In 1984, what is in Room 101 for everyone, including Winston?

Interestingly, the torture room is called "Room 101"; 101 is always the basic course in which the fundamentals of a course are taught, so the essential fears are learned and then the prisoner is subjected to them. By subjecting a person to his or her greatest and most essential fears, the torturer can tap into the terror of that person's soul, and, thus, break that person psychologically more easily.

In Book III, Chapter 2, O'Brien manipulates the controls of the machine that causes Winston excruciating pain; worst of all, O'Brien knows what Winston is thinking. And, when Winston evinces some will power still, O'Brien decides it is time for Winston to go into Room 101, knowing that this room of torture touches at Winston's more basic fears. It is the final place--the breaking point for every one.

Once Winston is put into Room 101, O'Brien looks down at Winston.

More than ever he had the air of a teacher taking pains with a wayward but promising child. 

For, O'Brien knows that Winston will break under his greatest of fears.

What is Macbeth's lie to Banquo about the witches' predictions in Act 2 scene 1?

Banquo obviously did dream of the Weird Sisters. That is why he says, either to himself or to his son Fleance:

A heavy summons lies like lead upon me,
And yet I would not sleep. Merciful powers,
Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature
Gives way to in repose!

He is afraid to go to sleep again because he feels sure he will have more dreams about the Weird Sisters and what they have promised him. He and Macbeth are both suffering from insomnia because of the Weird Sisters. When he tells Macbeth

I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters:
To you they have show'd some truth

he may be hoping they can commiserate. The three witches have caused both of them serious emotional problems by their promises. But Macbeth has already made concrete plans to fulfill the witches' prophecies as far as they concern him. He doesn't want to discuss them with Banquo for fear he might give himself away. His statement, "I think not of them," is intended to dismiss them as if he thinks their prophecies were nothing but a lot of crazy poppycock and that the fact that they did correctly predict his appointment as Thane of Cawdor was just a coincidence.

But Macbeth has second thoughts. He half-suspects that Banquo might be hinting that he would like to discuss how the two of them might make the prophecies come true. Macbeth could certainly use some help. If he kills Duncan, he still has Malcolm and Donalbain to deal with. Malcolm is Duncan's heir apparent. This may be Macbeth's only opportunity to kill the sons along with their father--but he doesn't know how he can handle three murders all by himself. What he means when he says

Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,
We would spend it in some words upon that business,
If you would grant the time

is that he would like to talk to Banquo about the two of them killing Duncan, Malcolm, and Donalbain together. There will never be another opportunity like tonight. The implication seems to be that Macbeth would become king and would then arrange to have Banquo's son his heir apparent. But Banquo doesn't trust Macbeth. If Macbeth is capable of killing Duncan, then he is certainly capable of killing Banquo. And this, in fact, is what Macbeth actually does.

Banquo turns him down. Macbeth has to go it alone. And he botches the job. If he had intended to kill Malcolm and Donalbain, he is thwarted by the voice he imagines crying "Sleep no more!" and then the knocking at the gate which seems to threaten to wake everybody in the castle. 

Would you exactly identify the necessary process of foreign policy decision making? What are the steps to be taken when foreign policy is going to...

Agreed in that there is no one way in which foreign policy
decisions are made, although the Constitution clearly designates the President as being
in charge of this area of government.  In the present day, the President relies on a 
group of key Cabinet advisors to help him with foreign policy advice.  They meet,
usually daily, in a room in the White House called the Situation Room.  One type of
decision making process within that room might look something like
this:

1) The CIA Director presents the latest information
on a situation

2)  The National Security Advisor assesses
the threat to the United States in that situation

3)  The
Secretary of State gives advice about what the US decision/position should
be

4)  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs reviews what our
military options are

5)  The Secretary of Defense advises
what our military posture in this situation should be

6) 
The President makes a decision on a course of
action

Sometimes this process happens several times a day. 
Sometimes the Vice President will be in the room to offer his perspective and so he will
be up to speed on the latest situations in case he has to take over for the
President.

Would you exactly identify the necessary process of foreign policy decision making? What are the steps to be taken when foreign policy is going to...

Agreed in that there is no one way in which foreign policy decisions are made, although the Constitution clearly designates the President as being in charge of this area of government.  In the present day, the President relies on a  group of key Cabinet advisors to help him with foreign policy advice.  They meet, usually daily, in a room in the White House called the Situation Room.  One type of decision making process within that room might look something like this:

1) The CIA Director presents the latest information on a situation

2)  The National Security Advisor assesses the threat to the United States in that situation

3)  The Secretary of State gives advice about what the US decision/position should be

4)  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs reviews what our military options are

5)  The Secretary of Defense advises what our military posture in this situation should be

6)  The President makes a decision on a course of action

Sometimes this process happens several times a day.  Sometimes the Vice President will be in the room to offer his perspective and so he will be up to speed on the latest situations in case he has to take over for the President.

What are some similarities between Guy De Maupassat's The Necklace and Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado?

The biggest similarity the stories share are their surprise endings. In The Necklace Mathilde is surprised to learn that she has become destitute because she replaced a fake diamond necklace with a real one. In The Cask of Amontillado Montresor surprises Fortunato and the audience by finding retribution in the live burial of Foruntato.

The stories also have characters who express intense feelings of jealousy and entitlement. Mathilde is jealous of everyone who is wealthier than she is; she feels she was born to the wrong class. Montresor feels entitled to enact his gruesome retribution plot against Fortunato for the "thousand injuries" which were never named. He also gives off a jealous tone toward Fortunato as well when they are speaking at the carnival.

Both stories are good examples of distinct narrators and voice. In the Cask of Amontillado Montresor is the narrator and he is very unreliable as our first-person narrator. The Necklace is told from the third-person limited point of view, and while that is different we do get the clear distinction between each story.

In Chapter 11 of "To Kill a Mockinbird," how and why does Lee create sympathy for Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose?

Atticus' greatest desire for his children is to develop the ability to put themselves in someone else's skin. Lee hits the theme of empathy consistently as the scope of Scout's awareness grows. Lee starts us first by investigating the cruelty of children from several angles, (Walter Cunningham, Miss Caroline's ineptness, etc). The circle widens to further include those who seem to deserve empathy, Dill, Miss Maudie, and those who seem to deserve nothing but scorn and retribution. Mrs. Dubose, Francis and Aunt Alexandra seem to be beyond the scope of empathy. But Atticus is able to guide his children into overcoming the ego-centrism that defines us all in our early development.

Her morphine addiction, withered physical capacity, and marginalized importance carve her into a niche where she is left cornered, frightened and weak. Her only reaction of lashing out violently against a threatening and changing world is understandable, though repulsive.

Please describe how the sun creates energy in its core.help

The sun doesn't exactly "create" energy. We should be careful to remember the law of conservation of energy: energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed. However, they can be "converted" from one into the other via E=MC2. This is what would take place in an antimatter reaction. However, nuclear reactions are a bit different.

At quantum levels, the difference between matter, mass and energy get a bit blurry. To say that the product nuclei of a fusion reaction have less total mass than the reactant nuclei is not to say that the masses of the protons and neutrons themselves are changing. Rather, the energies binding them together are being adjusted as the constituents of the nucleus change. These energies actually contribute to the mass as well.

Mind that the difference in mass is incredibly small, and the energy output of a single hydrogen-hydrogen fusion reaction is very weak in terms of human scales of energy.

Is there anything ironic about the narrator's role in "The Fall of the House of Usher"?

Yes.

 

;-)

 

The narrator's role is primarily ironic in his relation to the psychic tumult observed. That is to say, when the story opens, the narrator speaks of the gloom and oppression the House of Usher brings into his spirit. It is about him, and seems to be concerning, even obsessing him. The same is true when the story ends; this is a very self-centered narrator. He's concerned about the effects on his own mind and spirit—but the truth is, this is another house/family/person going made. He's so concerned with keeping his own "house" in order that the deterioration of another's is of relatively little importance.

Compare and contrast Emily (William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily") with Calista (Kate Chopin's "The Storm").

There are many more differences between Miss Emily and Calixta.  To begin with, the differences would include their personalities (Miss Emily is very reclusive, resistant to change, etc.) and Calixta is more personable, friendly, and approachable.  Also, Calixta is married and has a child.  Miss Emily is not.  The list could go on as there are many more obvious differences.

 Similarities between the two might include their selfishness (Calixta in having her affair and having no apparent remorse for it and Miss Emily for also being unapologetic for her attitude, etc.) and their strong natures.

What is the main philosophical position on "The Secret Lion" and "Doe Season"?

The philosophical position behind both stories is that childhood must come to an end, and all children grow up sometimes—often through trauma.

In “Doe Season,” nine year old Andy is pretty immature when the story starts.  Her father is taking her along on a hunting trip because he says he wants her there and she wants to go.  Her father’s friend is concerned that Andy is too young and too small.  He says these things in front of Andy.  At the beginning of the story, Andy is using her childish nickname for Andrea.  At the end, she decides she will never use the name again. 

And now they were all calling to her …crying Andy, Andy (but that wasn’t her name, she would no longer be called that)…

She has become symbolically an adult through the trauma or rite of passage of killing a deer and watching it suffer and ultimately die.

We see a similar transformation in “The Secret Lion,” when the narrator encounters the strange new world of middle school.  As with Andy, he is trying to determine what it means to be growing up.

“And we saw girls now, but they weren’t the same girls we use to know because we couldn’t talk to them anymore, not the same way we used to.”

The narrator describes himself as feeling “personally abandoned” by the fact that in junior high there is more than one teacher.  Everything is “backward-like” because the teachers are not helpful.  The narrator and his friends want to know what all the new words they are learning mean, when in fact they get in trouble for asking.  So they stop asking. It is similar to Andy and the deer.  Each character makes a transformation after seeing a step into the adult world.  There is no going back.

In Act IV, scene III of "Julius Caesar," to prove Brutus has been wronged, what does Cassius tell Brutus to do to him?

Cassius tells Brutus to stab him. To be specific, he says, " There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart."

