How is one Raju one of the most complex characters of Narayan?

It is difficult to compare characters from different novels because each particular novel contains its own sense of fluid dynamics.  However, one can say that Raju is a complex character in that amount of changes he undergoes.  He starts off as a storekeeper and then winds up as a sage.  His evolution takes him from struggling to earn a subsistence to managing a wealthy artist's career to a spiritual dimension where he is seen as someone who possesses other world qualities.  His complex dimensions also reside in how individuals actually view him.  He appears to be genuine and sincere, but there is a streak of self interest that accompanies him throughout his various changes.  He does benefit from the relationship between he and Rosie, and he does benefit from the interaction with the villagers that provide him food.  Raju's complexity is present because it is not really indicated whether or not he is "sinner" or "saint."  The fact that this distinction is not directly stated indicates that he can be seen in a multiplicity of ways, each having some level of validity.

What are Arthur "Boo" Radey's beliefs, values and motivation in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Although Boo Radley is initially presented by the children as a rather malevolent character because he stabbed his father with the scissors, he does not appear sinister in his actions.  We find out that Boo's troubles began with a minor infraction that was punished as a major crime and he was isolated from his peer group for a long time.  Boo seems to respond to the interest of the children by reaching out to them in friendship by leaving them presents in the tree, repairing Jem's pants, and finally saving Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell at the end of the book.  He is protective of the children.  Perhaps he sees his own innocence in them.  He is a grown man physically but socially and psychologically he is as much of a child as Jem and Scout.

What is Juliet's father's first name in Romeo and Juliet? Also, what are Romeo's mother's and father's names and Juliet's mother's name?

We do not know the first name of Juliet's father in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. We know him as Lord Capulet, and Capulet is his surname. It is also often used to refer to the whole Capulet family.

Juliet is a Capulet, whereas Romeo, whom she falls in love with at first sight, is a Montague (he belongs to the family of Montague). The play's setting is Verona, Italy. These two families hate one another; there is an ongoing feud between them. 

Just as Juliet's parents are referred to as Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet, Romeo's parents are referred to as Lord Montague and Lady Montague. 

It is not strange that their first names are not given in the play. During this time period (Romeo and Juliet was written around 1594), people of the upper class were not usually referred to by their first name. Out of respect, it was customary to refer to people by their surnames with their status or position stated first. Romeo and Juliet are referred to by first name probably because they are very young and don't have a specific status yet. Juliet is only 13 years old in the story.

Explain "infirm of purpose! give me the daggers the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures 'tis the eye of childhoodthis is said by lady macbeth...

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, when Lady
Macbeth tells Macbeth that he is infirm of purpose in Act 2.2, she means that he is not
solid or concrete, that he is not firm, in his determination to go through with what he
wants and needs to do.  This is an insult.  She is berating him, because he's afraid to
take the bloody daggers back to Duncan's chambers.  Of course, Macbeth was also an idiot
for bringing the murder weapons with him in the first
place.

She continues to berate Macbeth by making fun of him
in other ways for not being willing to go back to Duncan's chamber to return the
daggers.  She ridicules him by saying that a dead body is just like a picture: 
harmless, of course. 

And, she says, only a child is afraid
of a painted picture, even if it is of a devil.  That's the eye of a child and painted
devil part.

Not only does Macbeth foolishly bring the
daggers back with him to his wife, but he is afraid to take them back once she discovers
them.  And she berates and ridicules him for it.      

In "The Catcher in the Rye," what do the ducks mean? Holden had talked about the ducks for quite a few times. What do the ducks mean actually? Are...

Yes, the ducks are important.  For Holden, the ducks represent continuity, something that he needs in his life.  When he goes to Central Park to look for the ducks, he has a question about where they go in the winter.  Technically, what really fascinates him is that they come back in a very reliable way.

Holden is suffering from grief over the death of his brother.  He is isolated from society feeling unable to make a true connection with anyone. Holden finds everyone around him to be phony. 

The ducks in the park comfort him, make him feel safe in the belief that there is something reliable in life.  The ducks always come back, you can depend on it.  This provides Holden with comfort.

In Book 8 of "The Odyssey", what does Odysseus' reply to the heckler reveal about the Greek system of values?Book 8

I think the heckler you are referring to is Euryalus who insults Odysseus when he declines to take part in the games.  Euryalus, who does not yet know his identity, insinuates that Odysseus has no understanding of manliness and sportsmanship.  Odysseus in angered by this and then throws the discus further than anyone else and challenges all to take him on in any event.  Alcinoos steps in and calms everyone down.  The incident shows how important words and reputation as well as physical prowess were to the Greeks.  Euryalus takes a polite refusal to play by Odysseus as an admission of weakness which he has to mention.  Odysseus takes his words and accusation very seriously and is quite angry.  The situation could have easily ended in a very ugly fight save for Alcinoos wise intervention.

In "The Seafarer," what causes the speaker's heart beat and is he at home, on land, or the sea?

In the poem, the Seafarer's heart beats and his soul longs for the open sea.  Even though life at sea is hard and at times is unbearably cold and harsh, it is what he absolutely loves.  When he is home on land, there are comforts such as good food, warm homes, and women, but all the while he yearns to be back on board a ship sailing the seas.

He is most at home on a ship where he can think, admire the birds and fish, and be closer to God.  Although he seems to be unhappy in the beginning of the poem, he is leading up to the prayer at the end which gives new hope as long as he is able to sail.  He is dreading the time when he will be too old to physically endure the daily torture of chains, ropes, sun, wind, and aching muscles that a sailor must take.

What are some examples of O'Brien's most important writing techniques (repetition etc.)?

An additionl technique he employs is actually repetition.  He often repeats a phrase, or at times entire sentences or even passages, to achieve a few purposes.

First, in the case of "The Man I Killed" he repeats the description of the dead body to perhaps demonstrate to the reader how this image is affecting him.  It gives the reader the sense that this is an image that will be forever burned in his memory, and by repeating the description he is also showing how a traumatic moment can replay itself in one's head over and over again, just as he is now doing for the reader. 

Second, he uses repetition in the chapter "The Things They Carried".  He continually says "they carried" to start sentences. This presents the information to the reader almost as a list, but also emphasizes the fact that these things were often burdens to them. By saying "they carried" repeatedly, that sense of weight and being weighed down is emphasized.

What is the meter of the poem, "Dulce et Decorum"?

The poem's meter is primarily iambic pentameter, which is the style Shakespeare used for his plays. In iambic pentameter, each line has 10 syllables. The syllables alternate in an unstressed/stressed pattern, beginning with the unstressed syllable. For instance, this line

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs.

would look like this if we wrote it to show the meter:

Till on/ the haun/ ting flares/ we turned/ our backs.

However, sometimes Owen deviates from this metrical pattern, as in these lines, which have 11 syllables each:

“GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,”
“As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.”

Perhaps Owen uses this break in the pattern to emphasize that war is not "sweet and fitting."

What are some examples of ethos and pathos in book 2 of A Tale of Two Cities?

Ethos refers to making a pursuasive argument using the character of a person.  Dickens uses ethos effectively to show the evil nature of the French Aristocracy.  He compares the generous, honest, and hard working Darney to the greedy, unfeeling Marquis Evremond.  He also uses character to show that the hardworking and caring Darnay is superior to the drinking, callous Sidney Carton.  He further uses the coarse character of Madame Defarge and her companions to show us the evil present in the chaos of the French Revolution.

Pathos refers to use of emotion to sway an audience to a particular point of view.  Dickens uses pathos well in telling the story of the boy run over by the Marquis.  This emotional story leads the reader to immediately dislike the French Aristocrats.  He also uses Pathos effectively when Dr. Manette goes back to his shoemaking after Lucy's marriage.  With his use of pathos and ethos, Dickens gives us a powerful picture of the evil in France at the time of the revolution.

In "Call of the Wild", what test did Buck perform for John Thorton and why was Thorton afraid?

John Thornton was "the ideal master", and because of this he evoked in Buck a love that was "feverish and burning, that was adoration, that was madness".  Buck was completely devoted to Thornton; "nothing was too great for Buck to do, when Thornton commanded".  One day, on a whim, Thornton thought to test Buck's loyalty to him.  He was sitting with some others "on the crest of a cliff which fell away, straight down, to naked bed-rock three hundred feet below".  Thornton commanded Buck to jump, and the faithful dog attempted to do so without hesitation; it was only because Thornton caught him and dragged him back to safety that Buck did not leap to his death.  The fierceness of Buck's devotion was "splendid...and terrible", and it made Thornton afraid because of its utter totality.  The others noted that they would not want "to be the man that lays hands on (Thornton) while (Buck) (was) around", an apprehension that was realized before the year was over.  In that situation, Thornton "good-naturedly" tried to stop a fight at a bar, and was roughed-up a little by one of the combatants.  Buck was upon the attacker in a flash, with the intent to kill.  Fortunately, the crowd managed to pull the dog off the man, but not before Buck had torn open his throat (Chapter VI).

What are the narrator's attitudes in the first section of "Blue Winds Dancing"?

There is much in the first section about the narrator’s
attitudes. We learn that he is both homesick and "tired," that he has serious doubts
about the values of the white culture, that he reveres Nature, that he seeks a release
from the pressure to achieve, that he resents the feelings of inferiority of his role as
an Indian, that he values and prizes the personal closeness of life at home, and that he
is willing to endure hardship because of his beliefs. He is rejecting white dominated
civilization as a result of the personal, unhurried, aesthetic, and passive values of
his home, together with a profound sense of identification with the home as a physical
place. The major antagonist in the story is the set of values of the white culture, but
there are other antagonists, such as the cold weather and the sadistic threat of Denver
Bob. There is also an inner conflict that develops when the narrator nears home. This
conflict is manifested in self-doubt and worry about being received by family and
tribe.

