What is the purpose of the scene in which Frank and Tub stop at the tavern for food and coffee, leaving the wounded Kenny in the back of the truck?...

When Frank and Tub stop to warm themselves up, this demonstrates how little they care about Kenny. Most people would rush a friend to the hospital immediately, but Frank and Tub think of themselves first, leaving Kenny to suffer in the truck alone.

The hunting trip is symbolic of what should be a male-bonding experience based on the environment the three men have been raised in. Kenny bullies the other two, teases them, and plays jokes on them. The three men do anything but bond with one another, until Kenny gets shot. Once Kenny's practical joke goes wrong, and he's shot, then Frank and Tub begin to bond with each other. The ironic part of this is that Kenny is out in a cold truck dying while Tub and Frank are inside sharing their secrets. Frank and Tub are selfish, taking care of their own wants and needs first. I also find it's ironic that the weakest member of the group, Tub, is the one to shoot Kenny, the strongest of the group.

Frank feels the need to open up to Tub and share his fears about deserting his family. At the next stop, Tub shares his secret about his overeating. The two men have managed to reveal their innermost thoughts and fears, probably for the first time, to another man. This bonding experience, however, is at Kenny's experience. The two men are so oblivious to Kenny's situation at the end that they even take his blankets away because he keeps throwing them off.

given f(x)=2x-6 and g(x)=9x^2-7x-4. Find (f*g)(-6).

In order to find the value of the composition of 2
functions, in our case f and g, we have to follow the
steps:

Step 1: First, we have to find out the expression of
the composition of the 2 functions:

(f*g)(x) =
f(g(x))

To find f(g(x)) we have to substitute x by g(x) in
the expression of f(x):

f(g(x)) =
2*(g(x))-6

Now, we'll substitute g(x) by it's
expression:

2*g(x)-6 = 2*(9x^2-7x-4) -
6

We'll open the
brackets:

2*(9x^2-7x-4) - 6 = 2*9x^2 - 2*7x - 2*4 -
6

f(g(x)) = 18x^2 - 14x  -
14

Step 2:

Now, we'll
calculate the value (f*g)(-6), substituting x from the expression of (f*g)(x), by
(-6).

(f*g)(-6) = 18(-6)^2 - 14(-6)  -
14

(f*g)(-6) = 648 + 84 -
14

(f*g)(-6) =
718

Please help with Othello's character.

Othello, a Moor, a dark skinned warrior, has risen to rank of general in the Venetian army. The other officers are all white. Hence, it has created in others jealousy that Othello foolishly ignores. The manipulative Iago seeks to destroy Othello for reasons that Shakespeare leaves unanswered, but it is safe to say evil motivates him for evil's sake.

Othello secretly marries the white daughter of a Venetian senator, a mistake in that it turns others against him. A wiser man would know that others may be plotting against him; Othello doesn't take stock of those around him.

Iago manages to manipulate the weakened Othello into thinking that his new wife is having an affair with Cassio. Had Othello made the decision to marry Desdemona with the father's consent, he might not have had lingering feelings of his wife's ability to fool others. Iago is now free to manipulate others against the weakened Othello. Iago plants evidence of Desdemona's infidelities and has Roderigo planning to kill Cassio, right under Othello's nose. Yet, he refers to "his friend" Iago as "good" and "honest".

After having killed Desdemona and Iago is found to be the culprit of the whole sordid take, Othello does the only noble thing left for a soldier who has killed dishonorably: he commits suicide. A man of immense character and great flaws.

How is Elesin Oba portrayed as a tragic hero?

A tragic hero is a hero who comes to a tragic end, usually death.  The hero does so in performance of his duty.  Elesin is the King’s Horseman in a small tribe in Nigeria during Word War II.   Like many cultures, Elesin’s tribe believes that there is an afterlife.  Elesin is honor-bound to commit suicide in order to keep his late king company.

Elesin says:

“Life is honour. It ends when honour ends.”

This sums up Elesin’s belief that his suicide is honorable and his duty.  In the end, Elesin is able to commit suicide, even if he does not do it as he intends.  He dies, and he dies doing his duty.

What are the climax, resolution, and examples of simile, irony, suspense, personification, foreshadowing, and onomatopoeia in this story?

