhaps, in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast", which is what helped cause their downfall.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," what do Jem, Scout, and Dill find so fascinating about Boo Radley?

The answer to this questions is certainly a bit subjective.

I think it is fair to say, however, that Boo represented an element of excitement. In a town where everyone seems to know everyone, he remained a mystery. The stories about him were certainly enough the stir the imagination of children whiling away summer days in the lazy heat.

Check out E-notes character analysis for more details on Arthur (Boo) Radley as well as the three children. 

I'm writing an analytical essay on The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck. Please suggest a possible thesis statement.

All three of your suggestions will work for a thesis statement in John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums."

You might want to form a thesis statement showing how symbolism enhances the imagery in the short story. If this doesn't prove to be enough for the length of your essay, you could add other figurative language that enhances the imagery of the short story.

What are the most significant themes in "The Merchant's Tale"?

The Merchant's Tale has many themes in common with the other Canterbury Tales. Here are some of the most important:

• May, the scheming and sexual wife of January poses many questions about the role and nature of women: do we sympathise with her and her desire for a younger beau? Do we think she's a scheming whore? Does she make us feel sorry for January? May also stands comparison to Alison in "The Miller's Tale".
• Marriage - is it a good idea or a bad idea? This is the debate had between Justinus (who argues "against", and whose name means "right" or "just") and Placebo (who argues "for" and whose name means "what you want to hear") within the tale itself: and the marriage of January and May, and, to an extent, that of Pluto and Proserpina (the gods who descend in the garden) only provoke that question again.
• Words and signs. You'll notice that the plot of the tale is full of secret signals - secret handshakes, phony wax keys, and (even when January is blinded) a whole semaphore of frantic waving to organise the culminatory non-verbal event of the tale: the sex between Damien and May. Chaucer is always interested in what power words have and when they aren't needed.
• Religion. January's garden is a parody of the Garden of Eden (Damien being the devil/snake!) - and he quotes at length from the Song of Songs. Blasphemous? Affectionate? Sinful? Open to interpretation.

Why did Democrats and Republicans switch party platforms? (i.e.Old Rep. platform: prefer more Fed. control; Dem.: more local, & later the reverse.)

A lot of this had to do with the Industrial Revolution, and then later, the rise of the Christian Coalition as a viable political force.

In the Industrial Revolution, it became painfully clear that local governments could easily be corrupted by burgeoning factories and corporations. Republicans still supported the autonomy of the corporation in favor of the spirit of capitalism, but Democrats thought that unionizing workers in the short term, and appealing to the federal government for regulation for the long term was the best way to protect the working class from the profiteering habits of the business owners.

The situation changed more in the mid-to-late-20th century, when the Republicans began welcoming the input of the Christian Coalition as a base of support in the Republican battle to keep hippies in check and the Vietnam and Cold Wars going, in the face of the Civil Rights movement. The fundamentalist Christian base brought the point of view that behavior should be mandated at a federal level, and strove to change the tide of the Supreme Court post-Roe v. Wade.

May I have a summary of the poem, "The Hyenas"?

The poem "The Hyenas" uses the scavenger as a metaphor to humans in both our actions and our morals.  The link does a good job of summing it up.  Basically it's about hyenas who dig up a dead soldier.  It focuses on their lack of shame for defiling a dead soldier of the king because they are considered wild animals.  It's in their nature to act in such a manner.  Kipling ties that into the morality of human beings as well.

Who is Thomas in "Gathering Blue"

Thomas has also been brought to Edifice to live.  He has no parents, and he was told that they were killed in a storm.  Thomas is really good with carving wood. His fingers seem to work on their own and create magic, which is similar to Kira's fingers. He always carries his first creative carving with him at all times.  This piece of wood stands for his creativity and it inspires him.  Thomas must help restore the Singer's Staff, which is a wooden piece that has the history of the world carved in it.  However, the more he works on the Staff, the less inspiring his carving in his pocket is to him.  It seems to be losing it's inspriration for him. With this Staff, he must help Kira and Jo create the future.  That is what is asked of them.

Chapter five of "Of Mice and Men" begins with an accident. Why did it happen and what consequence does Lennie fear?this is from mice of men

In Chapter 5, Lennie has killed his puppy. At the beginning of the chapter he is staring at its dead body saying, "Why do you got to get killed? You ain't so little as mice. I didn't bounce you hard." In other words, like the mouse and the girl in Weed, Lennie did not recognize his own strength and it resulted in tragedy for Lennie. Although Lennie is upset about the death of his puppy, he is more concerned about what George will do. He is afraid George will say, " No jus' for that you don't get to tend no rabbits!" At that point, he is furious at the puppy for dying. He flings the puppy from him and says, "Now I won't get to tend the rabbits" And like a child he rocks himself back and forth. Unfortunately, the dead puppy is the least of Lennie's problems because soon after, Curley's wife appears and asks what Lennie is hiding.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", why does Scout get into another fight at school?

In Chapter 9 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," Scout becomes angered at school by Cecil Jacobs's remark that her father defends African-Americans.  Scout denies this, and later asks her father if he does defend "Negroes."  He tells her that he cannot hold up his head if he does not defend Tom Robinson, explaining why and instructing Scout to "fight with your head." And, she is to remember that this time they are not fighting Yankees, but their "friends."

The next day, Scout tries to keep her father's words in mind, but she insists that Cecil retract his words.  He refuses and insults her father further, but Scout does not hit him; she feels noble.  However, later at Christmas dinner, her cousin Francis insults Atticus in the same manner as Cecil.  Scout is incensed that Francis would say this and "collars" him and does not allow him out of the kitchen.  Then she splits her knuckle on his front teeth.  But, because she has called Francis a name, Scout is punished with a "licking" from Uncle Jack.

In "The Gift of the Magi," is the plot twist most important element of conclusion?

A good question. Unfortunately, answering it requires hedging. For the plot, the plot twist is definitely the most important element of the story. Without it, there would be no real point to the story, and O'Henry's masterpiece would have been forgotten long ago. However, if you want to judge the story by the themes and meaning, then the most important element is Jim's response to the twist (he recognizes it as love, not tragedy), and the final summation: " But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi."

What are the three things affected by the Coriolis effect?

The Coriolis effect occurs because of Earth's rotation and the fact that the atmosphere and oceans are not "connected" to the solid part of the planet.

1. Atmospheric Circulation Patterns

Earth rotates eastward. How do we know? Because the Sun rises in the east. Visualize it using a globe.

If Earth rotates eastward, and the atmosphere is not connected to the solid part of Earth, then which way must the atmosphere flow? Imagine that you are in a car at a stoplight. When the light turns green and the car goes forward, which way do you go? That's right... you go backwards, in the opposite direction, because you are not connected to the car (that's why you need to wear a seatbelt). So, if we apply the same thinking to the Earth and its atmosphere... if Earth rotates eastward, then the atmosphere, at the equator, must flow in the opposite direction, westward.

Between 0 and 30 degrees North and South latitude, the atmosphere flows westward. Between 30 and 60 degrees North and South, the atmosphere flows eastward. And, between 60 and 90 degrees North and South, the atmosphere flows westward again.

If you live in the United States, between 30 and 60 degrees North latitude, then you will notice that weather moves across the country from west to east (that is, eastward). Why? Because of the prevailing westerly winds, which push weather systems across the U.S. from west to east. By the way, winds are named for the direction from which they are coming... so westerlies come from the west and move towards the east.

2. Oceanic Circulation Patterns

The winds drive the oceans, so you will notice that oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns are very similar. The result is that in the Northern Hemisphere, oceans flow clockwise in their basins (think North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans). In the Southern Hemisphere, they flow counter-clockwise.

3. Flight Paths

Anything that flies (planes, birds, missiles, space rockets) is affected by the Coriolis effect. For example, a plane that flies along a North-South path must not fly directly towards the target location. Instead, it must fly either slightly right or left of it (depending on which hemisphere it is in) in order to hit the target location.

In the absence of Malcolm and Donalbain, who will become King of Scotland in Macbeth?

After Malcolm and Donalbain run away to protect their own lives after Duncan's murder, Macbeth is named Duncan's heir and goes to Scone to be crowned. As the Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth stands next in line for the throne. Duncan's sons are not only gone, they also are strongly suspected of having murdered their father.

What does "sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines" from Sonnet 18 mean?

