Identify the main characteristics from metaphysical poetry, using John Donne "The Flea"

Metaphysical poetry contains a metaphysical conceit.  It compares two things so unalike that it takes a explanation to see the connection. With "The Flea," the comparison is between the speaker's love for the young lady and a common flea.  At first glance, there is nothing romantic in it, but on closer inspection the comparison is more understandable. In stanza one, the speaker says that the flea has bitten both himself and his would-be lover.  Their blood is already mixed within his body--so she can't say that it is a sin to mix their blood the normal way since the flea is already enjoying what the two people might and the flea didn't have to woo her first. Stanza two, we understand that the young lady has indicated she'd kill the flea then and be done with this saucy talk.  The speaker begs for the the flea's life since, in killing it, she would kill not only their love, but the "unborn child" within the "walls of jet"--the flea.  Kill me, he says, but don't add killing yourself and our "baby" to that list. In Stanza three, we come to understand that she does kill it.  The speaker calls her action "cruel and sudden" since the flea was not guilty of anything; it was innocent except for the act of sucking the blood of both people. He comes back to the question of their intimacy by saying that nothing has happened with the death of the flea, so what harm could come from shared tenderness behind closed doors?

What is a internal and external conflict in "Across Five Aprils"?

Because Hunt tries to write fairly about the Civil War in this novel, there are a great many internal conflicts.  One which really struck me was the internal conflict for Bill.  Jethro's brother Bill is his favorite and although the Creightons live in Illinois, a Union State, Bill decides he has to go fight for the south.  This causes internal conflict for Jethro.  Also, the struggle to go from an innocent boy to a man also causes Jethro a lot of internal conflict.  His father has a heart attack and he needs to grow up faster than expected.  All of his siblings are either dead, or off fighting.  The most glaring external conflict is the Civil War and the problems it created for the country, the state, the community and the family.

In "Pride and Prejudice" Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth. At the next ball it is the reverse. What is the significance of this irony?

The irony of Elizabeth's actions hits Darcy over the head.  He is not used to women refusing him, he is accustomed to women falling all over him because of his social position and financial status.  Elizabeth, a gentleman's daughter, but a pauper compared to Darcy, has the nerve to reject his attention toward her.  This is unthinkable for the prideful Darcy at this point in the story.

But what is particularly interesting is the way that Austen writes these characters, giving Elizabeth Bennett a personality that allows her to reject a rich, rich man even though her family is desperate for a good solid marriage from her or Jane.  Elizabeth 's integrity, honesty and devotion to the truth are the main reasons that Darcy falls head over heels in love with her.  She does not grovel at his feet, even though, she, more than Caroline Binghley, needs Darcy's money and position. 

It is very ironic for Darcy, then, that Elizabeth sticks to her principles, rejecting him for his arrogance,  even though Darcy is very rich and could be a savior to her family's situation.

Please list the members of the clergy in "The Canterbury Tales", and which are corrupt or sinful?

I'm going to list all of the pilgrims associated with the church, and explain for each one if he/she is corrupt:

The Prioress: the head of the monastery.  She is polite, and very neat.  She is also described as being quite sentimental, but there is no specific mention of her being sinful.  It should be noted that she is quite rich, however, which is a violation of her vows.

The Nun: not described.

The Priest: not described

The Friar: described in much detail.   Although very "merry", he is greedy and corrupt.  He takes money for people in order to "forgive" their sins, but then pockets the money for himself.

The Monk: not really corrupt, but he spends his time not attending to his vows.  Instead, he attends to the needs of the Prioress and to his own pleasures.

The Parson: a pastor in the church, who is true to his faith and his vows.  Unfortunately, this makes him very poor.

The Summoner: an agent of the Church courts whose job it is to bring sinners before the court.  However, he will take their money as a bribe to not report their sins.

The Pardoner: also takes money to "forgive" people.  Besides this, he passes off junk as "relics" from Rome.

As you can see, Chaucer clearly paints the church as corrupt and greedy, and not at all concerned with religious vows and faith (save for the few).

What does the snake symbolize in "Young Goodman Brown"?

Traditionally, the snake has been the symbol of evil and associated with the devil.  (e.g. the serpent in the Garden of Evil)  When Goodman Brown meets his guide who has "a staff, which bore the likenss of a great black snake, so curiously wrought that it might almost be seen to twist ans wriggle like a living serpent," there is an ambiguity established with this description just as there is an ambiguity about the interpretation of the incidents in the rest of the story. For, Hawthorne writes that the older man so closely resembles Goodman that they could be mistaken for father and son.  After completing the story, the reader is left to wonder how much of what happens is the imagination of a man who perceives himself as the only one who is "good." Thus, the older man may be what Goodman becomes after his he attends what he perceives as diabolic ceremony in the forest.  That is, the older man is Goodman Brown after he has lost his faith in people's goodness; he sees evil in the other people, and the "snake" may represent the twisting of evil interpretation in the mind of Goodman Brown.

Are there any literary devices used in Act III of "Romeo and Juliet"?

Yes, there are a few examples of literary devices used in Act III, scene iii of "Romeo and Juliet". 

In line 2, Friar Lawrence says, "Affliction is enamour'd of thy parts." (A. III, s. iii) -- This is an example of personification.  In line 3, he then continues by saying, "And thou art wedded to calamity." (A. III, s. iii).  This is an example of a hyperbole.In line 5, Romeo says, "What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand." (A. III, s. iii) which is another example of personification.  In addition to these three examples, the entire scene is full of imagery, as is most of Shakespearean plays. 

How does Macbeth go from good to bad?

Macbeth's fall from grace or goodness happens from a combination of events converging at once. On the exterior, Macbeth is a good and loyal subject of King Duncan, bravely fighting to defend king and country. But deep inside, way down, he harbors a secret ambition to possess power. This deeply hidden ambition is awakened by the prophecy of the three witches in the beginning of the play.

Once Macbeth is given a glimpse of the future, and the prediction that he will sit on the throne of Scotland, the temptation to acquire this power immediately becomes overwhelming.

After Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor by the king, he realizes that his destiny includes becoming King of Scotland. However, he wants it now. Once he tells Lady Macbeth of the prophecy, she begs and pleads with her husband to seize the opportunity and murder the King when he visits their home that evening.

Once Macbeth crosses to the dark side and becomes comfortable with murder. He murders again and again in order to protect and preserve his power.

His goodness sacrificed as an offering to attain power and to keep it. He trades his humanity for the crown, his soul for the glory that comes with being king, even if it is for only a brief time.

In "Hamlet," what does Polonius give to Ophelia In Act 3?

At the beginning of Act 3, Polonius gives Ophelia a book of devotions so it will seem like she is alone because she is reading and meditating. He also tells her to return all the gifts that Hamlet had given to her. The plan backfires, Hamlet becomes angry and tells Ophelia to "get thee to a nunnery". Obviously, Polonius misjudged the situation because Hamlet certainly does not seem to be in love with Ophelia by the end of this scene. Perhaps, Hamlet suspects that he is being watched because he asks Ophelia where he father is. However, poor Ophelia takes the brunt of the punishment for her father's plan.

Is Polonius's advice to Laertes good in Act I, Scene iii?

There is a persistent idea (started by the Victorians) that Polonius is a bumbling fool. This doesn't work at all for me. Polonius is a highly intelligent political thinker. For example, his advice to Reynaldo on how to monitor Laertes's wild behaviour is magnificent and brilliant. His advice to Ophelia about love and sex is very accurate.

So, while waiting for Laertes ship to depart, Polonius has a couple of minutes to tell him how to live well. His brief advice is shrewd and parental. He tells Laertes to think before he acts, listen more than talk, keep good friends close but don't worry about drinking buddies. Don't get in fights, watch your money, take care of your appearance, but don't be a peacock etc. All sensible stuff.

Then he knocks out a Shakespearean pearl. "This above all, to thine own self be true." Most people seem to think 'to thine own self be true' just means 'be yourself' and obviously it does mean that. But I think Polonius (Shakespeare) is aiming much higher level than a trite 'hey... be the real you, kid'. He is really saying, "The person who lies to you the most often is... you. Be aware of the lies and distortions and half-truths that you tell yourself about yourself."

To thine own self be true. Don't believe your own propaganda. Rationally observe yourself and be on the alert for self-deceit. Become aware. A message that is usually too uncomfortable for most people.

What "commandment" does Old Major give to the animals in Animal Farm?

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.

What symbolic meaning does the necklace have for Madame Loisel?

From the very beginning, Loisel feels inadequate. She longs to go to this party, yet she doesn't "have a thing to wear." She and her husband happen to live in the "lower bourgeoisie, a class that stands above tradesmen and laborers." So she has some money, does better than her parents did, but she longs to live the life of luxury.  Her main conflict is an inner one.  She wants to be a part of the upper class, but she will never attain that life. In fact, her actions end up sending her further down the ladder of social standing.

This necklace, which she thinks is genuine, represents that lifestyle.  It symbolizes everything she longs for in her materialistic life.  When she loses it, she is so embarrassed that she lies about it, purchases a real necklace in its place, and then suffers the rest of her life making up for its loss. From the beginning, she felt that she deserved it.  However, as she worked for the next ten years of her life, she realized her own true worth.  The irony is that the necklace itself was just as worthless as her past ten years had been.

What time of year is it in "The Death of the Hired Man" by Robert Frost?

The conversation between Warren and Mary in "The Death of the Hired Man" takes place in the winter.

Mary begins the conversation with Warren because Silas, their "hired man", has returned.  Silas wants to stay, but Warren does not want him to.  Silas had let Warren down the last time he was there, leaving right during haying time when his help was sorely needed because he wanted "a little pay", and Warren could not "afford to pay any fixed wages".  Warren says, "Off he goes always when I need him most...In winter he comes back to us...I'm done".

Mary has found Silas "huddled against the barn-door fast asleep, a miserable sight".  She is worried, because he seems much changed from when they saw him last.  Mary says Silas is "worn out", and "kept nodding off" when she tried to talk to him.  He did say that "he'd come to ditch the meadow", and "to clear the upper pasture, too".

Warren is scornful of Silas's promises; apparently he has heard them all before.  Mary agrees, and says that this time, Silas seems disoriented, being unable to distinguish between the past and the present.  She acknowledges that "his working days are done", and says "he has come home to die".