The climax of Richard Connell's story is when Rainsford suddenly appears in General Zaroff's bedroom after Zaroff has assumed the Rainsford committed suicide (this is also irony).  The resolution of the conflict between the two is when Zaroff is killed by his own dogs, and Rainsford gets to sleep in his bed.

When Rainsford is aboard the yacht, Whitney tells the story of Ship-Trap Island where sailors have gone, yet never returned.  This foreshadows that Rainsford is somehow going to end up on this island so that the reader learns the truth of the tale. 

When Connell writes, "the sea was as flat as a plate-glass window", he uses a simile to create a visual effect in the reader's mind.  This demonstrates just how still the water was at that point.

Suspense is created through the various traps that Rainsford sets for Zaroff, yet the general manages to escape them.  Each time he escapes, he comes closer to capturing his prey-- Rainsford.

As for personification, Rainsford says, "Who cares how a jaguar feels?" to which Whintey replies, "Perhaps the jaguar does."

What does Scout think of current fashions in education?

Scout certainly had a big letdown after attending her
first day of school in To Kill a Mockingbird. Although Miss
Caroline is fresh out of college, she seems to have few social skills when dealing with
her students. Scout stood up for Walter Cunningham Jr. when Miss Caroline
unintentionally offends him. The students didn't understand the "imaginative literature"
of Mrs. Cat and the drugstore, and Miss Caroline didn't bother to explain it. Miss
Caroline made Scout feel as if she had committed a crime by learning to read before the
first grade. When punished later by a ruler-spanking of her hands, Scout found Miss
Caroline's action more amusing than academic.

Jem does not
help matters. He tells Scout to be patient about the new teaching method being initiated
by Miss Caroline. "'It's the Dewey Decimal System,'" Jem tell Scout, who "never
questioned Jem's pronouncements." However, Jem was also confused: Miss Caroline's new
teaching style was based on the educational reformer John Dewey (1859-1952)--not the
library system of organizing founded by Melvil Dewey. 

Why does Odysseus want to test his servants and his wife before revealing his identity in book 17?

Odysseus has been away from home over twenty years. When he finally reaches the shores of Ithaca, he is stopped from entering his home by Athena. There is no joyous reunion, instead finds that his home has been overwhelmed by the greedy suitors who have corrupted some of his servants. The test of the servants is only nature. He has to know how far the corruption has gone.

As for the test of Penelope, a wife who has been on her own for twenty years, Odysseus maybe suspicious that like himself, she found companionship during those years. Remember also that the test goes both ways, Penelope tests Odysseus to make sure that it is really him. She does this when she asks him the question about their bed.

In "The Kite Runner", why didn't Amir mind that his wife, Soraya, had had a relationship with another man?

Although Amir has to admit that his pride was stung at the idea that Soraya had been with another man while he had never taken another woman, he reasons, "how could I, of all people, chastise someone for their past?"  Amir cannot forget his treachery in betraying his Hassan so many years before, and he understands that since his own sin is so great, he has no right to condemn another (Chapter 12).

Amir had actually known about Soraya's past before she spoke to him about it.  He had heard rumors, and had asked Baba to confirm them.  Baba said that he also had heard things about Soraya, but he counseled that she was "a decent girl", and that thought it was unfair, "what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime".  Amir, thinking about how his own actions changed the entire course of his and Hassan's lives, well understood what his father meant, and had made up his mind not to hold Soraya's past mistakes against her (Chapter 11).

Amir has great admiration for Soraya's courage in telling him about her relationship with another man, and envies her because "her secret (is) out".  He almost tells her how he had betrayed Hassan and destroyed their friendship as well as "the forty-year relationship between Baba and Ali", but does not have the nerve to carry it through.  He realizes that despite her mistakes, Soraya is "a better person" than he is (Chapter 12).

What did Hitler think of the Jews?

Basically, Adolf Hitler hated the Jews with a passion. To
him they were not even human. Hitler had a dream of an Aryan nation and Jews were not a
part of this nation. He believed in racial purity. He wanted to kill off "life unworthy
of life."

He thought that Jews would do nothing more but
drag the country down. During this time, Germany was economically unstable. They were
experiencing an economic Depression. He promised the Germans that he would save them
from this economic Depression, the Treaty of Versailles, communism, and other
undesirable minorities. In his mind, the Jews needed to be
extinguished.