In this poem, the poet compares his girlfriend (or boyfriend) to the beauty of summer. The entire poem is about the temporary nature of beauty. On first reading it seems to be a lovely poem, in fact, after you read it a few times, it is a bit depressing. It focuses on the unavoidable loss of youth and beauty.

The poem says 'a summer day is beautiful but, today, you are MORE beautiful. But summer turns into winter, just like your young beauty will turn into ugly old age. Today you are more lovely than the sun, but you will fade, my love, and you will die, BUT my poem will not get old and everyone will remember your vanished beauty when they read my beautiful poem."

The line you ask about is in the first half. He is saying 'if I compare you to a summer's day, well, sometimes summer days are too hot, so you are better than a summer's day.'

And remember, 400 years ago they didn't have modern clothing, heating, or housing, tv etc etc. So winter was a horrible horrible thing, which in comparison made summer even more wonderful than modern people think it is. And yet, she is more beautiful than a summer's day... but it won't last. Summer's lease hath all too short a date.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", why does Sheriff Tate insist, "Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch"?

Tate is referring to how, in a small way, Tom Robinson has been avenged. Tate doesn't want to bring Boo Radley, the real murderer of Mr. Ewell, out into the public eye for a trial. By simply covering it up by saying Mr. Ewell fell on his knife, Tate is able to protect Boo from public scrutiny as well as finally get justice for Tom's death. Tate is hoping to get Maycomb's peaceful ways of life back as soon as possible. Another trail concerning prominent Maycomb citizens will only stir things back up. By letting "the dead bury the dead" justice is finally served and more controversy is avoided.

What features make The Awakening a "local color" story?

Some of the features of The Awakening that make it a "local color" story include the setting, the diction, and the characters.

The setting is the time and place in which a story occurs. Regarding the time period, The Awakening was written in 1899, thus it was written in a time when women raised children, and ran households. Women had no sexual feelings of their own, they did not need to be free, women were supposed to be content with staying home. It demonstrates this time period of society as the oppressive antagonist. As a result, this was a book that opened the door to the feminine revolution.

Also part of the setting is the location. Edna Pontellier is an upper-middle class white woman who has married a man from the upper-crust Creoles of New Orleans. She, her husband, and her children vacation on the Grand Isle, which is off of the coast of Louisiana. Here Edna is amused by the Creole lifestyle, how it is so different from her own Kentucky bluegrass upbringing. The Creoles are French speaking since Louisiana was owned by France until 1803. They follow the traditional views of Southern hospitality and diplomacy.

Along with the French societal structure, much of the language in The Awakening is written in French, thus emphasizing the diction, or author's word choice. More often than not, Chopin utilizes French words or French statements to describe situations and behaviors that would otherwise be "foreign" to non-Creole Americans. These European ideas are usually pertaining to stronger feminism, art, or music, thus implying that Europe was more advanced in the feminine revolution.

Regarding "local color" and character, Leonce Pontellier is a strict Creole man, and even is described as so by the Doctor, explaining that he must be the "man" of his household and his wife must follow his orders. Edna meets Robert on the Grande Isle, away from the city, and he runs off to Mexico to avoid his feelings -- his character demonstrates what a decent Southern man would do if put into a compromising situation. Madame Reisz speaks her mind and understands the taboos of her society, thus making her a social outcast and viewed at as a pariah by the other women. Madame Ratignolle is the perfect Southern wife -- one who "stands by her man" and adoringly coos over her children.

In "The Rocking Horse Winner," how many characters are affected by materialism? How might a sentimental writer have ended the story?

Hester, Paul's mother is affected by materialism because she is obsessed with money and is unable to show any kind of love toward her son. Paul's uncle, Oscar Creswell is also affected by materialism. When Creswell finds out about Paul's ability to pick winners of horse races, he uses this to increase his wealth. He doesn't really care about the affects that it has on Paul until Paul dies. Paul is affected by materialism the most. He realizes that his mother isn't happy, so he does everything in his power to make more money, which ultimately leads to his death.

A sentimental writer might have ended the story by having Paul recover after his big win and have Hester realize the that her son is more important than money. However, by not ending the story with a "happily ever after" moment, the reader is more strongly affected by the lesson.

In Lord of the Flies, which of the littluns is missing after the fire? When the boys start the fire for the very first time and the island catches...

The boys light a fire on top of the mountain with the idea of making a signal that can be seen by anyone passing by. Ralph hopes that this will make it possible for them to be rescued. Like boys anywhere might though, they get carried away and make the fire far bigger than they need to. At one point, it spreads and begins to burn down the hillside.

Though it is never certain, they believe that the boy with the mulberry colored birthmark died in the fire since no one sees him again. It is at this point that Piggy tries to emphasize again the importance of making a list of names, but he is basically ignored, as usual. No one even knows the name of the boy with the birthmark and so they just continue on.

What is the theme of Kanthapura by Raja Rao?

The most powerful themes from Rao's work come from the retelling the success and struggle of the Indian independence movement.   This notion of struggle and perseverance is something that can be applied to both Gandhi and Moorthy in their attempts to bring about change to all of India.  On a more literary level, I think that the theme of activism and seeking change is vitally important to the novel.  The theme of action and being an active agent in one's own environment is an idea that resonates clearly in the work.  Rao is deliberate in tying this into both literary and political threads.  The women in the village are relegated into a role of political and social activity at the exposition of the work.  The Status Quo does not favor their possession of political or social power.  Yet, at great cost to them, the women show and display power and voice.  Recognizing the need to protect their own dignity and senses of self, Rao shows that power and voice are ends that anyone can and should activate.  It is this political idea that Gandhi advocated and a literary one that is explored in Rao's work.

In "Hamlet", what does Polonius' statement that "the apparel oft proclaims the man" mean?

This is part of Polonius' parting advice to his son Laertes as he is leaving for France. In Act I, Scene 3, Polonius advises his son,

"Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy; (75)
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,

Polonius is telling his son to buy

". . . as costly clothes as can pay for,
But not made fancy, rich, and certainly not gaudy.
For the clothes often tell what kind of man you are,"

In other words, we are often judged by our appearance and since the French are very cautious about their appearance, Laertes should also consider his clothing. They should not necessarily be the most expensive, but should as expensive as he can afford.

In what way is the boy’s furious riding on the rocking horse an appropriate symbol for materialistic pursuits? What is materialism?

Materialism is the pursuit of happiness through materialistic objects. The young boy, Paul, rides the rocking horse in order to get a vision of the winner of the future horse races. When he rides his rocking horse, he is so focused on obtaining the name of the winner that he often blocks everything else out. This is symbolic because those who are in pursuit of materialistic wealth often rush furiously through life in order to gain it, missing out on what is really important, love.

What is animalism according to Animal Farm?1. What is Animalism 2. What do you think is the purpose of the text based on what you are reading?...

Since you are only supposed to ask one question here, I will answer the first one and try to incorporate as many answers as possible.  Animalism is the version of communism/socialist espoused by Old Major.  Old Major describes a community where animals are in charge and not subordinate to humans.  Another feature of animalism is that all animals are equal.  There are seven commandments:

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS

 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

These are the basic tenets of animalism.  They are intended to keep the animals from being corrupted by man, and to develop a society where all animals are equal.

Over time, animalism is corrupted.  The pigs take control of the farm and lord over the other animals, and they slowly chip away at the tenets of animalism by changing the commandments until they are all gone and there is only one.

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL

BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

In other words, the pigs are in charge and all of the other animals are equally subordinate to them.

What disease or sickness does Edgar Allen Poe's narrator suggest that he has in the first paragraph of "The Tell-Tale Heart"? title of story is...

""nervous...dreadfully nervous I had been and am.  But why will you say that I am mad?" the narrator begins in "The Telltale Heart."  The narrator has most likely had a nervous (mental) breakdown and is worried about himself; he asks, "will you say that I am mad?" Added to this, he is delusional and seems to suffer from OCB, obsessive-compulsive behavior, as he is fixated on the eye of the old man, so much so that he feels compelled to do something as drastic as kill the man to be free of the "vulture eye" that makes his blood run cold.

(There is a similar question to yours; see the others in this group)

How is Jack presented to the reader in Chapter one of "Lord of the Flies"?

In "Lord of The Flies," chapter 1 page 18, we meet Jack Merridew.  He is leading a group of boys which the reader learns is the "choir."  The leader of this group is Jack.  He is described as,

"The boy who controlled them was dressed the same way though his cap badge was golden.  When his party was about ten yards from the platform he shouted an order and they halted, gasping, sweating, swaying in the fierce light.  The boy himself came forward, vaulted on to the platform with his cloak flying, and peered into what to him was almost complete darkness. "Where's the man with the trumpet?"

