Please provide a critical analysis of Silas Marner.

George Eliot (1819-1880) published Silas Marner in 1861, and tells the story of a man who was banished from his hometown (Lantern Yard) after being falsely accused of a theft.  He makes his life in a new village (Raveloe) as a weaver, becomes wealthy in doing so, but remains isolated from the other villagers. His one solace in life at this time is to count his money, which he keeps hidden in the floor underneath his loom.  One night, he is robbed, but the robbery changes the hard view of the villagers of him as a miser and hermit into something a bit more sympathetic, that Silas is a victim.  On a snowy night a child (Eppie) wanders into his cottage, her mother having died in the snow just outside.  In raising his adopted daughter, Silas begins to reintegrate into village life and become accepted by his fellow villagers.  Near the end of the tale, the money that had been stolen many years before is rediscovered as well.  The story is thus one of redemption. Silas is at first an outcast, but becomes a respected member of the community.  He at first loses his position and money, but regains both. His social isolation changes when he becomes father to Eppie, and in so doing finds that he is connected to others in the village.

What is the theme of sonnet 9?

The theme of Shakespeare's sonnet 9 is impatient love. The first two lines ask a question: " Is it for fear to wet a widow's eye,
That thou consum'st thy self in single life?"

The narrator is asking the object of his love if she's afraid of being a widow, and that's why she hasn't had married/had children yet. The rest of the sonnet puts pressure on her to do so, with the strong implication being that she should do so (should have kids with, and therefore make love with) the speaker. The poem ends by proclaiming such a decision to be a selfish, shameful act.

I am desperately looking for an epithet about Telemachus in the Odyssey and 2 quotations that prove this epithet.

Go to book 2 page 3.  You will find a reference to Telemachus by Antinous.  He refers to Telemachus as "my fine fire-eater."  The epithet is born out on page 1 by Telemachus berrating the suitors who were taking advantage of his house.  You can also find a quotation on page 1 of book 3.  Look at the paragraph where Telemachus initially speaks to Nestor and the paragraph prior to the speech.  The text states, "Telemachus answered boldly."  

In Act II of "The Crucible", based Mary's statements, why do you think Mary gives Elizabeth the doll?

Based on what Mary says, making the poppet was just a way for her to pass time in court.  She states, "I had to sit long  hours in a chair, and passed the time with sewing."  This is the reason she gives as she initially gives the poppet to Elizabeth.  Later, when more aggressively questioned about the subject after Elizabeth is arrested based on its "evidence" Mary is bewildered.  She states, "I meant no harm by it sir...I am entirely myself...ask Abby, Abby sat beside me when I made it."  The stage directions give us more clues, words such as "bewildered" and "not understanding the direction of this".  All of this seems to point to the fact that Mary passed the time sewing in court; what she sewed was a poppet, and she gave it to Elizabeth as a gift, nothing more.  There was no malintent, plotting, or scheming involved.  She openly and immediately gives the information that Abby sat next to her; if she had been in cahoots with Abby Mary would for sure not have mentioned that, in order to lend credibility to Abby's claim.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", what is ironic about the missionary circle's conversation in chapter 24?

There are several instances of irony. First, the ladies are a missionary circle--ladies from the church that get together to aid in church activities, plan events and other helpful activities. Instead of doing that, they mostly sit around and gossip and talk poorly of others in the community--not a very "holy" activity.

The ladies begin talking about J. Grimes Everett and how he's helping the poor Mruna tribe over in Africa. The women are supportive of his efforts helping this tribe (whose members are black) halfway across the world, but the ladies think it's disgusting to even think about helping the blacks in their own community.

Mrs. Merriweather says she's upset with her black maid, Sophy, for being sulky and upset after the verdict of Tom's trial. Mrs. Merriweather said she told Sophy to cheer up, the black community had it coming, and if Sophy didn't cheer up, Mrs. Merriweather would fire her. A horrible way to treat someone who has just suffering a blow. Mrs. Merriweather also says she only keeps Sophy around because Sophy needs the money--which probably isn't true. Mrs. Merriweather seems like the type who likes to be waited on.

Lastly, Mrs. Merriweather begins to speak poorly of Atticus and his decision to defend Tom. She has the nerve to do this in Atticus's house, in front of Atticus's sister and daughter, while eating the food Attius's purchased with the money he was paid for defending Tom.

In "By the Waters of Babylon," what are the old books and writings John learns to read?

We can infer that these are books and writings left from the civilization that was destroyed--our civilization, as we discover at the story's conclusion. John explains that he has learned much knowledge and many secrets from reading, and he has learned how to write. Only priests and those who will become priests know of the books and writings. Others believe that the priests "do all things by chants and spells." One of the many secrets John has learned is "how to stop the running of blood from a wound," a basic first-aid technique. A clear indication that these are books that belonged to the lost civilization is that John knows how "the gods" dressed. He says, "We know how they were dressed from the book . . . ."

Macbeth says "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing." What do you suppose he means by that?I'm doing an three...

Macbeth utters these lines after being told of his wife's death. To truly understand them, you must look at them in context. The full thought of which this lines is a part is:

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.(30) 

Earlier in this soliloquy, Macbeth has also said:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this trivial pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time.
And all our yesterdays have lighted
The way to dusty death for fools. Out, out, brief candle!

In other words, life is meaningless. It is lasts for a brief time and is full of "sound and fury", but in the end, nothing lasts. Life, a "walking shadow", something inconsequential, really doesn't amount to anything. Macbeth is realizing that all his machinations to become king and to keep the throne have come to nothing. He "made a lot of noise" and created quite a story, fought quite a battle, but in the end, nothing is to come of it. 

Could Puck's jests about the irony of the situation be referring to Lysander, Helena and Hermia's childhood together?Some of the text in scene 1...

I don't think so, no. You're absolutely right that Hermia and Helena (we're not told about Lysander and Demetrius) have known each other since they were children, and went to school together.

But I don't see that history - which is definitely in the text - reflected in what Puck says to taunt them.

Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand;
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.
Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

Puck thinks it's funny that Helena is here - and the wrong youth (i.e. Lysander, who Puck has anointed with the flower!). He laughs at the felicity of the situation: that the lovers have all coincidentally arrived at the same place. 

Then will two at once woo one;
That must needs be sport alone;
And those things do best please me
That befal preposterously.

Puck just enjoys the trouble of the whole thing! 

Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.
Did not you tell me I should know the man
By the Athenian garment be had on?
And so far blameless proves my enterprise,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;
And so far am I glad it so did sort
As this their jangling I esteem a sport.

Again, Puck there is reiterating how much it's "sport" (fun) to him to see the lovers "jangle" and fall out with each other. It's a happy coincidence that they all arrive in the same part of the wood. Perhaps the trouble and the assumed betrayal of Hermia by Helena is worsened by the fact that they went to school together and knew each other when they were young. But I can't find the irony or the references to their childhood that you imply in your question.

Hope it helps!

Does Macbeth relate to political life only, or personal life too?

A theme in Macbeth that is applicable to both politics and every day life is unchecked ambition. Macbeth's out of control desire for power ends up consuming his life. This same theory can be applied to people who want success but don't want to work or wait for it.

In every day life there are people who will sacrifice their integrity, or break the law to get a jump on acquiring a level of power or money that they must have immediately. They engage in immoral or illegal behavior to acquire material wealth and position. In many cases, just like in Macbeth, the individual who falls into this temptation, had a successful, stable life, but the need for more, the desire becomes overwhelming, the rewards are great, the method of acquiring more seems easy.

Macbeth believes that his plan to murder King Duncan will secure his wearing of the crown, he does not consider the cost or the consequences. Just like tax cheaters or insider trading, people think only of the benefit but not the cost.

Macbeth was successful, rewarded for his bravery and his loyalty to King and country. He had a good life before he acted on the impulse ignited by the witches prophecy. He had a nice home, a loving wife, a successful career, everything that makes a person happy. It was when he started to reach for that which he did not earn or deserve that he ran into tragic consequences.

Has there ever been a black president in American history?

Some historians argue that a few of our Presidents have had African ancestors, or at the very least had family members who had them. (I list one such website below...credibility unknown!) A poke at history turns up convincing evidence that the ratio of white males to white females is very skewed - take from that what you will. Thomas Jefferson, for example was said to have been of African-European decent and that he father several biracial children.

 I think it might be important to consider that nearly every President has been biracial - as are most Americans. When we stop thinking in black and white, we may just learn to connect to our truly magnificent "melting pot" society.

What is the significance of power and ambition within The Tragedy of Julius Caesar?

Power and Ambition are both major themes in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.  After all, one need only read as far as the exposition to discover the grumblings of the social elite against those in power who publicly express political ambition.  In this play, having power is the equivilant of painting a giant target on your forehead and walking onto a shooting range.  Once someone is known for their power, everyone seems to find reasons why they should be separated from that power.  Be it a Cassius who is jealous and unwilling to submit to the authority of one (Caesar) who he feels is weaker and less able to lead than himself, or a Brutus who believes an unequal distribution of power will lead to the downfall of the Roman state, nearly every major character in this play has something to say about those who hold power.

If power is a fatal quality in this play, then ambition must be it's evil cousin.  Ambition is a truly double-edged sword, in that it propels would-be leaders into positions of authority, and eventually leads to their downfall.  If Brutus hadn't developed a sense of ambition in terms of leading the Roman state, then perhaps he wouldn't have had to turn the knife used to slay mighty Caesar upon himself.  Mark Antony and Octavius also fought for power, but more out of a sense of just revenge than Brutus' twisted sense of political balance. 

What are some examples of the different conflicts in the story "The Scarlet Ibis"?

Man vs. Man - Brother vs Doodle  Brother wanted a healthy little brother to play with, not the handicapped Doodle.

Man vs. Himself - Brother struggles with himself, especially at the end when he is stricken with grief over his brother's death.

Man vs. Nature - The Scarlet Ibis dies and only Doodle cares enough to want to bury it. 

Man vs. Fate - Doodle is born handicapped, not by choice but by a stroke of fate.

Man vs. Fate - Mother and Father expect Doodle to die soon after birth, but he defies this fate and lives.

