Old Major calls the meeting to share with the animals his dream of a utopian society without man. He believes that man is the cause of all the problems animals face, and without him, animals would be able to live freely and in comfort to the ends of their natural lives. Old Major teaches the animals a revolutionary anthem entitled Beasts of England, and urges them to rise up against their oppressors and chase them away. Once the animals have released themselves of the dominion of man, Old Major outlines the principles by which they should live. He warns the animals passionately that, in their struggle against man's tyranny, they should be careful never to become like him - they should "never live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade...no animal must ever kill any other animal...all animals are equal" (Chapter 1).
Thursday, September 30, 2010
What does George think of Lennie?
In Of Mice and Men, George is
Lennie's friend, his co-worker, his guardian, his conscience, and his surrogate
brother/father. More, he is his loving mercy killer. He eases Lennie's pain and
suffering after their shared dream has gone awry. In short, George loves Lennie on more
than one level.
Unlike the other migrant workers who travel
alone and view the world as a "me" versus society ("Guys like us, that work on ranches,
are the loneliest guys..."), George and Lennie travel together, and George uses "we" to
describe their relationship.
The Boss and Curley are
distrustful of the traveling pair. The Boss thinks George is stealing Lennie's money,
but George says:
I knowed his Aunt Clara. She
took him when he was a baby and raised him
up.
And George says to
Curley:
[George] "We travel
together."
[Curley] "Oh, so it's that
way."
George was tense and motionless. "Yeah, it's that
way."
Later, when describing
the American dream, George defines it as shared and collective, including such
lower-classes as the mentally-challenged (Lennie) and the physically-handicapped
(Candy). In this way, George is like ideal America: inclusive, pluralistic, and
affirmative.
What does George think of Lennie?
In Of Mice and Men, George is Lennie's friend, his co-worker, his guardian, his conscience, and his surrogate brother/father. More, he is his loving mercy killer. He eases Lennie's pain and suffering after their shared dream has gone awry. In short, George loves Lennie on more than one level.
Unlike the other migrant workers who travel alone and view the world as a "me" versus society ("Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys..."), George and Lennie travel together, and George uses "we" to describe their relationship.
The Boss and Curley are distrustful of the traveling pair. The Boss thinks George is stealing Lennie's money, but George says:
I knowed his Aunt Clara. She took him when he was a baby and raised him up.
And George says to Curley:
[George] "We travel together."
[Curley] "Oh, so it's that way."
George was tense and motionless. "Yeah, it's that way."
Later, when describing the American dream, George defines it as shared and collective, including such lower-classes as the mentally-challenged (Lennie) and the physically-handicapped (Candy). In this way, George is like ideal America: inclusive, pluralistic, and affirmative.
Of the daughter and the mother in the poem "A Photograph" by Shirley Toulson, whose loss was greater?A Photograph (Excerpt)by Shirley Toulson... A...
... The sea
holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the
laboured ease of loss.
This
quote from the poem holds the answer to the question of whose loss is greater. These
lines contain ambiguity intended by the poet that gives the
clue to the answer.
The mother's
loss is suggested in the description of "wry ... laughter."
"Wry" is defined as warped, twisted, sardonic,
bitter, scornful, derisive, mocking, cynical. A wry laugh is not a happy
laugh. A wry laugh is one that scorns because the expectations of youthful life have not
been met: wry laughter scorns the mother's past because the hopes for her present life
were not met. For a mother to look an old photo of herself, taken at a happy time, with
a wry laugh means that she has lost her hope, her joy, her true laughter, her sense of
worth and self. This is a lot to lose. The poem leaves no question that this is what the
mother lost because her laughter is "wry" and thus self-mocking: there is only one
meaning for wry, and wryness only comes to a person through great disillusionment and
bitter personal loss.
