What are some quotes portraying McCandless' attitude toward his father and sister in "Into the Wild"?I have found text in which the author tells...

Chris wanders into the Alaskan outback and does not want to be found. His sister understands this: " 'We were all worried when we didn't hear from him,' says Carine, 'and I think my parents' worry was mixed with hurt and anger. But I didn't really feel hurt. I knew that he was happy and doing what he wanted to do. I understood that it was important for him to see how independent he could be.' " For Carine, she understands her brother on a deeper level. Chris's relationship is more complicated with his father as his father is an authority figure, and Chris shuns authority. "Two years later," after his family hires a private investigator, Chris is found dead.

Chris's relationship with his father and sister is one in which he craves independence and freedom. Possibly he finds this through his death.

Analyze criticism of the �Electoral College� system and the alleged advantages and disadvantages of various reform proposals.

The current system of electing the president ensures that
the candidates do not reach out to all of the states. Presidential candidates
concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided "battleground" states. In
2008, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their campaign events and ad money in
just six states, and 98% in just 15 states (CO, FL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NH, NM, NC,
OH, PA, VA, and WI). Over half (57%) of the events were in just four states (Ohio,
Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia). In 2004, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of
their money and campaign visits in five states; over 80% in nine states; and over 99% of
their money in 16 states, and candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their money and
campaign visits in five states and over 99% of their money in 16 states.

Two-thirds of the states and people have been merely
spectators to the presidential elections.

Candidates have no reason to poll, visit,
advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the voter concerns in states where they
are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. The reason for this is the state-by-state
winner-take-all rule enacted by 48 states, under which all of a state's electoral votes
are awarded to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state.

A candidate has woin the Presidency without
winning the most popular votes nationwide in one of every 14 presidential
elections.

In the past six decades, there have
been six presidential elections in which a shift of a relatively small number of votes
in one or two states would have elected (and, of course, in 2000, did elect) a
presidential candidate who lost the popular vote
nationwide.

The National Popular Vote bill would
guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50
states (and DC).

Every vote, everywhere, would
be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. Candidates would need to
care about voters across the nation, not just undecided voters in a handful of swing
states.

The bill would take effect only when
enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes--that
is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into
effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential
candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).

The bill uses the power given to each state by
the Founding Fathers in the Constitution to change how they award their electoral votes
for president.

The congressional district method of
awarding electoral votes (currently used in Maine and Nebraska) would not help make
every vote matter.  A smaller fraction of the country's population lives in competitive
congressional districts (about 12%) than in the current battleground states (about 30%)
that now get overwhelming attention , while two-thirds of the states are ignored  Also,
a second-place candidate could still win the White House without winning the national
popular vote.

See
http://www.NationalPopularVote.com

What is the mood?

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a story filed with
irony and contradictions. The mood, therefore, is very important to the text as a
whole.

The story opens in this
way:

The
morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day;
the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the
village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten
o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had
to be started on June 2th. But, in this village, where there were only about three
hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten
o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home
for noon dinner.

This leads
readers to believe that the mood is one which is lighthearted given the sunny and clear
day.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.

The mood changes
rather abruptly given one can sense the tension in the air.  The mood then changes from
light conversations and smiles to the following:

readability="17">

When he arrived in the square, carrying the
black wooden box, there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers, and he waved
and called. "Little late today, folks." The postmaster, Mr. Graves, followed him,
carrying a three- legged stool, and the stool was put in the center of the square and
Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept their distance, leaving a
space between themselves and the
stool.

Here, the mood is
defined as tense and worrisome.  The villagers are worried about something. This is
notated by the distance they keep from the box and
stool.

By the end of the story, readers can see the change
of mood.  It transforms from the opening of the text, where the day is described as
clear and fresh, to the end of the text where the stoning of a villager takes place. 
While the scene is depicted as beautiful, the actions depict anything
but.

Describe the king and the duke in The Adventures of Huck Finn?

These two colorful characters come into the action in Chapter 19 of the text.  They are running from the crowd of a local town where they have been swindling.  They are con artists, and take on the titles of "King" and "Duke" to gain privileges on the raft among Jim and Huck.  The two come up with amazing cons from plays to revivals where they cook up schemes to rob people of their money.  They even come up with the idea of making a flier for Jim as a runaway slave so the group could travel safely by raft during the day since Huck has no papers for Jim.

They end up being tarred and feathered by townspeople as a punishment for hoodwinking the folks out of their hard-earned money.

List at least five of the nine events that the Tucks revealed as support for their incredible story in Tuck Everlasting.The answer is in the book...

The events the Tucks revealed can be found in Chapter 7.  They are:

1. When Jesse Tuck fell out of a tree and landed on his head, "it didn't hurt him a bit".

2. When the Tuck's horse was accidentally shot, the bullet passed right through him and "didn't hardly even leave a mark".

3.  Mrs. Tuck cut herself slicing bread, and didn't receive a wound.

4. Mrs. Tuck had two children, but, eighty-seven years later, she still looked like she was twenty-two.

5. When the Tucks returned to the tree into which Mr. Tuck had carved a "T" twenty years before, they found that the tree had not grown and the carving was as fresh as if it had just been done.

6. The Tuck's cat, who did not drink the magic waters, lived a normal life and eventually died, but the Tucks themselves did not age.

7. Just to prove to himself that there were magic powers at work, Mr. Tuck shot himself on purpose with a shotgun but was not injured.

Does "The Lottery" suggest that people are innately violent or that their behaviour is learned?

Although the behavior to hold the lottery each year is learned, as part of the culture and tradition of this society, I would say that the people of the town are very violent.

Mrs. Delacroix, a friend of Tessie Hutchinson, who speaks to her when she arrives late for the lottery, is the person who tells Tessie to not be upset about her forgetfulness.  But then when the victim is chosen, Mrs. Delacroix picks up the heaviest stone, so heavy, that she can barely lift it.  This is a clear example of a violent tendency.

Additionally,  Bill Hutchinson yells at his wife for complaining about the selection process being rushed.

"When Tessie questions the method of drawing, he says, "Shut up, Tessie"; he also forces the slip of paper with the black spot on it out of her hand and holds it up in front of the crowd."  

This story is an expression of the dual nature of humanity.  The fact that individuals can be both good and evil at the same time.  The people of the town are eager and capable of murdering a member of their community with cruelty and indifference. Stoning is a violent way to die. 

There is one individual who feels repelled by the process, Mrs. Dunbar, she does not rush to stone Tessie. 

"Mrs. Dunbar had small stones in both hands," (Jackson)

What tender gesture does Atticus make while waiting for Helen?

I believe that you are talking about what happens in
Chapter 25.  In that chapter, Atticus, along with Calpurnia, goes to the home of Tom and
Helen Robinson so as to tell Mrs. Robinson that her husband is
dead.

When he gets there, he finds out she is not home.  He
asks a little boy to go get her.  While he waits, a little girl comes out to the top of
the steps.  She smiles at him but she is too little to walk down the steps alone.  So he
offers her his finger -- she holds on to it and he helps her down the
steps.

How would you define Natural Order in relation to Macbeth?

So true. The Elizabetheans saw, or assigned, order to all aspects of life. From the Divine Rite of Kings to the role of the Church, order gave purpose and predictability to a difficult and confusing existence.

Macbeth and his wife usurp this system by pursuing things out of order. The prophesy of the sisters provoked them to take action to attain an "effect" before the cause could naturally occur. By inverting cause and effect, Macbeth and his sweet wife lose their sense and their sanity.

Refer to the Matrix (I can't believe I am referring to this movie). The Oracle tells Neo that it is ok that he will break a vase. In turning to see which vase he might break, he breaks a vase. The natural order is tampered with and it leaves an uneasy feeling.

How did Zaroff's treatment of Rainsford change during the course of "The Most Dangerous Game"?

I don't believe Zaroff in any way changes his treatment of Rainsford during the story. Although Zaroff graciously wines and dines Rainsford before revealing his true intentions, Zaroff continues to treat Rainsford honorably, adhering to his own rules of the game without breaking them. Zaroff promises that Rainsford can have his freedom if Rainsford eludes him during the time that is established, and Zaroff keeps his word. When Zaroff returns to his home, he knows that he has lost the game, and there is no inclination that he will look for Rainsford further. Later, when they meet again, he tells Rainsford that "You have won the game." When Rainsford announces that a new game will begin, Zaroff accepts the terms.

What are the main events that occur as part of the rising action in The Giver?

Assuming that the book's climax is when Jonas realizes what to be "released" really means, main events occurring to that point would include:

1. Father brings Gabriel home to help the sensitive baby adjust to life in the community so he won't have to be "released".

2. The December Ceremonies take place; they are especially significant this year because, as a Twelve, Jonas will receive  "assignment" to his adult role in the community.

3. Jonas is passed over for regular assignments, and instead is selected to become the next "Receiver of Memories" because of his special gift to "see beyond".

4. Jonas begins training with the "Giver". He is fearful because he does not know what his job will entail; a new "Receiver" is not often selected, and the last one failed in her assignment.

5. Jonas is given memories that are withheld from the general community; they begin pleasurably with ones such as "sun" and "snow", but progress to include the horrific, such as "hate" and "war".

6. Jonas's training causes him to begin questioning the insulated life of the community.

7. Jonas sees a tape showing his father coldbloodedly administering a lethal injection to a baby who is being "released", and realizes the monstrosity behind the euphemism.  He understands the fallacies underlying the society, and in particular, what it means for Gabriel.