Why had the doctor not made arrangements for Jim when they left the stockade in Treasure Island?

Because Jim decided to sneak away "towards my escapade" on his own without informing any of the other men, the others just assumed that Jim had deserted the group in order to join up with Long John Silver. Jim managed to escape during the heat of the mid-day sun, taking "French leave" of his friends in order to find Ben Gunn's little boat. From there, he would sail until he found the Hispaniola: He would recover the schooner and rescue his friends. When they finally met up again, the doctor explained.

“So, Jim,” said the doctor, sadly, “here you are. As you have brewed, so shall you drink, my boy. Heaven knows I can not find it in my heart to blame you; but this much I will say, be it kind or unkind, when Captain Smollett was well you dared not have gone off, and when he was ill, and couldn't help it, by George, it was downright cowardly!”

The doctor thought differently when they discovered their young friend's true goal, however.

Discuss Keats's and Robert Browning's use of imagery in their poetry. I am interested in Browning's "Porphyria's Lover" and "My Last Duchess."

I'll answer concerning the Browning poems you are
interested in, and let another editor compare them to Keats'
imagery.

In "Porphyria's Lover," Browning is addressing the
obsession the outwardly polite and prudish Victorian society had with sensational
stories of horror and depravity.  The themes of sex and violence and madness in this
dramatic monologue speak to this obsession.

Browning turns
the conventional presentation of these issues and themes, however, by making them seem
natural and beautiful.  Porphyria glides (line 6) in amidst the rain and the wind and
shuts out the cold and the storm (line 7).  She builds a fire that warms the cottage
(line 9).  She bares her shoulder (line 17) and lays her hair upon his cheek (line 19). 
These are all images that create beauty and comfort.

At a
poignant (a feeling of specialness) moment, she totally gives herself to her lover, and
he, trying to preserve the moment, strangles her with her own hair, painlessly,
according to the speaker. 

Browning forces readers to
contemplate the relationship between sex and violence and power and complex madness, as
well as beauty. 

Browning uses imagery to a different
effect in "My Last Duchess."  The portrait of his murdered wife may be beautiful, as may
his other works of art, but beauty is not the issue, and isn't what's meaningful to the
Duke.  His wife is now, in the present of the poem, in a perfect state.  She is the
perfect work of art, reflecting back on him.  He kills her because she does not behave
as a work of art.  As a portrait, she does.  The Duke is interested in how works or art
reflect back on him and his 900-year-old name. 

One of the
key images in this dramatic monologue is his wife's countenance, her face, its depth and
passion revealed in her glance as captured in the portrait (lines 7-21).  But the image
isn't important for its beauty, but for how it's interpreted and twisted by the Duke. 
Almost anything could have brought that "spot of joy" to her face, says the Duke.  His
wife had the audacity to be polite when anyone showed her "courtesy," according to the
Duke.  She was "too soon made glad" (line 22). 

The images
that follow, the daylight, cherries, the white mule, all reveal that which might make
his wife smile.  And that is no good. 

The Duke is much
happier now that she is truly a work of art and, therefore, behaves like one.  Now she
smiles only when he pulls back the curtain and allows someone to look at her--someone
like his silent listener. 

List the information Dickens gives in chapters 7 and 8 that shows the decay of the upper classes in French society.

The decay of the upper class is demonstrated in Book the Second, chapters 7 with the introduction of the Marquis de Evremonde and the Monseigneur in the French Court. A once very wealthy aristocrat, the Monseigneur had grown accustomed to a life of luxury. However, times being as they were in France and the peasants being unable to pay the exorbetant taxes, Monseigneur needed a way to maintain his luxurious lifestyle. Therefore, he essentially sells his sister to a rich Farmer-General, in exchange for substantial funds. Dickens also comments on the party the Monseigneur is having, "Everyone was dressed for a Fancy Ball that was never to leave off." So, while the aristocratic upper class continues to dress the part, they are acting as though ignorant to the fact that their former lives are unable to reach their old stature due to the absolute squalor of the economic conditions. The country was so depleted, it did reach so far as to even impact the upper class.