Cassius gives him the dagger and exposes his chest to be stabbed.

if your given the midpoint= o,-3 and point A= 0,5 algebraically how do you find the other point?

Given the midpoint M(0,-3) . One end point is A(0,5). To
find the other end
point.

Solution:

Given the end
points whose coordinates are (x1,y1) and (x2,y2), the mid point is given by ( x1+x2)/2 ,
(y1+y2)/2. We use this idea when mid point  and one end point is known is
known.

So M(0,-3 ) = ((x1+x2)/2 , (y1+y2)/2)...(1)  Given (
x1, y1) = A(0,5) . To determine (x2,y2). So substituting x1= 0 and y1 = 5 in eq(1), we
get:

M(0,3) = ((0+x2)/2 , (5+y2)). Now equate x coordinates
on both sides  and also do so for y coordinates on both
sides:

0 =(0+x2)/2 . Or x2 =
0

-3 =( 5+y2)/2. Or 5+y2 = -6. So
y2 = -6-5 = -11.

So (x2,y2) =
(0,-11).

if your given the midpoint= o,-3 and point A= 0,5 algebraically how do you find the other point?

Given the midpoint M(0,-3) . One end point is A(0,5). To find the other end point.

Solution:

Given the end points whose coordinates are (x1,y1) and (x2,y2), the mid point is given by ( x1+x2)/2 , (y1+y2)/2. We use this idea when mid point  and one end point is known is known.

So M(0,-3 ) = ((x1+x2)/2 , (y1+y2)/2)...(1)  Given ( x1, y1) = A(0,5) . To determine (x2,y2). So substituting x1= 0 and y1 = 5 in eq(1), we get:

M(0,3) = ((0+x2)/2 , (5+y2)). Now equate x coordinates on both sides  and also do so for y coordinates on both sides:

0 =(0+x2)/2 . Or x2 = 0

-3 =( 5+y2)/2. Or 5+y2 = -6. So y2 = -6-5 = -11.

So (x2,y2) = (0,-11).

What does this quote mean? " But screw your courage to the the sticking- place,/ And we'll not fail." What literacy device is it?

Lady Macbeth is trying to bolster her husband's courage because he is hesitant to kill King Duncan. He asks, "If we should fail?" This response is a pun because it offers two meanings. First, she is telling him to focus his attention ("screw your courage") on killing the king by her reference to the "sticking place," the place the knife will enter his body.

"Screw your courage"  can also metaphorically mean to anchor his courage as if he were taking a screw or nail to hold it in place; this place can be a "sticking place" because it will hold his courage like glue will hold something stuck to it.

Above all, Lady Macbeth does not want her husband to hesitate or question the plan further. Duncan will spend only one night at Inverness; they have only one opportunity to eliminate him. Macbeth must be brave. 

I'm writing an essay on Peter Meinke's poem "Liquid Paper" and need some information.Any kind of help would be appreciated!

In Meinke’s poetry, he is able to elevate ordinary objects. His use of metaphors connect those objects to something deeper and original. In “Liquid Paper”, the title poem for the work, the poem flows like the clear liquid. “Smooth as a snail, this little parson pardons our sins. Touch the brush tip lightly and--’abracadabra!’--a clean slate.” Meinke delves deeper to connect our common “white out."

It is amusing to think of the squat Liquid Paper bottle as the plump priest come to redeem us. With a measure of sobriety, however, it turns into a quiet miracle-worker; "sins" conveys a moral flaw, something important and guilt-worthy. 
Meinke touches on the human capability to distort and destroy. Taken with the white-out's previous association with a parson, this capability appears more sinister; things that were light and amusing in the first stanza are suddenly fragile, corruptible.

Humans can thus turn aftershave from something to save us from the horrors of stinging skin or smelling bad to something that saves us from the horrors of war. This leap from the micro to the macro is one of Meinke's most effective strategies. He funnels despair into everyday things.

The toxic smell of white out comes to mind, suggested by the earlier allusion to drug abuse.

How did Gene deal with his friendship with Finny after the acident?

Gene became dishonest. He
made an attempt to tell Finny the truth about what had happened, but with Finny's cool
character, Finny wouldn't accept Gene's words. Gene allowed that to happen and continued
their relationship knowing Finny had no concept of the
truth.

Gene became very defensive on behalf
of Finny and demonstrated feeling guilt. Gene seemed to admire Finny
greatly in the very beginning of the book, grew jealousy just before the incident in the
tree, and after the incident when Finny returned to school tried to help and cater to
Finny's needs. He skipped school with Finny when he didn't really want to, he babied
Finny about his leg by refusing to talk about it.

How did Gene deal with his friendship with Finny after the acident?

Gene became dishonest. He made an attempt to tell Finny the truth about what had happened, but with Finny's cool character, Finny wouldn't accept Gene's words. Gene allowed that to happen and continued their relationship knowing Finny had no concept of the truth.

Gene became very defensive on behalf of Finny and demonstrated feeling guilt. Gene seemed to admire Finny greatly in the very beginning of the book, grew jealousy just before the incident in the tree, and after the incident when Finny returned to school tried to help and cater to Finny's needs. He skipped school with Finny when he didn't really want to, he babied Finny about his leg by refusing to talk about it.

How does Rainsford end up being the hunter instead of the huntee in "The Most Dangerous Game"?

Rainsford becomes at the end of the story what he's feared all along....a condone cold-blooded murder for when he learns of Zaroff's game in the beginning of the story, he is disgusted by him; however as the ending of this story is ambiguous, it is implied that Rainsford indeed becomes the hunter rather than the huntee:

(1) Rainsford: "I'm still a beast at bay" [says that he is ferocious and not at rest until he wins'

(2) Rainsford: "Get ready General Zaroff" [says that Rainsford is not quite yet done with Zaroff's "game"

(3) Narrator: "On guard, Rainsford... [on guard suggests a duel because that is what is said for most of the times when one withdraws a sword and tells his opponent to defend himself]

**It is also stated at the end that Rainsford had never slept a better bed and enjoys it alas which is why he is the hunter and ot the hunted; he has done what once horrified him and has therefore also changed

 SOURCE: Apprentice Hall Literature 9

What is the time, place, event, and major theme of "The Optimist's Daughter," written by Eudora Welty?

The place is the south.

The time probably the late 19th century based on the fact that the author has stated that:

"Much of Becky McKelva's background is drawn from her mother's life in West Virginia. In fact, the novel was written not long after her mother's death, a period in which Welty was recalling her mother's life and experiences."

Eudora Welty was born in 1909, so her mother's life would have been during the late 19th century, which places this story in the 1880-1890s.

The major event is the death of Laurel's father.  After her father's death, Laurel goes through a series of grief related experiences where she explores her family's history.

The main theme in this book is making peace with the past and family relationships.

"In The Optimist's Daughter Laurel is forced to make peace with her past and her present in order to go on with her future. The event of her father's death is difficult for her because she enjoyed a loving relationship with him, and even more so because his recent marriage to an angry selfish woman."  

"In the end, Laurel is only able to leave her hometown and her childhood home behind because she has examined honest memories of her parents and made peace with the decisions they made and the people they truly were."

Are there characteristics of the literature of sentiment and sensibility in Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"?

The poetry of sentiment or sensibility strives to evoke
sympathy in the reader, thus prompting the reader to commiserate with the feelings of
the speaker and his/her suffering, or to sympathize with the speaker's feelings for
another person.  In Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," the speaker
elicits the sympathy of the reader for the country rustics buried in a "Neglected spot"
who are lost to the memory of the living.

In his elegiac
poem, Thomas Gray employs sensibility, elevating emotional or intellectual reaction. 
For, he appeals to the pity for the ploughman or poor whose "Chill Penury repressed
their noble rage," preventing them from any glory.  In the village Hampden there lies
buried some "mute inglorious Milton" or some "Cromwell guiltless of his country's
blood."  Instead they "kept the noiseless tenor of their way" and were
unrecognized.

Poetry of sentiment and sensibility seeks to
manipulate the reader's emotions; it would seem that Gray's poem accomplishes this by
arousing the reader's sympathies for the abandoned residents of a small country
churchyard.

Are there characteristics of the literature of sentiment and sensibility in Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"?

The poetry of sentiment or sensibility strives to evoke sympathy in the reader, thus prompting the reader to commiserate with the feelings of the speaker and his/her suffering, or to sympathize with the speaker's feelings for another person.  In Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," the speaker elicits the sympathy of the reader for the country rustics buried in a "Neglected spot" who are lost to the memory of the living.

In his elegiac poem, Thomas Gray employs sensibility, elevating emotional or intellectual reaction.  For, he appeals to the pity for the ploughman or poor whose "Chill Penury repressed their noble rage," preventing them from any glory.  In the village Hampden there lies buried some "mute inglorious Milton" or some "Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood."  Instead they "kept the noiseless tenor of their way" and were unrecognized.

Poetry of sentiment and sensibility seeks to manipulate the reader's emotions; it would seem that Gray's poem accomplishes this by arousing the reader's sympathies for the abandoned residents of a small country churchyard.

Describe the structure of the short story, "The Lady with the Pet Dog." How might it be divided into parts?

There seems to be four parts (though this is somewhat arbitrary): Yalta; Moscow; Anna's Town; Moscow Redux. Each section sees a slightly altered Gurov: in Yalta, he is the sexist (misogynist?) that looks at women as inferior, even treating Anna as a plaything that he will soon discard. Here, Gurov treats Anna with no more concern than he would, say, a lapdog.

Back in Moscow, Gurov begins to to think about Anna, seeing her as a person, perhaps, for the first time. He even gets upset when he begins to open up about Anna and his acquaintance can only comment about the stinky fish.

Gugrov becomes a bit more obsessed, and journeys to Anna's town, like a dog coming home seeking the warmth of its master. He tracks her down, and they begin their affair on a more regular basis.

Finally, returning to Moscow, Anna and Gurov continue their affair even in the midst of an uncertain future. Gurov is getting old, and he begins to think that his life has passed him by. Anna represents his chance to live again, or, more cynically, to recapture his youth.