"The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thoughtcrime." Explain.Explain, with reference to the Party's beliefs &...

In this society, a major goal of the Party is to make sure
that people have no loyalty to anything but the Party.  To accomplish this, one thing it
does is to try to destroy personal feelings  and emotions other than the ones the Party
produces (Two Minutes Hate, for example).

So, if the Party
is trying to get you not to have feelings for other people, then sexual desire and true
sexual intimacy are things that go against what the Party wants (and that makes them
crimes).

Winston says that this is why his life married to
Katharine was not satisfying (emotionally and sexually).  She was too conditioned by the
Party to want to sleep with him.

Why are nursing theories important to nursing?

There was a time when nursing was a two year college
diploma that mainly concentrated on science and mathematics related to health care.
However, nursing has changed over the last ten years or so. More specifically,
curriculum requirements have changed as nurses are being required to fulfill more and
more responsibilities. For instance, you can rarely speak to doctors once you
are admitted into a hospital. The theoretical aspects of the nursing programs are
included into the nursing curriculum to prepare a student for higher level positions
that involve administrative duties. These positions involve writing and communicating
information rather than bed side care of the patients. The academic world includes
theoretical components in all areas; nursing is no different from other programs. Theory
aims to present different perspectives on a particular topic rather than giving a
student a concrete answer to a question.

In "Hedda Gabler", what is the effect of Brack's final line, "People don't do such things"?

Judge Brack's last line (actually the last line of the whole play) aren't actually directed to Hedda, but to Tesman who has just shouted out that Hedda has shot herself. His remark, "Good God - people don't do such things", is almost a comic line, because people obviously DO do such things: Hedda has just done it.

It's a characteristically ironic, bitter finish to a play in which Ibsen has explored the meaning of appearances and what lies underneath them (and of course, this final line is only one of several moments where Judge Brack appears absurdly ill-equipped to read the situation). It also highlights the distance between Hedda and the society she lives in: her suicide, like her feelings, are so alien to the society in which she exists that they might as well not exist: indeed, Brack thinks they don't!

How does Mama change at the story's climax, and what is the meaning of that change?

At the end of the story, Mama has made an important realization.  In other words, she has had an epiphany.  This moment occurs when she takes the quilts from Dee and returns them to Maggie. 

Dee tried to take the quilts that Mama had given to Maggie; Dee wanted to hang them to show them off in her home in the city.  Mama, though, knows that understanding their family's heritage involved using the things that had been passed down from generation to generation; plus, she knew how badly Maggie would be hurt if Dee took the quilts. Mama decides that she will not let this happen, so she snatches the quilts away from Dee.  

Mama realized that she no longer felt controlled by Dee.  She was now free from that and could feel content in knowing that she had done what was necessary to do so.

In "The Cask of Amontillado", why does Montresor feel as though he has the right to take matters into his own hands and kill Fortunado?

Montresor is acting on an old Italian belief that revenge is an acceptable practice, even if the process of revenge includes the murder of the offending party.  So Montresor's actions against Fortunato are perfectly acceptable in Italian society in this period.  

Montresor is the offended party, Fortunato is the offender, the revenge is required and necessary so that Montresor's family name can be restored and his dead ancestors can once again rest in peace. 

At the end of the story, he utters "rest in peace,"  meaning that once Fortunato has been punished his task is done.  His relatives can return to their eternal slumber.  

To what form of life does the king first compare Gulliver in "Gulliver's Travels"?

I assume you are referring to Part II of Gullier's Travel's since that is the first mention of a king; the land of Lilliput in Part I is ruled by an emperor.  The king thinks Gulliver, at first glance, is a splacknuck - described in chapter 2 as "an animal in that country very finely shaped, about six foot long".  Then, when the king saw Gulliver stand upright and heard him speak, considered Gulliver to be a clockwork toy of great design.  Gulliver, very adept at languages and having learned a little of the Brobdingnagian language at this point, communicated to the king that he was not a toy.  The king then had three scholars study Gulliver.  They finally concluded that he was a "lusus naturae", or, "a freak of nature".

How is Austen able to portray Mrs. Bennet as a foolish and uneducated woman when she describes her assessment of her relationship with Mrs. Long?

All Mrs. Bennett seems to care about is her fear that Mrs. Long will be able to introduce her nieces to Mr. Bingley before she has a chance to introduce her daughters to him. Mrs. Bennett's entire life is centered on the fact that she must find suitable husbands for her daughters and the etiquette of the day requires that Mr. Bennett call on Mr. Bingley before introductions to her daughters can be made. Mr. Bennett seems unwilling to call on Mr. Bingley and so Mrs. Bennet is beside herself. However, she does console herself with the fact that the Long nieces are not as "handsome" as her daughters, so they won't be able to be real competitors with her daughters in the "marriage market". This shows that Mrs. Bennet sees her daughters more as commodities designed to make a "good match" rather than individuals with abilities and talents of their own. It also prevents the daughters from making their own choices based on their happiness instead of economic and social concerns.

Why does the Board of Aldermen send a delegation to Miss Emily’s house?

The Board of Aldermen of the town send a delegation to the
home of Miss Emily Grierson because they want her to pay taxes.  She does not pay any
taxes on her home and property and they think that she
should.

In a previous generation (in 1894), the mayor of
the town had said that Miss Emily would not need to pay any taxes.  But later, when a
new generation came into power, they thought that this was not how things should be and
they sent the delegation to ask her to pay (since she had ignored
letters).

What does Flannery O'Connor means by the ultimate reality is the incarnation?

In Catholic theology incarnation means "the Word made flesh."  It is God's "emptying Himself" to become a man, to suffer and die to redeem mankind.  O'Connor moves her characters to work backwards from lives of evil toward a fundamental belief in the incarnation, as if they were experiencing it in its origin.

O'Connor's fiction is implicitly messaged from a believer and explicitly styled and aimed at nonbelievers. In O'Connor, we find a devout Catholic author who characterizes evangelical Protestants, an orthodox who divulges no explicit theology, a writer of Christian concerns who lampoons modern Christendom, a comic writer of the gravest themes, and a female author whose style is gender-neutral--nay, manly.

Her comic religious vision holds that a morally and socially degenerate is nonetheless spiritually a cut above the wingless chickens of privileged Christianity. She shocks her readers by beginning with divine evil as a backdoor to what is divine good so that they may rediscover what is holy, or incarnate. Her goal, I think, is to prevent her readers from taking sides among her religious forms; instead, she calls for action--from them to be seekers instead of being found.

What was the Renaissance and what caused it?

The Renaissance (from the French word meaning "re-birth") was a cultural movement spanning (depending on which cultural historians you believe) from the 14th to the 17th centuries.

I'm not sure you could say something caused the Renaissance as such, but the "re-birth" which gives the period its name is the re-birth of classical culture, which was rediscovered and re-examined during the period. Artists, writers, sculptors, musicians and architects began to look back to Greek and Roman times, and seek out ideas and inspiration from ancient texts.

The changes in the Renaissance were social and political as well as intellectual, primarily because of an emphasis on secular, rational understanding of the world beginning to displace the previous emphasis on religious or spiritual understanding.

Lastly, it's probably also worth pointing out that some historians question the usefulness of the term 'Renaissance', and ask whether the cultural phenomenon it described ever really occurred.

Describe the circulation of deep ocean water.no

I am going to take a stab at this and assume you meant to
write "deep ocean water."  As it says in the article referenced below, "deep ocean
currents are the result of sinking and upwelling water, and termohaline ( href="../../uxl-science-encyclopedia/temperature">temperature and salinity)
differences."

Not a great deal is currently known about
these deep ocean currents and they are being researched by a number of robotic
submarines to try and get more of an understanding of
them.

They are sometimes referred to as "submarine rivers"
and they flow according to changes in density and temperature rather than according to
wind and other conditions that drive currents closer to the surface.  Once water sinks
low enough, the pressure and other factors can actually cause density to increase which
again, contributes to how that water will then move around deep below the
surface.

Generally deep ocean currents are classified as
those below the firs 400m of water.

What is the climax of the story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"?

The climax, or the highest point of action, comes when Bailey, the grandmother's son, wrecks the car.  At the grandmother's urging, and despite Bailey's reluctance, Bailey turns the car around to go visit an old plantation home which his mother says will be educational for them (and the children want to see because of a promised "secret panel"). 

However, when miles pass and the grandmother begins to doubt her memory of the location, she becomes agitated and accidentally sets off a series of mishaps:  her jerking bumps a valise (a suitcase) which upset the cat, Pitty-Sing, who jumps on Bailey and makes him steer improperly.  The car then tumbles over and lands "in a gulch off the side of the road." 

This sets the climax into motion.  Passersby who happen to see the accident come to the scene, but not, as the grandmother expects, to their aid.  Instead, the pair are the escaped convicts the grandmother had read about and discussed with Red Sammy's wife in the barbecue stand.  The outlaws have no other intent but to rob and then kill, which leads to the startling conclusion. 

How would you write a witness statement in a clinical negligence case?Brain damage due to neonatal hypoglycemia and ensuing hypoxia-ischaemia;...

A witness statement should provide a thorough, accurate account of the events that the witness experienced personally, in his or her own words.

The witness statement should be in chronological order and cover the five Ws and the one H:

• When?
• Who?
• Where?
• What?
• Why?
• How?

 

Be sure to explain who you are and the precise extent of what you experienced. It’s best to avoid stating feelings, impressions, assumptions, or conclusions. Just stick to the facts as you recall them.