Man vs. Society - Doodle competes for his brother's attention.  He wants to be accepted by Brother, who represents the normal children in society, so therefore to be accepted, he will follow his older Brother, even to his death.  Doodle is powerless at the end, because the demands of society, or Brother, are too great, he expects him to be normal, and he is not.

What is the role of nature and environment in the novel?

Early Romantic's thought mankind to be living in a naturally perfect state of nature until ruined by Society (Rosseau). The natural environs in LOF mirror the "state of nature" that the boys find themselves in.  Golding opposes Rosseau's view with a more Biblical one, advancing the belief that we are not perfect in a state of nature, but are inherently evil.  The "perfect island" backdrop serves as a staging point for showing the ruin we would bring left to our own devices. The island is in a pristine state before the plane crashes; it is a pastoral setting reminiscent of the Garden of Eden before the "Fall," because there is the symbolic reference to the fall of Adam and Eve due to original sin, and the fall of the airplane from the sky.  The plane leaves a visible scar, as Golding describes it, on the side (face) of the mountain--literally and figuratively disfiguring the landscape.

This is, of course, something that the boys also do. As the robes and clothes come off, as the face of the island is "man-handled," through the shabby buildings and the trash (and especially through the diarrhea---literally defecating in Paradise), Golding advances his motif of mankind's desructive nature, his inability to avoid his inate savagery when he has lost the civilizing restraints that human society imposes on us in the name of order.  The end result is that, like the atomic-war ravaged "big" world (macrocosm), the small world of the island (microcosm) is left in fire and ruin.

In "The Merchant of Venice", what reasons does Antonio give for his being melancholy?

In sooth, I know not why I am so sad;
It wearies me; you say it wearies you;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn;
And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

These are the first lines of the play - and the answer to your question. Antonio actually doesn't give any reasons for why he feels sad: in fact, the whole of the first part of this first scene is given over to discussing it. His friends inititally suggest that he is worried about the merchant ships he has on the ocean:

Your mind is tossing on the ocean;
There, where your argosies, with portly sail,—
Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood,
Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea,—
Do overpeer the petty traffickers,
That curt'sy to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings.

When Antonio rejects this explanation, Salanio has another one standing by:

Why, then you are in love.

And Antonio's response?

Fie, fie!

And that's all that's said. What does "fie, fie" mean? I suppose it's quite like "shut up!" or "stop it, stop it" - it's not quite a "no", but it's certainly not a "yes". Many critics - and if you carry on reading Act 1, Scene 1 you'll see why - have argued that Antonio's sadness is because he is in love with Bassanio. But does Antonio ever connect the two things? Nope.

List techniques and quotes evident in Acts I and II of "The Crucible", and their connection to belonging.Techniques such as dialogue, symbolism...

Parris to Abigail:  "There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulplit...I have foughthere three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me."  Parris feels ostracized and like he has to work really hard to belong.  He feels jilted and misjudged.  This lack of a feeling of belonging later leads him to accept so many of the accusations.

Abigail to John:  "Give me a soft word, John...you loved me then and you do now!"  Abby wants so desperately to belong to John again, and when he rejects her, she takes matters into her own hands by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft.  "Why, Abigail Williams charge her."  (Cheever in Act 2)

Miller uses dialogue and stage directions to describe the tension between John and Elizabeth too.  John wants to make things up to her, to feel like he belongs at her side as her husband:  "I mean to please you Elizabeth"...(He gets up, goes to her, kisses her.  She receives it.  With a certain disappointment, he returns to the table.)"

Mary Warren feels quite proud of her role in the courts, or belonging there, and it has given her new bravado:  "I'll be gone every day for some time.  I'm-I am an official of the court they say."  She also feels belonging with Abby and the girls, which is one reason she hesitates to turn on Abby:  "I cannot do it, I cannot!"

What is first part of "The Seafarer" is the story of?

The poem is divided into two parts with two definitely opposite attitudes.  The first part is describing the pain and suffering a sailor goes through living on the sea.  It's "icy bands" chain you to the deck and the skin peels off your hands from the ice and the wind.  It's hard labor, but there are good days, too--when the sea is calm like glass the speaker mentions how far he can see and the birds fly around.  Even though life on the ocean isn't easy, he chooses it over the ease and comfort of life on land.  The sea is in his blood and is part of him.  When he is not at sea, his soul longs to return.  It's a calling.  So the the mood of the first part is one of necessary evil--it's the good and bad of the job the speaker loves described in full detail.  He could not and would not choose any other life.

The second part of the poem is more spiritual in nature.  It becomes almost like a sermon with prayer, and even ends in "Amen".  The speaker explains that there are three ways man will die--old age, illness, or at the hand of another.  Only God knows which our fate will be and a man is a fool who does not fear and obey God. 

Describe the appearance and behavior of the group that Rip meets on the mountains.What causes himto fall alseep

The first person Rip meets is described as a "'‘short, square-built old fellow’ dressed in old-fashioned Dutch clothing". He is trying to carry a large keg of liquor up the rocks of a dry stream bed. After Rip helps him carry the keg, he meets a group of bearded men who are in the same old-fashioned Dutch clothing. The men do not speak, but simply gesture and Rip understands their gestures. Then Rip meets the 'commander" who is described as ‘‘a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten countenance.’’ His clothes are a little more ornate that the others' clothing yet he still does not speak to Rip. Rip steals a sip of the liquor the men are drinking, and after that, he falls asleep for 20 years. Rip does not find out until after he wakes up that the commander might have been Henry Hudson, the explorer of the New York river valley and that the men may have been part of his crew. Legend has it that every 20 years Hudson haunts the river valley that was named after him.

What is ironic about the poem, Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson?

Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a tragic tale that is still relevant in the twenty-first century even though it was written for an audience or reader of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. People suffering from shortages because of economic depression cannot conceive why a person whom they clearly hold in high esteem and who is "admirably schooled in every grace" could be leading such a troubled life. It remains ironic how people measure success by wealth and status. Richard Cory is "richer than a king" and is treated like one by the townspeople.

Only with hindsight is it clear that what Richard really wants is companionship and community. He has never set himself apart by his demeanor or his behavior; he remains friendly and the narrator finds it necessary to mention that he is "human" as the reader may otherwise be surprised that a man of his status is down-to-earth. It is ironic that the narrator makes this comment as the townspeople treat him as if he is a hero and far above the realm of "human." His suicide however proves otherwise and confirms that he has serious concerns even though his concerns differ from theirs. He obviously never "went without the meat..." 

Additionally, there is more irony in the fact that the townspeople strive to be like Richard Cory when he is really the last person they should emulate as his life is obviously not idyllic just because he is wealthy. The final irony seems to be in Richard's own attempts to connect which in fact only serve to create more distance between him and the townspeople who are so in awe of him that he "glittered when he walked." Just as the "calm summer night" belies the harsh reality of life so too does Richard Cory's apparent privilege fool the townspeople into believing that "he was everything."

Please explain the following quote from "Macbeth". "Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles:infected minds to their deaf pillows will discharge...

This is from Act 5, sc. 1 and it is spoken by the doctor who has been called to the Macbeth's castle to tend to Lady Macbeth.  He is saying that people who have done a deed that will cause them to have a guilty conscience, will suffer from the guilt that the deed causes, particularly if the "unnatural deed" is the rumored killing of the king.  He goes on to say that people suffering from such a guilty conscience are known to walk or talk in their sleep as a way of purging their minds of their guilty secret.  The doctor knows that rumor has it that Macbeth may have killed Duncan and others and he realizes that Lady Macbeth, knowing about or having a hand in these deeds, most likely suffers from a very guilty conscience.  He says, too, that Lady Macbeth needs religious intervention to help her mind and her soul, not anything he can give to her.  She doesn't have a physical problem, she has an emotional or mental problem.

Who is the speaker in the poem Richard Cory?

The speaker in Richard Cory represents the biased, disgruntled observers of Richard Cory's life. It is a plural persona, seen in the use of the word "we," probably a townsperson speaking on the behalf of the community. We can assume that the speaker is biased because of the first person perspective and the commentary on how they lived, along with the tone of cynicism found in the poem.

In "Siren Song", why does the man listening to the siren's song approach her, even though he knows he will die?

This question goes to the very heart of this intriguing poem. Of course, the poem represents an enactment of the sirens' song, which in Greek mythology was so compelling that anyone who heard it would be driven to their deaths by their desire to approach the sirens.

Certainly the speaker of the poem makes no attempt to hide the fate awaiting her listener - there are lots of examples of foreshadowing, with "leap overboard in squadrons", "beached skulls" and "anyone who has heard it is dead". Yet crucially, and fatally, the speaker of the poem is so convincing in presenting the image of both the "irresistible" attractions of the song but also painting a pitiful picture of herself that makes the reader feel sorry for her. There is the attraction of knowing the "secret", and balanced with that the sorrowful cries of a character who wants to "get... out of this bird suit", who doesn't enjoy her role, "squatting on this island". This two attractions of selfishness to possess the secret and also the idea of rescuing the speaker culminate when the speaker says:

I will tell the secret to you,

to you, only to you.

come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!

Only you, only you can,

you are unique

Of course, after this, the reader realises that they too have been tricked like so many before them. Interestingly however, the irony of poem goes a lot deeper, as the last 3 lines suggests that the speaker is actually unhappy in her position and is bored with the ease of her success. Was she actually sincere in what she said and really wanting an escape? This poem raises interesting questions about the theme of seduction and how such a role can trap the seducer just as much as the one who is seduced.

Why does Jem tell Scout not to be afraid of Bob Ewell's threat in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?Chapter 25

Jem tells Scout not to be afraid of Bob Ewell's threat because "Mr. Ewell was more hot gas than anything".  Jem is saying that Ewell just likes to hear himself talk, and that there is probably little danger that he will act on what he says.

After his conviction, Tom Robinson, understanding that he is doomed despite the fact that he did not commit the crime of which he was accused, tries to make a run for it, but is shot down in a hail of bullets.  Maycomb is abuzz at the news of Tom's death, and many blame the way things turned out on Tom himself - "Typical of a nigger to cut and run...typical of a nigger's mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw".  Mr. Underwood, the owner of The Maycomb Tribune, writes a scathing article defending Tom Robinson.  Scout is at first confused, then she understands what so many adults in Maycomb cannot, that Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case".  Because of deeply ingrained attitudes of prejudice, "Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed".