What figurative language (foreshadowing, metaphor, etc.) is used in "The Interlopers"?

There are many literary devices in the story. 

First, there is personification. For instance, nature has a life of its own, and she is powerful. In fact, it is nature that pins them down underneath a tree where they have to face each other for a protracted period of time. Here is what the text says:

And before the moment of hesitation had given way to action, a deed of Nature’s own violence overwhelmed them both.

There is another personification of nature. The wind screeches as both men lay on the ground. Here is the text:

Ulrich was silent for a few minutes and lay listening to the weary screeching of the wind.

In terms of foreshadowing, there is a storm. This is usually a sign that something ominous will take place. It does, as the storm fells a tree, which pins both men down. 

There is also the use of irony. The Ulrich does not think he will meet Georg, but as he move around a tree, he is right there. The greater irony is that while both men are trying to survive under a tree, they actually reconcile; now they seek to outdo one another in generosity and kindness. The final twist of irony is that the story ends with wolves coming. One would think that something good would happen after their reconciliation, but it is just the opposite. 

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," what does Mrs.Dubose want from Jem as payment for ruining her camellia bushes?

Jem must read to Mrs. DuBose as punishment for ruining her bushes, even after she was the one to say terrible things about Jem's father, Atticus.  Each night when Jem reads, Mrs, Dubose sets a timer to mark the length of time he reads to her.  Each night, she lengthens the amount of time Jem is reading.  What Jem does not realize, but Atticus later explains to him, is that Mrs. Dubose is addicted to morphine.  Her illness and her pain made her the curmudgeon that she was.  Jem's reading to her distracted her from the pain so that she would not take the morphine during that time.  As she lengthened the time, she took less and less of the medicine until she was no longer addicted.  It was her wish to die without the addiction, and that is what Atticus described to Jem and Scout as "real courage".

At what point in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" did you first know that it included elements of fantasy? Discuss the effect of the second...

Well, the title is a dead giveaway that something unusual is going to happen in this story. The sentence you've asked about, "The world had been sad since Tuesday," is an almost poetic way of saying that it has been raining for a long time: "Sea and sky were a single ash-gray thing." It doesn't take long for the real fantasy to begin in the first paragraph with the discovery of the old man. From there on, the story becomes more and more of a fantasy, with a spider-woman and sunflowers popping out of sores and other things.

I'm not sure you can read anything more into the second sentence than a description of the miserable rain.

What is the conflict in Island of the Blue dolphins?

Another major conflict occurs when the Aleutes descend on her island. She is naturally afraid of them, especially when they return the second time, because they betrayed their agreement with her father and killed him during a trade transaction. As a result, she sees them as monstrous. When they return to her island, she is forced to hide to survive.

In "The Giver," what two things did the committee consider when giving children their life assignments?

The committee considers each child's interests and skills when giving them their life assignments.  The process actually appears to begin with the Eights, who are assigned volunteer hours, and inevitably gravitate to those jobs which suit their own interests and skills most closely.  This allows the committe to evaluate each child's performance for a few years in a practical situation before deciding on a life assignment for him or her. 

An examination of the assignments given to individual characters illustrates that the committee does indeed take into consideration individual aptitudes and abilities in their choices.  Father, who is quiet and patient, and was admittedly "drawn" to the children in the nursery, was given the job of Nurturer (Chapter 2), and Mother, who is very intelligent, was trained for "a prominent position at the Department of Justice" (Chapter 1).  Father remembers a friend named Andrei who spent all his free time with his construction set and was given the "Assignment of Engineer" (Chapter 2).  Among Jonas's peers, Asher, who is active and never serious, is chosen to be "Assistant Director of Recreation", and Fiona, who is sensitive, gentle, and calm, is assigned to be a "Caretaker of the Old" (Chapter 7).

What effect does personification, apostrophe, & rhetorical question have on the speech Friar made to Romeo in 3.4 in Romeo and Juliet?What...

I'm going to assume you mean Act III, scene 3, where the
Friar launches a tirade against Romeo and his seeming cowardice. He
compare Romeo to a beast and a woman, bringing a certain power to his speech, while at
the same time suggesting Romeo's unbelievable irrationality. For
Elizabethan audiences, women and animals were considered equally devoid of logical and
reason, so the Friar's remarks here would resonate with those
watching.

The Friar's apostrophes also serve
to chastise Romeo for his behavior. At different points in this scene,
the Friar laments "O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness!" and "O woeful sympathy! Piteous
predicament!" It's as though Romeo's reaction has driven him to crying out, identifying
Romeo's faults as he does so. He also discusses Romeo's shape love and
wit, saying each is destroyed or perverted by his behavior. By addressing
each of these aspects by name, the Friar is logically breaking down Romeo's illogical
response.

Finally, his rhetorical questions
serve the same purpose. As he asks Romeo each question, he forces Romeo
to think through his decisions and his desires, pointing out how harmful each can
be:

Hast thou
slain Tybalt? Wilt thou slay thyself?
And slay thy lady that in thy life
lives,
By doing damned hate upon thyself?
Why railest thou on thy
birth, the heaven, and
earth?

Each of these devices
serves to drive home the Friar's point to Romeo, which is: Wake up and consider yourself
lucky!

Analyze Ray Kinsella's character and explain how he fits into the story.

Ray Kinsella is the protagonist and narrator of this
story.  He "fits in" to the story because the story is his.  As a
husband and father, he loves his family more than anything, though he is not especially
practical when it ocmes to matters of providing.  He buys a farm and takes great pride
in the land, though he is not very good at farming.  When he goes into debt, he neither
knows how, nor makes much effort at getting out.

What he
lacks in practical wisdom, Ray more than makes up for in less conventional gifts.  He is
gifted with a large imagination, a childlike sense of hope, and an adventurous spirit. 
He pursues an idea that by many would be considered insane, not just laughable, and it
ends up working out in his favor.  In the end, it is ultimately his pure heart and
devotion to family and relatioships that shine through the strongest in this
character.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," how does Montresor lure Fortunato farther and farther into the catacombs?

Montresor lures Fortunato further and further into the catacombs through appeals to his vanity, through reverse psychology, through flattery and through keeping him drunk. 

Montresor begins to spring his trap even before they enter the catacombs and will continue it as they go deeper and deeper.

Montresor first pricks Fortunato's vanity and plays on his rivalry with Luchresi by telling him about the amontillado, and then saying:

"'I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me—'"

Fortunato responds as expected: "'Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry.'"

Montresor then uses reverse psychology, insisting Fortunato is too busy to taste the amontillado (and also mentions his rival again):

"'My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement. Luchresi—'"

Fortunato again responds on cue: "'I have no engagement;—come."

Montressor continues to use reverse psychology, flattery and Luchresi within the catacombs. When they are deep inside, Fortunato, sensitive to the nitre (mold) and the damp, has a coughing fit. Montresor responds:

"'Come,' I said, with decision, 'we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi—'"

Again, this works like a charm (one wonders what would have happened if it didn't): 

"'Enough,' he [Fortunato] said; 'the cough's a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.'"

This gives the well-prepared Montresor the opportunity to further disable his victim by offering him more to drink:

"'True—true,' I replied; 'and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming you unnecessarily—but you should use all proper caution. A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps.'

Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mould.

'Drink,' I said, presenting him the wine."

Fortunato is already quite tipsy, as we know because he "leers" and the bells on his cap jingle as if he is unsteady. At this point they are so far into the catacombs that Montresor has won, all by manipulating his friend into insisting on walking into the trap.

What are five general demographic questions that I could ask on a survey for the following scenario?The scenario is: Mollycoddle Hair and Spa,...

Demography is primarily concerned with the characteristics
of the population which make up a market. I includes study of factors like size and
growth rate of population, age distribution of people, ethnic composition, educational
levels, household patterns, regional characteristics of people, and the nature of
population movements taking place.

In general, demographic
data is best obtained from secondary sources which include population statistics
available from government agencies and some private market research organization that
collect and sell such information on regular basis.

The
kind of demographic information that a company engaged in the business of operating hair
and spa business in a locality and looking for expansion opportunity would center around
finding regions that have high population of people with the kind of demographic profile
that its customer are likely. The question would definitely depend on what these
demographic characteristics are. But I believe the kind of information that will be
relevant will include comparison of different regions or areas on the basis
of

• Total population and population
  density.


• Income
  distribution


• household and family
  pattern


• Profession
  distribution.


• Age
  distribution


• Education
  distribution


• Kind of lifestyles
  followed


• Ethnic
  composition

Why is The Odyssey an epic poem?

There are many definitions of what an epic poem is.
However, all poets and academics agree that the Odyssey is one of the classic examples
of epic poetry.

To be classed as an epic, a poem must be
long. But how long?
often book length, but
there's no set length for which a poem goes from non-epic to
epic.

Does an epic need
form?
No, but they are often in verse form. As long as they are
a narrative. Think of epic poems as a way to pass on historical events, in an
entertaining, oral, fashion.
Both the Illiad and the Odyssey are in dactylic
hexameter, but this is not a requirement of epics. However, it is the usual form of
Greek and Latin epic poetry.

Elements often
included in epics:
superhuman deeds, heroic adventures.
Illustrative language - remember the first audience for epics were listeners, rather
than readers.

How have epics
changed?
Lord Byron and Alexander Pope both wrote epics, but
utilised them for comic effect. Twentieth century poets rekindled interest in the long
form, but the work of (e.g.) Charles Olsen and Frank Standford is usually described as a
're-envisioning' of the epic style.

What does Anne mean when she says, "Invasion fever is mounting daily"?