In chapter 8, a beautiful, yet "not abundant" landscape is depicted as the setting of the chateau of the Marquis de Evremonde. Again, a once beautiful patch of land, now barren and overridden with weeds. The interior of the Marquis' home is still maintained in extravagant fashion, but it does not match the exterior, hence, showing the decay of the upper classes.

Where's the irony in the last statment made to Hester by her brother in "The Rockin-Horse Winner"? "my god hester you're eighty-odd thousand to the...

The irony of the statement is that the uncle implies Paul is better off dead. The uncle realized Paul was mad and believes that the boy has been released from his agony. This reinforces the theme of the story about the destructive power of materialism. His mother may now have a lot of money, but Paul is in a better place where he can ride his rocking horse forever and not have to worry about his mother's incessant need for money.

What is Passepartout's main role in "Around the World in Eighty Days"?

Passepartout acts as a dramatic foil for Phileas Fogg.  A dramatic foil is a character who is in direct contrast with the main character so as to magnify certain traits in the main character.  For example, Passepartout's past was one of flitting from place to place, which in direct contrast to the past behaviors of Phileas Fogg.  Ironically, just as Passepartout finds himself employed by one who is predictable and follows a strict schedule, Phileas Fogg does the unthinkable.  He accepts a bet to go around the world in eighty days.  While Fogg may seem cool and collected on the surface, Passepartout (and all his worrying) may be a reflection of the turmoil that is going on inside Fogg when things go wrong on the journey.

In the poem "The Eagle", does the line "And like a thunderbolt he falls" mean the eagle dies?

i wouldn't say that he dies, but that is certainly an interpretation- that it was meant to be ironic. 

the first thing i thought of was that the eagle searches for prey from up high in the sky, and when he spots his prey, he strikes. he strikes with the power of a thunderbolt

but a friend of mine thought of Zeus and his thunderbolt. "Close to the sun..." so the eagle is high up in the sky as Zeus lives on Mount Olympus in the sky

still, the story of icarus draws the most similarities

What are the important things/points of the Victorian age/period ?as an outine or summary ..

Part
2:

Karl Marx brought the concept of
socialism to London in 1870, and Germany was a threat in the political sector. It was a
time of rapid changes in social and economic sectors that had no parallel in earlier
history.

"The
pace and depth of such developments, while they fostered a mood of nationalist pride and
optimism about future progress, also produced social stress, turbulence, and widespread
anxiety about the ability of the nation and the individual to cope, socially,
politically, and psychologically, with the cumulative problems of the age.” -
A Glossary of Literary Terms by M. H.
Abrams.

Because of the
invention of steam and steel, industrial revolution occurred, which led to the growth of
urbanization, production of great wealth for the expanding middle class, massive
poverty, and deterioration of rural England. Besides, a huge conflict occurred
especially because of Darwin's evolution theory between science and religion. Darwin
suggested that humans are actually originated from the apes. This struck the Orthodox,
and moved the faith of people in religion. Besides, the industrial revolution caused
rapid growth of factories, mills, industries, and people began to yield to mammon while
capitalism enveloped spirituality. Human race became calculating and materialistic.
Science brought new inventions and these inventions, while doing well to humans, was
making them more mechanized. They were more interested in business than religion, were
busy in working and making money.

This chaotic state
especially the conflict between science and religion is wonderfully depicted in the
poems of those poets who were extremely worried because of the conflict; Matthew Arnold
is one of those. Poets like Arnold of nineteenth century started to hold a very
pessimistic view about the Victorian crisis, and in almost all his poems including
Dover Beach, The Scholar
Gypsy, he seems to express only a negative attitude toward his
contemporary age. But we see a quite dissimilar attitude in the poems of his most
renowned contemporary, Alfred Lord Tennyson. Unlike Arnold, he expressed a compromising
attitude to his age and its intricate problems. Tennyson, we find, in his
Ulysses, The Lotos Eaters,
The Charge of the Light Brigade, holds such a sort of view
which is supposed to find a middle ground. He is neither too melancholic like Arnold nor
too optimistic like Robert Browning, another contemporary, in terms of the tone, mood
and theme of his poetry. He tries to portray in his poems a real and clear picture of
the problems of contemporary age in an implicit way, and then shows positivity or a ray
of hope at the end of almost all his poems. In fact the poem 'The Charge of the Light
Brigade', which is based upon the Crimean War, describes the marvelous courage of the
British soldiers and pays homage to them.