"Ralph sensing his sun-blindness, answered him. "There is no man with a trumpet. Only me.

"Ruffle-haired, blue-eyed, thin, bony, freckle-faced, ugly, is taller than Ralph. Before arriving on the island, he had been choirmaster and right away leads the black-cloaked boys in military style along the beach. "

What role did Amanda, Tom, and Laura play in the "The Glass Menagerie"?

Tom reveals his dual role in the opening scene of the play: "I am the narrator of the play, and also a character in it." Tennessee Willaims uses Tom as a narrator to address his audience directly and inform them about the background of the action of the play and the relationships of the characters and their different roles. As a character, Tom is Amanda's son and Laura's brother. After his father has abandoned the family Tom becomes the sole breadwinner of the family. Consequently, he feels cheated that he has to sacrifice his youthful pleasures to fulfill his domestic responsibilities and he is constantly at loggerheads with his mother on this issue. Finally, after his botched attempt at getting "a gentleman caller" for his physically challenged sister he like his father runs away from home.

Amanda, is Tom's and Laura's mother. Her husband has deserted the family, consequently throughout the play she is stressed out at having to make both ends meet. Her only aim in life is "success and happiness for my precious children!" (sc.5).  She does her utmost  to keep Tom the only source of financial  support under her control but doesn't succeed and she is left in the darkness at the end of the play.

Laura is the physically challenged girl in the family. She limps and because of this she suffers from an inferiority complex. Tom arranges for Jim  "a gentelman caller" to visit her who cures her of it, but doesn't marry her.

What do these lines from Shelley's "Ozymandias" mean? Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay...

It's lines from Shelley's sonnet Ozymandias, and to make sense of it you need to put them in context. Here's the whole poem, with your lines in bold:

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

So, your first line is part of the words engraved on a pedestal, boasting about the great works of the king Ozymandias. But the boast is ironic, because the works have been destroyed by time: only two huge fight and the shattered face of what once must have been a statue remain. "Nothing beside remains", our narrator tells us - there's nothing else left.

And, round the decay of that huge wrecked statue, all there is is sand - metaphorically representing the sands of time, which has brought the mighty (in this sense, quite literally) to its knees.

Why is Benjamin Harrison important in today life and why was he important in his life time?

In 1889, Benjamin Harrison became the twenty-third president of the United States. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was elected president of the United States 48 years earlier, but died within one month of being sworn in as president.

Benjamin Harrison's term lasted four years and was very productive. Important anti-trust legislation was passed and he signed the the McKinley Tariff Act, which protected many fledgling American businesses from overseas competition. The Republican Party also began to make a comeback from the excesses of Radical Republican actions after the Civil War.
Harrison supported the voting rights of Southern Blacks and was a strong supporter of education for southern blacks. Unfortunately, legislation supporting these issues did not pass in Congress and this marked the last attempts to improve civil rights for the next 50 years. Finally, the Harrison administration paved the way for American Foreign Policy in the latter part of the 1800's.

What is electricity made up of?

In a word, electrons.  These have both the properties of matter and energy, sometimes appearing as subatomic particles and sometimes as a waveform.  Electricity can be classified as either at rest (static electricity) or in motion (current electricity,)  the type we're most familiar with.  Electrical currents are caused by moving electrons subject to the electromotive force (EMF) or the "electric potential," which is created by adding electrical energy to a system, typically by a generator, which typically is a rotating magnet. Experimenters in the 19th century recognized that magnetism and electricity are complimentary manifestations of the same force (where there's electricity, there's magnetism, and vice-versa) and have termed this phenonmena "electromagnetism."  The elctromagnetic force is one of the four Fundamental Forces that define our Universe.

What is a brief summary of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood?

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is an 1886 novel by Howard Pyle, and so it is in the public domain and freely available online. One source is indicated in the links below. Here is a brief summary.

Robin Hood is a young archer who kills one of the Sheriff of Nottingham's men in self-defense. Fleeing from retribution, Robin meets up with various strange and interesting characters while living in Sherwood Forest, including Little John, Friar Tuck, and Alan a Dale. These men become Robin's band of Merry Men, and together they fight against the injustices of the Sheriff, who cruelly steals from the peasants to support his own lavish lifestyle. Robin and his men have many adventures, some of which were created entirely by Pyle and not based in medieval legends, but almost all of which have become part of the Robin Hood legend; these include the portrayal of Robin as a selfless hero to the workers, fighting against illegal taxation, rather than the outright thief he had been portrayed as in past works.

The most famous of these adventures is the shooting match at Nottingham, where Robin outshoots all the other contestants while in disguise, and receives the first prize. The Sheriff is outraged later when Robin fires a message on an arrow through the Sherrif's window, boasting of his win. Robin becomes a legendary outlaw, and a thorn in the Sheriff's side, but all of the Sherrif's plans come to nothing, and Robin continues to operate in Sherwood. At the end of the book, King Richard the Lionheart returns from the Crusades and infiltrates Robin's band; after he learns from one of his trusted men how honest and kind Robin truly is, Richard pardons the entire band and allows them to join his retinue.

"Talk not lightly of thy sins, good Robin. But come, look up. Thy danger is past, for hereby I give thee and all thy band free pardon. But, in sooth, I cannot let you roam the forest as ye have done in the past; therefore I will take thee at thy word, when thou didst say thou wouldst give thy service to me, and thou shalt go back to London with me."
(Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, gutenberg.org)

This book is the best-known of the many works on Robin Hood, and is the basis for many adaptations in cinema, including the 1938 Errol Flynn film and the 1973 animated Disney film, both of which are among the best-known in public consciousness.

How can the figure of Mr. Tulliver be described as tragic in The Mill on the Floss?

Several factors contribute to the idea in the reader's mind of Mr. Tulliver as a tragic character, although Mr. Tulliver is not an example of a classic one.  Classically "tragedy" means "representations of serious actions which eventuate in a disastrous conclusion from the protagonist (the chief character) (331.)  First, it can be argued that Mr. Tulliver is not the protaganist of the novel (that is probably Maggie.)  This is not classical drama, however, and long novels like Eliot's usually have more than one main character, and Mr. Tulliver is certainly a major actor in the first five books of the novel.  Secondly, many of Mr. Tulliver's actions are more humorous than they are "serious".  Tulliver is continously argumentative with his neighbors, and is actually somewhat of a caricature of a petty English landholder of the time:  litigious, contentious, prideful, and self-important.    Also, compared to classical tragedy, the death of Mr. Tulliver is not disaster for everyone around him.  It is certainly sad, but it does not completely destroy the lives of the rest of the characters (as the death of Antigone does, in the play of the same name.)  Also, Mr. Tulliver did experience some joy before his death.  His son was able to pay off his debts, and Mr. Tulliver knew of this before he died.  He also soundly thrashed Lawyer Wakem, his archenemy, before his death.  So Mr. Tulliver was not completely tragic; he is certainly humanly tragic, but he did experience both success and failure in his life, as most people do.

So in what way is Mr. Tulliver tragic?  Most tragic characters have a tragic flaw.  There are a few different types, but mostly they are overarching, typically human failings such as hubris (pride), blindness of one sort or another, or failures of judgment.  Mr. Tulliver's major flaw (and he has more than one, certainly) is his lack of introspection and self-knowledge.  Tulliver married his wife because of her lack of intelligence.  While this was certainly a funny (and ironic) social commentary on small landholders during the Victorian age, it also hampered him.  Mrs. Tulliver, though from a wealthy family, is unable, through her stupidity and lack of character, to cajole or compel her wealthy relatives into helping the Tullivers when they most need it.  Tulliver also has an unalterable grudge against Wakem, which, had it been mitigated by him in some way, might have lead to better circumstances for himself and his family after the mill was sold to him.  Tulliver certainly dies in a tragic way, before he can enjoy the return of the mill to his family, but so many of his failings are brought on by either his obstinancy or his blindness that it is difficult to see him as completely "tragic".  He is, more correctly, a realistically human character, with more recognizable human contradictions, and his share of the usual human foibles and failings.  

This does not mean that the death of Mr. Tulliver causes less emotional impact on the reader than a classically "tragic" character's death would.  On the contrary, Eliot's depiction of such a realistic, believable, authentically human character as Tulliver, mostly causing his own demise, rings true in the reader.  Therefore, Tulliver's fate is all the more affecting. 

