Describe the supernatural events in Julius Caesar. How effective are they in the play?

To begin with, the  supernatural elements in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" are very significant because they impress upon the contemporary Elizabethan audience the importance of the Divine Right of Kings. According to this theory of royal absolutism the King was the representative of God himself on earth. The same principle is evident in all of Shakespeare's history plays and "Macbeth."  Similarly, since Julius Caesar was the Roman Emperor he was also God's representative on earth and any treasonous act against him is foreshadowed and accompanied by bizarre supernatural happenings.

Secondly, Shakespeare has included supernatural elements in "Julius Caesar" to create an awesome effect in the minds of his contemporary audience by taking advantage of their superstitious beliefs in the supernatural. Some of the important examples of the supernatural in the play are:

In Act I Sc.3 Casca and Cicero meet on a Roman street in the evening. The weather is terrible and a storm is raging and both the heaven and the earth seem to have been shaken by the Gods above leading Casca to remark:

"Either there is a civil strife in heaven,
Or else the world, too saucy with the gods,
Incenses them to send destruction."

Cicero immediately asks him what other terrible sights he has seen and Casca lists out for him all the weird things seen by him. Two of the most striking 'supernatural' events described by Casca are (1) the slave who was completely insensible to his hand blazing away like twenty torches burning together and not being scorched at all and (2) the nocturnal owl hooting and shrieking in the market place at noon.

1. "A common slave--you know him well by sight--

Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn
Like twenty torches join'd, and yet his hand,
Not sensible of fire, remain'd unscorch'd."

2. "And yesterday the bird of night did sit

Even at noon-day upon the market-place,
Hooting and shrieking."

Calpurnia, Caesar's wife appears only once in the play in Act II Sc.2. She is presented as a very troubled and anxious lady deeply concerned about the safety of her husband. She pleads with Caesar not to go to the Senate because there have been reports of very bizarre happenings in Rome and she herself has had  a terrible dream. Just then Decius arrives to accompany him to the Senate, and Caesar narrates to him Calpurnia's dream and tells him that he won't be coming to the senate:

"Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home; 
She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,
Which like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans
Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.
And these does she apply for warnings and portents
And evils imminent, and on her knee 
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home today."

Calpurnia foresaw in her dream the assasination of Julius Caesar. She saw in her dream the statue of Julius Caesar being transformed into a fountain from which spouted not water, but blood and the Roman citizens smilingly washing their hands in his blood.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" what unfortunate characteristics do the ladies of the missionary circle display?Do you think this is typical of such...

Harper Lee certainly does paint the missionary ladies in a rather negative light, highlighting the racism, self-righteousness, and hypocritical nature of some of Southern society's social circles.  The women themselves are incredibly hypocritical; this means that their actions don't match up with what they claim their beliefs to be.  This is seen in their intense concern over the poor Mrunas tribespeople, and the service that the esteemed J. Grimes Everett is attempting to give these people.  So, apparently, if we were to believe their concern over these impoverished tribes, we would assume that these women are charitable, and want to help raise poor people of a different color up out of their difficult circumstances.  However, their attitudes about the poor people of a different color that are serving in their homes and walking in the streets of their towns don't receive that same concern or care.  Instead, they despise that Atticus defended a black man, and the chatty Mrs. Merriweather even suggests that black should stick to their ways and leave white people alone.  Mrs. Farrow even implies that no matter how kind you are to black people, they are still a violent people that cannot be reformed, and that "no lady [is] safe in her bed these nights" because of the criminal black men stalking the streets looking to do harm.  They are upset that Atticus tried to help the black community, all the while professing to be concerned and charitable towards some far-off tribe of natives.  It is incredibly hypocritical.

They are also ungrateful and rude.  They are sitting in Atticus's house, eating his food, in front of his sister, and have the audacity to insult him.  They show no gratitude for Alexandria's--and hence Atticus's--status as a host, and no respect.  Even if they disagreed with Atticus, they should not have spoken about it in his own home.  They are proud and self-righteous; they consider themselves better than everyone around them, black or poor.  They are racist and gossipy, with vicious tongues and dangerous opinions; overall, not a bright picture.

I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

How do they compare and contrast bewteen the role of Ophelia and Gertrude?

I'm not sure what you are asking, but I will compare Gertrude and Ophelia for you.  Ophelia is a naive and innocent young girl who is very obedient to her father, whom she loves dearly.  Ophelia is told by her father, in Act 1, sc. 3, to have no more involvement with Hamlet because Hamlet is just using her.  She responds, "I shall obey, my lord."  And she does obey which causes confusion in Hamlet.  In Act 3, sc. 1, when Hamlet talks to Ophelia when she tries to return the "remembrances" he gave her, he is brutal because he doesn't understand why she suddenly shut him out.  Also, the things Hamlet says to her indicate that she is innocent.  The harsh words Hamlet speaks to her again at the play in Act 3, sc. 2, may have helped lead to her insanity when her father dies at Hamlet's hand.  Gertrude is an obedient person, too.  When Claudius asks something of her, such as in Act 3, sc. 1, when he asks her to leave so that he and Polonius can hide and spy on Hamlet and Ophelia, she says, "I shall obey you."  When Hamlet asks her to keep secret from Claudius the fact that he is not insane, in Act 3, sc. 4, Gertrude complies.  At the start of Act 4, Gertrude twice tells Claudius that Hamlet's act of killing Polonius was done from Hamlet's insanity.  Gertrude isn't the innocent flower that Ophelia is, though.  When the ghost of Hamlet's father talks to Hamlet in Act 1, sc. 5, he refers to Claudius as "..that adulterate beast.." implying that Claudius and Gertrude were having an affair when the king was still alive.  Neither Ophelia nor Gertrude is portrayed in a flattering way; both are seemingly without much will power of their own. Both appear to be weak people who are little more than package adornments.

What changes this improper fraction, 5/3, to a mixed number?

I am a fifth grade math teacher.  This is the way I explaing it to my 11-year old students... nearly all of them understand it the first time around.  I also use the following terminology when I tutor high-school and college students, simply because it is honestly the easiest way to understand fractions.

First of all, you have to understand that math is a language.  It is one of the few truly universal languages.  As such, you have to understand that everything in math can take multiple forms.  In reality, what you are doing when you "solve" any math problem is simply TRANSLATING the "expression" (act of conveying an idea to someone outside myself) into another format... which retains the same meaning, but just looks different.  It's the same idea as translating from English into Spanish (or any other language).  What makes or breaks a math student is the ability to be able to recognize the information as it is seen in different forms on paper.

In the case of fractions, what most students don't understand is that the fraction itself is actually telling you what to do - it is a form of communication.  In the case of your "improper" fraction, 5/3 tells the reader that an "operation" (something we do) needs to be performed.  Operations, in math, are always things we do to numbers.  The expression 5/3 contains two number symbols and one "operation" (action) symbol.  The fraction bar in a fraction (whether the fraction is proper or improper) always tells the reader that the writer of the expression intends the reader to divide something (convenient, since the bar physically "divides" the two numbers into their own little spaces on the paper, huh?)

When you see an expression with one number over a fraction bar... all of which is over another number (some sort of fraction), you always need to think DIVIDE.  You can re-write the "fraction" into a division problem that looks more familiar to you.  You can use what I call the long-division "house" format.  The top number (numerator) will always go inside the house, and the bottom number (denominator) will always go outside the house.  When you translate the "fraction" into a familiar-looking operation, you can simply work out the long division and further translate the original question into either a decimal (standard format) or a mixed number.

The only difference between the expression 1/3 and 5/3 is that 1/3 means that it is a value less than one... when you work out the long division problem, you will find that the number "translates" to approximately 0.333 (notice the zero in front of the decimal... that means that there are ZERO wholes in the value... it is less than one).  When you work out 5/3, it "translates" to approximately 1.666 - Notice that this is MORE than one.

Either way, the fraction bar is a "command" in math.  It tells the reader to divide.  Hope this helps with fractions in general!

Can someone post a summary of the poem "Seal" written by William Jay Smith?

The poem 'Seal' by William Jay Smith starts with a description of the seal's actions and asks the reader to watch it with him. Action words or verbs used include 'dive,dart swim.' The poet describes some of the scenery the seal passes (watery room, seaweed.) The poet gives a vivid and action-filled description of the skilful way in which the seal moves in water (with a  swerve,flicker,twist,flick.) He describes how the seal can dive to the bottom and flash back up again in terms of measuring the time it takes the reader to eat or think or speak. The whole poem is full of the speed of the seal and ends up at the reader's feet,like the seal, who turns up there with a mouthful of the fish he has caught on his travels!

What problems did Western Europe face during the Cold War?

The Soviet Union, at the conclusion of World War II, had installed pro-soviet governments on its western border.  Winston Churchill was the first to use the term "Iron Curtain" to describe the division within Europe.  In 1956, Hungary was invaded by the Soviet Union after the students rioted and moved political leaders to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact.  The rebellion was quickly crushed, and served as an example to any other bordering country of what the cost of rebellion would be.

The US and allies, having "liberated" Western Europe, continued to maintain democratic governments and had established NATO.

What's interesting to note are the troop and materiel concentrations along the Iron Curtain.  The Soviets had several times the amount of conventional weapons (tanks, troops, planes, etc.) than the West.  Instead, all the countries on the western side had huge missile installations, armed with both nuclear and conventional warheads.  Strategically, this suggests that the Soviets, if given the chance, would move westward; it also suggests that the West would not move eastward, but would risk nuclear war to preserve Western Europe from Communist control.  So the region lived in fear of nuclear annihilation for most of the Cold War.

How many countries celebrate Thanksgiving?

