How does this poem show a dilemma?

The dilemma of this poem is for us! The dilemma is deciding what Robert Frost meant in his poem 'A Road Not Taken.'As so many people respond so differently to this (including some of the many 'learned critics' who have been cited here and in other questions and answers) we might as well all say how we individually respond to the poem, as has been done by various posters. We can remember that poetry is subjective - we all arrive at a poem from different directions, we 'have traveled different roads', carry different emotional baggage and have had infinite variety of life experiences.

I tend to veer away from the (perfectly valid) idea that Frost is saying it doesn't matter which road you take. For me that it 'made all the difference' doesn't fit here. I perceive the poet saying that we need to look to the future and the past when we choose what paths in life to take. The future - we need to look into the road well to discern where it might take us. The past - how will we look back (and others) on the decision we took?

Frost is sad that he cannot 'have it all' like all of us. A choice has to be made. Luckily for him he made the right one. (Poetry?) Perhaps it is irrelevant that it was the less traveled one. The point was it made him happy so it is being happy with the choice we make that is important. It is the satisfaction that is relevant not the road.

We also might want to remember that the title of the poem is 'The Road NOT Taken' so does it matter so much about the one he took? He's talking about the one he Didn't take.

Here is a link describing Frost's career towards the end of his life,looking back.

What are examples of hyperbole, flashback, full circle, repetition, use of 5 senses, and onomatopoeia in The House on Mango Street?

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ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

ene says the tree "loomed in my memory as a hughe lone spike . . . forbidding as an artillery piece, high as the beanstalk."

What evidence does the narrator provide for his claim that he is not mad in "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

The evidence that the narrator provides for his claim that he is not mad can be found in the first two paragraph's of Poe's short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart."  First, the narrator claims that if he was mad, he would not be able to tell the story so calmly.  He also says that he was very, very nervous, but not mad.  This nervousness caused him to have sharpened senses, as opposed to dull ones, and that he has a heightened sense of hearing, enabling him to hear all things in Heaven and Hell.  In the second paragraph, the narrator says, "Madmen know nothing," but he calculated and executed the murder so well that he obviously knows quite a bit. 

What effect does the rhyme scheme have on the poem's theme? In "What lips my lips have kissed" by Millay

This poem is a Petrarchian, or Italian, sonnet.  Because it is that kind of sonnet and not a Shakesperian sonnet, it has a rhyme scheme that divides the first eight lines (the octave) from the last six lines (the sestet).  By dividing the poem up in this way, the rhyme scheme helps to emphasize the theme.

The theme of the poem is loss -- the loss of things and feelings that one has known in the past.  The rhyme scheme separates the poem's discussion of this into two parts.  The first part uses the metaphor of lovers while the second part uses the metaphor of a tree and seasons.

By dividing the poem like this, Millay first sets out the theme and then uses a second metaphor to expand on it and emphasize it.

Give one example of connotation in The Great Gatsby and explain the purpose of it.

A connotation is a suggestive meaning or an association of a word.

Look at Daisy's quote:

"All right... I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."

Originally, a fool was a male court jester (with the conical cap and bells).  Later, a fool became any person lacking in judgment.  Here, Daisy associates her unborn little girl with the word.  Typically, the word "fool" is reserved for adults, not children, babies, or fetuses.  She is obviously referring to herself as well.

Also, look at the clothing and color connotations in the novel.  Look beyond their literal meanings at the way Fitzgerald is associating them with people, emotions, and social values.

Look at Nick's soliloquies.  He tries really hard to make it seem he's "honest," but he's saying he is "honest" in relation to all the liars he's met.  Does that really make him "honest"?

"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."

If he's an "honest" person, and if he's been taught to reserve moral judgment, then why is he hanging around a bunch of "dishonest" people and judging them throughout his narration?  The connotation of "honesty" is in relation to "dishonesty," so Fitzgerald is blurring its meaning.

Isn't it true that Eli Whitney's slave, and not Whitney, invented the cotton gin?He said to his slave that he would give him his freedom if he made...

There is certainly no documented proof that a slave invented the cotton gin that Eli Whitney is credited for having patented. It is possible that Whitney got the idea from a slave, or at least from a device that had previously been in use.

Whitney has been charged with borrowing the idea for the cotton gin from a simple comb like device that slaves used to clean the cotton. Whitney is said to have merely enlarged upon the idea of the comb to create the cotton gin, which works very much like an oversized comb culling the seeds and debris from the cotton. So, while historians have accepted the theory that Eli Whitney's cotton gin idea came from an African slave, this claim remains impossible to prove. The Cotton Gin patent # is 72X.

Under American law, slaves were not allowed to patent a device under their own name.

Whitney also received assistance from his partner, Phineas Miller, as well as financial support from his employer, Catherine Green. According to one source, Whitney spent several months in near seclusion working on the project.

How does Ray Bradbury portray technology in the story "There Will Come Soft Rains?"

The technology in the story is actually presented as the main character, in the form of the automated house. Because all humans have been killed, the house becomes the only being (other than animals) left behind. Yes, it does perform its continued tasks without realizing there are no people, but Bradbury uses abundant figurative language throughout the story to bring the house to life. The continued use of personification to describe the house and its activities connects it to the absent people, imbuing it with humanity of its own. So although the technology is itself unfeeling, and eventually destroyed by nature, the audience is brought to feel sympathy for this essentially useless thing that humans have created and abandoned (through their own self-destruction).

For instance, Bradbury describes the house as having "nerves" that were "revealed as if a surgeon had torn the skin off to let the red veins and capillaries quiver in the scalded air." He is comparing it to a living organism, one that is badly damaged. This simile not only demonstrates Bradbury's incredibly vivid style, but also connects the house to our own flesh and blood. By describing the house in human terms, the author hopes the reader will identify with it, and thus feel empathy for the idea that it is the last working object on earth. It has lost its purpose—to serve others— because the others are no longer there. In this way, Bradbury is able to evoke emotion in the reader, the mark of a successful narrative. Thus, although there are no humans within the story itself, the audience continues to see the effects of their presence long after they're gone.

Ecothermic organisms have body temperatures that vary with the temperature of their surroundings. Why?Discuss the effect this variation might have...

Many enzymes perform either better or worse depending on various environmental factors, including temperature.  Most Endotherms (who control their body temperatures) have an advantage with their enzyme control in that the enzymes can be specialized to a particular temperature, say 98.6 degrees in humans.  This allows endotherms to have highly specialized and productive enzymes.

However, ectothermic organisms body temperatures do vary, and enzyme performance is affected most notably by colder temperatures.  Anyone who has uncovered a lizard under a rock on a cold day can tell you that the lizard's muscles respond much more sluggishly.  This is in part due to the enzymes poor performance.

Ectothermic organisms cope with this problem by altering their behavior patterns to coincide with optimum temperatures.  They are active during optimum temperature times in the day, and tend towards inactivity when it is either too cold or too hot for their enzymes to function at peak performance.

How do I find A^2 and B^2 and C^2 of a triangle? Like the Pythagorean theorem but for a b and c.

i)

The question is not clear as to what are A2,B2 and C2.Assuming that normally capital letters are used for naming the angles and vertices, a solution is given.

Normally a triangle is said to be given if a picture of the triangle is given and we can measure its sides AB,BC and CA and angles A,B and C by using a scale and protractor.

If two sides and an angle of a triangle is given, then the triangle is possible to draw. In this case we have to find the remaing side and the two angles, which could be measured after construction of  the triangle . Or else, use  the formula of trigonometry like: b^2 = a^2+c^2-2ac*cosB. But this may be beyond the 9th grade syllabus. The formula, of course is cyclic, in sides a,b,c, and angles, A,B and C.First find the remaing unknown side b. Then find the remaining angles using the sane formula or sine rule formula.

The triangle may be constructed with a side and two angles at the end of the given side if the data is in that form. After construction the measurements of the remaining angle and sides could be measured. Or else, find the third angle using the fact that sum of the three angles in a triangle is 180 degree. You can also use trigonometry : a/sinA=b/sinB=c/sinC, where a, b, c are the opposite sides of angles A,B and C respectively.