When the
daughter persona of the poem suggests that her own past loss is the
mother's laughter, ambiguity is created. "Past" and "loss"
are equated through the word "both" so that since the daughter's past is the mother's
laughter, her loss is her mother's laughter. Ambiguity here makes it unclear whether the
loss is because the mother stopped genuinely laughing when wry laughter intruded on life
or whether the laughter stopped from the mother's death ... or both. Since the poet
chooses a photo that she describes with disaffection as "the cardboard," the soundest
analysis is that the daughter is speaking of both the loss of genuine heartfelt
laughter, replaced as it was by wry laughter, and the loss of laughter pursuant to her
mother's death, for she has "been dead nearly as many years" as the girl on the
cardboard lived.
The daughter's
loss then is two-fold: her loss of the joy of her mother's true laughter
and the loss of her mother's life. The mother's loss is
two-fold as well: the loss of her belief in her past, which she came to see through
cynical eyes, and the loss of hope and joy in her present life. Based upon this analysis
of the poem's intentional ambiguity, it seems impossible to say that one or the other
had the greater loss. The loss of your own life to yourself, the intrusion of wry
bitterness with lost hopes and dreams, is a painful loss. At the same time, a daughter's
loss of her experience of her mother's true laughter followed by loss due to her death,
is an equally painful loss. The ambiguity of these lines
indicates that the poet wants us to understand and mourn the loss that each
experiences.
There are two additional points to consider in
trying to understand the ambiguity of the losses. (1) The daughter's loss would have
been less had the mother not lost her genuine laughter. (2) Both pasts, "sea holiday"
and "her laughter," were "wry / With the laboured ease of loss." The personified "sea
holiday" was wryly mocking the mother and it experiences its own loss because of their
"terribly transient feet," since all three girls have (or will) die like the mother has
died.
Of the daughter and the mother in the poem "A Photograph" by Shirley Toulson, whose loss was greater?A Photograph (Excerpt)by Shirley Toulson... A...
... The sea holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.
This quote from the poem holds the answer to the question of whose loss is greater. These lines contain ambiguity intended by the poet that gives the clue to the answer.
The mother's loss is suggested in the description of "wry ... laughter." "Wry" is defined as warped, twisted, sardonic, bitter, scornful, derisive, mocking, cynical. A wry laugh is not a happy laugh. A wry laugh is one that scorns because the expectations of youthful life have not been met: wry laughter scorns the mother's past because the hopes for her present life were not met. For a mother to look an old photo of herself, taken at a happy time, with a wry laugh means that she has lost her hope, her joy, her true laughter, her sense of worth and self. This is a lot to lose. The poem leaves no question that this is what the mother lost because her laughter is "wry" and thus self-mocking: there is only one meaning for wry, and wryness only comes to a person through great disillusionment and bitter personal loss.
When the daughter persona of the poem suggests that her own past loss is the mother's laughter, ambiguity is created. "Past" and "loss" are equated through the word "both" so that since the daughter's past is the mother's laughter, her loss is her mother's laughter. Ambiguity here makes it unclear whether the loss is because the mother stopped genuinely laughing when wry laughter intruded on life or whether the laughter stopped from the mother's death ... or both. Since the poet chooses a photo that she describes with disaffection as "the cardboard," the soundest analysis is that the daughter is speaking of both the loss of genuine heartfelt laughter, replaced as it was by wry laughter, and the loss of laughter pursuant to her mother's death, for she has "been dead nearly as many years" as the girl on the cardboard lived.
The daughter's loss then is two-fold: her loss of the joy of her mother's true laughter and the loss of her mother's life. The mother's loss is two-fold as well: the loss of her belief in her past, which she came to see through cynical eyes, and the loss of hope and joy in her present life. Based upon this analysis of the poem's intentional ambiguity, it seems impossible to say that one or the other had the greater loss. The loss of your own life to yourself, the intrusion of wry bitterness with lost hopes and dreams, is a painful loss. At the same time, a daughter's loss of her experience of her mother's true laughter followed by loss due to her death, is an equally painful loss. The ambiguity of these lines indicates that the poet wants us to understand and mourn the loss that each experiences.
