How does William Shakespeare use disguise and deception to create action in Much Ado about Nothing?

Much Ado About Nothing is full of
duality, foils, doubles, and two-face
deceivers.

• In Act II, scene i there is a
  masquerade ball.  Don Pedro pretends to be Claudio and woo Hero for him.
  


• Beatrice pretends to be another woman when she talks to
  Benedick in order to find out his true feelings for
  her.


• Don John pretends to be a legitimate brother and
  soldier.  In reality, he is a villain and a bastard, a dispossessed
  son.


• Don John and Borachio talk to Claudio, knowing he
  will pretend to be Benedick in order to hear their
  secrets.


• Dogberry and the Watch pretend to be more ("more
  learned") than they really are.  Really, they are a bunch of
  clowns.


• Borachio woos Margaret but says Hero's name to
  deceive Claudio and Don Pedro.


• Ursula and Margaret bait
  Beatrice, saying that Benedick loves her.


• Don Pedro,
  Claudio, and Leonato bait Benedick, saying the Beatrice loves
  him.


• Leonato pretends that his daughter Hero is dead in
  order to investigate her slander.


• Hero pretends to be her
  sister in order to test Claudio at the
  wedding.

How does William Shakespeare use disguise and deception to create action in Much Ado about Nothing?

Much Ado About Nothing is full of duality, foils, doubles, and two-face deceivers.

• In Act II, scene i there is a masquerade ball.  Don Pedro pretends to be Claudio and woo Hero for him.


• Beatrice pretends to be another woman when she talks to Benedick in order to find out his true feelings for her.


• Don John pretends to be a legitimate brother and soldier.  In reality, he is a villain and a bastard, a dispossessed son.


• Don John and Borachio talk to Claudio, knowing he will pretend to be Benedick in order to hear their secrets.


• Dogberry and the Watch pretend to be more ("more learned") than they really are.  Really, they are a bunch of clowns.


• Borachio woos Margaret but says Hero's name to deceive Claudio and Don Pedro.


• Ursula and Margaret bait Beatrice, saying that Benedick loves her.


• Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato bait Benedick, saying the Beatrice loves him.


• Leonato pretends that his daughter Hero is dead in order to investigate her slander.


• Hero pretends to be her sister in order to test Claudio at the wedding.

What did Della want to buy for her husband for Christmas and how much money did she have to start with?

In the story "The Gift of the Magi"  Della wanted to
purchase a watch bob for her husband Jim.  Della thought that Jim looked very nice and
prominent with his watch and wanted him to have a nice platinum fob chain.  Della only
has a dollar and eighty-seven cents.

Della has a possession
hat she loves very much.  It is her lovely hair.  To get money she knows that she will
have to sell her pride and joy, hair.  Della wants to give her husband the gift more
than her own vanity so she goes to a woman and sells her
hair.

Della the takes her money and goes to the jewelers. 
The man does not think that she has the money for the fob at first, but she is able to
buy it for her husband and can hardly ait to surprise him.

What did Della want to buy for her husband for Christmas and how much money did she have to start with?

In the story "The Gift of the Magi"  Della wanted to purchase a watch bob for her husband Jim.  Della thought that Jim looked very nice and prominent with his watch and wanted him to have a nice platinum fob chain.  Della only has a dollar and eighty-seven cents.

Della has a possession hat she loves very much.  It is her lovely hair.  To get money she knows that she will have to sell her pride and joy, hair.  Della wants to give her husband the gift more than her own vanity so she goes to a woman and sells her hair.

Della the takes her money and goes to the jewelers.  The man does not think that she has the money for the fob at first, but she is able to buy it for her husband and can hardly ait to surprise him.

In The Scarlet Letter, what is Hester's punishment and what do the Puritan magistrates hope to accomplish with this punishment?

Hester's punishment is that she's required to wear a scarlet letter "A" on the bosom, or chest, of her dress. This will easily identify her as an adulteress to anyone who sees her. The magistrates hope that Hester will feel the shame of her sin more profoundly, since everyone will know what she did and, therefore, shun her because of it. They eventually end up ostracizing her--physically and emotionally-- from this community, thus ridding it of another sinner.

In Brave New World analyze the character of Lenina. Discuss how she started a simple lab tech and how she developed into a dynamic character.

At the beginning of the novel, we see her as a classic
Beta, one who is programmed and genetically modified to do her job well, to have a lot
of shallow relationships with people, and to be fixated on activity and pleasure. 
However, it is through Bernard and John that her character is given depth.  First of
all, she goes out with the antisocial Bernard; this indicates possibly a level of
maturity not found in her group of women.  Then, when John comes onto the scene, we see
her become completely turned upside down over him.  She experiences, for the first time,
real love and desire to be with someone, deeper than the shallow relationships she's had
in the past.  We see her struggle with those feelings and that change, and try to fit it
into her realm of thinking.

John is the real force for her
dynamic status; otherwise, she would have remained a flat, stereotypical character that
is highly predictable because of her social class.  John in fact does a lot of
interesting things to the main characters of the novels; once he comes on the scene, he
is a force that changes all of their lives.  I hope that helped a bit; good
luck!

In Brave New World analyze the character of Lenina. Discuss how she started a simple lab tech and how she developed into a dynamic character.

At the beginning of the novel, we see her as a classic Beta, one who is programmed and genetically modified to do her job well, to have a lot of shallow relationships with people, and to be fixated on activity and pleasure.  However, it is through Bernard and John that her character is given depth.  First of all, she goes out with the antisocial Bernard; this indicates possibly a level of maturity not found in her group of women.  Then, when John comes onto the scene, we see her become completely turned upside down over him.  She experiences, for the first time, real love and desire to be with someone, deeper than the shallow relationships she's had in the past.  We see her struggle with those feelings and that change, and try to fit it into her realm of thinking.

John is the real force for her dynamic status; otherwise, she would have remained a flat, stereotypical character that is highly predictable because of her social class.  John in fact does a lot of interesting things to the main characters of the novels; once he comes on the scene, he is a force that changes all of their lives.  I hope that helped a bit; good luck!

What quotes characterize Trujillo and the Mirabal sisters in "In the Time of the Butterflies"?

Perhaps the best quotes which characterize the differences between the brutal dictator and the freedom-loving Mirabal sisters are found in Chapter Six. Here, we witness the callousness of "El Jefe," a man concerned only for himself and his base needs against Minerva's larger concerns for her family and her people.

At the dance in which the Mirabal family is compelled to attend, Minerva finds herself within Trujillo's clutches. Captured in his arms, Trujillo tries to extract information about Lio and threatens Minerva with the one thing she might find most objectionable: the closing of the university. She cries:

"El Jefe, no," I plead with him. "Ours is the first university in the New World! It would be such a blow to our country."

After a long look, he smiles again. "Maybe I will keep it open if that will draw you to our side." ...

"Your medals," I complain..."They're hurting me."

The battle of wills between Minerva and El Jefe are just beginning. He implies favors that have no guarantee of delivery: the status of the university, the safety of the Mirabals, of Lio, and the larger resistance.

Furthermore, his "medals" are hurting Minerva, and her country, piercing in ways that punctuate beyond the exterior. The "pin" impales his citizens to death, and for no other reason than his own glory.

In "Flowering Judas," is Braggioni capable of salvation?

The one redeeming feature of Braggioni's character is that he chooses to restore his relationship with his wife after Laura tells him about the fate of Eugenio, and how he killed himself because he was bored. At this news, Braggioni leaves her (which was probably her intention all along) and goes back to his wife. Note the change in attitude that is expressed in this quote:

His wife leans her head on his arm and says, "Forgive me!" and this time he is refreshed by the solemn, endless rain of her tears.

Braggioni's opportunity for salvation is perhaps captured in this one sentence, which indicates his change of heart towards his wife and in particular her tears, which always before only annoyed and disgusted him. Even though Laura seems to recognise Braggioni's change of heart will only be temporary, still it is enough to perhaps show Braggioni is a character who is not entirely beyond redemption.

For the majority of the short story, however, he is presented as a grotesque, fat character who represents all that is bad about the revolutionary ideal gone wrong. In his figure the reader can identify all the corruption and cynicism of the revolutionary movement. Braggioni, the reader is told, is "cruel to everyone" and he "loves himself with such tenderness and amplitude." There is little in this caricature of a man that suggests anything other than a vain, self-obsessed, dangerous individual. It is only the ending that offers him any hope in terms of his character.

What was the Embargo Act of 1807?

This Embargo Act was the United State’s attempt to not get embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars between Great Britain and France. From 1789 to 1805 the young United States enjoyed an increasing trade with the French Empire, supplying Napoleon against Great Britain. In 1807, Britain passed the Orders in Council, which forbade American trade with France. Britain wished to stop the US supply to France and feared the expanding American fleet would soon compete with theirs. Napoleon responded by forbidding all nations to trade with Britain. American merchants responded by engaging in the highly profitable and dangerous practice of blockade running, trading with both France AND Britain and incurring the wrath of each! Although American foreign policy included the concept of “freedom of the seas,” Jefferson urged Congress to suspend temporarily this cornerstone of American foreign policy to avoid war with either, or both, countries. The Embargo Act expressly forbid American ships to leave for any foreign port. The Act hit New England merchants the hardest; the resulting economic downturn rippled into a country wide depression. Three days before Jefferson’s term as president ended in 1809, Congress repealed the Act. It deferred the US’s entry into the Napoleonic Wars, but unfortunately, that deferment failed when the US finally declared war on Britain in 1812.

Rise of The American Nation, 3rd ed., Todd & Curti, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972, pg. 237.