If all three sides are are given, then only angles are to be determined. This could be measured  by constructing the triangle. Or use a formula like: a^2=b^2+c^2-2bc* cosA, and determine the angle A. Similarly you can find other angles cylically changing the formula.

ii)

This  is a relation between angles in a right angled triangle, which is similar to pytagorus formula.

In a right angled triangle ABC with right angle at B,

AB^2+BC^2=AC^2, by Pythagorus therem.

Divide AC^2 both sides:

AB^2/AC^2+BC^2/AC^2= 1............................(1)

By trigonometry, AB/AC=sinC,  BC/AC=sinA , and 1=sinB.

Therefore, the equation at (1) due to Pythagorus could be written like: (Sin C)^2+(Sin A)^2 = (sin B)^2.

Therefore,

A^2 = [arc sin (BC/AC)]^2

B^2 = 1^2 =1 as angle B = 90deg.

C^2= {Arc sin (AB/AC)}^2.

Hope this may help.

iii)

If you want to know how to use the formula of Pythagorus:

Example 1:

Given the the two sides of a right angled triangle to find the third side: 3cm and 4cm are sides making right angled triangle. Find the 3rd side.

a^2+c^2=b^2

3^2+4^2=b^2. or b^2=25 or b=sqrt25=5cm

Example 2:

Given the hypotenuse = 17cm and one side 15cm. Find the other side of the right angled triangle:

a^2+b^2=c^2

a^2+15^2=17^2

a^2=17^2-15^2= 289-225=64

Therefore a=sqrt (64)=8cm

I need some quotes about Boo Radley being a mockingbird. I also need some quotes about Tom Robinson being a mockingbird.Anything that portays...

There are many quotes that point to Boo as a symbol of a mockingbird. One example of his "mockingbird" status is the connection between him & the tree. He leaves gifts there for Jem and Scout- his version of the mockingbird's singing. When Jem sits down to write Boo the letter, he says "we appreciate everything which you have put into the tree for us." This shows that while they may not yet guess who's doing it, Jem & Scout know that someone innocent and kind is offering friendship.

This lesson is first revealed when Atticus buys the children guns.

Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

That’s the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.

“Your father is right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Without realizing, Jem, Scout, and Dill have in a way been trying to kill that mockingbird. The children have built up a view of Boo based solely on a preconceived notion that is completely wrong. This is similar to the racism evident in the rest of the town: a judgment made before knowledge. Yet from that notion they have developed a pattern of behavior that seeks to destroy the true nature of Boo by pretending that it could not possibly exist.

It is through the attack on the children and Sheriff Tate's understanding that Boo’s identification as a mockingbird becomes most clear. The sheltered innocence of Boo’s life would be threatened should he be brought to trial for the death of Bob Ewell, even though he would most likely be acquitted as a hero. It is this hero worship that would “kill” the mockingbird, Tate believes. The people, especially the women, would bother him continually with food and praise for such a brave act. Such attention would ultimately destroy who Boo is, his innocence, and his quiet love for the children of Atticus Finch. Scout and Jem finally acknowledge this at the end. When Atticus asks Scout if she understands why they will say Bob Ewell fell on his own knife, she replies that is they did it any other way, "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?

Tom's connection is not as obvious; it is inferred from his character, rather than directly stated. Innocent of the crime for which he is tried, he valiantly attempts to prove that innocence to the society which has already judged him. His noble life has brought joy to those with whom he has come into contact, but for most in the town, his skin color has already convicted him. Even with Mayella Ewell, he has tried to help her, something which her family cannot seem to do. Yet for his attempt he is killed, crushed by the racism that is so deeply embedded in the community. With his death, Dill, Jem, and Scout come face to face with the sin that has killed this mockingbird.

What is the discussion point of "A White Heron"? How does the story relate to the author's childhood?

To write a thesis statement for a correlation between Hewett's childhood and "The White Heron," it is best by comparing the two.  If I were writing the piece, I expect that I would compare Sarah as a child to the white heron.

The white heron is described as being a rare bird: uncommon and hard to find, unlike the other birds that Sylvie, the main character, knows so much about.  Sylvie knows of the bird and has probably never thought to hurt it or any of the birds of the forest that she loves, but learns that this is the intent of the young man who visits the farm. He wants to kill the bird, stuff it and put it in his home.

In comparison, Jewett is described as being an unusual child for her time.  When most young women were be taught to sing, dance and do needlework, preparing to be wives, the Jewett daughters were educated.  In being taught how to read, Jewett developed a love of writing.  She was also unusual in that she wanted to study to be a doctor like her father, something also unusual for a young woman in the 19th century.  (She was unable to do so because of poor health.)

If I were to write a thesis statement to prepare for an essay discussing this comparison of the unusual white bird and the unusual young woman, it would probably state that one might see how Jewett would identify with the rare white bird, which was not like the others in the forest because Jewett herself was also rare and unusual in the society of which she was a part. Her character’s desire to protect the white heron might parallel her desire to hold on to the wonderful days of her youth, especially the time with her father that was so dear to her.

Which are the three general classification of enzymes?

The truly remarkable element contained by the live food, especially raw one, is the enzyme. Enzymes are the key to a better absorption of food, being released once we start to chew. Equally, all our physical processes depend on enzymes. These are the main catalysts for all chemical reactions in our body, without that, we cease to function or exist. Enzymes cause digestion, detoxification, immunity, and all other metabolic and regenerating processes. The quality of our enzymes is reflected in our energy level and our vitality.

There are three general classifications of enzymes:

1. Metabolic enzymes, which directs our body

They act as a catalysts to the growth of bone, tissue rebuilding, regulating metabolism, speaking, breathing, reproduction, hearing and any muscle contraction. These metabolic enzymes are found naturally in our body's biochemistry. However, as we grow older, metabolic enzyme activity weakens.

2. Digestive enzymes which are necessary for food digestion

These enzymes break down proteins, carbohydrates and fats in food. Digestive enzymes are also responsible for retrieval, assimilation, metabolism and absorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

3. Food enzymes help the digestive process

They must come from food we eat. All raw foods, namely fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, some superconcentrates food of high importance, especially seeds, are the main resource for food enzymes. Raw meat and fish also contain enzymes, but it will be completely forbidden eating raw meat and fish from a number of pathogen and parasite reasons. Meat or fish has to be cooked very well, "raw food" meaning the food that is not animal.

Low activity of enzymes is probably the most widespread problem today. A life, directed toward the performance, accompanied by food fast food has the results in a population almost devoided of digestive enzymes. The implications are many and serious,however, they are reversible and can be corrected.

What are 3 reasons why the author would end the story with a fantasy sequence?

At the beginning of the story Walter Mitty is the dynamic military commander, unwavering in the face of danger. He is snapped from his fantasy by his nagging wife, but lapses back into his world of admiration and approbation to be a renowned surgeon, honourable key witness and then a brave fighter pilot. The story is therefore cyclical as it begins and ends in a dream.

Also, we see that Mitty has little grasp of reality as he moves from reality to fantasy, carrying vestiges of each world into the other, such as the gloves and the ‘pocketa pocketa sound’

Finally, however, the fantasy sequence at the end of the story is the zenith of Mitty's tragedy. The end of the story, with Mitty facing death in front of a firing squad, is deeply tragic as it shows Mitty preferring to visualise his own heroic death rather than contemplate the reality of his pitiful life. If death is the best and most exciting escape the man can have, how desperate his real life must be.

What are reader reactions to the story of "If I Forget Thee, O Earth" by Arthur C. Clarke?

This 'very short story' is very powerful in both imagery and content. The absence of dialogue between Marvin and his father increases the sense of physical desolation and alienation. It also raises some serious questions about the future of the Earth. In this particular case, it is a nuclear holocaust which renders the planet uninhabitable for generations to come.

In this respect this story falls into the category of the cautionary tale, a story written as a warning of what may come if current trends in society and politics continue. The emphasis on technology gone awry is also a leit motif virtually ominipresent in most all science fiction stories, although some tales do indeed eclipse this 'doomsday syndrome.'

On a more positive note (but along the same ideas) is Clarke's 'The Songs of Distant Earth.'  In this novel the Earth has been also destroyed by radioactive fallout, but "seed ships" have been sent throughout the universe so that the human race will live on. The story deals with the encounter of two of these, which meet and then go on their separate ways.