Bob Ewell himself responds to the incident by saying that "it made one down and about two more to go", a veiled threat obviously aimed at Atticus.  Ewell's views are quickly spread in Maycomb through gossip; it is not long before the children hear of them along with the adults.  Jem tells Scout not to be afraid because Ewell tends to be all talk, and he warns her not to let Atticus know that she has heard he is in danger (Chapter 25).

What is the plot of "Birds" by Du Maurier?

On December 3, Nat Hocken noticed that a huge flock of birds had gathered on the beach near his home. That night, birds began to approach his home and attacked Nat and his children when they were able to enter the house. The next day, the birds were gone, but Nat and others eventually realized that the birds waited for the flood tide to resume their attack of people worldwide. Nat and his neighbors (those who believed that the birds were a threat) made the changes necessary to protect their homes and families as best they could from the murderous birds, who had succeeded in killing many.

After living in terror for some time, Nat and his family learned the patterns involved in the birds' nightly attacks. They realized that the smaller birds attacked first, followed by the larger birds. They were also very aware of the daily schedule dictated by the birds' attacks and used that awareness to their advantage and gathered food, and other necessities when the birds presented relatively little threat. In the end, Nat and his family seem to have reached the understanding that they are among some of the last survivors and are no longer overwhelmed by their circumstances, but accept their position and do their best to deal with it.

What is the relationship between prince fortinbras and king fortinbras? Is it a good relationship? What goes on in the relationship?

King Fortinbras was killed when his son, Young Fortinbras was a boy. King Fortinbras' uncle, named Old Norway in the play, took over as King. Young Fortinbras never really knew his father but blamed King Hamlet ( young Hamlet's father) for his own father's death. When the play opens, young Fortinbras has grown up and raised an army to get back the lands that his father lost to King Hamlet. According to the gravedigger, Delver, young Hamlet was born on the day that King Fortinbras was killed.

What is the climax of A Midsummer Night's Dream?

In literature and film, there are various stages which reveal aspects of the work being analysed in terms of its dramatic structure. This structure ensures that the story flows and reaches a satisfactory ending. The introduction or exposition when the characters, setting and basic ideas of the story are introduced helps the audience or the reader to identify with the characters and accept and understand the story. As the story progresses the rising action becomes apparent as conflicts develop and complications arise which build towards a climax. There is often tension and excitement and, in terms of A Midsummer Night's Dream, certainly confusion.  The climax is the turning point in the story and the audience or reader ponders whether the main characters will succeed in their efforts or fail. 

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the comedic effects of Puck's mischievous magic and the resultant series of unlikely love choices, mean that things at this point could go terribly wrong. The fate of the main characters lies in Puck's hands and he has the power to correct the effects of his love potion or to watch the lovers make mistakes and continue in their bewilderment. Towards the end of Act III, scene ii Helena refers to Hermia as "little but fierce" (325) and Hermia is incredulous at the events that are unfolding and Demetrius and Lysander have resolved to fight for Helena. Therefore, this is a turning point or climax and only intervention by Puck can resolve the conflict.   

The falling action will subsequently reveal how the conflict will be resolved and the resolution will ensure that things return to normal or, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, love will prevail and will resolve all the issues ensuring that all the characters are content with the result. 

Can you give me another metaphor found in "Lord of the Flies"?I worded the last metaphor question wrong.I need to get an example of a metaphor...

In chapter 5, after the assembly, when Ralph is talking about stepping down as chief, Ralph refers to  Piggy, Simon, and himself by saying: " Fat lot of good we are, said Ralph. "Three blind mice."  In my edition it is on page 108.

Later in the novel, chapter 8 page 164, Golding refers to Simon as a "small brown image, concealed by leaves.

In "Flowers for Algernon", why do you think it is important for Charlie to write down every thing that happens to him?

In the novel "Flowers For Algernon," Charlie Gordon is a science experiment.  Algernon is a mouse that is involved with Charlie as another part of the same experiment.  Charlie has an IQ of 68 and he is operated on to try and increase his intelligence level.  Algernon, the mouse, is also undergoing the same treatment as Charlie.  It is important for Charlie to write everything down as it happens to him so the doctor's in charge of the experiment will have specific data to record Charlie's progress or his lack of progress.  Their whole concept is to write a paper, succeed at their experiment and then get rich.  Without Charlie's data they have not basis for their reports.  Charlie has the surgery, improves, and then deteriorates back to his original IQ.  He indeed kept a journal and the novel  is told from Charlie's point of view.

Does The Secret Life of Bees have a link to any books ?If it has, then explain, how does it? Give me some points.

I also see a very strong Huck Finn connection here. Huck was a poor white child with an abusive father and no mother who helps his black friend run away from slavery. Lily also has a similar family situation, and she helps Rosaleen run away from a racist, unjust legal system. Both Lily and Huck are about fourteen years old, and theirs is a story of personal growth. Throughout their journey, Huck finds his family with Jim, his black friend. Lily, likewise, finds her family with Rosaleen and the Boatwrights. In both Lily and Huck’s situation, they are raised in a society that belittles and mistreats black people, and they have been taught to be prejudiced. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck has a defining moment when he has a chance to turn his friend Jim over to the authorities, but cannot bring himself to do it. Even though he “knows” that helping a black man is “bad” (based on what society has taught him), he says to himself, “Alright then, I’ll go to hell,” thinking that he is condemning his soul to hell for helping his friend. Lily has a similar powerful moment when she reveals the truth to August. She describes how she helped Rosaleen escape from jail, because she was afraid they would kill her in there because they were racist. She tells August, “I don’t mean to be a bad person… I just can’t seem to help it” (241). Part of the reason Lily thinks she is bad is because she sprang Rosaleen from jail, which is illegal, even though the jailers were mistreating Rosaleen. Huck and Lily both felt like they were being bad people for sticking up for their black friends, but in the end they realize the importance of these people in their lives and learn to look beyond skin color. 

Why is Jack Smurch not a hero in "The Greatest Man in the World"?

If you're still interested, here's an answer.

It's true that Jack Smurch has succeeded in flying solo over the Atlantic Ocean, something that no one has done before.

But...

He's hot-tempered, foul-mouthed, disrespectful, egotistical, not particularly clean.  His own mother is happy when he dies.

Through the character of Smurch, Thurber is poking fun at the way the media, in his times, tried to build up every hero as an absolutely perfect person.  People like Charles Lindbergh (who really did fly solo over the Atlantic) were pictured in the media as being eventempered, respectful, modest, clean-living family men--in short, everything that Jack Smurch is not.

Although I love this story (together with just about everything else Thurber wrote) it is somewhat irrelevant today.  The media today makes no attempt to portray its heroes as moral people.  Just the opposite, it seems.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" what does Mr.Nathan Radley know about the intruders in his garden?

The book doesn't indicate that Mr. Nathan Radley knows anything about the kids being in the garden-he fired a shot into the yard because he heard a noise, but didn't know it was them. Rather, it seems to indicate that it is Arthur Radley, or "Boo" that knows about it.  After the kids sneak into the Radley yard to take a peek into the windows, the hovering shadow freaks them out and they dash out of there, going through the garden.  Jem's pants get caught on the fence and come off as he struggles to escape.  Later, for fear of Nathan Radley discovering the pants and telling Atticus about the event, Jem goes back to get the pants.  He discovers them "folded across the fence...like they were expectin' me...and something else-...they'd been sewed up...all crooked."  So his pants were mended (not very well) and waiting for him.  This, based on previous descriptions of Mr. Nathan Radley as "the meanest man God ever blew breath into" and being willing to shoot anything in his yard that moved, would not be something that Nathan Radley would do.  Rather, it is Boo, who has been developing an indirect friendship with the children for some time now.  Gratefully, Nathan Radley knew nothing-at least that we know of-and rather it is the amiable Boo that knows about the event.

Develop a thesis on themes of background, identity and rejection for an essay on "Desiree's Baby."

In Desiree's Baby, Kate Chopin focuses in on a tragic set of circumstances which result in a surprise ending.

The theme of background is illustrated through the fact that no one knows Desiree's ancestry because she was found by the side of the road.  Her mother tells her intended, Armand, that they have no idea where she came from, but they adopted her without question.

Armand marries Desiree claiming that he doesn't care that she has no name, he will give her a new name, his.  The trouble begins to become apparent when they have a child, a son, and the boy exhibits traces of African ancestry.  Desiree, who does not know her biological parents, realizes that Armand has rejected her because of the child's appearance.

Desiree's identity appears to be clarified by the child's appearance, so she experiences a sudden loss of personal worth, which leads her to take the child into the Bayou and never be seen again.

The rejection she feels, she believes is because she has been exposed as being part African.  However, as Armand clears away every remnant of Desiree's existence, he discovers a letter from his mother, which reveals a shocking secret.  He is the one who has African ancestry in his background.  The African features of the child came from his side of the family, not from Desiree.

Armand's promise to love Desiree no matter what her background, was a lie. He rejects her based on mistaken identity.    

What is the mood of "The Monkey's Paw" and when in time does it take place?

"The Monkey's Paw" is a Gothic short story. This sub genre of Romanticism aims to use the darker aspects of reality and add specific elements that would intensify their role in the story for the purpose of mood. 

Often, Gothic stories will show the following "staple" traits:

• a remote location


• inclement weather


• inevitability of fate


• death surrounding the plot


• the lowest ebbs of human emotion: tragedy, desperation, sadness, insanity


• the presence of the supernatural

As such, "The Monkey's Paw" reunites all of these factors making the mood fluctuate from happy and upbeat (at first), to gloomy, scary, and desperate toward the end.  

At first, we have a couple playing chess during a dark, windy and rainy night, presumably isolated. Fate is about to knock on the door in the form of the Sergeant Major and the entrance of the actual monkey's paw. Death will come in the form of the news of the couple's son, and the insanity and despair that will ensue will come as a result of all the elements working together.

The ending, which leaves the reader in complete suspense is a clever literary technique that adds even more intensity to the potential outcome of the story. In turn, the ending which plays with the reader's imagination so that it provides its own closure to the tale. 

How is Hippolyta's reasoning concerning how quickly the next four days will pass different from that of Theseus?