Find the phrase, "Invasion fever is mounting daily throughout the country". The "fever" is part of the building plot. Characters all know well what is meant, so they don't need to tell you outright; If the reader is getting involved in the story, an understanding of the phrase should become a part of the understanding of what the people were going through all over the country at the time. Ask yourself what is going on when the phrase comes up; what were the surrounding paragraphs talking about? What occurs in the plot shortly after the phrase appears? If you look, feel & absorb, rather than simply allowing the words to pass before your eyes, (all of us do that sometimes), you'll discover the meaning in a deeper personal way. The simple answer is the excitement of "short timers syndrome" or "ants in your pants"; waiting for the last class bell or that painful last few days at work before vacation begins & you just don't care about the quality of your job performance right now. In those situations people often become over excited & filled with hope to the point of carelessness. In the book, cautious guard is lowered because the end must surely be near, causing people to do & feel things they might not do or feel if they didn't know a saving invasion might be coming. Invasion fever may have led to the capture of the characters in the end; an important focus point, or moral, of the story.

In what ways do Lennie and George need each other?I am wrtiting a paper on the relationships of the two, and am having trouble finding out why...

I think that it is easier to see why Lennie needs George
than to see why George needs Lennie.

Lennie needs George
for two reasons.  First, he needs George to keep him out of trouble.  Without George,
Lennie is not really intelligent enough to make his own way in the world.  Second, he
needs George to give him a dream to live for.  Lennie is probably not capable of making
up his own dream and having a clear vision of that dream.

I
think George needs Lennie because caring for Lennie makes him feel useful and
important.  George does not appear to have that much going for him and I think that
having someone who depends on him makes him feel like he is special to someone and that
someone needs him.

Please outline the social benefits and costs of immigration.

I'd like to add some benefits not yet mentioned in
previous posts.

1)  Immigrants do actually pay taxes -
those with functional Social Security numbers file income tax returns like everyone
else.  It's true that some do not pay income taxes and work under
the table, but all of them pay sales taxes, gas taxes, property taxes through rent, and
Social Security and Medicare taxes that are taken out of their checks.  Keep in mind
that for Social Security and Medicare, they will never see those benefits, but they pay
into them every month.  So they are actually helping us to keep those programs solvent,
as without their tax contributions, they would be farther in the hole in the next 20
years

2)  Much of the food you buy in the stores is cheaper
because of immigrant labor.  They work the difficult and sometimes dangerous work in
fields and factories for less money and no benefits, while American workers turn those
jobs down.  Because production and harvest costs are lower, the savings are passed along
to us at the supermarket and store, where we essentially get a tax break of savings
every time we make a purchase.

3)  There is an increased
load put on social service agencies, schools, and the health care system, but as stated
earlier, they already pay taxes for some of these
services.

4)  Some of the best minds in history have come
to us through immigration.  Albert Einstein, for one. They bring their intelligence, and
art and culture and talent to us and we see the benefits, though they might be under the
surface of what we would notice.

How is the theme of honor presented in Much Ado About Nothing?

Honor is a much-desired quality in most people but historically it has been the cause of many disturbances, rifts and killings. Honor means different things to different people and such is the dilemma facing anyone who upholds it. It also has opposing perspectives when considered from a female or male point of view. Such is the problem facing Much Ado About Nothing.

Even from the outset, honor is associated with keeping up appearances. In line 6 of Act I, scene i a messenger comments on the casualties from battle by advising Leonato that "none of name" has been lost. The messenger further discusses Benedick's virtues when he says in line 47, "A man to a man; stuffed with all honorable virtues" because being a "good soldier " is a sure sign of honor. A man's honor is also affected by the way his wife or future wife behaves and she can dishonor him if she is not obedient and chaste. In assessing Hero, Claudio asks in line 141, "Is she not a modest young lady?" indicating the virtues necessary in a woman to make her worthy and therefore honorable.     

Being honorable and appearing to be honorable creates conflict in the play especially when apparently honorable men behave dishonorably such as when considering Hero's fidelity or lack thereof. Claudio and Don Pedro are aware of Don John's reputation and yet they are persuaded by him because they consider a man more capable of honor than a woman. To them, honor defines a man and a dishonorable man denies his masculinity which would be a preposterous notion.

Therefore, they more readily accept that a woman may behave inappropriately and it is that she dishonors her husband or her father rather than herself. Even if a woman's name is unreasonably maligned and with no proof, it is already too late for her. Only a man can fight for honor; his own or his wife's. Hero's own father laments how she has dishonored him and wishes her dead, becoming quite vindictive when he says, "The wide sea hath drops too few to wash her clean again"(IV.i.141). Honor is thus presented from a male perspective to satisfy his audience but, as with all Shakespeare's works, Shakespeare is himself far more open-minded to the truth.

What are the characteristics of POV (point of view) in "Teenage Wasteland"?

Understanding Point of View (POV) in any work is essential to understanding the piece. POV can consist of the first person, "I," narration, where the reader or audience knows exactly how the narrator is viewing things from the narrator's perspective. Sometimes this perspective can be biased or skewed. However,  first person narration also allows us into the heart and the soul of the narrator.

POV can also shift to third person, omniscient narration, where the teller of the story can take us inside more than one character's mind. POV in crucial in this story as it allows you to understand the characters of Donny and his mother, Daisy, and how she reacts to the dilemma.

Write on the theme of avarice in Volpone.

The entire play, from the opening act is based on the
greed of the characters.  Everyone is hoping to be the one to inherit Volpone's money
and they are all angling to be the favorite friend.

A
wonderful example is the behavior of Corvino towards his wife.  He is so easily
convinced to allow his wife to go and sleep next to Volpone in the hopes that it will
not only help Volpone get better but will also curry further favor and get him closer to
the inheritance.  Obviously it is absurd and over the top, but it is a great example of
greed overcoming any normal scruples.

The action continues,
again with the main driving force being the greed of the
characters.

I need two quotes each from Of Mice and Men about Candy's and Crooks's weakness.

Here is a quote said by Candy, after his dog is shot:

"When they can't use me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.”

Candy feels like his days are numbered. He is weak because his not a complete man, and if he can't work on the farm, he can't make money. There will be no way to survive.

This is a quote by Crooks to George:

“You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody - to be near him.” He whined, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. . . . a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.”

Crooks feels weak because he doesn't have a buddy, someone to watch out for him or just to pal around with. He is lonely and unprotected.

This following quote emphasizes that he is unprotected:

“Nigger, I could have you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.”

Curley's wife says this. She is underlining the fact that Crooks is always on eggshells, never knowing when someone will come after him.

What is the significance of the Kikongo word "nommo" and its attendant concepts of being and naming in "The Poisonwood Bible"?

Good question. The Kikongo word "nommo" means "name", but also it is the force that makes things live - a kind of soul or life force perhaps? A significant quote about "nommo" is:

Nommo comes from the mouth like water vapour: a song, a poem, a scream, a prayer, a name, all these are nommo. Water itself is "nommo", of the most important kind.

There do seem to be parallels with the idea of naming and Biblical ideas of the word ("In the beginning there was the word" etc). In the first part of the book, Genesis, quotes are made from the Biblical book of Genesis about naming the creatures and plants, and one of the themes of the book seems to be the linguistic relationship of words to each other in the Kikongo language as opposed to English. Consider this quote:

We worried over "nzolo"--it means "dearly beloved"; or a white grub used for fish bait; or a special fetish against dysentery; or little potatoes.  ""Nzole" is the double-sized pagne that wraps around two people at once.  Finally I see how these things are related.  In a marriage ceremony, husband and wife stand tightly bound by their "nzole" and hold one another to be the most precious:"nzolani".  As precious as the first potatoes of the season, small and sweet like Georgia peanuts.  Precious as the fattest grubs turned up from the soil, which catch the largest fish.  And the fetish most treasured by mothers, against dysentery, contains a particles of all the things invoked by the word "nzolo":  you must dig and dry the grub and potatoes, bind them with a thread from your wedding cloth, and have them blessed in a fire by the nganga doctor.

Naming and the relationship of the names of words to each other represent another world to the characters within this book, only serving to highlight the cultural conflict that divides them and also perhaps reflecting on the poverty of our Western worldview that has such a different outlook.

What is the difference between the climax and the crisis in "The Slave Dancer"?

In the novel "The Slave Dancer," there are several conflicts. The crisis is included in the rising action. Rising action are the events and complications that lead to an important and dramatic point in the plot. The climax is the point of greatest interest and emotional involvement in the plot. The Moonlight is anchored off the coast of Cuba to exchange the slaves. During a "celebration" designed by the captain, the ship sees an approaching ship and chaos breaks out at the same time a squall hits. Jessie and Ras are trapped for days in the slave hold of the ship which eventually crashes on the reefs off the coast of land. This is the crisis. The climax would be when the two boys must say goodbye after the months of struggle they faced together on the slave ship. This is a very emotional scene in the novel and builds to a tearful and heartfelt separation of the to boys.

What is the current situation in the Middle East between the Israelis and the Palestinians?

Bad.  Really, really bad.  The situation in the Middle
East between the Israelis and the Palestinians has become so very difficult to examine
because external interests have become so much embedded within it.  There are so many
vested interests in the conflict that it almost is beyond the inhabitants present.  I
think that anyone can draw a line from the establishment of the Israeli state and the
unrest that is present in the region as a response.  I would say that from this
complexity, more intricacy has emerged, confounded by even more anger and intensity on
both and multiple sides. The fact that Islamic organizations point to the situation in
the disputed territory as evidence of their ongoing war with both Israel and America has
helped to make a problem in the region as something that has global
implications.

For the United States, the most recent
challenge in the region is the fact that one of the major demands of the United States
in the past decade has been the need to hold democratic elections.  The Palestinians did
hold a general election and, much to the chagrin of the United States, the anti- United
States, Hamas, party won.  This has helped to create a schism in the Palestinian
governing body between the Pro- U.S. governing body and the more authentically viewed
organic government of Hamas.  Such confusion only highlights how challenging the
problems of the region are.