Source: Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms.  Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.

How does Maycomb react to the news of Tom Robinson's death, in To Kill a Mockingbird? (Chapter 25)

There are a couple of reactions to the news of Tom Robinson's death. A few of the people, who really cared, were upset about the news.

The rest of the town, however, could not have cared less. Now that the hype had died down about the trial, people just thought Tom was another black person to be killed and they thought he got what he deserved. For a couple of days, the people would talk about it, and gossip, but after that the news just went away. 

The death of Tom Robinson shows us of the tragic injustice done to Tom. The whole town was against the innocent man right from the beginning. Just because he was a black man, he was guilty before there was a trial. The harsh reality of what Scout and Jem see brings them to maturity sooner than Atticus had wanted it to. Atticus had tried so hard to keep the ugliness from the kids, but they were thrown right in the middle of it. Jem and Scout saw first hand just how mean and hateful people can be. By the town reacting the way they did, just goes to show us what the people of Maycomb really thought of Tom. 

What are the conflicts in Through the Tunnel?

There are two major conflicts in this story, one interior and one exterior. Both have to do with the growing maturity of Jerry. Jerry is a young boy when the story opens who has evidently lost his father and whose main companion appears to be his mother. When the native boys trick Jerry and swim through the tunnel, Jerry determines that he will train himself to be able to swim through the tunnel also. This is the exterior conflict. He must train his body to be able to hold his breath long enough and be physically strong enough to do what the native boys had done. Jerry finally succeeds and is victorious in this conflict. However, there is a symbolic meaning to Jerry's accomplishment. This is the interior conflict. Jerry, who up until this time has been considered a boy attached to his mother, Jerry trains and succeeds without his mother's help or knowledge. He is beginning to detach from his mother and learn to fight his own battles. So, when Jerry is physically able to swim "through the tunnel" he has also crossed a barrier into manhood. He has been able to leave the safety of his mother and swim, both literally and metaphorically, into the "wild and rocky" waters of young adulthood.

Where were the targets of the Cuban guerrillas?Why did President McKinley finally send the USS Maine to Havana?

Cuba has a long history of guerrilla warfare and insurrection.  Since the USS Maine was referenced, I will limit my answer to the activities of guerrillas operating within the 5 years prior to the Spanish American War.  The Mambi (The guerrillas were called the Mambises by the Spanish.) leaders landed on Cuba in 1895.  The primary leader was Jose Marti who was killed in battle not long after the landing.  In the beginning, guerrilla activity was limited primarily to the eastern 3 provinces of the island and focused on surrounding large towns and cities.  However, most of the wealth and government installments were located in the western provinces of Cuba.  The Spanish tried to limit the guerrillas to the eastern part of the island by creating a defensive line called a "trocha" across the middle of the island from Jucaro to Moron.  However, the Mambises were able to defeat the trocha in 1896 and bring the war to the western provinces.  

President McKinley sent the USS Maine to Havana in 1898 in response to a riot by pro-Spanish Cubans.  The rioters destroyed several newspapers critical of the Spanish government.  The USS Maine was ordered to Havana to protect American lives and interests. 

In Pride and Prejudice, why does Elizabeth's accusation that Darcy has not behaved "in a gentleman-like manner" help Darcy overcome his...

Elizabeth rejects Darcy because he presents his proposal in an odd form.  He says that he has tried to get over her, he knows that he should not love her, but he is afflicted, he cannot get her out of his mind, so therefore, he needs to marry her.

Darcy equates Elizabeth with an illness or an addiction that someone is too weak to resist.  His love is like a fever that he wishes he could get rid of, but is helpless to do so.  She is so insulted with the way that he arrogantly phrases his need for her like a prize horse that he fell in love with at an auction, that she rises to the occasion, insulting him in grand form.

He is rejected, air slapped by her words.  A proud man, he leaves the Collins home stricken, and convinced that he will die from his unrequited love for Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth has now made herself even more attractive to the man who does not expect to be rejected.  Darcy now admires Elizabeth even more because of her principled stance against him. 

He feels that he did not express his love for her in an appropriate manner, but that he really does love her.  So he believes that she has judged him too harshly.  He, being polite and gentlemanly vows not to approach her again.

What is the name of the deity in Huxley's Brave New World?

there is no deity in Mustapha Mond's Brave New World only the historic Henry Ford. Henry Ford was the creator of the Model-T automobile and the creator of the assembly line process. The inhabitants of BNW deify Ford by referring to the passing of time as B.F. (before Ford) and A.F. (After Ford). This is similar to our own use of B.C. (Before  Christ) and A.D. (after Death). For example in chapter one:

The date, A.F. 632, is not clarified yet, but the emphasis on the assembly-line production of people gives a clue to the meaning of the F. The practice of assembly-line production in factories was only about 15 years old when this novel was written, but today’s reader is so accustomed to assembly-line production that this point goes almost unrecalled. At the time of original publication, the assembly-line production of human beings was probably much more difficult a prospect to comprehend.

The deity, then, in BNW is Ford and they worship production, effeciency, and material consumption for the stability of society. They also make the sign of the "T"--another subversion of traditional Christianity. Hope this helps..

What examples are there of Hamlet manipulating other characters to his benefit in the play?

Hamlet uses several characters for his own means: 

1.  Opehlia:  Shakespeare hints at the fact that Hamlet might know that her father and the King and Queen have set her up to get information from him, or to at least be able to figure out why he is acting weird.  So, when Hamlet meets Ophelia and she returns his "love tokens", his behavior is extremely erratic.  How would this benefit him though?  He is angry at the King and Queen, and wants to throw them off, confuse them, and vicariously express some of his anger at his mother's fickleness (hence the rant against women during that encounter).

2.  Polonius:  Hamlet once again acts very strangely around Polonius, probably because he knows that Polonius consults with the King and Queen.  It's another way to confuse them all, and throw them off of his real quest:  figuring out who murdered his father.  If everyone thinks he's crazy, then they won't suspect his true mission, and he can get closer at the truth.

3.  The Players:  Hamlet has them enact a play of his choosing, that closely resembles the suspected murder scene of his father.  He does this to gage his uncle's reaction, in order to determine his uncle's guilt or innocence. 

These are just a few examples of characters that Hamlet manipulates in order to achieve his own ends, which is to ultimately figure out what happened to his father, and express some of his pent-up repugnance with his mother's actions.

What is the summary for Part 1, Chapter 13 of The Underdogs?

Demetrio relates that he was born in Limon, "right in the heart of the Juchipila canyon".  He had a family, a house, and a patch of land.  Everything was going fine until one day, when he went to town, he got into an altercation with a man named Don Monico, and "spit on his beard because he wouldn't mind his own business".  Don Monica went to the Federals to form a posse to capture Demetrio; they "said that (he) was a Maderista and that (he) was going to rebel".  Demetrio fled to the hills, and was eventually joined by Anastasio, another friend on the run from the law, and eventually, others came too.

One day, Cervantes suggested that the outlaw band should join Natera's men, who were forming ranks to capture Zacatecas, near Juchipila.  Demetrio did not like the idea; he only wanted to be left alone so that he could eventually go home, but the others urged him to take his men and join the revolution.  Cervantes flattered Demetrio, saying that he had a "true, lofty, noble mission" which he did not recognize.  He pointed out that the revolution, which was "bound to win", was meaningless if it was undertaken so that only "a few rascals (could) get rich and everything else stay(ed) the same as before".  Cervantes said that they, and Demetrio in particular, were "the tools Destiny makes use of to reclaim the sacred rights of the people", and that like "Villa and Natera and Carranza", they should be "fighting against tyranny itself...for principles, to defend ideals" (Part 1, Chapter 13).

Malcolm pretends to be even more evil than Macbeth. Why does he do this? What does he discover by doing so?

Malcolm's father, the late King Duncan, had a fatal flaw and that is he was too trusting -- and paid for it with his life and crown.  Malcolm is not so trusting -- he pretends to be full of vice to Macduff when Macduff joins him and the English army to gather forces against Macbeth.  Malcolm is testing Macduff's loyalty in a way that Duncan should have tested Macbeth's.  Malcolm tells Macduff that he has been with many, many women, drank, gambled, lied, swore, and all that fun stuff -- all to gauge the effect his words have on Macduff.  When Macduff turns away in sadness from these words, Malcolm has his answer -- Macduff is loyal and the one to recruit to dethrone Macbeth.  Malcolm is much more canny than his unfortunate father.