Hippolyta's vision of the four days is probably quite different from Theseus's.  As you probably know, Theseus has brought Hippolyta back to Athens as a prize from his successful war against the Amazons.  This might make her a less than enthusiastic bride.  Theseus, looking forward to the wedding, worries that time will pass slowly, while Hippolyta, perhaps not so eager for the wedding, knows that the time will pass quickly.

There is not a great deal in the text to support this however.  It can be read between the lines - in Hippolyta's relative silence.

What happens when Ichabod tries to get across the bridge in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"?

On his ride home in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Ichabod Crane's mount, Gunpowder, comes to an abrupt stop at a bridge. The horse jumps sidewise when kicked; kicked again, he jumps the other way into bushes. Then, Icabod sees the dark, ominous figure. Ichabod asks, "Who are you?' and, after no answer, the figure appears, looking like a large horseman mounted on a powerful black horse. He jogs along the blindside of old Gunpowder, who has overcome his fright. When the mysterious companion runs upon a rise in the ground, Ichabod sees against the lighted sky that the horseman had no head. Instead, the head is carried on the pommel of the saddle. Ichabod takes off, but the other keeps pace. Suddenly, Gunpowder turns, plunging down the hill on the left, the saddle girth breaks and Ichabod clings to the horse's neck as it bounces him in its flight. As Ichabod crosses the church bridge, the goblin rises in the stirrups and hurls his head at him. It hits Ichabod, sending him into the dust. Gunpowder, the black steed, and the goblin pass by Like a whirlwind.

What is the summary for Chapter 17 of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?This chapter is titled "Dance, Dance, Dance".

Traveling between Reardan and Wellpinit on the reservation, Junior feels like a stranger; "half Indian in one place and half white in the other".  He has hidden his poverty well in Reardan, "no one knows the truth". 

When Junior asks Penelope to Winter Formal, he wears his father's old polyester suit, and must ask his date to meet him at the dance because he has no transportation for her.  Penelope is not too happy about the latter arrangement, but fortunately, she loves Junior's outfit.  The two have a wonderful time, dancing every dance.

Junior is relieved to have made it through the evening without having had to reveal his poverty, but after the dance, "Roger and a few of the other dudes" invite him and Penelope to go out for breakfast.  Penelope is thrilled, but Junior is worried because he only has five dollars.  Throwing caution to the wind, he orders large meals for both himself and his date, then goes to the bathroom, where he runs into Roger.  They talk, and Junior takes a chance and tells Roger he forgot his wallet; Roger hands him forty dollars. 

Back at her house, Penelope confronts Junior.  Roger has told her about Junior borrowing the money, and Penelope asks Junior point blank if he is poor.  Realizing that she is just being a really good friend, Junior tells her the truth.

Roger, who is "a little bit racist" but is also basically a good, generous person, drives Junior all the way home that night, and "plenty of other nights too".  Junior realizes for the first time that, "if you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing" (Chapter 17).

What flawed values is Willy teaching Biff in this first flashback on act one scene 1??(be specific)

Willy teaches Biff that the most important thing in life is to be "well-liked." The Loman's neighbor Bernard is what Willy describes as someone who will not succeed because he is not as popular as his sons. Bernard does very well in school and Biff is failing math, which would result in him not graduating. Still, Willy tells his sons that even though Bernard has better grades, they will succeed in business better than him because they are well-liked. Earlier in the flashback, Willy mentions being more successful than Bernard's father, Charley, for the same reasons.

What is the conflict in The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights?

When you say conflict, do you mean the role of King Arthur's noble knights?  Life was very violent and even the church recognized the need for fighting. King Arthur would need to fight to keep his kingdom safe from constant invasion.  The Knights of the Roundtable fought for Camelot, they fought for King and country.  

"More than ever, war was thought of as a glorious adventure, a way to acquire wealth, honor, and prestige (status) while fighting in the name of God and the church against those who did not accept God's word."

A knight lived by the code of chivalry, loyalty to the king unto their deaths, to defend the king, to protect the weak and underprivileged, to be true to his lady love, and to seek adventure.  Knights were champions of good, they were required to fight evil and injustice.

One of the other roles of the Knights was to seek the Holy Grail, which was literally interpreted in the Middle Ages to be the chalice, or cup that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper. 

Who is the protagonist in "The Magician's Nephew"? Who is the antagonist?

An interesting question. The protagonist is fairly straightforward; it is Digory Kirke, the magician's nephew who gives the novel its title. It's his core adventure—he whose mother is ill, he who has to face great temptation with the fruit that could heal her, and so on. He's the character who the story focuses on, and who goes through the greatest growth.
As far as antagonist, I'd argue that there is more than one. I'd say that Uncle Andrew and Jadis are both antagonists at times; that's who Andrew must contest with. Polly goes back and forth between being helper, foil, and antagonist.

What course of action does Ralph take in "Lord of the Flies"? Why? What are Jack's plans for Ralph?

I assume you are referring to the end of the story when you ask about the action that Ralph takes.  Ralph runs after Piggy is killed because he fears he will be killed, too.  The boys on the island have turned savage now.  Ralph has to run and hide like a pig being hunted for food, in fact, he begins to think like a hunted animal because that is essentially what he is.  He hides among the jungle's foliage.  Jack's plan for Ralph is to kill him.  When Ralph encounters Samneric in the jungle as he's hiding, they tell him that Jack has already told him that they are going to hunt for Ralph like a pig.  They are to throw their spears like he is a pig and they are going to spread out in a line across the island hunting for Ralph.  Jack sees Ralph as the one remaining threat and symbol of their former society and civilization, therefore, one who must be eliminated.  Ralph knows his only hope for survival is to run and hide.

In "The Outsiders", what is the Greasers code of loyalty? How does it set them apart?

The Greasers are loyal to their own; they are willing to pay virtually any cost to protect those they consider family, including other members of their "gangs".  Because of their loyalty, Greasers are willing to be ostracized by others, especially the Socs.  Members of Greaser gangs refuse to accept any compromise that might threaten their status as a Greaser; they are usually proud to be recognized as members of their group, even though they are fully aware of the negative connotations of the associated stereotypes.

What are the symbols in "The Road"?

The sextant and flares the father finds on the wrecked boat serve as important symbols in The Road. At one point navigators used sextants to traverse the seas, only now without stars (hope) to guide us, the beauty of the sextant becomes worthless. The flares directly relate to the notion of "carrying the fire."

Other interesting symbols include the can of Coke, the shopping cart, and several of the abandoned, crumbling houses.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, part 2 , what effect does listening to Captain Beatty have on Guy?

This is one of the scenes in the novel where we see Beatty and Faber having a contest for the metaphorical "soul" of Montag - Faber has just been giving Montag his point of view and then has to listen while Beatty gives him the opposite view. Montag's plea to Faber before he goes in to Beatty and the other firefighters reflects his own fear of being swayed by Beatty's arguments: "Old man... stay with me."

Beatty's presence and needling makes Montag feel guilty, and interestingly, although it is never made overt, the presence of Beatty makes Montag compare himself with Macbeth in his guilt:

For these were the hands that had acted on their own, no part of him, here was where the conscience first manifested itself to snatch books... and now, in the firehouse, these hands seemed gloved with blood.

As Beatty begins his speech and his narration of the "dream" he had of his argument with Montag, he makes a number of highly topical allusions, such as referring to Psalm 23 and sheep going astray but coming back to the fold. The effect of his speech is clearly painful for Montag:

Montag's head whirled sickeningly. He felt beated unmercifully on brow, eyes, nose, lips, chin, on shoulders on upflailing arms. He wanted to yell, "No! Shut up, you're confusing things, stop it!"

Finally, despite Faber's attempts to interject, Montag is described as sitting like "a carved white stone." It is clear that the arguments of Beatty have been powerful, as Faber concedes that Beatty has "had his say" and that he will have his say to Montag later and he will need to decide.

In this part of the novel therefore we can compare Guy Montag to a prize being fought over by Beatty and Faber. This part however represents a "win" by Beatty - his persuasion and rhetoric has worked on Guy, and Faber recognises that he will need to do some work to win Guy back.

What does Odysseus tell the cyclops Polyphemus about his boat, and why does he do that?

Odysseus arrives at an expansive island which is home to the Cyclops. He takes twelve of his men to explore the vast lands, ending up at the cave of Polyphemus, one of the Cyclops. While Polyphemus is out grazing his giant sheep Odysseus and his party enter the cave and eat some of the food that was there, which included some meat and cheese. Polyphemus arrives back home to his cave and brings his sheep in and rolls a huge boulder to cover the entrance to the cave. Odysseus engages Polyphemus in a conversation hoping to secure hospitality but this idea is rejected. Polyphemus asks where they landed their ship, but because Odysseus knows that Polyphemus would just destroy the ship he lies and says they were shipwrecked by Poseidon. Finally Odysseus manages to escape but without some of his men who were eaten by Polyphemus.

In Animal Farm, why did Napoleon begin executing animals?

Animal Farm relates the unfortunate events that take place on the previously named Manor farm, after the animals take control and chase Mr. Jones off the farm. The animals can now uphold their principles and they can work together promoting their cause of Animalism. The Seven Commandments are created to assist them and to ensure that "all animals are equal." It is apparent very soon that even being equal requires agreement and discussion and the pigs begin to establish themselves as superior. Having chased Snowball off the farm, Napoleon is able to begin his domination of the animals unhindered and he has Squealer to confuse and reassure the animals which causes great confusion. 

The animals are told that Snowball is a traitor and that his bravery was not enough because "Loyalty and obedience are more important" (ch V). Conditions deteriorate and the hens are warned that they may have to give up eggs each week in order to purchase essential items for the windmill and certainly not for "commercial purposes" (ch VI). When the hens are called upon to release eggs they cannot agree and so they cause a mini rebellion of their own but, when Napoleon refuses to feed them, they can only hold out for five days at which point they go back to their nests. In the meantime, "any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death." Napoleon upholds this decree and several hens are dead.

As the image of Snowball as a traitor intensifies, the animals are also led to believe that he is sabotaging the farm. There are rumors that "the rats, which had been troublesome that winter, (are) also...in league with Snowball" which adds to Napoleon's cause. He convinces the animals that "Snowball's secret agents are lurking among" (ch VII). When four pigs have their throats torn out by the dogs, supposedly because they had helped Snowball, there can be no disputing Napoleon's intent and the animals which witness this terrible sight are sufficiently terrified as to not give Napoleon any more trouble. The animals themselves "did not know which was more shocking--the treachery of the animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball, or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed." Boxer's solution is to "work harder." The animals can only take solace in the belief that life was worse under the humans and so the animals are defeated and not even permitted to sing "Beasts of England." 