Is the intruder a real person in "Masque of the Red Death"?like is he even real and what does he symbolize

The intruder is the Red Death itself. In the next to the last paragraph of the story, the revelers surround the masked figure and take off its mask. Poe writes that they " gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave-cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form." The word "untenanted" means "uninhabited". So when they took off the mask, they found nothing underneath. Poe then writes, "And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death." Then each of the revelers dies showing symptoms of the disease. Poe says they died "in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall." This mirrors Poe's description of someone suffering from the Red Death at the beginning of the story.

Who was the Queen of England in the 16th century?

There were several queens of England during the 16th century. Here's a list of them:

Elizabeth of York (1466-1503)--wife of Henry VII and mother of Henry VIII

Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536)--first wife of Henry VIII

Anne Boleyn (1501-1536)--second wife of Henry VIII

Jane Seymour (1508-1537)--third wife of Henry VIII

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557)--fourth wife of Henry VIII

Katherine Howard (1521-1542)--fifth wife of Henry VIII. Interestingly, she was a cousin of Anne Boleyn; she and Anne were the two wives who were convicted of treason and executed

Katherine Parr (1512-1548)--sixth wife of Henry VIII

Jane Dudley (better known as Lady Jane Grey; 1536-1554)--she was queen for only 9 days. Her grandmother was sister to Henry VIII, and she was put on the throne in a conspiracy to secure Protestantism in England and to further the ambitions of her father-in-law, John Dudley

Mary I (1516-1558)--daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon

Elizabeth I (1533-1603)--daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was a patron of Shakespeare and one of the greatest monarchs of English history

See the links below for more information.

In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, what emotions will Cassius feel after Caesar's death? What will be Calpurnia's reaction to her husband's death?

Based on what Cassius has said about Caesar, we can infer that he will be very satisfied when Caesar is assassinated. Cassius has been the leader of the conspiracy to murder Caesar and has successfully tricked Brutus into joining the plot. Cassius has expressed feelings of hatred and jealousy toward Caesar. He told Brutus stories mocking Caesar as being weak, unfit to rule in Rome. According to Cassius, he even had to save Caesar from drowning on one occasion. Cassius is bitter that Caesar has gained so much power.

Calpurnia will be heartbroken by Caesar's death. She loves her husband and has worried about him a great deal. She has had terrible dreams about his impending death, and all of the strange events in Rome the night before Caesar's murder convinced her that he was in great danger. The morning of the Ides of March, Calpurnia begs Caesar to stay home from the Senate. She uses all of her persuasive powers, but to no avail. Caesar goes to the Senate with the conspirators and is killed. Calpurnia may blame herself for not convincing him to stay home.

In "A Pair of Silk Stockings," what does Mrs. Sommers plan to do with the extra fifteen dollars?

In Kate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings," "little" Mrs. Sommers has, for some reason, found herself with an extra fifteen dollars, and she enjoys the feeling of "importance" that this windfall gives her. She contemplates the fact that it has been a long time since she enjoyed such an amount of spare cash and she does not intend to waste it. It is significant that she is referred to as "little" because it emphasizes her status as being less significant as a person, an individual, and more important as the central care giver to her family. The fact that the money gives her a feeling of importance confirms this. Usually, all the money would be allocated and she would therefore have no say, no feeling of control and now it is different. Even though she still feels obliged to spend the money on her family, she relishes the decision-making capacity it allows her, the freedom of choice previously denied her.  

First of all, she intends to spend a little extra on her daughter's shoes because it would be "judicious" to do so. She will buy material and socks for all the children and a pattern to make a gown for her other daughter. Then there will be caps and sailor hats. She is genuinely excited by the prospect of seeing her children looking "fresh and dainty."  

However, while recovering from feeling faint and realizing that she forgot to have lunch, the velvety feel of a pair of silk stockings catches her attention, having brushed accidentally against her hand. The texture, and the fact that the sales assistant thinks she wishes to purchase a pair, makes her feel embarrassed and special at the same time. All thoughts of making her way to the "bargain" counter leave her and, enraptured by her new purchase, she continues the trend and shops for other luxury items and even lunch and a play. She wishes for the experience and the feeling to continue indefinitely. 

What was Franklin's condition in life when he arrived in Philadephia?

 When he arrived in Philadelphia, he was very poor, having sold some of his precious books to get the money for the journey. Arriving in Philadephia, he soon began to regret leaving home.  He had very little money, was exhausted and starving, he looked like a vagrant, and was approached as a possible runnaway servant because he was so dirty.

He held two jobs at once, working for both William Bradford, a printer and at Keimer's Printing House.  Working for both these men, Franklin felt that they did not understand the nature of the business.  He writes in his autobiography:

"These two printers I found poorly qualified for their business. Bradford had not been bred to it, and was very illiterate; and Keimer, tho' something of a scholar, was a mere compositor, knowing nothing of presswork." (Franklin)  

For greater detail on Franklin's arrival in Philadelphia, read chapter three of his autobiography at the link below.

In "The Odyssey," why might Odysseus have commented on the Cyclopes' way of life before relating his adventure in their land?

The Cyclops's island is one of the many obstacles Odysseus faces while trying to reach Ithaca. Upon arriving at the island, Odysseus describes the island's inhabitants as idiots "without a law to bless them." According to Odysseus, the cyclopes are brutes, barbarians who do not care for anything including themselves, each other, and their land. They beat their wives and children and are uncivilized and reclusive.

By describing the cyclopes in such an unfavorable light, Odysseus gains the approval of his audience to brutally maim the giant Polyphemus. Although he and his men are unwelcome intruders and thieves in the Cyclops's home, we the readers are content when Odysseus adds insult to injury, or in this case, injury to insult, by savagely blinding Poseidon's huge son. Had Odysseus not painted the cyclopes as disgusting, uncivilized beings, we may have felt sorry for Polyphemus and ostracized the story's hero instead.

What happens with Reverend Hale at the end of "The Crucible"?I finished the book and well it doesn't really say anything about what happens to...

At the end of the play in Act IV, Reverend Hale is counseling the accused to lie and say they are witches in order to save themselves. This shows a change in Hale because at the beginning of the play, he believed that the accusations against the townspeople were true. Throughout the story, however, Hale begins to see that Abigail is a vicious girl who only wants revenge and to hurt others. He loses faith in the court system, which he once believed to be strongly centered on the Bible. He now knows that there is no possible way for the accused people to defend themselves against such lies and ignorance.

In the novel "Twilight," why is Bella afraid to meet Edward`s family?

In "Twilight," Edward and Bella have been dating for quite a while when Edward finally suggests that it is time for Bella to meet his parents.  At first she gasps, and Edward asks if she is afraid, and she replies that she is, but she goes on to explain,

"I'm not afraid of them," I explained. "I'm afraid they won't... like me. Won't they be, well, surprised that you would bring someone... like me... home to meet them? Do they know that
I know about them?"

"Oh, they already know everything. They'd taken bets yesterday, you know" ­ he smiled, but his voice was harsh,­ "on whether I'd bring you back, though why anyone would bet against Alice, I can't imagine. At any rate, we don't have secrets in the family. It's not really feasible, what with my mind reading and Alice seeing the future and all that."

How does Dolphus Raymond symbolize a mockingbird in "To Kill A Mockingbird"?

Dolphus Raymond, like the mockingbird, does no harm to anyone. In fact, in his encounter with the children during Tom Robinson's trial, his words and actions imply that he is a gentle, wise, and understanding person as he tries to comfort them. Specifically, he understands why the events in the courtroom have made Dill physically sick. 

Despite his gentle ways, the majority of the people of Maycomb reject Mr. Raymond because he lives with a black woman and the children they have together. His conduct, to them, is disgraceful and beyond understanding. Mr. Raymond, as he reveals to the children, pretends to be an alcoholic so that drinking will explain his lifestyle. When Scout protests that his dishonesty makes him seem "badder'n you are already," he explains his reasons:

It ain't honest but it's mighty helpful to folks. Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live.

Mr. Raymond is willing to live with this lie in order to satisfy his neighbors' need to understand his lack of racism. He harms no one and wishes only to live in peace with his family.

What are the key concepts of the person centered approach to counseling?disscuss and critique of this approach

The client (or student-centered) approach was first introduced by Carl Rogers. It involves helping your client /student discover that the answers lie within them. It is your job to provide your students with the resources, tool, and inquiry questions and guidance for them to discover and access that information.  

Are you looking at this approach for psychotherapy, school counseling/education, or organizational development?  The basis is the same-although applications will vary depending on your client (audience).

Who said, "You never know a person until you've lived with them"?The quote is attributed to whom?

Apparently, no one knows.  An amusing modern version follows:

There's an old Irish saying: "You don't know someone until you've lived with them." That warning goes double for traveling with them and quadruple for traveling on a sailboat with them.

  ...who knows if the original quote was either old or Irish?

Are the main characters of "The Gift of the Magi" dynamic or static?

Both characters, Della and Jim, in "The Gift of the Magi" are dynamic characters, defining a dynamic character as one who changes throughout the story. At the beginning of the story they both clearly feel that they can only prove their love to the other through extravagant gifts which neither of them can afford. Della ends up cutting and selling her hair to buy Jim a chain for his watch and Jim sells his watch to buy Della beautiful combs for her long hair. When Della presents Jim with his gift, and Jim sees that Della has cut off her hair to afford the watch chain, both characters realize that the gifts are unimportant and that it is the love that they feel for each other that is the best gift of all. Hence, both of the main characters would be considered dynamic.

What is the detailed meaning of Blue Mountain in The Glass Menagerie?

Blue Mountain is the place where Amanda grew up. She remembers is fondly each times she tells her children about the afternoon she entertained 17 gentlemen callers. It is also the place where she met and married her husband who "feel in love with long distance." The word "blue" also mirrors "blue roses", the term Jim used to call Laura. Just as "blue" roses did not exist at the time the play was written, the author may be suggesting that "Blue Mountain" did not really exist as Amanda remembers it. This would also reinforce the idea that, just a Tom's memories of the play may not be altogether accurate, Amanda's memories may also be somewhat illusionary.

What are the moral values for the poem "IF" by Rudyard Kipling?I would like to have an example for each moral values.