For a medical negligence case, you can assume that technical terms will be understood by the parties' attorneys.

The link below provides a discussion of expert testimony in medical negligence cases. Although your witness statement is not expert testimony, some sections of the text may provide guidance.

Disclaimer: This post contains general legal information and should not be construed as legal advice to be applied to any specific factual situation. Each reader should consult a lawyer if you want a qualified professional’s assurance that this information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.

What do the following items, " a glass of milk, an apple, and a pear," represent for Montag?

Montg learns and processes a great deal in a short period of time.  He goes from being a follower, a fireman, and part of society's problem, to a rebel, a wanted man, and an intllectual in a very short span of time.  He has gone from being emotionally isolated to emotionally and physically isolated once he is on the run from the firemen and the mechanical hound.

The milk, apple, and pear on the farm represent life's simple pleasures in a tranquil environment.  The items and location represent everything Montag has not had up until that point.  These items represent Montag's desire to rest, contemplate, and just be without having to process or make any more decisions.

In the story Battle Royal, what is the symbolism for the dancing blonde woman?

The narrator of the Battle Royal understands that the both he and his group of "warriors" as well as the dancing blonde woman symbolize the otherness of women and minorities during this time period.  White men were in control.  They used women and the black boys as playthings for their entertainment.  Both the woman and the boys are reduced to "things" in this book, and especially in this excerpt.  They can not hope to be treated as humans...not even with the delivery of his excellent speech about, ironically, "social responsibility". 

The woman is naked and seems to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or the protection of her own mind taking her to another place far from the oogling eyes of these men and boys. She is an embarrassment to herself and to the black boys since to look on a white women with clothing on is not acceptable, much less to stare at a naked white woman.  She is the forbidden land for these boys.  The emotions they have in seeing her are channeled into a free-for-all chaotic blindfolded boxing match.  The boys are filled with shock at her state, embarrassment at having witnessed it and reacting sexually to it, and rage at the white men for having subjected them to this seige of emotions for their own evil entertainment.

To the white men, this woman nor the boys are individuals.  They are no better than animals thrown into a ring and made to bleed internally and externally.

In "The Soldier's Home," what makes Krebs decide to leave home?

Krebs cannot forget his experiences during WWI. People in his hometown have romanticized war, but Krebs knows how horrible war is. He just can't tell anyone how terrible it is when all that the people want to hear is their glorified version of war. He accommodates them by telling lies about what happened in the war because he's trying to fit in to a society that doesn't understand what he's been through. It is his relationship with his mother that puts Krebs over the edge, and he realizes he can't stay with her in the town where he grew up. Mrs. Krebs still treats her son as a little boy, accusing him of not loving her when he won't do as she asks. Krebs responds by telling his mother he no longer has the capacity to love because of what the war did to him. When she cries, Krebs realizes he can never make her understand what he went through, and he lies, telling her he was just upset about something else. He tells her what she wants to hear, and he promises to be a "good boy". This event gives him the courage to leave and go somewhere else where people don't expect him to be what he was before the war.

How did the play offend the Abbey Theatre audience to the extent of causing the "playboy riots"? Was the production itself partially responsible?

Synge's The Playboy of the Western
World reveals an Ireland in love with violence.  This is the truth the play
reveals.  The characters in the play make a hero out of a man who kills his own dad. 
They put him on a figurative pedestal and celebrate his warped action.  The people of
Ireland have a warped sense of what to value. 

And, of
course, the hero doesn't even really possess courage or ability or anything of the
sort.  He doesn't even finish his dad off, and when the dad reappears, he cowers before
him.

Ironically, the riots caused by the performance of the
play weren't due primarily to the Irish being angry because they are portrayed as so
violent and ignorant in the play.  The riots were primarily the reaction to the swear
words and rough language in the play.  This, too, is
revealing.

Synge reveals the truth about the Irish in
Playboy just as Joyce does in Dubliners.  Of
course, the revelations apply to the rest of us, as well, not just the
Irish.

After reading Act 4 scenes 1 and 2, Why do you think Macbeth is so interested in learning about the future?

Macbeth is desperate to know what lies ahead in his future so that he can take the steps necessary to halt anything in the way of his maintaining power. He needs the information in order to feel in control, yet at this point, it is evident that Macbeth is totally out of control.

His love of power has driven him to the point of taking the witches prophesies and reacting to them with force in order to preserve his position. The more murderous he becomes, the more necessary it is for him to know every possible future complication he can. He realizes that his actions have caused Macduff and Malcolm to look for ways to stop him, and he needs information that will help defeat them in this purpose.

What are the conflicts in John Updike's "A&P"

Although I agree with the previous answer that the internal conflict is significant in "A & P," I disagree with the characterization of Updike's portrayal of Sammy. Yes, as the story concludes, Sammy does think about "how hard the world was going to be to [him] hereafter," but is that necessarily a bad thing? While on the one hand, Sammy's decision to quit could be perceived as an impulsive and illogical decision, it could also represent Sammy's break from conformity and a realization that standing up for what one believes and going against societal norms is difficult.  Right now he's standing up for girls who come into a grocery store in bathing suits (in 1961 when everyday dress was nowhere near as casual as it is today), and he sees himself as the girls' "unsuspected hero."  But this small step could mean that he was always stand up for himself in the future and will no longer see the world as quite so black and white.

Much of the beauty in this story lies in the way it beckons us to think about what the future might hold for nineteen-year-old Sammy.  Walter Wells, in his critical essay, “John Updike’s ‘A & P’: A Return Visit to Araby" (available on e-notes) calls Sammy's epiphany "ambiguous."  Yes, Sammy does look forward to an uncertain future, and Wells also reminds us that Sammy's action was spurred by his libido (would he have been as chilvalrous if one of the girls other than Queenie was being reprimanded?), but it is nonetheless a decision that he thinks about and stands firm:  "But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it's fatal not to follow through with it."

Just maybe that "hard" life Sammy thinks about with the lurching stomach might be one that is worth the challenge.  He has stood up for a principle, even if a slightly dubious one at this time.

In A Farewell to Arms, is Catherine Barkley a round, dynamic, or static character?

A "round" character according to E.M. Forster in his
"Aspects of the Novel" is a character who changes not just physically but
also mentally and emotionally throughout the
novel.

Catherine Barkley is certainly a "round" character
who changes dynamically throughout the course of the
novel.

Most modernist novels are existentialist and are
characterised by the fragmentation of the identity of a single character. Hemingway
reveals to us different facets of the character Catherine in the following
manner:

1. At the end of Ch.5 Frederic tells Rinaldi that
he and Catherine are "friends,"

readability="5">

So you make progress with Miss
Barkley?

We are
friends.

2.
At the end of Ch. 14 they are lovers.

3. In Ch. 18 they are
virtually husband and wife:Catherine says:

readability="5">

"We're really married. I
couldn't be any more
married."

4.
In Ch. 23 Catherine feels like a whore :

readability="5">

"But it isn't nice to
feel like one (a
whore)."

5.
At the end of Ch.23 Frederic quotes two lines from Marvell's "To His Coy
Mistress,"

And
always at my back I hear

Time's winged chariot hurrying
near

Was Frederic hinting
that Catherine was like a mistress to
him.?

6. The novel ends with Catherine's death after she
had given birth to a still born child. The physical changes are: when the novel begins
she is just another woman but after she meets Frederic and falls in love with him she
becomes an unwed mother who gives birth to a still born
child.

So Catherine is a character with multiple facets to
her personality and it is impossible to comprehend her fully: she is  friend, lover,
wife, whore, mistress and  mother of a still born
child.

More research would certainly reveal more complex
facets to Catherine's multiple and dynamic personality and
character.

Does Romeo and Juliet succeed as a romance? Discuss Propp's morphology, ideal romance, ideal hero/heroine, and convention/invention.

I don't know what Propp's morphology is (sorry), so I'm
going with Frye's archetypes (see below).

Romeo
and Juliet is only border-line tragedy, as far as I'm concerned.  I would say
that it's half tragedy, one fourth romance, and one fourth
comedy.

Or, you can break it down by act: Act I and II are
romance and comedy, and Acts III, IV, and V are tragedy.  It's almost too plays in
one.

And, you can break it down by character: Mercutio and
the Nurse are in a comedy/romance, and Romeo and Juliet are in a
tragedy.

According to Frye's archetypal characters, you can
say that the play is a romance and that Romeo and Juliet are on a quest for love, though
I wouldn't say anyone is ideal.

So, the Hero
(Romeo) / Heronie (Juliet) are aided by Helpers on the
Quest (Friar Lawrence /
Nurse).

Enemies of the
Quest are not your typical giants, orgres, or evil madmen.  It is Tybalt,
obviously.  But also Fate ("star-crossed lovers") and the families' Hate, which could be
the same thing, really.

Sprits of nature
are the lark and the nightingale from Romeo and Juliet's bedroom scene
and all of the light, dark, night, and day imagery.  Enough
already!

Realistic
Counter Companion who calls attention to
fear, the jester who deflates romantic ideals is Mercutio, obviously.  His Queen Mab
speech is an attempt to derail or counter the love quest.

What is a vocation and vocational aspiration?