This story is about the difficulties of connecting. It’s about relationships of love and the subtle power plays within those relationships.

It seems to me that the lapdog has been replaced by Gurov at the story’s end. (Of course this is not the only interpretation, but it is fun.)

Following the death of Madeline in "The Fall of the House of Usher," with what does the narrator assist usher?

The narrator helps Roderick Usher move her body to another part of the house and secure it in a "vault" of sorts.  The narrator and Usher believe that Madeline has died when they do this, but the reader finds out later that she, in fact, is NOT dead.  When she appears at the end of the story, she falls upon her brother and he also dies.  The narrator manages to escape from the house before it crumbles.

Why was Dracula a banned book?

When the novel was first published, the Christian World praised it for its theme of good triumphing over evil, calling it "one of the most enthralling and unique romances ever written." However, many schools have removed it from their reading lists because of its erotic, sexual overtones. Stoker even stated in the Introduction that "Dracula is the symptom of a wish, largely sexual, that we wish we did not have." Maybe Dracula should bite Mina in the parlor instead of in her bedroom!

Visit the links below for more information about banned books.

What do apparitions usually portend according to the witnesses who have seen the ghost in Act 1 of "Hamlet"?

The men on guard have seen the ghost of the dead king Hamlet walking about at night.  They are afraid because ghosts are usually considered as evil spirits and negative omens of things to come.  As it turns out, they were right.  If Hamlet had never spoken to the ghost, he would have lived in ignorance of his father's murder.  Although he would probably have still hated his uncle and been angry with his mother for their o'er hasty marriage, Hamlet would not have been bent on revenge.  This might have spared Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Gildenstern, and even Hamlet himself.

What is a good summary of Meditation 17 by John Donne?Needed ASAP

"Meditation 17" is about the unity of mankind through our
faith in God.  The passage begins with a discussion of a bell tolling indicating that
someone is dying.  That someone could be anyone, even the speaker.  We are all connected
because we are all mortal, and therefore the church and its ceremonies--funeral or
baptism--concern us all.  To show this idea, Donne uses the conceit of a book in which
we are all chapters.  When we die, we are translated into another language, but we are
not ripped out the book.  Therefore all mankind is united even in death, with God acting
as the translator who calls us to the next world.  Since we are all as chapters in one
volume, one man's death affects us all.  We do not live and die in isolation--we are
part of a continent; we are not islands. 

The next point
Donne makes concerns trouble or hardship.  He tells us that the suffering we endure
enables us to prepare our souls for God.  If we die, though, without getting right with
God, this suffering is still not in vain.  Others can watch this suffering, and realize
that they  themselves are mortal and that they need to find peace with God.  In this
way, suffering becomes a treasure that can be mined by the sufferer or those watching
another suffer.  It is a treasure because it brings us closer to
God. 

What is a good summary of Meditation 17 by John Donne?Needed ASAP

"Meditation 17" is about the unity of mankind through our faith in God.  The passage begins with a discussion of a bell tolling indicating that someone is dying.  That someone could be anyone, even the speaker.  We are all connected because we are all mortal, and therefore the church and its ceremonies--funeral or baptism--concern us all.  To show this idea, Donne uses the conceit of a book in which we are all chapters.  When we die, we are translated into another language, but we are not ripped out the book.  Therefore all mankind is united even in death, with God acting as the translator who calls us to the next world.  Since we are all as chapters in one volume, one man's death affects us all.  We do not live and die in isolation--we are part of a continent; we are not islands. 

The next point Donne makes concerns trouble or hardship.  He tells us that the suffering we endure enables us to prepare our souls for God.  If we die, though, without getting right with God, this suffering is still not in vain.  Others can watch this suffering, and realize that they  themselves are mortal and that they need to find peace with God.  In this way, suffering becomes a treasure that can be mined by the sufferer or those watching another suffer.  It is a treasure because it brings us closer to God. 

Is Philip Larkin an anti-romantic poet?

In answering this question, much depends on how one
chooses to define "romantic" and "anti-romantic."

For
example, if one chooses to define "romantic" as implying optimism, naivete, celebration
of love, celebration of the beauties of nature, and celebration of lofty, transcendent
human potential, then it seems safe to categorize Larkin as an "anti-romantic" poet. His
verse is often realistic, hard-headed, sometimes even cynical, and deliberately
unsentimental. It is not by coincidence that Thomas Hardy, with his bleak vision of
life, was one of Larkin's favorite English poets. Yet part of what gives Larkin's poetry
its peculiar power is that he can often see and appreciate the beauties of life, even if
he considers them inevitably mutable.

In the standard
anthology piece "MCMXIV," which describes the eagerness of men to enlist in 1914 in
World War I, the speaker concludes,

readability="11">

Never such
innocence,

Never before or since, . .
.

.          .          .         
.

Never such innocence again. (25-26,
32)

Here the speaker clearly
asserts that such innocence is a thing of the past, but he also seems on one level to
admire the innocence whose passing he describes.

Likewise,
in "Talking in Bed," the speaker begins by claiming
that

Talking
in bed ought to be easiest,

Lying together there goes back
so far,

An emblem of two people being honest.
(1-3)

Yet as soon as one
reaches the word "ought," one realizes that the speaker is describing an ideal that no
longer prevails, at least in his own life, if it ever did. Indeed, the conclusion of the
poem is decidedly unsentimental. In the intimate relationship he
describes,

It
becomes still more difficult to find

Words at once true and
kind,

Or not untrue and not unkind.
(10-12)

A stereotypically
"romantic" poet might have closed with a solution to this kind of "isolation" (9), but
Larkin rejects such a sentimental ending.  Even so, the closing lines show that the
speaker does value truth and kindness, however difficult it may be to find words to
express such ideals.

"The Explosion" seems, in some ways, a
thoroughly anti-romantic poem, especially since it describes the devastating loss of
life of miners in an explosion in the pit.  The speaker reports, without comment, the
conventionally comforting words of a clergyman preaching at a funeral
service:

The
dead go on before us, they

Are sitting in God's house in
comfort,

We shall see them face to face --
(16-18)

A romantic or
sentimental poet might have tried to convince us of the truth of this assertion. Larkin
does not. He simply lets the assertion speak for itself, allowing readers to decide
whether it is genuinely comforting or merely a collection of predictable cliches.
Neverthelss, the poem does end on a very tender note.  One of the miners, before work
had begun, had discovered "a nest of lark's eggs" and had shown the eggs to his comrades
(8-9).  As the poem concludes, the speaker describes how the widows of the miners, after
hearing the sermon, imagine seeing their dead husbands
again,

. . .
walking

Somehow from the sun towards
them,

One showing the eggs
unbroken.

Thus, although
Larkin is often thought of as a plain-spoken, sometimes even slightly crude writer (his
poem "Sad Steps" begins with the memorable line "Groping back to bed after a piss"),
there is often real tenderness, real feeling in his poems. Larkin could appreciate love
and beauty very deeply; he simply never assumed that they would last
forever.

Is Philip Larkin an anti-romantic poet?

In answering this question, much depends on how one chooses to define "romantic" and "anti-romantic."

For example, if one chooses to define "romantic" as implying optimism, naivete, celebration of love, celebration of the beauties of nature, and celebration of lofty, transcendent human potential, then it seems safe to categorize Larkin as an "anti-romantic" poet. His verse is often realistic, hard-headed, sometimes even cynical, and deliberately unsentimental. It is not by coincidence that Thomas Hardy, with his bleak vision of life, was one of Larkin's favorite English poets. Yet part of what gives Larkin's poetry its peculiar power is that he can often see and appreciate the beauties of life, even if he considers them inevitably mutable.

In the standard anthology piece "MCMXIV," which describes the eagerness of men to enlist in 1914 in World War I, the speaker concludes,

Never such innocence,

Never before or since, . . .

.          .          .          .

Never such innocence again. (25-26, 32)

Here the speaker clearly asserts that such innocence is a thing of the past, but he also seems on one level to admire the innocence whose passing he describes.

Likewise, in "Talking in Bed," the speaker begins by claiming that

Talking in bed ought to be easiest,

Lying together there goes back so far,

An emblem of two people being honest. (1-3)

Yet as soon as one reaches the word "ought," one realizes that the speaker is describing an ideal that no longer prevails, at least in his own life, if it ever did. Indeed, the conclusion of the poem is decidedly unsentimental. In the intimate relationship he describes,

It becomes still more difficult to find

Words at once true and kind,

Or not untrue and not unkind. (10-12)

A stereotypically "romantic" poet might have closed with a solution to this kind of "isolation" (9), but Larkin rejects such a sentimental ending.  Even so, the closing lines show that the speaker does value truth and kindness, however difficult it may be to find words to express such ideals.

"The Explosion" seems, in some ways, a thoroughly anti-romantic poem, especially since it describes the devastating loss of life of miners in an explosion in the pit.  The speaker reports, without comment, the conventionally comforting words of a clergyman preaching at a funeral service:

The dead go on before us, they

Are sitting in God's house in comfort,

We shall see them face to face -- (16-18)

A romantic or sentimental poet might have tried to convince us of the truth of this assertion. Larkin does not. He simply lets the assertion speak for itself, allowing readers to decide whether it is genuinely comforting or merely a collection of predictable cliches. Neverthelss, the poem does end on a very tender note.  One of the miners, before work had begun, had discovered "a nest of lark's eggs" and had shown the eggs to his comrades (8-9).  As the poem concludes, the speaker describes how the widows of the miners, after hearing the sermon, imagine seeing their dead husbands again,

. . . walking

Somehow from the sun towards them,

One showing the eggs unbroken.

Thus, although Larkin is often thought of as a plain-spoken, sometimes even slightly crude writer (his poem "Sad Steps" begins with the memorable line "Groping back to bed after a piss"), there is often real tenderness, real feeling in his poems. Larkin could appreciate love and beauty very deeply; he simply never assumed that they would last forever.

Describe Patrick as a husband in "Lamb to the Slaughter".