Is "The Scarlet Ibis" based on a true story?One site it said it was and most said it was not.

This story is not based on an actual incidence that happened.  The only bearing it had on real life, according to the author James Hurst, was its symbolic representation of his failed singing career.  But there was no real life Doodle.  See the sites below for more information about the author and the story.

In "Things Fall Apart," why did Igbo who killed a Christian have to flee from the clan?Why are the Igbo Christians upset about admitting the osu?

The osu are the outcasts, and the new Christian converts are horrified when Mr. Kiaga allows them to join the church. According to tribal tradition, if one is osu, all is forbidden. In fact an osu cannot attend assembly, take any of the titles, and when he died, he would be buried in the Evil Forest(Chapter 18). The osu are clearly identifiable in the clan as they are also not allowed a razor, so their hair is long and tangled. Kiaga stands firm in his belief that osu can join the church. One convert goes back to the clan. The other converts take strength in Kiaga's firm belief and the new Christian religion; the osu shave and join the church becoming the strongest members of all. Of course this makes perfect sense; once they were outcasts and now they are accepted.

Why does your mass change overnight?Please help. I have tried every site and some say that it does not change over night and some sites say that...

I lose upto three pounds of mass overnight. Last night, I weighed about 181 in the evening and 178 this morning, for example. Its probably mostly water evaporating through breath and sweat, also heat etc, urine, but its kinda staggering nevertheless. I did a lot of physical work in the house yesterday and it was somewhat colder than usual inside.

Humans can lose upto 1.5 liters of water a day through respiratory water loss (breath). The amount depends on the temperature and volume of air breathed. The colder the air and the more intense the the activity - the more water evaporates in breath. 1.5 liters of water is about 3 pounds.

Three pounds of water is quite a bit over 8 hours or less. I need to drink more of it then because dehydration is very dangerous to the body - it can cause organ shutdown, deterioration and other nasty things over the long term.

That's about loss of weight overnight. If you are gaining weight overnight, you may be sleepwalking to the fridge - check you bed for crumbs and your face for leftover sauce, etc. :)

Why did Byron go home to Flint, Michigan with his family in "Watson Go to Birmingham - 1963"?

The original plan was to have Byron stay in Birmingham, Alabama for a time with his grandmother.  His parents had tried everything to control his rebellious pre-teen behavior, but to no avail, and they were hoping that spending some time with the formidable Grandma Sands would help Byron get his attitude straight.  The tragic bombing of the Baptist Church near Grandma Sands' home changed everything, however.  The Civil Rights Movement had taken a violent turn in Alabama, and Momma and Dad were undoubtedly worried about Byron's safety if he stayed.  Also, the family, and Kenny in particular, was traumatized by what they had seen in the bombing and its aftermath; Momma and Dad most likely would have wanted to keep the family together during this difficult time.  Byron also appeared to have been sobered by all that had transpired, and had in actuality demonstrated a measure of responsibility and caring that he did not show before in saving Kenny from the whirlpool.  One would hope that his experiences in Birmingham, Alabama, however brief, would have been enough to get him to turn his life around before it was too late.

What would some good quotes be to show situational and dramatic irony in "The Most Dangerous Game"? I read a shortened version in "Elements of...

In "The Most Dangerous Game," the reader learns that Rainsford loves hunting as he converses with a crewmate about hunting--even life as a hunt.  Ironically, Rainsford fails to realize how he who sees the world in "two classes--the hunters and the huntees." is like his adversary, General Zaroff.  Later, Zaroff, claims that he has been "made a hunter." As he utters words that match the earlier remark of Rainsford, the reader perceives this situational irony in which he/she draws a conclusion that the characters have not yet done so.

During the dinner conversation, Rainsford becomes "absorbed in what his host was saying."  But, he gasps when he hears what the "new animal" to be hunted is.  He cannot "condone cold-blooded murder" he tells Zaroff.  However, in the climax when the dog is killed, Rainsford surpresses a cry of joy.  When Ivan is killed by the knife, Rainsford displays no emotion.  Here the reader realizes the transformatin.  Without knowing it, Rainsford has lost human emotion and has become as he states "an animal at bay."

Rainsford's final reflection, "He had never slept in a better bed,"  confirms  loss of humanity.  Ironically, he who does not condone cold-blooded murder does not regret having gone on with the "game" and kill Zaroff, a human being. Only the reader understands this loss of soul in Rainsford.

Why do you think that Hitler is seen today as one of the most evil political leaders who ever lived?

Enormity of world war II as the most destructive war ever,
and that of Holocaust as the most horrible genocide ever are unquestioned, and Hitler
may be held primarily responsible for both. However, It is only the Holocaust that
really makes him the Most evil political leader.

Hitler had
many justifications for trying to improve the power and position of Germany, and his
aims and actions were no more evil than those of other countries who colonized and
exploited other countries, making claims to be "empire over which sun never
set".

But merciless killing of Jews by Hitler has no other
parallel in history, and on that count alone, I would rate Hitler as the political
leaders who caused maximum death and destruction of innocent people in a very cruel
way.

Compare and contrast Biff and Happy in "Death of a Salesman."

There is little comparison between the two except that they are, indeed, brothers, products of Willy Loman's lost dream. On a literal level, Happy represents just that, happy, a shallow, fleeting emotion. Even at the end of the play, he still believes in Willy's dream; "I'm going to beat this racket" (Requiem). Biff has tried to be what his father wanted him to be - the successful salesman, yet he realizes the emptiness of the dream and wants to leave the city to be in touch with something real, the land. You could say that both sons are symbolic of the two sides of their father's, Willy's, personality. Happy is Willy the salesman, "riding on a smile and a shoeshine." Biff is the inner Willy, the one who realizes the dream is empty; a man has to create or make something with his own two hands to be successful.

What role does Aeneas' destiny play in the book? What is that destiny?

Aeneas' ultimate destiny is the foundation of Rome, not directly by himself but through his descendants. Aeneas' role is to lead a band of refugees from the doomed city of Troy to a new homeland somewhere in the west, Italy as it turns out, and to establish them there. The Aeneid ends with the killing of the major obstacle to this destiny in Italy, Turnus, and although the story stops rather abruptly at this point, we know from previous references and prophecies that Aeneas' followers will establish their homeland in Italy, which will lead eventually to the foundation of a major new power, Rome.

The Romans traditionally traced their origins to Troy - Julius Caesar's family claimed its origin in Aeneas' son Iulus - possibly because of a psychological need to distinguish themselves historically from the Greeks, who were rising to Mediterranean dominance as Rome was struggling to make its way in the world in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. There is very little evidence for the Aeneas link - and of course none at all for the belief that his destiny was divinely driven through Venus and Jupiter - but this was the story that formed the basis of Rome's great national epic, the Aeneid. Aeneas himself embodies virtues that the Romans admired and regarded as essential to them: loyalty, devotion to duty, steadfastness in the face of adversity, manly courage, scorn for luxury and soft living, patriotism, even (dare we say) a kind of dullness.

What mean thing did Sid do at the widow's party in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"?

In chapter 34, Tom and Huck are getting ready for the party when Sid comes into the room. He tells them that everybody's been waiting for them, and then he says that Mr. Jones has a surprise for everyone: He plans to announce that it was Huck who tracked the robbers to the widow's house. Tom and Huck are furious, and they accuse Sid of telling Mr. Jones what happened:

"Sid, there's only one person in this town mean enough to do that, and that's you. If you had been in Huck's place you'd 'a' sneaked down the hill and never told anybody on the robbers. You can't do any but mean things, and you can't bear to see anybody praised for doing good ones. There--no thanks, as the widow says"--and Tom cuffed Sid's ears and helped him to the door with several kicks. "Now go and tell auntie if you dare--and to-morrow you'll catch it!"

Tom spoils Mr. Jones's surprise by revealing an even bigger secret: He and Huck are rich!

When Kumalo thinks about returning to Ndotsheni after visiting Johannesburg, what does he admit himself about the tribe?

This section of the novel comes in Chapter 13, when Kumalo
travels to Ezenzeleni with Msimangu and is given time to reflect on all that has
happened to him since he left Ndotsheni to hunt for his son. He is left to ruminate in a
place of great natural beauty, and this seems to help him as he tries to make sense of
his experiences and what he has learnt.

Kumalo beings by
becoming enraptured with plans for how he is going to "rebuilding". He reflects on how
his experiences have given him a new humility and focuses on education as a key strategy
as part of his rebuilding:

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He would go back with a new and quickened
interest in the school, not as a place where children learned to read and write and
county only, but as a place where they must be prepared for life in a ny place to which
they might go.

He clearly
recognises the importance of education in preparing man for the new world that he has
just witnessed in Johannesburg. And yet, as he is caught up in these raptures, the
narrator adds a comment that completely undercuts this
dreams:

For a
moment he was caught up in a vision, as man so often is when he sists in a place of
ashes and destruction.

It is
this realisation that forces Kumalo to undergo a kind of epiphany when he is forced to
confront a brutal truth: "The tribe was broken, and would be mended no more." He
realises that the world has changed so radically that how he had been raised and
nurtured is not sufficient for the new generation - sons and daughters are leaving the
tribe and the land cannot provide for them. Yet what is crucial to an understanding of
the book is the way that Kumalo, in spite of this sickening truth, goes back to
Ndotsheni and fights to restore and rebuild the tribe. In spite of the massive obstacles
that face him and the truth he has grasped (and which is echoed by others) he
nevertheless perseveres to restore the tribe and its connection with God and the
land.

In Shelley's novel Frankenstein, what are Victor’s weaknesses? Give examples to support your answer.