More or less, one
thing is common among almost all the poets of the Victorian era (1837-1901); they have
dealt with the Victorian crisis.

In The War of the Worlds, what are some examples of the power or dangers of science/technology?

I'm not sure Wells meant to say that science and technology were inherently dangerous or bad. Wells was a proponent of Darwin's theory of evolution. The conflict between science and religion is seen in the conflict between the curate and the narrator; interestingly, St. Paul's Cathedral is damaged, but the Crystal Palace, which was built to showcase technological advances from all over the world, was not touched.

You might say that a theme of The War of the Worlds is survival of the fittest. Despite death and destruction, humanity perseveres. The Martians just aren't fit to live on Earth.

However, Wells does show us that science and technology can be used for evil ends, as in the creation of war machines. The Martians themselves rarely appear; what the humans encounter is their walking machines. These machines devastate humanity, which we might be in danger of doing with the science of war.

What was the author's purpose in writing "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and who was the intended audience?

Gilgamesh does not have a known author, but it is the earliest recorded human epic. Only pieces of the story survive and have been cobbled together to form the story of the warrior and Enkindu (the first "sidekick" in recorded history). The intended audience is unknown, but it seems likely that it was an oral tale heard by people of all socio-economic and political backgrounds.

The writer or writers of the epic seems to have several purposes in recounting the tale. It is instructive in explaining events in history: like the Bible, Gilgamesh explains how the world was created (a very interesting comparison can be made between the epic and Genesis 1-3).

Like The Odyssey and Beowulf, texts that come far later, the heroes of each epic battle faces incredible foes (Gilgamesh, Humbaba; Odysseus, the Cyclops; Beowulf, Grendel). The tales of super-human feats seem to be designed to keep the audience in suspense. Each has a hero that is larger-than-life.

There is also an implicit moral in Gilgamesh, a warning about the lust for immortality that will go unsatisfied. Gilgamesh, and those who read of the hero's exploits, must come to terms with their limited selves, strive for acceptance, and hope for remembrance by future generations.

What message do Octavius’s actions suggest about honor and leadership?

When Octavius and Antony confront Cassius and Brutus in 5.1, Octavius first says that they should talk before they do battle, “not that we love words better,” but because as a leader he will try first not to spill blood out of anger (29). He would prefer that Cassius and Brutus parley and surrender, and when Antony tells him this is unlikely, Octavius holds his course, telling Antony not to try to act before he commands it, very clearly taking command of the situation.  By the end of Act 5, when both Cassius and Brutus die, Octavius gives Brutus respect (as does Antony by now), and in so doing shows himself an honorable leader.  He says about Brutus, “According to his virtue, let us use him/ With all respect and rites of burial” (82-83). As the new leader, Octavius’s final words in the play offer a possibility for order and harmony:  “and let’s away / To part the glories of this happy day” (86-87)

In what ways is George's friendship a gift for Lennie in "Of Mice and Men"?

George does not simply provide friendship for Lennie, but more a guiding hand. While Lennie has the body of a man, his mind is child-like, and therefore he's in need of someone to look after him. While George is often angered and irritated by Lennie, it is George who reassures Lennie of the dream of a golden future that awaits them.

Lennie and George are loners and George's gift, along with friendship and a steady hand, is ultimately when George takes Lennie's life. Lennie has just killed Curly's wife after stroking her hair. She gets nervous that she is going to be found out cavorting with Lennie and she begins to scream. Lennie tries to stop her from screaming, but shakes her violently causing her death. Although George realizes that Lennie did not want to kill her, he knows that it is only a matter of time before the vengeful Curly and his men catch up to Lennie.  

Throughout the book, George has gotten to know and appreciate Lennie in ways no one before ever did. He was a man-child with severe restrictions on his mental capacity, but George knew him as a simple soul who needed direction/scolding. Knowing that he will have to spend the rest of his days in some medieval mental institution for the killing, George makes the decision to kill Lennie in a last act of friendship and love to avoid more suffering.