There are two additional points to consider in trying to understand the ambiguity of the losses. (1) The daughter's loss would have been less had the mother not lost her genuine laughter. (2) Both pasts, "sea holiday" and "her laughter," were "wry / With the laboured ease of loss." The personified "sea holiday" was wryly mocking the mother and it experiences its own loss because of their "terribly transient feet," since all three girls have (or will) die like the mother has died.
In the short story, "The Rocking Horse Winner", by D.H. Lawrence, comment on the use of genre.In its word choice, simple style, direct...
In response to your insightful question you need to think
of how Lawrence is using the genre of a fairy tale, but then goes on to subvert it and
challenge it to drive home his message. Firstly, the characters in fairly tales are
normally very "flat" characters - that is they are undeveloped and are not explored
psychologically in any way. This is certainly not true of the mother, who is described
in great detail, especially her lack of love for her children and her
greed:
She
had bonny children, yest she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love
them.There was always the grinding sense of the shortage
of money, though the style was always kept
up.
Likewise we are told a
lot about Paul and how he processes the voices that echo round the house, equating money
with luck, and we can understand why Paul sets on his self-destructive course - to gain
his mother's affection in a way that he is unable to do
normally.
The other major difference of course is the
ending. There is no "happy ending" that we are given in this tale. Instead, it is a
tragedy, allowing Lawrence to reinforce his central message. As the mother is left with
the dire consequences of her greed, we recognise the evils of materialism and how it can
literally rip apart relations and families. Remember the irony of the words of her
brother at the end of the story:
"My God, Hester, you're eighty-odd thousand to
the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad. But, poor devil, poor devil, he's best
gone out of a life where he rides his rocking horse to find a
winner."
Note how this
message is underlined - greed can sometimes lead to death. But, the uncle comments, his
nephew is better off out of a world where he is driven to such lengths to gain his
mother's love.
In the short story, "The Rocking Horse Winner", by D.H. Lawrence, comment on the use of genre.In its word choice, simple style, direct...
In response to your insightful question you need to think of how Lawrence is using the genre of a fairy tale, but then goes on to subvert it and challenge it to drive home his message. Firstly, the characters in fairly tales are normally very "flat" characters - that is they are undeveloped and are not explored psychologically in any way. This is certainly not true of the mother, who is described in great detail, especially her lack of love for her children and her greed:
She had bonny children, yest she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them.
There was always the grinding sense of the shortage of money, though the style was always kept up.
Likewise we are told a lot about Paul and how he processes the voices that echo round the house, equating money with luck, and we can understand why Paul sets on his self-destructive course - to gain his mother's affection in a way that he is unable to do normally.
The other major difference of course is the ending. There is no "happy ending" that we are given in this tale. Instead, it is a tragedy, allowing Lawrence to reinforce his central message. As the mother is left with the dire consequences of her greed, we recognise the evils of materialism and how it can literally rip apart relations and families. Remember the irony of the words of her brother at the end of the story:
"My God, Hester, you're eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad. But, poor devil, poor devil, he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking horse to find a winner."
Note how this message is underlined - greed can sometimes lead to death. But, the uncle comments, his nephew is better off out of a world where he is driven to such lengths to gain his mother's love.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
In "Fahrenheit 451," the television walls make Montag and his wife into strangers. What else contributes to their alienation?
They have a difference of opinion about information and the way they should live their lives. She is a willing participant in the new government and the mindless lifestyle of the television screens. Although it is clear she is miserable, she pretends to be happy and enjoying her life. She is a natural follower..one who never questions or investigates on her own. She likes being told what to do, and she probably has never read a book willingly on her own to learn things for herself. These people are easy to control.
Montag, on the other hand, refuses to do this. His eyes are opened to what used to be through his neighbor, Claire. Her family speaks of what life was like before when firemen put out fires and saved lives and property. Montag feels sick when Claire disappears and also when he burns the books. His clear turning point is when the woman refuses to leave the home she has lived in for so long and she, along with her books, goes up in flames. He saves books and dares to read them in front of his wife and her friends. He makes friends with former professors and lovers of knowledge. Montag is a questioner. He wants to know the "how" and the "why"...not just the "what" and the "who". He thinks for himself.