This flat character is stereotyped as the disgruntled husband who wants out of a marriage gone stale. He comes home 'tired,' but his dissatisfaction evidently stems more from his home life than from his professional one. His mind is made up - he will fulfill his conjugal and parental duty but no more. He doesn't hesitate to take a shot of whiskey to get up the nerve to say what he has to say. Then he does, rather curtly, but expresses some regret: "I hope you will not blame me too much."

Patrick Maloney doesn't live long enough to develop as a character, but we see another side to him through the dialogue with the police officers and Mrs Maloney.  He was on a first name basis with his colleagues and was evidently both respected and well-liked. The policemen agree to drop protocol and have dinner at Mrs Maloney's because that's what Patrick 'would have wanted.'

The duplicity of this character reinforces one of the themes of the short story, that of appearance versus reality. As situations, people are not always what they seem to be.

The reader is not particulary empathetic with this character. That's why at the end of the story, one can almost giggle along with Mrs Maloney...

I need more detailed information on Spenser's Epithalamion.

Amoretti is a sonnet-cycle tracing
the suitor's long courtship and eventual wooing of his beloved. The work begins with two
sonnets in which the speaker addresses his own poetry, attempting to invest his words
with the power to achieve his goal (the wooing of Elizabeth Boyle). From the third
sonnet through the sixty-second sonnet, the speaker is in an slmost constant state of
emotional turmoil and frustrated hopes. His beloved refuses to look favorably upon his
suit, so his reaction ranges from desparing self-deprecation to angry tirade against her
stubbornness. Most often the speaker dwells upon his beloved's beauty, both inner and
outer, and the overpowering effects this beauty has upon him. He uses a variety of
motifs to explicate his feelings and thoughts toward the subject of his ardor: predator
and prey, wartime victor and captive, fire and ice, and hard substances that eventually
soften over long periods of time. Each of these is intended to convey some aspect of his
beloved's character or his own fears and
apprehensions.

In Sonnet 63,
the Amoretti undergoes a drastic change in tone. The long-sought
beloved has acceded to the speaker's request, making her his fiancee. Several sonnets of
rejoicing occur, followed by several expressing the speaker's impatience at the lengthy
engagement prior to the wedding day. Here, too, the speaker turns his attention from his
earlier aspects of the beloved's physical beauty--her eyes and her hair in
particular--and begins to be more familiar with her, to the point of describing in
detail the scent of her breasts. From Sonnet 63 through Sonnet 85, the speaker revisits
many of his earlier motifs, changing them to suit the new relationship between himself
and his beloved. Now he is the hunter and she is the game; he is the victor, and she the
vanquished. His earlier criticisms of her pride and stubbornness also change to become
admiration for her constancy and strength of
mind.

 

I need more detailed information on Spenser's Epithalamion.

Amoretti is a sonnet-cycle tracing the suitor's long courtship and eventual wooing of his beloved. The work begins with two sonnets in which the speaker addresses his own poetry, attempting to invest his words with the power to achieve his goal (the wooing of Elizabeth Boyle). From the third sonnet through the sixty-second sonnet, the speaker is in an slmost constant state of emotional turmoil and frustrated hopes. His beloved refuses to look favorably upon his suit, so his reaction ranges from desparing self-deprecation to angry tirade against her stubbornness. Most often the speaker dwells upon his beloved's beauty, both inner and outer, and the overpowering effects this beauty has upon him. He uses a variety of motifs to explicate his feelings and thoughts toward the subject of his ardor: predator and prey, wartime victor and captive, fire and ice, and hard substances that eventually soften over long periods of time. Each of these is intended to convey some aspect of his beloved's character or his own fears and apprehensions.

In Sonnet 63, the Amoretti undergoes a drastic change in tone. The long-sought beloved has acceded to the speaker's request, making her his fiancee. Several sonnets of rejoicing occur, followed by several expressing the speaker's impatience at the lengthy engagement prior to the wedding day. Here, too, the speaker turns his attention from his earlier aspects of the beloved's physical beauty--her eyes and her hair in particular--and begins to be more familiar with her, to the point of describing in detail the scent of her breasts. From Sonnet 63 through Sonnet 85, the speaker revisits many of his earlier motifs, changing them to suit the new relationship between himself and his beloved. Now he is the hunter and she is the game; he is the victor, and she the vanquished. His earlier criticisms of her pride and stubbornness also change to become admiration for her constancy and strength of mind.

 

In "The Devil and Tom Walker," what characteristics of the wife suggest that she already belongs to the devil without having to bargain?

Oh, almost all of them. She embodies many sins (as does Tom in relation to her). As Irving tells us:

"He had a wife as miserly as himself; they were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other. Whatever the woman could lay hands on she hid away: a hen could not cackle but she was on the alert to secure the new-laid egg." 

So, she's miserly, she's mean, she nags, she conspires, she's loud, she's got a nasty temper, and she's "strong of arm," which I assume means she hits him sometimes. 

She's specifically labeled as a "termagant," which means nagging woman, but also a false deity. Taken together, she's pretty much on the dark side.

How Does Scout Finch, from "To Kill A Mockingbird", view herself?More specific, how does she view herself as a child? And also as an adult and...

Since Scout narrates To Kill a
Mockingbird from a retrospective adult perspective, she gives us a good idea
of how she sees herself during her younger years. She recognizes that she is a bit of a
tomboy: She avoids all efforts for others to make her more lady-like, and she tries to
do everything her big brother, Jem, does. Her favorite clothes are a pair of old
overalls. She has virtually no female friends her own age; in fact, summer visitor Dill
(who becomes her youthful fiance) seems to be the only close childhood friend she has
outside of Jem. Scout is curious, quick-tempered (she loves to fight boys) and very
insightful for a child her age. She acknowledges the differences between right and
wrong, and she attempts to follow her father's advice concerning social
responsibilities.

She gives us less perspective concerning
her adult views, but we know she tries to follow Atticus' advice to view others by
standing in their shoes. She recognized her youthful naivete when she tells the reader
that it "was not until many years later" that she realized why Atticus wanted her to
hear every word of his little speech to brother Jack in Chapter 9. And we know that
Scout and Jem were argumentative even as adults. On the very first page of the book, the
two argue about the causes behind Jem's broken arm; when they both realized they were
too old to settle the argument with a fistfight, "we consulted
Atticus."

How Does Scout Finch, from "To Kill A Mockingbird", view herself?More specific, how does she view herself as a child? And also as an adult and...

Since Scout narrates To Kill a Mockingbird from a retrospective adult perspective, she gives us a good idea of how she sees herself during her younger years. She recognizes that she is a bit of a tomboy: She avoids all efforts for others to make her more lady-like, and she tries to do everything her big brother, Jem, does. Her favorite clothes are a pair of old overalls. She has virtually no female friends her own age; in fact, summer visitor Dill (who becomes her youthful fiance) seems to be the only close childhood friend she has outside of Jem. Scout is curious, quick-tempered (she loves to fight boys) and very insightful for a child her age. She acknowledges the differences between right and wrong, and she attempts to follow her father's advice concerning social responsibilities.

She gives us less perspective concerning her adult views, but we know she tries to follow Atticus' advice to view others by standing in their shoes. She recognized her youthful naivete when she tells the reader that it "was not until many years later" that she realized why Atticus wanted her to hear every word of his little speech to brother Jack in Chapter 9. And we know that Scout and Jem were argumentative even as adults. On the very first page of the book, the two argue about the causes behind Jem's broken arm; when they both realized they were too old to settle the argument with a fistfight, "we consulted Atticus."

Describe the Pontellier children from The Awakening.

Edna and Leonce's young boys, Raoul and Etienne, are self-sufficient children.  They do a fine job of entertaining themselves and do feel the need to flock to their mother for love and attention.  The downfall of this for Edna is that she feels somewhat distanced from them.  She loves her children, and says in the book to Madame Ratignolle that she would "give her life to her children."  However, she also says that she would not "give herself to them".  Were the children in the book portrayed as being more needy of their mother, Chopin might have had a harder time demonstrating Edna's need to embrace and express her individuality.

Is Sylvia Plath's poem "Daddy" an autobiographical poem?

Plath's poems are often seen as being confessional and "Daddy" is commonly viewed as being merely an autobiographical attack on her enigmatic and difficult relationship with her father, Otto Plath ( with a dig a Ted Hughes thrown in for good measure).  This view is an underdeveloped one, however.

In terms of style we can see elements of her influence from Anne Sexton and Robert Lowell surfacing here but the key difference is that Plath created numerous personae in her works.  This sets it apart from the Confessionals and it is from this that a deeper reading becomes apparent.  In "Daddy" Plath cites the I-voice as being "a girl with an electra complex" and in doing so unleashes a more complicated Psychological element to the poem, which becomes clearly Freudian in places.

In short, the answer is yes and no.  She does, evidently, use autobiographical detail within the piece but to say it is wholly this is a limited assertion.  The best way to analyse her work is by considering different readings of her verse - Autobiographical, Pyschological, Mythological...and to question what issues/themes these ultimately reveal.

How does Emerson explain how he used figures of speech to develop his theme in "Self-Reliance"?

Emerson uses tons of similes, metaphors and allusions to make his points clear. One of my favorites is "To be great is to be misunderstood":

Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.

What a great group in which to share company--Jesus, Pythagorus, Socrates, Luther, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, et al. 

One examples of simile comparing a person to a puzzle or poem:

A character is like an acrostic or Alexandrian stanza; — read it forward, backward, or across, it still spells the same thing. In this pleasing, contrite wood-life which God allows me, let me record day by day my honest thought without prospect or retrospect, and, I cannot doubt, it will be found symmetrical, though I mean it not, and see it not.

Another metaphor which sums up the meaning of this essay:

Kingdom and lordship, power and estate, are a gaudier vocabulary than private John and Edward in a small house and common day's work; but the things of life are the same to both; the sum total of both is the same.

So, live truthfully, simply, and stand on your own two feet for what you most believe in.

Mr. Frank said, "We don't need the Nazis to destroy us, we're destroying ourselves." How were the people in hiding destroying themselves?