To what extent is darkness symbolic throughout "Sonny's Blues"?"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin

In the concluding section of James Baldwin's "Sonny's
Blues"in which the brother accompanies Sonny to the nightclub where Sonny is going to
play, employment of light/dark imagery is significant and plays an integral part in the
denouement.

As the brothers go the nightclub, it is on a
"short, dark street, downtown.  Inside the lights are very dim, and an enormorous man
"erupted out of all that amospheric lighting and put an arm around Sonny's shoulder."
Most significantly, the brother is seated by himself "at a table in a dark corner" and
sees other "heads in the darkness."  As he watches Sonny from his dark corner, the
brother notices that Creole and Sonny are careful not to step into the
small

circle
of light too suddenly:  that if they moved into the light too suddenly, without
thinking, they would perish in
flame.

As the musicians
begin, the brother notices that the atmosphere begins to "change and tighten."  Out of
the darkness, there is an evocation of something of "another order."  As Sonny finally
becomes part of the "family" of musicians and they relate in the song "Am I Blue" how
they have suffered and how they have been delighted, the brother from his dark corner
becomes aware that this communication is "the only light we've got in all this
darkness."

For the brother, there is a birth of truth from
the darkness of misunderstanding into the light of communion with others.  When Sonny
makes the blues his--"Now these are Sonny's blues"--the brothers
says,

Freedom
lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would
listen, that he would never be free until we did.....And he was giving it back, as
everything must be given back, so that passing through death, it can live
forever.

Man cannot carry his
burden alone; he must find an outlet. He must come out of the darkness of
misunderstanding and be in communion with those he loves in order to give meaning to his
life. This is Sonny's catharsis as he finds an outlet for his suffering by coming out of
the darkness into "the circle of light."

To what extent is darkness symbolic throughout "Sonny's Blues"?"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin

In the concluding section of James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues"in which the brother accompanies Sonny to the nightclub where Sonny is going to play, employment of light/dark imagery is significant and plays an integral part in the denouement.

As the brothers go the nightclub, it is on a "short, dark street, downtown.  Inside the lights are very dim, and an enormorous man "erupted out of all that amospheric lighting and put an arm around Sonny's shoulder." Most significantly, the brother is seated by himself "at a table in a dark corner" and sees other "heads in the darkness."  As he watches Sonny from his dark corner, the brother notices that Creole and Sonny are careful not to step into the small

circle of light too suddenly:  that if they moved into the light too suddenly, without thinking, they would perish in flame.

As the musicians begin, the brother notices that the atmosphere begins to "change and tighten."  Out of the darkness, there is an evocation of something of "another order."  As Sonny finally becomes part of the "family" of musicians and they relate in the song "Am I Blue" how they have suffered and how they have been delighted, the brother from his dark corner becomes aware that this communication is "the only light we've got in all this darkness."

For the brother, there is a birth of truth from the darkness of misunderstanding into the light of communion with others.  When Sonny makes the blues his--"Now these are Sonny's blues"--the brothers says,

Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did.....And he was giving it back, as everything must be given back, so that passing through death, it can live forever.

Man cannot carry his burden alone; he must find an outlet. He must come out of the darkness of misunderstanding and be in communion with those he loves in order to give meaning to his life. This is Sonny's catharsis as he finds an outlet for his suffering by coming out of the darkness into "the circle of light."

What role does sex, and sexual repression, play in "The Crucible"?

The motivation for the most Abigail's actions were based on her adulterous affair with John Proctor. According to the play, she wanted to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor and then marry John. Elizabeth also implies some sexual repression when she mentions to John that she kept a "cold house" and that might have been partially responsible for John's actions. During the play, John rejects Abigail's affections and is obviously sorry for the affair. Abigail, obviously hurt by John's rejection, wants revenge but also something to help raise her self-esteem after being cast out of the Proctor household. She is able to become the focus of the town during the first part of the trials.
Finally, Elizabeth refuses to acknowledge John's affair with Abigail in front of the court, thinking she is sparing his reputation, Ironically, John has already admitted to the affair so her refusal to go public about it does nothing to help the cause of either her husband or the other accused of witchcraft.

What is the danger in Thomas' writing down the instruction for thread dying in Gathering Blue?

The answer to this question can be found in Chapter Nine.
Having met Annabella for the first time, Kira feels completely bewildered by all that
she has to remember and very overwhelmed by what is expected of her. When she confesses
her feelings to Thomas, he comes up with a suggestion. He proposes that he writes the
information down for her so that she can have a record that he can read to her to help
her remember. Writing and reading are presented as important skills that only a few boys
are taught. Thomas, being one of these select few, is able to thus help
Kira.

Note the way that knowledge is presented as being
carefully controlled by the Council. It is "not permitted" for girls to learn how to
read and write, and thus it is potentially very dangerous for Thomas to record this
information and help Kira as Kira might learn how to read herself. Note Kira's response
to seeing Thomas write the words down:

readability="13">

When he read the word hollyhock
aloud with his finger on the word, she saw that it was long, with many lines
like tall stems. She turned her eyes away quickly so that she would not learn it, would
not be guilty of something clearly forbidden to her. But it made her smile, to see it,
to see how the pen formed the shapes and the shapes told a story of a
name.

Thus the danger lies in
the way that women are not allowed to learn how to read or write or have anything to do
with it. Discovery of what Thomas and Kira are doing could jeapordise Kira's
position.

What is the danger in Thomas' writing down the instruction for thread dying in Gathering Blue?

The answer to this question can be found in Chapter Nine. Having met Annabella for the first time, Kira feels completely bewildered by all that she has to remember and very overwhelmed by what is expected of her. When she confesses her feelings to Thomas, he comes up with a suggestion. He proposes that he writes the information down for her so that she can have a record that he can read to her to help her remember. Writing and reading are presented as important skills that only a few boys are taught. Thomas, being one of these select few, is able to thus help Kira.

Note the way that knowledge is presented as being carefully controlled by the Council. It is "not permitted" for girls to learn how to read and write, and thus it is potentially very dangerous for Thomas to record this information and help Kira as Kira might learn how to read herself. Note Kira's response to seeing Thomas write the words down:

When he read the word hollyhock aloud with his finger on the word, she saw that it was long, with many lines like tall stems. She turned her eyes away quickly so that she would not learn it, would not be guilty of something clearly forbidden to her. But it made her smile, to see it, to see how the pen formed the shapes and the shapes told a story of a name.

Thus the danger lies in the way that women are not allowed to learn how to read or write or have anything to do with it. Discovery of what Thomas and Kira are doing could jeapordise Kira's position.

What is the process to legally have a body exhumed and undergo an autopsy that has already been buried?This is for the state of New York. The...

Contact the police in the jurisdiction and relay your
concerns in regards to the suspicious manner of death. Law enforcement will then
investigate the case and determine if they think a postmortem exam is appropriate. If
the police agency finds this is necessary, they will petition the court to order an
exhumation and autopsy. In other words, the exhumation and autopsy must be court
ordered. You mentioned that the husband does not want this to occur. He has absolutely
no say in the matter and his wishes are not relevant in a criminal
investigation.

What is the process to legally have a body exhumed and undergo an autopsy that has already been buried?This is for the state of New York. The...

Contact the police in the jurisdiction and relay your concerns in regards to the suspicious manner of death. Law enforcement will then investigate the case and determine if they think a postmortem exam is appropriate. If the police agency finds this is necessary, they will petition the court to order an exhumation and autopsy. In other words, the exhumation and autopsy must be court ordered. You mentioned that the husband does not want this to occur. He has absolutely no say in the matter and his wishes are not relevant in a criminal investigation.

In what ways are Viola and Feste similar in "Twelfth Night"?

It's an interesting question. Both characters are often played as knowing rather more than they let on: Viola, of course, knows that she is really a boy, and holds the secret not only of her own disguise, but of her own love for Orsino, as well as the absurdity of Olivia's love for her.

Feste seems almost nomadic, absent from Olivia's house for huge stretches, but with unusual licence for a licensed fool (have a look at what he says to her when she first enters) - and of course, he also sings on occasion for Orsino. Although he doesn't say a huge amount, he sees a lot. And he's often played, particularly justified by his final song, as extremely wise.

So where does that leave us? Both of them occupy a position somewhere between Olivia and Orsino's households. Both of them have excellent senses of humour. Both of them take unusual licence with their respective masters.

And, some productions might argue, both of them are largely "unknown": Viola's real name is not mentioned in the play until the last act, and she hangs somewhere in the balance between male and female. And Feste says so little, and gives away nothing about his own background (his first scene has Maria asking him - with no response - where he's been) that he too is something of a mystery.

Why do many critics believe that Hellena is the Rover rather than Wilmore?

Broadly speaking, there are two reasons why critics might think that Hellena is the rover who gives the play its title. The first is internal to the play: Hellena roves more widely from her assigned course than anyone else. Wilmore takes few social risks with his actions and attitudes; Hellena risks much. The second is historical/biographical; Hellena makes independent choices somewhat similar to Behn's own, and so one might think that Behn might make such a character the namesake of the play.

What are themes in "Romeo and Juliet" Act III, Scene 1?Explain what themes arise in this scene. Why are they important? Use quotes if possible....

Several themes begin to come together in this scene. When Tybalt challenges and insults Romeo, his new love has causes Romeo to behave differently. He tries to get out of the fight by saying, “I do protest I never injured thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise.”Thus, Shakespeare sets the theme of love against the theme of revenge. But when Romeo’s ends up killing Tybalt , it is also turning point of the play. The theme of fate reappears. Because of this act, Romeo will be banished, and there is no chance that he and Juliet will be able to reveal their marriage to their feuding parents. After the murders take place, the circumstances of the lovers is really out of their hands. Fate has carried theme to an untenable situation.