There are many moral values that Kipling makes reference to in the poem “If”.   In the very first stanza of the poem, he states,

         “If you can keep your head when all about you /
          Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,” (lines 1-2)

In these two lines, Kipling is discussing the value of staying calm and relaxed when faced with difficult situations.

Lines 3 and 4 begin a new value which is believing in yourself when others do not, but, at the same time, being aware that others doubt you.  In these lines he states,
         ” If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
           But make allowance for their doubting too” (lines 3-4)

Continuing on in the same stanza, Kipling says,
         “If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
          Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
          Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
         And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.”  (lines 5-8)

Here, he looks at a few different values; line 5 talks about the virtue of patience; line 6 warns the reader not to lie or deal with anyone who does lie.  In line 7 Kipling would like his reader to think about the implications of hating or loathing another.  The final line of this stanza is quite possibly the most important when dealing with values these days and tells the reader that he/she should not try to show off but be more modest in his/her ways.   

What does the tarnished medal symbolize in "To Kill a Mockingbird"? please help!

Jem and Scout find the medal in the knot hole of the tree on the Radley property. They ask Atticus about it, and he explains that it's a medal that was given out by the elementary schools for spelling bee champions.

The reader can assume that it's Boo who is leaving these gifts for the children in the knot hole. These items--the soap dolls, pennies, gum--are thing he has in his possession that he can give to the children; in essence, they are all he has. The selection of the spelling bee medal is interesting. Boo seems to want to communicate to the kids through this; perhaps he is trying to tell him that he hasn't always been a scary recluse--there was a time when he was a good student and popular.

In Lord of the Flies, when and how does Piggy recognize that he can express his views through Ralph?

Right at the start of the novel, when the other boys start to appear, Piggy recognises that he might have an ally in Ralph: as the choir, led by Jack, appear:

Piggy asked no names. He was intimidated by this uniformed superiority and the offhand authority in Merridew’s voice. He shrank to the other side of Ralph and busied himself with his glasses.

Then, shortly later, Piggy again is seen to be given confidence by Ralph's presence, until Jack shoots him down:

Secure on the other side of Ralph, Piggy spoke timidly.
“That’s why Ralph made a meeting. So as we can decide what to do.
We’ve heard names. That’s Johnny. Those two—they’re twins, Sam ’n Eric. Which is Eric—? You? No—you’re Sam—”
“I’m Sam—”
“ ’n I’m Eric.”
“We’d better all have names,” said Ralph, “so I’m Ralph.”
“We got most names,” said Piggy. “Got ’em just now.”
“Kids’ names,” said Merridew. “Why should I be Jack? I’m Merridew.”
Ralph turned to him quickly. This was the voice of one who knew his own mind.
“Then,” went on Piggy, “that boy—I forget—”
“You’re talking too much,” said Jack Merridew. “Shut up, Fatty.”

Piggy is given confidence by Ralph as a leader, and by the schemes that Ralph sets in place. So shortly after Ralph announces the way the conch will be used at the assembly, Piggy is straight there using it:

Ralph felt the conch lifted from his lap. Then Piggy was standing cradling the great cream shell and the shouting died down. Jack, left on his feet, looked uncertainly at Ralph who smiled and patted the log. Jack sat down. Piggy took off his glasses and blinked at the assembly
while he wiped them on his shirt.
“You’re hindering Ralph. You’re not letting him get to the most important thing.”
He paused effectively.
“Who knows we’re here? Eh?”

Piggy knows that Ralph's values are the same as his own. And, even though Ralph sometimes turns against him, he relies on Ralph - and the sort of reinforcement he makes of his leadership in the above quote - and Ralph's status - to have his own voice.

Why did Ponyboy hope Bob's parents hated him and the other greasers in "The Outsiders"?

Ponyboy hoped that Bob's parents hated him and the other greasers because he would rather have their hate than their pity.

After finding Bob's picture in an old school yearbook, Ponyboy starts wondering what he might have been like as a person.  From talking to Randy, he knows that Bob's parents "let him run wild - because they loved him too much or too little".  Thoughts of love lead Ponyboy to thoughts of hate, and he wonders if Bob's parents hate him and the greasers now that he has killed their son.  At first he thinks that if they don't hate him and his bunch, they might pity them, excusing their behavior because of the deprivation and poverty in which they are forced to live.  Ponyboy despises "that pity-the-victims-of-environment junk" because it demeans him and the greasers, he "would much rather have anybody's hate than their pity". 

Ponyboy then considers a third option.  He wonders if maybe, like Cherry Valance, Bob's parents might neither hate nor pity him and his gang.  He wonders if they just might understand (Chapter 11). 

How does Okonkwo differ from Western heroes with whom you are more familiar?

If you are asking about Okonkwo, he differs in many ways from the conventional Western hero. He is a difficult person to like. He is insecure because of his father's failures; he beats his wives; he is focused solely on raising a large crop of yams and buying titles for himself so he can increase his status among his tribe. His also plays favorites with his children, ignoring his son Nwoye because he reminds Okonkwo of his own father. Instead, he focuses most of his attention of his daughter and a captive boy, Ikemefuna, from another village. After showing obvious love for Ikemefuna, Okonkwo ends up killing the boy so that he won't be thought of as a coward. However, Okonkwo is not the first flawed hero to appear in literature, Western or not. Many Greek heros, including Oedipus and many of the Greek gods, were characters who had major flaws.This tradition continues through all of Western literature, including Hamlet, King Lear up through the 20th century including characters created by Ernest Hemingway ( Frederick Henry) and John Steinbeck( Tom Joad). Even today, most "heroes" are conflicted characters. That's what makes them interesting. 

What is the main theme of Matthew Arnold's "The Future"? What is the poem about?I am doing an essay on this poem which has to be split into two:...

This poem has a theme of past beauty on the earth being slowly crowded out by modern life, cities, and civilization.  It also has a theme of the temporary sphere that man inhabits; while we are here on earth, what we see is what we are and think.  We can't imagine the glory of the earth at previous times:  "Only the tract where he sails/ He wots of; only the thoughts,/ Raised by the objects he passes, are his."  He tells us that we cannot imagine what Moses thought as "he lay in the night by his flock/On the starlit Arabian waste".  The first part of the poem is full of beautiful imagery of the earth as it must  have been before, and how we cannot comprehend it.

Then, he seems to bemoan crowding civiliation: "Gone is the calm of its earlier shore./ Border'd by cities and hoarse/With a thousand cries is its stream."  He says that we mourn the old beauty, say it is too crowded, the sun is too hot, that peace has fled.  He optimistically concludes by indicating that the earth and mankind has, "if not the calm/Of its early mountainous shore,/Yet a solemn peace of its own".

I hope that helps you understand it a bit better.  For commentary, criticism, analysis, and Victorian references, see the links below.

What are the major themes in Act 2 of "Hamlet"?

Deception is a primary theme of Act 2. 

In 2.1, we find Hamlet playing his "madness" ruse on the unsuspecting Ophelia.   She describes how he came to her chambers

...with his doublet all unbraced,

No hat at upon his head, his stockings fouled,

Ungarted, and down-gyved to his ankle,

Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking togetehr,

And with alook so piteous in purport

As if he had been loosed out of hell

To speak of horrors -- he comes before me  (2.1.87-94)

In Act 2.2, the deception theme continues, this time with Claudius doing the dirty work; the "king" sends Rosencratz and Guildenstern, two former friends of the prince, to spy on him to see if his madness is real.

Act 2 also sets up the play "The Murder of Gonzago," a thinly veiled attempt to deceive Claudius into confession, for the play reflects the usurper's crimes. 

What is the meaning of the theme city versus country in the "Neighbor Rosicky"?

In "Neighbor Rosicky", Willa Cather contrasts Rosicky's experiences in the city and in the country. Cather compares the closed in spaces of London and New York to the open prairies of Nebraska. City life is shown has harsh and unkind. Cities are places that are far away from growing crops and beautiful farmlands. Although life might be difficult on in the country, people are honest and not hardened by living too close to one another. People aren't cheated in the country. They are kind and not cynical because they are close to nature and natural cycles. In the city, people live away from nature and are thus poisoned by each other. For Rosicky, country living is much more more natural than city living.

What does the second stanza of "The Raven" mean in modern day? Also what are the literary devices for that stanza?

The second stanza is telling the reader that the speaker is recalling a gloomy December day or evening.  While he was sitting in his study, the fire that he had in his fireplace was dying out and casting shadows that reminded him of ghosts on the floor.  He is sitting down to read his book and wishing for the day to be over while he thinks about his "lost love" named Lenore.  That is a modern day summary of the second stanza.

Literary devices that are found in this stanza are as follows:    

There is assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) in line one -- "Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December" -- in the words remember and December.  This also exemplifies internal rhyme.  The second line contains personification in that the burning logs were "dying" --  "And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor."  Lines 4 and 5 contain alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of consecutive words) -- these examples are "surcease of sorrow -- sorrow" in line 4 and "rare and radiant" from line 5.

In chapter one of The Call of the Wild, what is Buck's introduction to primitive law?

I find your question very interesting because of your use of the term "primitive law."  That certainly is a fancy way of referring to the natural law of creatures on earth, but a wonderful way to ask the question.  Why?  Because the first chapter is called "Into the Primitive," and rightly so.  In short, Buck's introduction to primitive law comes when he observes a pack of dogs fighting early on in the novel.

These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with strong muscles with witch to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost.

Buck only truly understands this after the dog fight is witnessed.  Before this, Buck thinks as any domesticated dog might think.  Unfortunately for Buck, he is stolen away from his domesticated life and forced to brave the harsh life of the Yukon.  The dogs fight with rank in mind.  The lead dog is very evident, and it is this position that Buck wants to obtain within his eventual pack.  By watching this pack of dogs, Buck learns exactly what is expected of him.  Canines have their own particular "society" within the pack.  Of course, in order to obtain the position of lead dog, Buck is forced to begin fights later on in the novel. 

In conclusion, there is also an important part of primitive law that is prominent in canine society:  obedience to man.  How does Buck learn this?  From the man in the red shirt who beats Buck quite badly as a result of his lack of obedience.  Even this submission is necessary for survival and part of primitive law.

Chapter 11: After the murder of Piggy, what power and desire have finally been liberated in the children?