It was horribly hard to be cooped up in the annex for everyone, especially Anne. Anne had to share her bedroom, her desk, and her life with a stranger. She was constantly squabbling with her mother. Most of these squabbles were small, but she had nowhere to escape. There was little to no privacy for anyone and strict lights off and no talking hours had to be observed. No one could go outside and tension ran high when news of the war was not forthcoming. Besides all this, there were constant bombings and the fear of being discovered. Relationships broke down, but I would wager the Franks and the others in hiding did extremely well considering their situation. The annex became a microcosm of the outside world, mirroring those tensions and emotions others felt in the real world.

In "Pride and Prejudice", why did Darcy decide to write a letter to Elizabeth after her rejection of his offer of marriage?

Darcy is astonished by Elizabeth's rejection, having convinced himself that she would welcome his proposal.  Not only does she refuse, but she insists that she is offended by his manner of proposal and by his behavior towards people of his acquaintance.  Elizabeth cites two specific grievances.  The first is Darcy's interference in Jane and Bingley's relationship.  The second is the interaction between Darcy and Wickham.  Darcy feels he needs to defend himself, particularly in regards to Wickham.  Part of his desire to defend himself must be to ensure that Elizabeth, whom he really does love, doesn't get taken in by the lies of Mr. Wickham.  Regardless, Darcy feels very strongly that he must defend himself against charges that are without truth.

What is the theme of the poem "To a Skylark" by Percy Bysshe Shelley?

The theme of Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" is the power  of nature to transform men's lives, specifically through the medium of poetry.

The skylark is a tiny bird, so small that when it flies high in the heavens it cannot even be seen by the author, yet its song can still be heard, a song "unbodied joy" (line 15) and "shrill delight" (line 20).  The author hears the skylark and goes on to describe its beauteous song, but it is "a flood of rapture so divine" (line 85) that he cannot fully capture its essence.  The joy expressed by the skylark is beyond that which can be grasped by man, and the author speaks directly to the skylark in the latter stanzas, asking it to reveal to him the secret of its ethereal bliss so that he might then be able to share it with others through his words, and thus transform their lives. 

How were the Americans able to defeat the Japanese when they appeared to be at such a disadvantage?

Are you talking just about the Battle of Midway, which
you've tagged it with?

If so, I have two answers.  First, I
do not think the US was at as much of a disadvantage as your question suggests.  The
number of airplanes available to both sides was not that different, I believe.  The
Zeroes were much superior to American fighters, but the other airplanes were not all
that different.

Secondly, the US had a great deal of luck. 
They managed to catch the Japanese in the middle of trying to switch types of weaponry
on their aircraft and trying to refuel.  This meant that the Japanese carriers were very
vulnerable to attack.

How were the Americans able to defeat the Japanese when they appeared to be at such a disadvantage?

Are you talking just about the Battle of Midway, which you've tagged it with?

If so, I have two answers.  First, I do not think the US was at as much of a disadvantage as your question suggests.  The number of airplanes available to both sides was not that different, I believe.  The Zeroes were much superior to American fighters, but the other airplanes were not all that different.

Secondly, the US had a great deal of luck.  They managed to catch the Japanese in the middle of trying to switch types of weaponry on their aircraft and trying to refuel.  This meant that the Japanese carriers were very vulnerable to attack.

At the end of Chapter Eight of "Lord of the Flies", the author tells us Simon has "One of his times". What does this mean?Bear in mind Simon faints...

Simon has epilepsy, a disorder that causes seizures. When Simon has "one of his times" it means he had a seizure that rendered him incapable of controlling his body and mind. Epilepsy is an ancient disease ( Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great were said to have this disorder.) In ancient times, it was associated with special spiritual insight. Golding uses this idea to reinforce Simon's search to find the truth about "the beast". He is the first to say that "perhaps the beast is us" and he is the only character who has a "conversation" with the "Lord of the Flies." Although this conversation is probably associated with "one of his times", it also helps the reader understand the nature of 'the beast".

Discuss how the sonnet form has been used to effect the sonnet, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge."its an essay for school. im very stuck and would...

There are two basic types of sonnets:  English (two divisions here include Shakespearian and Spenserian) and Italian (Petrarchan).  The types are named for the most famous authors, William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser for the English and the Italian poet, Petrarch.  The rhyme schemes differ from each author, but the line groupings for the English are 3 groups of 4 lines (quatrains) and a couplet; for the Italian, 1 group of 8 lines (octave) and 1 group of 6 lines (sestet).  All sonnets have 14 lines.

This sonnet is an Italian sonnet.  Every sonnet introduces a problem or situation, discusses the problem/situation and then solves the problem or makes a final comment.  There is usually a TURN between the problem and the solution, which I like to call "the big BUT".  The Turn is usually made obvious by a transition word like "but, yet, so" to let you know that there is a change of mood, feeling, tone, or idea.  For instance, "All of time and energy is spent on loving this woman. She resists me, BUT I will continue to love her."

In Wordsworth's poem, the turn is not after the octave like usual Italian sonnets.  It occurs in the sestet between lines 10 and 11, so it's not as obvious to the reader.  True to his style, Wordsworth uses simple language to make the poem flow like every day conversation even within the confines of rigid sonnet format.

Focus on the images and line breaks for your analysis.

What is the Boo Radley game? Who is Miss Maudie?

To add, the Boo Radley game includes Jem being Boo. He
acts like a ghost and every once in a while comes up with the scissors and attempts to
stab Dill (who is playing Mr. Radley). Scout plays the roll of Mrs. Radley and sweeps
the porch. Atticus comes home one day and notices what the kids are doing he tells them
to stop, acting as if he doesn't exactly know what they are doing but he
does.

Miss Maudie runs a boarding house that hosts both Mr.
Avery and Miss Caroline Fisher. She loves to garden. This is important because her home
is a large part of her identity.

What is the Boo Radley game? Who is Miss Maudie?

To add, the Boo Radley game includes Jem being Boo. He acts like a ghost and every once in a while comes up with the scissors and attempts to stab Dill (who is playing Mr. Radley). Scout plays the roll of Mrs. Radley and sweeps the porch. Atticus comes home one day and notices what the kids are doing he tells them to stop, acting as if he doesn't exactly know what they are doing but he does.

Miss Maudie runs a boarding house that hosts both Mr. Avery and Miss Caroline Fisher. She loves to garden. This is important because her home is a large part of her identity.

Explain how Iago's opinion of women develops the readers' understanding of his character and the role he plays.

In Othello, Iago is a misogynist from
the beginning of the play to the end.  Quite simply, he sees women as inferior beings to
men, and he has a hand in two of the three female characters' deaths in the
play.

In Act I, Iago uses Desdemona to attack Othello.  He
demeans Desdemona to her father, saying she is "making the beast with two backs" with
Othello.  He uses sexual and animal imagery in describing her, suggesting that Iago
believes women to be mere objects.

Once on Cyprus, Iago
openly condescends to his wife and Desdemona, saying:

readability="0">

Come on, come on; you are pictures out
of doors,
Bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your
kitchens,
Saints m your injuries, devils being
offended,
Players in your housewifery, and housewives' in
your beds.

Again,
he uses crude sexual imagery to describe women, even though they may be faithfully
married.  His finishes off the exchange with a punch
line:

readability="0">

You rise to play and go to bed to
work.

This quote
indicts Iago as one who believes women to be evil temptresses whose cruel nature is only
to lure men into their lairs.  Critic A. C. Bradley
agrees:

readability="10">

[Iago] succeeds very often with a mere hint—as,
for example, the suggestion that Desdemona can not possibly escape the corruption for
which the Venetian women (he implies) are notorious:

In
Venice they do let heaven see the pranks
They dare not show their
husbands.
[III. iii.
202-03]

Iago will use his
wife to get to Othello as well.  He urges her to steal the handkerchief.  His plan
almost works, but he understimates Emilia's outspokenness.  She calls him a villain
after Desdemona is strangled, to which Iago responds, "Get you home!"  Again, he
believes a woman's proper place is as a domestic.  When she persists in calling him a
villain, Iago calls her a "villainous whore!"  These are the last words he says to her
before he stabs her.

So, Iago is responsible for two
women's deaths, Desdemona and his own wife's, which show his complete disregard for
their kind.

Explain how Iago's opinion of women develops the readers' understanding of his character and the role he plays.

In Othello, Iago is a misogynist from the beginning of the play to the end.  Quite simply, he sees women as inferior beings to men, and he has a hand in two of the three female characters' deaths in the play.

In Act I, Iago uses Desdemona to attack Othello.  He demeans Desdemona to her father, saying she is "making the beast with two backs" with Othello.  He uses sexual and animal imagery in describing her, suggesting that Iago believes women to be mere objects.

Once on Cyprus, Iago openly condescends to his wife and Desdemona, saying:

Come on, come on; you are pictures out of doors,
Bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens,
Saints m your injuries, devils being offended,
Players in your housewifery, and housewives' in your beds.

Again, he uses crude sexual imagery to describe women, even though they may be faithfully married.  His finishes off the exchange with a punch line:

You rise to play and go to bed to work.

This quote indicts Iago as one who believes women to be evil temptresses whose cruel nature is only to lure men into their lairs.  Critic A. C. Bradley agrees:

[Iago] succeeds very often with a mere hint—as, for example, the suggestion that Desdemona can not possibly escape the corruption for which the Venetian women (he implies) are notorious:

In Venice they do let heaven see the pranks
They dare not show their husbands.
[III. iii. 202-03]

Iago will use his wife to get to Othello as well.  He urges her to steal the handkerchief.  His plan almost works, but he understimates Emilia's outspokenness.  She calls him a villain after Desdemona is strangled, to which Iago responds, "Get you home!"  Again, he believes a woman's proper place is as a domestic.  When she persists in calling him a villain, Iago calls her a "villainous whore!"  These are the last words he says to her before he stabs her.

So, Iago is responsible for two women's deaths, Desdemona and his own wife's, which show his complete disregard for their kind.