A vocation is a person's occupation, what they do to make a living. An aspiration is wanting to do something great. Therefore, vocational aspiration is the great desire to do something for a living. In religious circles, you will  hear people say that they have been called to preach. They decide to become preachers because they have a great desire to help people in this way. In a similar way, people can have a vocational aspiration to be a doctor, lawyer, Peace Corp volunteer, or mechanic. A person who has a strong desire to do something for a living, they feel they need to do that vocation. A nurse may feel that she needs to be able to help people get better. 

In Chapter 3 of "The Secret Life of Bees," what do you think is the significance of Rosaleen's odd dream?

There are many different interpretations of this dream. It could be that Rosaleen feels that Reverend King would be proud of that she stood up for herself and her rights.

The dream has religious symbolism , and the color red is prominent in the dream, as well. In a biblical sense, it is similar to the story of Jesus washing his disciple's feet. The color red and religious tone could also symbolize that Rosaleen has a premonition of Reverend King's coming death.

Why does the veil make Mr. Hooper a more effective minister?

The narrator says, "Among all its bad influences, the black veil had the one desirable effect, of making its wearer a very efficient clergyman. By the aid of his mysterious emblem--for there was no other apparent cause--he became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin."

This is a very specific kind of clergyman--one very Puritan, and very much in line with other works by Hawthorne. As far as why, there are several reasons. The veil hides his face, allowing sinners to imagine the best and worst. The fact that he carries darkness with him all the time allows them to think of him as one of them: a sinner.

What is a BIG THEME in the book "The Outsiders"?pick a THEME BETWEEN THESE- Loyalty and Love in Relashionships, or Vulnerability and Growing Up,...

Of these, the easiest one to talk about is "think before
you act."

One clear example of this can be seen when Johnny
and Ponyboy run off after Johnny kills Bob Sheldon.  If you really think about it, it is
not really clear that they would be in any less trouble if they run off.  I don't think
they would have been charged with murder anyway -- it was self defense.  And if they run
away, they're sure to be caught eventually.

A second
example of this is when Pony runs off because of his fight with Darry.  This is what
leads to him meeting Johnny and getting in the fight with the Socs.  If he would have
just thought about it, he would have understood what Darry was trying to do and he
wouldn't have run off.

In "The Necklace," what values drove Mme Loisel desire a piece of jewelry and to go to the ball?

I don't think I would call them "values", but what drove her to wanting to go to the ball with a jewel to wear was her discontentedness with her life. She was probably in the upper middle class of society, but she was never looking at what she had in life, she was only looking at what others had that she didn't and it made her very unhappy. She begged her husband for a new dress and he gave her his savings for it. She begged him for a piece of jewelry and he told her to borrow it, which she did. She felt she simply could not go to a ball like this one and not appear to be richer than she was. She was hoping that she could live the life of the wealthy for one night, which she did, and then she learned the hard way to appreciate what she had, or at least one would hope she did.

What is the status of the dream of the farm after the murder of Curley's wife?

At least in the way that George and Lennie have seen the
dream, it is dead.  There is no way that they are ever going to have that ranch
now.

The reason for that is that Lennie cannot possible get
away with what he has done.  He has not really murdered her, but no one is going to
believe that it was an accident.  He is likely to be arrested, convicted, and at least
put in jail for a long time.

So given that, the dream is
dead.  Lennie is going to be killed or put in prison.  If George wants to continue with
the dream, he needs a new sidekick.

What important roles do Banquo have in the play Macbeth?

You can proceed on the basis of the following
leads:

a) Banquo accompanies Macbeth to victory in the
battle against the rebels and traitors;

b) Banquo
accompanies Macbeth on their way back to the king when the witches appear on the heath.
The witches prophesy about Macbeth's as well as Banquo's future. Banquo notices
Macbeth's awkward responses to the witches'
proclamations.

c) Banquo accompanies Macbeth to appear
before King Duncan who admires both of them, but Macbeth is more profusely rewarded and
acknowledged than Banquo;

d) Banquo accompanies Duncan
during his visit to Macbeth's castle;

e) After the
discovery of Duncan's murder, Banquo mouths pious resolution to 'stand in the hands of
God', but does nothing towards the redressal of the foul crime and injustice
committed;

f) While Macbeth is haunted by the witches'
prophetic soliciting, Banquo is also tempted by the prophecy that his issues would be
the kings of Scotland. He doesn't confront the usurper king, but rather
compromises;

g) Banquo is killed by Macbeth just before the
coronation banquet, but the ghost of Banquo, a hallucinatory product of Macbeth's guilt
and fear, appears at the Banquet to force Macbeth reveal his crime, and to lead him to
the witches for the final round of doom;

h) Banquo is a
foil to Macbeth, a sort of alter image. He is deliberately made an incomplete
characterization.

i) Banquo has been very curiously used by
Shakespeare as a part of the play's elaborate supernatural machinery. Banquo's ghost
proves that dead Banquo is more potent a threat for Macbeth than living
Banquo.

In "The Westing Game," what is Chris diagnosed with?

Although Chris's disability is never given a specific name, Denton Deere offers "pyramidal tract involvement" as a general, informal diagnosis in Chapter 5.  The pyramidal tract is the part of the nervous system that transfers motor commands.  As Chris is able, with Deere's help later in the book, to gain access to treatment which does improve his symptoms, there is a good probability that Deere is correct in his evaluation.

Chris's disease manifests itself in spasms and a general inability to control muscle movements consistently or efficiently.  When asked directly by Sydelle Pulaski in Chapter 13 if he can stand on his legs at all, Chris responds that he cannot.  Chris is confined to a wheelchair and needs virtually constant care.  Although his ability to speak clearly is compromised, his intelligence is definitely not.  Chris is an avid birdwatcher, and is quite knowledgeable in the science of ornithology, he observes and analyzes clues in "The Westing Game" better than most, and has a wonderfully positive attitude. 

In chapter 20, what does Atticus mean when he refers to "the distaff side of the Executive Branch"?

The Executive branch of the country at that time was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The term "distaff" often signifies part of a spinning wheel, but the word is also used to designate the female side of a family. We can infer that the "distaff side of the Executive branch" was the First Lady at the time, Eleanor Roosevelt.

What are the basic steps of the scientific method?

Scientific method is a process of investigation which help in observing different phenomena. Some say there are three steps in a scientific method, some consider them to be four and some 5, but all incorporate the same principles. These steps are included in a scientific method:

1. Observation

The first step is observation, in which the object in question is observed and the facts about it are listed.

2. Question

In this step questions about the object are listed down. One can start with what, when, where, who, which.

3. Hypothesis

Over here different possible answers are written down for the questions asked above, and a hypothesis is formed.

4. Experiment

Then the hypothesis is tested by conducting an experiment.

5. Accept Hypothesis/Reject Hypothesis

After the experiment is conducted the hypothesis is either accepted or rejected. If rejected the steps are again repeated from number 3.

Discuss the Tense System of English.English lanuage and grammar

As the word tense means
time, Modern English has 6 tenses (3 are simple tenses and 3 are
compound), with 3 forms of these tenses.  These tenses are formed from the 4 principal
parts of verbs: 

1. the infinitive (often called
   the present form)   e.g. to see, to walk


2. the present
   participle   e.g. seeing, walking


3. the past
   form             e.g. saw, walked


4. the past
   participle       e.g. seen, walked ( the auxiliary verbs has, have,
   had, or will have are used with the past
   participle)

In the BASIC form, the 3 simple
(meaning one verb is used) tenses
are

1. Present tense
   (formed by using the infinitive minus "to"-principal part #1) is used to express what
   occurs at the moment [Susie reads well], used to express what one does on a regular
   basis [Susie rides the bus to school],
   and sometimes used to express future action when accompanied by a time word [You know,
   Susie goes to the dentist
   tomorrow.]


2. Past tense -
   (formed by using the past form -principal part #3) is used to express an action that has
   been completed in the past. [Susie
   went to the
   dentist.]


3. Future tense -
   (formed by using principal part #1 plus the auxiliary (helping) verb
   shall or will) is used to express an action
   that will be completed at a later time. [Susie
   will not
   be home
   Tuesday.]

The three compound tenses (the Latin
word perfect means completed)
are

1. Present Perfect
   - (formed by using the past participle (principal part #4 and the auxiliary verb
   has or have) is used to express an action that
   began in the past, but is completed in the present [Susie has
   finished her
   homework]


2. Past Perfect -
   (formed by using principal part #4 and had) is used to express an
   action that occurred and was completed prior to another in the past. [Susie
   had just
   opened the door as the phone
   rang.]


3. Future Perfect -
   (formed by using principal part #4 and will have) is used to
   express an action that will be completed in the future. [By June, Susie
   will have
   completed junior high
   school.]

The PROGRESSIVE form for all the 6
tenses uses the auxiliary verb to be, conjugated in the appropriate
tense, with the present participle.  Thus for the verb to run the 6
tenses would look like this:

1. I am
   running                Present Progressive Tense


2. I was
   running               Past Progressive Tense


3. I will be
   running            Future Progressive Tense


4. I have been
   running      Present Perfect Progr.Tense


5. I had been
   running        Past Perfect Progr. Tense


6. I will have been
   running   Future Perfect Progr. Tense

The
EMPHATIC form is only in the Present tense and the simple Past Tense.  The auxiliary
verb do/does is used with the present form of the main verb for the
Present tense, and the auxiliary verb did is used with the present
form of the main verb for the Past tense.

Present: 
Susie does speak well.  Susie
did speak clearly on the stage.   [Do
not confuse the use of do and did in questions for the Emphatic form.  They are just
auxiliary verbs in those cases in the Basic Form.  e.g.  Didn't Susie speak well
yesterday?]