Civilizations and societies from the very distant past on up to today celebrate "thanksgiving." Please note that I did not capitalize "thanksgiving." The Greeks and Romans had gods/goddesses in their laundry list of deities that were responsible for a bountiful harvest. The Israelites, with their one god concept, also observed the harvest in a celebration known as Purim. All societies, especially agricultural ones, have set aside a time to thank their notion of God for the blessings of harvest. In an non-theological sense, the country fairs of the U.S., usually held in the autumn, are non-religious harvest celebrations.

Oh, by the way, pass the cranberry sauce.

What are the uses of alkaline earth metal?

Beryllium is mostly used for military applications,but there are other uses of beryllium as well. In electronics, beryllium is used as a p-type dopant in some semiconductors, and beryllium oxide is used as a high-strength electrical insulator and heat conductor. Due to its light weight and other properties, beryllium is also used in mechanics when stiffness, light weight, and dimensional stability are required at wide temperature ranges.

Magnesium has many different uses. One of its most common uses was in industry, where it has many structural advantages over other materials such as aluminium, although this usage has fallen out of favor recently due to magnesium's flammability.Magnesium is also often alloyed with aluminium or zinc to form materials with more desirable properties than any pure metal. Magnesium has many other uses in industrial applications, such as having a role in the production of iron and steel, and the production of titanium.

Calcium also has many uses. One of its uses is as a reducing agent in the separation of other metals form ore, such as uranium. It is also used in the production of the alloys of many metals, such as aluminium and copper alloys, and is also used to deoxidize alloys as well. Calcium also has a role in the making of cheese, mortars, and cement.

Strontium and barium do not have as many applications as the lighter alkaline earth metals, but still have uses. Strontium carbonate is often used in the manufacturing of red fireworks,and pure strontium is used in the study of neurotransmitter release in neurons. Barium has some use in vacuum tubes to remove gases, and barium sulfate has many uses in the petroleum industry, as well as other industries.

Due to its radioactivity, radium no longer has many applications, but it used to have many. Radium used to be used often in luminous paints, although this use was stopped after workers got sick. As people used to think that radioactivity was a good thing, radium used to be added to drinking water, toothpaste, and many other products, although they are also not used anymore due to their health effects. Radium is no longer even used for its radioactive properties, as there are more powerful and safer emitters than radium

What was the guard’s initial reaction to the arrival of Jerry Cruncher?

In Book I, Ch. 2 of Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities,"  entitled "The Mail" Mr. Jarvis Lorry a confidential clerk of Tellson's Bank is on his way to Dover in the horse driven coach "The Dover Mail." It is around elven on a cold November night and a fog envelops the coach as it struggles to climb up Shooter's Hill. Visibility is practically zero:

"There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none. A clammy and intensely cold mist, made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do. It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings and a few yards of road; and the reek of the labouring horse steamed into it, as if they had made it all."

The passengers had alighted and the coach man Tom and his guard Joe with great difficulty were struggling to push the coach uphill. Just then they heard the sound of a horse galloping towards them. They immediately suspected the rider to be a highway man. The guard of the "Dover Mail" immediately cocked the safety of his blunderbuss and aimed it in the dark in the direction of the horse rider and threatened to shoot him. However, Jerry Cruncher identifies himself as a messenger from Tellson's Bank, London with a message for one Mr. Jarvis Lorry. Mr. Lorry assures the coachman and the guard that there is nothing to be frightened of and receives the message from Jerry Cruncher and reads  it and replies to it. Jerry then returns to London and the Dover Mail continues its journey towards Dover.

This incident reveals to us how unsafe the roads in England were during Dickens' time and how each passenger feared for his own safety:

In those days, travellers were very shy of being confidential on short notice, for anybody on the road might be a robber or in league with robbers.

In Hamlet how many time does the ghost appear?

The Ghost appears to Marcellus and Bernardo in Act I.i.  It does not speak.  It exits and re-enters (does that count as a separate appearance?)  Then it exits again.  The Ghost had appeared the previous two nights to these same two guards, but it was before the action of the play (does that count?)

The Ghost appears to Horatio, Marcellus, and Hamlet in Act I.iv. It beckons to Hamlet and exits with Hamlet to the next scene.  The Ghost opens Act I.v, speaking to Hamlet on another platform (does that count as an appearance?)  It's a new scene, but Shakespeare didn't write in the scenes in the original Folio, so I don't know.  It speaks to Hamlet in scene v and tells him of his murder.

The Ghost appears to Hamlet in the famous closet interview with Gertrude and Polonius (hiding) in Act III.iv.  Gertrude and Polonius cannot see the Ghost, only Hamlet. The Ghost warns Hamlet not to harm his mother.

So, the Ghost appears in 4 different scenes.  It bridges two scenes, so it only really makes 3 separate appearances, unless you count the appearances before the play.  If that's the case, then it appears 5 times.  The Ghost has 5 entries and 5 exits.

What's the best way to provide an court appointed attorney to a criminal defendant who cannot afford to hire his or her own attorney?I'm open to...

The best way, of course, is to have a functioning and fully funded public defenders office. Ideally, the public defenders office would be completely independent of any other part of judicial system in the jurisdiction. In other words, in wouldn’t be wise to make the Public Defender’s office a branch of the District Attorney’s office – this would not only raise the appearance of collusion and/or undue influence, it would almost always lead to real-life examples of same.

In jurisdictions where there isn’t enough case load, or there aren’t enough available resources to have a permanent Public Defender, there are a few other options.

In some jurisdictions, judges have the power to appoint Public Defenders from among the local criminal defense bar, on an as-needed basis. It may seem unjust to allow a judge to force an attorney to take a case, but it can be justified by pointing out that the privilege granted by the state bar to practice law also entails certain responsibilities, chief among them being to ensure no defendant goes unrepresented.

In some jurisdictions, Public Defense is provided on a sub-contract basis, with local firms bidding for the right to provide attorneys for the indigent, being paid by either a flat yearly fee, or on a per-case basis. This saves money for the jurisdiction, as they do not have to provide overhead costs to the lawyers involved.

It is also possible for local charitable and/or public interest groups to provide Public Defenders on a volunteer or low-cost basis. Most jurisdictions have some access to organizations like Legal Aid, Catholic Charities, and the like.

In very small jurisdictions, of course, these things can be handled much like it was in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, where the judge calls a local lawyer, asks him to take the case, and he agrees. It should always be that simple, but seldom is.

What kind of figure of speech is each of the following quotes?"Stars, hide your fires" "I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal;for it must seem...

Both quotes also reveal imagery: vivid language that represents objects, actions, ideas.

In particular, the first quote reveals imagery connected to the ideas of "appearance versus reality," "lightness and darkness," and "heavenly bodies."  And if you read on, "hand" and "sight" imagery:

Stars, hide your fires,

Let not light see my black and deep desires;

The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be

Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

In the first soliloquy, or aside, Macbeth reveals the duality of images: the hiding of stars' "fires" that represent "black and deep desires."  It's external (appearance) vs. internal (reality) imagery.  As well, the "eye" (knowledge) vs. the "hand" (action).  Later, after killing Duncan, Macbeth will not want to go back into the chamber and look on the crime his hand has committed.

The second quote reveals the same "appearance versus reality" duality: hiding or transferring guilt.  In this case, it is the external face showing guilt when, in fact, guilt is internal.

In both quotes, the Macbeths will never be able to hide the stars' fires, never be able to wash the blood from their hands, and never be able to hide the guilt from their sleepless nights.

How do Laura's strong feelings about the workmen foreshadow her strong feelings about canceling the party in "The Garden Party"?

"The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield is a short story in which class distinction plays a large role.  Laura is part of a rich, aristocratic family.  When we meet them, all but Laura are consumed with the details and finishing touches of the party, though they are doing virtually nothing to actually prepare for it.  Well, except for themselves.  Instead, a series of workers come to the house to do the various tasks which need doing before the gathering.  Laura is drafted to accompany them as she is the "artistic one." When she sees them for the first time, she is struck by the dramatic difference between them and the men in her world. 

Four men in their shirt-sleeves stood grouped together on the garden path. They carried staves covered with rolls of canvas, and they had big tool-bags slung on their backs. They looked impressive.

She feels somhow as if they're superior to her, for they are doing and accomplishing things--something she's not apparently used to seeing.  She remarks to herself "How very nice workmen were!"  She follows them and tries rather ineffectually to assert herself.  Instead, the men move straight to the practical as they set up their tents.  She observes one of the workmen raising a flower to his nose to savor the scent.  This was an utterly foreign sight to her.

Oh, how extraordinarily nice workmen were, she thought. Why couldn't she have workmen for her friends rather than the silly boys she danced with and who came to Sunday night supper? She would get on much better with men like these.

These feelings aren't particularly surprising for an "artistic" or sensitive young girl.  What is surprising is that she was raised in a home which virtually ignores anyone from the working class and who do not understand her--or her sympathetic view of the working class.

Please give a summary of "The Slave's Dream" by Henry Longfellow?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's heartfelt poem "The Slave's Dream" is structured as eight sestet stanzas in alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter with a rhyme scheme of a b c b d b  etc., varying the Italian sestet rhyme scheme of a b c a b c, in which the trimeter lines correspond with the b-position rhymes. The poetic speaker, who is not the poet himself, is narrating the slave's dream and experience in this dream vision poem.

The poem starts out by positioning the slave laying down beside his work, his tool in his hand, with the "mist and shadow of sleep" about him as he dreams of his "Native Land" where he is a beloved king, with loving wife and children, who rides on a fast horse decked in gold. The dream vision follows the king on a fast ride past landmarks of his beloved land where he smiles at lions, hyenas and the desert blast. The ending reveals that the slave is beyond the pain of the slave "driver's whip," beyond the "burning heat of day," for "Death" has "illuminated" his sleep and set his soul free.