Although he is a brilliant scientist from a wealthy family and is much loved, Victor's basic orientation is selfish.  He is egotistical and overly concerned with how he appears to the world - he first decides to push the limits of the unknown because he wants to leave his mark on the scientific world, and refuses to testify for Justine because he fears what the townspeople will think of him.  He is also single-minded to a fault.  During the time he was creating the monster at Ingolstadt, he completely isolates himself from family and friends, effectively cutting himself off from any sources of interaction and input that might have helped advise and temper his decisions to challenge the limits of "accepted" science.  Also, in his quest to capture the creature in the Arctic, he relentlessly pushes Walton's crew - who are already going out of their way for him - calling them cowards when they want to abandon the chase and return home. 

Victor's refusal to accept responsibility for his creation also stems from his basic self-centered nature.  The creature repulses him, and to acknowledge him before the world will make him look bad, so for the most part he just hopes it will go away.

What is the aesthetic theory of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man?

I believe I answered this question a few days ago, but here goes:

According to a critical work entitled The Future of Modernism, Joyce articulated the aesthetic theories of Stephen Dedalus in his personal notebooks. The main principles are as follows:

• any theory of beauty must include the conventionally ugly
• art is neither immoral nor amoral but transcends conventional morality
• the work of art is a "selfcontained wholeness." I believe this means that art does not perform a social function, but is rather "art for art's sake."

Source:

http://books.google.com/books?id=jqVkJyX9oM4C&pg=PA40...

How Do Betty and Ruth's symptoms differ in "The Crucible"?

In Act One we learn that Betty cannot wake. According to her cousin, Abigail, the symptom began the night before when Betty's father, Rev. Parris, discovered them dancing in the woods. According to Abby, Betty "was frightened and fainted." When the Putnam family enters, we learn that their sole surviving daughter (the other children have all died within a day of their birth) also cannot wake. In contrast to Betty, Ruth's eyes are open as she walks around, but she still is not conscious. Hinting that the girls' ailment may not be genuine, Betty wakes up after the adults have left & her cousin threatens her. She cries for her dead mother, perhaps revealing that, at least in part, her condition is an attempt to get attention from her only living parent, Parris.  She then has enough cognition to know what Abby did and did not say to her uncle while Betty was supposedly unconscious. However, even more important than the girls' symptoms, their parents' reaction reveal very important information. Reverend Parris is much more concerned with how the situation looks than the health of his child. He notes that some in the congregation wish him to lose his position in the church and knows these rumors of the girls' involvement in witchcraft will be used against him. Putnam, we learn throughout the play, is a man obsessed with success and power. In fact, later, in Act  III, Putnam is accused of using his daughter's accusations to gain land.

What can we learn from Hamlet's soliloquies?

For starters, we learn what Hamlet thinks about himself,
life, death, Denmark, his mother, Claudius.  From his first soliloquy, "O that this too
too sullied flesh should melt,"  we learn that he is close to suicide over his father's
death and his mother's too soon marriage to Claudius.  We know that he is learned,
scholarly, moral, and deeply disillusioned by those around him.  But we also learn that
he is not quick to action.  He knows he must hold his tongue.  Later, in Act 2, Hamlet
reveals in his "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I" soliloquy his extreme
frustration over his inability to avenge his father's death.  He is angry that Claudius
lives and that he has been able to do nothing but put on an antic disposition.  But in
this soliloquy, filled with self-loathing and bitterness, we see a very smart mind at
work.  He comes up with a clever plan to ascertain Claudius' guilt.  In his "To be, or
not to be" speech, we see further a more mature mind as Hamlet philosophically and
rationally considers why people endure suffering in this life when they could take
action to end this suffering.  This speech marks a certain development in Hamlet's
character in that it is a general musing rather than an individual expression of
emotion.  In Act 4, Hamlet's soliloquy "How all occasions do inform against me," we see
Hamlet dissect the connection between thought, action, and cowardice as he evaluates the
honor and merit of Fortinbras's actions.

These are some of
the major soliloquies and some brief ideas of what is learned through them.  Through
them we understand Hamlet's developing maturity throughout the play, his impressive
thought processes, and his motivation for acting or refraining from acting.  Much more
could be written on these.

In "Bless Me, Ultima," where is Ultima originally from, and does she feel safe living with Tony's parents?

Ultima is from the village Las Pasturas, where Tony's father comes from and where Tony was born.  She is old now, and, having no family left, is living alone when Tony's parents bring her into their home in Guadalupe, a town a few miles away.  Tony's parents open their home to "la Grande", as they respectfully call her, because they feel "it is not right that (she) be alone in her old age", especially since she has served others all her life (Uno).

I think there is no doubt that Ultima feels safe with Tony's parents.  She "slip(s) easily into the routine of (their) daily life", and is beloved by all the members of the family.  Ultima's sense of security, however, is not dependent upon her environment; she possesses a deep tranquility of spirit which enables her to remain serene anywhere and under any circumstances, even in the face of danger and death.  Confident that "the smallest bit of good can stand against all the powers of evil in the world", she unflinchingly confronts evil personified and cures the sickness of Tony's Uncle Lucas (Diez), and even in death, Ultima is secure with the knowledge of her "bond to the time and harmony of the universe".  Ultima bestows upon Tony the gift of her peace when she dies, blessing him "in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful", and counseling him to "always have the strength to live (and) love life" as she did (Ventidos).

In view of the quote, "Romance at short notice was her speciality," from "The Open Window," discuss the character of Vera.

You have highlighted the last sentence of this incredibly
amusing short story which contains irony on so many levels. Vera, of course, is the
storyteller without equal, who is quickly able to seize on details and weave convincing
tales to horrific effect. Note how she dominates the story - it begins with her words
and ends with them. We are told in the first sentence that she is "a very self-possessed
young lady of fifteen". It is clear that she sees in Framton Nuttel an object for one of
her stories, as she is quick to establish that he knows nobody from the area and thus
she is free to use her excellent wit and intelligence to create a fable that will shock
Framton Nuttel for her own amusement. She shows herself to be an excellent actor as well
as a storyteller. Consider how the author narrates her duping of Framton
Nuttel:

Here
the child's voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human... She broke
off with a shudder.

She is
not only creative, but quick, intelligent and able to fool others into believing her
words. This is demonstrated yet again at the end of the tale when, nonchalantly, she
creates another tale to explain Framton Nuttel's swift escape from the house to trick
her family, telling the tale "calmly" with complete equanimity. Clearly this tale
celebrates the power that a good storyteller can have over a susceptible audience, with
Vera presented as the master storyteller.

"We needed Johnny as much as he needed the gang. And for the same reason" (p.121). What do you think Pony means, and what is the reason?

In the Outsiders, Johnny is the member of the gang that needs the most protection. He is only 16 and vulnerable. Johnny had been beaten up pretty badly by the Socs before the book even starts, and the Greasers felt like they had to band together to protect him. The Greasers were the only real family Johnny really had. He was abused by his parents, but within the gang, he had a place and he belonged. 

We see the good side of Johnny when he puts his own life in danger to save the children. We see that his heart is full of love and compassion, he just needed the right place to show it. Pony comes to realize just how much Johnny needed them, and they needed Johnny. The Greasers needed a person to rally around and protect. It gave them purpose and made them forget, if for just a little while, how sad their lives were. All the members wanted was a family. They all came from broken homes and a rough past. With Johnny, they felt like they had a real mission to protect the young man. Johnny was weak and frail and young. They Greasers banded together with a common purpose of protecting Johnny.

Whey Johnny lays dying in the hospital, Pony reflects on how much they needed each other. It makes his death even sadder and harder to accept. The gang will grieve for the young friend that kept them all together. Now that Johnny has died, their purpose to stay within the gang is a little more confusing to them now. All Johnny had wanted was to feel like he belonged and that he was loved. Sadly he couldn't find that at home with his parents, but he did find it with the misfits that had become his family.

"If it hadn't been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are."

At least in his short life, Johnny did know what love and affection are and what it feels like to be a part of something. 

Why does Orwell use words for which there are no English equivalents? Give some examples.

The use of Latin signifies not only a superior education and the class that goes with that (western values vs. values of the orient, which was how Burma was referred to), but also connotes religious values in that the traditional western Church, developing out of Rome, used (and sometimes still does use) Latin in its liturgy. In saecula secularum concludes various prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, and means in that context "forever and ever," and is geneally followed with a conclusive and affirmative "amen." (The literal translation, according to a Latin teacher I know, is "for centuries of all centuries"). Orwell uses the phrase and similar phrases ironically, to call attention to the very lack of holy motives behind England's imperialist agenda. One aspect of that agenda was to "convert the natives" to civilization and the religion that goes with that, which, as he shows in the story, might not be as righteous in its values as it pretends to be. Just as religion uses a form of terror (the fear of hell) to encourage people to "be good," so the colonialist regime imposes a reign of terror (in terrorem) to ensure people submit to the rules it imposes.

In "The Crucible", what behaviors of Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam made some feel they were possessed by witches?

When the play opens, Betty is presumably asleep on the bed and Reverend Parris is praying feverishly next to her. The reader learns that since Parris found the girls dancing naked in woods, Betty has not woken. The Purtains feels that something as simple as a sickness should be cured by now and by all of the prayers. They figure that it must be something stronger than illness. Betty also become agitated when hymn are sung and has been said to call for her mother (who is dead) and to try to fly out the window, all indications that she is not under her own control.

What significant events happened in Virginia in 1619?