Besides being a great science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke made another contribution as well. Using geostatic satellites for global telecommunication was his idea, paving the way for the Internet and accelerating the process of economic globalization.

In "Great Expectations" why does the author make Joe such a "Big Man"? What might his size symbolize?

Joe, Pip's loving, supporting, honest and good uncle, is one of the best men in the book "Great Expectations."  Now, he isn't the "best" because he is the most intelligent, educated or refined, but because he has a loyal, true heart, and always was one of the few that treated Pip with love and respect before Pip was wealthy.  Joe was a true friend to the mistreated Pip; he tried to soften the blows of critical adults that gathered at the house (remember the scene where Joe gave Pip extra gravy any time an adult insulted him?  Pip had heaps of gravy to show for Joe's concern).  He talked openly and honestly with Pip, housed many of Pip's secrets without disdain or reproach, and truly set an example of what a good man should be, in how they treat others.

So, Dickens makes Joe a pleasant-looking, large man.  Joe is physically strong, parallelling his own strong character.  Joe is big not only in body, but in heart, and big in influence over Pip.  Even as Pip is ungrateful and rude to Joe, he always feels bad for it, and knows it is wrong.  From the beginning, Pip doesn't want Joe to think poorly of him, and can't stand the thought of letting Joe down.  This shows just how big of an influence Joe has been.  So, Joe's largeness in size symbolizes Joe's largeness in influence and significance in playing the role of a kind, decent human being that loves Pip for who he is, not what money he holds.  I hope that those thoughts help to get you started; good luck!

Who is the narrator of All Quiet on the Western Front?

The narrator of the Erich Maria Remarque World War I novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, is German infantryman Paul Baumer, who tells his tales of battlefield horror mixed with peaceful respites during the final two years of the war. Baumer volunteers for action following his high school graduation, but by the end of the story he is one of the veteran "old folks" of his outfit. Although a fictional novel, the author has based his main character--who dies shortly before the end of fighting--on his own experiences during the War to End All Wars.

What does the mouse that Lennie carries in his pocket symbolize in Of Mice and Men?At the beginning of the book Lennie always carries a mouse in...

Lennie, we quickly realise, is huge and unaware of his own strength, which frequently gets himself into trouble. He loves animals. The mouse may be a symbol of his simplicity and his otherness. After all, few grown men carry mice in their pockets. We learn that he constantly kills the mice he so loves, by literally "loving them to death" and this angers George.

The mouse image or symbol also introduces the theme which becomes the central one of the book. The inadvertent killing of the mice escalates into the killing, however, unwittingly of other larger animals such as the pup and later of course of the woman, Curly's wife, in the barn.

What are three traits of the Squire in The Canterbury Tales?

The Squire is young, fashionable, and (perhaps most importantly) amorous.  The reader knows that the Squire is young because he is described immediately after the famous Knight who "had his son with him, a fine young Squire. . . . twenty years of age."  With this young age comes great inexperience, especially seeing that he is also described as "fresh as the month of May."  In fact, the Squire doesn't have much knightly fighting under his belt except for a few topical matches to "win his lady's grace." 

In regards to being fashionable, the Squire is not only dressed in the finest clothes but also mounted on his horse rather well.  "He was embroidered like a meadow bright" which (at the time) was a sign of highest class.  In addition, his clothes are described in further detail in that "short was his gown, the sleeves were long and wide," which again was the fashion of the day.  Even the Squire's horsemanship was fashionable:  "He knew the way to sit a horse and ride."  In addition, he had skills fashionable for a young man at the time:  jousting, dancing, singing, writing, drawing, etc.

Finally we approach the fact that the young Squire is in love with love.  Within the first couple of lines we are told that he is "a lover and cadet, a lad of fire," fighting only to "win his lady's grace."  Oh my.  Puberty at its highest level!  This amorous concept is taken further at the end of the Squire's description:  "He loved so hotly that till dawn grew pale / He slept as little as a nightingale."  No doubt, then, about the Squire's favorite activity during the pilgrimage then, huh?  At least Chaucer interjects some laughs into his religious journey.

What is word processing and why do we use a word processor?

Word processing is use of computer to produce documents consisting primarily of text or words, as distinguished from numbers. Word processor is a general application software used for producing such text documents.

In the initial days of development of computers and its application, the computer was mainly primarily used for performing mathematical calculations. The documents produced on computers consisted of recording the results of the calculation with very little textual material. With development of computers, special computers and computer software were developed to produce documents such as letters and reports. Such computers were used in the printing industry for composing the material for printing.

Now the computers is used extensively for word processing, and has almost replaced conventional typewriters across the world.

In "Fahrenheit 451" why don't the women want children?

There are only a couple clues in the text, and the rest just has to be inferred, based on what we know from their society.  The first time that children are mentioned is when Montag and Clarisse are talking.  She wonders why Montag and Mildred don't have any kids.  Montag says that Mildred "never wanted any children at all," but doesn't explain why.  Later in the story, Millie has all of her lady friends over to socialize and watch the t.v. walls, and they have a pretty revealing conversation about kids that seems to indicate that they don't want any because they are such a bother, an interruption to your life, and cumbersome.  Mrs. Bowles, who has two children, first mentions that if you are to have them, it must be by C-section, because "no use going through all that agony for a baby."  She views having kids as an obligation to humanity, to keep the human race alive.  Then she mentions what a pain they are, but thank goodness that they are are in school 90% of the time, and the rest of the time you can "heave them into the parlor and turn the switch," meaning, stick them in front of the t.v.  So, children are just a huge pain, but, they need to be had so that the human race doesn't die off.

Mrs. Phelps indicates that she doesn't want children because they "are ruinous."  It's a rather ambiguous statement; she says this right after referring to how your hips are ruined, so maybe, children are bad for your figure.  So, based on the clues that are given from these women, I would guess that they don't want kids because it ruins their figures and looks (they are very focused on being perfectly buffed and shined and fit), and because it is too much of pain.  Children take up too much of your attention, are ungrateful, and keep these women from doing the things that they want to do.

Overall, their reasons for not wanting kids does not put them in a very flattering light.  They seem to be shallow, self-centered, selfish women with no sense of love, decency or humanity about them whatsoever. It is just one more aspect of society that Montag, in the end, rebels against, and hopes to change.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

What is similar about the two times Dana goes to Rufus?

In the novel "Kindred" Dana goes to Rufus more than two times.  The first time she goes Rufus is drowning in the river.  The second time she is transported Rufus is in danger of burning the house down. Dana is also transported when he breaks his leg, is badly beaten and left on the road  and caught in a bad storm, thrown by his horse and left in a mud puddle to drown.  Each chapter is entitled thus to match the theme of Rufus' danger and Dana's transport.

One thing that is similar each time is that Dana is dizzy and feels like she is floating. She feels out of control and unable to stand.  Each time she arrives near Rufus.  Each time Rufus's life is in danger or he has been seriously injured.  The only way she can return to her own time is to have her life threatened in someway.

"On her twenty-sixth birthday, Dana, the protagonist of Kindred, is overcome by nausea...Traumatized by the event, she calms down and begins to recover her wits. Suddenly she finds herself next to the same boy, named Rufus, in a burning bedroom. As she saves him again, Dana realizes that Rufus is calling her when his life is in danger. She discovers that the year is 1815, and although he is a white, Southern slave-owner, he is the future father of the first woman listed in her family records—Hagar Weylin. The woman listed as Hagar's mother, Alice Greenwood, is a free black child and Rufus' friend. Dana realizes that she has just saved the life of her ancestor."

A car with mass 1155 kg, moving at 32 m/s,strikes a(n) 2553 kg car at rest.If the two cars stick together, with whatspeed do they move? answer in...

In this problem the kinetic energy of the first car before striking the second car will be same as combined the kinetic energy of the two cars when they move together.

We know kinetic energy (k) of a moving object is given by the formula:

k = (mv^2)/2

Given:

Mass of car 1 = 1155 kg = m1

Velocity of car 2 = 32 m/s = vb

Mass of car 2 = 2553 kg = m2

We have to find combined velocity (va) of the to two cars after striking.