In what ways are the condemned man's perceptions of time and motion distorted as he is waiting to be hanged?

Farquhar's perceptions of time and motion begin to become
distorted while he is waiting to be hanged. He is looking down at Owl Creek, which is
described as "racing madly," but to him it seems "sluggish." He sees a piece of
driftwood which should be moving swiftly in the "swirling water," yet to him it is
drifting slowly.

       How slowly it appeared to move! What a
sluggish stream!

Then when he falls between the ties with the noose
around his neck, he has only a few seconds to live, and yet in his imagination he
experiences a whole series of events which could take hours. When he finally imaginies
that he has reached his home, which we are told is about thirty miles from the Owl Creek
bridge,

          All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful
in

          the morning sunshine. He must have traveled
the

          entire
night.

His perception of time has been so
altered that his imagined escape and journey back to his home all take place within a
few seconds. It has often been said that a man's whole life can flash before his eyes in
a few moments when he is dying, and Ambrose Bierce's story makes this seem
credible.

In what ways are the condemned man's perceptions of time and motion distorted as he is waiting to be hanged?

Farquhar's perceptions of time and motion begin to become distorted while he is waiting to be hanged. He is looking down at Owl Creek, which is described as "racing madly," but to him it seems "sluggish." He sees a piece of driftwood which should be moving swiftly in the "swirling water," yet to him it is drifting slowly.

       How slowly it appeared to move! What a sluggish stream!

Then when he falls between the ties with the noose around his neck, he has only a few seconds to live, and yet in his imagination he experiences a whole series of events which could take hours. When he finally imaginies that he has reached his home, which we are told is about thirty miles from the Owl Creek bridge,

          All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful in

          the morning sunshine. He must have traveled the

          entire night.

His perception of time has been so altered that his imagined escape and journey back to his home all take place within a few seconds. It has often been said that a man's whole life can flash before his eyes in a few moments when he is dying, and Ambrose Bierce's story makes this seem credible.

In Margaret Atwood's "Death by Landscape", why and how is Lois isolated from the world and the people around her?

In Death by Landscape Margaret Atwood's character development of Lois follows a pattern found in many of her stories, the wilderness vs human existence. Lois is isolated by choice. Right at the beginning we learn that her children are grown and her husband has died.  The story tells us about Lois and her going to a camp as a child. She didn't really want to go but eventually she makes friends with Lucy.  One day when Lois and Lucy separate from the group Lucy disappears in the woods never to be found again. 

The losses in her life seem to have created a self impose isolation.  Lois chooses to move into a condominium so she will not have to take care of the yard, or deal with nature in any way.  She is frightened by the concept of the wilderness and the fact that they never found her friend.  She is afraid of the world.  She is even made to feel uneasy by her own paintings. 

More information can be found at the link below. 

What do Ikemefuna and Ezima's stories reveal about Okwonkwo in Part I ?

Okwonko's relationships with Ikemefuna and Ezima reveal that Okwonko is very set in his ideas about male and female roles, he is a traditionalist, and that he is not afraid to play favorites. Ezima, his favorite daughter, seems to understand her father and his moods more than any other member of his immediate family. She and her father have a special bond and he allows her privileges that his other children don't have. However, Okonkwo's one wish is that she had been born a boy. Ikemefuna is the boy Okonkwo would have wanted to have. He is disappointed in his own son, Nwoye, because Nwoye shows the sensitivity and laziness, traits Okonkwo's father had that Okonkwo has spent his life trying to overcome. Nwoye prefers his mother's company and he questions the tribes customs. This is an insult to Okwonkwo's pride and so he turns to Ikemefuna who is lively, intelligent and talented. Okwonkwo believes Ikemefuna sets a good example for his son, that is, until Okwonkwo ,rather than been seen as weak, kills Ikemefuna, That death and Okwonkwo's insecurities about himself, bring tragic consequences.

How do the male characters impact the sisters in Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley?

Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley belongs to the MaGrath sisters: Babe, Meg, and Lenny.  The male characters' purpose is to support the women in their struggle to understand what life expects from them. Each of the sisters has a problem that seems almost unsolvable.

Babe’s shooting of her husband in the stomach outweighs the other sisters’ problems at the present.  Babe needs a good lawyer; unfortunately for her, that person was her husband.  She does not love her husband; in fact, she has been having an affair with a fifteen year old African American boy, Willie Jay.  Her husband has discovered the affair.

How do the men in the sister’s lives impact them?

Old Granddaddy- He is never seen on stage but his presence is felt.  During the play, the old man has a stroke and all of the girls are concerned about his survival. 

His greatest impact seems to be on Babe.   Babe's difficulty in her marriage to Zachary, meanwhile, seems to have grown out the fact that she did not choose him but was pressured by her grandfather into marrying the successful lawyer.

His favorite granddaughter was Meg.  She found her mother after she committed suicide.  At the beginning of the play, Meg returns to her home from Los Angeles, where her singing career has stalled and where she had a nervous breakdown and ended up in the psychiatric ward of the county hospital.

Old Granddaddy has always told her: "With your talent, all you need is exposure. Then you can make your own breaks!”

She lies to Granddaddy and tells him that her singing career is going fine.

Lenny, the oldest sister, was left by the sisters to take care of the grandparents.  She resents having to act as the nursemaid. Lenny is frustrated after years of carrying heavy burdens of responsibility; most recently, she has been caring for Old Granddaddy by sleeping on a cot in the kitchen to be near him.

Doc Porter is Meg's old boyfriend. He actually never became a doctor. He loved and wanted to marry Meg. He stayed behind with her during the storm while the rest of the town evacuated for the storm. Doc has since married and has children. However, he still comes around the MaGrath family. It is obvious that the love between Doc and Meg is unresolved.  

Willie Jay-He is a fifteen year old black boy who has been having an affair with Babe.  Since Babe’s marriage is loveless, she looked for companionship wherever she could find it. Now, that Zachary, her husband, knows about the affair, Willie has to escape by bus and head North.

Barnette  Lloyd- He is Babe’s lawyer.  He seeks revenge on Babe’s husband. Zachary ruined Barnette’s father’s life.  He is also attracted to Babe.  He does not want to take the shooting to trial because of the affair with Willie Jay.  The play ends witht the hope that Barnette will be able to help Babe. 

The men in the story expose another side of these sisters and provide a nice depth and change of pace to keep things interesting. The masculine influence in the play serves to hinder or help the girls’ lives. 

The sisters are strong but vulnerable and have been limited in the opportunities in their lives.  The suicide of their mother has never left their minds.  The men have been both good and bad for them.  In the end of the play, the future of the sisters is unresolved. 

What was different about the fire Montag saw after leaving the river?

I'll answer the first part of your question and let
another editor answer the second.

In Fahrenheit
451, after escaping the city and the mechanical hound brought in to hunt him,
Montag follows railroad tracks after getting out of the river.  The fire he sees is a
campfire, and he notes that it is different from fire as he had experienced it, it was a
"different thing."

This fire was warming, not destroying. 
He sees hands near the fire, being warmed.  He never realized that fire could give back,
not just take.  He notes that even the smell of the fire is different from what he was
use to. 

What was different about the fire Montag saw after leaving the river?

I'll answer the first part of your question and let another editor answer the second.

In Fahrenheit 451, after escaping the city and the mechanical hound brought in to hunt him, Montag follows railroad tracks after getting out of the river.  The fire he sees is a campfire, and he notes that it is different from fire as he had experienced it, it was a "different thing."

This fire was warming, not destroying.  He sees hands near the fire, being warmed.  He never realized that fire could give back, not just take.  He notes that even the smell of the fire is different from what he was use to. 

What is symbolic of Thomas Perez in The Stranger? Why include him in the novel?

Thomas Perez serves two very important functions.  First, he is the moral opposite of Meursault.  While Meursault is bothered, inconvenienced, and bored by his mother's funeral, Thomas Perez is emotionally affected.  He shows us how one should behave given the circumstances.  He punctuates Meursault's apathy and indifference.  Secondly, Thomas Perez is a catalyst in terms of finding Meursault "guilty" of murder.  After we observe Perez's disgust of Meursault, we begin to understand just how strange Meursault truly is. 

Perhaps he is symbolic of human emotion and passion - which is what the existentialists seek to achieve in life. 

What is the moral or main point that O'Connor is trying to make in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"?

To understand the main theme of the novel one has to understand the conflict between Catholicism and Christianity in how they interpreted purgatory or atoneing for sins. Catholics believed that our actions would come with a price tag while Christians, particularily Southern Baptist believe that Christ forgives people for sins as long as they truly seek forgiveness and are geniunely open to receiving the goodness of Christ.

O'Connor points out the weaknesses to this position in respect to how the grandmother (southers) were preoccupied with keeping up appearances and this was no better revealed at the end of the novel when the Misfit says "She would've been a good women if she had someone want to shoot her everyday of her life". Suggesting that she was only acting civil and outwardly friendly because she feared for her life and said whatever was necessary in order to stay alive.

O'Connor cleverly uses irony to illistrate another weaknesses of the Christian argument regarding salvation in the afterlife. According to Southern Baptism, since the Grandmother was killed by the Misfit she would in essence be awarded enterance into heaven according to Christians. Therefore, O'Connor used the Misfit as the Grandmothers savior to parody Christian dogmas inherent weakness  of being accountable for our sins because he allowed  the grandmother enterance into heaven by killing her. That was the reason why she had refered to him as "her son" on more than one occassion.

What are some similarities between George and Lennie? I need a quote from the book Of Mice and Men as support.

In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie
are peas in a pod, two sides of the same coin, too sides of a man's brain.  They are
foils of each other: one big, one small; one naive, the other experienced; one a child,
the other a parent.  To use Freud's terms, George is the Superego (the social, moral
side), Lennie is the Id (the hidden desire side).  As such, they are
inseparable.