Jamestown was founded in 1607 by the London Company, established as a utopian community, where freed Spanish slaves, Indians, and indigent English could work the land, growing produce and extracting minerals for the benefit of England. Unfortunately, it had nearly been obliterated twice by the natives before it was ten years old, resulting in a period of martial law. Political and economic conditions had improved by 1619; that year the London Company installed a new governor, Sir George Yeadley, and established a representative body known as the House of Burgesses. Tobacco had been introduced 2 years earlier by John Rolfe; 1619 proved to be a bumper crop year, and began a decade long boom in production; Jamestown transformed into an exchange post where colonists could purchase luxuries; silk, alcohol, and mail order brides from England were in high demand. The first act of the House of Burgesses was to limit “excess in apparel” and limit drunkeness. That year, 1200 colonists arrived, including a handful of Africans as slaves, although at this time there were Black colonists who owned their own land and could vote. The conflicting institutions of slavery, with the importation of Africans, and freedom, in the establishment of the House of Burgesses, established a paradox that year that determined the history of Virginia and the United States.

“American Slavery, American Freedom,” Morgan, 1975.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, vol. 28, pg. 122

Why am I susceptible to non-communicable diseases?

I can't speak to your personal medical history or susceptibility, but non-communicable diseases are non-infectious diseases.  This means that you can't "catch" the disease from someone like you would catch a cold.  Instead, these are diseases that result from two sources - genetic or lifestyle.  Often, it is a combination of the two.

One example would be diabetes.  Being susceptible to diabetes is somewhat based on the medical history of your family.  If your father has it, you are more likely to get it.   However, genetic causes do not guarantee that this disease will be acquired.  A person who eats a diet high in glucose, is obese, etc., is more likely to get this disease, with or without the genetic disposition.

Similar examples would also include high blood pressure, cancer, mental health problems.  In the definition of "lifestyle" factors, there can also be environmental factors.  A person can have no genetic susceptibility and can live a healthy life, but still be affected by factors in the environment.  For example, living in an area with poor air quality can make a person susceptible to asthma.

What is the personal information of Ponyboy and Johnny?

Ponyboy is an interesting character, in many ways because
his emergence at the end of the story as a quietly confident young man has more to do
with him figuring out who he really is than being toughened up through his rough
interactions, the more commonly written technique for someone's growth.  One of the
reasons he is such an interesting character is that the interactions as part of the gang
are really a sideline to his personal development, not the main
story.

Johnny, on the other hand, is a character whose
manner and actions are determined almost entirely by his interactions with and
particularly the beating he received at the hands of the Socs.  Johnny has an
understanding of some of the things that Ponyboy feels but that understanding is the
result of externalities rather than internalities.

Who is Cecil Jacobs in chapters 8-9?

Cecil Jacobs is one of Scout's classmates in To
Kill a Mockingbird. After Cecil announces that "Scout Finch's daddy defends
niggers," Scout demands that he "take that back, boy." With fists clenched, she awaits
his answer. Scout has been warned by Atticus that he would "wear me out if he ever heard
of me fighting any more." But, according to Scout, "I soon forgot." He apparently became
another male victim of her flying fists, just as Walter Cunningham Jr. had been (and
cousin Francis would soon become). Cecil would later reappear in a surprising manner on
the night of the fateful Halloween carnival.

Why was it necessery for helen to be completley dependent on annie during her learning?

Although Helen was deaf and dumb, she was extremely
intelligent. She had learned how to manipulate her parents and they could not handle
her, so they indulged her. Annie knew this. Annie felt that Helen would have to totally
depend on her for everything -- food, water, attention -- if she was going to be able to
make any headway with the strong-willed and out-of-control young
girl.

Helen's father did not want to agree to let Annie
have full control of Helen. He wanted to fire Annie. Mrs. Keller finally convinced him
to go along with it. She loved her daughter and in the play, she seemed to sense that
there was something unique about Annie and that this young woman would finally be able
to help Helen when she and her husband could not.

Why did Scout say that Jem was acting like a girl? Do you agree?

I think Scout is noticing how emotional Jem is right now.
He has two reasons to be as emotional as he is. First of all, he has just seen a major
injustice and is old enough to grasp the horror of how terrible men can be to other
human beings. Secondly, Jem has just hit puberty and the changes his body goes through
are completely messing with him. We have seen him as a highly emotional character
throughout, but this is the first moment a little sister calls him on
it.

I don't think Jem was outright acting like a girl, but
Scout's sentiment likely meant emotional and that rings true with Jem. His emotion is
not only okay with me, I praise his character for it. Jem is the one redeeming character
in this book that should give all of us hope for future generations. Because he cares
when a living thing gets hurts, tomorrow could have less hate.

After Jem tries to comfort Scout for coming on stage at the wrong time, what does Scout realize about Jem? Why is this significant?Chapter 28

Scout realizes that Jem is really growing up and becoming like Atticus. She also realizes that Jem truly cares about her and does his best to protect her. This knowledge is significant because they are attacked by Bob Ewell after leaving the school. Because Scout knows that Jem has become more mature, she knows to take him seriously, rather than assuming that he might be joking. She is also aware that Jem is doing his best to protect her during his struggle with Jem. In addition, Scout's reaction to Jem's injury may have been more intensely emotional because she was aware of his devotion to her well-being.

What did Jem do when Mrs. Dubose said Atticus "lawed for niggers"?

In Chapter 11, Jem and Scout decide to head to town to
spend some of Jem's birthday money. As they pass Mrs. Dubose's house on their way to
town, she begins verbally attacking Jem and Scout in her typical manner. After accusing
both children of playing hooky on a Saturday, she wrongly blames Jem for breaking down
Maudie's scuppernong arbor earlier in the morning. Mrs. Dubose then directs her
attention toward Scout by telling her that she'll be waiting tables at the O.K. Cafe if
she doesn't change her ways. (Lee 135) Her next comment hits home and makes Jem stiffen
when she says, "Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for
niggers!" (Lee 135)

Following the hateful comment by Mrs.
Dubose, Jem's demeanor changes. He turns "scarlet red," becomes silent, and displays no
expression of happiness when purchasing his toy steam engine in town. On the walk back,
Jem takes Scout's new baton and begins to smash Mrs. Dubose's camellia bush. After
destroying the camellia bush, he snaps Scout's baton over his knee in a fit of rage.
Scout's explanation for Jem's reaction is that "he simply went mad." (Lee
136)

Jem had long endured the negative comments and
personal attacks from Mrs. Dubose until she verbally attacked his father. Jem looked up
to his father more than anyone in his life, and that insult stung Jem deeply. When
Atticus found out about Jem's rampage he made Jem apologize to Mrs. Dubose who requested
that Jem read to her as his punishment.

Based on "Prelude" and "At the Bay," what is Mansfield saying about middle-aged men and their characteristics?

Stanley Burnell is of course the main middle-aged character in these two stories, and he is one of the main characters that the shifting authorial focus zooms in on periodically. It is thus this character that Mansfield uses to explore her presentation of middle-aged men.

It is interesting that although Stanley is shown to be the "master" of the house, and that all the women manage the move to the new house in "Prelude" whilst trying to satisfy Stanley's desires, there is always the sense that he is a subservient character to the dominant female figures in the household. Note how in "At the Bay," he is even shown to be a figure that is not wanted, as the women are relived when he goes to work: "There was no man to disturb them." Whilst Stanley gives every appearance of being the master of the household, it is obvious that his character is limited compared to those of the women and he is clearly ruled by them and in particular his wife and her moods. Note how his imaginings are limited to what he would do at the weekend:

He began to plan what he would do with his Saturday afternoons and his Sundays. he wouldn't go to the club for lunch on Saturday. No, cut away from the office as soon as possible and get them to give him a couple of slices of cold meat and half a lettuce when he got home. And then he'd get a few chaps out from town to play tennis in the afternoon. Not too many--three at most. Beryl was a good player too...

Note how trivial his thoughts are. He is presented as a man who is curiously limited in terms of emotion and deep thinking compared to the internal monologues of the women that we are persented with. We can see this again when Stanley Burnell dreams of singing in the church but obviously is more focused on what others may think of him and his own self-importance than any genuine religious response.

In Romeo and Juliet, why do the families hate each other?This is before Romeo & Juliet were lovers

Shakespeare never tells us why the families hate each other. It could be that the feud is so longstanding that the families themselves don't know why it started. The Montagues have always hated the Capulets and vice versa.

Some scholars see similarities between Romeo and Juliet and the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, who were also kept apart by feuding parents. Shakespeare uses the story of these lovers as the play being rehearsed by Bottom and his crew in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Verona, Italy, where the play is set, was under the rule of Venice during Shakespeare's time. The city was known for its artists and architects; indeed, Verona has been called a "social, cultural, and economic fortress." Perhaps Mr. Montague and Mr. Capulet were rival builders or rival painters.

For more information, visit the links below.

What is the theme and diction in "A Worn Path"?

There are many themes in this story.  One has to do with duty.  Phoenix Jackson has traveled the path many times on the same mission--it is her duty to do so, no matter how far or unpleasant it may be.

Race and prejudice are also prevalent themes.  Phoenix faces the farmer who threatens to shoot her, and other instances of disregard simply because she is female, old, and black.

Another possible theme is resurrection.  Phoenix's name alone refers to the mythical bird, the Phoenix, who wears itself down to nothing looking very ragged and old then dies by spontaneous combustion only to be reborn again from the ashes.  There are many references to Phoenix Jackson being like this mythical creature.

As far as diction goes, Phoenix speaks in the manner common to her region and social status.  She leaves out words, runs them together, and in some cases this not only represents her social position and education level, but also her level of fatigue in the story.

Hope this helps! 

Who are the main characters? What are their relationships?Just the relationships that Fitzwilliam, Jane, Elizabeth, Mr Bennet, Mrs Bennet, and...

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five marriageable daughters
occupy a large part of Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice. The
match-making mother of the mid-18th century semi-rural England and her husband, the
typical 18th century man of dry wit, constitute a pair of fascinating
foils.