Kinetic energy of car 1 before striking (kb) is calculated from the formula of kinetic energy as:

kb = (m1*vb^2)/2 = (1155*32^2)/2 = 1155*512

Similarly kinetic energy of both cars after striking (ka) is given by:

kb = [(m1+m2)*vb^2)]/2 = [(1155+2553)*vb^2)]/2 = 1854*vb^2

We know kb = ka

Therefore: 1155*512 = 1854*vb^2

Therefore: vb^2 = (1155*512)/1854 = 17.8596 m/s

Answer:

Two cars move together with speed of 17.8596 m/s.

What is Hemingway trying to say in his iceberg theory?

Ernest Hemingway's "Iceberg Theory" deals with the basic principle that "less is more." Instead of stating the obvious, Hemingway attempts to use dialog and subtext to convey his themes. In revision, cutting becomes more important than adding material. Needless repetition and irrelevant information should be avoided. Hemingway likens this style to an iceberg since only a fraction of it lies visible above water; the rest--the greater mass--is unseen below. A savvy reader will uncover the missing parts if the story's message is delivered in a short but succinct manner.

If a writer of a prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of the iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. The writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing.  --Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon

What are the representations of women in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man?

Joyce's Portrait has a very unique perspective on women through its protagonist, Stephen Dedalus. In the first chapter, there are only two women encountered in a significant way. These are his mother and Dante, a friend of the family. Dante had been a nun and Stephen's mother is a catholic. From Stephen's point of view, at his young and fragile age, these two women can be compared to the Virgin Mary for the sake of this discussion.

Joyce also describes a character by the name of Eileen Vance who lives next door to him and is Protestant. The second page of the novel finds Stephen hiding under the table because he has said that he would marry Eileen. Because she is Protestant and Stephen is Catholic, Dante threatens that if he does not apologize, "the eagles will come and pull out his eyes." This sets up Eileen as forbidden.

Eileen's forbidden nature relates to the prostitute that Stephen visits at the end of chapter two. At that point, we see Stephen has very extreme representations of women to work with. On one side is the Virgin Mary and on the other is prostitute. The ambiguous E.C. character falls at whichever end of the pendulum Stephen has found himself at that particular moment. When he fantasizes about her, she is likened to a prostitute. When he reveres her, comparing her to the "ivory tower," she can be compared to the Virgin Mary.

It's not until the end of chapter four when the extremes settle down and he can see a girl for what she is, a girl that doesn't have to be an extreme representation of women. He still thinks of her in a "worshipful" manner, but he is inspired by her. That's the difference that he sees and that is how he is able to overcome the extremes.

What are the tricks used by orchids to atract insects ?

The tricks used by the orchids to attract insects are of sexual nature and they consist in producing flowers which looks like a female insect or even smell like the female, in this way, males being attracted by the fake females, waiting to mate with them. This behavior is well-known as "sexual deception". The deceived insects are usually bees or wasps males, which abandon the fake female, and go to another one, with their bodies covered by pollen.

Because of the misleading appearances, the orchid looking like a female wasp or female bee, can attract only male wasp or bee, and no ants, flies or other insects. This thing could be possible if the behavior of attracting the prey would be food deception, when the flower smells or look like the wanted food.

This kind of behavior is good for selection, because of the higher amounts of pollen transported from one orchid to another orchid from the same species. At the species with a large number of pollinators, this efficiency is decreased all at once with the quantity of pollen fallen on the ground or put into another species.

What is language planning?who plans what, for whom and how?

Language planning is a promotion of a unified administrative language or languages,official and government-level activity concerning the selection. It represents a coherent effort by individuals, groups, or organizations to influence language use or development.

Language policy and planning decisions arise in response to sociopolitical needs. Language planning decisions may be required, for example, where a number of linguistic groups compete for access to the mechanisms of day-to-day life, or where a particular linguistic minority is denied access to such mechanisms.

Sources: http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9210/planning.htm

What is the significance of the tapestries on the walls of Dimmsdale's room in The Scarlet Letter?

David, like Dimmesdale, was a pious man who stumbled and committed adultery.  Also, like Dimmesdale, he was greatly troubled about his sin.  See Psalm 51:

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

 1 Have mercy on me, O God,
       according to your unfailing love;
       according to your great compassion
       blot out my transgressions.

 2 Wash away all my iniquity
       and cleanse me from my sin.

 3 For I know my transgressions,
       and my sin is always before me.

 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
       and done what is evil in your sight,
       so that you are proved right when you speak
       and justified when you judge.

 5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
       sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts [a] ;
       you teach [b] me wisdom in the inmost place.

 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
       wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
       let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

 9 Hide your face from my sins
       and blot out all my iniquity.

 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
       and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 11 Do not cast me from your presence
       or take your Holy Spirit from me.

 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
       and sinners will turn back to you.

 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
       the God who saves me,
       and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

 15 O Lord, open my lips,
       and my mouth will declare your praise.

In addition, David suffered a number of misfortunes following his sin with Bathsheba:

a) an infant son died (2 Samuel 12:15-18)

b) his daughter, Tamar, was raped (2 Samuel 13)

c) his son Absalom rebelled against him and was eventually killed (2 Samuel 15)

In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale does not suffer these kinds of misfortunes, but as a consequense of his sin, his physical health suffers greatly.

In sum, it is no coincidence that Hawthorne put a picture of David and Bathsheba in Dimmesdale's room.   

What would be a Freudian analysis of the main characters in the movie "Rebel Without a Cause"? Mainly Jim, Judy and Plato.

They form a nuclear family in the abandoned house.  Jim plays the father figure.  Judy the mother.  Plato the son.

In this scenario, we have an Oedipus Complex.  Jim and Judy would have had physical relations, had it not been for Plato.  Plato is jealous of Jim (or is it Judy?  Sal Mineo was gay, and his character seems that way too)--let's just say he's jealous of one of the parents--for taking away the other to another part of the house, thereby leaving him alone.  So, he lashes out against one of the parents so that the other will give him affection.

Also, Plato works entirely from his id--his inner child.  He curls up in the fetal position, cries, self abuses, pouts.  He seems to have abandoned his superego altogether.

Jim and Judy are battling between their ids and superegos.  That's their coming-of-age struggle--to cast off their ids and operate as adults would.

Look at the pool scene:

JIM (yelling) Quick! Fill the pool! JIM falls in. PLATO rushes to him. JIM Let's see how long we can stay under. PLATO Man, you're schizoid! JIM (in another outburst of laughing) I'm what? What? JUDY You can't talk underwater! JIM (gargling) I bet you hear everything I say! PLATO (gargling) Isn't he schizoid? JIM (gargling) Hey! How 'bout that! They laugh again. JIM swings up the ladder and goes to JUDY. PLATO follows. PLATO Haven't you noticed your personality splitting? JIM Not lately. They all sit on the blanket. JIM How do you know so much about this junk, Plato? PLATO I had to go to a head-shrinker. I only went twice though. My mother said it cost too much, so she went to Hawaii instead.

Concave objects, like swimming pools, represent the female, the bosom, breasts, womb.  Notice the pool is empty--no water (no life, no amniotic fluid, no nurturing).  The mother is empty, barren.  That's the source of all of Plato's problems: "My mother said it cost too much..."

Wife vs. Husband or Parent vs. Child ? Im confused lol. is the conflict in this poem between a a couple(wife/husband) or between a parent and a...

I'd not heard of this poem before it appeared on the forum yesterday. At first I also thought it was about a husband/wife (or adult couple), but the more I looked at it, the more I thought it was about a parent/child struggle.

In section I, I read a parent's frustration about a child (perhaps a teen) who acts like she is listening, but is actually tuning out the parent.

Section II alerts the reader to the rage that the parent feels toward the child. It sounds like the rage is unexpressed, although the parent is surprised that the child hasn't detected the feelings, strong as they are.

In Section III, it seems that the child does realize that there is a problem. It frightens her, rendering her unable to sleep, and she comes to the parent for reassurance. The parent's rage subsides as they make physical contact.

I don't know if there is a "right" answer in this case. I could argue either way. But to me the flow of the characters indicates that it's most likely between parent/child.

How does the author's use of imagery in "By the Waters of Babylon" contribute to his tone?

Part of the secret of this story's greatness is the fact that it is told to us using the first person point of view, which means we are not given the setting of the story straight away, but rather have to work it out from the tantalising clues we are provided with. The imagery used in this story supports this narrative function of presenting us with a naive, young narrator who is overwhelmed with awe at what he witnesses and is not able to comprehend the truth of what he sees because of his primitive background and his lack of understanding of science.