This difference in opinion is a huge factor in the rift that has developed between Montag and his wife.
How does Jackson both foreshadow the ending and make use think this is just an ordinary town?
The author begins her story by allowing the reader to believe that it is about an ordinary town on an early summer day. It is suggested that the town is gathering for an event that is similar to a county fair, or a town picnic. It is an annual event and the children are assembling and running around collecting rocks.
We don't know what the event is, because the preparations and the assembly of people who gather do not give us any indication that they are gathering for a random execution.
The title of the story suggests that something is going to be raffled off and that there will be a winner in the truest sense.
The first time that the reader really gets the idea that the lottery is not a happy, positive event is when the slips of paper are chosen and a hush, a nervous quiet falls over the crowd as everyone waits till each family has chosen a slip.
When the Hutchinson family gets the black dot, and they have to pick again, the author foreshadows the true nature of the lottery because Mrs. Hutchinson complains that the selection process was rushed. It is clear that if there was a prize of value to go to the winner, she would not be complaining.
The ending is very surprising, for the level of cruelty that Shirley Jackson gives to the members of the town and the cold indifference they express as they stone Tessie Hutchinson to death, relieved that they have survived.
What is the theme of Raymond Carver's "Cathedral?"
"Cathedral," like many of Carver's other stories, portrays individuals isolated from each other for a variety of reasons. The narrator drinks too much and seems unable to adequately communicate with his wife. The wife has earlier tried to commit suicide because of loneliness. Only the blind man, Robert, seems able to form lasting human connections. Unlike Carver's other stories, however, "Cathedral" ends with hope; although there is no proof that the narrator will overcome his isolation, for the moment, he is in communion with himself and another human being.
As /cathedral alludes to above is that isolation and loneliness is one theme. Both the narrator and his wife are unable to effectively communicate with one another; however, his wife communicates freely and well with the blind man. The narrator is very resistant to getting to know this man and is resentful of his presence. Conversely, another theme would be hope for personal growth, as the narrator seems to have an epiphany of sorts at the end when he makes ther realization that he can communicate with the blind man and that doing so makes him feel very different and alive in many ways.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
How are Tom and his wife alike?
They are two of the most miserable human beings ever known. They live to make one another's lives miserable. The only reason that Tom does not take the devil up on his proposal is to spite his wife, not because he has any conscience or worry for the state of his soul.
His wife is equally uncaring of her husband. She had planned to go out for herself, and gets herself killed. Tom does not mourn his wife's grisly death, but it would be a fair assumption to say that she would not have spent any time mourning his death, either.
Monday, September 27, 2010
In Chapter 3, for what reasons are Crooks,Candy,and Lennie excluded from the poker game and the poker game and the trips to town?comment on whehter...
Crooks is excluded from pretty much everything because he
is black. This was a long time ago and there was not really very much mixing between
black and white people. Crooks is unhappy about this, but he knows that is just how it
is.
Candy is excluded because he is old and unpopular. No
one really has much respect for him.
Lennie is excluded
because he is too dumb to be in the poker games and too dangerous to bring into town.
Lennie doesn't really care. All he wants is to have his dream of the ranch and maybe
something small and soft to pet.
In Chapter 3, for what reasons are Crooks,Candy,and Lennie excluded from the poker game and the poker game and the trips to town?comment on whehter...
Crooks is excluded from pretty much everything because he is black. This was a long time ago and there was not really very much mixing between black and white people. Crooks is unhappy about this, but he knows that is just how it is.
Candy is excluded because he is old and unpopular. No one really has much respect for him.
Lennie is excluded because he is too dumb to be in the poker games and too dangerous to bring into town. Lennie doesn't really care. All he wants is to have his dream of the ranch and maybe something small and soft to pet.
What are some examples of unfair divine justice in "The Odyssey"?
Zeus sending the storm that blew Odysseus and his crew to the Land of the Lotus Eaters, leading him on a ten year journey to get home was a bit extreme for a bit of over-zealous after war partying at Ismarus. But apparantly, Zeus was on the side of the Ciccones.