Some of the poetic techniques (one of the two categories of poetic devices) Longfellow uses are metaphor, simile, personification, and irony. An example of metaphor is "mist and shadow of sleep." An example of simile is "like a glorious roll of drums." An example of personification is "Blast of the Desert cried aloud." An example of irony is "Death had illuminated the Land of Sleep." This is creatively ironic because death is associated in poetic convention with darkness and chains of despair, yet Longfellow sees that for the slave death is an illumination of light and a freedom of release; these are the opposite of the poetic convention.

Where was the real "Number 2"?

I guess it sort of depends on what you think the real number two is.  Injun Joe tells his accomplice that they should hide the money at Number Two, under the cross.  So to me, that means wherever the money is hidden is Number 2 even if it doesn't have a number on it.

What the boys think is that it must be room #2 at one of the town's two taverns.  But one of them is occupied a perfectly respectable young lawyer and the other one turns out to be a room where whiskey is being sold secretly.

Where the money is really hidden is in the cave.  So I would say that makes it the real number 2 even though Injun Joe and his accomplice do drink at the number 2 where liquor is sold.

What are some quotes that show physical/mental dangers of books in "Fahrenheit 451"?

Your best bet for finding really good quotes that relate to the supposed "dangers" of reading books are going to be in Beatty's speech to Montag.  After they burn the old lady in her house with her books, Montag is deeply disturbed, and stays home sick.  Beatty shows up at his house, and gives him a pretty lengthy run-down of the history of burning books--how it started, how it came to be, and society and government's role in the matter.

One of the dangers mentioned is how reading books makes people smart, which makes other people feel dumb in comparison.  No one likes

"the boy in your own class or school who was exceptionally bright."

The smart kids make the other kids feel bad about themselves; hence, as Beatty states, "Intellectual became the swear word that it deserves to be."  Book are mentally dangerous because they make people who DON'T read them feel bad about themselves.  This is also physically dangerous, because those smart kids are bullied and beat up after school.  Then, books discuss cultures, genders, races, and other issues, and express frank opinions about those people, which end up offending others.  Beatty says, "we can't have our minorities upset and stirred."  People were offended by the opinions expressed in books, so they started censoring them, burning them, and it became too perilous for authors to write them anymore.  Their careers were in dange because no one bought them unless they made everyone happy.

One last way that books are potentially dangerous is that they lead people to think for themselves, which means questioning the world around them.  Beatty states that "that way leads melancholy."  If people think too much, he says, they get upset, depressed, and worry about their world.  So, it's dangerous to their happiness.

I hope that helps; I encourage you to re-read Beatty's spiel to Montag to find more dangers.  Good luck!

In Chapter 15 of "The Things They Carried", explain whether the seven medals were enough for Norman Bowker and his father.

Norman Bowker, in "Speaking of Courage," has won seven medals from his Vietnam tour of duty: the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.  But he is one short: the Silver Star.  He might have won this if he would have helped save Kiowa from the shitfield.  He obviously suffers from survivor's guilt, and his subsequent suicide suggests that no amount of medals would have been enough to save Norman.

Norman's father's generation (World War II) better assimilated back into civilian life.  Apparently, in Norman's eyes at least, their medals were emblems of honor that came with winning a war.  But Norman feels undeserving of his since his comrades lost the war and their best man, Kiowa.  No amount of material possessions can replace the emotional losses of war.

One of the great blunders of the French in Indochina was to set up camp (Dien Bien Phu) at the bottom of an upturned tortoise shell.  Jimmy Cross makes the same mistake in the events that led up to Kiowa's death.  The story is analogous to both the American and French involvement in the war: it smelled from the beginning.  Cross, O'Brien, and now Bowker all share the guilt.  Cross bears it during the war; Bowker and O'Brien suffer from it in its post-war form.

In "Speaking of Courage," Bowker drives counter-clockwise in his Iowa hometown on the Fourth of July in an attempt to turn back the clock.  Bowker's father never appears in the story, but his shadow hangs over it.  Bowker's father believes that medals represent come kind of courage, but Bowker ultimately finds them meaningless--not that he didn't exhibit courage in war, but because words like "courage" and "honor" ultimately ring hollow.  Since Vietnam, there's been a sea-change in what these words mean and how long their meanings last.  No words, or medals, can take away the personal and collective guilt for losing Kiowa, the war, and his childhood.

These questions are from Chapter 16 of Into the Wild: Why was McCandless compared to Sir John Franklin? How does Krakauer see that comparison?

In Chapter 17 of Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer addresses what some people perceive to be similarities between Christopher (Chris) McCandless and Sir John Franklin.  According to what Krakauer writes,

By design McCandless came into the country with insufficient provisions, and he lacked certain pieces of equipment deemed essential by many Alaskans: a large-caliber rifle, map and compass, an ax.  This has been regarded as evidence not just of stupidity but of the even greater sin of arrogance.  Some critics have even drawn parallels between McCandless and the Artic's most infamous tragic figure, Sir John Franklin, a nineteenth-century British naval officer whose smugness and hauteur contributed to some 140 deaths, including his own.

Franklin chose to enter the Artic wilderness without taking all of the precautions available, such as packing extra reserves of food and learning native approaches to survival.  He is believed to have considered himself superior to common means of survival, which many people consider to have also been Chris's opinion of himself. 

When McCandless turned up dea, he was likened to Franklin not simply because both men starved but also because both were perceived to have lacked a requisite humility; both were thought to have possessed insufficient respect for the land.

Krakauer does not openly state the he disagrees with any comparisons between McCandless and Franklin, but he does maintain that McCandless did not posess the same type of arrogance that plagued Franklin.  Krakauer also asserts that native approaches are not always successful and that McCandless did posess sufficient skills to survive for an extended period in the wild.

What are five themes in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave?

There are several powerful themes that emerge from Frederick Douglass' narrative.  One such idea is the notion of change and how a young American social and political order will respond to it.  Douglass' work is quite transformative in that it demands to be heard, and that American political and social thought must recognize and adapt to such change.  The voice that emerges out of Douglass' work is not one that is apologetic or acquiescent to the Status Quo.  Rather, it seeks to challenge and redefine it.  Another theme that emerges from the work is the issue of race and identity in Modern America.  The issue of slavery and its abolition in the North coupled with its zealous defense in the South proves to be a defining element in the Civil War.  The issue of race and racial identity are critical components in the conception of America through the Civil War period and beyond, which are also central to the Narrative.  Along these lines, one can sense that the theme of growth in modernity is present in Douglass' work.  The reality in which Douglass is writing is one where America, as a young nation, will have to endure the pains of growth and engage in reflective analysis as to how to handle such growth.  I think that another theme is the empowerment which accompanies literacy.  Douglass is quite pointed about the idea that his evolution as a human being and emergence from the bondage of slavery is a direct result of learning how to read and write fluently.  Finally, the theme of social responsibility is of critical importance to Douglass' work.  This is an idea which stresses that individuals have a responsibility to both themselves and their immediate social order.  Douglass does not merely escape out of slavery and forget his previous predicament.  Rather, he fully immerses himself within and to the cause of abolition so that others may understand the joys and redemption of freedom as he did.

In relation to Boo Radley and his house, how do Scout, Jem and Dill try to test their courage? What feelings do they have about Boo?In Lee's To...

Not only does Boo serve as a freakish attraction to Jem, Scout and Dill, but the Radley Place also becomes a landmark from which they challenge each other to test their courage in the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. First, Jem accepts Dill's dare to "touch the house."

    Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful... but as we stared down the street we thought we saw an inside shutter move. Flick. A tiny, almost invisible movement, and the house was still.

Then, Scout summons the courage to retrieve the shiny object in the knothole of the oak tree on the edge of the Radley property. She speeds away and discovers it was gum--Double-Mint. Next, Scout makes it all the way to the Radley porch, riding a tire up to the steps. But, on Dill's last day in Maycomb, they decide to go all the way. Jem attempts to peek inside a window from the Radley porch:

    Then I saw the shadow... Jem saw it. He put his arms over his head and went rigid. (It) stopped about a foot beyond Jem. Its arm came out from its side, dropped, and was still.
    Jem leaped off the porch and galloped toward us.

On his way back, Jem loses his pants; when he retrieves them later, he finds a surprise that will puzzle him for months to come.

The children's original fear of Boo gradually disappears although their curiosity remains intact. The presents in the knothole and the mended pants is evidence enough that their mysterious neighbor is really a shy, but still invisible, friend.

Do vaccines completely protect you from diseases?If you get vaccination shots, would you still have a chance to be exposed to a disease? (is the...

Immunization, also called vaccination, a method of strengthening the body resistance against specific diseases using microorganisms - bacteria or viruses - which have been changed or killed. These microorganisms do not cause disease treated, but stimulates the body's immune system to create a defense mechanism that protects against disease continuously. If the protected person against a particular disease contacts  the agent that causes disease, the immune system is able to respond immediately against the disease.

Immunization reduced the amazing number of people dying from a fatal disease. Scientists have discovered two types of immunization: active immunization, ensuring greater period of protection against disease, and passive immunization, ensuring temporary immunization.

 In active immunization, some or all micro-organism that causes disease or as a product of the same product is injected into the body to make immune system to resist disease.

Vaccines that produce active immunization are made into several types depending on the type of disease and the body it causes.

Vaccine components are antibodies, substances found in the body that cause disease, so that the immune system recognizes them as foreign. In response to the antibodies, the immune system creates antibodies or other white blood cells called lymphocytes. Immunization mimics real infection, but have little or no risk of infection with the disease.

Passive immunization is the injection of blood from a person or an animal actively immunized.

Some agents in vaccines provide complete protection against the disease throughout life.