Among the Bennet girls, the most rounded and dynamic
is Elizabeth. Her elder sister Jane, in a romantic love at first sight with Mr. Bingley,
seems to be a foil to Elizabeth. Two other Bennet daughters of some significance are
Lydia and Kate, both of them being immature and flirtatious. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a proud
young aristocrat with whom Elizabeth grows a love-hate relationship, is Bingley's
friend, and does play a major role in this story of
money-marriage-relationships.

We also find a foolish
clergyman in Mr. Collins, and his patroness, Lady Catherine, is the typical formidable
aunt who opposes the Elizabeth-Darcy marriage. We have a jealous young woman in
Bingley's sister, Caroline. Wickham is an unscrupulous youth who poisons Elizabeth's
mind towards Darcy and who, at the end of the book, elopes Lydia. The elopement,
however, gives Darcy a good chance to prove the authenticity of his love for
Elizabeth.

Charlotte Lucas, who marries Collins and settles
down to secure conjugal life, is yet another foil to the woman  at the core of the
novel. We may remember Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner as sympathetic guardians for
Elizabeth.

What is the meaning of the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree"?

This poem is about a man, overwhelmed with urban life, who dreams of going back to nature in order to find some peace.  The man will build a small cabin there (line 2) and grow some beans (line 4).  He shall live alone (line 6) and "shall have some peace there" (line 7).  The sounds and sights of nature (second stanza) will be a comfort to him in comparison to the harsh pavement of the city (third stanza).

This poem was written at the end of the 19th century, when cities were growing quickly and nature was being abandoned for progress.  The poem emphasizes the ability of nature to restore the human spirit.  The poet has not literally gone to Innisfree, however.  In the end, although he hears the "water lapping with low sounds by the/shore", he is actually standing "on the roadway."  The contrast always readers to better understand the importance of nature, because the speaker is imagining it with rich detail even though he is far away from it.

What is Oberon's personailty like? What is Shakespeare trying to tell us in act III, scene 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream?

In Act 3, sc 2, Puck reports on Titania's ludicrous infatuation, to Oberon's delight.  Demetrius and Hermia appear, arguing.  She leaves angrily, and Demetrius, worn out, falls asleep.  Oberon realizes that the wrong man has been treated with the magic juice.  He commands Puck to lure Helena, which he himself charms Demetrius with the herb.  When Helena arrives, Lysander follows, pleading his love.  Demetrius wakes; he falls in love with Helena adn begins to praise her beauty.  She concludes the two men are mocking her, and she rebukes them.  Hermia enters in search of Lysander.  She is bewildered at Lysander's behavior. Helena is insulted and concludes that Hermia is in on the joke with the two men since she thinks Hermia is belittling her.  After a series of exchanges, during which first the men and then the women almost come to blows, the men leave to fight a duel. Helena flees Hermia's wrath, and Hermia leaves baffled.  Oberon directs Puck to summon a dense fog and then to impersonate each man to the other and lead them away from one another and conflict.  Then he is to apply the antidote to Lysander's eyes.  Puck leads the men on separate chases until each falls exhausted on opposite sides of the stage.  Helena and Hermia also sleep.  Puck squeezes the juice on Lysander's eyes and sings a song of reconciliation.

Oberon likes to play jokes, but he also cares about the people enough to fix it.

Who are the protagonist and antagonist in "The Open Window"? Which one is dynamic?

The protagonist of the short story "The Open Window" is Framton Nuttel. Framton is a man who visits the Sappleton family in the country in order to get some rest, as he suffers from a nervous condition. He is recommended to the family by his sister, who met the Sappletons in the past. 

The antagonist of the story is Vera. Vera is the 15 year-old niece of Mrs. Sappleton. She is a girl described as "self-possessed." This means that, even though she is young, she still has good control of her actions.  

The antagonist is the character or circumstance that acts against the protagonist as an adversary. Vera's character is the antagonist of Framton Nuttel because she tells him a fake story about her aunt's husband and two brothers, which worsens Framton's nervous condition to the point of sending him off running out of the house. 

Out of the characters, Framton would be dynamic because he changes: He goes from bad to worse. He had arrived in the house somewhat composed, and was sociable enough. He was able to carry a conversation with Vera, and kept control of himself until he saw, through the open window,  the supposed dead men arriving from their deadly hunting trip, which was Vera's fake story. 

This is when Framton cannot take it anymore and leaves the premises in horror. The rest of the characters would be static, or non-changing. 

What is the turning point in Willy's life in "Death of a Salesman"?

The turning point in Willy's life in Death of a Salesman is after he loses his job with Howard, refuses the job offer from Charley and is confronted by Biff about the misconceptions that have dominated their lives since Happy and Biff's childhood.  After the confrontation with Biff in the restaurant and the memory of Biff's stumbling upon his secret affair with The Woman, Willy pretty much gives up on life and begins to believe that the only way he will ever be able to help Biff make a life for himself is if Willy can contrive his own death to look like an accident, leaving the life insurance money for his family. 

In the climax of "Romeo and Juliet," who are the two people that die?

While some may debate over the true climax of Romeo & Juliet, my understanding is that the true climax occurs in the last act, Act V, when Romeo rushes to the side of what he believes is his now-deceased bride.  

We the readers know that Juliet is not dead at this point--she is simply in a deep sleep brought on by a tincture given to her by the Friar, to fake her death to avoid her marriage to Paris.

The news of this plot was sent to Romeo, but the message boy did not reach Romeo in time. As far as Romeo knew, his love had passed away.

He wanted to be at her side in the end--for she had become his whole world, his only focus. He was so obsessed with his Juliet that he poisoned himself there on the spot, because he believed that a life in a world without Juliet was a life not worth living. 

Dreadfully, sadly, as the poison works its' way through his system, our Sleeping Beauty begins to wake up, only to find that her Knight in Shining Armor has fatally poisoned himself just moments before her awakening. 

This is an intense and tragic scene, with much build up and a great deal of emotion--grief, love, loss, confusion. So, just as Romeo could not live in a world without Juliet, Juliet cannot live in a world without Romeo. She takes his knife from his side and stabs it into her heart, falling upon the body of her love, dying for him as he died for her.

In Romeo and Juliet, where does Mercutio mock Romeo for loving Rosaline?Hi :) Does anyone know where I can find the part that Mercutio mocks...

Since it is in Act I of Romeo and
Juliet that Romeo is lovesick and melancholy, Mercutio's mocking of him at
this point may be the passage that you want. When Romeo makes a pun on his mood and lack
of participation in the pranks of Benvolio and Mercutio, he
says,

Give me
a torch:  I am not for this ambling;

Being but heavy, I
will bear the light.
(1.4.36-37)

But, Mercutio
insists that he go by saying "Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you
dance."

Tut!
dun's the mouse, the constable's own word!

If thou are dun,
we'll draw thee from the mire

Or (save your reverence)
love, wherein thou stick'st

Up to the ears. Come, we burn
daylight, ho! (1.4.41-44)

 
Anticipating Rosaline's rejection, Romeo sees no point in going to the party at the
Capulets; instead he plays on the words of his friends.  It is at this point that
Mercutio mocks Romeo's morose mood by referring to him as girlish and
"tender":

And,
to sink in it, should you burden love;

Too great oppression
for a tender thing.
(1.4.24-25)

In Act II, Scene
I, Mercutio does continue his mocking tone toward Romeo, specifically mentioning
Rosaline by name as he calls for Romeo outside the Capulet
orchard:

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Romeo!  Humors!  madman!  Passion!
Lover!

Appear thou in the likeness of a
sigh

Speak but one rhyme, and I am
satisfied,

Cry but "aye me!" pronounce but "love" and
"dove,"

He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth
not

The ape is dead, and I must conjure
him.

I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright
eyes,

By her high forehead and her sacrlet
lip,

That in thy likeness thou appear to
us!....

If love be blind, love cannot hit the
mark

Romeo, good night.
(2.1.9-41)

Where does "The Count of Monte Cristo" take place?

In the exposition of "The Count of Monte Cristo," the setting is  Marseille, France, in the south of the country on the Mediterranean coast.  The prison, the Chateau d'If, is off this coast, as is the Isle of Monte Cristo.  

Later, after he gains freedom, Edmund Dantes travels extensively to the Far East and other exotic places in the Middle East.  Years later when he has the information he needs to enact his revenge, Dantes returns to France, particularly the Parisian area where his enemies reside during the brief time that Louis XVIII has regained the throne from the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte. There is also some action in Rome, as well.

Compare and contrast Matilda in "The Necklace" by Guy De Maupassant, to Emily in "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner.

Madame Loisel is consumed with a desire for material wealth.  She is married to a working man who is content with his life.  She longs for a life of luxury, with fancy clothes and jewels.

"She believes that superficial things—a ball gown, better furniture, a large house—will make her happy, and an invitation to a ball makes her miserable because it reminds her of her dowdy wardrobe and lack of jewels."

Emily, is a daughter of an aristocratic Southerner living in the pre-Civil War South. Her father has prevented her from marrying, finding all her suitors unworthy. When the South loses the war, and her father dies, Emily is left alone with a house in ruins and a life that is no longer relevant. 

Madame Loisel and Emily both end up have unfulfilled lives. Neither has what she wants. One wants riches, the other a husband, each life is sacrificed for the mistaken idea that their lives are empty.  Although Madame Loisel has a husband, she is not content, the pursuit of wealth and glamor ends up shaping her life.  A life of hardship to repay the cost of the necklace.

Emily ends up murdering a man so she would not be alone. Desperate for a husband,  she cannot allow Homer Barron to leave her, so she poisons him and spends many years sleeping next to a corpse.   

Neither woman sees the value of the life she has, but rather imagines that she has missed out on the life she deserved.