Both have a strong work ethic, are good
workers (though Lennie is better), and are believers in the American dream.  George
defines them in the first person plural: "we" and "us."  They are team; their dreams are
shared:

"Guys
like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in
the world.  They got no family. They don't belong no place....With
us it ain't like that. We got
a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn
about us." Chapter 1, pp.
13-14

What are some similarities between George and Lennie? I need a quote from the book Of Mice and Men as support.

In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie are peas in a pod, two sides of the same coin, too sides of a man's brain.  They are foils of each other: one big, one small; one naive, the other experienced; one a child, the other a parent.  To use Freud's terms, George is the Superego (the social, moral side), Lennie is the Id (the hidden desire side).  As such, they are inseparable.

Both have a strong work ethic, are good workers (though Lennie is better), and are believers in the American dream.  George defines them in the first person plural: "we" and "us."  They are team; their dreams are shared:

"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.  They got no family. They don't belong no place....With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us." Chapter 1, pp. 13-14

Explore hubris, hamarita, and how these apply to Hamlet's death and the fall of Denmark.

Hamartia is a fatal fault in hero's  character which leads
to his tragic end. In case of Hamlet ,his tragic death is the result of a fatal fault in
his own character. In the play we see that Hamlet gets many chances to kill Claudius but
he thinks a lot about whether to kill him or not.And everytime his noble and philosophic
nature stops him from killing Claudius and because of which finallyhe had to fight but
then everything is planned by Claudius which results in Hamlet's death and death of all
other major characters.These fatal faults in Hamlet's character are : he thinks too much
(his over thinking tendency ),His honesty ,and goodness.All these results in Hamlet's
death and finally the fall of Denmark.Hubris is the presence of excessive pride and
arrogance in the character.One of the major reason   his death is his arrogance and his
pride in his father.Hamlet's indecisiveness is the result of hubris.Throughout the play
he is not able to overcome the death of his father which brings him into the state of
deprression.His great pride in his father prevents him from attending and accepting the
re-marriage of his mother.He pride in his parents leads him to mental conflictsand
depression when he sees his mother marrying his uncle.His pride is hurt when he finds
thatsoon after the death of his father,his mother marrying his uncle.He feels that blood
of such woman is there in his veins and this makes him feel very low.Because of this he
develops a kind of hatred towards women and thus never proposes Ophelia (who truly loves
him ) for marriage.His arrogant treatment of Ophelia makes her feel betrayed and she
commits sucide.Thus losses innocent Ophelia and his love as a result of his
arrogance.His arrogance also prevents from getting people in his favor though he is a
Prince. When Hamlet kills Polonius by mistake,there is no guilt in him for this act.It
is because of his arrogance that Laertes turns out as his opponent.All these things
finally leads to his death ,leaving no Prince for Denmark and thus results in the
downfall of Denmark.

Explore hubris, hamarita, and how these apply to Hamlet's death and the fall of Denmark.

Hamartia is a fatal fault in hero's  character which leads to his tragic end. In case of Hamlet ,his tragic death is the result of a fatal fault in his own character. In the play we see that Hamlet gets many chances to kill Claudius but he thinks a lot about whether to kill him or not.And everytime his noble and philosophic nature stops him from killing Claudius and because of which finallyhe had to fight but then everything is planned by Claudius which results in Hamlet's death and death of all other major characters.These fatal faults in Hamlet's character are : he thinks too much (his over thinking tendency ),His honesty ,and goodness.All these results in Hamlet's death and finally the fall of Denmark.Hubris is the presence of excessive pride and arrogance in the character.One of the major reason   his death is his arrogance and his pride in his father.Hamlet's indecisiveness is the result of hubris.Throughout the play he is not able to overcome the death of his father which brings him into the state of deprression.His great pride in his father prevents him from attending and accepting the re-marriage of his mother.He pride in his parents leads him to mental conflictsand depression when he sees his mother marrying his uncle.His pride is hurt when he finds thatsoon after the death of his father,his mother marrying his uncle.He feels that blood of such woman is there in his veins and this makes him feel very low.Because of this he develops a kind of hatred towards women and thus never proposes Ophelia (who truly loves him ) for marriage.His arrogant treatment of Ophelia makes her feel betrayed and she commits sucide.Thus losses innocent Ophelia and his love as a result of his arrogance.His arrogance also prevents from getting people in his favor though he is a Prince. When Hamlet kills Polonius by mistake,there is no guilt in him for this act.It is because of his arrogance that Laertes turns out as his opponent.All these things finally leads to his death ,leaving no Prince for Denmark and thus results in the downfall of Denmark.

What are the economic conditions of women in Pride and Prejudice?

This novel is set in Regency England, a time when Prince George acted as Regent for his incapacited father, George III. During this time, England was a powerful nation, having defeated Napoleon. The English were strong not only militarily but also economically, with a growing middle class.

Women of any class, however, had very little power socially or economically. In the novel, the Bennett home is "entailed" to Mr. Collins. That means that when Mr. Bennett dies, his estate will go to Mr. Collins instead of to his own daughters because only males could inherit property (see the link to Themes below). Unless the Bennett girls married well, they would end up penniless.

There were jobs for women in lower economic classes, such as domestic service and factory work, but they paid very little. The only option for women in the middle and upper classes was marriage or being a governess:

The only viable alternative to marriage was to become a governess, commonly referred to as the "governess slave-trade" since "minimum wage and hour limitation for workers did not exist at the time." (from Jane Austen and the Female Condition, linked below) 

How does Shakespeare start the play, "Romeo and Juliet" so that he gains the attention of the groundlings?

To begin with, Shakespeare starts Romeo and Juliet with the Prologue, which prepares the audience for the deaths of the two young lovers. 

"Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;"

(Prologue, Romeo & Juliet)

Then, in Act I, Scene I, there is a grand street fight which was bound to catch the attention of the groundlings who were standing in front of the stage in the Globe Theater.  Even the Aristocrats, who sat on the upper benches that lined the circular shape of the Globe were caught up in the play through this introduction. 

"Enter several persons of both houses, who join
the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs and partisans.
Citizens. Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike!
beat them down!
Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues!"  (Act I, Scene I) 

What is the inciting incident in Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace"?

Madame Loisel feels that she was born for luxury.  She is a beautiful woman and believes that she should be living an aristocratic life, draped in fine clothes, jewels and furs.  She imagines herself to be living a life opposite of what her true destiny is, a life of meagerness.

It is because of Madame Loisel's deeply held belief that life has cheated her out of her due, that results in her reaction to the invitation to the fancy party.  The party, Madame Loisel feels is where she should be, therefore, she must look the part.  Madame Loisel is a Cinderella in reverse.  She gets to go to the ball, and instead of losing a glass slipper, she loses her friend's necklace.

Her life is then turned into an existence of hardship and hard labor. She ends up in rags.

Monsieur Loisel is a hard-working man who loves his wife, but does not understand her.  He wants to please her, and makes sacrifices to give her the luxury, if only temporarily, that she so craves.  He is a simple man who is satisfied with his social standing in life.  He has no aspirations to be among the aristocrats like his wife.  He is content with his simple life.

Both these characters share some reponsibility for the hard work they endure to buy a new necklace.  Individually, and together, they do not trust the rich, Madame Loisel, out of envy and jealousy, and Monsieur out of a sense of fear.  He is afraid of the power of the rich 

After the murderers kill Banquo, why did Macbeth go insane seeing the images of him if he didn't kill Banquo and have to live with the guilt?

Guilt is a horrible thing.  It is not just the murder of Banquo that is preying on Macbeth's mind.  He has Duncan on his conscience as well, and he is already cooking up the deaths of the MacDuff family and all their servants and houseguests.

Of course, any time you kill someone and he shows up all bloody at your dinner party, that would be enough to go a little over the edge.  Macbeth did not stab Banquo and attack his son, Fleance, but he hired it done.  Banquo's blood is on Macbeth's hands regardless.  Remember, too, that with Duncan's murder, Macbeth's guilty conscience is already manifesting itself in the form of many sleepless nights. 

In "A Rose for Emily," what are some of the reasons that Emily only went into a relationship after her father's death?

At the heart of the mystery surrounding Emily Grierson is her relationship with her possessive father, whose presence Emily never quite escapes (his crayon portrait hangs over her coffin at her funeral).  The narrator describes Emily as "a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip."  We learn that "none of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily..."  Thus, her father had "driven away" and "robbed her" of chances to be married and to leave his home. 

It is not until after her father's death that Emily's mental instability is evident to the narrator, who reports three days passed and Emily had not acknowledged her father's death. He had to be "buried...quickly."  It is a "long time" before  Emily makes a public appearance again.  Homer Barron and Miss Emily are seen "driving in the yellow wheeled buggy and the matched team of bays from the livery stable."  Because Barron is a Yankee and a common laborer, the town considers him to be beneath Emily's social status.  To the townspeople, Emily's lapse in noblesse oblige is further evidence of her psychological deterioration.  Homer's disappearance, however, is not immediately connected to the arsenic Emily buys; it is attributed to her father's "virulent[...] quality [...] which had thwarted her woman's life..."

Where does James Joyce use stream of consciousness in the "Dubliners" stories?

Actually, I think, there is no manifestation of the complete technique in Dubliners but we can have a preview of his later novels.

So, in Araby, we see the world from the point of view (or within the mind) of the boy. Instead of looking at the story from a camera above, we see the world from the boy's eyes. And, also, we have to guess what's left out of the narration; we don't have the full picture but parts of it, as long as, that is, they are perceived by the boy himself.

How does the inspector in The Chrysalids use power/authority to make others suffer injustly and why?