How does the inn reflect the political and social changes that have taken place in the country as a whole?

Politically, the inn obviously represents life before the American Revolution and life afterwards.  In the narrator's first description of the inn, he points out the

"rubicund portrait portrait of his majesty George the Third" (Paragraph 13),

demonstrating that before Rip's "deep sleep," the colonies are still under British rule.  When Rip wakes up and eventually resumes life in the small community, he returns to the inn where

"instead of being a subject of his Majesty, George III., he was now a free citizen of the United States" (Paragraph 61).

Irving's description of Americans no longer being under the yoke of despotism parallels his discussion of Rip no longer being under his wife's domination.

Socially, changes also abound.  The inn once represented a place where Rip sat and listened at the feet of the inn's patriarch (Paragraph 14), but after 20 years, Rip is considered a patriarch. Rip takes Nicholas Vedder's place at the inn door, where he

"was reverenced as one of the patriarchs of the village, and a chronicle of the old times 'before the war' " (Paragraph 61).

America, a brand new country, is looking for its history, and so Rip seems to now have a place in society as one who can remember what life was like under British rule.

Finally, another social change is the freedom that Rip experiences because of his wife's death.  This metaphor represents the freedom that Americans felt after being out from underneath British tyranny.

What are examples of dramatic irony in Act 1 and 2 of Hamlet?

Dramatic irony results when the audience or readers possess information that the majority of characters are ignorant of: We know what they don't know.

In Act I.v, the Ghost of King Hamlet reveals to Hamlet that the King had been poisoned to death by Claudius who spread the story that his death was from a snake bite, a story believed to be true by everyone in Denmark.  Dramatic irony occurs because Hamlet, the Ghost and we know the truth that Claudius murdered Hamlet's father. After this revelation, we sympathise with Hamlet and begin to hate Claudius: "Now Hamlet hear ... Now wears his crown."

At the end of Act I.v, Hamlet makes his two friends Horatio and Marcellus swear that they must not reveal what they have just seen and heard. We sympathise with Hamlet who has decided to "put an antic disposition on" (to pretend madness) to deceive the others and not reveal his true feelings or future plan of revenging his father's death. Dramatic irony results because only we and his friends Marcellus and Horatio know that he is only pretending to be mad.

In Act II.i, Ophelia reports to her father Polonius the strange behaviour of Hamlet. Polonius immediately concludes that Hamlet is 'madly in love' with Ophelia: "This is the very ecstasy of love" and that he has gone mad because she has obeyed his instruction in spurning  Hamlet's love: "That hath made him mad." Dramatic irony results because only we and his friends know that Hamlet is only pretending to be mad. 

What type of irony is found in the poem One Perfect Rose?please give examples =)

Dramatic irony involves the audience knowing something that the speaker/character doesn't.  For example, in a horror movie when the audience knows the killer is outside and the actress runs out anyway because she doesn't know.  This is NOT the type of irony in this poem, because the speaker and the audience know the same amount of information.

Situational irony is when something turns out the opposite of what you expected; for example, if I put a bucket of water over my doorway and try to trap my friend underneath it, but the water falls on my head instead.  It could be argued that the last stanza of this poem is an example of situational irony, because the audience expects the speaker to finish the poem with more sincere words about her lover's gift to her, and instead we find out that she has been complaining all along that all she got was a rose.

Verbal irony is where someone says one thing but means another; often, sarcastic comments are also verbal irony.  So the poem could also be an example of verbal irony, because in the first two stanzas the speaker is actually complaining about the rose when it seems like she is praising her lover for sending it. 

Why does Jethro decide to write a letter to Lincoln in Across Five Aprils?Chapter 9

Jethro decides to write a letter to Lincoln because he doesn't know what else to do - there are no clear answers to the moral dilemma that he faces.  Eb Carron has deserted from the Army and is in desperate straits; Eb regrets his action and wants only to return to his regiment, but knows he will face the ultimate punishment for desertion if he goes back.  Eb is "a lost and frightened boy, and there (is) nowhere else to go"; in despair, he had told Jethro, "you ner no one else kin help me now - not even Ol' Abe hisself".

Jethro is only eleven years old and does not know how to help Eb.  He considers seeking the advice of his father or one of the other adults in his life, but he realizes that in this difficult situation, "there ain't an answer that's any plainer to an old man than it is to me".  Eb's comment makes him think about Mr. Lincoln, "him who is highest in this land", and although Jethro knows that the law is already clear on this matter, he also reasons that the President, having himself "plowed fields in Illinois", is a good man, the kind "who looked at problems from all sides", and is not the type to easily say, "everything on this side of the line is right, and everything on the other side is wrong".  It is inarguably "a frightening thing to do, but if one did nothing - well, that was frightening too".  Jethro takes a chance, and, putting his trust in Mr. Lincoln, writes to him explaining Eb's situation and asking him what to do (Chapter 9).

What is the diffrence between Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables and Cosette in Les Miserables?

Certainly more is known about Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables than Cosette from Les Miserables as one character is the heroine of her novel while the other takes a less important role.

There are several differences between these two characters.  Not much is known about Anne's childhood before the Cuthberts, but it is assumed that she was healthy and taken care of.  Cosette, we know, was abused, neglected, and literally saved by Jean Valjean.

Once in his care, Cosette is rather spoiled.  She receives nice clothing, a formal education in a convent, and all the patience and love of a man who is willing to do anything for her.  It could be argued that she is rather sheltered and though she has always had everything she needs, it seems she's managed to remain somewhat humble.  The novel only shows Cosette as a victim who gets a second chance.  She is not portrayed as having a spoiled nor selfish attitude.  She comes across as modest, shy, and grateful.

Anne Shirley might be quite the opposite of Cosette.  She is brash, opinionated, outspoken, and unrefined.  Her "formal" education comes from a country school and the life lessons of two much older "parents" who try to teach her by experience.  What she lacks in manners appropriate to her social position (which is much more poor than Cosette), she more than makes up for in honesty and humor.  Anne comes across as far progressed for her society, both as a character and as a woman.  She too is likely grateful for the life she has with the Cuthberts, but her story focuses less on her thanks and more on her trials by error and learning as a result.

I imagine if Anne Shirley and Cosette were friends, Anne would do most of the talking, and Cosette would mostly giggle and blush.

Why is it so difficult to get rules changed in the community in "The Giver"?

When citizens want to change a rule, the matter is sent to a committee for study, although when this does happen "the people always (joke) about it".  The bureaucracy of the community is such that it seems "the committee members would become Elders by the time the rule change (is) made"; more often than not, the committee "would simply fret and argue about (the issue)...for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study".

The inefficiency of the committee system masks the fact that, in reality, the people have little say in what happens in the society.  Individuals may believe that their desires and opinions are important because they do seem to have an avenue by which they can have their opinions heard and considered, but in practice, that avenue is useless - it almost always leads to a dead end.  It would appear that the committee system exists mainly to palliate the people, to make them feel that they have some control in the workings of their government and in determining the course of their lives.  Practically speaking, however, it is clear that the society is run by a totalitarian power, and that what the people may want is of little consequence (Chapter 2).

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", why does Jem think that it's okay for Scout to stay in the courtroom?

In chapter 17, Bob Ewell is on the stand. He is explaining to Mr. Gilmer what happened to his daughter Mayella. He begins to talk about Tom Robinson attacking Mayella. When he states that he saw Tom “ruttin’ on…Mayella,” Reverend Sykes feels that it is inappropriate for Scout to hear. He tells Jem that he "better take Miss Jean Louise home" because he feels that she is too young. Jem tells Reverend Sykes that she "doesn't understand it...she ain't nine yet." Although Scout objects to Jem’s statement and exclaimes that she most certainly does understand, Jem doesn’t want to leave the court and assures Reverend Sykes that Scout will be fine as will he.

In "The Pit and the Pendulum", how does the darkness magnify his fears, and what issues will he have when rescued?

We've all experienced that flailing fear when encased in the dark.  At first, the narrator doesn't even want to open his eyes because "it was not that I feared to look upon things horrible, but that I grew aghast lest there should be nothing to see".  When he does open them, and it is pitch black, his "worst thoughts, then, were confirmed."  His worse fear, that he is in a tomb, keeps him paralyzed until he's brave enough to explore.  That fear quelched, he fears all of the rumors he's heard of the dungeons in Toledo.  And because he can't see, he imagines the worst.

Until a light is lit, the narrator comments over and over again about  how he imagined this, or that, and how each imagining terrified him.  It wasn't until he could see that he felt some relief; at least he KNEW.  He says that he took a "wild interest" in looking around and figuring out just exactly what he was up against. 

When rescued, he might be overwhelmed by the light, noise and crowds of people, and maybe some Post-Traumatic-Stress issues.  Other than that, I should hope the only "issues" he will have to deal with is sweet relief, joy and bliss.  :)

In The Outsiders, why did Dally want to die?

On page 160 after Johnny dies when Ponyboy gets home he tells everyone, "Dallas is gone,", I said. "He ran out like the devil was after him.  He's gonna blow up. He couldn't take it."  Then later on page 162 in my edition of "The Outsiders,"  Ponyboy thought, "They (the police) don't know you're only bluffing.  And even as the policemen's guns spit fire into the night I knew that was what Dally wanted."  Dally depended so much on his friendship with Johnny and he felt so guilty about what happened to Johnny that he no longer felt he had anything to live for.  He decided to commit assisted suicide.

What is the purpose of Michaito Ichimaru writing the essay "Nagasaki, August 9,1945?"

Michaito Ichimaru wrote "Nagasaki: August 9, 1945" as an essay to inform the reader of the horrors and destruction caused by an atomic bomb being dropped on a city. He wanted to impart his views, as an eye witness and a doctor of exactly what nuclearwarfare is like for the people who not only die in the war, but the survivors as well.  In giving this vivid account of what he saw as a first year medical student who somehow survived the bombing, he hopes to deter or stop others from using this devastating devise ever again.