Weather is gothic and very important in "Jane Eyre." Why?

Bronte uses the weather to heighten the element of the gothic, the dark, a brooding storm about to destroy Jane's happiness. In fact, perhaps, the most important aspect concerning weather occurs before Jane's wedding to Rochester. In Chapter 25, the wind starts blowing, and the wind becomes a metaphor for the changes that will sweep into Jane's life. Jane waits for Rochester and goes to meet him; meanwhile, the rain and wind have begun and she becomes drenched and "feverish." As he places her on his horse she recounts the terrible events that occured in his absence:The wind blew, "wild and high, but with a 'sullen moaning sound' " and as the gale increased, so did Jane's anxiety. The scene is set for the mad wife to enter Jane's room and tear her wedding veil! The weather allows for the eerie and evil mood, and we find out afterwards that their marriage cannot take place. This motif conveys to our modern day world also; just think how many scary movies you've seen with storms, howling wind, and dark, terrible weather! The gothic heightens suspense!

Why did Larry McMurtry dedicate "Lonesome Dove" to Maureen Orth? Perhaps she was writing for Vanity Fair at the time? I am just curious as to...

Why did Larry McMurtry dedicate "Lonesome Dove" to Maureen Orth?  Perhaps she was writing for Vanity Fair at the time?

I am just curious as to this dedication to Maureen Orth...not for professional reasons do I ask, just curious. Thanks for your response. McMurtry is such a master story teller, always a great read, he NEVER fails his readers ....

What are the themes (like blindly following tradition) in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson?

Actually, the men draw just because its easier than having a random person from each family go up. For then several people from each family may go up, or no one from each family may go up. Its simply to keep it organized.

When the women are "fair game," well, so are the men. Its not as if its a privledge for the men to initially draw.

Another theme, however, is that people's true priorities are often revealed when the pressure is on them.

Examples:

Tessie’s willingness to sacrifice daughter and son-in-law to have greater chances of survival for herself (turned on family).

Tessie’s friend, Mrs. Delacroix, picks up a stone so heavy she must use both hands.

Tessie’s husband tells her to “shut up” when she is disagreeing with Mr. Summers.

What happens to Odysseus at the end of the story?

Odysseus, with the help of Athena, Telemachus, and a couple of herdsmen, manages to kill all of the suitors. Then he must prove to Penelope that he really is her husband who has finally come home. She tests him by telling the maid to move a bed into the hall for him, but he points out that the bed cannot be moved because one of the posts is made of a live olive tree, a secret only the two of them and a maid know. The couple then is reunited before Odysseus goes off to see his father Laertes again. He must also prove his identity to this old man, and he does so by recalling the fruit trees and vines his father had given him when Odysseus was a child. Next he, Laertes, and some servants must fight the families of the slain suitors who are seeking revenge. The battle is stopped by Athena, who pleads with Zeus to erase the memories of the dead suitors from the minds of their families so that peace can return to Ithaca. Odysseus has told Penelope what was foretold for him by Tiresias, the blind prophet: he must travel with an oar so far inland that no one will recognize this piece of equipment (some will think it was a winnowing tool), plant the oar in the ground, and make sacrifices to Poseidon to settle his feud with the god. Eventually Odysseus will die a peaceful, seaborne death.

What are some examples of irony in The Scarlet Letter?

Verbal  and dramatic irony:  From Chapter III, Governor Bellingham tells Dimmesdale, ". . . the responsibility of this woman's soul lies greatly with you."

Verbal irony: From Chapter IV, Chillingworth tells Hester, "Think not that I shall interfere with Heaven's own method of retribution." Chillingworth implies he will let God and Heaven handle all retribution, yet he sets out to destroy Dimmesdale himself.

Situational Irony:  From Chapter II, the townspeople have created a situation in which they believe Hester will feel ashamed by wearing the A and having to stand on the scaffold, yet she has a "marked dignity and force of character" and holds her baby "with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townsepeople and neighbors."

Situational Irony: From Chapter XI, the townspeople worship Dimmesdale as a pristine role model "[deeming] the young clergyman a miracle of holiness" when he actually has committed an immoral act.

Dramatic Irony: The audience knows Dimmesdale is Hester's father long before anyone else does, and the audience knows Chillingsworth should not be trusted long before Dimmesdale figures that out.

How does Roman Polanski interpret "Macbeth"? What are some of the modified key scenes of Macbeth, and how has he portrayed the scene?

Roman Polanski chooses to stage the murder of Duncan, something that Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth as offstage action.  Not only do we see the murder of Duncan, which is vicious and leaves no doubt that Macbeth is an evil, violent man, which I don't think was Shakespeare's intention, but we see a violent death for Banquo and a grisly death of the first Thane of Cawdor also.

Roman Polanski also eliminates a great deal of the dialogue, cutting it down substantially throughout the production. 

We see Macbeth crowned King in the movie, also Polanski adds a dream scene for Macbeth, where he envisions Fleance trying to steal his crown, and then tries to kill Macbeth with the help of his father, Banquo.

Polanski takes away the subtlety of Shakespeare's work by hitting us over the head with violence.

The film is very dark, and does not employ the colorful imagery in the play, just plays up the violence.  

What instigates the moral reflection that "life is made up of sobs/smiles with sniffles" in "The Gift of the Magi"?

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

O. Henry evidently wanted it to be understood that Della was not crying because she didn't have enough money to buy her husband a Christmas present; she was crying because this was the last straw. She was crying because of the hard lives she and her husband had to lead on an income of twenty dollars a week, with eight dollars of it going for weekly rent on a shabbily furnished flat. Their plight was symbolized at the moment by the fact that she couldn't even afford to buy Jim a nice present after saving up pennies, nickels and dimes and the whole year. But she was really sobbing for her whole life.

O. Henry often wrote about the hard lives of the lower classes. Some of his best-known stories are tinged with sadness. In "The Furnished Room" a young man commits suicide in the same room where the girl he has been searching for had killed herself in the same way a week before. In "The Last Leaf" the sick girl called Johnsy manages to survive, but the old painter who saved her life dies of pneumonia. "The Cop and the Anthem" is about a man who is trying to get sent to jail so that he won't freeze to death while sleeping on a park bench during a New York winter. 

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote in his "Ode to a Skylark":

We look before and after,
               And pine for what is not:
        Our sincerest laughter
               With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

Rasicim in Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton.I need it's critical commentry. Will anyone provide it?

Clearly, any reading of this novel identifies racism as a
central theme, but I think that Paton is actually exploring something deeper than the
symptoms of the situation we are presented with. Paton seeks to explore the underlying
cycle of inequality and injustice which itself leads to racism. This is his central
focus and will help you to perhaps concentrate on the causes behind racism rather than
racism itself.

Consider the setting of the city of
Johannesburg - a place with enormous inequalities which, although not excusing the
behaviour of characters such as Absalom and Gertrude, clearly help us to understand the
desperation of such characters and how they are driven to desperate means. Inequality
results in black S. Africans being allowed to have less land than whites, resulting in
over-farming and lack of food. This in turn drives them to seek employment in
Johannesburg. Yet characters such as Gertrude and Absalom are forced to realise that
this emmigration dislocates them from the safety and protection of their tribe, and they
are forced to turn to crime in a context of limited
opportunities.

Of course, their stories are echoed
throughout the novel which is set in a city with massive slum neighbourhoods which are
characterised by violence against whites. Raging against their situation and trying to
gain wealth quickly, blacks rob whites who in turn become paranoid and forces them to
villainise the blacks, robbing them of any sympathy. This in turn makes the conditions
for the blacks worse, making them angrier and more determined to lash out. Thus the
cycle is perpetuated. Both parties justify their actions as natural and reasonable
responses to the stance taken by the other group - Absalom's lawyer, for example, tries
to claim that Absalom is a mere victim of society. Such an approach makes understanding
between these different groups all but impossible and paints a bleak
future.

In Fahrenheit 451, what kind of creature has repalced the usually gentle firehouse dog of our society? What makes this creature so sinister?

In Montag's world, a Mechanical Hound made of brass, copper, and steel has replaced the usually gentle and friendly firehouse dog of our society.  The menacing creature has "a four-inch hollow steel needle" in its mouth which it uses to inject lethal doses of morphine or procaine into its victims.  The hound's purpose is to track down people who are harboring illegal books.  It is also sometimes used by the firemen for illicit, sadistic gambling games in which chickens, cats, or rats are released in its presence and bets are taken on which will be the Hound's first victim.

The Hound usually lies dormant in its kennel, and comes to life with a "green-blue light flickering in its...eye bulbs" and a growl that is "a strange rasping combination of electical sizzle, a frying sound, a scraping of metal, a turning of cogs that seem(s) rusty and ancient with suspicion".  It is a terrible machine, symbolic of a society where mechanization is more powerful and important than humanity.

The Hound

Why do you think it is about an abortion?

The reason we can claim this story conversation, or dialogue, is about an abortion is because the American man gives a clue to the topic substance. He says, "It's just to let the air in."

"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not really an operation at all."
The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on.
"I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in."
The girl did not say anything.
"I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural."

One of the types of procedures for abortions is called aspiration. The American man might simplistically understand it as letting "the air in." Of course, his understanding is simplistic and limited as is illustrated by his correlated remark that it's "not really an operation at all" and that Jig "wouldn't mind it." So it is very probable that the man understands the whole procedure in simplistic terms as letting "the air in."