In "The Alchemist," how does Santiago’s father react when his son tells him that he wants to travel?

Santiago's family wanted him to be a priest, and so they went him to seminary school.  The boy, however, longed to see the world, and so he decided to become a shepherd so that he could travel.  Although his father would have preferred that his son become a priest, he did give him three gold coins so that he could purchase his first flock and go out on his way.  He chose not to quench his son's choices by making him stay in the seminary, and he let the boy do as his his dictated.  This gave Santiago the strength to trust his intuition throughout the rest of the parable.

Does anyone have any idea on how to study for pharm for NCLEX? I am having big problems. There are so many drugs, and I do not know them all.

The most-effective method is to use an old-school technology: flashcards.

Kaplan has a set, although it has received mostly negative reviews from a small sample-size of amazon.com customers. See the first link below.

Although perhaps too time-consuming, you could make your own set. You would learn as you write out the cards and then use the cards to review drug names and to identify and concentrate on the ones that are giving you trouble.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, what is ironic about Lysander's declaration of love to Helena?

When the play begins, Lysander is in love with Hermia, but her father disapproves and instead insists that she marry Demetrius. Lysander and Hermia decide to run away, but they get lost in the woods. They decide to stop and rest for awhile. While they are sleeping, Puck comes along. He has been told to put a drop of love potion in Demetrius's eye so that he will fall in love with Helena. Puck has never seen Demetrius or Lysander; all he knows is that the man he is looking for will be dressed like an Athenian. When he sees Lysander, he believes that he's the man; so he puts the love potion in Lysander's eye. Unfortunately, it is Helena whom Lysander first sees when he wakes up, and because of the love potion, he falls for her. But Helena is in love with Demetrius!

So here's the irony: Lysander loves Hermia, but she is going to marry Demetrius. The potion makes Lysander fall in love with Helena, who wants to marry Demetrius. Whew!

What are the similarities and differences between Anne and Peter in "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl"?

The most obvious similarity between Anne and Peter is their age. They're both at an age where young people at that time period began to explore their own sexuality and become interested in the opposite sex. Anne is thirteen when she starts writing in her diary, and Peter is sixteen. However, I think this is where the similarity between the two teenagers ends.

Anne is outgoing, talkative, and sensitive. She always remains optimistic about her family's situation throughout their ordeal. Peter is quiet and rarely expresses his personal thoughts and feelings. Anne sees herself as accomplishing something great in life, while Peter says he wants to be a gambler or just loaf around. Anne spends some of her time studying, while Peter sees his studies as a boring requirement. Anne is reflective about her strengths and weaknesses while being self-confident about what kind of woman she wants to become. Peter obviously has not given that much thought to his future.

I doubt that Anne and Peter would have even been friends if they had known each other under normal circumstances because they are so different. Anne realizes Peter is not someone she would like to know romantically, but she does want to maintain a friendship with him. He's really the only person in hiding with whom she can express her feelings.

Why is Peyton Farquhar not involved with the army in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

The reason Peyton Farquhar is not a soldier, officer, or part of the army is not given.  The author says only that "circumstances of an imperious nature which it is unneccessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with the gallant army".  Apparently, there are significant reasons that Farquar is not a part of the military, but the reasons themselves are not important enough to be revealed and examined in the story.

What is clear, however, is that Farquhar's sympathies are unquestioningly with the Confederacy in the Civil War.  As a slave owner, he is "an original secessionist and ardently devoted to the Southern cause".  Although he is prohibited by unnamed circumstances from joining up, he longs for "the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction".  He is "a civilian who (is) at heart a soldier" who will do what he can in whatever capacity to help the Southern cause, and it is because of this zeal that he finds himself in the predicament of imminent execution at the hands of the Union Army at Owl Creek Bridge.

What is the main plot for To Kill A Mockingbird?

I am not sure I understand your question, but the main plot in To Kill A Mockingbird concerns Scout's coming of Age as she grows up in the racially segregated south.  The major event which leads to the climax of the story is the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man, for the attempted rape of Mayella Ewell.  Although Tom is clearly innocent of the charges, he is found guilty because people in the south were not ready to take the word of a black person over that of a white person no matter what the circumstances.  Scout's father, Atticus, who is the moral icon of the story, defends Tom to the fullest of his abilities despite knowing the futility of his effort.  He does so because it is the right thing to do.  For some the trial itself is the climax of the story, but I believe the climax of the story is the attack on Jem and Scout because this is the final point of growth for Scout and resolves the subplot concerning Boo Radley. 