What are some of Crispin's character traits at both the beginning and the end of the book?please seperate the traits into two catagories. begining...

At the start of the book, Crispin is passive and uneducated peasant. He's oppressed and expects little out of life. He's sad when his mother dies, but to be honest, it fits with what he expects of the world, which is for little good to happen. He has also seen little of the world. As a result, he challenges little, either literally or conceptually.

By the end of the book, Crispin has changed markedly. He not only fights for what he thinks is right, he fights to save his friend Bear. He demonstrates a vivid and flexible mind, and he can conceive of alternatives to the current reality.

Is Offred in Handmaid's Tale a heroine? Is she a heroine? Why or Why not?

Offred can be argued to be the heroine of the piece. Although she does not physically escape her oppressive situation during the course of the novel, she mentally resists The Republic of Gilead's rules, and even breaks some of them (for example her affair with Nick). Although she is forced to work as a Handmaid and live in sexual oppression, she still fights against the system in the little ways that she can. Even when she acquires the match towards the end of the book, she does not want to use it because the seed of rebelliousness is planted in her mind -- she could start a fire with it and burn down the house. These are heroic thoughts in a society where even thinking them could lead to severe punishment or death. Like every hero or heroine, Offred also has her failings -- when Ofglen informs her of the resistance movement, Offred is afraid to act. However, the Historical Notes say that Offred's account was found along the Underground Femaleroad, which indicates that Offred probably eventually managed to leave Gilead.

In The Great Gatsby, in what state did Gatsby grow up?

This is a great question, because it pierces the illusion that Jay Gatsby casts upon his friends, the readers, and even himself. It shows us who the real Gatsby is. 

Jay Gatsby was born and grew up in North Dakota on a farm. He real name is also Jay Gatsby. Later he went to college, but he could not afford it. So, he worked as a janitor while taking classes. However, he could not put up with the humiliation. So, he left college. He found himself in the Great Lakes fishing. This is when he met Dan Cody, a wealthy man. 

Through Dan Cody, he learns about the "good things" of life. After Cody dies, he inherits money, but Cody's wife takes it. Gatsby could do nothing but to give it. But he acquires the passion and desire to make money. He succeeded and became the "Great" Gatsby. 

I ask for $10 worth of gasoline and its selling for $1.29 a gallon, find the number of gallons i will receive, to the nearest tenth of a gallon.

To solve this problem, you need to divide $10.00 by $1.29. When you set up the division problem, you will have two decimal points in the divisor (1.29).

Unfortunately I can't format this to look like a division problem, so you'll just have to imagine it.

1.29 | 10.00

Before you do the division, you should move the decimal two places to the right so you will have a whole number as a divisor. When you do this, you also have to move the decimal in the dividend (10.00). You end up with this:

129 | 1000

Since 129 doesn't fit into 100, you have to see how many times it will go into 1000.

129 x 7 = 903, so . . .

You will have a 7 above the ones place in the 1000.  Then subtract 903 from 1000, and you get 97.

Add some more zeros so you can keep dividing, and don’t forget the decimal point in both the dividend and the quotient.

129 | 1000.00

You had 97 left from the first step -- bring down the zero and you have 970.  Again, 129 goes in 7 times, with 67 left this time.

At this point your answer is 7.7  Even though the quotient now goes into the tenths place, you shouldn’t stop yet. You need to find out what the next number would be. If it is 5 or higher, you would have to round 7.7 up to 7.8

129 goes 5 times into 670, so you do need to round up.  There’s no need to do another step of division. Even if the next number was 5 or higher it wouldn’t make a difference because you have to round up the 5 anyway.

So, the answer is 7.8 gallons.

What structural devices are used in chapters 5-8?

Nathaniel Hawthorne employs several structural devices in chapter 5-8 in The Scarlet Letter. He uses these devices to characterize several of the major characters and to move the action along for the reader. The most important devices in these chapters are exposition, narration, and dialogue. Plot, of course, is also a structural device. Although plot divisions are always something of a matter of opinion, these four chapters can be considered as the beginning of the part of plot often called the rising action, or sometimes the complication. Hawthorne has already introduced the reader to the story’s main idea in chapters 1-4, and now he begins to move the story along and develop his characters in greater detail.

Chapter 5 is subtitled “Hester at Her Needle.” In this section, Hawthorne uses a type of writing called exposition. Exposition is intended to explain (you know, like all of those expository essays you’ve had to write in school). Since the reader is still in the early stages of the novel (about a quarter of the way through), Hawthorne uses this expository technique to explain Hester Prynne’s character to the reader. The reader finds out that she has learned to use her sewing skill to make a living. The reader also learns about some of the hardships Hester is going through as an outcast in Puritan society. What this chapter does not do is give any dialogue at all between characters or any narration (think of narration as a scene or scenes in which the reader witnesses live action). It is thoroughly Hawthorne’s explanation. Near the end of the chapter, Hawthorne summarizes the effect that the scarlet letter has had on Hester’s life in the following line:

"She [Hester] shuddered to believe, yet could not help believing, that it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden in in other hearts."

This line characterizes Hester as someone who can empathize with others—it’s a positive effect of the suffering that she has had to go through.

Chapter 6 is subtitled “Pearl.” This chapter too is mostly exposition—an explanation that characterizes Hester’s daughter Pearl. This time however, Hawthorne finally includes some dialogue in a brief narrative scene at the end of the chapter. This is a verbal exchange between Hester and Pearl that helps to show what a unique child Pearl is, and how she can sometimes confound her mother.

Chapter 7 is subtitled “The Governor’s Hall.” This shorter chapter finally returns the novel to its narrative purpose as the reader sees Hester and Pearl on their way to visit the Governor’s home. Although the first half of the chapter is still chiefly expository, the second half is narrative scene in which Hester and Pearl arrive at and enter the richly appointed home of the most important man in the colony (Governor Bellingham).

Chapter 8 is subtitled “The Elf-Child and the Minister.” This chapter is much closer to the modern style that today’s readers are accustomed to. It is composed entirely of narration with scene and dialogue that portrays the interaction between Hester, Pearl, Governor Bellingham, Reverend John Wilson, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. After all of the exposition of the previous three chapters, the reader now sees a scene in which Hester is in danger of losing Pearl until Reverend Dimmesdale intercedes on her behalf. At the end of the chapter the reader watches as Pearl approaches Reverend Dimmesdale and pulls his hand to her cheek in an extraordinary gesture.

.

In "A Christmas Carol", what reason does Scrooge give for not joining his nephew at Christmas?

Of course, Scrooge first utters his famous "Bah, humbug!"  Then he asks his nephew, "What right have you to be merry?  What reason have you to be merry?  You're poor enough."

To this the nephew counters, "What right have you to be dismal? What reason do you have to be morose? You're rich enough."  Scrooge retorts that he needs to be morose because he lives in a "world of fools."  Scrooge continues,

If I could work my will...every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.  He should!

The nephew is shocked by Scrooge's coldness, but Scrooge tells his nephew to keep Christmas in his own way, and he will keep Christmas in his.

Why is Scout in trouble with the teacher the first day of school?

Scout begins school ready to learn new and exciting things.  The first day however she runs up against a teacher who is not at all flexible, is new at her job, and just doesn't know how to handle this group of students.  The teacher writes the alphabet on the chalk board.  She calls on Scout to read the letters.  Scout tells the reader:

"as I read the alphabet a faint line appeared between her eyebrows, and after making me read ost of "My First Reader," and the stock-market qquotations from "The Mobile Register" aloud, she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than a faint distaste.  Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not t o teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading."

The second incident is when Scout jumps into a conversation that Miss Fisher is dealing with Walter.  Miss Fisher takes offense to what Scout is saying and smacks her hand. 

"Miss Caroline tells Jean Louise that she has had enough of her, spanks her hand with a ruler, and threatens the class. The conflict reaches a climax when the sixth-grade teacher comes in and personally reprimands the whole class because they are too noisy."

Why are Florida's roads white (Bahamas too)?What causes the white appearance of tropical roads?

As a native Floridian and sixth-generation descendent of "Florida Crackers," I believe the answer you're looking for is this one:

Florida is "The Sunshine State," both in name and in nature. Because of its location and its bountiful sunlight year-round, the paving on roads statewide gets "bleached" by the sunlight. In addition, the makeup of our roads is sometimes not your typical asphalt, but rather, a hybrid mixture of concrete, pavement, and tar byproducts. The chemistry involved there also contributes to the "white" appearance of some of our roads.

I don't know if the answer is the same for the Bahamas or not, but my bet would be that it is, due to the plentiful solar rays and its sometimes-questionable road composure. Hope this helps.

In the beginning of Chapter 12 of The Scarlet Letter, where is Dimmesdale?Why was he there?

Set in "an obscure night of early May", in chapter 12 we find Dimmesdale visiting the scaffold. This is the very scaffold on which Hester had first become infamous for her pregnancy. 

"The same platform or scaffold, black and weather-stained with the storm or sunshine of seven long years..." 

He went up there in what could be argued to be an act of catharsis. He is picturing himself admitting to what he did and, for the first time, potentially accepting his guilt. Since Dimmesdale is a deeply flawed man who pretends to be a true leader of his flock, he only shows up at night. It was a coincidence that he sees Pearl and Hester, who were tending to the dying Governor Winthrop.

Something that stands out in this scene is that Hester continues to have some form of faith on Dimmesdale. Similarly, Dimmesdale continuously disappoints. 

This happens when Pearl, who knows that she and her mother are to stand there again, asks Dimmesdale whether he will stand with them tomorrow the way that he is doing this night.

Not surprisingly, and despite of the clamors of guilt and redemption that Dimmesdale cries out in the heat of the moment, his answer is expected:

Wilt thou stand here with mother and me, to-morrow noontide?" inquired Pearl.

"Not so, my child. I shall, indeed, stand with thy mother and thee one other day, but not to-morrow!"

To put it colloquially, this is yet another proverbial "thanks, but no thanks" moment in the indolent relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale. 

How is John able to cross the river in "By the Waters of Babylon"?