There are many examples to pick on but this paragraph gives us a perfect example that identifies this lack of understanding:

All the same, when I came to the Place of the Gods, I was afraid, afraid. The current of the great river is very strong - it gripped my raft with its hands. That was magic, for the river itself is wide and calm. I could feel evil spirits about me, in the bright morning; I could feel their breath on my neck as I was swept down the stream. Never have I been so much alone - I tried to think of my knowledge, but it was a squirrel's heap of winter nuts. There was no strength in my knowledge anymore and I felt small and naked as a new-hatched bird - alone upon the great river, the servant of the gods.

Here we see the narrator misinterpreting the current of the river as "magic" - he feels "demons" surrounding him to partly explain this mystery, and he uses a very important metaphor that he uses to describe his lack of knowledge applied to this new situation. Note the nature imagery that is used to make it very appropriate - for this is the setting of the narrator and his only knowledge. This is followed by another nature simile, describing his innocence and inability to process and understand what is happening around him. These, like other examples, serve to highlight the tone of the story - that of mystery and awe.

What is the theme of "He-y come on ou-t!" by Shinichi Hoshi? The authors purpose for writing it.

There is a strong ecological message in this story. The people disregard the environment and think that they have found an easy solution for all of the harmful chemicals they have created and all the dangerous waste they have generated. However, it turns out that their thoughtlessness for the well being of the earth is going to revisit them as their waste rains down on their heads. The author wants the reader to think about our actions as we quickly pollute and damage our environment. A few decades ago, people just dumped trash into the ocean because they couldn't see the damage it would do in the water, and just wanted to get rid of it. It seemed like an easy solution then, just throw it in and it disappears. Throughout history we've just dumped our waste in places and watched it disappear, but it never just "disappears." It always comes back to affect us in some detrimental way, whether it kills off species of animals or pollutes our water or depletes our ozone. This story illustrates the very thing that we do, we dump our problems and hope that they'll disappear. No one wants to think about it, but Hoshi's story reminds us that we can't hide our mistakes so easily, because it will come back to us somehow. 

In what way did the Enlightenment lay the foundations of the modern world? Are these changes positive or negative?

The Enlightenment laid the foundations for our modern world in that it moved us towards a society based more on ideas of reason and science than on religious faith.  Before the Enlightenment, the Bible was seen as the definite authority about all questions.  This meant that people were not all that interested in reasoning questions out for themselves.

With the Enlightenment, came an emphasis on proving things scientifically.  People started to be more interested in finding out how the world worked; discovering physical laws by which the universe ran.  This change allowed us to have the sort of technologically-based society we now have.

As far as whether this is positive or negative, you'd have to ultimately decide for yourself.  I imagine the positives of all our scientific knowledge are fairly clear.  In terms of negatives, you might argue that a loss of religious faith is a negative.  Or you might argue that technology has had a harmful effect on human relationships.

In "A Days Wait," what mood was the story? i want to know

In "A Day's Wait," Hemingway tells the story in his typically straight forward though somewhat detached style with little emotional embellishment for the most part. Though the son is suffering from the effects of the flu, the narrator treats the it as just another day. Like the weather outside, the mood inside is coldly serious. The father attempts to lighten the mood, since he realizes his son is concerned about his illness, and the father senses that his son is hiding some underlying fear; however, he fails to discover the boy's true concern until the end.

What is a Maycomb County Jail ?

Well, there's not really any such thing as "a Maycomb County jail"; it's the Maycomb County jail. Remember, Maycomb is not only the name of the town in which the Finches live, it's also the seat of the county by the same name. That means that both the county jail and the county courthouse would be located in the town. This county jail is where Tom stays during the course of the trial, and where Atticus guards him the night before the trial begins.

It becomes a scene of tension and conflict when an angry mob appears, demanding that Atticus release Tom to them. Atticus refuses, and the mob grows increasingly restless and frustrated. Scout and Jem reveal themselves, and one man threatens Atticus, telling him he has 15 seconds to get rid of the kids. However, Scout diffuses this difficult situation by correctly identifying Walter Cunningham's father in the crowd. Her talk of his legal problems, and her innocent reminders of how her father has helped his family, shames him into calling away the rest of the mob. Each man realizes that the children have behaved more courageously than themselves.

Thus, the jail becomes a symbol of courage and cowardice. The scene that unfolds that night demonstrates the power of a mob, and how many people will let themselves be swept away by a crowd, even if its actions are contradictory to their own morals and values. 

What is the meaning of "tone" in a book or essay?

Tone is a tricky one to figure out in a lot of ways.  It's the kind of thing that can scare students off of English, I'll tell you what. In essence, tone has a lot to do with how a writer says something.  Imagine a man screaming "I'm not angry!"  Despite his words, his tone is telling you that he is, indeed, angry.

This works in a similar way in a story, but is a lot harder to figure out most of the time because you are not given such a simple scenario.  You are given, sometimes, a whole ton of pages with lots of images and thoughts and feelings included.  It can be easier to suss out in a shorter story than a longer one because sometimes the tone of a long novel can change as the book goes on.

To figure things out, you have to look at the types of words and images used in the story.  Are you meant to be angry, depressed, sad, excited, amused?  That can be a little hard to figure out, sometimes.  It's not so much about what a character says as it is about how it is said.

Think about your average newspaper.  It's formal and technical...no "tone."  A tabloid is different...it is meant to "excite" and uses language to inflame the senses.  An obituary is written very somberly.

Hope this helps!

What is the reference to the playing fields of Eton in chapter 8?

This allusion comes when Mr. Ludsbury sees Gene and Finny exercising late at night; or, more accurately, Gene exercising and Finny coaching him. Gene remarks that ordinarily, they would be in trouble, but WWII had changed the atmosphere of Devon.

There was no rule explicitly forbidding exercise at such an hour, but it was not expected;ordinarily therefore Mr. Ludsbury would have disapproved. But the war had modified even his standards; all forms of physical exercise had become conventional for the Duration.

Thus, Finny and Gene get away with their training, even at a late hour, because all boys were expected to prepare for war. Any form of physical activity was seen as a viable program to train soldiers. But Mr. Ludsbury does not let them get away without moralizing. He makes it clear that the war is the only reason he's allowing them to continue:

"Games are alright in their place," he said, "and I won't bore you with the Eton Playing Fields observation, but all exercise today is aimed of course at the approaching Waterloo. Keep that in your sights at all times, won't you."

As the previous poster explained, these allusions set the story and WWII in the context of other British battles. It shows that the boys are being trained to accept war as something historic and patriotic, & to be willing to give up their lives for their country. Thus, even sports, games, and exercises must be aimed at contributing to the war effort.

How far and in what ways has Robert frost persuaded you to agree with this view?(in the box below)"it is possible for a good writer to write...

I fully agree that Robert Frost's poetry illustrates that "it is possible for a good writer to write about commonplace things with immense, even startling power."

In addition to the poems named by the other posters, I want to mention Frost's sonnet "Design." On the surface, it's a description of a spider, a web, and a caught moth. On a figurative level, the poem address the question of whether or not the universe is governed (i.e. if it is organized or "designed") by larger forces and, if so, wonders out loud if these forces are good or evil or both good and evil.

Just as is the case with "The Road Not Taken," the poem may be a lot more complicated than it first appears. The poem offers more questions than answers and, as the second source listed below states, Frost's poem may be marked with irony: "Since the structure of the poem departs from tradition [of the love sonnet], the reader may wonder about the appropriateness of 'Design' as its title; perhaps Frost is mocking, or at least questioning, the very notion of order."

Why does the size of atoms decrease while moving across from left to right in a period within the Periodic Table?

In general, this is true -- atomic radius decreases going across the rows, and increases going down the columns of the Periodic Table.  As more protons, which are positively charged, are added to an atom's nucleus, the overall charge pulls all the orbiting electrons closer, so the more protons, the smaller the atomic radius, but only up to a point -- eventually, as the nucleus gets bigger, more electrons orbit around it, and the size increases. At the fourth row,  electrons start filling in the outer shells in a more complicated pattern.  See the first link for a graphical representation of atomic radii for each element:

What were prominent themes in William Shakespeare's works?