Another clue is that later on in the story he says, "I don't want anybody but you. I don't want any one else. And I know it's perfectly simple." This allows us to infer that (1) if Jig does not do "it,"which is perfectly simple, they will no longer be alone; they will be more than "anybody but you"and the American man, and (2) that which will intrude upon just the two of them can be eliminated with the "perfectly simple" procedure that is "not really an operation at all."

These clues combine to paint the picture of an unplanned pregnancy and an upcoming--though still being debated and discussed--procedure to rid them of it. Though not an entirely true description, Hemingway reveals enough through the man's limited thoughts for us to piece the ideas together with a little detective work to arrive at an abortion as being the topic.

How does the doorknocker change in A Christmas Carol?

Scrooge returns home after dinner at a local tavern to face a door that he has passed through at least two times a day for many, many years. This time, however, there is a difference; the doorknocker is in the ghostly image of his former business partner Jacob Marley.  When Scrooge refocuses on the door, however, there is nothing there but the regular doorknocker, which causes Scrooge to shrug off what he saw as his eyes playing tricks on him, which he has no time for.

To where are they headed on the Tankadere in Around the World in Eighty Days?What does Passepartout think has happened to Fogg? How does...

Phileas Fogg, Detective Fix, and John Bunsby, "master of the Tankadere", are headed for Shanghai from Hong Kong.  Fogg, who has missed the Carnatic, the ship on which he was originally supposed to sail, needs to be in Yokohama by the 14th in order to catch a boat to San Francisco.  The Tankadere is only a pilot-boat "of scarcely twenty tons" however, and it would be too risky to take such a small vessel on such a long voyage at this particular time of year.  John Bunsby suggests that they head for Shanghai instead.  The journey there would be half the distance of Fogg's originally planned destination at Yokohama, and, with "good luck and a southwest wind", they would be able to get to Shanghai on time to enable Fogg to catch his ride to San Francisco, which actually originates there in Shanghai (Chapter 21).

Passepartout, meanwhile, having been left intoxicated at an opium den by the treacherous Detective Fix, has managed to make it to the Carnatic before it sails, only to discover once they are at sea that Fogg is not there.  Passepartout believes that Fogg has been detained by Fix in Hong Kong and forced to miss his ship.  He thinks that Fogg is now "certainly ruined, his bet...lost...and he himself perhaps arrested and imprisoned" (Chapter 22).

Passepartout arrives in Yokohama "poor, jaded, (and) famished".  Realizing that he must find a way to earn some money in order to get by, he decides to "use the strong, if not melodious voice which nature had bestowed upon him", and try his hand as a traveling musician.   He first goes to "a native dealer in old clothes", where he trades in his European attire for "an old Japanese coat, and a sort of one-sided turban, faded with long use".  In addition to the clothes, he receives 'a few small pieces of silver", which tides him over until he hires on as a clown with an "Acrobatic Japanese Troupe" (Chapter 23).

How does Wilde use the country vs city life as examples to show satire against the upper class?

Wilde specifically takes digs at country life versus city
life in the showdown between Gwendolyn and Cecily on Act 2, Part
II.

As Gwendolyn comes from the "fashionable" city of
London to visit her Earnest in his country manor, she feels threatened by Cecily's
presence there, and thinks her to be quite plain and
silly.

Since both women were confused as to which of them
was actually marrying Earnest, they began a sarcastic showdown that went like
this:

readability="39">

Gwendolen. Are
there many interesting walks in the vicinity, Miss
Cardew?

Cecily. Oh! yes! a
great many. From the top of one of the hills quite close one can see five
counties.

Gwendolen. Five
counties! I don’t think I should like that; I hate
crowds.

Cecily. [Sweetly.] I
suppose that is why you live in town? [Gwendolen bites her
lip, and beats her foot nervously with her
parasol.]

Gwendolen. [Looking
round.] Quite a well-kept garden this is, Miss
Cardew.

Cecily. So glad you
like it, Miss
Fairfax.

Gwendolen. I had no
idea there were any flowers in the
country.

Cecily. Oh, flowers
are as common here, Miss Fairfax, as people are in
London.

Gwendolen. Personally
I cannot understand how anybody manages to exist in the country, if anybody who is
anybody does. The country always bores me to
death.

Cecily. Ah! This is
what the newspapers call agricultural depression, is it not? I believe the aristocracy
are suffering very much from it just at present. It is almost an epidemic amongst them,
I have been told. May I offer you some tea, Miss
Fairfax?

This was the way
Wilde showed how the city people viewed the country folk and vice-versa. In the dialogue
the two women had tea, and even the food was a problem that led to another showdown that
went like this:

readability="37">

Cecily. [Sweetly.]
Sugar?

Gwendolen.
[Superciliously.] No, thank you. Sugar is not fashionable any more.
[Cecily looks angrily at her, takes up the tongs and puts
four lumps of sugar into the
cup.]

Cecily. [Severely.] Cake
or bread and
butter?

Gwendolen. [In a bored
manner.] Bread and butter, please. Cake is rarely seen at the best houses
nowadays.

Cecily. [Cuts a very
large slice of cake, and puts it on the tray.] Hand that to Miss
Fairfax.

[Merriman does so,
and goes out with footman. Gwendolen drinks the tea and
makes a grimace. Puts down cup at once, reaches out her hand to the bread and butter,
looks at it, and finds it is cake. Rises in
indignation.]

Gwendolen. You
have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread and
butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and the
extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too
far.

In general, the
fashionable Londoners always looked down on the country people who chose to live there
instead of just having a home in the city and one in the country. It was understood that
such persons chose not to live in London because they were not sophisticated nor wordily
enough to keep up with the aristocrats, et al. You can see the same form of classicism
in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in Dickens's Great Expectations, and in Sense and
Sensibility as well.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how do Mayella and her father's testimonies contradict one another?

jeff-hauge definitely gave the best answer, but there are smaller things as well.  Her father mentioned things being "all slung about" but Mayella never mentions things in the room being bothered, just that she had "fought 'n hollered" and he threw her to the floor.  Also, her father said that after Tom ran off, Mayella was "lyin' on the floor squallin'" but Mayella says she "sorta fainted an' the next thing [she] knew Mr. Tate was pullin' [her] up up offa the floor."

And of course, there's always Tom's testimony where he says "She says she never kissed a grown man before an' she might as well kiss a nigger.  She says what her papa do to her don't count," which is probably the most damning thing for the Ewells' testimony... but of course coming from a black man, it's largely ignored.

What is a thesis statement for Trifles by Susan Glaspell or The Man Who Was Almost a Man by Richard Wright?

In The Man Who Was Almost a Man, consider Dave’s original
goals for buying the pistol and what ultimately happens.  His aspirations to become a
man backfire on him terribly, resulting in him becoming the laughing stock of the town.
Later, he has something of an epiphany, resolving to find a place that will respect
him.  Ask yourself how his original plans conclude in failure and later drive him to
press on. What does this show us about an adolescent’s drive to be treated as an adult?
How does he falter and keep pressing on? Make a sentence that sums up this path that
many teens take.

In "Anthem for Doomed Youth," what sort of religious ceremony is taking place, and what details from the poem support your thoughts?

I'd call it a religious rite rather than a religious ceremony. Although written in the sonnet form, this poem is an elegy, or lament for the dead. Wilfred Owen wrote the poem out of his own experience of World War I. That was has been called "the war to end all wars"--and if only that were true. Before WWI, warfare seemed to follow a kind of structure, almost like a football game with each side lined up against the other. WWI introduced new horrors, with armored weapons, air raids, and chemical warfare.

The horrors of war dominate the first eight lines. We see men "die as cattle," in other words slaughtered. We hear the guns and bombs. Owen says that no church bells will toll for their funerals; instead there will be the bugle call. The only choirs that will accompany them to the afterlife are the "shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells." 

In the final six lines we experience the distorted "funeral" that awaits these dead soldiers. No candles will be placed around their coffins. The only "window blinds" that will be drawn for them will be nightfall.

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What happened to Annie's brother in "The Miracle Worker"?

Annie and her little brother Jimmie grew up in the state asylum at Tewksberry, Massachusetts, where conditions were notoriously harsh.  The two children were sent there together when their mother died and their father abandoned the family.  Jimmie, who suffered from a tubercular hip, was terrified of being separated from Annie, so she dressed him as a girl and kept him with her on the women's ward for a time, promising to take care of him "forever and ever" (Act I).  Jimmie was finally taken away from his sister, however, and eventually died. 

Even though she was only nine years old and "virtually blind" at the time, Annie blamed herself for not being able to keep her promise to take care of her brother.  The memory of his death haunts her to adulthood.  Even though she has been told that the "battle is dead and done with", Annie cannot "let it stay buried".  She feels that "God must owe (her) a resurrection", and that she has a debt to Him as well.  There is the sense at the end of the play that in reaching Helen, Annie has found the "resurrection" she seeks, and that she will be able to love and care for Helen in a way that she was not able to do for her brother.

Some critics have called the muck “an Eden,” is it? What is the difference between the muck and Eatonville?Their Eyes Were Watching God chapter 14

In many ways, the muck--the Everglades--could be
considered something like an Eden for Janie. All of her life, Janie has dreamed of a
place where she can be herself and she can love the man she is with for all of the right
reasons. It never was possible with Logan or with Joe, but with Tea Cake and surrounded
by the way of life in the Everglades, Janie finally realizes her
dream.