Some agents offer partial protection, ie the vaccinee may contact the disease, but to a less severe form.

Vaccines are considered risky for people who have an immune system partially destroyed, such as those infected with the virus that causes immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS, or those which are chimo therapy for cancer or those awaiting an organ transplant.

Some vaccines need to be repeated at specified intervals. Tetanus injections, for example, are recommended every 10 years throughout life.

What forms of censorship are used in both 1984 and in today's civilization?

As O'Brien says, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."  Re-writing the past is a favorite pastime of authoritarian governments.  Hugo Chavez recently rewrote all the history books in the Venezuelan schools.  He created a year "zero," a starting over period in his country's history.  Those individuals and institutions whom he does not support were either left out of history or were demonized.

Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, which is really the Ministry of Lies (misinformation, disinformation, censorship, and revisionist history).  He sends real people down the memory hole; hence, they never were (unpersons).  Hollywood is notorious for this, sending such despots as Stalin, Mao, and others down the memory hole.  Who do they recycle as the archetypal villain of the WWII era?  Hitler, of course.  So says critic John Bennett:

Chairman Mao, once the Big Brother of China, has almost vanished down the Chinese memory hole. He has been virtually written out of Chinese history. A similar fate has befallen Stalin in official Soviet history. Hitler, on the other hand, has not been written out of history. He is larger than life, appearing on our 1984-style telescreens on a regular basis as a Goldstein hate figure He is needed to assist in the portrayal of World War II as a war between total good (the victors) and total evil (the vanquished). Hitler is also useful for the Hollywood World War II industry which churns out a mind-boggling number of films and TV series about the war.

Other forms of censorship include war propaganda and the Goldstein effect: always keeping the enemy as the lead news story, front and center, to be hated and feared en masse.  Bin Laden, Saddam, Kim Jong Il and other non-white members of the Axis of Evil have been recently demonized by the media.

Also books are outlawed in 1984.  This is the worst form of censorship, as it denies any written record of the past, any art to inspire, any dissenting opinions to be heard.  Just check your local school board to see which books your public schools have recently banned.  At last check: Huck Finn was among the heavyweights.  Catcher in the Rye, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and The Color Purple also come to mind for their explicit language and episodes of sexual interludes.

What does "fiend intemperance" mean?

I don't know the context that you are asking this question in, so I can't connect it to whatever book you are reading or anything.  But here's the general idea of the term.

"Fiend" of course, is a word meaning something like a devil or a demon.  "Intemperance" means not doing things in moderation -- going overboard when you do stuff.  More specifically, it is the opposite of "temperance" -- temperance is usually defined as not drinking any alcohol.

So, intemperance means drinking alcohol, possibly too much alcohol.  Fiend means devil.  So the two words put together mean something like "demon Rum" -- the idea that drinking alcohol is like a demon that will ruin a person's life.

I hope that makes sense in context of whatever it is you are reading...

Which is the bacterium that could contribute in realizing artificial blood vessels?

Bypass Operations are the classical interventions when occurs a blockage into the coronary vessels surrounding the heart. The first source of replacing the damaged vessels is a vain from the patient's leg, but if it's not fitting, the alternative consists in synthetic vessel. The problem with this kind of vessels is that, unlike the real ones, which possess a layer of cells that prevent clotting, the artifficial ones presesent an increased risk of blood clots.

It is known that  around 6,000 of bypass operations are made in Sweden in every year, so that, facing with the problem of clotting from artificial vessels, specialists from Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have developped a thesis, where they have revealed the properties of the cellulose, produced by the bacterium Acetobacter xylinum. Compared with artificial vessel materials, cellulose produced by bacteria and used to build vessels, in contact with human blood, it is more resistant to pressure exercised to them and is better tolerated by human tissue.

What are popular ways to describe goblins?I would like to create an all new picture of the horrible creatures.

Goblins are usually portrayed as ugly mythical creatures that range in size from the size of a hobbit or dwarf to a human. They are usually green or brown and their chief characteristics are: mischievous, unintelligent and somewhat petty. For this reason, they are not among the high ranking powers of "evil." They are more henchmen to the more powerful figures. They are also closely related to orcs.

In the role playing game, Dungeons and Dragons, goblins are some of the lowest level monsters that one will face. They generally fit the above description.

What are the 3 main reasons the French and Indian war started?

The French and Indian War (1754-1763) should be thought of as part of a worldwide struggle between the British and French.  That conflict is better known as the Seven Years War.

The main cause of the French and Indian War is the superpower competition between Britain and France.  These two countries were the most powerful in the world and competed for dominance around the globe.

Within this overall cause, there were reasons specific to North America that helped cause the war.

1. The desire on the part of both countries to control the lucrative North American fur trade.

2. The fact that the expansion of the British colonies in North America were threatening French territory and their trade routes.

These three factors (which can be seen as two subfactors of a main cause) were instrumental in causing the French and Indian War.

Elizabeth said,"She wants me dead. I knew all week it would come to this!" What did she mean by this? What is elizabeth feeling and why? (Crucible)

Elizabeth is in despair at the inevitability she has felt since first realizing the extent of John's involvement with Abigail.  Mary Warren comes home after spending the day in the village.  When John confronts her for leaving home after being told not to go, Mary defensively proclaims that she saved Elizabeth's life in court.  Elizabeth then realizes that Abigail must have accused her of witchcraft.  Elizabeth, more than anyone else in the play at this point, knows what Abigail must be up to.  She knows that Abigail wishes to get her out of the way so that she can have John all to herself, and she realizes that all of Abigail's accusations against the villagers have led to this moment.  She feels helpless and hopeless to defend herself against this accusation.

Who is Danforth?

In "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, Danforth is the Deputy Governor and, as such, is in overall charge of the witch trials that occur in Salem.

In the play, it is revealed that Danforth is somewhat lacking in character because he is willing to put the needs of the government ahead of the interests of justice.  He does this by refusing to free Proctor and others like him even though he has a great deal of evidence showing they are innocent.  His rationale is that releasing them will make the courts look bad because they had already executed people whose cases were similar.

So, in this way, Danforth shows the propensity of government officials to want to avoid making themselves and their agencies look bad, regardless of the consequences for others.

Compare and contrast Kino and Juana.

Kino has a traditional provider mentality, in that, he sees others as a block to his success and riches and therefore treats them with suspicion. Because of his way of seeing things, he is competitive. He finds a rare pearl and immediately comes to the conclusion that everyone who knows about it will want to steal it or trick him into selling it at a low price. Throughout the story his obsession with the pearl distracts him from the illness of his infant son. In the end, he kills his own son because of the pearl. It's not really because of the pearl, itself, but what it represents--what people want to take away from him. The moral of the story is that which is truly our own--the child--cannot be taken away.

Juana has a more primitive/spiritual mentality. She is aware of how negative thoughts and actions can lead to a negative outcome. She sees the problem of the pearl as a lesson about human greed and spiritual truth. For example, even at the beginning after the doctor leaves when Kino wants to hide the Pearl again she thinks it is a harbinger of something bad to come. Nearer to the end of the story she takes off with the pearl and tries to throw it in the sea. At this point she really believes that the presence of the pearl is what is causing her baby to be sick.

As revealed in this dramatic monlogue, the Duke prizes the painting of his wife, but what is the Duke’s approach to art?

The Duke prizes the portrait of his wife exactly because it is a work of art. He did not prize his wife - he had her murdered. But now she is a work of art, like the the bronze statue of Neptune taming the sea horse (how ironic!!!) she is valued and loved.(He could not tame her!!!)

The Duke only loves things that he can control, like art or the artists who rely on his patronage. In life he was unable to command her complete attention. She was too ready to rank the gift of his noble name with those things given by others. She smiled at everyone, now she only smiles at his behest when he draws the curtain aside to control who she smiles at.

The language reflects this as well as the narrative. When he speaks about art or artists the tone is controlled but when he begins to talk about the Duchess when she was alive, the lines run on (enjambment) as if out of control and the pauses (caeasura) indicate a further loss of control.

In short the Duke loves art because it is under his control.

For a compare-contrast essay, would you choose to compare Love/Hatred, Dickens's views toward the aristocracy/lower class, or Paris/London, and...

While the writer should always choose a topic that he/she is comfortable discussing and supporting, keep in mind that the title is A Tale of Two Cities and, as such, there are many parallels and comparisons drawn between these two cities.  For instance, in the famous exposition, Dickens writes in the second paragraph,

There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France.  In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the States perserves of loaves and fishes, that things in gereral were settled for ever.

Clearly, Dickens intends to demonstrate in his narrative the parallels of these two countries.  For one thing, there are several characters who have dual identities--one in England and one in France:  Charles Darnay, who is tried for treason in both countries, as well; Solomon/John Basard/Roger Cly; Dr. Manette; Sydney Carton, at the novel's end.

Comparisons can easily be made between the lawlessness in England that Dickens mentions in his exposition and the bloodthirst in France.  (Even Stryver is like the bonnets rouges [the "Jacques" as Dickens calls the revolutionaries] as he is for killing M. Evremonde when he hears the gossip at the bank.)

If you consider the dual roles and identities of several characters when they are in London and when they are in Paris, you will have no trouble drawing parallels and comparisons.  If you stay with your original idea, examine how the love/hatred parallels the theme of order/chaos. (see the link on themes for other ideas, as well.)

For some practical assistance, check out the site below on how to write a comparison/contrast essay. Good Luck/Bonne Chance!

The half-life of carbon-14 is about 5370 years. What percent of the original carbon-14 would you expect to find in a sample after 2500 years?