This question is certainly very open-ended and certainly not specific.  I will attempt to give you some ideas of themes Shakespeare explores in multiple works, though he does so in different ways and to different extents.  One important theme Shakespeare explores not only in his tragedies but also in his history plays is "knowledge is power."  In The Tempest, Shakespeare creates a character in Prospero who apparently has the advantage of knowledge over the other characters.  In doing this, Shakespeare addresses the question of whether such knowledge translates to power.  He also explores the various aspects of human nature, including the facets and extents of jealousy (Othello), and appearance versus reality (multiple works), just to name a very few.  As with the themes Shakespeare's incorporates into his works, the list of examples goes on and on. 

What might a gender (or feminist) critic emphasize in interpreting "The Story of an Hour" as opposed to a reader-response approach?

A feminist critique of "The Story of an Hour" would focus on the themes of female repression in marriage.  The main character, Louise Mallard, had felt repressed and stifled in her role as a housewife to the successful Brently Mallard.  In Chopin's day, women were born and bred to be married, and were supposed to be perfectly fulfilled and content in their roles as wives and mothers.  Chopin often wrote stories that flew in the face of this societal expectation--her women were discontent, unhappy, or took taboo measures to ensure fulfillment.  Louise, after her husband died, felt, for the first time in a long time, "free, body and soul free!"  A feminist critic would focus on the fact that Chopin made Louise's face speak of "repression."  It would also focus on Chopin's rather unflattering description of what married life was:

"There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime."

Marriage was stifling Louise's will; Brently was bending a woman's will to his own.  Feminists would take umbrance with that, and declare that for Louise to reach her potential, she would need to break free from her stereotypical role as a content wife, and life for herself.  Chopin basically calls the suppression of women a "crime" in that description, so feminists would focus on that aspect of it.

A reader-response critic would focus on what the individual brings to the reading with them, that will help them to relate or connect with the text.  Is it a woman reading the story, and if so, is she married happily or unhappily?  Has the reader experienced grief, or felt relief if a relationship was over?  Will the reader interpret Louise's freedom with dismay and horror, or will they relate to her sense of elation and being released from constricting marriage binds?  It all depends on their own personal experiences, and that will help them to interpret the text.

I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

What is John Locke's definition of Civil Government?

To Locke, civil government was/is the result of the people entering into a "social contract."  Locke believes that all people have the right to life, liberty, and property but that without government, they are unable to protect those rights unless they are strong enough to do so.

Because this "state of nature" would not be very pleasant, people choose to enter into a social contract.  Essentially, they form a civil government and make a deal with that government.  The government will protect their life, liberty, and property and they, the people, will obey the government.

To Locke, the people may withdraw their consent if the government is not doing a good job of protecting their rights.

Locke's ideas are repeated quite faithfully in the US Declaration of Independence.

What does the word "business" mean in Marley's words?

I am assuming you are talking about the part where Marley's ghost is talking to Scrooge and Scrooge tells him he was always "a good man of business."

At that point, Marley's ghost says:

'Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. 'Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!'

What Marley is saying is that his business should have been people.  He should have cared more about them and less about making money.  He says that his and Scrooge's firm was really just a little thing compared to what he should have been concerned about.

So the word seems to mean what Marley should have cared about as opposed to the company that he and Scrooge owned which was what he really did care about while he was alive.

What is the climax of the children's book, The View from Saturday?

I believe that the climax of the book The View from Saturday occurs when the Souls defeat Maxwell in the Academic Bowl, bringing the state championship to Epiphany.  This event occurs in Chapter 10, and is the culmination of not only of a long year of hard work for the team, but signifies the end of the journey of the four members and their teacher, Mrs. Olinski.  The defining moment comes when Julian correctly answers the last two questions posed by the commissioner of education.  Fittingly, both questions pertain to the author Lewis Carroll, who wrote Through the Looking Glass.  Julian had used that book to hide clues in making his first overtures of friendship leading to the Souls' weekly gatherings for renewal at Sillington House, gatherings from which the group gained a sense of unity and strength.

The event's climactic nature is described succinctly -

"Between reality and realization, there was a pause.  It was over.  There was a beat - time for hearts to skip.  There was a gap - time for hearts and minds to connect.  There was a moment for joy to find its home.  It was over.  And Epiphany had won".

Ordinarily, the Souls would come up to the stage at this point to receive their trophy, but upon their victory, they gather in appreciation around Mrs. Olinski, who is wheelchair-bound and cannot get up on the stage.  The commissioner has to come down off the stage to present the trophy to the Epiphany team.  The team does not want the award unless Mrs. Olinski is there with them; as a symbol of their solidarity, it is apropos that the trophy is called "a loving cup" (Chapter 10).

What are the positive aspects of The Wave as an experiment?

There are actually several positive aspects of The Wave.  First of all, students who are normally apathetic about school suddently become motivated and excited about Mr. Ross' class.  As a part of the experiment, Mr. Ross starts teaching with a quick question and answer format, and the students, if anything, begin to learn the material more easily and readily than before.  The drawback of this is that the material is taught on a superficial level only, with emphasis on the memorization of facts.  Little analysis or deep thinking about the subject matter is required.

Secondly, the students begin to think of themselves as equals, and competition amongst them is theoretically eliminated.  As Amy tells Laurie, she no longer feels the need to compete with her in the area of boyfriends or academics or anything else.  Social pressures are lessened, and instead of seeing themselves as individuals with their own aspirations, members are encouraged to view themselves as part of something larger than themselves, part of a whole.  The good thing about this, the elimination of differences, is that team spirit and unity are fostered, but the bad thing is that the students give up their freedom to think for themselves.  People become afraid to go against the norm, whether it be good or bad.

Finally, under the strictly regimented organization of The Wave, students who were misfits before find a way to belong.  This fact is illustrated by the experience of Robert Billings, a former "loser" and social pariah who suddenly blossoms once The Wave is instituted.  As shown in Robert's case, it is the students who have been looked upon as the outcasts under the old school structures who become the most fanatically devoted to The Wave.  This is good in that they finally find a measure of social acceptance, but it is bad in that, in their fanatacism, they are the first to put aside good judgment and morals in acting on behalf of the new hierarchy of rules and regulations.

The benefits of The Wave as an experiment, as listed above, were great, but the negatives were not only significant, but potentially dangerous.  In light of how things turned out, Mr. Ross himself concluded that the experiment should not have been undertaken.  Although there were definite benefits which resulted, the unforseen negative effects were severe, far beyond what should have been allowed.  Mr. Ross realized that using students as subjects without their knowledge, in an experiment which he himself did not fully understand, was a dangerous and perhaps irresponsible thing to have done.

According to his Narrative, how does Frederick Douglass's life in Baltimore differ from that on the plantation?Could you quote from the book...

Douglass's life in Baltimore differs greatly from his life on the plantation.  When Douglass goes to live with the Aulds in Baltimore, he (for a while) is given the opportunity to learn to read and write.  On the planation, he never had such opportunities and was only responsible for doing small errands.  After Mrs. Auld is convinced that it is a sin to teach Douglass how to read and write, Douglass is sent around on errands throughout the town.  He learns that there are little boys around who are willing to teach him for the price of a few tidbits, so he is able to continue his learning. 

In later years, Douglass is able to learn the caulking trade in Baltimore and becomes a skilled worker whereas on the plantation he performs no particular tasks.

It should also be mentioned, however, that in both Baltimore and on the planation, Douglass suffered from discriminatory acts, just in different ways.

In "The Great Gatsby" what impression of Gatsby is suggested by the phrase "come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens"? F....

When Nick Carraway sees Mr. Gatsby for the first time, he spots Gatsby

Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens.

With Gatsby, the imagery of the moon and the heavens is prevalent throughout the novel.  As Nick states later in the novel,

He was a son of God--a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that--and he must be about his Father's Business (104)

Jay Gatsby, the "Great Gatsby" is portrayed by Fitzgerald as a religious entity in several scenes with images of the moon radiating and the heavens looking with favor upon him.  For instance, after the car accident involving Myrtle Wilson and Daisy, Nick encounters Gatsby outside the Buchanan house in his "pink suit under the moon."