In The Kite Runner, what was the setting?

There are many settings in "The Kite Runner." The book opens in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, in roughly the present. However, the book flashes back to Kabul, Afghanistan, where the narrator (Amir) grew up. The first chapters are mostly set there, in and around the luxurious house of his childhood. Later, when the family must flee the country, the story is set along the way, and then in Pakistan. They then move to the United States, specifically California, and much of the story is set there, as they try to make their home in a new land. Late in the book, there is a return to Afghanistan.

In Proof, is Claire really cold, calculating, and insensitive?

Claire is shown to be a little insensitive and cold as that is the way she shows her care and concern for Catherine. But, she is not calculating. Claire views herself as the most responsible and mature in the family, thus, she always tries to take charge of the situation. She does not believe in other people's views, especially Catherine's. She treats Catherine like a little girl, instead of a young woman. This is why Catherine dislikes Claire and views her as pushy and irritating.

One reason that Claire acts this way is because she views Catherine as unstable and fragile, feeling that Catherine has "some of [Robert's] tendency...towards instability". However, Claire is not completely at fault. The way Catherine acts in Act 1, Scene 2 would, from Claire's point of view, show that she is abrasive and crazy. After all, Claire did not witness whatever happened in Scene 1, so, based on Catherine's contradictory and downright absurd answers to Claire's questions, she would think that Catherine needs professional help.

Throughout the novel, her view of Catherine does not change. In Act 2, Scene 2, even when Catherine insisted she wrote the proof, Claire still refused to believe her sister was capable of such things. In fact, she did not justify her disbelief and in Claire's opinion, Catherine's abrasiveness and possessiveness of the proof would show her instability. Claire also shows her distrust of Catherine by cutting Catherine off or plain ignoring her whenever she tried to answer Claire's questions about the proof. For example, she asks Hal to "tell [her] exactly where [he] found [the proof], to which when Catherine answers, she tells her to "hold on" and continues to press Hal for answers. It shows that Claire would rather trust a stranger rather than her sister.

Right in Act 1, Scene 2, we see Claire already taking charge and pushing her opinions on Catherine. When Claire asks "how do you take [your coffee]", despite Catherine replying, "black", Claire ignores her and tells her to "have a little milk". Soon after, she pressure Catherine, questioning her about her decision not to wear the dress she bought, not using the conditioner. Throughout the novel, she pressures Catherine to come to New York as Claire feels she needs to be taken care of.

Claire is also shown to be very efficient and pragmatic. Right in the morning, she had already planned out Robert's funeral (Act 1, Scene 2). "I thought we'd have some people over tonight." She ordered "some food. Wine, beer." and insisted that "it would be alright" when Catherine objected. Also, in Act 1, Scene 4, Claire, who was only in Chicago for a few days, was shown to have had already sold the house and was "hoping to do the paperwork this week". Also, her idea of looking after Robert was to place him in "full-time professional care", a direct contrast to Catherine, who wanted to keep Robert at home, taking care of him. In Act 2, Scene 3, she passes the proof to Hal to check its authorship, stating that "it's far by the most convienient option". She does not seem to care or to take the trouble to find the best way to deal with the proof. She simply finds the most convienient way to do things.

Also, Claire is portrayed to be a little cold, based on the way she takes action. She sold the house without consulting Catherine or thinking about Catherine's emotional attachment to the house and Robert. She does not care much about the proof either: "Take it. I don't care" (Act 2, Scene 3).

What do you think?

In Lord of the Flies, what is the "beast from air" described in chapter 6? Who discovers it and how do they react?

The "beast from air" in chapter 6 is ironic because in chapter 5 the boys believe there is a "beast from water," but those fears are groundless. The boys at the beach fall sound asleep after having been startled by a littlun having a nightmare. Meanwhile, Samneric, the twins, are keeping night watch on the mountain, ostensibly keeping the fire burning. However, they fall asleep as well, and while they sleep, an air battle rages overhead, part of the world-wide nuclear war that resulted in the boys' landing on the island. A paratrooper, killed before or during his jump, lands on the island. The parachute fills with wind, causing the corpse to be pulled up the island. 

Samneric wake up and tend to the fire. While Sam's back is turned to the paratrooper, Eric sees the movement and hears the sound of the fabric. Eric screams at Sam, and he comes around the other side of the fire to see it. Hugging each other tightly, they are frozen in fear for about ten seconds. Then they careen down the mountain and wake Ralph up to tell him they have seen the beast.

In Chapter 1 of "Bless Me, Ultima", what is Antonio's mother's reaction when Tony relates his dream of his birth to her?

When Antonio tells his mother his dreams, she "says they (are) visions from God and she (is) happy, because her own dream (is) that (he) should grow up and become a priest".  Because her aspirations for him are so strong, she finds validation for her own hopes for him in whatever he says, which is disturbing to Antonio because he himself is not certain what he wants to be.  Antonio had gotten into the habit of not telling his mother about his dreams because of her predictable reaction, but he does question her about details of his birth in order to satisfy himself that what he dreamed about was true. 

When Antonio asks his mother if her brothers were present at his birth, she replies, "of course...my brothers have always been at my side when I needed them", and when he asks if his father's family was there as well, she launches into a tirade, scoffing, "don't speak to me of those worthless Marez and their friends...you will not be like them...you will be a Luna...a man of the people, and perhaps a priest".  Once again, Antonio's mother has shaped his dream into her own, and Antonio, troubled, must run away to "clear (his) mind of the dream" (Chapter 1).

In the book Lord of the Flies, what situation led to the plane crash?

The boys arrive on the island in a plane. They are schoolboys who have been evacuated from their homes in Britain in order to get to a place of safety because a nuclear war is in progress. In chapter 1, Piggy is the first boy Ralph meets, and Piggy persuades him there are no grownups with them on the island. The plane they were on crashed on the island, leaving a "scar," a trail where the cabin of the plane crashed through the trees and underbrush as it landed. The cabin itself has been washed out to sea, possibly with some boys still aboard. Piggy explains that the plane they were on was attacked. Ralph believes the pilot who dropped them there will quickly return to get them, but Piggy knows better. He states, "When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows. I saw the other part of the plane. There were flames coming out of it." Ralph believes his father, a commander in the Navy, will rescue them, but Piggy asks how his father would know where they were. Piggy heard the pilot on the plane say that an atom bomb had struck the airport. Everyone there would now be dead. Later there is further evidence that the air war is continuing when the "Beast from Air" in chapter 6 comes floating down. The "beast" is a fallen paratrooper who died in an air battle similar to the one that brought the boys' plane down. This time, there is a "bright explosion and a corkscrew trail across the sky," suggesting the paratrooper's plane was completely destroyed in an attack. The boys are lucky not to have met the same fate, yet they create their own war that threatens to be just as deadly.

What is the main conflict or problem in the book Peter Pan?

The main conflict in Peter Pan is that many characters in the story, primarily Peter, do not want to grow up. With growing up comes responsibilities and obligations. Although children also have their own obligations, like school (which Peter also does not cater to), adults clearly have more accountability and responsibility, and Peter Pan resists this.

Despite the fact that Peter does not wish to grow up, he is the leader of the Lost Boys and he does take on the rescues of several of his friends. He is not entirely without leadership traits or responsibility to his friends. 

In the real world we even refer to people who seem to be perpetually childlike as having a Peter Pan Complex, meaning that they also resist most things that come with adulthood and fully embrace the lifestyle, hobbies, and nostalgia of their childhood.

What are the differences and similarities between the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle and how can we identify them?

Similarities:  Both of these are biogeochemical cycles,meaning that the chemicals spend a portion of the cycle in living things (hence the bio) and a portion in the nonliving environment (geo). They are also similar in that they both recycle nutrients that are essential to all organisms.  Finally, they both move from the soil into plants via the roots, and then to animals through ingestion, and they can be returned to the environment via decomposition.

Differences:  They are different in the manner that they cycle.  Nitrogen gas is quite abundant (78% of the air around us is nitrogen).  It cannot be used by plants or animals in its gaseous form though. In order for it to be useful, it has to undergo nitrification (Nitrogen gas being changed into a usable form).  This is carried out by bacteria that live in nodules on the roots of some plants (like beans).  Once the nitrogen is used by the plant and makes its way to an animal, it can be released through decomposition or urination.  Once it is back in the soil, another type of bacteria cause denitrification, which turns it back into nitrogen gas. 

Carbon, on the other hand, requires no special processing by bacteria prior to plants and animals being able to use it.  Plants take in carbon dioxide and use it to make sugar.  Animals eat this sugar and incorporate it into their body.  Some of it is released as the carbon dioxide that we exhale.

List the unknowns Rainsford encounters in "The Most Dangerous Game", and think about how he reacts to each one. What enables him to triumph in the...

The first unknown he encounters is not knowing how he will survive the fall into the water.  He cannot see anything, however Rainsford uses his hearing to guide him towards ShipTrap Island. 

Next, he knows there must be people on the island because he heard gun shots, but he wonders what kind of men they could be, especially considering the dark allure of the island.  He solves this by deciding to follow the shoreline until he came to what he needed: footprints.  He followed those until he arrived at the chateau and meets Zaroff.

His next unknown is figuring out how to survive the hunt.  To solve this, he creates fake trails and a series of traps. This shows how skilled, intelligent, and resourceful he is, all characteristics which enable him to triumph in the face of the unknown.

In "The Catcher in the Rye", what do Holden and Stradlater fight over?

The fight concerns the fact that Stradlater has gone on a date with Jane Gallagher. Holden starts to question Stradlater about what occurred on the date and he talks himself into a fury, imagining that Stradlater made sexual advances toward Jane, and possibly Jane responded to him. Holden can't stand the fact that Stradlater actually went out with Jane, because he does not have the courage to ask her out himself. He longs for Jane silently, keeping his feelings to himself.

Stradlater is dismissive of Holden's questions and this only serves to anger him further, until Holden can't help but hit Stradlater. He tells him that Jane is not the kind of girl that he should go parking with. She "Keeps her kings in the back row" a metaphor for her sexual purity.