After blinding the Cyclops and then taunting him with his name, Polyphemus curses Odysseus with the loss of his men, the loss of his ships, and an incredibly long trek home, and even if he ever got home, trouble would be waiting for him there. Poseidon does as his son, Polyhemus, asks and works against Odysseus at every step.
Calypso keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years, while he is yearning to get home to his wife Penelope (in the meantime, finding solace for his plight with Calypso). This comes after Zeus blows up Odysseus' last ship because the men ate Helios' sacred cows. Of course, Zeus had seen to it that their ship couldn't leave for a month and the men were starving. Helios wasn't concerned about some starving sailors... he was more concerned about his cattle.
What does the episode with the Lotus-eaters suggest about the kinds of problems Odysseus has with his men?
An interesting question. Specifically, that episode suggests that Odysseus' men can't control their physical responses. They simply give in to the taste and languor of the lotus. Given how long they have been traveling, and what they've been through, it also suggests a more humane explanation: they are so tired they want to escape. They've fought, they've sailed, and they just want to rest.
What characteristics does Iago think women have? What Is Iago's opinion of women, as illustrated by the characteristics women have early in the play?
Iago is a misogynist - if not a complete misanthrope. He
has no regard for humankind in general and has no respect for women at
all.
Iago comments each of the females in the play crudely
and negatively. He utilises Desdemona as the tool to bring down both Othello and Cassio,
he says-
So
will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make the
net
That shall enmesh them
all.
Iago is aware of, but
maliciously uses, her innocence to bring about the downfall of the two soldiers and the
fair Desdemona.
Bianca is not highly regarded at court and
Cassio is also guilty of abusing her. However, Iago using Cassio's words about the
hopelessly besotted Bianca to further anger Othello shows how he sees that women are
mere toys.
He is crude and distainful of his own wife,
Emilia, publicly and privately questioning her virtue and loyalty and labelling her as a
scold-
Sir,
would she give you so much of her
lips
As of her tongue she oft bestows on
me,
You
would have enough.
It is
Emilia who reveals her husband's evil machinations at the end of the play, and he slays
her cruelly for it.
What characteristics does Iago think women have? What Is Iago's opinion of women, as illustrated by the characteristics women have early in the play?
Iago is a misogynist - if not a complete misanthrope. He has no regard for humankind in general and has no respect for women at all.
Iago comments each of the females in the play crudely and negatively. He utilises Desdemona as the tool to bring down both Othello and Cassio, he says-
So will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.
Iago is aware of, but maliciously uses, her innocence to bring about the downfall of the two soldiers and the fair Desdemona.
Bianca is not highly regarded at court and Cassio is also guilty of abusing her. However, Iago using Cassio's words about the hopelessly besotted Bianca to further anger Othello shows how he sees that women are mere toys.
He is crude and distainful of his own wife, Emilia, publicly and privately questioning her virtue and loyalty and labelling her as a scold-
Sir, would she give you so much of her lips
As of her tongue she oft bestows on me,
You would have enough.
It is Emilia who reveals her husband's evil machinations at the end of the play, and he slays her cruelly for it.
What was the writing style F. Scott Fitzgerald used in writing "The Great Gatsby"?
Fitzgerald not only uses imagery and reflection, but also point of view, symbolism, and satire in "The Great Gatsby." The plot is told as part of a frame story, meaning a story within a story, from the point of view of Nick Carraway, one of the main characters, who has come from the midwest to learn the bond market. Nick learns much more in his encounter with Jay Gatsby. Through this first-person (“I”) narrative technique, Fitgerald is able to inject much of his own insight into the narrative by having Nick explain much of Fitzgerald's own sentiments about life. The symbolism, especially in the setting of the novel, is an important stylistic element. West and East Egg are two places with opposing values that can be contrasted giving insight into the morality of each place. Finally, Fitzgerald uses satire, especially when describing the lavish, vulgar parties Gatsby throws and the use of "Great" in the title of the novel. In the end, there is nothing really "great" about Gatsby or the east and Nick returns home to the Midwest where he understands the values of the culture.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
In "A&P" by John Updike, what is Sammy's epiphany?