As we learn from the
narrator:

Tea
Cake's house was a magnet, the unauthorized center of the "job." The way he would sit in
the doorway and play his guitar made people stop and listen and maybe disappoint the
jook for that night. He was always laughing and full of fun too. He kept everybody
laughing in the bean
field.

It is this description
of "the center" of things that touches on Janie's dream of love and happiness. It is
this element of fun and good-natured humor that brings Janie closest to her dreams. Even
at work in the fields, Janie and Tea Cake are in love and enjoying the fun of each
other's company:

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But all day long the romping and playing they
carried on behind the boss's back made her popular right away. It got the whole field to
playing off and on. Then Tea Cake would help get supper
afterwards.

The love and the
fun that Janie and Tea Cake are able to create breaks down gender-stratified roles she
has played up until the point in her life. As she
says:

Clerkin'
in dat store wuz hard, but heah, w ain't got nothin' tuh do but do our work and come
home and love.

In fact,
throughout this chapter, Janie's memories of the store in Eatonville--and the actions on
its porch from which she was prohibited--are central to her self-actualization.  As she
says, in Eatonville:

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The men held big arguments [...] like they used
to do on the store porch. Only here [on the muck], she could listen and laugh and even
talk some herself if she wanted to. She got so she could tell big storied herself from
listening to the rest.

It is
in the Everglades that Janie finally finds her voice and realizes her
dreams.

What did Odysseus prove about his abilities when he shot the arrow through the twelve axes? Why is that important now?Book 23

Odysseus proves his abilities as a warrior in this scene.  Furthermore, Penelope knew that only her own husband would have been able to accomplish this.

It is important now because of Penelope's challenge, that she would marry whoever was able to accomplish such a feat.  However, this is not even necessary because Odysseus goes on after shooting the arrow through the ax handles to kill all the suitors as well as the disloyal servants. 

What is Scout's education in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?What does she learn from different people and events?How does the writer show Scout's education?

Scout grows up and extends her education outside of the classroom as the novel progresses. First, Scout sees the hypocrisy in life. Scout's teacher is upset because Atticus taught his daughter to read. The teacher cautions her against this, because he is not a teacher. Obviously,  her father is an educated man, and the fact that Scout is ahead of the others should point to his effectiveness. But, Scout's teacher believes learning should take place only within the classroom.

Scout learns that her childish games were hurtful to Boo, and learns that it is important not to pass judgement on someone without knowing the facts or the person. She learns that justice is a concept that is not always carried out. The unfairness of life is apparent to her, when she learns that the color of ones skin causes one to have fewer rights.

The outcome of the trial showed her the reality of this knowledge, but it also showed her the necessity of fighting the injustice of racial inequity. Scout learns to see her father as more than just her dad, but as a man of integrity. That much in life is not as it seems.

I need some proverbs, riddles, and adages and what they mean.

 Proverbs: Experience is not always the kindest of teachers, but it is surely the best. (Even if an experience is painful, it is the best way to learn.) Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. (Don't assume that you have something until you actually do; for example, an investment may not increase in value.)

Riddles: What can go up and down without moving? (temperature) What do you take in when you don't need it and throw out when you do? (an anchor)

Adages: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. (A child is often like his or her parents.) Haste makes waste. (If we do something too quickly, we may lose something in the process.

Adages and proverbs are traditional wise sayings; the terms are often considered synonymous.

How is the rabid dog a symbol of racism in "To Kill a Mockingbird"? What relation is the courthouse to Atticus?

The rabid dog is a symbol of the racism that is in the town.  Racism, like the disease of rabies, will continue to spread unless it is "shot" down in its path.  The rabid dog will also become sicker and sicker until the disease destroys the dog's body, causing paralysis and eventually, death.  That is what racism does, it paralyzes growth in a community and will destroy any semblence of that community in its wake.  Atticus' quiet strenth that Jem and Scout witness and were previously unaware of, his ability as a sharp shooter, eradicates the rabid dog, as he tries to do with the racism in the town by trying to give Tom Robinson a fair trial.

The courthouse, as a symbol of Atticus, is the quiet strength that would hopefully be the backbone of eradicating racism in the town.  Atticus is intent on giving Tom his day in court to prove his innocence in front of both the white and black members of the community.  The races are separated upon entering the courtroom; this was commonplace for the setting of the novel, however, the black people are seated in the upper tier of the courtroom.  Perhaps we can see this as an elevation of the statis of black people to come, something that Atticus has done in his appropriate defense of Tom.

In "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," what does it mean when when it says, "His figure formed a crooked cross"?

This is a reference to Mr. Shiftlet's lost and spiritually weak personality--he is being represented as a Christ-like figure.  The fact that "his figure formed a crooked cross" is a very much similiar to the image of Jesus carrying the cross upon which He was crucified to the hill through town.  It is certain that Shiflet is searching for something that will give meaning to his life, but we don't know just what.  This is similar to Jesus' searching for lost souls to bring to Christianity.

Shiftlet is appreciative of nature and asks questions to make people think about where they are and where they want to be in life...very much like Jesus did with his parables.

He is in need of saving himself, since he is a shifty character which is obvious by the name O'Conner has chosen for him.

In Malcolm X, where were Sophia and her Sister sent?

For their participation in the robberies, Sophia and her sister were sent to the Women's Reformatory in Framingham, Massachusetts, for a period of one to five years.  In contrast, Malcom X, who was called Malcolm Little at the time, and Shorty were sentenced to eight to ten years in Charlestown State Prison (Chapter 10).  Malcolm and Shorty's theft indictment was secondary in the eyes of the racist judicial system - their primary and most inexcusable offenses were their dealings, as black men, with white women.

In "since feeling is first" what is the love metaphor cummings is referring to? Is there more than one?

In "since feeling is first," a love poem, e.e. cummings
uses the metaphor of punctuation to describe his feelings.  At the very end of the poem,
he states, "for life's not a paragraph/and death I think is no parentheses."  These
metaphors lend themselves to many in-depth interpretations.  For life is not a
paragraph, that could mean that life is not a short summary of things; a paragraph is
too concise and tiny to hold all that life has.  A paragraph is limited; it can only
relate so much information.  Life is not like that--it is entirely, overwhelmingly
full.  As he states above, even "your eyelids' flutter" has so much beauty in it that he
could go on and on about it for quite some time.  Add that to all else that life offers,
and indeed, a paragraph does not suffice.  Paragraphs also follow an order, a specific
format, and life is not that predictable.

Life, in this
poem, can be replaced with love--cummings uses them interchangably as far as meaning
goes.  So, everything that I stated above about life, can also be applied to love.  That
is the metaphor for love in this poem.  If you look at who he is talking to, (he
addresses "lady" in the poem) and how he focuses on kisses, and her eyelids, you can
conclude that the life he is referring to is the love he feels for her.  To clarify--the
metaphor for life and love in this poem is that love is not a parentheses.  Another
possible metaphor for love is Spring (he says that when Spring is in the world, all else
is wonderful.)  Comparing it to flowers is an off-shoot of that spring metaphor. I hope
that helped; good luck!

In Animal Farm how does Napoleon use propaganda effectively and how does he change history?

In the book Animal Farm, Napoleon is able to use propaganda effectively because he has the brains to do so and has the power to make the other animals to believe it. He has the brains because he knows the right time to talk to the animals and how to make something sound twisted, for example when boxer is takin away because he is no longer in use for work he is sent to the glue factory and the animals see it written on the back of the van but, Napoleon has his right hand pig who is talented in talking tells the animals that a doctor owns the van and was owned by a glue factory before the doctor bought it. Napolen has the power to use propaganda because he has nine vicious dogs to make the animals believe anything that Napoleon or Squealer, his right hand pig says and if they don't they will kill the animals that disagree.

 Napoleon changes history in the novel because he waits long enough after an event had happened so the animals cannot remeber really what happened then he says he did the bravest thing when he didn't do it. Napoleon has the seven conmmandments changed in secert to fit the pig's liking because the pigs and the smartest animalson the farm

What motto does Old Major give the animals in Animal Farm?

Old Major, the prize Middle White boar pig of Manor Farm, died only three days after he called the animals together for his inspiring speech. During the meeting of the animals, Old Major called for them to revolt against their owner, Mr. Jones, and against all human control. He called on them to band together in perfect unity and comradeship against human subjugation. During his speech, Old Major made several important points that would serve as mottos for the animals. One was that "All men are enemies. All animals are comrades." In a similar statement, he claimed that "Whatever goes upon two legs is the enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend."

In Animal Farm, how does Napoleon make the living conditions worse and increase the work load?

Napoleon puts near impossible demands on the animals of the farm. At first the animals agree because it's for the good of the farm. They also agree to the heavy work loads because they feel a need to prove themselves to the humans and they don't want to fail in building the windmill because the humans are watching and waiting for the project to fail. Once things begin to get completed around the farm Napoleon finds new reasons that the animals need to be working rather than resting. The pigs are constantly eating and Napoleon is breeding which increases the amount of pigs eating and not working and so production amounts suffer. The animals get less food, but Napoleon, through the use of the ever-convincing Squealer, makes the animals believe that conditions are still better than when Jones was in power and that the commandments have always been in favor of the pigs' behavior. Napoleon's only goals are to make sure the pigs are well taken care of so living conditions worsen for the other animals because no resources are used to make sure they are taken care of. By the time the animals finally realize that they are living terrible lives, they have already given too much power to Napoleon and the pigs to do anything but grin and bear it all.