In The Great Gatsby, how do the roles of Dan Cody, Daisy Buchanan, and Meyer Wolfsheim shape the character and destiny of Jay Gatsby?

These characters each play a very significant role in shaping Jay Gatsby's character and his destiny. Dan Cody comes into Gatsby's life first, while Gatsby is still known as Jimmy Gatz from North Dakota. When he first sees Dan Cody's beautiful yacht and meets Cody himself, Jimmy becomes Jay Gatsby, the romantic vision of himself he has harbored all his life. A millionaire many times over, Cody employs Gatsby on the yacht, dresses him well, and takes him around the continent three times, into a rich life he had never known. Because Cody drinks, Gatsby learns not to drink. When Cody dies, Gatsby is cheated out of an inheritance. He walks away penniless, but he had lived his dream for a little while. He wants more.

Coming home from World War I, Gatsby is broke, owning only the clothes on his back, his uniform. He is hungry, literally, when he meets Wolfsheim in a pool hall. Wolfsheim is a gangster. He puts Gatsby to work in his criminal activities. Gatsby becomes enormously rich very quickly, but his life is not respectable. He becomes corrupt through his association with Wolfsheim.

Now having money, Gatsby tries to repeat the past by winning Daisy back. Since loving and losing her before going to war, Gatsby has been obsessed with her. She has become his dream. Their reunion and the continuation of their affair leads directly to his death. Daisy shapes his destiny by twice drawing him into a relationship that could never survive the difference in their social classes.

What does the word 'repeat' in "My Last Duchess" signify (below)?"As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet The company below, then. I repeat,"

Evidently the Duke's main purpose in inviting the Count's representative upstairs to a private chamber was to discuss the matter of the dowry. This was probably the first subject they talked about, but they were just feelinig each other out. The other man probably asked the Duke what amount of dowry he was expecting and was told that the precise sum would be specified later but was expected to be in keeping with the great honor being bestowed on the girl by such a distinguished husband. The Duke invites his subordinate guest to rise:

Will 't please you rise? We'll meet

The company below then.

The Duke repeats what he had previously said about the dowry offer made to the Count:

I repeat,

The Count your master's known munificence

Is ample warrant that no just pretence

Of mine for dowry will be disallowed...

The Duke apparently asked for a specific amount of money. Perhaps he thinks it best not to show any hurry about getting his hands on the gold. He may have an unusually large sum in mind, which will be settled before all the other details of the forthcoming wedding have been arranged.

It seems at least possible that the wedding will never come off but the Count's representative never reacts but may intend to warn his master against letting his daughter marry this monster under any circumstances. Daughters were disposed of by their fathers without much concern about the girls' own feelings, but any father would be interested in making a permanent family alliance and not give his daughter away to some Bluebeard who might quickly dispose of the bride and keep the dowry.

The Duke detains the subordinate man by calling attention to the bronze statue of Neptune without realizing what a terrible impression he has made.

What does "unredressed" mean from "The Cask of Amontillado"?

It is characteristic of Poe to begin his stories with expository-type introductions that read very much like very logical, dispassionate nonfiction. Poe had an analytical kind of mind. In "The Cask of Amontillado" Poe through his character Montresor discusses the whole subject of revenge in a rational, analytical manner before launching into a story which builds to a horrible ending. The introduction serves as a contrast to the story itself. Montresor meets Fortunato up in the streets where everybody is celebrating and having fun. He lures his victim deep underground and finally leaves him to die in the darkness while chained to a rock wall. Poe does something very similar in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." He uses many words to discuss rational analysis and even talks about the difference between playing chess and playing checkers. Then he draws the reader into a tale which culminates in the most bizarre and horrible scenes imaginable--an orangutan killing two women with a straight razor and stuffing one of the bodies up a chimney. Poe deliberately moves from the coldly rational to the most harrowingly emotional for the sake of aesthetic contrast. Perhaps Montresor (i.e. Poe) does not discuss the "thousand insults" because that would involve strong feelings and these would be out of place in the logical, analytical introduction to the story.

What does the Manciple look like in The Canterbury Tales?

In the General Prologue, where Chaucer gives a description of many of the characters, the only description he gives of the Manciple is of the man's profession.  Chaucer somewhat admires the Manciple because even though he isn't formally educated, he is a smart man.  He is a purchasing agent (purchasing food for the most part) for a large company of lawyers and he is more knowledgable about the market and investments than any of them.  However, he isn't entirely honest.  In the prologue before he tells his tale, the Manciple is making fun of the Cook, whose turn it is to tell a tale.  The Cook is too drunk to tell a tale, though, and even too drunk to sit on his horse.  When the Manciple taunts him for being drunk, the Cook retaliates by threatening to reveal some information that the Manciple doesn't want revealed and so the Manciple placates the Cook by suggesting he have more wine.  The Manciple works with money, so what he wants hidden is probably that he's cheating the company he works for and skimming money from them.  The inferences are that the Manciple is not overly large (Chaucer makes fun of those pilgrims who are fat), not especially ugly or dirty (Chaucer speaks badly of them, too), and not too old or too young because either quality is one Chaucer would probably point out.  The Manciple is probably a man in his late twenties or early thirties and average looking.

What is the summary of "The Skipper's Tale" from Canterbury Tales?

The Skipper does not have a tale in "Canterbury Tales." He is mentioned in the Prologue, but he does not have a tale.  The "Shipman's Tale" is a tale where "the Shipman is clearly bored with morality. He wants nothing of a sermonizing nature in his tale; its only purpose is to entertain. His tale is another example of fabliau, with its emphasis on trickery and sex. Like many of the other tales, this one centers on a theme of marriage. The beautiful wife in this story manages both her husband and Don John by bestowing her sexual favors with enthusiasm to achieve her own ends."

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Atticus show courage throughout the book?

Atticus Finch is an archetype of personal courage in the novel, and his courage is demonstrated again and again. Atticus not only takes Tom Robinson's case, he defends Tom vigorously, pitting himself against the prevailing attitudes and customs of Maycomb. Atticus stands up to his neighbors' racism, knowing that in doing so, he is exposing himself and his family to difficult times. His moral courage is as strong as his physical courage, which is also demonstrated in the novel.

Atticus shows great physical courage when he positions himself between Tom Robinson and the lynch mob that has come for him. Sitting alone in front of the jail, Atticus waits for what he expects will happen. He is unarmed. The only time he shows fear occurs when the children suddenly show up and put themselves at risk. Atticus shows no fear for his own safety. With courage, he once again honors his moral principles, protecting Tom's life by risking his own.

Another display of Atticus' courage concerns his shooting of the rabid dog in front of the Radley house. Heck Tate turns to Atticus to kill the sick animal. Although he hasn't fired a gun in years. Atticus accepts the responsibility to bring the dog down in one shot, knowing that if he misses, disaster will result. 

Throughout the novel, Atticus acts with courage in living up to his principles and in accepting moral responsibility. 

Give an example of where the color red or green is used. Briefly discuss the symbolic meaning of the color in that example.

In The Scarlet Letter, red becomes symbolic of passion and life itself. The rose the grows beside the prison door is the first glimpse of color in the novel. The letter Hester wears to signify her adultery (a sin of passion) is deep red. As Arthur stands on the scaffold during the night, driven there by guilt for his sin, the giant red letter appears in the sky. As a color motif, red contrasts sharply with the colorless, gray Puritans and their stifling moral code.

In The Great Gatsby, green becomes symbolic of the fresh, uncorrupted promises of life. This is seen most clearly in the novel's coda in which Nick imagines the North American continent as it existed before it was settled, "a fresh, green breast of the new world," a place that "pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams . . . ." Gatsby's dream is also symbolized by the color; the light at the end of Daisy's dock is a green light: ". . . [Gatsby's] dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it."

What is the significance of the snow imagery in "The Dead"?

In the main characters in "The Dubliners" there is an emotional and spiritual paralysis; the realization of this is a character's epiphany. Gabriel reaches his epiphany as snow falls.