In Chapter 3 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," does Scout learn anything from Walter's visit, and if so, what?

Scout learns many things from Walter's visit.  Social codes and caste systems are key issues throughout the novel.  This is Scout's first introduction to both of those ideas.  First, thanks to Calpurnia's reprimand for shaming Walter when he pours syrup all over his lunch, Scout realizes that there are social guidelines one must follow when company is over.  Cal tells Scout: "'That boy's you' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear'" (24)?  Cal is trying to impress upons Scout the idea of Southern hospitality. 

Scout defends herself by declaring that Walter isn't proper company, he is just a Cunningham, who are one of the poorer families in Maycomb.  In this way, Scout has bought into the idea that certain people are superior to others because of their names, histories, and wealth.  In terms of a caste system, the Finchs would be near the top and the Cunninghams would be farther down.  This is the opposite of what Atticus wants Scout to think.  Note too how Atticus treats Walter at lunch, talking about farming with him and treating him properly.

This chapter foreshadows several key events to follow in the novel, such as Scout's ability to diffuse the angry mob that comes to lynch Tom Robinson (see the second link below) and Aunt Alexandra's refusal later in the novel to allow Scout to be friends with Walter because he is white trash (see the final link below).

What have been three of the most important factors that have fueled globalization in recent decades?

1. The fact that United States has become a consumer
nation, rather than one that manufactures has also contributed to globalization. 
When President Clinton gave more support to the North American Trade Agreement, the
textile industry, founded in the South, virtually ended in America and opened trade with
several countries, including Vietnam, Nepal, and such.

2.
The lower prices for which products can be bought from other countries strongly
contributes to global trade, also.  Certainly, after President Nixon opened trade with
China, the consumption of products less expensive thab in the U.S.
began.

3. Another factor that immensely contributed to the
increase in globalization is the ease with which trade can be conducted now.  After the
cancelling of the gold standard in the U.S. in 1971, money was printed and it flowed
overseas to pay debts.  This ease of transfer of money certainly expedited trade, etc.
Nowadays, electronic transfers of money have replaced slower methods.  Transaction among
countries are much easier, also, since the Euro has been accepted
as currency in the continent of Europe.  With a common unit of money, the value of
products can easily be ascertained, so that countries can quickly make judgments
regarding trade and business. Access to the value of the yen, or
other units of money can be completed with ease. as well.

Why do you think the author chose to include information about Lily's church's attitude toward Catholics in Secret Life of Bees? Chapter 3

By including this information the author provides elements of foreshadowing and dramatic irony, pointing out the hypocrisy of the church in which Lily has grown up in a way that sets the stage for the contrast between the two religions that will be developed later in the story.  The Methodist Church in Sylvan, whose deacons "locked arms across the church steps" to turn away Negroes who might come to worship with them (Chapter 1), consider hell "nothing but a bonfire for Catholics" (Chapter 3).  Their righteous intolerance contradicts the message of love taught by the Christ whom they profess to follow, and their failure to touch those Catholics they would convert is exemplified by the plastic gloves they wear with the five-part plan of salvation written on them.  Ironically, Lily, who gets no sustenance from the church in Sylvan, finds healing in the Catholic sect of the Black Madonna, precisely because its members, in stark contrast, touch her - they reach out to her, provide for her needs, and love her unconditionally. 

if you were Romeo or Juliet, would you pursue a relationship with the other? explain

Keeping in mind that I am no longer young and am hopefully
less controlled by hormones than people their age, no, I would not pursue a relationship
with the other once I found out who the other was.

When you
have only seen someone for one evening, you have not committed to them for your whole
life.  You can surely get over them pretty easily.  So when the two of them found out
they were from enemy families, they should have realized that it was not going to work
out.  They should have known it would cause more problems than it was worth.  They could
not have been so in love that they could not live with anyone
else...

Does Hamlet display the Oedipus complex?