It is the Inspector's job in this district to ensure that
any deviations are discovered and mercilessly destroyed according to the regulations
laid out in the law. This may mean sacrificing animals or burning crops, or, more
disturbingly in the case of humans, sterilising and exiling them into the Fringes and
away from acceptable society. Of course, the "justice" that he administers is entirely
based on a wrong understanding of the Bible and God's laws, that have somehow been
twisted to argue that deviations such as Sophie are dangerous and not actually human. Of
course, the biggest victim that we are introduced to in the first few chapters, that
foreshadows the kind of treatment that David and others in the group will experience, is
Sophie, whose extra toe warrants all the "justice" that the Inspector can bring to bear.
Note how he justifies his position to David:

readability="10">

"The Devil sends Deviations among us to weaken
us and tempt us away from Purity. Sometimes he is clever enough to make a nearly-perfect
imitation, so we have always to be on the look-out for the mistake he has made, however
small, and when we see one it must be reported at
once."

From the Inspector's
point of view, therefore, he is merely upholding the purity of the human species as
prescribed in law, but we as readers share David's scepticism of whether this is
"justice" or not.

How does the inspector in The Chrysalids use power/authority to make others suffer injustly and why?

It is the Inspector's job in this district to ensure that any deviations are discovered and mercilessly destroyed according to the regulations laid out in the law. This may mean sacrificing animals or burning crops, or, more disturbingly in the case of humans, sterilising and exiling them into the Fringes and away from acceptable society. Of course, the "justice" that he administers is entirely based on a wrong understanding of the Bible and God's laws, that have somehow been twisted to argue that deviations such as Sophie are dangerous and not actually human. Of course, the biggest victim that we are introduced to in the first few chapters, that foreshadows the kind of treatment that David and others in the group will experience, is Sophie, whose extra toe warrants all the "justice" that the Inspector can bring to bear. Note how he justifies his position to David:

"The Devil sends Deviations among us to weaken us and tempt us away from Purity. Sometimes he is clever enough to make a nearly-perfect imitation, so we have always to be on the look-out for the mistake he has made, however small, and when we see one it must be reported at once."

From the Inspector's point of view, therefore, he is merely upholding the purity of the human species as prescribed in law, but we as readers share David's scepticism of whether this is "justice" or not.

I have been asked to do a literary criticism for "The Scarlett Letter," chapter 3. What type of criticism should I use?

There are several types of critism that you could apply to this chapter.  You might want to use the psychological approach to evaluate Chillingworth as portrayed through physical description/image.  While you are doing this, you could do a textual criticism to show how the images that appear in this chapter reappear throughout the novel, and how/if they change as time passes.  (Word processing software makes this a lot easier than it used to be.)  This is sometimes called Formal criticism.  You could also take the historical approach, exploring how the facts of the time are reflected in the novel (eg. why is there such a difference between the sentence Hester received and the one that she might have received if the rules of their society/religion were followed strickly).  And, of course, you could study the use of irony in this chapter, clearly present in Dimmesdale's "oration" to Hester, but also present in the story of Chillingworth and Hester suggested in this chapter and developed later.

The one you select depends on your instructor.  I think I would do the  study of the initial images associated with Dimmesdale and then follow them through the book.  Have fun!

What does the tree Melinda spends the year on creating symbolize? does any one know what the tree symbolizes

In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, the
tree symbolizes Melinda. In the end of the book, when Melinda finds her voice to speak
once again and confront her past and her attacker, she is finally able to create a tree
in leaf, a springtime image of rebirth after a long winter, just as Melinda herself is
being reborn after her almost year-long ordeal. In the many false starts and variations
of the tree Melinda creates, we see the range of emotions and reactions she has to her
situation. From the leafless tree, to the "ugly" tree, etc. all of the thoughts and
emotions Melinda shares with us about her creation are also descriptions of herself. The
tree is a reflection of her.

What does the tree Melinda spends the year on creating symbolize? does any one know what the tree symbolizes

In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, the tree symbolizes Melinda. In the end of the book, when Melinda finds her voice to speak once again and confront her past and her attacker, she is finally able to create a tree in leaf, a springtime image of rebirth after a long winter, just as Melinda herself is being reborn after her almost year-long ordeal. In the many false starts and variations of the tree Melinda creates, we see the range of emotions and reactions she has to her situation. From the leafless tree, to the "ugly" tree, etc. all of the thoughts and emotions Melinda shares with us about her creation are also descriptions of herself. The tree is a reflection of her.

In The Awakening, to what Creole customs/attitudes does Edna have trouble adjusting?

Edna struggles with a number of Creole attitudes and cultural norms. In the Creole culture, the men are dominant and women are viewed as possessions to be prized and displayed like trophies. The women were expected to birth multiple children, be perfect mothers, and be skilled in social graces. All of these things reflected well on the husband. Edna feels constrained by these roles, and does not have the talents that she sees in her female Creole companions. Her husband is a classic Creole man - he spends little time with the family, valuing them only as property to be displayed to other men. Instead he spends his time in the pursuit of entertainment. At one point in the novel, he scolds Edna for allowing herself to get a sunburn. He is bothered by this because he believes that she has damaged his property. Edna also struggles to adjust to the open and meaningless flirtations that she observes in the Creole society. She is unable to flippantly flirt, and as her emotions get involved, she winds up in an affair.

Why did Hawthorne use a minister in this story? Why didn't he use a different character like a baker or a teacher?

What a wonderful question!  My opinion of Hawthorne's choice of his main character's occupation is that the minister, more than a baker, teacher, or any other secular occupation epitomizes morality.   Ministers, more than anyone else (with the exception of nuns, priests, bishops, and other members of clergy) are expected to be pure, clean, and lead lives worthy of imitation by the rest of us sinners.  That's not to say that bakers and teachers aren't moral or lead clean and pure lives, but their occupation titles don't necessarily lend to all the rest of society expecting them to be "angels".

Using a minister for this story puts emphasis on his life.  His purpose in wearing the veil is to show his congregation that we all have sin...even ministers...and while it ruins his life in terms of his relationship with Elizabeth, it does improve his ability to be effective as a minister.  His congregation come to him more often with their confessions and problems than they did before because he appears to them more human, more like them.  Perhaps the veil gives him accessibility...an air of trust that perhaps they didn't have for him before he began wearing it.

In Pride and Prejudice, why does Charlotte agree to marry Mr. Collins?

Charlotte agrees to marry Mr. Collins for security and to avoid remaining an "old maid."  Although her friend, Elizabeth, refused Mr. Collins' proposal, Charlotte decided to marry him when he asked her.

The times being what they were, it was difficult for a woman to remain unmarried.  She was dependent on her father, then on any brothers, to support her until she found a husband who would take over that duty.  Sounds pretty amazing from our 21st-century perspective, and yet, that's how it was.  Charlotte, fortunately, is patient enough to endure Mr. Collins' less than desirable personality traits, specifically the way he sucks up to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and so feels that she made a very good match.

Check the link below for more information on all of the characters from this book.  Good luck!

What is the largest muscle in the human body?

According to most online sources, the gluteus maximus or
buttock muscle is the biggest of the 639 named muscles in the human
body.

The longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius. This
narrow muscle of the thigh passes obliquely across the front of the thigh and helps
rotate the leg to the position assumed in sitting
cross-legged.

The strongest muscle depends on how
you measure strength. A good case could be made for the
heart!

Information from
ehow.com:

In terms of absolute force, the strongest muscle
in the body is the masseter, the prime mover of the jaw for chewing. It can create force
of 55 lbs. on the incisors or 200 lbs. on the molars.

The
hardest-working muscle in the body is the heart. It pumps 2 oz. blood at every
heartbeat, at least 2,500 gallons daily.

The muscle that
can pull with the greatest force is the soleus, underneath the calf muscle. It is this
muscle that keeps us from falling backward while standing up, and it is essential to
running, walking and dancing.

The largest muscle in the
body is also one of the strongest--the gluteus maximus. This large muscle in the
buttocks keeps us standing upright and fights against gravity when we walk up
stairs.

The most flexible muscle is the tongue, which can
take many shapes and also is always moving, even in
sleep.

The most active of muscles is the eye muscles.
Muscles of the eye are constantly moving. In an hour's worth of reading, they can move
10,000 times. Unlike the heart, however, eye muscles can get fatigued
easily.

What is the largest muscle in the human body?

According to most online sources, the gluteus maximus or buttock muscle is the biggest of the 639 named muscles in the human body.

The longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius. This narrow muscle of the thigh passes obliquely across the front of the thigh and helps rotate the leg to the position assumed in sitting cross-legged.

The strongest muscle depends on how you measure strength. A good case could be made for the heart!

Information from ehow.com:

In terms of absolute force, the strongest muscle in the body is the masseter, the prime mover of the jaw for chewing. It can create force of 55 lbs. on the incisors or 200 lbs. on the molars.

The hardest-working muscle in the body is the heart. It pumps 2 oz. blood at every heartbeat, at least 2,500 gallons daily.

The muscle that can pull with the greatest force is the soleus, underneath the calf muscle. It is this muscle that keeps us from falling backward while standing up, and it is essential to running, walking and dancing.

The largest muscle in the body is also one of the strongest--the gluteus maximus. This large muscle in the buttocks keeps us standing upright and fights against gravity when we walk up stairs.

The most flexible muscle is the tongue, which can take many shapes and also is always moving, even in sleep.

The most active of muscles is the eye muscles. Muscles of the eye are constantly moving. In an hour's worth of reading, they can move 10,000 times. Unlike the heart, however, eye muscles can get fatigued easily.

What is the tone of "Guests of the Nation"?