The river that John needs to cross to complete his quest is clearly a source of fear and trepidation for him. When he first comes across the river, his description of it makes clear his awe and fear of it: "There was the great river below, like a giant in the sun. It is very long, very wide. It could eat all the streams we kjnow and still be thirsty." In response to its vastness and awesomeness, John says "It was magic and I prayed." It is clear that there is a significant amount of internal conflict that occurs within John: "My magic did not help me at all and yet there was afire in my bowels, a fire in my mind." This "fire" drives him to build a raft to cross the river. Despite his fear of the river he nevertheless continues with his attempt to cross the river, for "It is better to lose one's life than one's spirit, if one is a priest and the son of a priest." And thus he sings his death song as he launches out onto the river.

It is clear that John really is able to cross the river by mostly luck. He obviously does not understand rivers or how they work, as he is surprised by the strength of the current: "That was magic, for the river itself is wide and calm." It is also clear that being on the river makes John feel horribly exposed and alone: "There was no strength in my knowledge anymore and I felt small and nakes as a new-hatched bird - alone upon the great river, the servant of the gods." This simile clearly is appropriate to the character of John, using an image from nature.

As John progresses on his journey, he appeals to the gods to help him reach his goal, and learns how to steer the raft to guide it to his destination. As he nears his goal, the raft tips over and John has to swim to the side, dragging himself up onto a great spike of rusted metal. It is left unexplained how John returned over the river after his discovery, but it is clear that the river is a symbol of the power of nature, of magic, and also a means by which John is made to feel his insignificance and trial in which he can prove himself.

What are the assumptions and warrants in "Shooting an Elephant"? I'm confused.

It is explained in the beginning of this story that the narrator is hassled by the Burmese.  They despise him because he's a British official.  He is disgusted at how the British treat the Burmese, yet he is obligated to do his job. 

When it comes time to take care of the elephant situation, he finds himself stuck in a hard position.  Because he is an officer, he has a gun and he can shoot it.  That would be considered your "warrant" answer.  His position gives him the authority (even though he doesn't really know what he's doing) to shoot the elephant. However, he realizes how important that elephant is to its owner.  It is like a piece of machinery to them.  Shooting it will set someone back quite a bit financially.

The assumptions are that because he is a British officer, he represents them and believes as they do.  He doesn't though.  That's both the conflict and the irony in this story.  He doesn't not support what he represents, but he has to do his job.  And in the end, he only shoots the animal because he couldn't stand to be laughed at and ridiculed.

In "The Catcher in the Rye," Holden wants to be the catcher. Explain how Holden can or cannot be the catcher.

Holden can be a "catcher" he can use his desire to preserve innocence by becoming a teacher who inspires students.  He can encourage children to embrace their youthful imagination and really help kids enjoy being a kid. Have fun in life when you can, Holden can participate in this by being a great teacher! 

There are plenty of adults who embrace a youthful exuberance, they are people who don't become too jaded in their view of life, they are hopeful.  Holden can become this type of adult, he doesn't have to become a phony.  He can be a grownup who tries hard to understand kids, since he feels like no one really understands him.

Holden has the potential to be a great teacher, to assist kids in their enjoyment of youth, to help them grow up without losing all of their youthful idealism.  To still believe in things that only exist in the innocence of childhood.  It is hard to capture and maintain this feeling in a cynical world.   

In The Scarlet Letter, what is the significance of Pearl's name?

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Pearl is the daughter of Hester Prynne and a product of Hester's adulterous relationship with a minister, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne was married to Roger Chillingworth, and thought herself a widow at the time of the adulterous relationship. While Hester is jailed and pilloried for adultery, she is determined to keep Pearl and create a life with her. 

The name Pearl is derived from the Bible, specifically Matthew 13:45-46, which is a parable comparing the kingdom of Heaven to a merchant:

...  who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

This suggests that Hester will sacrifice everything for Pearl, who is the most important thing in her life. It implies that for Hester, Pearl is more important than worldly goods or reputation. In the comparison of Pearl to Heaven, it emphasizes a model of Christianity in which a mother's love for her child is a form of Christian piety, and that the sin of adultery counts for less in the eyes of God than Hester's devotion to Pearl. 

What does Langston Hughes mean in this quote, "I swear to the Lord, I still can't see, why democracy means, everybody but me?"

Hughes, who was writing during the 1920's, was responding to the fact that civil rights had yet to be realized by Black Americans during his lifetime. His rather anguished question was asked by many African Americans during this time because of the "Harlem Renaissance", a time when many Black poets, writers and musicians were being recognized for their literary talents yet they could not stay in the best hotels, own property in "white" neighborhoods and in many cases, were not allowed to even vote for their elected officials. So Hughes asks, how can everyone else in America participate in the democratic process except people like me (who are Black)?

In which ways is Oceania in "1984" a totalitarian state?maybe about 3-5 examples please? thank you

Well, first, you have the policing.  There is no privacy whatsoever in that the party controls everything.  They do this through these means:  1. the telescreens, 2. the thought police  3. the Big Brother posters which convey a feeling of always being watched  and 4. the Nazi Youth who are taught to spy on their parents and neighbors.

There is also the total control at the job sites and the 2-minute Hate.  Every aspect of an individual's life is controlled to the point he is told what to think and when to think it.  Even exercise is supervised and mandated.  In addition, no one knows who to trust since all loyalty and bonds to other human beings have been severed.

Certain items are off limits for party members such as books, pens, ink, make up, razor blades and anything not provided by the Party.

Of course, there is always the fear of sleep walking, talking in one's sleep, committing thought crime and ending up in the Ministry of Love's Room 101.  Fear is an absolute for totalitarian governments...it stands in for them on the few occasions that they aren't really watching or listening.  It keeps the masses in check.

In Oliver Twist, what are some secondary quotes that prove how Oliver is influenced by the good and evil characters of the novel?I need at least 5...

Interestingly, Dickens intentionally created Oliver as a character who is not influenced by anything.  Throughout the book, Oliver is "tempted" by various characters, who try to teach him how to live a life of crime.  Oliver does not really understand what they really are.  He sees Fagin as a kindly benefactor and the boys as young gentlemen who are kind to him.  Oliver is naive enough to believe what Fagin tells him.  In chapter 9, the boys bring pocketbooks that they have pickpocketed.

“Not so heavy as they might be,' said the Jew, after looking at the insides carefully; 'but very neat and nicely made. Ingenious workman, ain't he, Oliver?”

As with the handkerchiefs that Fagin tells him they have just put them out “ready for the wash” (chapter 9), Fagin tells Oliver that the boys are learning to make wallets.  Oliver does not realize or understand that the boys are really stealing handkerchiefs and pocketbooks that they bring back to Fagin.

Oliver doesn’t understand the importance of the game.   When Fagin teaches him how to pick his pockets, he doesn’t understand that he is going to be asked to go out and rob people.

“Oliver wondered what picking the old gentleman's pocket in play, had to do with his chances of being a great man. But, thinking that the Jew, being so much his senior, must know best, he followed him quietly to the table, and was soon deeply involved in his new study.” (chapter 9)

 Oliver assumes that Fagin knows best because he is older, and Oliver has never had good role models.  Interestingly enough, Nancy turns out to be a positive influence in Oliver’s life.  When he first meets her, he thinks she is not quite pretty but is happy and charming.  Oliver is surprised when Nancy turns up to take him back to Fagin.  When Fagin starts to beat Oliver with a club, Nancy intervenes.

 Fagin and Sikes try to bring Nancy down a peg, reminding her who she is and telling her that she is “a pretty subject for the child, as you call him, to make a friend of!” (chapter 16).  Nancy regrets returning Oliver, though she had no choice.  She tells Fagin and Bill:

“He's a thief, a liar, a devil, all that's bad, from this night forth. Isn't that enough for the old wretch, without blows?”

Nancy’s predictions do not come true because she manages to warn Rose and Brownlow that Oliver is not the boy they think he is, and it is through Nancy’s intervention that they find out that Oliver is Rose’s nephew.  Nancy risks her life, and in fact gives her life, to keep Oliver honest and innocent.

How is Willy affected by his good and bad memories?

In some ways, Willie doesn't have a present; he has present experiences, but it's so unpleasant that he lives almost entirely in the past.  I believe that this is one of Miller's themes:  the past does not exist in any real way, but its influence on the present is all pervasive, even if an individual's recollection is of a past that never existed.  Willie has both types of memories.  He remembers the days when he and Linda and the boys had an almost idyllic family life, when he came home and the boys were thrilled to see him, when they simonized (what an old word :)) the car each weekend, when Willie went out and earned a "living" for them.  Mixed in with these memories are recollections of salaries he never earned, of meetings with mayors that may or may not have happened, of promises that may or may not have been made.  And, of course, there is the horrible recollection of Boston and the buyer and Biff, memories that hang over his realtionship with Biff from that day on.  And there are the memories of Ben, memories of what might have "Been."  Who knows how true these are, but they clearly haunt Willie --- the dreams of what might have been.

All this reminds me of Frost's sigh at the end of "The Road Less Travelled."  We make decisions (salesman/explorer), and then see what happens.  For Willie, it wasn't all that great.

Comment on Judge Taylor's attitude to his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not?HELP ME. please

Judge Taylor obviously takes this trial very seriously.  He appointed Atticus to defend Tom.  It should have gone to Maxwell Green, but the judge made sure that Tom got the best defense lawyer to be had.  He appointed Atticus for that reason.  He knew Atticus would do all he could to give Tom a fair trial. 

Although he does seem to be sleeping during session, he does always have his ear (not his eyes) on the trial before him.  He does take the trial seriously, and his reaction to the verdict proves his resentment toward the jury's decision.  Scout's narration mentions that Judge Taylor was "saying something.  His gavel was in his fist, but he wasn't using it."  Although we don't get to hear what he says there, he was obviously upset with their decision.  The movie itself just has Taylor leave his seat and slam his door on the way out.  Either interpretation shows his frustration with the verdict. 

Explain how the choice of setting was important for the author's purpose in "Of Mice and Men". this question is about the novel "of mice and men"

Steinbeck advocated for the little guy. Almost all of his novels focus on the lives of people at the bottom. Migrant workers are and were some of the most disadvantaged people in the country, especially during the Great Depression. Many people during the Great Depression moved West in hope of finding work and employment. Many became migrant workers.

Steinbeck started his career as a journalist. When you read his novels, you can still find the journalist there - recording the details of the world and the struggles of the common man. He actually lived and worked as a migrant worker for a time (even traveling on trains like a hobo). The setting is what he experienced.