What causes Heathcliff's revenge in "Wuthering Heights"?

Heathcliff is a character who is tormented by his love for Catherine and by his bitterness over his ill treatment by Hindley.   Heathcliff has been treated as a favored son by Mr. Earnshaw, and then after Mr. Earnshaw's death, Hindley exacts revenge on Heathcliff by treating him as a base servant. Heathcliff feels further rage and bitterness when he overhears Catherine tell Nellie that she would be "degraded" by loving Heathcliff.  He runs away, filled with hatred for all who have hurt him.  When he comes back to Wuthering Heights, he comes back as master of the house, prepared to get revenge on his enemies.  After Catherine's death, his bitterness intensifies, causing him to act vindictively and cruelly to the younger generation. 

How is this quote an example of redemption?"Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six...

Amir retraces his earlier missteps by repeating an act
which he had done more than a quarter of a century before. One of Amir's greatest sins
had been the false accusation of Hassan for stealing his birthday money and watch. Amir
had planted the items under Hassan's mattress where they would be found. His hope was
for Baba to punish Hassan; instead, Baba forgave him. Amir repeats this act again, this
time leaving money under Farid's mattress--a conscious decision that will both help the
poor Afghani family and ease Amir's own conscience.

How is this quote an example of redemption?"Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six...

Amir retraces his earlier missteps by repeating an act which he had done more than a quarter of a century before. One of Amir's greatest sins had been the false accusation of Hassan for stealing his birthday money and watch. Amir had planted the items under Hassan's mattress where they would be found. His hope was for Baba to punish Hassan; instead, Baba forgave him. Amir repeats this act again, this time leaving money under Farid's mattress--a conscious decision that will both help the poor Afghani family and ease Amir's own conscience.

What is an element of the story "The Monkey's Paw"?

The elements of a short story include, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, theme and character.

The setting of the story is England, the White's modest home in a rural part of the country. 

The plot revolves around a monkey's paw that Sergeant Major Morris brings with him when he visits the Whites' and subsequently sells to Mr. White for a small sum of money.  The monkey's paw is a charm with magical powers.  It has the ability to grant 3 people 3 wishes, Mr. White is the third owner. 

The wishes that Mr. White makes result in severe tragic consequences.  In order to have his first wish granted, his son dies in an accident at work, thus he is awarded 200 pounds in compensation for his death.  The second wish for Herbert to be alive again is undone by the third wish, for Herbert to return to the grave.

The characters: Mr White, Mrs. White, Herbert, Sergeant Major Morris, the Stranger who brings the Whites' the 200 pounds.  

The conflict revolves around the use of the monkey's paw and the results of the wishes.  Fate and chance are themes in the story, along with the flaws of man who place a too high value on material possessions.

The point of view of the story is Omniscient Objective, where the reader is left to draw his own conclusions. 

What are the symbols, themes, and significant setting from the book, "A Northern Light"?

The primary theme of this book is coming of age. In this process Mattie realizes a number of other themes, such as the fact that the world isn't what it seems, or the central importance of duty. All settings and symbols should be interpreted in light of these core themes. For example, all the yearning to go away to college is a mark of people on the verge of a major transformation. As far as symbols, the book Mr. Eckler tells Mattie about is one example of such a symbol. Wharton's "The House of Mirth" draws its title from a bible verse, and in buying it Mattie may be a fool. It also shows people caught between social rules and personal desires, like the real people in this book.

What type of irony is used in "The Still Alarm," and how does it add to the humor?

This short play takes advantage of situational irony to build humor. A "still alarm" is defined as "a fire alarm given by telephone or by any means other than the regular signal device." This type of alarm is usually used in a firehouse to let the fire fighters know what type of fire they will be responding to.

The Still Alarm is set in a hotel room. The irony, and the humor, is that the characters don't panic. In fact, they act like perfect gentlemen. The director's notes even advise:

It is important that the entire play should be acted calmly and politely, in the manner of an English drawing-room comedy. No actor ever raises his voice; every line must be read as though it were an invitation to a cup of tea. If this direction is disregarded, the play has no point at all.

The bellhop keeps bringing news about the progress of the fire, but the other characters treat it as if it is no big deal. When the fire fighters arrive, one of them sees a violin in the room and starts to play it. So while the building is burning down around them, he plays "Keep the Home Fires Burning."

How are the Boo Radley and the Tom Robinson episodes similar? Explain how each reflects something about the title of the novel.

These two incidents are similar in several ways, both large and small. The most important way is that both of these two men can be read as being the mockingbird of the title: they are innocent, and bring beauty into the world through their presence, lacking any malice at all. They are also physically separate from the rest of the community, and, to a lesser extend, both corporally separate. They are physically separate in the sense of living apart, so much so that when they cross their traditional lines into other parts of the community, things are changed forever (the rape trial, the death). Both are involved in Scout's life; both are involved, in some ways, in the rape trial or its aftermath.

Explain how verbal, situational, and dramatic irony are expressed throughout "The Necklace."

Situational irony results when there is a weird coincidence or unfortunate set of circumstances in a given situation.  Situational irony in this story occurs because Madame Loisel really wants to be in the upper class, but because she insists on borrowing the necklace, she ends up in an even lower class than when she started.

Verbal irony occurs when the speaker what is said is opposite of what is meant.  A common type of verbal irony is sarcasm.  In this story, when Madame Loisel sits to dinner with her husband and says, "Ah, the good soup! I don't know anything better than that," she really means that she is unsatisfied with her dinner.

Dramatic irony is a result of the characters not being aware of their situation.  In these cases, the audience is typically more aware than the characters in the story itself.  However, the moment of realization at the end of the story, when Madame Loisel and the audience discover at the same time that the necklace is fake is an example of dramatic irony.  The assumption that it was real is what makes it this type of irony.

What did John do when Lenina arrived at the light house?

You can find the answer to this towards the end of Chapter
18.  We are not explicitly told that they girl who comes down out of the helicopter is
Lenina, but it is certainly implied.

What John does when he
sees the girl is to attack her with the whip.  He starts calling her various words that
all mean something like "whore" and he starts whipping her.  He is doing this because he
blames her for tempting him.

After a while, his whipping
her turns into an orgy that he takes part in.  This is why he kills
himself.

What did John do when Lenina arrived at the light house?

You can find the answer to this towards the end of Chapter 18.  We are not explicitly told that they girl who comes down out of the helicopter is Lenina, but it is certainly implied.

What John does when he sees the girl is to attack her with the whip.  He starts calling her various words that all mean something like "whore" and he starts whipping her.  He is doing this because he blames her for tempting him.

After a while, his whipping her turns into an orgy that he takes part in.  This is why he kills himself.

In what two specific ways does Irving create a gentle parody of Ichabod Crane as a "Romantic hero" in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?

Ichabod Crane is shown to be VERY enamored of Katrina Van Tassel...her wealth, that is! When most Romantic heroes would be writing poetry to her beauty, her grace, her style, her modesty, etc., Ichabod is far more excited by her father's land and wealth, and all of the wonderful food that is served in their house. The food, in fact, is truly the impetus behind his passion for the fair Katrina!

In addition, a Romantic hero would not have allowed the superstitions and ghost stories of Brom Bones to sway him in his courting of Katrina. He would have braved all kinds of threats to remain in the village of Sleepy Hollow and continue his pursuit of Katrina('s wealth). And yet he lets his imagination run wild with him and turns tail and runs when he thinks the Headless Horseman is after him. Not exactly the picture of a Romantic hero, is he?

This ironic parody of the Romantic hero is one of Washington Irving's most skillful characterizations. Check the links below for more information - Good luck!

in Act I, Sc. II of "Hamlet," how does Claudius react to the threat of Fortinbras?

Claudius, in contrast to King Hamlet, is more a "lover than a fighter."  King Hamlet was a warrior king who probably would have gone to war against Norway. Claudius, however, sends two ambassadors to Norway, Voltemand and Corneliius, to negotiate with Norway's king.  They meet with success as Old Norway reins in Fortinbras by paying him money not to attack Denmark but, instead, to wage war against Poland.

What does the underworld symbolize in "Kubla Khan"?What does the underworld symbolize? Where does one go when one ventures into the dark world...

The sheer magic of Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan eludes every attempt to arrive at an explanation, clear and conclusive.

In Stanza 1, Coleridge presents a 'sacred river' called Alph, a mystical, extra-geographical river which runs overground for a few miles before dissolving itself into a sub-terranean 'sunless sea' by jumping through 'caverns measureless to man'. This is an underworld, eerie & invisible, and full of commotion.

In Stanza 2, we are told of the birth of the river from a 'mighty fountain' at the bottom of a 'deep romantic chasm'.The upjetting water of the fountain thrusts itself upward in 'half-intermitted bursts' producing yet another turmoil, this time a commotion of a perpetual moment of the birth of life. Pieces of rocks being thrown upwards assume a dancing pattern to give us a combined impression of violence and harmony.

Thus the two underworlds respectively symbolise the dark, invisible world of death & the deeply embedded world of life being perpetually born.It is the river of life--'five miles meandering with a mazy motion'--which is being continually born at one end, and perpetually dying at the other.

what is my fault in birth. as family does not like arts so never supports me.lover of art, not getting any favour.no scholor shipfor me.why?

If I can make sense of your question - you are wondering
why you have not received an art scholarship?  Are you looking to transfer to a 4 year
college?

Don't be completely discouraged.  Scholarships to
American colleges based on talent (ie: sports, theater, dance, art) are very
very difficult to come by.  You must be the very best of
the best.  That said, there are some alternatives if at first you don't succeed.  As
always, my first piece of advice is to focus on your grades.  Sad but true.  We
constantly tell high school students that extra-curricular activities and community
involvement boost your college resume, but the real truth is that if you are a straight
A student, it doesn't really matter.  Colleges really love straight-A students.  I'm not
sure why we act like this isn't the truth.  Perhaps it is to give hope to the many smart
and talented students who do not have straight-A's.  This doesn't mean that anything
less cannot go to college, but scholarships are reserved for the
best.