If t is the half life of a radioactive substance the percentage (p) of the radioactive material left after time T is given by:

p = 100*[0.5^(T/t)]

It is given:

Half life of carbon-14 = t = 5370 years, and

Actual time elapsed = T = 2500 years

Substituting these values in equation for p we get:

p = 100*[0.5^(2500/5370)] = 72.4195

Answer:

72.4195 percent of carbon-14 will remain after 2500 years

What does the candle in Act V, Scene I represent? How does it add to the theme of darkness? Why is it so important for Lady Macbeth? Thanks

This is to add to the points made in the first answer to this question. The candle which accompanies Lady Macbeth in her sleep-walking act is functional as a metaphor in different ways. If we take her sleep-walking speech to be a kind of self-confession of the dark deed, the candle may be seen as an image of burning repentance that re-humanizes her character in the final moment of her life. Alternatively, it may also be seen as an infernal image that underscores her predicament of sinfulness.

The candle may well be the actual reason of her death. According to some critics, it might well be that she died due to the fire caused by an accidental fall of the candle.

The candle also cuts across a pathetic image for Lady Macbeth, being her only companion, highlighting her loneliness and Macbeth's neglect towards her. The candle is also a very ironic object. Looking back at her introductory scene, it was Lady Macbeth who had always wanted absolute darkness while now she is reduced to a paranoid obsession with the light of the candle which she does not keep apart even for a moment.

Do 10 Commandments displays involve private speech in an open forum like an opinion in a town meeting? Or is the permanent placement of a Ten...

I am not sure that this issue is being framed properly in your question, since the placement of the Ten Commandments has nothing to do with public or private speech. If the Ten Commandments are placed on private property, there is no case, and if they are placed on public property, the issue is whether their placement violates the First Amendment's establishment clause, which prohibits the state (or any level of government) from acting in a way that establishes a particular religion or religions.  Of course, the First Amendment also provides that government may not interfere with the practice of any religion, so there is understandably tension between those aspects of the Amendment.

These are difficult cases for the courts to decide because if the Ten Commandments are not permitted to be displayed, there is some argument that people's religious beliefs are being interfered with. However, notice that if the government declines to display the Ten Commandments, there is nothing to stop people from following them or from displaying them privately.  But if the Ten Commandments are displayed, then there is a good argument that the state is promoting a particular religion or religions, in this case, Judaism and Christianity, both of which subscribe to these Commandments.  Is it reasonable for government to display a symbol of two particular religions when we have so many religions in the United States?  What are Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims supposed to make of the promotion of Judeo-Christian writings by the government?  Public property belongs to all the taxpayers, not just Christians and Jews. Should all taxpayers have to pay for and to endure the promotion of a few religions over all the other religions?

I have provided you with a link to a series of Supreme Court cases that address these First Amendment issues, and you will notice that they concern the establishment clause and the free exercise clause, but do not focus on public or private speech.

The older shall serve the younger.What is the meaning of that?

This is a quotation from Genesis, and refers to the story of Isaac and Rebecca, and their two sons, Esau and Jacob.  Esau and Jacob are twins, and when Rebecca is pregnant with them, it is prophesied that the "older shall serve the younger."  This was completely against the customs of that time and place, in which the older child inherited everything from the father, and in the case of Judaism, received the father's blessing.  One twin, of course, being born first, is considered the elder twin, and in this case, Esau was born first, but Jacob manipulates events and deceives his father into thinking he is Esau. In this way, he receives the inheritance and his father's blessing, thus making Esau the brother who must "serve" him.  The story goes on to tell us that Esau marries outside the Jewish faith, and in fact, one of his wives is the granddaughter of Hagar, Sarah's handmaiden in the story of Abraham and Sarah.  You might have learned at some point that Hagar and Abraham cohabit when it appears Sarah is too old to have children, and Hagar and Abraham's child is Ishmael, who is said to be the beginning of the Arab nations.  To get back to Jacob from that little detour, Jacob remains in the faith and is responsible for the continuation of the tribes of Israel. 

Whether or not you believe in the Bible literally, these are wonderful stories about human emotions and behavior, and they have much to teach us. 

Why does Arnold go and pick the peas after he shoots his brother in "The Stone Boy"?

After he realizes that he has killed Eugie, Arnold goes into a state of complete shock. He acts automatically and continues the activity planned for the morning: picking peas. An unfortunate example of a child overwhelmed by grief to the point that he is unable to express any feelings, Arnold mechanically goes through the motions of picking peas---just half a bucket, which is his half of the task---before he returns home and tells his parents about Eugie. Arnold is completing the task assigned to him, doing his job, before he goes home.

Arnold's behavior is strange to everyone--his parents, the sheriff, the neighbors, even the reader--but psychiatrists indicate that his reaction to the sudden shock of his brother's death at his hands is not unusual for a child. His grief is extreme; he almost seems to have no awareness that Eugie is dead when he moves on to pick peas. In fact, he's probably in a state of denial, maybe even unconscious denial, for he simply cannot believe that his beloved older brother is dead.

He has become numb, unable to show grief. As the author indicates in her title, he is a "stone boy."

In Ender's Game, what does "salaam" mean?

As previous posters have stated, "Salaam" basically means peace be with you in Arabic.  It is most often spoken by Muslim cultures.

Certainly the significance of this scene is the seal of a friendship between Alai and Ender.  Looking deeper however, one could examine it as a clue into Alai's past.  One element that is ambiguous throughout the novel is the nationalities and backgrounds of the students at Battle School.  When Dink mentions, "Nobody ever talks about home," he hits on something even the author (perhaps purposefully) left out.  If this is a global war between aliens and humans, it has to be assumed that the students training for the battle are the best and brightest from around the globe.

There is a scene that was written in the original publication of Ender's Game which was later removed by the author (likely for the purpose of expanding the opportunity to teach the book in middle and high school classes), in which Ender and Alai have a quick and casual conversation in the Battle Room.  Shen is referred to as a "slanty-eyed butt-wiggler" and Ender responds with, "Hey, we can't all be n*ggers."  Nothing in the conversation is said with a tone of disrespect, rather, the casual nature of the entire thing makes it seem like the point was to give a brief glimpse into the nationalities of some of the other characters.  From that conversation, Alai would most likely be assumed to be an African American (another line says "my great grandfather would have sold him first," in reference to Alai's grandfather being a slave).

In light of this information, Alai's use of the word "salaam" might be less of a reference to his heritage, and likely more of a reference to some sort of religious belief.  Whatever the purpose, the taboo subjects of life before battle school and religion in general certainly heighten the sacredness of this moment for Ender.

In Act 5 Scene 2 of Othello, how is it like a tragedy? Is there anything that doesn't fit in with the idea of a tragedy?Also in Act 1 Scene 3 of...

There is tragic conditions featured in the closing scene.  The idea of Othello possessing a moment of doubt as Desedmona sleeps acquires tragic sensibilities.  These are enhanced when Othello understands the complete nature of the web that Iago has concocted.  There is a level of sadness, of tragedy, when Othello recognizes how his destiny has changed from the start of the play.  At the outset, he was an honorable and mighty military general, one of the few "outsiders," who had achieved a place amongst those who could be seen as "insiders."  Being of color in a society where representation was lacking, Othello's fall from grace is heightened by the fact that he assumes complete responsibility for not trusting Cassio and Desdemona.  It is tragic for him to have seen the shambles that resulted from a life with so much promise.  While it might not have been the direct intent, it is increased recognizing that he, being an outsider, suffered, confirming those whose entrenched power caused the crisis of representation as correct.

How are women portrayed in Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery"?

The women in Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," are portrayed as simple, second-class citizens, subservient to their husbands and even their sons. The men run the show: All of the lottery officials are men, and they gather first, then the women. The men speak of important things, "planting and rain, tractors and taxes." The women merely gossip. The women are not authoritative, for they have to call their children "four or five times" before they obey. Everyone condescends toward Tessie Hutchinson because she is late--late because her husband rounded up the kids and brought them to the important annual event without bothering to even fetch his wife.

Tessie is presented as a congenial wife but ultimately weak and disloyal mother. When she finds that her family is the chosen one, she attempts to better her own odds by asking that her older daughter be included:

   "There's Don and Eva," Mrs. Hutchinson yelled. "Make them take their chances."
   "Daughters draw with their husbands' families, Tessie," Mr. Summers said gently. "You know that as well as anyone else."
   "It wasn't fair," Tessie said.

Tessie repeats her childlike "it isn't fair" excuse several times before her end. In a final bit of irony, even Tessie's own son, Davy, moves in with his own pebbles to participate in his mother's sacrifice.

What does Scout learn from Calpurnia in To Kill a Mockingbird? To give Jem some time so he can grow up.

    I assume you are asking about the advice that Calpurnia gave to Scout concerning Jem's growing older in the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Please restate your question if this is not correct.
    At the beginning of Part Two (Chapter 12), Scout complains about Jem's "difficult" behavior since turning 12 years old. Scout asked Atticus if Jem might have a tapeworm, but her father answered that it was Jem growing up and to be patient with him. Meanwhile, Calpurnia gave Scout some good advice.

"... Mister Jem's growing up. He's gonna want to be off to himself a lot now, doin' whatever boys do, so you just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome. We'll find lots of things to do in here."

Then, Calpurnia took Scout under her wing, where the young Finch girl discovered some kitchen skills. 

Calpurnia would do until Dill came.

Since Atticus was away much of the time preparing for the Tom Robinson trial, Calpurnia decided to take Jem and Scout to her church, where they learned about the many differences between their own place of worship and the First Purchase A.M.E. Church. They discovered that Calpurnia spoke differently outside the Finch household; that she was one of the best educated members of her church; and that they would be welcome at her own home any time.

Explain how Utopia plays a dual role in pointing out a picture of an ideal society.