There are four tones, each claiming one of the four sections of O'Connor's short story:  contentment, disillusion, tension, and regret.  

Section 1 finds Bonaparte, the Irish Rebel and narrator in a jovial mood with his "prisoners," two Englishmen named Belcher and Hawkins.  So genial are the three, (as well as the other Irish Rebel, Noble), that Bonaparte wonders  "what the hell we wanted guarding them at all for" and "What use are these fellows to us?"

He soon discovers that the Englishmen are not prisoners, but hostages.  Donovan, the lead officer says, "The enemy have prisoners belonging to us and now they're talking of shooting them.  If they shoot our prisoners, we'll shoot theirs...what else did you think we were keeping them for?"  (Section II).

Despite his objections, Bonaparte leads his friends away.  Now aware of their fate, the Englishmen beg, "What had he done to use?  Weren't we all chums?"  (Section III). 

Donovan shoots Hawkins but he does not immediately die.  Belcher ties a handkerchief around his own eyes; too small, he accepts another from Bonaparte, who shoots him.

Section IV closes with Bonaparte's nauseating sense of betrayal and guilt.  "I was very small and very lost and lonely like a child astray in the snow.  And  anything that happened to me afterwards, I never felt the same about again." 

What are your thoughts on raising a child with having no soul mate to support you?How would you cope up with the situation and what possible...

This is, of course, a very personal question and your
answer, as a 12th grader, would surely be different than
mine.

If my wife were to die now and leave me with our two
children, it would be very difficult to say the least.  I think that it would be at
least somewhat easier if the children had never known their mother.  As it is, my
children would miss their mother so much and their sadness and mine would surely
interact to make things harder for both me and the
children.

As an older person, I assume that I would have
the maturity to be able to deal with the grief, but I think that I would need to seek
support from family members to help keep me emotionally stable so that I could get
through all the emotions that raising a child can bring to a
parent.

What are your thoughts on raising a child with having no soul mate to support you?How would you cope up with the situation and what possible...

This is, of course, a very personal question and your answer, as a 12th grader, would surely be different than mine.

If my wife were to die now and leave me with our two children, it would be very difficult to say the least.  I think that it would be at least somewhat easier if the children had never known their mother.  As it is, my children would miss their mother so much and their sadness and mine would surely interact to make things harder for both me and the children.

As an older person, I assume that I would have the maturity to be able to deal with the grief, but I think that I would need to seek support from family members to help keep me emotionally stable so that I could get through all the emotions that raising a child can bring to a parent.

What are the most important themes in The Odyssey?

I think one of the most important themes in The
Odyssey is responsibility. If you take a look at Odysseus, he exhibits it and
tries to demand it of his men.

Another would be loyalty.
Both Penelope and Telamachus had to have borne much discouragement from the suitors and
townspeople for waiting so long for Odysseus. Odysseus himself was working hard to get
home, but his loyalty could be questioned even though he said of the goddesses that in
his heart he never gave consent.

You could say
self-identity is a theme as Odysseus reclaimed his rightful place and held fast to his
role as king, defender and soldier.

Finally, you might
consider choice and consequences. Many characters in this story reap trouble for sowing
trouble and triumph for hard work.

What are the most important themes in The Odyssey?

I think one of the most important themes in The Odyssey is responsibility. If you take a look at Odysseus, he exhibits it and tries to demand it of his men.

Another would be loyalty. Both Penelope and Telamachus had to have borne much discouragement from the suitors and townspeople for waiting so long for Odysseus. Odysseus himself was working hard to get home, but his loyalty could be questioned even though he said of the goddesses that in his heart he never gave consent.

You could say self-identity is a theme as Odysseus reclaimed his rightful place and held fast to his role as king, defender and soldier.

Finally, you might consider choice and consequences. Many characters in this story reap trouble for sowing trouble and triumph for hard work.

What does Chaucer seem to be saying about marriage in "The Miller's Tale?"

Well, you wouldn't want to assume this tale represents Chaucer's position; he takes various positions that don't fit together smoothly in this set of stories. However, this story shows marriage as anything but the sacred bond the church would have it. Marriage is shown as entered into by the ignorant, who don't really know one another. This allows for deception, and makes those involved look stupid. Broadening the question a little, the story shows how sexual desire can make us look like fools.

Are the characters of Chaucer's pilgrims representative of people from everyday life? Write a critical response to the poet William Blake's...

I agree with Blake's assertion.  If we look at the "General Prologue," we are introduced to a few dozen characters from very diverse backgrounds, everyone from a Friar to the Wife of Bath.  Every walk of life is represented. 

What is unusual about this is that very rarely would a journey of  this type containing such a of diversity of travelers occur in the real world at that time.  One would not typically find a Knight traveling with a Miller, for example.  Most of these characters did not encounter each other in everyday life; in fact, some would never have encountered each other at all.  To find evidence of this, all one has to do is read Chaucer's descriptions of the characters in the "General Prologue" and one can see how diverse they are.

We can relate these characters to today because our country is made up of such a diverse group of people.  We have so much cultural, social, and economic diversity, just as the characters' world did.

What do Hrothgar and his council do to try to save his guest-hall?

I think that the answer you are probably looking for is that they performed sacrifices to the gods to try to save the guest hall.

You can find this in Chapter 2 of the poem, right at the end.  Grendel has been killing Hrothgar's thanes and they have not been able to figure out any way to stop him.  So what they did was to sacrifice at "heathen shrines" to ask the "slayer of souls" to help them.

Since the poem was written down in Christian times, the poet criticizes this practice, saying that it was hellish and that they would have done much better if they had been Christian and known the true God.

Does Hamlet have any brothers and sisters? Is he an only child?

There are no siblings mentioned in the play, so it can be assumed that Hamlet is an only child.  Claudius only seems to be concerned about Hamlet's response to the king's death and Claudius' hasty marriage to Hamlet's mother.  If there were other children involved, Claudius would be less likely to single one of them out.  The fact that Hamlet names Fortinbras as the new king upon his death leads the reader to believe that there are no siblings to pass the crown on to... with Claudius' death, Hamlet becomes king.  But with Hamlet suffering a fatal, poisonous wound, he quickly names someone to succeed him before dying.

What is Luchesi's role in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Luchesi does not appear in the story but has an important role just the same. Fortunato does not need to go with Montresor to the underground vaults or catacombs in order to sample the Amontillado (if it existed). Once Fortunato learns that Amontillado is available for sale at a bargain price, he could easily find the seller for himself. No doubt a shipload of casks of Amontillado has just arrived in port--at least according to Montresor’s story). That ship (if it existed) would be easy for a man with Fortunato’s experience to find, and he could sample the wine aboard the ship and probably buy directly from the captain.

Montresor knows that Fortunato would think this way, because he has had plenty of dealings with the man in the past and has frequently been injured by him in business transactions. When Fortunato says, “Impossible!” he is only expressing his surprise that a shipload of gourmet wine should have arrived without his having heard about it. He assumes that he has missed out on this information because he has been drinking and carousing since the start of the carnival.

Montresor only entices Fortunato to his palazzo by telling him he is on his way to consult Luchesi. Fortunato doesn’t want Luchesi to hear about the shipload of Amontillado, because Luchesi would go searching for it on the waterfront himself. Then Fortunato would be competing with Luchesi in bargaining for the wine. If they bid the price up high enough, then Fortunato might be only able to purchase part of the cargo, while Luchesi got the other. Presumably either one of them would buy the entire shipload if they could get a bargain.

All three of these men would be interested in the Amontillado as merchandise on which to make a profit, and not for their own after-dinner consumption, although they might enjoy an occasional glass or two. Nobody needs 126 gallons of sherry for private consumption. The good thing about wine as merchandise is that it improves with age if it is contained in an oak barrel and thereby gains in value. So there would be no need for haste in retailing it.

Poor Montresor would have bought more than one cask if he had been sure of its quality, but he could not afford to buy the entire cargo of wine under any circumstances. At best he could buy another cask or two (if it existed!). So Fortunato decides to go with Montresor. The alternative, if Luchesi had not been mentioned, would have been to find the ship and sample the wine aboard it. But now what Fortunato is probably planning is to taste Montresor’s wine, shake his head, and tell him it is only ordinary sherry—then go looking for the ship, having eliminated both Montresor and Luchesi as potential competitors. And when Fortunato had beaten his competitors out of all the valuable Amontillado, he would laugh and call it “an excellent jest,” adding another injury to the thousand he has already committed against Montresor.

Describe the events in the story "A & P" by John Updike.list the way in which the story adds up to more then just the summary of events.

The story is about a teenaged boy named Sammy who works at the local A&P grocery store. One day he encountes a trio of swimsuited girls in the grocery store. The girls cause quite a stir because of the way their dressed (or not dressed.) The girls come to his checkout station, and one girl pulls a dollar from her bathing-suit top. The store's manager, Lengel, spots the girls and reprimands them for their attire. The girls are embarrassed and want to leave quickly. Sammy, in a passionate moment, tells Lengel that he quits. The girls, however, fail to notice his act of chivalry and continue walking out of the store. As he, punches "No Sale" on the cash register, he realizes that the world will be a harder place for him from now on. The story has remained popular because many of the themes are still central to adolescence, including accepting the repercussions of one's choices.
A & P.

In "Everyday Use," how does Maggie view herself?

Maggie is Mama's youngest daughter.  She is a very shy, introverted young woman who has many scars, both physical and emotional. She was burned in the fire that destroyed their home some years ago and she is terribly ashamed of her scars.  This fire, however, also scarred her emotionally.  She is very introverted and painfully shy.  She rarely talks, and when she does, it is to do so very softly.  Maggie feels inferior to her sister Dee because Maggie lacks any self-confidence and self-esteem.  Dee is very different from Maggie in that Dee is very beautiful, confident, and educated.  Dee is also condescending, which doesn't help Maggie feel any better.  During the climax of the story, when Dee wants to take the blanket (quilt) that has been promised to Maggie, Maggie tells her mother that Dee can have them; however, Mama snatches it out of Dee's hands to give to Maggie.  I'm certain this made Maggie feel very proud.