Uncomfortable with the openness of feeling shown by the Irish from the west, he prefers English influences.  He is angered by remarks made by Miss Ivors and her jokingly calling him "West Briton."  Later, there is irony to his toast in which he speaks of the "memory of those dead and gone," for his wife is thinking of her dead lover.  After they walk home along the river in the snow, Gretta confesses her thoughts about a boy who died for her.  Realizing that his wife loves a dead man effects Gabriel's epiphany.  Like the snow, their lives have been frozen in time; she never loved him: "He watched her ...as though he and she had never lived together as a man and wife."  Yet, in this epiphany, Gabriel has a "strange friendly pity for her."  As the snow falls, boundaries between the living and the dead blur as though one were peering through this falling snow; Gabriel's condescension to Greta is replaced by an admiration much like the admiration expressed by the old aunts regarding the old traditions. As snow falls "upon all the living and the dead," Gabriel contemplates his journey to the west, toward the dead.  His soul "swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling..." The snow suggests a communion of all.

Can you help me with information about the planet Mars?

What sort of information are you looking for?

 

If general information, Mars is the fourth planet from the sun—the next out from Earth. The Martian day is just longer than Earth's—24 hours and about another half hour—so you could adapt easily. You'd weigh about a third what you would here, but twice what you would on the moon. There's little water and only a thin atmosphere. Mars is close enough to Earth that humans have long thought about visiting it, even colonizing it. It became even more attractive after Venus's atmosphere was discovered to be intensely hot and dense.

 

For more on Mars at all levels, as well as information on current exploration, you might visit NASA's site: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/

What is the meaning of the name "lovely". Not just the ordinary meaning in the dictionary.

Lovely is used as an adjective. Many things are described as lovely when they are viewed as pretty, delicate, nice, etc. A very polite, well-mannered woman is lovely. A beautiful bouquet of roses is lovely. Antique lace is lovely. It is a word generally used to convey not only beauty, but poise as well. Prim and proper if you will. I hope this helps!

What kind of character is Rainsford in the "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell?

In terms of characterization, Rainsford is a dynamic character since he changes during the narrative.  For, in the exposition during his talk with Whitney, he is a man convinced of his opinions, giving no credence to the viewpoints of his friend.   First, when Whitney suggests  that the hunted animal understands fear, "the fear of pain and the fear of death," Rainsford answers, "Bah! They've no understanding."  Then, when Whitney suggests that there may be something ominous out at sea, Rainsford discounts the "sudden dread" of the old Swede and Whitney:  "Pure imagination."

Later, after he is captured and dining with General Zaroff, Rainsford is appalled when Zaroff suggests the excitement of hunting other men.  The general hints that Rainsford may have done just this:  "Surely your experiences in the war--"  but Rainsford "stiffly" cuts the general off, saying he did not condone "cold-blooded murder."

Further in the plot, Rainsford changes because he attains the "understanding of fear and death" as he himself becomes prey for Zaroff.  Then, too, he certainly feels the "certain dread" which he has earlier discounted.  And, finally, he acts in the manner that he has earlier condemned.  He confronts Zaroff as "an animal at bay" and fights for his life against another man.  When the author writes, "He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided," the reader must conclude that Rainsford has killed Zaroff "in cold blood" or he would not be alive.  Thus, the resolution of the conflict finds Rainsford a different man from what he is at the beginning.

Mention the travails Mr. Braithwaite experienced while trying to get a job in To Sir With Love.

When Mr. Braithwaite is demobilized from the RAF, he is told by the career advisor that he should have "no difficulty in finding a good civilian job".  Mr. Braithwaite has a science degree and "varied experience in engineering technology", and there is "an urgent demand for qualified technologists, especially in the field of electronics, (his) special interest".  Upon visiting the Appointments Office, Mr. Braithwaite is given a letter of recommendation and a list of three firms, each of which has vacancies for qualified Communications Engineers.  Mr. Braithwaite immediately writes to the companies and receives encouraging replies with invitations to interviews from all three.

At the first company he visits, Mr. Braithwaite is greeted with "silent hostility" by the receptionist, who seems surprised that he is black.  Mr. Braithwaite's interview with the company associates seems to go well, but at the end of it he is informed that although his replies have been completely satisfactory, he will not be hired because in his position he would have to have "authority over a number of...English employees", who might be uncomfortable working under a person of color.  There are other positions available, but for these, Mr. Braithwaite is overqualified.

Realizing that the company would not hire him because of the color of his skin, Mr. Braithwaite calls the other two companies who have scheduled him for interviews and lets them know that he is a Negro.  In both cases, he is told that, unfortunately, the post for which he would have been applying has been filled.

Desperate, Mr. Braithwaite tries everything - "labor exchanges, employment agencies, newspaper ads - all with the same result".  He even applies for a job as a technician for which no special qualifications are indicated, but is told that he would not fit in because the other employees, who are not well educated, "might resent the posh way (he) speak(s)".  Feeling angry and betrayed, Mr. Braithwaite happens to sit next to a "thin, bespectacled old gentleman" one day beside the lake at St. James's Park.  The old gentleman, sensing Mr. Braithwaite's dour mood, strikes up a conversation, and fortuitously suggests to him that he should be a teacher (Chapter 4 and 5).

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" who does Scout recognize in the mob at the jail?

As the mob gathers at the jail, Scout is surprised to discover that she knows some of these men.  She recognizes Mr. Cunningham, the father of little Walter Cunningham, who she had over to her house for lunch one day.  So, being innocent, and recognizing a face in a crowd, she starts talking to him.  "Hey, Mr. Cunningham.  How's your entailment gettin' along?"  She is making small talk with an angry mob that had come to take Tom Robinson from the jail and do who-knows-what to him.  This throws the entire feeling of the mob off; Mr. Cunningham is embarrassed.  He is transformed from a faceless mobster who will set aside any morals or principles to act with the crowd on his fears, to a real human being that a small girl knows and is concerned about.  This humanizing of the mob immediately has an impact, and the end result is that the mob disperses, with no harm done.  Scout, through her child-like innocence and polite concern, saves the moment.

How can I clearly understand the reason for Homer Barron's death in "A Rose for Emily"?

You have a great question, and one that is not often asked when discussing this story. He could have left, as most of the town thought, and Miss Emily would have gone one much as she had, a sad and pitied old woman who was the focus of old gossip. But what kind of gothic story would that have been?

Homer had to die because his death creates one of the greatest twists in literature. Here is this woman who epitimizes the genteel southern woman. She teaches china painting. Her father was a mean-spirited man who made sure that no man would brave the front porch to court her. She was pitied by all the women in the town who knew that "poor thing," she would never marry.

Then, when Homer comes to town, and she is seen with him in the buggy, she becomes the object of scorn. The cannot pity her anymore because she is acting against the mold that they expect of her. Without her father's influence, she has "gone wild."

When Homer leaves, and she retreats into her home, rarely leaving it, the town can return to its pity for her. They can send their daughters to her for painting lessons because it is the least they can do for the poor thing.

If it were not for the death of Homer, she would be what they thought that she was  --  a pitiful example of a woman who was bullied by her father, sullied by a man beneath her in social rank, left alone to die with only the company of a servant.

Homer had to die, or we would be left without a story. Miss Emily was not someone to be pitied, nor as they found out after her death, was she someone who accepted her fate without recourse. Homer may have thought to leave her, but Miss Emily was not one to be left by the last hope she had of a man.

In the last act of "The Crucible," how has Reverend Parris changed? Why doesn't the news of Abigail and Mercy leaving town affect the ruling of the...

After Abigail robs Parris and leaves town, Parris is left penniless, sorrow-stricken, afraid, and a broken man who breaks down and sobs. However, he believes that Abigail left because she was afraid of retribution from other witches in the town and fails to see her guilt. Because of this and other setbacks, he is eager to put an end to the trials but is afraid that the executions of seemingly innocent people will turn the town against him and cause a riot. He has already received non-verbal threats and wants to find a way to make the accused confess in order to spare their lives. He pleads with Proctor to confess so that he is spared, and he even recruits Elizabeth to join him in his task. This change of heart is selfishly motivated, of course, as Parris is still solely concerned for himself.

Abigail's disappearance does not sway the court because Judge Danforth is a proud and stubborn man. He believes that any change in his agenda is a sign of weakness and an admission of error because he has already had twelve people hanged. He thinks that the village expects to see "justice" done, and he vows to hang anyone who opposes the law.

What affect does the Player's speech about Hecuba have on Hamlet?

Hamlet feels inadequate and frustrated with his own lack of action. The Player is able to generate and convey passion and emotion in his speech about Hecuba's grief over the death of Priam, yet this situation is not a real one; the Player is just acting. Hamlet, on the other hand, has real cause to feel grief and to act, yet he has done nothing. He asks what would the Player do "Had he the motive and the cue for passion/That I have?" So he questions himself: "Am I a coward?"  And he declares that so far all he done to achieve the vengeance the Ghost wants is to use words.