More's Utopia may be read both as an allegory and as a satire : an allegory of an ideal / perfect state, and a satire on the impossibility of the ideal state. 'Utopia' is made up of 'ou'(no) and 'topos'(place). In that sense, the name refers to 'no place'. but its homophone 'Eutopia' is made up of 'eu'(good) and 'topos'(place). In that sense, the name refers to 'good place'. That is to say, if the ideal commonwealth is 'good place', it is also 'no place'.

More's island is fictional and so is its social-economic-legal system. Wars are discarded, but there are the mercenaries to be sent for the warring enemies. There are slaves and ideological suppression. Since there are few laws and lawyers, there is hardly any significance of legal justice.

More's tract thus suggests the humanist perception of an ideal society on one level, but on another level it may also be understood as an authoritarian system which absurdly and mechanistically conjures up a 'no place'. The all good is only too good to exist.

Who are the protagonist and antagonist in the first twilight book? is the protagonist Edward and the antagonist James?

The protagonist or main character in Twilight is Bella. The story is primarily told from her point of view and the audience struggles along with her as she makes decisions about her relationship with Edward and the rest of the Cullens. One could argue that Edward and the rest of his "family" also play a protagonist role as many of the central events revolve around their roles.

James is definitely an antagonist. His desire to hunt down Bella and his attempt to kill her places him in direct conflict with her protagonist role.

Edited to say that protagonists are often referred to as "good guys" while antagonists are often referred to as "bad guys." While that does not always prove true, in Twilight it does.

Why is Geography important in The Great Gatsby? 200-300 words

Fitzgerald, ironically, wrote the Great American Novel while living in America and France, 1923-24, as a patriot and an ex-patriot.

Nick narrates the novel from back home in the Midwest.  In his flashback, he tells of four locations: New York City, East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes.  The last three are situated near the Long Island Sound.

To the characters in the novel, New York is the center of the universe.  Fitzgerald uses this NY-centric mentality to establish those living in East Egg (representative of the East Coast) as the old money of old Europe.  Tom, East Egg's posterboy, is a racist, womanizing, elitist who subjugates the poor, stealing Wilson's wife and tempting him to sell him his car.

The West Egg is represented by Gatsby and Nick, both originally from the midwest.  They are from more modest backgrounds, more even tempered, idealistic.  They are worth the "whole damn bunch" of the other East Eggers combined.  Nick's modest bungalow near the Gatsby estate establishes him as working class hero.

The Valley of Ashes are peopled by the proletariat, the underclass.  Situated between the two Eggs, it is symbolized by death and dreams gone awry.  Though, it is also the seat of the moral universe: the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg, who watches, but essentially does nothing.

Crimes are perpetuated in all thee geographies.  New York is the site of Tom's abuse of Myrtle.  Gatsby's house is one bought from bootlegging and where George kills Gatsby.  The Valley of Ashes is the scene of Daisy's running over Myrtle.  All seem illegitimate.

Geography and setting is established early.  Here's some notes and quotes to think about:

(2)  "When I came back from the East last autumn I felt I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever."
(2)  Nick's family in Mid-west for 3 generations
(10) Tom and Daisy had been in Mid-west (Chicago)
(65) Gatsby lies and says he's from Mid-west
(124) When George and Myrtle Wilson want to escape, they want to go West.

The line "fair is foul and foul is fair" is demonstrated in the entire play. Can you identify those instances?

When the Battle's Lost and Won

Macbeth is a play based on contradictions and equivocations. There is a contradiction on almost every page. I'm as sure as I can be that Shakespeare planned it that way. Indeed, the witches themselves rely on double meanings and contradictions all the time:

Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.

Not so happy, yet much happier.

Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.

So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!

Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!

Want more? Lady Macbeth asks to be unsexed and Macbeth later says to her:

Bring forth men-children only,

For thy undaunted mettle should compose

Nothing but males.

And she refers to him as a woman:

O, these flaws and starts,

Impostors to true fear, would well become

A woman's story at a winter's fire,

Authorized by her grandam.

More? The porter's speech before answering the knock the door is all contradictions:

Here's a farmer that hanged himself on th’ expectation of plenty...here's an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God's sake yet could not equivocate to heaven...here's an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose...But this place is too cold for hell.

More? In Act 4, Scene 3, the entire first part of the conversation between Malcolm and Macduff is equivocation and contradiction. Malcolm is telling Macduff things about himself that are comletely opposite of the truth.

I could give you much more, but just know that the play, Macbeth, is based upon the idea that the world has been turned upside down: good is seen as evil, evil as good, men act like women, women act like men, truth is taken for lies and lies for truth, killing is good and then killing is bad, and so on and so on. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," for sure and everywhere.

OK, here's one more in parting:

Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell.

Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace,

Yet grace must still look so.

Just open to any page and there they are, like bones that support the body.

Describe Huckleberry Finn using three quotes from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Even wilder and less civilized than his pal Tom, Huckleberry Finn makes his first appearance as the forbidden friend in Chapter 6 of Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Tom is banned from hanging out with "Hucky" on orders from Aunt Polly. Huck lives alone most of the time, since his father is the town's most reknowned drunk and is away from St. Petersburg much of the time. Tom smokes, cusses, and rarely wears shoes.

Huckleberry was cordially hated and dreaded by all the mothers of the town, because he was idle and lawless and vulgar and bad...

While pirating, Huck was embarrassed by his clothes, since Tom had explained to him that pirates always wore fine clothing.

Huckleberry was always dressed in the castoff clothes of full-grown men, and they were in perennial bloom and fluttering with rags.

Tom received a whipping at school for tardiness after stopping to talk with Huck, who never bothered to attend school.

Huckleberry came and went, at his own free will. He slept on doorsteps in fine weather and in empty hogsheads in wet; he did not have to go to school or church, or call any being master or obey anybody...

Why doesn't Madame Loisel enjoy her life at the beginning of the story?

Madame Loisel is the picture of discontent at the opening of the story.  She has a modest life married to a man who makes a modest income, but she spends her time wishing away the life she has for something more.  She wishes to be rich, to be envied, and to be desired.  She is jealous of those friends who have surpassed her on the social ladder, and she even refuses to visit them because she is ashamed of her station.  She feels intimidated by the success of her good friend Madame Forestier, and she envies her apparent life of leisure.  She is so absorbed in what others have that she fails to appreciate the life she does have.  She is obviously not of the lowest social class, because Maupassant tells us she has a young girl who does her housework for her.  Because of this discontented spirit, nothing her poor husband does for her ever seems to be enough.  This attitude is what eventually causes her downfall.

What are some good quotes to memorize for essay questions?

King Lear comes on stage holding his dead daughter, Cordelia. He asks for a mirror to see if she is breathing:

"Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones;
Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so
That heaven's vault should crack. She's gone forever!
I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth. Lend me a looking glass;
If that her breath will mist of stain the stone,
Why, then she lives."Act 5 Scene 3"

After this terrible event,Kent and Edgar look toward each other, asking:

"Kent: 'Is this the promised end?'
Edgar: 'Or image of that horror?'"

It is like: This is the end that was sought for but now we can see that it is terrible.

These are two nice quotes for an essay. It shows the tragic aspect very well.

What are the quotes (with page numbers) that represent the theme of redemption from Amir, Baba, and Rahim Khan?Give at least 2 quotes (with page #)...

Amir has spent his whole life trying to get past his behavior of not helping Hassan when Assef was raping him.  He also had set Hassan up by placing his items in his room.  Hassan accepted the consequence as if he had stolen them and never told on Amir.  Amir suffered from insomnia after the incidents.  Amir stands up for Hassan's son in America by telling his wife's father that he is never to call the boy a Hazara again.

"And one more thing General Sahib,"I said.  "You will never again refer to him as "Hazara boy" in my presence."(361)

Though it does not directly say this is redemption, when Amir goes to run as  Sorab's kite runner in the end of the novel, he has taken Hassan's role with his son.  He tells Hassan's son that he will be his kite runner.  His redemption is in his decision to raise Hassan's son as his own.

"For you a thousand times over," I heard myself say.

Rahim Kahn redeems himself by sending for Amir to help Hassan's son.  By doing this he ahs helped to set Mair free and saves Hassan's child.

"There is a way to be good again, he'd said. A way to end the cycle."

Which of the 13 colonies had slaves?I just would like to know which states out of the 13 colonies had slaves.

n connecticut they had slaves but they had more slaves than any of the colonies, they had (6,469)slaves.The people could only have one to two slaves, but then the law started to change and minesters, doctors, lawyers and public officials could how many they want.New York had started salvery in 1626 when 11 Africans were unloaded by the Dutch West India Company.Then they went to Africa to go buy some more slaves, they had bought (6,900)salves.Delaware didnt have alot of slaves but then Dutch a person decided to change everything.Dutch had went to Africa to buy some slaves. For Dutch the main purpose for him was to make Delaware better and to grow crops.In 1641 ,Masssachusetts became the first colony to recognize slavery.The slave population in New Hamphire started to drop from 674 to 46.So then in the year 1783 the state constitution had decided to let the slaves free,the people thought it would be fair and that is when they had ended slavery.In New Jersey they had an offer for people 60-acre of landper slave,for any man who impoted slaves in 1664.William Penn the founder of Pennsylvania had allowed slaves, Penn had owned slaves but the rule was "for then a man has them while they live".Rhode Island had started slavery in the year 1652.It was the only New england colony to use slaves for labor and trade.North Carolina had about 6,000 slaves.The slaves from north Carolina were being sold to South Carolina because they had a large plantation.

Who finally wins the conflict between Gawain and Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and why do you think so?

The events in Fitt IV can't really be called a conflict in martial terms. It is more apt to say "contest." The winner of the contest is, of course, the Green Knight, who wins for several reasons: (1) The Green Knight is magic; (2) he has the whole contest plotted out; (3) Gwain is noble and pure with only one failing.