Prior to the death of Simon, there was a great deal of fear and guilt about the first death of a boy, even though they weren't sure when and how it happened, but likely in the fire that was started at the top of the mountain.

At Simon's death, the boys like Ralph and Piggy felt some responsibility and some shame and regret, as did the hunters.  but Jack quickly erased this by creating the idea of a god-like figure that could disguise itself and so of course the boys lashed out and killed it.

So after Simon's death, and then during the confrontation at the rock fort, the boys in the hunting tribe finally lose (with some help from Roger) their fear of killing another human and they feel no shame after dropping the huge rock on Piggy.  There is no longer any barrier or any difference between the hunt for beasts and the hunt for humans.

1984 presents Orwell's definition of dystopia as a warning to us. What specifically is Orwell warning us against and how does he achieve this?

1984 presents Orwell's vision of a dystopia and warns us of the dangers of totalitarianism, oppressive governments, propaganda, and thought control. His dystopia had an oppressive, tyrranical government who sought to squish individual thought, choice, and action. Through the Ministry of Love, Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Truth, Big Brother is able to make the inhabitants of 1984 conform to his wishes.

Specifically he is warning us to be aware of the potential for a civilization becoming like Oceania's. 1984 is a lesson in control. Society, the mind, the individual, constant war, marriage--they are all controlled. There is no freedom in 1984, everything is for the good and advancement of the party. If we do not take risks, stand up for the good of society and for the individual's rights than we might experience a sort of 1984. This is what Orwell had in mind when writing the dystopic novel. He wanted to demonstrate just how bad things could get if we let it. He succeeds in this task considerably. He has journey along with Winston Smith as he subjected to espionage, mind control, O'Brien and the ministry of love.

In the book Story of My Life, when was the account of Helen Keller's "Most Important Day" written?

The short story "The Most Important Day" is actually taken from Helen Keller's autobiography, entitled The Story of My Life.  Ms. Keller wrote her autobiography at the age of twenty-two, when she was in her second year at Radcliffe College.  The book was first published in 1902.

In The Story of My Life, the author chronicles the events of her life to the time of writing.  The first half of the book, from which "The Most Important Day" is taken, is a collection of personal vignettes about Ms. Keller from her earliest recollections to her entrance into college.  The vignettes are very personal, and appear in no chronological order.  The second half of the book recounts events from her two years at Radcliffe.

Before it was published as a complete work, The Story of My LIfe appeared in installments in The Ladies' Home Journal.  Ms. Keller wrote the book with the help of John Albert Macy, a Harvard professor and editor who later married Ms. Keller's "first teacher and lifelong companion, Anne Sullivan.

How does Alice Walker establish the setting and atmosphere in the first two paragraphs of "The Flowers"?

Alice Walker's short story "Flowers" is notable for its compactness and brevity.  The author wastes no words in establishing the setting and atmosphere in the first two paragraphs, using a series of rich images to convey a sense of innocence and childlike exuberance and joy.  In the first paragraph, phrases like "skipped lightly", "days had never been as beautiful as these", "keenness", "harvesting", and "golden surprise" all convey the essence of childhood and growth, both as they pertain to the child and to the land.  The setting is established succinctly as a rural farm, with the phrases "henhouse to pigpen to smokehouse" and "corn and cotton, peanuts and squash" again allowing the reader to visualize the scene through clearly defined imagery.

In the second paragraph, the writer reveals more about the central character, Myop, by providing short flashes of description.  Myop is ten, and is playing with a stick, poking at the chickens and playing music on the fence.  Myop's environment is sparse and natural, her experience is elemental and limited, "nothing exists for her but her song, (and) the stick clutched in her hand".  Within her sheltered world Myop's spirit, at one with nature, thrives, and she feels "light and good in the warm sun".

It is important that the setting and atmosphere Walker establishes in the first two paragraphs is firmly delineated in the reader's mind.  The message of innocence lost she communicates a few paragraphs later is all the more devasting because of the strength of the images that are shattered.

What is the main conflict in Julius Caesar and how is it resolved?

I think that's actually a very challenging question. As I see it, there's an easy answer, and a difficult answer.

The easy answer is that the conflict is whether or not the conspirators are going to successfully manage to kill Caesar. There are a whole series of moments where Shakespeare makes you wonder whether they will get away with it, from the first moment Cassius persuades Brutus that Caesar might pose something of a threat to Rome and should somehow be dealt with, through Brutus' agonisings in his orchard, through Portia's worrying before the scene of Caesar's death (worrying that the conspiracy might be discovered), right up to this moment in the murder scene:

POPILIUS:
I wish your enterprise today may thrive.

CASSIUS:
What enterprise, Popilius?

POPILIUS:
Fare you well.

BRUTUS:
What said Popilius Lena?

CASSIUS:
He wish'd today our enterprise might thrive.
I fear our purpose is discovered.

This conflict is obviously resolved in Act 3, Scene 1, when Caesar dies.

Yet I'd argue the conflict is more complex. The real question is - was it right for them to kill Caesar? And that question resounds throughout the play. Brutus changes his mind - initially he thinks it's a good idea, but he tells Cassius that he should "be sorry" for the deed. And Shakespeare never resolves it: at the end of the play there is no hint as to whether Brutus and Cassius have done Rome a service, or committed a horrible crime. It's an unresolved conflict of right against wrong.
 

For Act I of Romeo and Juliet, in what poetic form is the prologue expressed?the first prologue

The poetic form of the English sonnet, as described nicely by these other posts, was used so often in William Shakespeare's plays and works that it has become known as the Shakespearean sonnet. This is the most widely known type of sonnet, although the sonnet was originally invented in Italy, and the English sonnet was introduced by the poet Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century. Yet, Wyatt is not known as the person most connected with the English sonnet. That honor goes to the figure of Shakespeare. It is also known as the Elizabethan sonnet, because it's popularity exploded during the era of queen Elizabeth, known as the Elizabethan Era. 

The Shakespearean sonnet is set in iambic pentameter as the metrical foot, but it is not metrically inflexible. There are some small variations in the meter. The overall rhythm of the meter helps to set the scene by sounding purposeful.

Sonnets were (and are) generally popular because of this meter and their well-known ubiquity. They are traditional forms used to express ideas and feelings on love, which happens to be perfect for the themes explored in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Remember also that Romeo and Juliet, as well as other Shakespearean works, were not simply literary works meant to be respected and admired for linguistic value. They were PLAYS. Which means they were seen on stage, for entertainment value and purpose. The audiences of these plays would respond to a sonnet well because rhymes and rhythm are accessible. 

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

In "The Crucible", what is Proctor's goal in bringing Mary Warren to the court?

Proctor assumes that since Marry is a member of the court her testimony that the Abigail has lied and the proceedings are false will change the course of the convictions. His goal is to stop the proceedings and free Elizabeth, his wife. Proctor, however, does not realize the power Abigail holds over the girls and the court. When Mary Warren accuses her in front of the court, Abigail becomes angry and pretends that Mary is sending her spirit out to harm her. Mary becomes frightened and is unable to stand up against Abigail. Out of fear, Mary soon joins in with Abigail and the girls and eventually turns on Proctor to save her own life.

What is the summary for Chapter 3 of The Blithedale Romance?

As "the first comer", Zenobia welcomes the travelers to Blithedale Farm, having "something appropriate...to say to every individual".  She tells Mr. Coverdale that she is a fan of his poetry, and has even committed some of it to heart.  Zenobia is undeniably a "remarkably beautiful" woman.  The narrator notes that she exudes a sense of sexuality which, "though pure...(is) hardly felt to be quite decorous".

When someone asks how tasks will be assigned on the farm, Zenobia responds that the women will at first take on the domestic duties of the house, but that in time, depending on "individual adaptations", some men may work in the kitchen instead, and some women in the fields.  Silas Foster, who works the fields, comes in and comments on the gloomy weather, and his pessimism causes the visitors to doubt for a moment the wisdom of their undertaking.  Their courage prevails, however, and Coverdale expresses the joy they take in their purpose, to show "mankind the example of a life governed by other than the false and cruel principles, on which human society has all along been based".  Foster, ever the voice of foreboding, comments that "unless the women-folks will undertake to do all the weeding", the farm will never be able to compete with the Boston producers.  Coverdale thinks it is "rather odd, that one of the first questions raised, after their separation from the greedy...self-seeking world, should relate to the possiblilty of getting the advantage" over others.

There is one more member of the group still to arrive - Mr. Hollingsworth, a philanthropist (Chapter 3).

Can you give me the summary of "The Last Leaf" in at least 15 - 20 sentences?

Just in case there's not room for 15-20 sentences, I provided links below to the actual story so that you can go over it.

"The Last Leaf" is a story about 2 female roommates and aspiring artists that live in Greenwich village.  One of them, Johnsy, gets sick with pnemonia, and the doctor doesn't give her much of a chance.  Johnsy's roommate, Sue, keeps watch over her and notices her counting.  She asks why, and Johnsy replies that she is counting the "Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too."  Soon, there is only one leaf on the vine, and Sue is in despair that it will fall, and Johnsy will die.  She expresses her fears to the unconventional and often grumpy old man that lives downstairs, Behrman. He comes up and sits with her for a while.  The next morning, Sue opens the blinds to find the leaf still there, and Johnsy recovers. Later it is revealed that it was painted there by Behrman, who then, from exposure to Johnsy and the cold, dies of pnemonia.  It's a classic O. Henry "surprise" ending, but a sweet commentary on not judging one by their outward personna.

In "the Most Dangerous Game" why does the author include the philosophical discussion between Whitney and Rainsford at the beginning of the...

The discussion help establish theme, and foreshadows some of what Rainsford will experience on the island. As a hunter, Rainsford is very calloused toward his prey. He doesn't consider what effect being hunted has on the animal, because he assumes that animals have no feeling or real awareness of what is happening to them. This sets the stage for the dehumanizing of Rainsford on the island. Even though he experiences what it is like to be on the hunted side of the game, the ending leaves the assumption that he has only grown more cynical and calloused toward hunting, even if the prey is a rational, thinking, feeling human.

