The narrator uses Pearl as an example of humankind, saying people are not humanized or capable of sympathy for others until they have grief....

There is an old rock'n'roll song entitled, "Walk a Mile in My Shoes," that dealt with the same idea that is more eloquently expressed by Hawthorne.  One must share in experience and sadness with others in order to understand others and, thus, be human. 

Pearl, isolated from contact with other children, has experienced no sickness, no rejection, no companionship--none of the human communion that brings an understanding of others. Hawthorne writes, "she wanted...a grief that should deeply touch her..."  Pearl lacks any of the experiences of failure and rejection that cause people to grow and connect with the rest of humanity.  One's sorrows are the other side of happiness.  Without sorrow, people cannot be fully human. This idea is underscored in Huxley's "Brave New World" where, in the interest of "social stability" people are spared unhappiness by popping soma anytime they have a disturbing thought.  As a result, they are completely dehumanized and feel nothing when faced with death, age, brutality, or other human conditions.

It is when Pearl gets her mother and father to accept their sins, that she becomes fully human and is able to move away from the town, marry, and live a normal life. (Allude to your other questions.)

Why did Richard Cory commit sucide in Robinson's poem, "Richard Cory"?Uncovering motives in literature-the understanding of phychological aspect...

Richard Cory committed suicide because, despite all the things he had, his life was empty.  The poet's message in the poem is that the traditionally sought-after objectives in life - social stature, money, and material comfort - are not enough to make life meaningful.

Richard Cory appeared to have it all.  Everyone wished "that (they) were in his place".  He was "a gentleman from sole to crown", and he was good looking, "imperial and slim".  Not only that, he was dignified and classy, "quietly arrayed" and "skilled in every grace", and he was nice as well, "human when he talked".  People were in awe of him; like celebrities of our time, "he fluttered pulses when he said "Good morning".  And best of all, he was "richer than a king".

The speakers in the poem are not so fortunate.  They must toil hard just to get by, "work(ing) on and wait(ing) for the light".  Their lives seem like drudgery, nine to five, probably surviving paycheck to paycheck, but they have no choice but to labor on.  They look at Richard Cory with awe and a little envy, hoping one day they can be just like him, because he seems to have everything.

The poet doesn't flat out state why Richard Cory killed himself.  He makes a pretty clear case though, for the position that all those things he has that everyone else wants are not enough.  He is "human", but although people admire and envy him, they do not connect with him on a personal level.  He lives in loneliness and isolation, and, despite his material possessions, his life is not worth living.

What are some quotes and characteristics of Sodapop from The Outsiders?

Soda is "movie-star kind of handsome, the kind that people stop on the street to watch go by." Sodapop's personality is easy-going and usually relaxed on the outside.  He is "always happy-go-lucky and grinning" the author also indicates that Sodapop does not ever drink alcohol because "he gets drunk on just plain living." Sodapop is the peacemaker because he, "understands everybody."  Some of Sodapop's statments from the novel are:

"Listen, kiddo, when Darry hollers at you...he don't mean nothin'.  He's just got more worries than somebody his age ought to.  Don't take him serious.. you dig, Pony?  Don't let him bug you.  He's really proud of you 'cause your're so brainy.  It's just because your're the baby-I mean, he loves you a lot.  Savvy?" 

"I think I'm gonna marry Sandy. After she gets out of school and I get a better job and everything.  I might wait till you get out of school, though.  So I can still help Darry with the bills and stuff."

" It's okay, Johnnycake, they're gone now.  It's okay."

Why was Jerry from Albee's "The Zoo Story" unhappy?

Although it's difficult to point to any one reason, it is clear that Jerry represents the alienated individual (a central theme in modern writing, especially existentialist writing) confronting the establishment figure in the person of Peter.  Jerry is unstable; life has not been good to himas typified by the run down neighborhood that he lives in.  Peter, while not rich, represents the well established middle class which would prefer to sit on the bench and read rather than deal with the misfit Jerry.  Since there are many absurdist elements in the play, it's difficult to identify any particular reason why Jerry is as he is.    Jerry is part of the human situation, a part that cannot find a place for itself in a world that does not seem to care, who is "killed" by its indifference.

How is a telegram different from a regular letter?

There are two basic differences.  One is electronic and has to be sent and received by a person trained in Morse Code; a letter is a physical document you create and send through the postal service.  The other is the cost.  If you send a telegram, you pay by the word, so telegrams tend to be cryptic and much shorter than letters.

The rise of e-mail has provided a method of communication that has the best of each of these ... it's almost instantaneous, and there is no direct charge for each message.

I have never sent a telegram and I don't know anyone who has.

How does chapter 13 of "To Kill a Mockingbird" help to explain why change is so slow to come to Maycomb?From chapter 13

Chapter 13 of "To Kill A Mockingbird" goes into the history of Finch Landing and Macomb, Alabama.  Scout informs the reader that "Macomb is an ancient city."  She also relays that

"although Maycomb was ignored during the War Between the States, Reconstruction rule and economic ruin forced the town to grow.  It grew inward.  New people so rarely settled there, the same families married the same families until the members of the community looked faintly alike.  There was indeed a caste system in Maycomb, but to my mind it worked this way: the older citizens, the present generation of people... were utterly predictable to each other."

Scout is letting the reader know that change doesn't happen in Maycomb easily because traditions are so strong and new ideas are so hard to find.  The same people have been in charge for so long that when they die, or get to old to make the rules, their relatives and children take over. These people have the same value system and beliefs that the previous generation had because they are such an isolated community.

How did these new memories and experiences make Jonas feel? How did they change his understanding of the society he lives in? Provide examples....

This answer should come quite easily to you, if you have read the book. :) That being said, consider if you will, that you are living in a Utopian society. I use "Utopian" loosely, given that Jonas does not know one way or the other if his life is perfect. It is simply what he knows. So, all of a sudden, Jonas's eyes are opened up to experience life around him. He DOES learn of the good in the world, but he also is made to see the pain circling his society as well. Such is life. Good and bad go hand in hand. Without one, how can you possibly see the worth of the other.

SO! Jonas begins to feel real. He begins to add dimension to his character, because he has the opportunity to feel things for himself. He is introduced to colors and laughter and freedom - which are things he had never yet encountered. Think about Jonas's first memory with the sled and how in just an instant, happiness comes pouring into him. That very innocent joy is never seen within his society. Now he has the power to feel it, but has no one with which to share it. Put yourself in his shoes.