The Green Knight, outmatching Sir Gawain by a huge degree, has the physical prowess to beat Sir Gawain regardless of any other circumstances, bu it turns out that (1) the Green Knight is the servant of Morgan le Fay, a sorceress and the half-sister of King Arthur, who planned the whole contest.

(2) As such, the Lord of the castle, who is the same man as the Green Knight, has plotted all the temptations out with his wife, who played a part toward Sir Gawain and was not sincerely seeking to seduce him. (3) Sir Gawain shows the Lady only one failing: he accepts the green girdle from her because she tells him that it preserves life. Gawain relents after his first refusals and accepts the green girdle because he is, in fact, frightened of standing up against the Green Knight.

However, having said the above, it is also true that in a metaphysical sense, Gawain is the victor in the contest because he proves that he is a pure and noble knight. In fact, the Green Knight names him the "finest man alive" whose one fault stems "understandably from his love of life." Gawain learns a lesson, to shun the "frailty of the human flesh" and returns to Camelot to share his story. This is very different from our society that shuns, and often disparages, the values of purity and nobleness while going to great extremes to embrace to the opposites of these.

Analyze Swift's use of satire in Gulliver's Travels.

One could write page after page analyzing Swift's use of satire in Gulliver's Travels.  Specifically, some of his targets are religious schisms, politicians, a hawkish war mentality, and gambling.  In general, he targets political, social, and economic institutions. Even more broadly, he is ridiculing human vice and folly.  Swift's methods of achieving this satire are numerous.  He mixes obvious parallels between his fictional world and his European world with more disguised parallels (in description of the big-endian issue and the channel that separates Lilliput from Blefuscu), for instance.  He also uses much verbal irony, as when he contradicts the evidence contained in the work itself by describing England as, "...the seat of virtue, piety, honor and truth,..."  Swift's targets and methods might be two places to start when analyzing his satire in Gulliver's Travels.

How is the movie Lord Of The Flies different from the book, especially the common differences? What are the parts of the movie that are done...

Lord of the Flies by William Golding was first adapted into a movie in 1963 and again in 1990. The movie was moderately successful but has not enjoyed the same classic status as the novel. The first notable difference between the book and the 1990 movie is that in the novel the boys are English schoolboys whereas in the movie they are Americans. Furthermore, Ralph appears to have a broken arm in the movie.   

The novel opens with a vision of the scar "smashed into the jungle" giving a real sense of its destruction against Ralph's features and the beauty that surrounds him. This sets the tone for the book, foreshadowing the hopelessness of the boys despite the best efforts of Ralph, Piggy and Simon. The movie does not place the same emphasis on the unforgiving landscape, but reveals an endlessly beautiful, if not eerie, setting with an adult survivor, the captain, seriously injured and unconscious, and quite a contrast to the book's island with absolutely no "grown ups."

In the novel, the boys are not traveling as one group and the only "group" is the choir, of which Jack is "chapter chorister." In the movie, the boys are all military cadets and, unlike the book where Ralph is voted in as chief based on his demeanor and the fact that he blows the conch, in the movie it is his cadet rank being higher than Jack's that decides his position as leader, which Jack, in contrast to the book, graciously agrees to. In the book, Ralph's having blown the conch first makes him "set apart," and this creates a clear association between the order that Ralph represents and the power of the conch. As Jack has little respect for the conch and it loses its power as the novel progresses, so Ralph loses his ability to keep order. There is less emphasis on this in the movie and the conch plays a far less significant role. Ralph's dependence on Piggy's intellect is also downplayed in the movie.

In the book, the relationship between Jack and Piggy is always tenuous and it is Jack who notices Piggy's glasses and suggests using them to start the signal fire. In the movie, Ralph has the idea, not Jack, and takes Piggy's glasses and so, although there is tension between Jack and Piggy, the significance of the glasses is not as strong at this point.   

Another sharp contrast is in the identification of the beast and the developments surrounding it. In the movie, the boys start to feel uneasy while sitting around the fire as Jack tells a scary story of a "thing," but in the book the beast progresses from a "beastie," a snake-like thing in the imaginations of the littleuns. The captain does not feature in the book at all but in the movie he almost becomes the personification of the beast after running away, disoriented. A littlun now part of Jack's tribe mistakes him for the beast in a cave and stabs him with a hand-crafted sharp stick, whereas in the book the beast becomes tangible when, on glimpsing the dead man caught on some branches of a tree by his parachute, the boys finally conceptualize it and Ralph says it "had teeth...and big, black eyes." Simon's dreams and visions in the book are far more intense, less physical and more spiritual than portrayed in the movie.

In the movie, a helicopter flies low and close to the island but in the book, it is a ship that passes. The fire has gone out and so the boys' presence goes unnoticed. There are various other occurrences that shift the emphasis although the essence remains the same. 

What characteristics of regionalism are in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?

Mark Twain spent a period of time in the Wild West of the mid-to-late 19th century, and regionalism plays a key aspect of his classic short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Twain's regional dialect is the most obvious example. Virtually all of the repartee between his main characters, Simon Wheeler and Jim Smiley, displays distinctive colloquial dialogue specific to the rural California setting of the time.

Twain begins as the storyteller but soon introduces the narrator, Wheeler, giving him a distinctive, backwoods, uneducated air. But, he, too, is a prevaricator of epic proportions.

There was a feller here once by the name of Jim Smiley, in the winter of '49--or maybe it was the spring of '50--I don't recollect exactly... but any way, he was the curiosest man about always betting on any thing that turned up you ever see... If there was a horse-race, you'd find him flush, or you'd find him busted at the end of it; if there was a dog-fight, he'd bet on it; if there was a cat-fight, he'd bet on it; if there was a chicken-fight, he'd bet on it; why, if there was two birds setting on a fence, he would bet you which one would fly first--or if there was a camp-meeting, he would be there reglar, to bet on Parson Walker, which he judged to be the best exhorter about here, and so he was, too, and a good man. 

Twain's use of deliberate bad grammar and misspelled words help to create the realism of the characters and atmosphere of the California gold rush mining camp. The subject of Wheeler's story--a jumping contest between two frogs--also illustrates the regional aspect of territorial, pre-statehood, semi- lawless California.

Well, thish-yer Smiley had rat-tarriers, and chicken cocks, and tom-cats, and all of them kind of things... He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated to edercate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump... Why, I've seen him set Dan'l Webster down here on this floor--Dan'l Webster was the name of the frog--and sing out, "Flies, Dan'l, flies!" and quicker'n you could wink, he'd spring straight up, and snake a fly off'n the counter there, and flop down on the floor again as solid as a gob of mud..."

Twain's tall tale concludes with a humorous surprise ending--Dan'l loses when the stranger fills his belly with buckshot--followed by the start of another tall tale, at which point Twain reemerges and concludes the story himself.

   At the door I met the sociable Wheeler returning, and he button-holed me and recommenced: "Well, thish-yer Smiley had a yeller one-eyed cow that didn't have no tail, only jest a short stump like a bannanner, and..."
   "O, curse Smiley and his afflicted cow!" I muttered, good-naturedly, and bidding the old gentleman good-day, I departed.

This colloquial style was very unusual for the times and the short story proved to be a groundsbreaking effort for the young author. 

List the members of the clergy in The Canterbury Tales.

In "The Canterbury Tales," by Geoffrey Chaucer, a large group of twenty-nine travelers is headed to Canterbury on a pilgrimage.  They intend to worship at the shrine of Saint Thomas a Becket.  Most of them are members of the middle class, but there are also some nobles, some clergy, and a few peasants.

There are ten members of the clergy included in the group.  They include

1. The Prioress


2. The Monk


3. The Friar


4. The Nun


5. The Priest


6. The Cleric


7. The Parson


8. The Summoner


9. The Pardoner


10. The Canon

How does separation anxiety develop and how long does it take ?

When an infant is born, it 'imprints' on it's mother first, then others closest to it (father,siblings,other family members,grandparents,carers, friends.) This is essential for survival - it learns to identify its mother through its five senses - touch,scent,sight,sound etc.) It can recognize its mothers scent and if parted from the thing that brings it comfort,security food and warmth - it will 'raise the alarm' (cry!)

However, at this stage it does not know it is dependent on its mother and cannot feel anxiety about what would happen if she were not there - its distress is instant and 'of the moment.' This presage of danger is built of experience and as time passes the child begins to associate the absence of its mother/prime carer with anxiety over potential unpleasant experiences - separation anxiety is developing and peaks between 1 - 5 yrs depending on the maturity/positive experiences and education of the child. With careful and sensitive handling it passes usually before the child reaches kindergarten - or even toddler daycare if it has been handled well. One of the forremost researchers into this subject is still the late Jean Piaget:

In the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe what lesson does the black chamber teach and what does the music represent?

In Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death, the black chamber has come to represent death. The fact that it is the one room that many of the guests at the ball are reluctant to enter adds some merit to this notion. Also, the black chamber is the last room visited by Prince Prospero on his hunt for the mysterious stranger who has frightened his guests. The black chamber is the room in which Prince Prospero meets his end. It symbolizes how every being must face death at the end of their journey of life.

The music played by the orchestra can be thought of as a heart beat that continues to beat throughout the story. It stops upon the clanging of the ebony clock. The ebony clock like the black chamber are symbols of the impending doom to be visited upon Prince Prospero and his guests. The music stopping at each clang of the clock represents the fear the guests have of the unknown, in this case death. It's as if the clock symbolizes the need to cling to life and for those attending the ball, act as a shield from the disease and suffering taking place outside the walls of Prince Prospero's abbey.

In Ch. 12 of Lord of the Flies, Ralph says "It was an accident." Compare to Ch. 10 when Piggy said the same. What is Ralph referring to? Why?