Discuss two examples of Atticus's rejection of the social codes in "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Atticus challenges social injustice and prejudice by defending Tom just as he would any other person.  Can you imagine the pain and suffering he must have endured as a white man defending a black man?  Can you imagine how difficult he must have known the trial was going to be because despite giving a sound case, Tom was already guilty because of the color of his skin?  I think Atticus is a brave man and one who definitely stood out in his day.

Atticus also had the courage to teach his daughter about prejudice.  He could have gone about his work and defended Tom without taking the opportunity to teach his daughter about the evils of the world.  By doing so, he made a statement about how future generations should react to such injustice. 

He stood up for what was right not only the day of the trial but also ensured that future generations might consider their prejudices by teaching his daughter about his beliefs.  Atticus was a brave man.  I couldn't help but think how much he must have been ridiculed for standing up for Tom.  I can't help but think how much his career must have suffered because he had the guts to stand up.

According to the speaker in the poem "The Seafarer," what qualities might earn a person a place in heaven?

The speaker catalogues the qualities that might earn a person a place in heaven at the end of the poem, in lines 108-116.  He highlights the virtues of humility, courage, faith, chastity and love, saying,

"He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven

To carry him courage and strength and belief".

He emphasizes the importance of self-moderation and control, especially as it pertains to the element of pride, admonishing,

"A man must conquer pride, not kill it,

Be firm with his fellows, chaste for himself".

Finally, he offers a treatise on the "Golden Rule", outlining how one who wishes to attain heaven must treat others, and stressing that one must never do harm, no matter what the circumstances.  He says,

"Treat all the world as the world deserves,

With love or with hate but never with harm,

Thought an enemy seek to scorch him in hell,

Or set the flames of a funeral pyre

Under his lord".

The density of water is 1.00g/mL at 4'C. How many water molecules are present in 2.56mL of water at this temperature?

mromezy12,

To get the molecules, you should first solve how many grams of water are present. So you should multiply the density with the volume.

1.00g/ml times 2.56 ml is equal to 2.56g of water.

then multiply the mass with the molar mass of water. in water there are two hidrogen molecules and 1 oxygen molecule, so the molar mass would be 18.

Deviding 2.56g by 18g would give mole number of the water and to get the number of the molecules, you should times avogdro's number(6.23x10^23).

the answer would be 8.56x10^22

In "A Rose for Emily" what are some traits or actions of Miss Emily that may seem scandalous?I'm looking for traits or actions that her neighbors...

The narrator, who represents the voice of the townspeople brings up the fact that she refused to pay taxes; not only this, but she kicked the men out of her house that had come to collect them.  This was completely unconventional, and worth a mention several times throughout the text.

After her father died, they find it scandalous that she would just keep one servant in the house, and a male at that.  They gossiped, "Just as if a man--any man--could keep a kitchen properly."  They think that a woman, especially a "proper" woman should keep more servants about.

Her behavior with Homer Barron scandalizes the entire town.  She was upper-class, and he was working class, and heaven forbid they be seen together, especially without a chaperone.  They start to gossip, and feel that she had become a "fallen woman." The narrator states of it that  "Some of the ladies began to say it was a disgrace to the town and a bad example to the young people."  They think that relatives should come and stay with her, to convince her of the error of her ways.

In the end, they pity "Poor Emily" in most that she does, and find her a perverse curiosity, but her unusual stubbornness and strange ways do scandalize the town quite often.

What is the climax of "Heart of Darkness"? I think it's when Kurtz dies.

I think you are correct. The climax comes when Kurtz dies---leaving the mystery to what he means by "the horror, the horror." Kurtz had "stepped over the edge" while Marlow has stepped back from the madness that consumed Kurtz. The rest of the story is simply the resolution of Marlow's search and culmination in allowing Kurtz's intended to remain unaware of Kurtz's insanity.

Where did "The Ransom of Red Chief" take place?

The story is set in a small town named Summit in the state of Alabama:

The story is essentially ironic; in a series of comic reversals, the expected event is replaced by its opposite. From the name of the town where the story takes place, Summit, which is perfectly flat, to the end of the story, where a fat man outruns the thin narrator, that which the narrator anticipates never does occur.

The kidnappers have chosen this area since they believe a kidnapped child from the South willl bring in more money. (They have the idea that parernts will be more attached to their children here since family values are important.)

The would-be kidnappers are from Illinois.

How can we describe the United States as a post-colonial society?

The United States in the course of its short history has gone from colony to colonizer.  One could define acts of colonization moving into French and Spanish / Mexican controlled areas on the continent (causing Texas to fight for freedom and eventually causing war with Mexico) or later crossing the waters to "influence" Hawaii, The Philippines, and Cuba.  These last two are significant, as they were colonial conquests outside of the contiguous States gained during the 1898 Spanish-American War.  Indeed, in the early 1800's, the Monroe Doctrine could be interpreted as the States stating that they alone would colonize the Western Hemisphere through "Manifest Destiny,” although both were more or less a bluff until the latter part of the century.  

In late ancient times, Rome, the supreme power of the known world, kept order, established trade, made civic improvements, and culture thrived under the "Pax Romana” after colonial conquest. Today, for the forseeable future, whether we like it or not, whether we continue to violate our Founding Principles in the process, we have become "The Policeman of the World," with a few current notable exceptions, and have instituted a worldwide "Pax Americana.”

We could therefore conclude that these United States are indeed a post-colonial society, since there's nothing left on Earth to colonize!  Yet it soon could be a Chinese flag joins the Stars and Bars on the Moon, and other worldly establishments created, and colonization resumes again.

What is translation?

Translation is the second half of protein synthesis. 

DNA is essentially a huge instruction manual on how to make each of the proteins that are needed to create the organism it belongs to.  You can think of each gene as an individual recipe.  During protein synthesis, this "recipe" is converted into an actual protein.  The first step is called transcription.  During this stage, a copy of the portion of the DNA that carries the particular gene of interest needs to be copied onto the mRNA, or messenger RNA.  In Eukaryotes, which keep their DNA in the nucleus, transcription occurs within the nucleus.  Once transcription is complete, the mRNA molecule leaves the DNA and travels to a ribosome (made of rRNA and protein) where it will be translated.  The ribosome basically reads the instructions on the mRNA three bases (C, G, A, and U) at a time (every three equals one codon).  Each codon is the instruction for one specific amino acid, which the tRNA (transfer RNA) brings to the ribosome.  The ribosome then joins these amino acids together to form the protein.  

In Lord of the Flies, what does Simon mean when he says,"What I mean is...maybe its only us...We could be sort of...?"

In "Lord of The Flies," the boys are at yet another group meeting and Ralph is trying to get across the importance of following through with their plans.  The group begins talking about the "monsters" they have heard or seen on the island.  The "littluns" are particularly frightened and Ralph is trying to reassure them there are not monsters while still letting them express themselves.  Simon raises the point that ,"What I mean is...maybe its only us...We could be sort of..." 

Simon is trying to tell the boys that the "monster" is within them.  He is wanting the group to see that they are creating these ideas because the true fear, the true monster is in each of us.  He stutters and stops because he knows that they won't understand and he fears he can't state it correctly or clearly enough to make everyone understand.  They will just think he is crazy.

What are three points for a research paper on Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter?I am writing a literary analysis research paper on The Scarlet...

I think it might be interesting to research the role of the minister in the Puritan community.  There are several "levels" of minister in "The Scarlet Letter" and it might be interesting to look at them.

 What was the relationship between the state officials (the Governor) and the religious leaders of the society.  This is particularly interesting when the state is thinking of taking Pearl away from Hester.

What was the relationship between social guilt (Hester) and individual guilt (Dimmesdale).  Did all the citizens share Dimmesdale's sense of personal anguish over failings?  (You might get some clues from "Young Goodman Brown.")

Whichever topics you select from those suggested, you're going to have to do some extensive research.   This is a fairly good place to start for some general background:  http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/oal/oaltoc.htm as is http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap1/1intro.html

The PAL site is a good place to start your research into any American Literature topic ... it's not comprehensive, but it gets you started.

What was the relationship/support between Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakepeare?We are doing a huge project in school and this was one of the...

There is no evidence that Elizabeth ever went to The Globe. Southwark was a slum neighborhood, filled with brothels, playhouses, thieves, pickpockets and many activities where it may not have been proper for the Queen to be.

We know, from a letter, that Elizabeth attended Blackfriars. It may have been to "hear" a play (as the Elizabethan's described playgoing), but that is not clear. Also, this was probably before Shakespeare began writing plays for that indoor space.

Shakespeare's company was, during Elizabeth's reign, The Chamberlain's Men. The Chamberlain was responsible for all court functions, including court entertainments. The company bearing the name of his office, and for which he provided patronage, may have had preference at the court. We know they were not at court every year, but, they did perform there regularly.

Shapiro, in his book, "1599, A Year In the Life of Shakespeare," convincingly argues that a confusing epilogue in 2 Henry IV, is actually 2 epilogues accidently combined.

One was written for and delivered by Will Kemp (who played Falstaff).

The other, obviously delivered by Shakespeare himself, apologizes for an inferior play (Merry Wives? 1 Henry IV?), and "promise[s] a better," while kneeling before the Queen. Clearly he delivered this to Elizabeth, after she "heard" the play. 2 Henry IV was performed at Whitehall, during Christmas, 1598.

Fascinatingly, the one can be found in 2 Henry IV at Epilogue, lines 1-15, with Kemp's at lines 16-23.

What was Hansberry trying to convey to the audience in A Raisin in the Sun?Basically, what was the MAIN message of the story.

Your question makes reference to the themes of this play, and in my opinion there are there main themes: the dreams that the family have, the fight against racial discrimination and lastly the importance of family.

All the family have their own separate dreams - Beneatha wants to become a doctor for example. These dreams are something they fight for throughout the play, and they face many barriers in achieving these dreams. The characters undergo varying emotions of happiness and depression depending on how their dreams are faring. By the end of the play, they realise that the most important dream out of all of their dreams is the dream of having a family house because it will unite the family. The title of the play refers to a poem by Langston Hughes where he talks about dreams that are forgotten or put off - he wonders if they shrivel up like a raisin in the sun.