Regarding the godly image of the quote under question, it is interesting that this son of God has not come out to determine his part of the universe.  Instead, he seeks what is his "share."  This word suggests the flaws of Gatsby and his ethereal American Dream in which he envisions the moon radiating favor upon him while he feels that there is a white ladder he can climb to a secret place above the trees.

A flawed Chiristlike figure built by the excessive materialism of the Jazz Age, Gatsby gives parties to which Nick feels he is "the only one invited."  The biblical allusion from Matthew of the wedding feast in which many came and were miraculously fed cannot be missed as are other such allusions.  While the Christ-like Gatsby saves Daisy and Tom from the law, he does not, however, save them from their sins.  In the final chapter, Jay Gatsby carries his air mattress much like Christ carrying his cross; Gatsby is shot in the pool and becomes the sacrificial lamb, a tragic figure who represents the tragedy of the flawed materialistic American Dream. Indeed, there was only a small share of the universe that Jay Gatby had.

What makes a happy life? Use examples from the poem "The Character of a Happy Life" by Henry Wotton.

While the other two answers see Rousseau, I see Rudyard Kipling and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

To me, this poem has a vision of happiness very much like that of Kipling's "If."  He says that a happy man doesn't let his passions rule him, doesn't care what rumors there are about him, and doesn't envy anyone else.  Those sound very much like Kipling's "stiff upper lip" criteria for being a man.

This also reminds me of Emerson, who says that being true to yourself only is what makes you happy and properly human.  This says that a happy man is one who does not serve another's will and doesn't care what others think of him.

So, that's what this poem says to me.

What was life like in 1940s Louisiana, including temperature, humidity, housing, etc.?

During the 1940's, life in Louisiana was mostly rural, except for New Orleans which a hub of trade, being on the gulf coast. Temperature was mainly hot, humid, tropical...a lot of people died from scarlet or yellow fever and other diseases.  Kate Chopin, a popular novelist (The Awakening) lived in the area and lost her husband to this tropical disease.  The soil conditions were great for growing sugar cane, cotton, and most other vegetables and crops grown by farmers.  There was a great deal of sharecropping going on...with the end of slavery, but with the big issue of color, many "free people of colour" who had owned slaves were wealthy.  There were, and still are a large number of antebellum plantations owned by whites mainly, but also many "free people of colour" who were given land and plantations by their previous owners and lovers.  The people of New Orleans and south and central Louisiana consisted of a large number of Creoles (a mixture of Africans, Indians, Spanish and French); Cajuns (Canadian Indians who migrated down to Louisiana), Native Americans, Spanish and French people who all made up (and still do) the laignappe that is the mystery of Louisiana.  Natchitoches is the oldest settlement in Louisiana (site of the annual Natchitoches Christmas Festival); legend has it that is is named after two twin sons of an Indian chief; the sons were fighting over land; father told each to pick up his teepee and move so many paces east and west, thus we have Natchitoches, Louisiana and Nacadoches, Texas.  Being from Louisiana, I can write on this topic for days...so stop me now!  By the way, Natchitoches is just a few hours north of where the story A Lesson Before Dying takes place, around Alexandria or somewhere south of there.

Read the play “Oedipus the King,” in the drama of Sophocles violence takes place offstage.What is the effect of this? How does it compare to...

To the ancient Greeks, drama was a religious experience.  These festivals were in honor of Dionysis, god of fertility and merrymaking.  The theater was a church.  The Chorus were akin to priests.  Tragic heroes were great men, the highest among peers.  To bring violence on stage was to dishonor the gods, to bring possible ruin on families, crops, and animals.  It was sacrilege, base, corrupt, a cheap thrill, pandering to the audience.  So, Jocasta must kill herself and Oedipus must gouge his eyes out off stage.  Even their marriage bed, a symbol of incest, cannot appear on stage.

It wasn't until the Romans, namely the playwright Seneca, that violence and revenge were brought on stage.  Seneca was very influential to the Rennaissance playwrights, Shakespeare in particular.  Shakespeare took Seneca one step further and added more controversial themes.  In the tragedy Othello, he blends race, sex, and violence perfectly.  Why?  Because he was a secular playwright, not a religious one.

Compare Oedipus to Othello.  In Othello, there is open talk of bestiality from the beginning.  Cassio is drunk and Montano gets stabbed.  Cassio and Roderigo stab each other, and Iago finishes off the latter.  Othello strangles his wife.  Iago stabs his wife.  Othello stabs Iago but doesn't kill him.  It's a river of blood compared to Oedipus.

And the bed is on stage in Act V!  Shakespeare gives the audience access--for the first time in theater--not only to a bed, but the bed of a black man and white woman.  It's scandalous by comparison.  Shakespeare uses violence as the by-product of revenge, as it should be.  It is a pagan, non-religious act.  He uses it mainly in pivotal scenes and turning points, usually in Act IIIs, and always in Act Vs.  He gives the blueprint for modern theater to come.

Modern theater uses more special effects for realism, but too often that's only theatricality, a gimmick.  Violence must fit the dramatic arc of the story; otherwise, it is gratuitous.  Recently, Teller from the comic/magic team of Penn & Teller staged the bloodiest Macbeth ever.  It was visceral, to be sure, but it's still Macbeth: one can only cheapen it, I think.  So much blood, ironically, takes away from the other, non-visual imagery.  Its comes across as a Gallagher comedy show.  The audience worries about getting splattered.

Movies are gratuitous; drama should not be.  Movies are meant to be heard (blared, really); drama is meant to be overheard.  Herein is the difference.  One is a visual medium; the other is primarily an auditory medium.  As Oedipus teaches us: the eyes are fickle and easily fooled.  The beauty of drama is the language; violence must be secondary.  Movie violence is akin to pornography (explicit, emotionally arousing); drama violence is aimed at catharsis (purgation of pity and fear).

In chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird, why did Atticus need the extension cord? How did Scout help disperse the crowd?

Atticus sets himself up in front of the jail, a fantastical structure which some people say looks like a Victorian bathroom,reading by the light of the light bulb and extension flex he went off with earlier.

When the group of men assemble to threaten Atticus, Scout scans the men for a familiar face, and finally recognizes Mr. Cunningham.She addresses Mr. Cunningham and asks him about his entailment, but he doesn't answer. Scout keeps talking to Mr. Cunningham, and tells him that she goes to school with Walter, and to say hi to him for her.

Scout is remembering past advice from Atticus that it is polite to talk about what other people are interested in, until finally the silence starts to trouble her. Finally Cunningham squats down and tells Scout that he will give Walter her message, and then tells the other men that they're going to leave, which they do.

In which book does Victoria die (the Twilight series)?

Victoria has a vendetta out for Bella starting in the first book, Twilight because Edward kills her mate, James for trying to kill Bella and nearly forcing Edward to make Bella a vampire right then and there so she doesn't die. 

In New Moon, Victoria starts stalking Bella but Jacob and his werewolf pack protect her from Victoria, though of course there is a soap opera like kerfuffle where Edward thinks that Bella killed herself and the rest of the book is really spent sorting that out and Victoria is sort of put on the back burner.

Until book three!  In Eclipse Victoria is no longer messing around.  She is intent on killing Bella since Bella was the cause of the death of her lover and her other pack mate, Laurent.  This forces Jacob and Edward to work together (unprecedented as not only do vampires and werewolves hate each other but they are romantic rivals for Bella's hand as well).   With the help of Bella, the Cullens vampires and the  Quileute werewolves kill Victoria.

In Lord of the Flies, there is a struggle between compassion, reason, and order with violence, sadism, and absolute power.Demonstrate the way in...

Human beings exhibit civilized and uncivilized behaviors in each society.  For example:  In the book Lord of The Flies Ralph represented compassion, reason, and civilization.  Jack represented savagery, violence, and sadism.  We live in a world of good and evil.  Each day there are people who follow the laws of the moral majority.  They go to work, help others, cross the street at crosswalks, share, and demonstrate concern and compassion.  There are also criminal elements that exhibit the opposite behaviors.  They steal, murder, mutilate, and cause harm others. 

On the island the food/meat is the resource that the boys are seeking.  Their savagery erupts as civility ebbs away.  The resource Jack craves is adoration and power from the tribe.  Ralph stands in his way to gain complete total power and must be destroyed.  If one looks at the dictator Adolph Hitler, one can see that Hitler also wanted total power.  He had his men perform many savage acts to gain complete power.  Even now in places like Dafur ethnic cleansing is still occurring because of man's fight for resources and control.