Firs, we have to understand what an epiphany is. An epiphany is a moment of enlightenment or understanding. Sammy, in this story, works in the A & P grocery store. He is a typical teenager in many ways: bored with his job, interested in girls, wanting attention, etc. When a group of girls come into the store and are not treated well (in Sammy's eyes), Sammy makes a choice that leads to his epiphany. He decides to confront his boss about his treatment of the girls, hoping to gain attention from the girls and be a "hero." When he does, he is fired. When he leaves the store after he is fired, he is hoping to find the girls outside, waiting to shower him with their thanks, but they are not there. This is when Sammy realizes that he has made a mistake and that he has done something foolish and finally, that the world will be a difficult place for him from this point onward.
Does Rainsford really kill Zaroff in "The Most Dangerous Game"? I thought he just let him go.
Yes, Rainsford did really kill General Zaroff. In the story, it says, "The general made one of his deepest bows. 'I see,' he said. "Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford....'" From this, we know that the two men are going to fight and that only one man will sleep in the bed and the other will be dog food. Because the next/last line states, "He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided," we know that General Zaroff became dog food.
In Act 1 scene 4, what is revealed about Mercutio's character?
During Act I scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is accompanying Romeo and a bunch of friends to the Capulet party. Romeo has just expressed concern about going to the party because he'd had a bad dream and he feels that something bad will happen if he goes. Mercutio, in his Queen Mab speech, tries to calm Romeo's fears by saying that dreams are nothing but the creations of a fairy who "comes in shape no bigger than an agate stone" to whisper in sleepers' ears. This shows that Mercutio does not believe in dreams, and he convinces Romeo to go to the party after all. Mercutio is a very charismatic character who is able to be convince Romeo to go ahead and have some fun. This is the catalyst that sets the rest of the tragedy in motion because if Romeo had listened to his intuition, he would not have met Julet, and he would not have subsequently died.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
What goes on in each stage of mitosis?
There are 6 stages of
mitosis:
- Interphase-DNA has
replicated, but has not formed the condensed structure of chromosome.
- Prophase-DNA molecules progressivly shorten by coiling,
to form chromosomes.- Metaphase-the spindle fibres attach
themselves to the centromeres of the chromosomes and align the chromosomes at the
equatorial plate.- Anaphase-the spindle fibres shorten and
the centromere splits, separated sister chromatids are pulled along behind the
centromeres.- Telophase-the chromosomes reach the poles of
their respective spindles. Nuclear envelope reform before the chromosomes uncoil. The
spindle fibres disintegrate.- Cytokinasis-the process of
splitting the daughter cells apart. A furrow forms and the cell is pinched in two. Each
daughter cell contains the same number and same quality of
chromosomes.
What goes on in each stage of mitosis?
There are 6 stages of mitosis:
- Interphase-DNA has replicated, but has not formed the condensed structure of chromosome.
- Prophase-DNA molecules progressivly shorten by coiling, to form chromosomes.
- Metaphase-the spindle fibres attach themselves to the centromeres of the chromosomes and align the chromosomes at the equatorial plate.
- Anaphase-the spindle fibres shorten and the centromere splits, separated sister chromatids are pulled along behind the centromeres.
- Telophase-the chromosomes reach the poles of their respective spindles. Nuclear envelope reform before the chromosomes uncoil. The spindle fibres disintegrate.
- Cytokinasis-the process of splitting the daughter cells apart. A furrow forms and the cell is pinched in two. Each daughter cell contains the same number and same quality of chromosomes.
In "The Outsiders," what year did Johnny Cade die?
Hinton does not specify what year Johnny dies. There are some general hints—it's after 1960, because the other boys drive a Corvair in the early pages, and that wasn't made until 1960. Paul Newman started being really popular after movies in 1961 and 1963, and the book came out in 1967, so I'd bet 1963-1965.