Secondly, an obvious theme of the play is the fight against discrimination. From the start of the play, with references to racially motivated attacks, it is clear that this is a dominating theme throughout the play. Mr. Linder, of course, is the character in whom we find this racial discrimination most clearly defined. His bribe to persuade the Younger family not to move into the all-white neighbourhood does threaten to pull the family apart by challenging their value base. However, the Younger family eventually respond with unity and defiance, perhaps suggesting that the way to combat racial discrimination is not to let it go unchecked but to stand up with dignity and assert your rights.

Finally, the play talks about the importance of family. Despite the social and economic struggles that the Younger family go through in the course of the play, in the end they unite to buy their family house. Mama is the character who tries to teach the rest of her family the importance of family values, and Walter and Beneatha learn this lesson after their various traumas. Despite their conflicts, they still manage to unite to reject Mr. Linder's offer. Although they are still strong individuals, they manage to combine their individual dreams with the overarching family dream, putting the family's wishes before their own.

Jonathan Edwards introduces two comparisons for God's wrath in paragraphs 2 and 5. Describe what is being compared in each.paragraph's 2 and 5 in...

Most of the versions of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" are excerpts from the much longer sermon which, according to eywitnesses, lasted about two hours. In the version I use ( from McGraw-Hill, American Literature, a Chronological Approach, pgs. 54-55) the second paragraph contains an extended metaphor comparing God's anger to a bow that is armed with an arrow pointed directly at the heart of a sinner:

"The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string and justice bends the arrow at your heart."

Paragraph 5 is again an extended metaphor comparing the sinner to a spider who is being held over the fires of hell by an angry God. Edwards describes how much God abhors them and much they deserve to be dropped down into hell. Edwards writes,

"The God that hold you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider. . . Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason shy you do not this very moment drop down into hell."

What are Jonathan Swift's lines of reasoning in "The Modest Proposal"? The logical, emotional, and ethical reasonings he had?I am trying to find...

Swift's basic idea when writing "A Modest Proposal" was to cause outrage within the country.  His ideas were so preposterous that he was sure it would cause a frenzy.  He was hoping this frenzy would help cause people to begin finding a solution for the country's hunger problems.  The logical aspect may be the straightforwardness of his "proposal".  He writes the proposal as if there is no other solution except for the one he is talking about.  The emotional aspect is shown through his ability to enrage the reader because of his terrible plan.  After reading his proposal, many students have said, "He wants to do what?!"  It is completely unbelievable and therefore causes us to react emotionally to the piece.  Finally, the entire proposal could be a lesson on ethics.  Who would actually want to eat innocent children?  It is a huge moral dilemma and even those who would normally consider themselves to be morally dubious would agree that Swift most have lost his mind.   

Why is the title ironic? Why does "The Guest" make a better title than "The Prisoner"?

The irony of the title is that the "guest" is not really a guest, but he is the prisoner of the French government.  He allegedly killed his cousin in the village, and the police are taking him to be tried for murder.

The original French title, "L'Hote," means both host and guest if translated into English.  The Prisoner would not make a good title because this story does not really concentrate as much on the Arab as a prisoner, but more emphasis is placed on Daru and his role as a host. 

In Oedipus Rex, is there anything Oedipus could have done differently that would have saved the kingdom?Oedipus takes many steps to save the...

The curse placed on Oedipus is a hereditary curse.  In the play "Antigone", Oedipus' sons die by killing each other, Antigone kills herself and Creon (the only one left of the family line now) is left to live alone, as his wife and son have also killed themselves.  So, I think there is little Oedipus could have done to save himself or his family.

However, Oeidpus may have been able to save the city of Thebes from such political and social upheaval by listening to Teiresias when he first claims that Oedipus killed king Laius.  Oedipus' hubris, or pride, will not even allow him to consider the idea that he, the King of Thebes, answerer of the Sphinx's riddle, could possibly have anything to do with the curse on his town.  However, if he listened to Teiresias and investigated the matter further in Act I, the play would be much, much shorter, and the god much less angry when the punish Oedipus (and, subsequently, his family) for being so prideful.

How does the setting in "The Chrysanthemums" relate to the theme of passion?

The farm that Elisa and her husband live on is isolated and not near town.  They are very closed off from the outside world.  An important part of the setting is the farm's fences.  They are used to enclose the farm, which is symbolic of the way that Elisa and her husband are enclosed.  Also, Elisa feels closed off from her husband because he only sees her passion, the chrysanthemums, for their large stature.  He does not see the beauty in them like she does and he only sees their practicality.  This is a large obstacle for Elisa and her husband and their relationship.  Elisa has great passion for her flowers and their beauty; however, her husband does not share this passion, which hurts Elisa greatly.

What is the importance of Danforth's statement, "A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it" in "The Crucible"?

This is a hugely important idea in The Crucible.  Danforth is saying that those who do not agree with the court's decisions are to be punished similarly to those fighting directly against it.

Think of it this way.  Say you were against the death penalty in your home state, and someone was just sentenced to death by the state supreme court.  In the world of The Crucible and Danforth, just the fact that you disagree with the system of capital punishment is enough to get you yourself put in the electric chair.

In the Crucible, those who spoke out against the girls and the court's decisions were punished, even if they weren't being accused of witchcraft.  (I believe Giles Corey is one who falls under this category.)  The obvious problem with this system is that it is nearly impossible for the truth to be brought to light if the truth contradicts the court's current beliefs.  Why would anyone speak the truth when they are going to be punished and considered immoral and heretical because of it?  Therefore, it is likely that the truth will be kept supressed for a good long time, as was the case during the Salem witch trials.

Scary stuff.  

In "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, what is meant by "rainbow, rainbow, rainbow"?

It seems to me this line is representative of what the narrator of "The Fish" figuratively sees.  This is an important fish, not just a fish or anyfish.  This is a wonderful specimen of age and longevity and perseverence and character. 

On the outside, though, the fish is not what anyone would call beautiful-- 

battered and venerable
and homely. Here and there
his brown skin hung in strips
like ancient wallpaper....

It is scarred and battered and lice-ridden and trailing bits of other fisherman's lures and lines.  This fish is a testament to age and strength and character and perseverence.  While there is an actual rainbow on the spilled oil around the engine on the bottom of the boat, the rainbow in this line is more about the figurative or symbolic nature of a rainbow.  This ugly brown trout did not, all of a sudden, regain its coloring; instead, it is an image seen by the narrator of what this fish is on the inside.  And the symbolism of promise and hope and beauty are all realized in that image of a rainbow.  Then--"I let the fish go."

What is the role of fate and destiny in the novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy?

Thomas Hardy, in one of his novels, writes that "character is fate" which is a quotation from a 18th cc. German writer Hardenberg. Hardy continues, "It is not destiny but your own weakness that is against you".

In the novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", we see that Tess is actually murdered by the conventional society, not because of her fate. So the role of destiny is little in the novel in the incidents like the Tess' letter's staying under the carpet, accident causing the killing of the Prince or late acquaintance of Angel and Tess.

How does Ibsen convey through the play the position of females during his time?

In A Doll's House, the position of females in Ibsen's time is examined and he presents his hope for feminism and equality through the character of Nora and her realisation of her situation and her choice to embark on a search for her own identity.

At the beginning of the play, the relationship of Nora and Torvald is examined. It is clear that their relationship has more in common with a father and daughter relationship than with a husband and wife, and we discover that Nora relates to her husband and is treated exactly the same way that she related and was treated by her father. In response to her husband's insulting comments and patronising remarks, Nora cajoles, begs and acts like a child (or even a "doll"). Torvald even says: "Has my little sweet tooth been indulging herself in town today by any chance?" Nora responds using childish phrases: "Oh. Pooh!" It is clear that Torvald possesses Nora and regards her as nothing more than a belonging to make him look good. Nora, too, at the beginning of the play, is caught up in this "Doll's House", as we can see in her definition of freedom which she gives to Mrs. Linde: "Free. To free, absolutely free. To spend time playing with the children. To have a clean, beautiful house, the way Torvald likes it." She is unable to perceive her situation as being caged inside her "Doll's House" and plays a part of the perfect wife according to her husband's wishes.

Of course, the action of the play, and in particular the realisation of Torvald that Nora has deceived him and his response, triggers the epiphany that Nora needs to realise the truth of her situation and give her the desire to escape this "Doll's House". In his response to this realisation, Torvald shows himself to Nora for who he really is: a self-centred, petty man who is concerned only about keeping up the facade of marriage: "From now on, forget happiness. Now it is just about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance." It is this unmasking that gives Nora self-understanding of her situation. She says to Torvald, "I've been performing tricks for you Torvald. That's how I've survived. You wanted it like that. You and Papa have done me a great wrong. It's because of you I've made nothing of my life." By the end of the play then, she becomes a stronger, tougher more independent individual, determined to make her own life free from the constricting gender roles that have been imposed upon her.

Who was Mozart?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756.  He died at the age of 35 under strange circumstances; some say it was a fever.  He was buried in an unmarked grave.  He composed during the Classical period. His contemporary composers were people like Ludwig van Beethoven.

Mozart is probably the greatest genius in the history of western music, perhaps in the history of the world.  He began composing at the age of five. By the time he was nine he was writing symphonies!  When he was six his sister and he toured Europe, playing several instruments for kings and queens. Mozart excelled in every form in which he composed. 

 “Mozart wrote his first opera, Mitridate Re di Ponto, in 1770 when he was only 14 years old. He had actually written a few earlier operas, but they were performed only in the Archbishop’s court in Salzburg. Over his career, Mozart wrote 17 operas. The most famous include The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, and Don Giovanni.  Mozart’s more than 600 works include 41 symphonies, of which Eine Kleine Nachtmusic is probably the most well-known.  Mozart married Constanze Weber in 1782. He had first proposed to Constanze’s older sister, who had rejected his suit. In spite of this earlier proposal and financial difficulties, their marriage was a happy one until Mozart’s death in 1791 at the age of 35.”

What does charley attempt to do for Willy in "Death of a Salesman"?the attempt

Charley attempts to be Willy's friend. He not only offers him a job when Willy loses his, but he also regularly "lends" Willy fifty dollars a week. Despite Willy's lack of appreciation for Charley's help and his downright rudeness to Charley on many occasions, Charley tries to offer guidance and support for his neighbor.