The complete quotation is "No. They're not as bad as that. It was an accident" (204). Ralph is referring to the group of hunters as "they" and is wrestling with the savagery and descent into darkness the hunters have sunk to. The pig's head is more symbolic and starts to twitch and move when the flies completely encompass it. The pig's head is a symbol for the darkness and savagery of the hunters. Ralph is trying to wrap his mind around the murders of Piggy and Simon. he's trying to figure out how and why the hunters were capable of such beastly acts. He's also thinking in terms of his self preservation. Would they be capable of doing the same to him? Ralph is trying to persuade himself that there's still some goodness and compassion in Jack and the hunters. There probably isn't.

In chapter ten Piggy wrestles with the murder of Simon and tries to explain it off as an "accident." Ralph says, "that was murder," yet Piggy tries to justify the "accident" by saying Simon shouldn't have crept up in the darkness like he did.

At that point Ralph knows it was wrong and murder, but it is not until chapter twelve when his psyche tries to process it.

What is the importance of the names characters have in Green Grass, Running Water?

The names that King has chosen for his characters, particularly the traditional indigenous names, are very symbolic of the characters themselves and their position in life, especially in regard to their identity as indigenous peoples. Charlie Looking Bear for example is a man who, like his father, is perfectly willing to sell his own cultural identity in order to make profit, even though he discovers how shortsighted this is when he is used by the company behind the dam because of his ethnic identity. As his name suggests, he is a man who is concerned with appearances above all else, and his lack of character is something that gives Alberta real concerns when she considers pursuing a relationship with him.

Eli Stand Alone, on the other hand, is a character whose one-man battle against the dam company leaves him literally standing alone, facing a force that has so much more money and resources than he does. Eli's background and his relationship with his cultural identity is explored through his marriage to Karen, and the way that even though his wife was deeply respectful about her husbands roots, he was ashamed of his identity and did what he could to avoid going back to home and seeing his family. Note for example what he thinks as he is about to head back to the Sun Dance:

As Karen worked her way through Toronto traffic, Eli tried to think of what he was going to say to his mother. It had been over twenty years since the last visit. He had no excuses, no good reasons why he had stayed away so long. Even Karen's illness couldn't cover over his absence.

Eli is a man who is deeply divided, clearly ashamed of his cultural heritage, and therefore his act in "standing alone" to oppose the dam that would destroy his family home is symbolically a battle that allows Eli to try and work out who he is and to come to terms with his ethnic identity. It is a battle that he fights by himself, as his name suggests.

How does the description of the cat as sagacious contribute to the meaning of the story?

In Edgar Allen's Poe's "The Black Cat" the cat is a menacing presence.  In order to identify why Poe used the word sagacious to define the cat, one needs to know the meaning of the word and some synonyms.  Words that are often used to replace sagacious include: Perceptive, sly, and foxy.

Synonyms for Sagacious include: "wise, sage, discerning, clever, intelligent, judicious, acute, sharp, keen, perspicacious."

A reader may not anticipate that a cat could be capable of being so cunning.  The word sets the stage for events that will follow when the cat uses its cunning to torture the man.

Discuss the character of Basil Hallward, and how it symbolizes both art and morality. How is Basil Hallward both an artistic figure and a moral...

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a kind of morality tale, in that Basil represents God the Creator of Art.  Dorian, or his portrait at least, represents Adam.  Lord Henry represents Satan, he who appeals to Dorian's vanity and corrupts the lad.

It is also a re-telling of the Faust legend.  In this light, Dorian sells his soul to the Devil (Lord Henry) as he falls from innocence into vanity and corruption.

Basil is the moral figure in the novel because he is the artist.  He has the power to create that which is not only picturesque or beautiful, but sublime (beyond beauty).  As Wilde says in the Introduction:

The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim. The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.

Basil not only creates the portrait, but he refuses to sell it.  He intends to give it to Dorian.  He creates art for art's sake, not more material gain.  Materialism is a corruption of art.

Wilde continues:

The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography. Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.

Basil says he has too much of himself in the portrait.  He realizes his folly: that he is love with his subject as much as the art.  Even though he makes this mistake, he recognizes it and seeks to redeem himself by not displaying it to the public.  In this, he is a true artist--a heroic protector of art.

In part three of Fahrenheit 451, where does the war end and what happens to the city?

We're not sure where the war ends; it is implied that after their city is bombed, that that particular war has ended.  However, we don't know if other cities were wiped out, we don't know if further strikes are planned, and we don't know the extent and depth of the war.  Throughout the book, Montag implied that war was a part of their everyday lives for as long as he could remember.  There were always jet planes going in the skies, a constant reminder of the war.  Then, Mildred's friends speak of their husbands and friends always being gone to fight, and die.  So, war was a huge part of Montag's society; possibly, it ended with the bombing of their city, possibly not.  Considering the dramatic implications of Granger, Montag and their crew going to restart society and rebuild, we can assume that perhaps the war was over, and Montag and others like him will be the new leaders in establishing society again out of the ruins.

The city itself is demolished completely by bombs.  It is destroyed by jet bombers, and goes up in ashes; this implies a nuclear bomb.  It would need to be something very powerful to just wipe out a city in one swipe, and Bradbury describes the ruins as "a heap of baking powder."  So, it wasn't wiped out by typical explosions that caused firestorms; it just obliterated everything.  Perhaps, in this futuristic society, it was a bomb that had that power.  In any case, the city is destroyed.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

Describe Paul Baumer's characterization of the characters in All Quiet on the Western Front? Indirectly, what does it tell us about Paul? This...

In Chapter 1 of All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Baumer describes his friends from school with whom he enlisted and the soldiers whom he met in the Second Company.  Paul selects one overwhelming detail to characterize each man:  Detering has a longing for his farm and wife, Tjaden has the biggest appetite in the group yet remains the skinniest of the men, and Muller has his head full of physics.  Since this description comes at the very beginning of the book, the reader carries this view of the characters throughout the reading.  Indirectly, Paul's description of the characters suggests that he is observant of his surroundings and is attempting to assess the types of men who have signed up for the war.  Paul realizes that he is among men from all corners of life, but that they now share the collective burden of fighting in the war.

What is the basic situation in "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker?

mzpowell09,

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a genuinely funny story (“Ream it out again,” the mother says as she tries to learn her daughter’s new name, and she keeps—possibly with tongue in cheek—slipping the new name in throughout the story) with serious undertones. Narrated by the mother, whose wry good sense contrasts vividly with her older daughter’s pretensions, the story highlights not only a generation gap, but a contrast between two sharply different attitudes toward the idea of heritage, an older sister who claims it, a mother and younger sister who live it.

Dee (the older sister), returning to her home, and having suddenly discovered that old quilts and dashers are potentially interesting decorations, accuses her mother and (younger) sister, Maggie, of not understanding their heritage because they fail to appreciate the artistic value of such objects. But, she herself is so divorced from her heritage that she does not know which member of the family made the dasher. It may be true, as Dee accuses, that Maggie and her mother don’t “understand” their heritage—at least not in an intellectual way.

The story suggests, however, that by using the quilt, and by having learned the traditional skills passed from generation to generation required to make one, Maggie, the homely, uneducated sister, knows more about her African American heritage than does Dee (Wangero). Maggie and her mother live their cultural heritage; they are nourished by it through everyday use and versed in the craftsmanship needed to pass it on to future generations.

What careers do Atticus and his brother Jack pursue in the Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

Both of the Finch brothers, Atticus and John Hale (Jack), along with their sister, Alexandra, grew up at the Finch's Landing homestead near Maycomb in the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Alexandra remained at the homestead and married a "taciturn man" who enjoyed an easy life of fishing and napping in his hammock. Meanwhile, Atticus went to Montgomery, Alabama, to study law, while Jack journeyed to Boston to study medicine. Atticus returned to Maycomb to become the town's most respected lawyer, and Jack (who was ten years younger than Atticus) remained a bachelor and "stayed rich" as a doctor in Nashville.

Please discuss tone and style and theme in Hemingway's short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place."

In Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," tone reflects style. Style is the particular way an author constructs sentences and thoughts and it relates to diction and vocabulary, syntax and grammar choices. Tone is the feeling a narrator has about the subject and characters of a story. Tone may be different or the same as the mood, or atmosphere, within the story. For example, the mood of the story may be cheery but the tone of the narrator sarcastic and bitter (think of Scrooge talking about his nephew's Christmas feasts before being visited by the Ghost of Christmas past).

Hemingway's style is minimalistic and without numerous kinds of figures of speech. His vocabulary is simple and often single syllable words. His diction is the language of the common person without advanced education. He uses a minimal number of compound and complex sentences--thus has simple grammar constructions and syntax relationships--and these appear in the narrator's comments, not in the dialogue. Examples are:

• Simple sentences: "The guard will get him. They went by five minutes ago." (older waiter dialogue)


• Complex sentence: The two waiters inside the cafe knew that the old man was a little drunk, and while he was a good client they knew that if he became too drunk he would leave without paying, so they kept watch on him. (narrator)

The tone reflected in this minimalism is distanced and objective (although you can find a tone of compassion in the first paragraph description and symbolism). The narrator expresses the tone, and the narrator says as little as possible. This is why the narrator tone is distanced. The narrator prefers to let the character dialogue express character emotions, motives and ideas. This is why the narrator tone is objective.

The theme addresses the feeling of despair (hopelessness) that arises from the belief that life is meaningless and without order. The theme accepts existential meaninglessness but rejects despairing nihilism. In other words, the theme suggests that while life may seem to be without meaning and order, there are things to do to keep from falling into hopeless despair. Being in a clean, well-lighted place is one of the things that might drive off despair and hopelessness.

"Why?"

"He was in despair."

"What about?"

"Nothing."