Ah, but words! That fact gives him the idea of using the play-within-a-play to reenact the murder scene and watch Claudius' response. If the king even flinches, Hamlet will know that Claudius is guilty and thus have the evidence he's been seeking that the Ghost speaks truth. Hamlet will use words "to catch the conscience of the king" and lay a trap for Claudius.

Why is life so hard these days .....?

Life has always been hard; it has always depended on who and when you are/were.  It might be helpful to spend some time looking into conditions of the immigrants in New York City from about 1870 to the First World War.   Ken Burns has a wonderful film documentary of The City, and CD #3 has a great presentation of their plight.  It is also presented graphically in Jacob Riis's "How the Other Half Lives," a collection of pictures of the tenaments on the lower East Side (it is also referenced in the Burns documentary).  Those conditions were truly horrible with whole families living in one room with an outside window, families sharing a one room apartment with another family in "shifts" --- those were difficult times --- and there were other times in our history when recession/panics made live truly miserable for many people.  Of course if you were rich, none of these times were difficult.

Hard times seem to be part of the economic cycle; it's just that we have come to believe that things would be ever upward and onward.  A look at the history of recessions in this country (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions) might help make this clearer.

We've gotten through the others; we'll probably get through this one as well.

When did the Korean war end?

The Korean War has never ended, the farthest the two sides got was a negotiated cease fire in 1953.  Officially and legally, a state of war still exists between the two Koreas.  The border is heavily militarized on both sides, and there have been numerous incidents over the years.  South Korea has repeatedly destroyed tunnels under construction from the north, some of which were massive railway tunnels for the movement of tanks and heavy equipment.

The cease fire has held pretty well, but there has never been a treaty of peace of any kind between North and South Korea.  The links below detail the current state of affairs between the Koreas.

Discuss the theme of feminism in Top Girls.

Hi, I am currently doing 'Top Girls' and feminism within a University Essay.

I would note in intro to essay, that feminism is so large within the play, you cannot possibly look at everything and that you have narrowed it down to 3/4 main ideas.

1)ISOLATION

2)POWER/SUCCESS

3)GENDER EXPECTATIONS

ISOLATIONS- could be spoken about in terms of how women are isolated from job roles (marlene/pope joan) also how women are isolated from real society (lady nijo and grieselda-who are housewifes and only allowed to do as husbands say. 

POWER/SUCCESS - you could speak about how typically men have the power eg grieseldas hubby(gives away her children etc) and also her father (tells her she has to marry him) and also lady nijo (told to be a prostitue and so on.)  Also could include the speach from act 2, where man's wife comes in and says to marlene you should not be promoted shud be my husband, its a mans job etc.  BUT THEN u could say how churchill has disturbed these tradition views in an attempt to expresses feminist ideas that women should have equal jobs etc...does this by marlene getting promotion and also by Pope Joan being a successful pope. 

GENDER EXPECTATIONS - talk about how men=masculine, women=feminine, and how churchill conforms to this typical mainstream theme in characters like grieselda and marlenes sister who be the housewife, career, obident so as told, seen and not heard femine gender.  but then gives females masucline attributes

How to prove the identity `sin^2x + cos^2x = 1` ?

This is not a proof, but it sure is compelling evidence:

Enter y=(sin(x))^2+(cos(x))^2 into a graphing calculator and look at the result for -2pi < x < 2pi.  Yep, it's the constant function y=1.

Or think about it without technology.  What would the graph of f(x)=(sin(x))^2 look like?  All points with y-values of 0 or 1 would not change, and points with y=-1 would keep their x-values but get y-values of +1.  So this graph would be zero at even multiples of pi/2 and 1 at odd multiples of pi/2.  A similar analysis of g(x)=(cos(x))^2 gives a graph that is 1 where f(x) is 0, and 0 where f(x) is 1.  So y=f(x)+g(x) is clearly 1 in all of those places.

Again, it's not a proof, but it's good to have a graphical look at this important trig identity.

How do Jem and Scout change during the course of the novel? How do they remain the same?

Jem becomes more mature.  He is still a boy at the end of the book, but he is working his way into manhood.  This is shown through his reaction at the trial of Tom Robinson (he actually cries because of the injustice of the court) and also in the way he doesn't want to play games with his younger sister (who he still sees as a child).  Scout is still a child at the end of the novel, but she is being to see things from a different perspective.  She begins to realize that things aren't always what they appear to be (Boo Radley and Mrs. Dubose are both proof of that).  The above examples could be used in an essay, but if you're talking about the actual structure of an essay I would suggest you set it up like this:

Your introduction would mention your thesis (which would be to prove that Jem and Scout change/remain the same throughout the novel) and then very briefly discuss your three main examples that prove your thesis.  Your body paragraph would discuss these examples in further detail.  For example, you may want to compare and contrast Jem and Scout's reaction to Mrs. Dubose and the lesson that both of them learned from her.  Your conclusion should reiterate what your essay discussed and possibly (depending upon what your teacher is looking for) give your own personal opinion.  The structure of your essay also depends upon the assignment that you were given, but I hope this helps. 

"To His Coy Mistress" can be compared to what other poem of the same period in regard to the nature of love and relationships?

A poem that springs immediately to mind, of roughly the same period, is "To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick.  The message of both poems is the same -- there is not very much time in this world, and we are only young for a short period of that time; and for this reason, the poets are saying, the mistress should yield to the advances of the lover.  While the poems are not exactly contemporary (Herrick's was published in 1648, while Marvell's was 1681,) and the meter and styles are somewhat different from each other, by the time Marvell was publishing his poems (in the case of this one, posthumously) his kind of lyric poety was considered somewhat old fashioned (Hollander and Kermode 641.)  So it's entirely possible that Marvell's poem was written closer to Herrick's date than the publication date reflects (probably the 1650s, Ibid), and the theme of "carpe diem" (seize the day) is therefore justifiably similar.

As to the content of the poems, they are very similar indeed.  The message is that time is fleeting (or, as Marvell would say it in the subjunctive, meaning the opposite "Had we world enough and time" (1)) so the female object of the poem should yield to her lover's romantic overtures.  The theme is very old, originated probably by Asclepiades (3rd Century B.C.E., Greek, 648), reminding young women that they will not be young and beautiful forever, and there is no love-making in the afterlife.  Compare these two passages:

That long-preseved virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust:
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace.  (Marvell, 28-32)

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.  (Herrick, 13-16)

This theme of wasting time (or, as Marvell masterfully puts it, "Time's winged chariot hurrying near;" (22)) is also central to two other poems of this time.  Ben Jonson's "Come my Celia" (also called "Song: To Celia"), published in 1606, and Edmund Waller's "Go, Lovely Rose" (1645) say essentially the same thing: time is rushing on, and we must seize the moment and our love.  The poems are different in their intensity, and also in the amount of allusions and imagery they contain.  Marvell's is the most dense and erudite, arguably, with the most vivid imagery.  Jonson's is much more a song than a poem, with a more directly Christian overtone than the others

Come, my Celia, let us prove,
While we may, the sports of love;
Time will not be ours forever:
He, at length, our good will sever. 
Spend not then his gifts in vain: (1-5)

 and Waller's is perhaps the most poignant,

Small is the worth
Of beauty from the light retired:
Bid her come forth,
Suffer herself to be desired,
And not blush so to be admired. (11-15)

 while Herrick's, in flippant tetrameter, is perhaps the most playful.  To say essentially the same thing in different ways is the prerogative of poets, and each of these Renaissance poets does it admirably. 

Source: The Literature of Renaissance England.  Hollander, John, and Frank Kermode, eds.  New York: Oxford University Press, 1973.

What is the central issue of Beowulf?

I tend to believe there are several central issues, among them heroism, absolutely.  However, there are also other issues present. One of them is self-sacrifice and its cost.    Beowulf chose the life of a hero, which meant he would have to live a life of constant danger and with the knowledge that he could be killed at any time when he chose to defend others, etc. He chose to sacrifice many normalcies of life in order to be a hero.  Being a hero came with man costs.  In the end, he sacrifices himself (even when he is old) to defend his kingdom and loses his life in the process.

There are 7 mysteries, 9 biographies, 2 reference books,and 10 picture books in the book bin at the library. What are the odds of drawing a mystery...