A man of great patience, Charley understands what makes Willy the man he is. Charley realizes that Willy wants respect, that he seeks success, but Charley also recognizes that Willy is human---he has flaws; he makes mistakes. Although Charley enjoys teasing Willy from time to time ("Ebbets Field just blew up!"), he cares for Willy. At his funeral in the Requiem, Charley is the one who describes Willy best: "...a salesman. ... He's a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine.  [He's] got to dream." Charley wanted to help Willy with his dream, but Willy just didn't know how to accept his help gracefully.

What test of love does Clarisse give Montag in "Fahrenheit 451"? How does Montag respond to the test?

In Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." the second time Montag meets Clarisse she is holding something in her hand.  He inquires as to what she is holding and she replies that it is a dandelion.  She proceeds to rub under her chin with the dandelion and asks Montag if it is yellow. If it is she is in love.  He replies that it is yellow.  She says great let's do yours now.

" 'Here,' Before he could move she had put the dandelion under his chin. He drew back and she laughed.  'Hold still!' 

She peered under his chin and frowned.

'Well?' he said.

'What a shame,' she said. 'You're not in love with anyone.'

'Yes, I am!'

'It doesn't show.'"

They go back and forth with Montag insisting he is very much in love and Clarisse saying that it doesn't appear so, and then Montag makes the excuse that "she must have used up all the yellow."

Why is Rosalie jealous of Bella in the "Twilight" books?

The passage that explains Rosalie's feelings is in Chapter 7 "Unhappy Ending" of Eclipse. Rosalie describes her human life in 1933, when she was proud and shallow, engaged to a man of a high social class who was handsome. It was a shallow engagement, based on social status instead of love. After her fiancee raped her, she was left for dead, and Carlisle found her. As a vampire, Rosalie had her revenge.

She explains to Bella that she is jealous for several reasons, first, that Edward desired Bella, and not her. Even though Rosalie isn't in love with Edward, she couldn't imagine anyone not desiring her, because she is so beautiful. Second, she explains that she is envious of Bella because of her humanness, "Don't you see, Bella?...You already have everything. You have a whole life ahead of you -- everything I want. And you're going to throw it away. Can't you see that I'd trade everything I have to be you? You have the choice that I didn't have, and you're choosing wrong!" (Page 166).

In Julius Caesar, how does Antony affect the outcome of the assassination?

Caesar's assassination creates an immediate power vacuum in Rome. Antony moves swiftly to grab power and consolidate it for himself. After cleverly turning the crowd against Brutus in his famous funeral oration, Antony takes additional action to achieve his ends.  

When the crowd pours into the streets in pursuit of Brutus and the others, Antony learns that Octavius, Caesar’s nephew, has already arrived in the city. Octavius, along with Lepidus, await Antony at Caesar’s house. Antony replies that Octavius has “come upon a wish,” meaning that Octavius has arrived at the exact time when Antony wants him in Rome. This passage implies that Antony has planned ahead, sending for Octavius and Lepidus prior to Caesar's funeral.

When they meet, Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus immediately condemn to death many Roman senators they perceive to be dangerous to them. They are cold, calculating, and relentless in choosing those to eliminate. Antony ensures that no Roman senator will gain power as a result of Caesar’s assassination.

Antony aligns himself with Octavius because he needs Octavius’ army to pursue the forces of Brutus and Cassius, now in retreat in Greece. By joining forces with Octavius, Antony is able to defeat Brutus and Cassius, forcing them both to commit suicide. Thus Antony, even though he must share power to some extent, manages to fill the power vacuum created by Caesar’s assassination. He determines its outcome.

In "A White Heron," why does Sylvia climb the great pine tree?

Sylvia is a young girl who has left a crowded industrial town to live with her grandmother on a beautiful, remote farm near the sea. Sylvia is fearful of people, but living on the farm allows her to embrace the beauty and the solitute of nature. Sylvia feels "as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm."

When a young hunter enters Sylvia's life, she slowly overcomes her shyness and begins to like him. She feels the stirrings of first love. The hunter seeks a specific white heron that he wants to kill, stuff, and add to his collection. Thinking that Sylvia might know the location of the heron's nest, he offers her ten dollars to help him. Sylvia wants to please him and to earn the money, which her grandmother needs.

Sylvia knows of a great pine tree that towers over all the forest, so tall it serves as a landmark for miles and miles, by sea and by land. Sylvia had climbed trees in the woods, but she had never attempted to climb the huge pine, a very dangerous endeavor.

Early one moring before dawn, Sylvia climbs to the top of the pine so that she can look down and survey the forest below to discover the heron's nest. Once she finds the nest, she can show the hunter its location. However, once Sylvia finds the white heron and shares its beautiful world for a little while, Sylvia cannot tell where the heron lives. She cannot help the hunter destroy the beautiful bird.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, what are three quotes about the physical appearance of Pearl?

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne takes great care in describing Pearl’s appearance. In most cases, it is with an eye toward her striking natural beauty. There is an important irony here—Pearl, conceived in a sin that altered the lives of her mother and the Reverend Dimmesdale while destroying the obsessed Roger Chillingworth, is something extraordinary to look at—a true physical marvel.

Hawthorne devotes chapter six to Pearl, and expresses the ideas above in metaphorical terms in the chapter’s first sentence:

. . .  that little creature, whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immoral flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion.

Hawthorne loves the ambiguity he has created with the beautiful child that came from sin, and in the next quotation he goes so far as to compare her to something that belongs, ironically, to mankind’s home when mankind was still innocent and sinless:

Certainly, there was no physical defect. By its perfect shape, its vigor, and its natural dexterity in the use of all its untried limbs, the infant was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden.

Hester plays her part with a willful purpose. Just as she decorates her letter “A” to make it a thing of beauty, much to the disapproval of the townsfolk, she also makes a display of Pearl. Pearl does not slouch about town in shame. Instead, Hester sees to it that she is radiant, a living scarlet letter that will make itself seen and known:

Her mother, with a morbid purpose that may be better understood hereafter, had bought the richest tissues that could be procured, and allowed her imaginative faculty its full play in the arrangement and decoration of the dresses which the child wore before the public eye.

Hawthorne uses both the scarlet letter and Pearl as a way to show Hester’s defiance. She has been cast out and marked, and for the most part she bears her punishment dutifully, but the embroidering of the letter and the dressing up of Pearl allow her to make a silent protest, and it is one that her neighbors tolerate. Perhaps this is Hawthorne’s way of demonstrating that the American Puritans might not have been as narrow minded and self-assured as we see them in hindsight.

What is the main theme of "The Scarlet Letter"?

Unlike many novels, Hawthorne tells us main theme or moral in the last chapters. Hawthorne writes, "Among many morals which press upon us from the poor minister's miserable experience, we put only this into a sentence:—“Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” In other words, do not be a hypocrite. Do not put on a false front to the world to make it seem like you have no faults. It is OK to let others know you are not perfect. This idea is exemplified in the life of Dimmesdale and Hester. Dimmesdale tried to hide his sin and guilt from the world. As a result, he was eaten alive by remorse and guilt, his heart literally weakened, and he died. Hester, on the other hand, never hid her sin and learned to rise above it by becoming humble and doing good deeds. She becomes stronger and more respected in the end that Dimmesdale, who loses all credibility with the people of Boston at the end of the novel.

What is the light and dark imagery in A Tale of Two Cities?

Light and dark imagery is used throughout the novel. From the very first chapters we are introduced to a shadowy, dark, scarry world - the mist and darkness enshrouding the mailcoach is a perfect example. The appearance of Lucie also perpetuates this imagery, as the darkness in the room is described as being so strong that the light from the candle offers little respite.

Shadows and darkness continue to fall across the rest of the novel. In particular, Madame Defarge casts a shadow on Lucie and her hopes of freeing her husband. For example, as Lucie stands in the fresh, white snow, Madame Defarge passes like a "shadow over the white road". Likewise the letter written by Dr. Manette casts a shadow over the whole family. It is highly significant that the chapter in which the letter is read out is entitled "The Substance of the Shadow".

Against this darkness light is represented through the character of Lucie, and in particular "The Golden Thread" of her hair.

How are the stanzas related in the poem, "Summer Farm" by Norman MacCaig?

To appreciate a literary work, it helps to understand the writer.  Norman MacCaig author of the poem, "Summer Farm," led a life of controversy.  Born in Scotland, he began his professional life as primary school teacher. During World War II,  MacCaig was classified as a conscientious objector but served a term in prison for refusing to fight.  Throughout his life, he was a professed pacifist. His writing career failed to advance because of his political stance and imprisonment.  Eventually, he found a place in the university setting where he became First Writer in Resident at Edinburgh University.

In his poetry, MacCaig sought precise observations, creative wit, and clarity. These attributes are found in "Summer Farm."  The poem follows a rather simple pattern:  four stanzas with two couplets per stanza.  The poet uses similes and metaphors to describe the pastoral setting of the farm on a lazy summer day with an abundance of nature. Furthermore, he uses alliteration to paint each individual scene:

...tame lightnings lie...

...Green as glass..

...dives up again into the dizzy blue.

In the first stanza,  his similes convey the images of straw lying around like idle lightning to water in horse trough the color of green grass. From there, he gives the humorous  image of nine duck waddling along in two rows.  The reader has to imagine is there a row of four and five ducks, six, and three, or what.  It is a clever way to entice the reader into the scene.

In the second stanza, again the poet uses humor when he describes a a hen staring at nothing and then she picks it up and eats it.  Wonder what it was?  Then,  the reader is given a beautiful image of a swallow free falling,  then fluttering and soaring up into the bright blue sky.

The reader is jolted awake with the introduction of the narrator (I). He is lying on the grass trying not to think about anything.  If he did think,  he seems fearful of where his thoughts would take him. 

I like, not thinking, in the cool, soft grass,

Afraid of where a thought might take me... 

As he relates this, an armor faced grasshopper unfolds  its legs and spreads out.  Interestingly, a second reading implies that the grasshopper is the boy, figuratively masked to the outside world, unfolding wanting to spread his own wings.

This grasshopper with plated face

Unfolds his legs and finds himself in space.

The fourth stanza finds the narrator stands waiting on time.  He has many sides or selves.  Who is the real person? He would like to look down into the farm. To him, the farm is the world,  and  he finds himself in the center of it.