On a literary level, the farm really is a microcosm of the country. You are valued for what you can do; you are kept only so long as you can do it. Candy, for instance, is terrified that he will not be able to work and will be kicked off the farm. George dreams of having a place where he is in charge of who stays and who goes, a pace where they all can be safe from the utilitarian ideas of the farm/country.

In "The Crucible", what's the summary for act three?

I provided a link below that will lead you to a detailed summary of Act Three.  I also suggest reading the actual Act from the play, because it is really well done.

In a very, very small nutshell, Proctor, Giles, Mary and Francis go the the court to attempt to help their friends who are in prison.  A petition attesting to the prisoners' Christian characters only leads to the arrest of those who signed it, Giles is arrested for refusing to give a witness name (a witness who can prove Putnam is land-greedy), Proctor ends up confessing his adultery to prove Abby a fraud, and Mary Warren-while initially wanting to prove the girls a fraud, turns on Proctor and he too is arrested.  It is all very frustrating, and packed with intense, nail-biting moments.

Do you have any recommendations about about how to structure essays for books?Any book recommendation's on how to structure essays? (Grade 10...

First sentence should be a generic statement about the book.  For example: The Giver, by Lois Lowry is a phenomenal novel that explores the positives and negatives of a "Eutopian world."  Then write a sentence about where the book was published, and when it was copyrited.  Then state the genre, and give an example of how the book fits that genre. 

The second paragraph should describe the protagonist and other main characters.  Discuss the protagonist's personality, demeanor, and actions.  State what their relationship is to the protagonist.  Also discuss the antagonist and how he/she/it relates to the protagonist.

The third paragraph should discuss the problem in the story, and 3-4 rising action events. 

The fourth paragraph is the climax paragraph.  Describe the event, but do not state the outcome of the event, as this would ruin the story for your reader of your essay. 

The fifth paragraph is the recommendation paragraph.  State whether you liked or didn't like about the book and why.  (Or state one like and one dislike)  Discuss one thing you might change about the book.  And state who you would recommend the book to, and who you wouldn't. 

And last but not least, is the conclusion paragraph.  State the main idea of the book.  Also, state the theme of the book and give an example of the theme from the book.  Make a final statement of how you felt about the book. 

What keeps George and Lennie together in Of Mice and Men?

Their mutual dependence on one another is what keeps George and Lennie together. Lennie stays with George because he has no other option. His only family, his aunt, has passed away, and he has the mind of a very young child. He would not be able to survive on his own: it is because of George that he is able to find work, and it is George who ultimately cares for him. George stays with Lennie, I believe, out of a sense of duty and an overwhelming loneliness. George promised Lennie’s aunt that he would look after Lennie, and now he has become so used to being with Lennie that he does not know any other way. Lennie, despite the frustration George feels in taking care of him, is George’s only friend.

How is the quote below significant from "The Scarlet Letter"? It is inconceivable, the agony with which this public veneration tortured him! it was...

The quote suggests Arhtur Dimmesdale realizes his own hypocrisy. He has done his utmost to be a good minister, but is a fraud in his own mind. The list of items Hawthorne enumerates suggests all the good works Arthur has done, but all are undermined by his unlawful union with Hester. Interestingly, Arthur's hypocrisy is the lesser of others found in the novel, perhaps because he acknowledges it and therefore struggles with what to do with it; this again suggests how virtuous he truly is ("..genuine impulse to adore the truth..")

What is the conflict in the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper"?

There are a couple of different types of conflict going on in the story. I believe that the primary conflict is Man vs. Society. The protagonist is living in a society (and further, a home) where she is not treated as an individual. She is controlled by both her brother and her husband as they attempt to do what they believe is best for her as a sick woman. They do this without any real consideration paid to what she wants. They force her to accept the idea that her own thoughts do not represent reality and that the only opinions that can be trusted are those of the men who are caring for her, regardless of what she wants or how she feels. TheMan vs. Self conflct stems from the Man vs. Society conflict. As society is telling her that she is crazy, cannot trust her own thoughts, and must give complete control in her life over to the men, she struggles to maintain her sanity and determine for herself what is real. She becomes increasingly aware of her powerlessness and, as she tries to repress this newfound awareness, she descends further.

In the story "Thank You M'am" what does the dialogue of Mrs. Jones reveal about her?

In this story, the author reveals many things about Mrs. Jones, first, we know that she has experience with street people, and is aware of the want that sometimes drives their desperate acts.

Langston Hughes writes in a style that tells the reader that the character is an African American woman.  She works late, and is not afraid of people on the street.  She confronts her thief and instead of punishing him, she treats him to food, comfort and gives him money to buy his desired blue suede shoes.

Mrs. Jones does not judge the actions of others, she is a generous, kind and giving person, someone who knows right from wrong, but is not self-righteous.

"Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here." She still held him. But she bent down enough to permit him to stoop and pick up her purse. Then she said, "Now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?" (Hughes)

She knows right from wrong, but she also can recognize need.

"Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere," said the woman. "Here I am trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat and you snatch my pocketbook! Maybe, you ain’t been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?" (Hughes)

She immediately wants to look after the boy, someone who has tried to rob her.  She represents the message of Christianity by doing for the least of my brothers, as Christ told his followers, without a desire for anything in return. 

What narrative technique does Charles Dickens use in Great Expectations?

Dickens uses the 'first person past and present spoken' method of narration in "Great Expectations." The story is told (spoken) by the narrator Pip. Sometimes he tells us what happened in the past: "alterations have been made in that part of the Temple since that time." Ch39. Sometimes he tells us what is happening in the present, especially if the incident is very sensational, to make it very vivid and dramatic: The arrival of Magwitch in Ch 39, "As I shut it [the book] ... I was listening."

Another technique which Dickens uses is the technique of 'story within story.' The entire novel deals with the story of Pip, but at the same time diffferent characters tell their stories to Pip. In Ch.7 Joe tells Pip his story, similarly Magwitch tells his story to Pip and Herbert in Ch.42. Both these stories are narrated in a simple and straightforward manner.

However the stories of Miss Havisham and Compeyson and Molly and Estella are narrated in a more complex and roundabout manner in order to create suspense. These stories are pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle and are similar to the stories in detective fiction.

What is the play "Master Harold". . .and the boys about?Who are the characters and what do they do?

In "Master Harold". . .and the boys, there are only three characters:  Sam, Willie, and Hally (Harold).  Sam and Willie both work in a shop owned by Hally's parents.  Sam has been working at the shop for quite a while--he used to take Hally out as a child to fly kites. 

The play opens with Willie telling Sam about the ballroom dancing competition that he has entered with his girlfriend Hilda.  Willie has been upset with Hilda's performance, so he asks Sam for advice.  Soon Hally returns from school and enters the scene.  Hally's mother is at the hospital with Hally's father and on occasion she calls Hally to inform him of his father's situation.  Meanwhile, Sam asks Hally about school and Hally reports that his teacher has asked him to write a paper on a significant cultural event.  After some discussion, Hally thinks it will be a good idea to write about the dance competition in which Sam and Willie are involved.  Sam tries to describe the nature of the dance to Hally, but instead of seeing the sense of freedom that the nature of the dance competition affords, Hally trivializes their dancing as a primitive act.  When Hally's mother calls back to say that she is bringing the father home, Hally becomes angry and curses his father.  Sam asks Hally not to speak ill of his father, and this prompts Hally to attack Sam and tell him that he does not understand the relationship between Hally and his father.  Hally berates Sam and positions himself in a place of racial superiority, and Sam tries to show Hally the error in his attitude.  In the end, Sam tries to be a role model and warns Hally that he is making a major mistake.

How can the Scientific Revolution be seen as a conflict between authority and evidence?

The extent to which the Scientific Revolution can be said to be a conflict between authority and evidence is determined by how this revolution is historically framed.  For instance, if one dates the beginning of the Scientific Revolution at Johannes Kepler's correct orientation of a heliocentric solar system and Galileo Galilei's further propagation of this idea, then--after Galileo was forced to recant his views because he used them to challenge traditional ecclesiastical teachings--the conflict between authority and evidence is obvious. (In actuality, it is not as obvious as is often thought; Galileo was, in some ways, inviting censure when, in the "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems," he named the Church's spokesman Simplicius.)

On the other hand, if one orients the Scientific Revolution toward the latter half of the Rennaissance, with Francis Bacon--who conceptualized the scientific method--as its first revolutionary and Isaac Newton as the most important, then there is much less conflict between authority and experience.  Newton held unconventional (Socinian) religious views, but this did not prevent him from lecturing at Cambridge.

Nonetheless, science itself is, by nature and methodology, always to one degree or another in conflict with authority that is inconsistent with experience.  Experience (or the inductive method) is the basis of science.  For this reason, while science does not exist to challenge authority, it often does.

What is the summary for Chapter 8 of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?This chapter is titled "How to Fight Monsters".

Dad drives Junior the twenty-two miles to Reardan on his first day.  He tells his son to just remember, that "those white people aren't better than (him)".  Junior does not believe him, but he does gain strength from his father's obvious love for him.  Dad tells Junior that he is "brave...a warrior".  It is "the best thing he could have said".

There is no one at school yet when Junior gets there.  When they white kids finally do begin to arrive, they just stare at him.  Ironically, Reardan's mascot is an Indian, which makes Junior "the only Indian in town". 

Junior is assigned to Mr. Grant's homeroom.  Mr. Grant is "a muscular guy...a football coach".  A blond girl asks Junior his name.  Her name is Penelope. 

When Mr. Grant calls roll, he calls Junior by his "name name", Arnold Spirit.  Penelope is angry that he had told her his name was Junior, so Junior has to explain  that "every other Indian calls him Junior", but he is both, Junior and Arnold.  He tells her he is from the reservation, and she says he talks funny.

Most of the kids at Reardan ignore Junior, but the big jocks call him lots of names.  One day, one of the boys, Roger, tells him a particularly offensive racist joke, and Junior punches him in the face.  According to the unspoken rules of peer interaction with which he had grown up on the reservation, Junior had acted correctly, but the white boys are shocked, and walk away, saying Junior is "crazy".  Realizing that the rules are different here, Junior is left completely confused (Chapter 8).