Comment on Oedipus' last speech in "Oedipus Rex."

If you mean his actual last line in the play, it is " Do not take them from me!" It shows how his priorities have changed, and his place in the world. From being a king, and proud, he is reduced to a father and a victim.

If you mean his last extended speech, it is deeply ironic. Look at the final lines:

"Oh, children, if you could understand, I would
give you so much advice; as it is, just pray
with me that you obtain a better life
than did the father who sired you."

 

This comes from a man whose real father tried to protect himself from his son, and who killed his own father. It also shifts the source of action: pray for change, rather than actively striking out to obtain it. He's become pious in his pain.

What made the girls start thinking about Egypt?It iss in the book"The Egypt Game." I can't find it could you help me?

All we're told about how they started thinking about Egypt was that "April found a new book about Egypt." This sparked her interest, and a friendly librarian helped her learn more. (It's on page 34 of my version—the start of the chapter titled "The Egypt Girls.")

Explain the causes of the gang's deliquency, including their reaction to the name Trevor and their reaction to Old Misery's gift of chocolates.

The Wormsley Street Gang, made up of young boys who grew up in post-Blitz London, have lived in a world full of destruction. They are so entrenched in the hardship and difficulties of post-WWII life that they are at a loss when confronted with beauty or kindness. When Old Misery offers them chocolates, they cannot understand a kind gesture, but rather suggest that the chocolates are dirty, stolen, or a bribe. As far as T's real name, he drops it because "Trevor" is an upper-class name, and the boys have working-class disdain for anything of that sort. These attitudes are the foundation of their decision to destroy a beautiful and historically-important home built by Christopher Wren.

Demonstrate the equality: 1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2n-1)^2 = n(4n^2-1)/3

For demonstrating the identity, we'll use the method of
mathematical induction, which consists in 3
steps:

1) verify that the method works for the number
1;

2) assume that the method works for an arbitrary number,
k;

3) prove that if the method works for an arbitrary
number k, then it work for the number k+1, too.

4) after
the 3 steps were completed, then the formula works for any
number.

Now, we'll start the first
step:

1) 1^2=1*(4*1^2-1)/3 => 1=3/3=1
true.

2) 1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2k-1)^2 = k(4k^2-1)/3 ,
true.

3) If 1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2k-1)^2 = k(4k^2-1)/3,
then

1^2 + 2^2 + ... +(2k-1)^2 +
(2k+1)^2=(k+1)(4(k+1)^2-1)/3

Let's see if it is
true.

For the beginning, we notice that the sum from the
left contains the assumed true equality,1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2k-1)^2=k(4k^2-1)/3. So,
we'll re-write the sum by substituting a part of it with
k(4k^2-1)/3.

k(4k^2-1)/3 + (2k+1)^2 =
(k+1)(4(k+1)^2-1)/3

4k^3-k+3(4k^2+4k+1)=(k+1)(4k^2+8k+4-1)

4k^3-k+12k^2+12k+3=4k^3+8k^2+3k+4k^2+8k+3

4k^3+12k^2+11k+3=4k^3+12k^2+11k+3
true.

4) The 3 steps were completed, so the identity is tru
for any value of n.

1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2n-1)^2 =
n(4n^2-1)/3

Demonstrate the equality: 1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2n-1)^2 = n(4n^2-1)/3

For demonstrating the identity, we'll use the method of mathematical induction, which consists in 3 steps:

1) verify that the method works for the number 1;

2) assume that the method works for an arbitrary number, k;

3) prove that if the method works for an arbitrary number k, then it work for the number k+1, too.

4) after the 3 steps were completed, then the formula works for any number.

Now, we'll start the first step:

1) 1^2=1*(4*1^2-1)/3 => 1=3/3=1 true.

2) 1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2k-1)^2 = k(4k^2-1)/3 , true.

3) If 1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2k-1)^2 = k(4k^2-1)/3, then

1^2 + 2^2 + ... +(2k-1)^2 + (2k+1)^2=(k+1)(4(k+1)^2-1)/3

Let's see if it is true.

For the beginning, we notice that the sum from the left contains the assumed true equality,1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2k-1)^2=k(4k^2-1)/3. So, we'll re-write the sum by substituting a part of it with k(4k^2-1)/3.

k(4k^2-1)/3 + (2k+1)^2 = (k+1)(4(k+1)^2-1)/3

4k^3-k+3(4k^2+4k+1)=(k+1)(4k^2+8k+4-1)

4k^3-k+12k^2+12k+3=4k^3+8k^2+3k+4k^2+8k+3

4k^3+12k^2+11k+3=4k^3+12k^2+11k+3 true.

4) The 3 steps were completed, so the identity is tru for any value of n.

1^2 + 2^2 + ... + (2n-1)^2 = n(4n^2-1)/3

What is the purpose of the Act I, scene 5 prologue in "Romeo and Juliet"?

In this way Shakespeare makes sure the reader understands both aspects of fate and choice which together forge the development, crisis, and resolution of the story.

If Romeo and Juliet are indeed "star-crossed lovers" where destiny (or fate) has played against them (as in Friar Larence's letter not being intercepted in time by Romeo), the feuding families of the Montagues and Capulets are still held responsible for the deaths of their children for having pursued longstanding hostilities rather than resolving them.

The prologue in this way sets the stage for the play's major themes (For example, "Learn to resolve conflict before it is too late") and establishes the play as a type of cautionary tale in retrospect:

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal lons of these two foes

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;

Whose mis-adventured piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-marked love,

And the continuance of theri parents' rage,

Which but their children's end, naught could remove,

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;

The which if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

what is the theme of this poem?You were my first...

The funny little Romantic lyric is addressed to the moon
but it can be read as making some serious points nevertheless.  It is a love poem,
written in a typical and cliched eulogistic rhetoric with a tone of romantic effusion
and exaggeration.

The poem is a classic example
of visually charged pattern poetry where the placement of the lines create a visual
image in a calligraphic way that harmonizes with the major theme of the poem. The
alignment of the lines here typographically evokes the image of a half-moon in its
perfect slice-shape.

The poem in terms of expressing a love
of moon and ending on the word 'luna' may be read as an expression of lunacy or a kind
of madness, supposed to be caused by the moon.

what is the theme of this poem?You were my first...

The funny little Romantic lyric is addressed to the moon but it can be read as making some serious points nevertheless.  It is a love poem, written in a typical and cliched eulogistic rhetoric with a tone of romantic effusion and exaggeration.

The poem is a classic example of visually charged pattern poetry where the placement of the lines create a visual image in a calligraphic way that harmonizes with the major theme of the poem. The alignment of the lines here typographically evokes the image of a half-moon in its perfect slice-shape.

The poem in terms of expressing a love of moon and ending on the word 'luna' may be read as an expression of lunacy or a kind of madness, supposed to be caused by the moon.

How is Sethe considered a tragic heroine in "Beloved"?

Sethe fits the profile of a classical tragic hero in some ways, but not in others. One characteristic of a classical tragic hero is that their "fall" comes from a lofty place--they are usually of noble birth, like Hamlet. Most tragedies also end with the hero's death, but Sethe does not die in the novel. An argument could be made, however, for Sethe being a tragic heroine by virtue of her excessive pride and independence.

In classical tragedy, the hero's fall is usually due in part to his hubris, or excessive pride. Although Sethe led a life of degredation as a slave, once she sets up her own household she is determined to survive without any help from the community.

After Denver tries to get work and the town is aware that Sethe is sick, help starts to arrive in the form of food gifts. Morrison's narrator notes that "the personal pride, the arrogant claim staked out at 124 seemed to have run its course." Sethe has managed her life for many years by "trying to do it all alone with her nose in the air" but is not able to keep up this front any longer. Instead of dying at the end of the novel, Sethe begins to awaken to a new sense of self.

In The Call of the Wild, what does "If I don’t get the hydrophoby" mean?

As the above answer states, 'hydrophoby', or hydrophobia, refers to rabies, the often-fatal disease which humans can contract from dogs and other animals, usually wild animals. The bitten man isn't allowed to finish his sentence: he says, 'If I don't get the hydrophoby - ' but is interrupted by the saloonkeeper who jokes that, if he doesn't get hydrophobia, it would only be he was 'born to hang'.

Rabies is generally associated with wild, or stray dogs. Buck, of course, was not wild to begin with, but rather appeared as a thoroughly domesticated house pet in in the 'lazy, sun-kissed' home of Judge Miller in California. However, by this stage in the novel, those old domestic docile traits are beginning to slip rapidly away from him, as he is chained, caged and brutalized by his kidnappers. At one point he appears as a 'red-eyed devil', but he is ultimately brought down by one experienced doghandler, or dog-breaker who finally knocks him out with a club. At this point he realizes that it's better to co-operate with these men, rather than try to fight them all the time, and quickly adjusts to the rough life in the north as a sled-dog.

In the course of the novel, though, Buck finally leaves behind all human contact and ends up reverting entirely to the wild, when he runs off to join a pack of wolves - wolves being the common ancestors of modern dogs, as the narrative frequently reminds us. Buck's reversion is thus seen as a return to his true, hereditary nature.