Does Arthur Miller portray Abigail Williams as a character to be sympathised in the play The Crucible?Should the audience have sympathy for her?...

No, I don't believe Abigail is a sympathetic character
and, in fact, I think the audience grows to despise her actions and manipulations of
others throughout the play. When she steals away under the cover of darkness near the
end of the play, I think most readers probably silently celebrate that she is gone and
some probably wish for some evil to brought onto her for the evil she has brought onto
the people of Salem.

Throughout the play, Abigail thinks
only of herself. Her manipulations of others are all contrived to help her gain that
which she selfishly seeks. Whether it is the seduction of John Proctor, her manipulation
of the other girls and the court, her betrayal of Mary Warren, etc, we see a long line
of immoral and criminal acts against her community. Many, many times Abigail had a
chance to acknowledge her mistakes and begin to reverse the damage she had. She refused.
And because of this, I think there is no excusing her actions.

Can you help me with a critical analysis of the ending of "Jane Eyre"?

the narrative of Jane Eyre has invited researchers to penetrate deep into the text and unfurl such issues as a rebel feminist (Showalter), anti-imperialist, bildungsroman etc. such themes definitely highlight the romantic essence of the text making it an intriguing reading.

the ending, however, controverts certain points. the linear progression of the novel now resolves, rather informsd the readers of the whereabouts and developement of the supporting characters. Jane , at first narrates the peaceful and loving relation that exists between the two in a most worshipful manner. secondly, she assumes a condescending tone while traversing the journey of Adele. her observation of the school rules echo that of Mr. Brocklehurst and the anti imperialist tone now transfuses to leave behind the strain of continuation, continuation of a similar method of restricting the growth of a woman within the parameters of discipline, virtue and correct manners.

no mention of BErtha mason is made. the mad woman in the attic has transpired to leave behind a docile, persevering and perfect woman. the Creole woman has left behind the space for her to be.

the post colonial element that involves Sir John and the burden of the white has been blessed with kind and admiring words. on the whole her narrative finds a perfect closure with eternal love embelling her future with Rochester.

In "Macbeth," what unnatural event occurs after King Duncan's death, causing the men to be afraid?

In Act 2 Scene 4, Ross converses with an Old Man who shares some news with him.  Ross notes that, even though day should have arrived "by th' clock . . . dark night strangles the traveling lamp" (2.4.6-7). The hour has arrived which should bring broad daylight, but it is still pitch dark outside.

The Old Man notes that a "falcon, towering in her pride of place,/ Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed" (2.4.13-14).  This event symbolizes that an owl (though also a raptor, still a lesser bird) kills the more majestic falcon (Duncan).

Ross also notes that Duncan's beautiful and swift horses "[t]urned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,/ Contending 'gainst obedienace, as they would/ Make war with mankind) (2.4.15-17).  Nature rebels against the unnaturalness of regicide.

The Old Man replies that they "eat each other" (2.4.18); these noble steeds (representing the nobility of Scotland) become cannibals just as the nobility of Scotland will begin to turn against and kill one another.

These strange events represent the unnatural murder of a king who treated his murderers like his own children, but it also represnts the unnatural suspicion which falls on Duncan's beloved and faithful sons.

In "Julius Caesar," how does Antony win over Brutus?This is again in reference to Act 3 Scene 1....

Antony makes the conspirators believe that he is with them if they can explain why Caesar was so much of a threat that he had to be killed.  He even goes from man to man shaking each hand, still bloody from Caesar's assassination.  Although Cassius does not buy Antony's act that he understands why they did what they did, a trusting Brutus believes that Antony has come over to their side.  When Antony requests to be allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral, Brutus thinks it's a good idea to show the people that even Caesar's close friend Antony is with the conspirators.  Brutus will talk to the crowd first to explain the assassination, and then Antony will be allowed to say some kind words on Caesar's behalf just as long as he doesn't say anything negative about the conspirators.  It was this poor judge of character that allowed Brutus to be dragged into the conspiracy in the first place.  Brutus was manipulated by Cassius, and Cassius believes that Antony is doing the same thing with regards to the oration.  Unfortunately for Brutus and the rest of the conspirators, Antony is allowed to speak.  His words turn the mob against Brutus, and Cassius was probably saying to himself, "I knew it!"

In "The Prince," what does Machiavelli say is the best way to maintain hereditary, mixed, civil, and ecclesiastical principalities?

On heredity principalities, Machiavelli says:

"I say at once there are fewer difficulties in holding hereditary states, and those long accustomed to the family of their prince, than new ones;" (Machiavelli, pg. 10) 

Here he suggests that hereditary principalities are easier to maintain because a ruling family develops a relationship with the people and unless the ruler exhibits some extraordinary vices, the people will continue to love him.

New principalities are harder to govern, Machiavelli states. The new ruler must conquer territory in this process he will make enemies.  He must make his enemies in the new territories his allies by giving them something to make them happy.  It is also important for the new ruler to live in the conquered territory, so that he can observe problems, solve them quickly, before they become unmanageable. 

"in entering a province one has always need of the goodwill of the natives." (Machiavelli, pg. 11)

In a civil principality, an ordinary citizen can become a ruler with the help of his fellow citizens. 

"one ascends to the principality, or when by the favour of his fellow-citizens a private person becomes the prince of his country." (Machiavelli, pg. 25)

This leader must stay in close contact with the people that put him in power, and not get too close to the nobles.  He should always seek the goodwill of the people. 

Why is Buck intent on befriending the wolf in The Call of the Wild?(Chapter 7)

The reason for this is that, by this time, Buck is really
hearing the call of the wild very strongly.  It is only his love for Thornton that keeps
him from following the call completely.

So the reason that
Buck wants to hang out with the wolf is that they wolf represents what Buck really wants
to be.  He is like a dog, but he is wild and free.  He is the way dogs used to be (in
the visions that Buck has of the past).

So this is really a
way of showing that Buck is getting so close to just becoming wild (as he will when
Thornton gets killed).

I need three important points for my thesis how the witches influenced Macbeth to kill Duncan in Macbeth.

How Shakespeare reveals his
characters:

1.What characters say to each
other

2.What characters say about other
characters

3.What characters say to
themselves

4.What characters do
(actions).

Notice, that the Witches are only
revealed through language. Only #1-3 apply, not #4.  They do not do
anything.  Their actions are non-invasive.  They exist on the periphery of society,
commenting on it rather than participating in it.

As
such, Language is Power: “The pen is mightier than the
sword.”  He who controls language, controls others.
Language (argument) is used to attain and maintain position by royalty, between nations,
by clergy in the church.

Macbeth is won over
by language from women:

•The
Witches  provide Macbeth the nouns:

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“All hail,
Macbeth,

Thane of
Glamis,

Thane of Cawdor,

That
shalt be King
hereafter.”

(I.iii.50-53)

•Lady
Macbeth provides Macbeth the verbs:

•“Look
like the time.” •“Bear welcome…” •“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent
under’t.” •“Leave all the rest to me.”
(I.v.66-76)

Specifically, the Witches use the
language of Equivocation: •Shakespeare often uses intentionally vague
language for ambiguity, double meaning, and to spare
syllables.

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"Something wicked this way comes."
(IV.i.)

•They use the
language of confusion; ambiguity; double meanings; half-truths; paradoxes;
riddles

•“Foul is fair and fair is
foul”

•“nothing is but what is
not”

•“Lesser than Macbeth and
greater.”

•They use Equivocal Morality to appeal
to Macbeth's heightened sense of ambition as a male:

How do
you know what’s good, or who’s good, if there’s overlap between good and evil ("foul is
fair")?

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•“These solicitings cannot be evil, cannot be
good…”

In the end, the
witches are like the oracles of Ancient Greek tragedies.  They are like the Riddle of
the Sphinx.  Even when the male thinks he has answered their equivocations correctly, he
will later learn that there was a duality or paradoxical "other" side to the riddle
which he originally forgot.  This other side is indicative of the female: males think
like males, not like females.  In this way, the witches punish Macbeth for thinking like
a typical arrogant male.

Is Willie Stark a heartless, selfish leader with heartless and selfish goals?I think the title is related to Willie and his type of leadership, but...

As a leader, Willie Stark is uncompromising. He is a commander, not a lecturer or a hero. He is dedicated to a vision of himself that has no regard for morality or ethics. This doesn't make him heartless or immoral, per se, but it does open his character to attacks from his political opponents. And it means that Willie Start does not play by common rules. He plays by his own rules.

To understand the meaning of this character, we should take note of the political achievements of Willie Stark as well as his power-play and political gaming.

Stark got his start in politics by standing up to the corruption in his home county (concerning the contract to build the school house). He also built roads to help farmers get their goods to the market. Finally, Willie’s greatest ambition, the hospital project, is intended to bring free health care to the public of his state. These are all obviously “good” projects. Willie, in light of these projects, is a “man of the people” and a rather great governor.

However, we can say that Willie Stark does become possessive of the constituency he represents. It really is his, after a while, and so is the state. Power, for Willie Stark, is essential to the fulfillment of the vision he has for himself. Nothing will stop him from reaching his goal of becoming a “great man”. This greatness is his vision. It is what sets him apart and allows him to be uncompromising. And part of the vision requires power to be achieved.

This tenacity regarding the achievement of his vision can be construed as corruption because Willie does grease the palms that need to be greased. He blackmails and he threatens to get his way. But it is not a run-of-the-mill corruption that we see in Willie Stark. It is a corruption born out a his two desires - to do good for his people and his state, and to become a great man.