The narrator refers to the metaphysical hand.  The metaphysical mind concerns itself with the explanation of nature's existence in the world. It relates to questions that cannot be answered in factual terms.  Maybe like the metaphysical world, the adolescent narrator finds himself asking the questions so many teenagers ask:

Who am I?; What is my purpose?; and Where am I going?

The teen feels that he is the center of his universe.  Even thought the narrator says that he is thinking of nothing, he able to see precise details of his world.  The most powerful lines of this poem summarize the search for himself in this detailed world:

Self under self, a pile of selves I stand...

Farm within farm, and in the centre, me.

In Romeo and Juliet, does Benvolio's wish for Romeo come true? Why is this a serious problem?

I'm not quite sure what you mean by Benvolio's "wish for Romeo". Perhaps you're referring to the part, in the two of them's first scene together, when Romeo is whinging on about being in love with Rosaline.

Benvolio tells him he should forget about her, and find someone else to be in love with. And then Peter comes ambling in with the guest list for the Capulet party that evening, and Benvolio sees his chance to get Romeo's mind onto other women:

At this same ancient feast of Capulet's
Sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lovest,
With all the admired beauties of Verona:
Go thither; and, with unattainted eye,
Compare her face with some that I shall show,
And I will make thee think thy swan a crow. 

When Romeo sees some other woman at the party, he'll forget about Rosaline, Benvolio thinks. And of course, this is exactly what happens - only the girl he happens to choose is another, supposedly unavailable Capulet: Juliet.

The Montagues and Capulets don't get on, and have an "ancient grudge" against each other: and so it's very unlikely that a relationship between Romeo (Montague) and Juliet Capulet is going to be a success. That's why it's a serious problem when Romeo falls for another Capulet!

In the short story "The Bet," what lessons do the banker and the lawyer learn?

During his 15 year confinement the lawyer learns that money, material possessions have no long term value.  He had decided to forfeit the money and leave confinement 5 minutes before his time was up.  He has come to appreciate the real valuable aspects of life.  In escaping his confinement, he actually saves his life, since the banker has planned to kill him so as not to pay the money he can no longer afford.

The banker having gone into debt over the years seems to have become a slave to money.  He was willing to commit murder to save himself from having to pay the money.  The banker has lost his connection with humanity over the course of the bet, now only placing value on money.

Is Jonas's assignment in the society an honor or a punishment ?

His society touts it as quite an honor, as a very important position.  And it really is: he's the only one that holds the keys to the way life used to be.  But imagine being the only one in an entire society that actually feels anything.  Feeling joy is seriously diminished if you can't share that joy with someone else, and feeling misery is that much harder if you are the only one who is allowed to bear it.  So in that sense, it is a punishment.

How is Abigail portrayed in Act 1 of "The Crucible"? Use textual evidence to support your claim.

In act 1 of The Crucible, Abigail Williams is portrayed as a "strikingly beautiful girl" of seventeen with the ability to disguise the truth about everything. She blatantly lies about what she and the other girls were doing in the forest, "we never conjured spirits," and blames everyone for the mischief but herself when confronted with the truth, "Not I, sir-Tituba and Ruth." She is also a great actress, "She is enraptured, as if in a pearly light," when she finally confesses to witchery and begs for God's forgiveness.

Although she is an orphan and must work to help support herself, she has an air of superiority about her, "she hates me...for I would not be her slave...They want slaves, not such as I."

Abigail is also portrayed as a cruel bully, "I'll beat you, Betty...I say shut it, Mary Warren," who intimates others to do as she says, "I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!"

Finally, Abigail is depicted as a flirt and a home-wrecker when she comes on to John Proctor, "John- I'm waitin' for you every night."

Though the audience may feel slightly sorry for Abigail, "I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine," her deceit and cruelty cannot be overlooked.

What common objects can I use as symbols for Bob Cratchit, young Scrooge, and Tiny Tim?

How about these:

Bob Cratchit--a small candle (to represent the dedicated employee who is forced to get what heat he can from the candle in front of him or the small, single coal in the fireplace.  However, the light inside of him is never extinguished...he remains positive and full of life.)

Young Scrooge--a book.  This represents his vivid imagination and his love of reading and learning.  Through his learning, he climbs the ladder of success and even has a girlfriend, Belle, to whom he is engaged to be married.  It is not until later that he becomes withdrawn from loved ones and society and obsessed with money and greed.

Tiny Tim--his crutch.  This is an obvious symbol which truly touches the heart of Scrooge when he visits the Cratchit home in Christmases future...the crutch is leaned up against the wall to represent the presence of the little boy who has long since passed away due to his illness.

Who blesses Theseus and Hippolyta with a magical charm at the end of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?

In the beginning of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the reader is told that fairies have come from India to bless Hippolyta and Theseus on their wedding day. In act 5, after the love potion ordeal, Titania and Oberon are finally able to bestow their blessings on the couple:

TITANIA: First, rehearse your song by rote,
To each word a warbling note;
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.(395)

OBERON: Now, until the break of day,
        Through this house each fairy stray.
        To the best bride-bed will we,
        Which by us shall blessed be;
        And the issue there create(400)

In fact, the fairies not only bless Theseus and Hippolyta, but also bestow their blessings on all the couples in the play, wishing them love and happiness, healthy children, and safety.

In the novel The Outsiders, where does Darrel Curtis work?

In the book The Outsiders, Darry has a job working in roofing. It is also mentioned that he has another job as well. When their parents died, Darry took on the responsibility of taking care of his brothers, Soda and Pony. Darry is the oldest and most mature and everyone looks up to him.

Darry is strict with Pony. He knows that Pony is smart and could have a real future ahead of him. Pony and Darry constantly butt heads because of this. Darry feels like he has to be the "parent" for Pony, but Pony still sees him as just his big brother. Darry feels a tremendous amount of pressure since his parents died. He feels he had to grow up really fast, but he was willing to do what he had to do to keep him and his brothers together.

Although Darry and Pony are at odds with each other most of the time, Darry truly loves Pony. He wants only what is best for him. Darry mourns and comforts Pony the best he can when they lose Johnny. Pony realizes that Darry is the one who has always been there for him, and they truly are family. 

What does Fortunato’s name mean in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

In the short story "Cast of Amontillado" Fortunato is the character that is taken down into the wine cellar and sealed up in the stone wall to die.  This name is a very clever play on a name and creates irony in the story because the name Fortunato is "Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name Fortunatus meaning "fortunate, blessed, happy". This was the name of several early saints and martyrs."  How ironic that Fortuanto is the character that dies.

What are the names of the nine villages in Things Fall Apart?

The nine villages of Things Fall Apart are Unuofia, Ikemefua, Aninta, Umuazu, Mbaino, Abame, Elumelu, Ikeocha and Iguedo. 

More importantly, these nine villages define and circumscribe the universe of meaning and movement in Things Fall Apart.The novel begins with the line:

"Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond."

These nine villages are linked and differentiated by complex and overlapping ties of kinship, custom and religious belief. The members of the villages define themselves by the particularities of their village customs and standards. 

"I have even heard that in some tribes a man's children belong to his wife and her family."

Finally, the setting of the nine villages, with all their comings and goings, gods and ancestors, and marriage and funeral rites, serves as the catastrophic backdrop and foil for the arrival of a foreign people. Whatever subtleties of belief exist among the nine villages, they pale in comparison to the beliefs of the coming Europeans. This in turn creates the cultural and existential emergency at the heart of the novel:

"There is no story that is not true...The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others."

The nine villages become a universe on which a larger universe is suddenly hoisted upon, to dramatic result. 

Examine and illustrate a central literary technique Dickens uses in Oliver Twist?

One of the primary literary techniques (an optional literary device) used by Dickens in constructing Oliver Twist is narratorial voice. Dickens takes several approaches to narratorial voice that affect the tone and the mood (atmosphere) of the novel.

For instance, in the opening chapter, Dickens sets the tone as he establishes a narrator who is at a close distance and who will comment freely on the story throughout the story:

if, during this brief period, Oliver had been surrounded by careful grandmothers, anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profound wisdom, he would most inevitably and indubitably have been killed in no time.

Dickens also establishes the ironic tone that he uses often throughout the story. This ironic tone is apparent in the quote above and is further apparent in this:

The medical gentleman walked away to dinner; and the nurse, having once more applied herself to the green bottle, sat down on a low chair before the fire, and proceeded to dress the infant.

Dickens further adds to the tone as he establishes that the narrator will make direct comments in a serious tone on social evils:

But now that he was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in the same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once- a parish child- the orphan of a workhouse- the humble, half-starved drudge- to be cuffed and buffeted through the world- despised by all, and pitied by none.

The mood (atmosphere) of a work of literature is a combination of diction, imagery, setting, and details of the scene. The narrator adds to the atmosphere by his diction and vocabulary. For instance, the lightly bantering mood of Chapter 1 is nowhere to be seen in Chapter 48 in which the mood changes to one of somber foreboding:

Of all bad deeds that, under cover of the darkness, had been committed within wide London's bounds since night hung over it, that was the worst. Of all the horrors that rose with an ill scent upon the morning air, that was the foulest and most cruel.

Dickens' diction is formal. His vocabulary is full of gloomy, foreboding words bad, under cover,darkness, worst, foulest, horrors. The mood is nothing like the ambling pleasant mood in Chapter 1.

What is the answer to the mystery observed by Lou Dimes in A Gathering of Old Men?

After he had arrived on the scene of the murder and waited with the men, Candy, and the sheriff for awhile, Lou Dimes noticed that the old men began

"leaving the front yard one at a time to go to the back.  The only time they didn't move around was when Gil and (the) other fellow were here, but as soon as they left, the people started moving one at a time toward the back again.  Each one would stay four or five minutes, return and nod, then another one would go.  Mapes didn't pay them any attention, and neither did Candy".

Lou was mystified as to what the men were doing.  He says, "I didn't know what was going on.  I was just there" ("Lou Dimes").

A few chapters later, Rooster sheds light on what was really happening.  Under the pretext of going to the toilet, the men were going over to a shoe box filled with shells that Clatoo had hidden under the house.  The men were reloading their shotguns and taking a few extra shells each as well.  Whereas before, they had all had one empty chamber in their guns to make it look like they had been the one to shoot Beau Boutan, now they were preparing for a confrontation should one ensue ("Albert Jackson - aka - Rooster").