What is Douglass's opinion of the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence?explain

In 1852, while living in Rochester, NY, Douglass, a former
slave turned editor and public abolitionist speaker, was asked to speak for a fourth of
July celebration. Instead of delivering a speech glorifying and celebrating the nation's
independence, he delivered a massive attack against a country that violates its own
declaration of independence by allowing so many people to remain enslaved. He poses a
key question as to whether or not the rights are given to
all:

readability="8">

Are the great principles of
political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence,
extended to us?

It is clear
that they are not given to all, and Douglass sees and calls America out on the hypocrisy
of these words. He notes that the founders crafted a document to afford equal protection
and rights to all when they drafted the constitution, but those rights are not actually
extended to all human beings. Slavery, as long as it exists, nullifies the declaration
of independence as a a statement of rights extended to
all.

What is Douglass's opinion of the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence?explain

In 1852, while living in Rochester, NY, Douglass, a former slave turned editor and public abolitionist speaker, was asked to speak for a fourth of July celebration. Instead of delivering a speech glorifying and celebrating the nation's independence, he delivered a massive attack against a country that violates its own declaration of independence by allowing so many people to remain enslaved. He poses a key question as to whether or not the rights are given to all:

Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?

It is clear that they are not given to all, and Douglass sees and calls America out on the hypocrisy of these words. He notes that the founders crafted a document to afford equal protection and rights to all when they drafted the constitution, but those rights are not actually extended to all human beings. Slavery, as long as it exists, nullifies the declaration of independence as a a statement of rights extended to all.

What does "The Open Boat" say about human beings, male bonding, and survival? How are they related?

The correspondent does note that although he and the others are facing death, he feels closer to them than any others in his life. Crane was a naturalist. Naturalism views humanity in the same terms that scientists viewed other animals; in objective observational fashion. The close bond formed among the men is dependent upon the threat that surrounds them all. They create a symbiotic balance. Like the laborers in anthill are aware that if they devote themselves to the good of the community, ultimately their needs are served. These men realize the same thing in a deep, tacit way that is beyond conscious thought. What is good for the group in the boat, saves the individuals in the boat as well.

What is the role of Chillingworth in "The Scarlet Letter"? Is it a tool to punish Arthur Dimmesdale or is there another role for him ?

Chillingworth has a role of a victim in this story as well as punisher.  Chillingworth takes a part of the blame for the sin, spelling things out a bit when he visits Hester in the jail cell.  He left to pursue enlightenment outside of the colony and did not contact Hester at all.  Also, he refers to their life before he left as not perfect, he was scholarly, she was his maid.  This could be the reason why Hawthorne focuses on the Dimmesdale/Chillingworth connection. 

As victim, he is the "one on whom was cheated" and asks not to be revealed to the colony as Hester's husband.  If he were to reveal his true identity, Hester would be put to death, name of the father notwithstanding.  Not to mention, he would forever carry the stigma of being the one who was not good enough to keep his wife from straying.

What were the effects of Tom Robinson's trial on the characters of "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

Perhaps Mr. Dolphus Raymond
sums up the results of Tom Robinson's trial when, in Chapter 20 of To Kill a
Mockingbird, he comforts the crying Dill after Mr. Gilmer cross-examines Tom
Robinson:

readability="14">

'You aren't thin-hided, it just makes you sick,
doesn't it?'

'Things haven't caught up with that one's
instinct yet.  Let him get a little older and he won't get sick and cry.  Maybe
things'll strike him as being--not quite right, say, but he won't cry, not when he gets
a few years on him....'

readability="8">

'Cry about the simple hell people give other
people--without even thinking.  Cry about the hell white people give colored folks,
without even stopping to think that they're people,
too.'

• Scout, Dill,
  and Jem are very moved (Jem also cries); they do not understand how the jury could have
  found Tom guilty.  His face streaked with "angry tears," Jem says to his father, "I
  ain't right....How could they do it, how could they?"  Jem is
  disillusioned.


• Atticus is not surprised at the verdict. 
  He says they will do it again, and "seems like only children weep" as he echoes what Mr.
  Raymond has said.  When he sees what the black community has brought him the next day,
  Atticus's eyes fill with tears.  But, he is encouraged that the verdict did not come in
  right away.  There was someone who would not go along with the others, and this fact is
  encouraging, he says. 


• Dill reports that Miss Rachel's
  reaction was if a man like Atticus Finch want to butt his head against a stone wall,
  it's his head.


• Miss Maudie brings the Finches a cake and
  tells Jem not to fret; things are not as bad as they seem.  She says,
  

I
simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our
unpleasant jobs for us.  Your father's one of
them. 

readability="8">

She is impressed with how Atticus handled Tom's
case.  Because Atticus kept the jury out so long, Miss Maudie remarks that "we're making
a step--it' just a baby-step, but it's a
step."

• Mr. Bob
  Ewell is filled with hate.  At the post office, he spits in the face of Atticus and
  threatens him.


• Aunt Alexandra worries that Atticus has
  become bitter.


• Sheriff Heck Tate seems fairly disgusted
  by the proceedings and the results of the trial; when Bob Ewell is killed, he feels no
  remorse, and does not think his killer, Boo Radley, should be
  punished.


• Mr. Cunningham, who has been on the jury, and
  is probably the man who has kept the jury from reaching a verdict for some time, is
  obviously disturbed by the outcome of the
  trial.

What were the effects of Tom Robinson's trial on the characters of "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

Perhaps Mr. Dolphus Raymond sums up the results of Tom Robinson's trial when, in Chapter 20 of To Kill a Mockingbird, he comforts the crying Dill after Mr. Gilmer cross-examines Tom Robinson:

'You aren't thin-hided, it just makes you sick, doesn't it?'

'Things haven't caught up with that one's instinct yet.  Let him get a little older and he won't get sick and cry.  Maybe things'll strike him as being--not quite right, say, but he won't cry, not when he gets a few years on him....'

'Cry about the simple hell people give other people--without even thinking.  Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too.'

• Scout, Dill, and Jem are very moved (Jem also cries); they do not understand how the jury could have found Tom guilty.  His face streaked with "angry tears," Jem says to his father, "I ain't right....How could they do it, how could they?"  Jem is disillusioned.


• Atticus is not surprised at the verdict.  He says they will do it again, and "seems like only children weep" as he echoes what Mr. Raymond has said.  When he sees what the black community has brought him the next day, Atticus's eyes fill with tears.  But, he is encouraged that the verdict did not come in right away.  There was someone who would not go along with the others, and this fact is encouraging, he says. 


• Dill reports that Miss Rachel's reaction was if a man like Atticus Finch want to butt his head against a stone wall, it's his head.


• Miss Maudie brings the Finches a cake and tells Jem not to fret; things are not as bad as they seem.  She says,

I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us.  Your father's one of them. 

She is impressed with how Atticus handled Tom's case.  Because Atticus kept the jury out so long, Miss Maudie remarks that "we're making a step--it' just a baby-step, but it's a step."

• Mr. Bob Ewell is filled with hate.  At the post office, he spits in the face of Atticus and threatens him.


• Aunt Alexandra worries that Atticus has become bitter.


• Sheriff Heck Tate seems fairly disgusted by the proceedings and the results of the trial; when Bob Ewell is killed, he feels no remorse, and does not think his killer, Boo Radley, should be punished.


• Mr. Cunningham, who has been on the jury, and is probably the man who has kept the jury from reaching a verdict for some time, is obviously disturbed by the outcome of the trial.

Why isn't it difficult for Ann Putnam to believe that Goody Osburn is a witch in "The Crucible"?

Ann Putnam is an unfortunate citizen of Salem who has lost all of her babies.  All seven died in child birth.  In Act I, scene i, we learn that Goody Putnam sent her daughter Ruth into the woods to speak with Tituba, in hopes of gaining information regarding her dead children. 

The reason Putnam believes that Osburn is a witch is because Osburn is the midwife who delivered Goody Putnam's children.  Angry and twisted as a result of her grief and the jealousy she has towards mothers, Goody Putnam is eager to place blame on this easy scapegoat.

The Putnams - both husband and wife - are great examples of hypocrisy and selfishness.  Ann Putnam helps to put away Goody Osburn by proclaiming her convinction, a convinction born out of grief only.  Later, Thomas Putnam is able to drag Giles Corey into court with accusations of witchery.  Putnam does this in order to acquire more land from Corey.

What are some quotes that Hamlet says that compare him to Fortinbras or Laertes? I'm looking for quotes to put in an essay I'm doing and am having...

Hamlet compares himself to Fortinbras in Act IV, scene iv, as he commiserates over the fact that he has yet to act on his pledge to take revenge for his murdered father.

He says he has "... cause and will and strength and means / To do't" and is baffled by why he hasn't acted yet. Even young Fortinbras, he says, who is "a delicate and tender prince," takes action to avenge his own father even though his great risk produces little gain "When honor’s at the stake." Hamlet's honor is certainly at stake too since he has "a father killed, a mother stained." Hamlet says he is inspired by Fortinbras's iron will and resolute determination, thus he vows to have only "bloody" thoughts from now on.

Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do't. Examples gross as earth exhort me:
Witness this army of such mass and charge
Led by a delicate and tender prince,
Whose spirit with divine ambition puff'd
Makes mouths at the invisible event, (IV.iv)

In Act V, scene ii, Hamlet compares himself to Laertes as being like himself since they are both acting to avenge the murders of their fathers.  Hamlet, more than anyone in the play, understands what Laertes is suffering.  Hamlet says to Horatio, "I am very sorry ... / That to Laertes I forgot myself; / For, by the image of my cause, I see / The portraiture of his:...."  Hamlet says he and Laertes are alike in misery.

But I am very sorry, good Horatio,
That to Laertes I forgot myself;
For, by the image of my cause, I see
The portraiture of his: I'll court his favours.
But, sure, the bravery of his grief did put me
Into a towering passion. (V.ii)