Ralph is the opposite.  In our world we have leaders who stand tall for the good.  The Danes during the Nazi occupations refused to turn the Jews over to the Nazis. 

"The Danes demonstrated through their solidarity, revival of national and spiritual fellowship."

The commitment of the Danes led to the German invasion and spelled disaster for many of their citizens, but they still held fast to their unity and civilized beliefs.

I am having trouble finding direct characterization examples and indirect characterization examples for Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter.

The introduction of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale into the story of The Scarlet Letter comes through an indirect characterization as well as a direct characterization. Characterization reveals the traits, values, beliefs, appearance, etc. of a character. Indirect characterization reveals these things through dialogue or actions or reactions to events or other characters. Direct characterization reveals these things through a narrator who states directly that a character has specific traits, beliefs, etc.

When Reverend Wilson--the "eldest clergyman of Boston," is speaking to Hester in Chapter 3--makes references to Dimmesdale, these references tell readers that Dimmesdale had been Hester's clergyman, for she attended his church; is godly; is a youth; is well acquainted with Hester and knows her "natural temper"; has the strength of his convictions to oppose the eldest clergyman who is undoubtedly his superior and supervisor; has a "young man's over-softness" of heart.

All these revelations of Dimmesdale's character are made through indirect characterization: the reader learns these traits through dialogue that exposes another character's understanding of Dimmesdale. As an aside, with indirect characterization, it is important to know whether the source speaking, in this case Reverend Wilson, is a reliable character who is trustworthy or an unreliable character who view may not be trustworthy.

Two paragraphs later the narrator reveals more things about Dimmesdale. The narrator revealed that Dimmesdale came from "one of the greatest universities in England"; he has "eloquence and fervor"; he is already rising to "eminence" (recognition in his work); has a high white brow and brown "melancholy eyes," etc.; has self-restraint (ironically noted). All these revelations are made through direct characterization wherein the narrator knows information about Dimmesdale and imparts at least some of what he knows to the reader directly. As an aside, with a third person omniscient narrator, the narrator is assumed to be trustworthy--but be on guard when studying contemporary literature.

WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD ANALOGY TO USE FOR "THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICAN TERRITORY AMONG EUROPEAN POWERS WAS LIKE ...AND WE ALSO HAVE TO DRAW WHAT WE...

A good analogy for the Scramble for Africa has to have at least two things going on:

1. The people or whatever doing the scrambling have to want whatever they're scrambling for for its own sake.  By that I mean that it actually has to be useful to them in some tangible way.  European countries wanted the resources and markets of the African countries.  So the shark analogy is okay there.


2. But they also have to want it for their own pride because that's part of what was going on.  European countries wanted colonies partly just because they wanted to keep up with everyone else.  So the shark analogy breaks down there.

So what could it be...  high school students and cars?  They're useful but they're also totally a status symbol?  Students and boyfriends/girlfriends -- you want one for its own sake but also so you don't look like a loser?  Maybe one of those would work.  What do you think?

Will you please criticize the characters in The Ambitious Guest and what are the lessons we can get in that story?

The characters are nameless and this is purposeful. It illustrates that all humans have a common fate: death.

The stranger speaks of ambition and the glory that awaits him and possibly, the family. This could be seen as referring to the glory of Heaven, but I think he refers to the glory awaiting in life on Earth. A hopeful, wandering dreamer. Ambition is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it criticized completely in this story. There is, however, a subtle statement that ambition can lead to isolation. While they talk about ambition, the stranger says "it is our nature to desire a monument, be it slate or marble, or a pillar of granite, or a glorious memory in the universal heart of man." It's important to note that he calls it a monument,' rather than a memorial. The father contemplates this, but is content with a slate stone rather than a marble one. (Marble being more modern and prestigious and expected of someone famous.) Even the grandmother worries how she'll look in her coffin. However, the daughter says it is nice enough to sit by the fire and be contented even though they are the only ones thinking of each other.

They are all contemplating death, how they will be remembered and who will remember them. There is a camaraderie in sharing dreams. But it is not ambition that unites them: it is the camaraderie itself. The irony is that they left the safest spot, which was the comfortable anonymity in their home surrounding the hearth.

The young stranger, full of ambition, comes to the door looking melancholy. He is lonely and isolated from the world - until he engages in conversation with the inviting family. His mood changes to cheerful. It's not because he finally has an audience to hear his hopes and dreams (although this is probably what he thinks.) It is because he is in the company of good people. He is not alone. The irony is that what makes him happy is to be in the company of these kind and anonymous people. Yet, he goes on about ambition and fame - seemingly with hope and glory in mind, but it is selfish nonetheless. His isolation, and quest for ambition has always kept him moving, wandering for whatever glory might happen to him. There are many elements of foreshadowing, mostly coming from nature: the wailing winds and so on.

Another quote: "Is not the kindred of a common fate a closer tie than that of birth?" In the end, their common fate, burial under the avalanche, is what they are remembered for. They are not remembered for their ambition or what they achieved, but that they died in anonymity. They have no grave stones or monuments. They are like the sailors who die at sea. But Hawthorne does end by saying "Poets have sung their fate." Not just them particularly, but all who've lead simple, meaningful lives. The smoke billowing from the chimney and the seats still warm around the fire are their grave stones. This scene is a much more warm and vital memorial than a cold stone.

How would the information in the paragraph below help with legal processes?Paragraph - "Also, Forensic Psychologists often contribute to court...

This question is not clear -- I'm not sure what you mean by "help with legal processes."  The paragraph itself does not help with legal processes.  However, the actions of forensic psychologists can help.

In many criminal cases, the mindset and competence of the defendant is key.  A jury must, for example, find that the defendant intended to do something in order to find him or her guilty.  A forensic psychologist can help them decide if the defendant was capable of intent.

I don't know if that's anything like what you're asking.  Please be as specific as you can when you ask questions...

What is the function of chorus in play "Antigone"?

The chorus is the voice of the people, it warns of impending evil, it rejoices in an good; it wails aloud in grief. It sees mankind as the puppets of the Gods. The chorus represents the 'crowd' the 'judges' of the characters on stage, commentators and passers of opinion. Its role is to comment on the themes and react as perhaps the audience should, guiding the audience toward understanding. Through the chorus Creon comes to understand that he is wrong and God is superior to himself, that he is merely a human in a world far greater than the walls of his kingdom.One role of the play is to comment on the human condition and this is provided by the chorus. At first the chorus may appear weak, it accommodates itself to the tyranny of Creon, it does not intervene on the side of Antigone; it is initially a submissive chorus. However this makes Antigone stand alone, necessary for the play and showing the irresistible nature of the king's command. 

 In Greek theatre the chorus would often dress like the chief actor, unless that was a woman. But in 'Antigone' the chorus would be men to show the isolation of Antigone against a background of grief.

In The Story of my Life by Helen Keller, what methods did Anne Sullivan use to help Helen and why were these methods good?

Although at times it must have seemed heartless, Ms. Sullivan used positive and negative reinforcement to get through to Helen. For example, when Helen threw temper tantrums at the table or simple refused to try to eat properly, she was denied food or even led away from the dining room. (This kind of conditioning corresponded to the experimentation of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849 - 1936) but precluded the behaviourist school of thought of B.F.Skinner (1904 –1990) ). Structuring Helen by imposing limits gave her a framework in which to learn, and it also made Helen aware that she had expectations to meet.

The first time Helen got the connection between a thing and its symbol was when Annie ran water over her hands and "spelled" the code for 'water' in the palm of her hands. This was the first big leap ahead in both communication and thinking in abstraction. From this point on, Helen was eager to learn and became a willing student. Ms Sullivan also took Helen outdoors frequently to make her feel all the sensations which can be captured outside  - wind, warmth, chill, moisture, smell, textures of surfaces, etc.

A lot of people think Helen Keller (1880 - 1968) was blind from birth, but this was not so.  Her infirmities in both sight and hearing were brought on by a childhood illness, but prior to that she had experienced both light and sound. These memories were important in that Helen was aware of a whole world around her in which she was still a part, though sensorially deprived.