To figure out the probability (odds) of something happening, what you have to do is count up ALL the possibilities, and then count up how many of them involve the result you are looking for.

In this case, there are 28 different books, so there is a total of 28 possibilities of what book will be drawn from the bin.   Since 7 of the books are mysteries, 7 out of the 28 possibilities will be mysteries.  From a math standpoint, this is 7:28 or 7 out of 28.  Since 7 goes evenly into 28 (4 x 7 = 28), you can reduce it to 1:4 or 1 out of 4.  

It is important to remember that the probability is what would happen on average if you tried it many, many times.  You can't be sure that 1 of the first 4 books you actually pull on one try will be a mystery.  1 out of 4 is just the probable result.

What's the conclusion about the dead places in "By the Waters of Babylon"?

The conclusion about the dead places is that they were part of New York city which had been destroyed by some kind of weapon of mass destruction. This weapon left some kind of poisonous residue that made it impossible for men to enter the city for a long while. ( Many readers believe the residue was caused by an atomic bomb. However, the story was published eight years before the bomb was developed and detonated.)

After John has survived his journey though the dead places, it is apparent that the city is probably safe to visit. So John decides he can go back, read the books, gain the knowledge the New Yorkers possessed and teach it to his people. This is not a particularly good omen because John's society is likely just a susceptible to "eating knowledge too fast" as the previous society. Thus, the story is a warning against developing weapons that can destroy society before developing methods to contain those weapons.

What is the conflict, resolution, internal and external conflict, exposition and falling action in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?

The exposition is the introduction, where the author gives the reader background information about the characters and the plot.  This story is told as a flashback.  Bill tells the reader about the idea they had to kidnap a child to get some money.

The conflict is created not by the kidnapping, but by the kid they took.  

"From this time on, Johnny is in power, annoying his captors with chatter and questions, keeping them from sleeping, terrifying Bill with an attempted scalping at daybreak—followed by an attack with a hot potato and later with a rock—and generally enjoying himself so much that he seems disinclined to return home."  

Internal conflict comes in the form of doubts that the kidnappers have over the choice they made.  The external conflicts are many between the boy, and his captors as listed above. And between the two captors, who will look after Johnny.

The climax, the ransom note. Falling action, Johnny's Dad refuses to pay to get his son back, but instead tells them: 

"You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands." (O'Henry)

The resolution is not easy for the captors, Johnny does not want to go home.  They have to trick him into going home.

"they must run at top speed to escape the boy who does not wish to lose his new playmates, the would-be kidnappers who have become his victims." (O. Henry)  

What is the point of view in Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

The literary technique "point of view" is generally described in three categories:  first person, second person or third person. 

First person is the narrator, or writer or speaker, talking about himself or herself.  "I" did this, and "I" did that. 

Second person is the narrator, writer or speaker describing what is happening to "you."

Third person is talking about someone else, using words like "he," "she," and "they." 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is written in third person.  A narrator is telling you the story about Jonathan, so Jonathan's name is used many times, along with descriptions of what "he" is doing. 

There is another element to this, however, and that is the "viewpoint," which is slightly different.  This is a description of the focus of the narration.  In Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the viewpoint is clearly focused on Jonathan.  The whole story is about what Jonathan is doing, thinking, and feeling.  There are no conversations that do not involve him.  We, the readers, are not told anything that happens to anyone else, except what Jonathan sees and experiences.  This viewpoint keeps the feeling of the book very close, very tight, so that our experiences are Jonathan's experiences, and nobody else's. 

Many novels may use a third person narrator, but will have split viewpoints, as the novel jumps from one scene with some characters, then tells us about someone else in another time or place, then jumps back again, etc.  This keeps the reader completely involved in everything related to the novel, but not as closely tied to a single character. 

What was established as a direct result of the public outcry from The Jungle?

Ironically, the author, Upton Sinclair, wanted his audience to turn to socialism as a cure for the problems he outlined in his novel. He had written about how dead rats were ground into sausage meat, how sick cows and pigs were slaughtered and sold to people unaware of the dangers of eating diseased meat. In addition, he even described how occasionally a worker would fall and be ground up into the mix for "Durham's Pure Leaf Lard." Meat sales fell dramatically. Instead of turning to socialism, his novel resulted in reforms in the meat packing industry and food processing. Congress passed and the president signed the "Meat Packing Inspection Act" and "The Pure Food and Drug Act". The latter lead to the establishment of the FDA, or Food and Drug Administration which still exists today.

What happened in Chapters 14-19 of "The Scarlet Letter"?

Hester has become concerned over Dimmesdale's health and the effect that Chillingworth is having on her lover. She decides that she must reveal Chillingworth's true identity to Dimmesdale so he can protect himself from her former husband. But first, Hester feels she needs to tell Chillingworth that she is going to break her promise to keep Chillingworth's identity a secret. So, while Pearl plays in a tidal pool, Hester confronts Chillingworth and tells him she is going to reveal his true identity to Dimmesdale. When she returns to Pearl, Pearl again asks her what the scarlet letter means and Hester is finally so fed up she threatens to lock Pearl in a dark closet if she keeps asking that question,

A few days later, while Pearl is playing in the brook that divides Boston from the forest, Hester meets Dimmesdale in the forest and reveals Chillingworth's identity to him. Then they make plans to escape Boston by booking passage on a ship now in Boston harbor. The ship will take them back to England. When they return from their meeting, Hester has removed the scarlet letter, but Pearl will not approach Hester until she puts the letter back on. Dimmesdale tries to kiss Pearl, but she washes the kiss off in the brook. Then the two lovers go their separate ways. The ship is planning on leaving in four days, which will give Dimmesdale an opportunity to give his election sermon.

I would like to know what is the significance of the title White Teeth by Zadie Smith?

Teeth are referenced in many of the chapter titles of the novel ("Teething Trouble"; "Molars"; "Canines: The Ripping Teeth"; etc.) and also appear in as references and as cultural markers within the text. As a novel about integration, immigration, ethnic culture and identity and various strains of resistance to each of these things, cultural markers bear a special significance.

At one point in the novel, Millat, Magid and Irie are lectured by an old man about his experience in war in Africa. He recounts a story about how it was so dark in the jungle that the soldiers looked for enemies by trying to spot their teeth. The Africans fighting in this war had such white teeth they were easily spotted and killed.

This episode suggests a number of ideas relating to the novel's themes. 1) The Caucasian man telling the story is insensitive to the fact that he is telling the story to ethnic minorities who will identify with the soldiers with the "white teeth" more than they will with him, an old white man who was afraid to let them in to deliver their charity stuff. 2) The children band together, despite their differences, because they share a common situation as immigrants, as minorities, and as neighbors. 3) History is personal, often divisively so.

Later in the novel, the high school that Millat and Irie attend is described as being populated by people who smoke. A long section of prose is devoted to this notion and ends with a comment on how the smoke is turning "white teeth yellow". As the details of smoking are decidedly cultural on a local level, they may also be seen as an indicator of a larger self-defining cultural trend among the ethnic mixture of people at the school.

Smoking, as an act, is a means by which the students assimilate into a culture of their own design, symbolically eliminating the marker of their isolation and difference (white teeth) in the process. 

Teeth then can be seen as relating to these themes of assimilation and ethnic identity.

How does Poe create atmosphere and tension in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The setting of the gloomy catacombs works effectively to create atmosphere in "The Cask of Amontillado," especially in contrast to the high spirits of carnival time. Poe develops tension in many ways as the narrator Montresor draws Fortunato closer and closer to his inevitable doom. We know that Montresor is up to no good--that he is avenging a wrongdoing by luring Fortunato down to the catacombs: "THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge." Fortunato doesn't know he is walking into a trap. His arrogance makes him continue further on despite the warnings Montresor knowshe will ignore: warnings about the cold and damp. When Fortunato says that a cold won't kill him, we pick up the increasing tension and the double meaning (that is--a cold won't kill him but something else WILL) when Montresor says "True." The tension escalates as Montresor gets Fortunato drunk and begins walling him in. As the e-notes guide to "A Cask of Amontillado" states, Montresor’s calm voice in the face of his evil intention also contributes to the tension and horror: "Even at the most terrifying moment in the story, when Fortunato realizes that Montresor intends to seal him up behind a wall, the narrator is calm and detached." It is the abnormal psychology of the psychopathic, vengeful Montresor that grabs us in this masterful story.