Explain why gas exchange occurs in the alveoli not in the bronchioles.

There are several reasons why gas exchange takes place in the alveoli.  First, although the alveoli are small, there are many of them so they have a huge surface area in which the gas exchange can take place.  This surface area is moist and thin so the gases can be easily passed through the cells.  The alveoli are full of capillaries (the smallest blood vessels) so that it is easy for oxygen to pass through the alveoli into the capillaries and the blood stream and carbon dioxide can easily pass out.  While the bronchioles are the tubes that bring the air to the alveoli, they do not have the surface area or the capillaries to make the exchange of gases possible.

Who invented the concept of the resume and curriculum vitae?I would like the source of the information.

Before we try to determine who invented the concept of
resume and curriculum vitae (CV), we need to be clear by what we mean by this concept.
Please note that we are talking about the common concept behind these two terms and not
about the origin of these terms themselves.

The common
concept behind these two terms is to divide a job application in two parts - a covering
letter and a separate write-up on ones personal details including education, experience
and other information relevant for judging the suitability of applicant for the job
applied. Resume and CV both refer to this kind of write-up containing personal
information for judging suitability for employment or other similar
purposes.

There is no single person or event that can be
identified as the inventor of this concept. This is a concept which developed gradually
as job seekers started to find ways of making their job application more effective and
big companies started to find ways of making the process of screening candidates for
jobs more efficient and effective. For both these purposes a structure description of
personal information was found to be very effective. So, job seekers started to use it
for making their job application more effective. Also many employers started to insist
on prospective job seekers giving information on their prescribed format. Initially
these documents for application were called by different names, including simple
"application form". However, over a period the names resume and CV became more popular
than others.

What are examples of strong imagery in the "The Devil and Tom Walker" and what mood does this imagery create?

Actually, what's interesting is that the imagery and its purpose vary a fair amount. If you look at the first paragraph of the story, you see fairly realistic and straightforward description, almost a dignified travelogue. However, soon after that, the imagery becomes more vivid, makes more judgments, and creates almost a fairy tale feeling;

 

"…the woman could lay hands on she hid away: a hen could not cackle but she was on the alert to secure the new-laid egg. Her husband was continually prying about to detect her secret hoards…"Look at how physical that is, and how greedy. It's a world of intense emotion and moral judgment.

What are three symbols in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" that relate to the theme?

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a story that is full of symbols. Symbols are found in this story in people, objects, and names. There is even a symbol that is a piece of furniture.

Three of the most prominent are the lottery itself, the black box, and the names of several of the characters. The lottery is symbolic of the cruelty and inhumane practices that still exist in the world today. One of the reasons Jackson wrote this story was to bring attention to the inhumanity found in society. Another symbol is the black box from which families' names are picked. It clearly represents the doom that is forthcoming death (imminent death). It also represents tradition since it is coming apart and splintering in areas. Finally, the names of some of the characters are symbols. For instance, Mr. Graves name is symbolic of death. Mr. Summers' name is symbolic of the tradition itself and the fact that it occurs in summer. Mrs. Delacroix's name is symbolic because it means "of the cross" in French. It is an ironic symbol because there is nothing remotely Christian about the tradition (as far as cruelty goes).

In "Speak", what happens when Melinda visits Heather on Columbus Day?What does this reveal about Heather?

On Columbus Day, Melinda goes to Heather's house to visit, at Heather's insistence.  Heather wants the two of them to be in the school musical, but Melinda says that she doesn't think that will happen.  Heather complains, "it's not fair", and begins to cry and carry on.  After awhile, she calms down and apologizes, blaming her outburst on PMS.  She then begins to make plans, determining that she and Melinda should "work (their) way into a good group...(and) make them like (them)".  Melinda thinks this "is the most hopeless idea (she) has ever heard", and, repulsed by "(so) much emotion", leaves without saying goodbye.

Heather is revealed to be a spoiled young girl who is used to getting what she wants.  She is something of a drama queen, and is not above throwing a tantrum when frustrated.  Although she has many nice things, she has little regard for them, spilling her nailpolish on the carpet and wiping her nose on her stuffed bear's plaid scarf.  Heather proclaims that Melinda is "the only person (she) can trust", but the depth of her friendship is questionable.  She is completely self-absorbed and does a lot of talking and very little listening.  Heather's ambition is to be accepted by a popular crowd, and her behavior is ample evidence that when push comes to shove, her own objectives will come before the welfare of anyone else ("Acting").

What conflicts emerged between the former Allies after the end of WWII?

The major conflict that emerged between the former allies
was the Cold War.  It was really starting to emerge even toward the end of World War
II.

The problem was that the Soviet Union and the Western
Allies did not trust each other at all.  The Soviets thought the West was out to
encircle and destroy them.  The West thought that the Soviets were going to try to
dominate the world.  This led to conflict very soon after WWII
ended.

Later on, there would be conflict between the three
Western allies, but this would not be until quite a bit later.

In "Pride and Prejudice," what surprising and unexpected revelation does Colonel Fitzwilliam make to Lizzy?

In Volume 2, Chapter 10, Elizabeth tells Colonel Fitzwilliam, "Mr. Darcy is uncommonly kind to Mr. Bingley, and takes a prodigious deal of care of him."  Colonel Fitzwilliam then reveals to Elizabeth, "Care of him! - Yes, I really believe Darcy does take care of him in those points where he most wants care. From something that he told me in our journey hither, I have reason to think Bingley very much indebted to him.  But I ought to beg his pardon, for I have no right to suppose that Bingley was the person meant.  It was all conjecture."  Then Fitzwilliam continues, "And remember that I have not much reason for supposing it to be Bingley.  What he told me was merely this; that he congratulated himself on having saved a friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage, but without mentioning names or any other particulars, and I only suspected it to be Bingley..."  Fitzwilliam also told Elizabeth, "I understood that there were some very strong objections against the lady."

Elizabeth is very upset with this news and the possibility that Darcy had ruined her sister's chance for happiness.  Even though Elizabeth wanted to think positive that Darcy didn't interfere, she couldn't understand why anyone would have any objections against Jane because she was so sweet, loving, and thoughtful.

Reference: Thornes Classic Novels: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Stanley Thornes Publishers, England. 1997.

In "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," what are three major events of Chapters 9-12?

In Chapter 9, Kit is helping teach the children to read when she gets in trouble for having them act out a little play. When she's upset because people are so angry with her, she goes for an emotional walk—and ends up meeting Hannah Tupper, who becomes important in her life.

In Chapter 10, Kit finds that Nat  already knew Hannah, and that they are friends. This puts the two of them back in close contact.

In Chapter 11, Kit starts teaching Prudence to read, and, later, realizes that Mercy loves John Holbrook.

 

In Chapter 12, Hannah sees Nat again, and they become more friendly still.

 

If you have to choose just three:

1) Kit meets Hannah.

2) Kit and Nat grow closer.

3) Kit starts to teach Prudence.

Why does the Mariner stop that particular wedding guest?Of the one in three why was he selected?

In Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," the
Mariner has no choice but to tell his tale to the wedding guest that he tells the tale
to.  The Mariner reveals to the guest:

readability="25">

"Since then, at an uncertain
hour,

That agony returns:

And
till my ghastly tale is told,

This heart within me
burns.

"I pass, like night, from land to
land;

I have strange power of
speech;

That moment that his face I
see,

I know the man that must hear
me:

To him my tale I teach. 
(582-590)

The Mariner just
knows, and is in fact forced by the curse to tell his tale to that particular wedding
guest. 

No information is revealed as to why this
particular listener is "chosen" by the curse, he just is.  In a poem within which
rational thought and linear development is replaced with the imagination and the
supernatural, this shouldn't come as a surprise.  Rational explanations are not required
in a work of imagination. 

What do all members of the Protist Kingdom have in common?

Kingdom Protista includes eukaryotic organisms which don't easily fit into any other category. They vary by their method of locomotion and food-getting strategies. In terms of size, many members are unicellular, or, if multicellular in a colony for example, there is no evidence of tissue formation. They are simply cells that remain together without any higher level of organization. Some are animal-like, or Protozoa, some are plant-like, mainly algae, some are fungus-like, including slime molds. A common thread amongst this group is that they live in an aquatic or moist environment and have cells which contain organelles including an organized nucleus.

What comment does Hamlet make about human weakness?

In Hamlet, human weakness, death,
disease, and unnatural relationships are the dominant motifs in the play.  The chief
crimes in his family, Hamlet says, are murder and incest.  He says Denmark is a prison
full of spies.  He tells his girlfriend (and mother) to go live in a nunnery.  So, the
play Hamlet comments on the inevitability of human weakness.  It's
implicit solution, it seems, is to take "arms against a sea of troubles," to fight on
even though--in the end--all there is suffering and death.  Suffering leads to
wisdom.

Here are some
examples:

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Frailty, thy name is
woman!

Hamlet
originally blames his mother for marrying too soon after his father's death.  Her human
weaknesses: fear of being alone, adultery, incest, denial of the truth, and
disloyalty

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O, what a rogue and peasant slave am
I!...Am I a
coward?

He comments
on his own weaknesses: too self-absorbed to act; too afraid of suffering and death; too
full of conscience

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Looking before and after, gave us
not 
That capability and god-like reason 
To fust in us unused. Now,
whether it be 
Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple 
Of thinking
too precisely on the event, 
A thought which, quarter'd, hath but one part
wisdom 
And ever three parts
coward,

Hamlet calls himself
and others "beasts": cowardly, devoid of reason, base, and easily manipulated.  Hamlet
sees all too well the human weakness around him.  He knows he will be disappointed by
others.  He knows he will disappoint himself.  So, why try?  His problem: does he have
enough courage to fight against this losing battle?