Another option is to get accepted to college without
the scholarship, then work on applying for any that are available once you are there. 
Build relationships with your professors.  Ask them for advice and recommendations. 
Perhaps seek a work-study job that could turn into an
internship.

You might also consider a major that results in
a job with loan-forgiveness.  Some options (at least in NC, perhaps in your state as
well) include teaching, social services, or legal
work.

Again, I encourage you to meet with someone at your
college once you've been accepted to talk about options of financial aid.  There are
other options outside of immediate talent-based scholarships.  Good
luck.

what is my fault in birth. as family does not like arts so never supports me.lover of art, not getting any favour.no scholor shipfor me.why?

If I can make sense of your question - you are wondering why you have not received an art scholarship?  Are you looking to transfer to a 4 year college?

Don't be completely discouraged.  Scholarships to American colleges based on talent (ie: sports, theater, dance, art) are very very difficult to come by.  You must be the very best of the best.  That said, there are some alternatives if at first you don't succeed.  As always, my first piece of advice is to focus on your grades.  Sad but true.  We constantly tell high school students that extra-curricular activities and community involvement boost your college resume, but the real truth is that if you are a straight A student, it doesn't really matter.  Colleges really love straight-A students.  I'm not sure why we act like this isn't the truth.  Perhaps it is to give hope to the many smart and talented students who do not have straight-A's.  This doesn't mean that anything less cannot go to college, but scholarships are reserved for the best.

Another option is to get accepted to college without the scholarship, then work on applying for any that are available once you are there.  Build relationships with your professors.  Ask them for advice and recommendations.  Perhaps seek a work-study job that could turn into an internship.

You might also consider a major that results in a job with loan-forgiveness.  Some options (at least in NC, perhaps in your state as well) include teaching, social services, or legal work.

Again, I encourage you to meet with someone at your college once you've been accepted to talk about options of financial aid.  There are other options outside of immediate talent-based scholarships.  Good luck.

In the book, The Outsiders, what advice would you give Ponyboy?For example, Dally told him "stay tuff and nothing can hurt you, stay smart and...

I guess this is sort of cliche and trite, but I think that
I would tell him that he needs to be true to who he is, not to who someone else thinks
that he needs to be.  I think that this is good advice for
anyone.

I think that Pony, in this book, is at times being
pushed to be someone he does not really want to be.  He is being pushed to be more of a
gang banger than he really wants to be.  So I would tell him that he needs to stay true
to himself.

I actually don't think that that goes against
either of the two pieces of advice you list here, though.

In the book, The Outsiders, what advice would you give Ponyboy?For example, Dally told him "stay tuff and nothing can hurt you, stay smart and...

I guess this is sort of cliche and trite, but I think that I would tell him that he needs to be true to who he is, not to who someone else thinks that he needs to be.  I think that this is good advice for anyone.

I think that Pony, in this book, is at times being pushed to be someone he does not really want to be.  He is being pushed to be more of a gang banger than he really wants to be.  So I would tell him that he needs to stay true to himself.

I actually don't think that that goes against either of the two pieces of advice you list here, though.

In the novel In The Time of the Butterflies, how does Patria change throughout the book?

In my opinion, Patricia is the character that goes through the most dramatic changes in the novel. Patricia changes from religious, to being in love, to losing a child, to losing her faith, to regaining her faith on a pilgrimage, to being a devoted mother, to being a committed member of the movement against Trujillo.

While quite young, Patricia is entranced by the nuns and the religiosity of their Roman Catholic faith.  She longs to be one of them.  Of course, this is where young love enters the scene and, at the tender age of sixteen, Patricia falls in love with Pedrito González while she washes his feet in the context of the ritual washing during Holy Week in the Roman Catholic Church.  They quickly marry and have two children.  However, when Patricia's third child dies, she loses her faith and doesn't regain it until going on a religious pilgrimage.  Patricia becomes a devoted mother through this time and worries about her children, especially when they become involved in the movement against Trujillo.  Patricia makes another transition when she moves the meetings of the movement from "near" her home to "in" her home.  This puts the family at risk.  Patricia is eventually killed as a result of her devotion to the movement.

Patricia's journey, then, is a complex one that involves religion, motherhood, and politics.  Here is a quotation from Alvarez that is important to remember in the context of this journey:

A novel is not, after all, a historical document, but a way to travel through the human heart.

Atticus and Alexandra disagree about how to deal with the children. How does Atticus handle the situation?

In the novel, there are two major disagreements between
Alexandra and Atticus: raising children and race. 

When it
comes to raising children, Alexandra is much more traditional and conservative
(conforming to the norms in society). In particular, she wants Scout to act like a lady.
As it stands, Scout is very much a tomboy. This is why Alexandra tries to make Scout
wear a dress. She should act like a proper lady and look like one. Atticus does not
concern himself with these things. Instead, he wants Scout and Jem to be children. So,
he does not impose social constraints on them. The very fact that his children call him
Atticus is telling. 

Second, Atticus does not believe in
shielding his children from the ugly racism in the world. To a degree he does, but by
the end of the book, he allows both Jem and Scout not only to know but also experience
the racism in Maycomb. Alexandra would very much like to protect the children. For
example, when Atticus talks about race freely in the house, Alexandra is shocked. She
says:

"Don't
talk like that in front of them... Like that in front of Calpurnia. You said Braxton
Underwood despises Negroes right in front of
her."

Atticus and Alexandra disagree about how to deal with the children. How does Atticus handle the situation?

In the novel, there are two major disagreements between Alexandra and Atticus: raising children and race. 

When it comes to raising children, Alexandra is much more traditional and conservative (conforming to the norms in society). In particular, she wants Scout to act like a lady. As it stands, Scout is very much a tomboy. This is why Alexandra tries to make Scout wear a dress. She should act like a proper lady and look like one. Atticus does not concern himself with these things. Instead, he wants Scout and Jem to be children. So, he does not impose social constraints on them. The very fact that his children call him Atticus is telling. 

Second, Atticus does not believe in shielding his children from the ugly racism in the world. To a degree he does, but by the end of the book, he allows both Jem and Scout not only to know but also experience the racism in Maycomb. Alexandra would very much like to protect the children. For example, when Atticus talks about race freely in the house, Alexandra is shocked. She says:

"Don't talk like that in front of them... Like that in front of Calpurnia. You said Braxton Underwood despises Negroes right in front of her."

What were the major characteristics of the Italian Renaissance?

The major characteristics of the Italian Renaissance was in the form of the influence of literature. It helped set the stage for the grand period . Many books and plays are produced during that time. Humanism was also the main talking point of that era. Humanism is a philosophical term, used to picture man as a rational and sentimental human being, meaning that human life is very precious, meaning Man are good by nature, contradicting terms in Christian faith that Man are sinners, which need salvation and redemption from his past sins, to get eternal life, and not plunge into the fiery pits of Hell. It goes beyond Christianity, questioning beyond God, the Holy Spirit and spiritual life, and provide new insight into reality as we know it. There was also a great infusion of science, most notably Leornado Dan Vinci, and Galieo, whom brought science into life. Lastly, architecture was also very common during that period, where famous monuments like the St. Peter's Basilica was constructed.

In As You Like It, what is Duke Senior's attitude toward his life in the Forest of Arden?

Duke Senior takes his banishment to the Forest of Arden by his evil brother, Duke Frederick, very much in stride.  Shakespeare wrote him to be a good, kind man - one who does not seek to use his power to subject and control other people.  He takes to his life in the forest very well, enjoying the fact that the natural environment does not suck up to him with "flattering ambition" as people at court are prone to do.

Check the links below for more information, especially the link to other characters' descriptions.  Look for Duke Senior under "Senior" on that page.  Good luck!

In "Hamlet," why doesn't Prince Hamlet automatically become king upon the death of his father?

Primogeniture is characteristic of the English throne. The Celts in Britain, though followed the practice of tanistry well into the 15th century; kings in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland were elected. A similar practice existed in Scandinavia, and the Danes, in fact, elected their king.

Hamlet would certainly lose to Claudius in an election. Brothers often succeeded brothers, so Claudius would be an anticipated choice. Also Hamlet is too young, and he's away at college. It would seem a mark of real carelessness for a country under siege to hand the throne to a young, untried, and absent monarch. 

Claudius has popular support and the approval of Gertrude, the supposed devoted wife of the late king and the "imperial jointress of this war-like state." The play argues that the choice of Claudius shows some wisdom. In his first speech he boldly attacks head-on the question of his brother's death and his own marriage to old Hamlet's widow. He sidesteps nothing but goes straight for what is probably the subject of a good deal of whispering in and out of the court. He then moves with consummate skill through the international problem, speeding Cornelius and Voltimand off to Norway --another direct attack. He continues, skillfully focusing slowly on the nation, then the members of the court, and finally on his own family -- and Hamlet. He's brave, bold, resolute, and eloquent. Hamlet is withdrawn, subdued, hesitant, and snide.
 

What are the effects of the sensory images used in the first few paragraphs of "The Scarlet Ibis"?

Hurst begins the story using more complex diction to distinguish between Brother, the adult remembering the past and Brother, the young boy who pushed, embarrassed, frightened, and loved his brother Doodle.

He uses a lot of color in the first two paragraphs so the reader can connect with the yard and house he is describing visually. He describes the "rotting brown magnolia petals", the weeds that "grew rank amid purple phlox", the "silvery dust" of the oriole's song, the "gleaming white" of the house, the "pale fence across the yard", the "green draped parlor".

Hurst uses sound so that the reader can more fully experience this place. He talks about the way birds sounded as a child and how they sound now that the tree is bigger and leafier, "now if an oriole sings in the elm, its song seems to die up in the leaves". The graveyard flowers speak, "softly the names of our dead".

He uses smell to add another layer to the memories and smell is a powerful tool for conjuring memories. The "iron-weeds grew rank", the graveyard's flowers smell, "drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house".

Hurst adds a final layer of memory with the way things felt. He mentions how he will sometimes "sit in the cool" and remember.