Hamlet's character is a very complex one and many would say that he does, indeed, display characteristics of the Oedipus complex, when Hamlet is analyzed from within the critical framework of psychoanalytic literary criticism. Bear in mind, though, that many literary analysts disagree with applying Freudian psychoanalytical principles to literature written before Freud's psycho-sexual theories were developed and known of. 

From Hamlet's first appearance and his soliloquy in Act 1.2, Hamlet laments the marriage of his mother to his uncle.  He tells us in his soliloquy in this scene that he's upset because his mother remarried so soon after his father's death and that she married her husband's brother. We can understand this when we know that, in the eyes of the Church, a woman married a man's family as well as the individual, therefore, Claudius was her brother in that sense, hence the reference to "incestuous sheets." 

Even Gertrude recognizes at least some of the source of Hamlet's unhappiness, when in Act 2.2, she says she has no doubt the source is her "o'er hasty marriage."  In Act 3, sc. 4, when Hamlet confronts Gertrude in her chamber after the play, the emotion he's been bottling up explodes. 

Hamlet rants at this mother for her marriage to Claudius.  He questions how could she stand to let him touch her.  He asks her what she sees in Claudius.  This exchange seems to show Hamlet just a little too emotional over his his mother simply remarrying unless we remember that their religion damns her to eternal hell for marrying her husband's brother; this would quite reasonably incense Hamlet. 

Some read into this scene the psycho-sexual lustful love of a youth for his mother, but there is nothing textually definitive to the words spoken by Hamlet; a psychoanalytic interpretation depends solely upon the literary theory approach applied.  Consider also the fact that he has discovered that his father's ghost correctly told him his uncle killed his father and the fact that he has just killed Polonius, and it is seen that it is normal that he would be emotional.

What is the main conflict of "The Scarlet Pimpernel"? As well as the category of the conflict? How is the conflict developed?

The main conflict in the book is the struggle, both to keep the young son of Louis XVI alive and smuggle him to England where he will be safe from the French Revolutionaries. Although it involves covert action and intrigue, this is mainly a political struggle because the British aristocracy does not want to see French aristocrats left without an heir to the throne after the beheading of Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette. British aristocrats are afraid that the revolution in France will spread to England and they will loose power. In addition to the dauphin, The Scarlet Pimpernel is determined to save as many of the French aristocracy as he can. The conflict is developed by first seeing The Scarlet Pimpernel saving a family destined for the guillotine, establishing a secondary love plot and then watching the conflict build as the French Revolutionists trying to catch The Scarlet Pimpernel.

What is the suggestion about Henry L. Palmetto's death in "The Great Gatsby"?

The suggestion about Henry Palmetto's death is that Gatsby is in with people who make money illegally.  Palmetto committed suicide indicating that he was either remorseful or very fearful and that whatever he had done would result in dire consequences for him.  There have been suggestions so far in the story that Gatsby made his fortune through some illegal means, possibly bootlegging, and this furthers that suggestion. Later in the chapter, we meet Meyer Wolfshiem, one of Gatsby's very close associates.  We quickly discover that he is a gambler and that he was the money man behind the fixing of the World Series in 1919.  If people are identified by those they associate with, then Gatsby certainly should be identified as one who deals with the underworld.

In "Fahrenheit 451," what approaching disaster is Faber counting on to give the intellectuals a chance to be heard?

Faber is waiting for the war that has been impending since the beginning of the story.  Several times, Bradbury mentions the jets roaring overhead as the country prepares for war.  When Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, friends of Millie's, are visiting, Mrs. Phelps says her husband was called up by the Army for a quick war; she says he'll be home by next week.  Faber knows however, and Montag comes to realize, that any way that occurs now will be a devastating war.  It will be a nuclear war with catastrophic results.  It is this very catastrophe that Faber is counting on, as is Granger.  They both express the idea that perhaps, like the legendary phoenix that burns itself up every thousand years only to rise again from the ashes, the city and the civilization will be able to rise from the ashes of this war and rebuild itself.  The hope is that this time, when civilization is built, it will learn from the past mistakes and not make them again.  Faber hopes that people will remember and understand the importance of books and of learning. He hopes that they won't become the society that they are at the time; one caught up in instant gratification, pleasure, and bland political correctness.

Who was the father of Portia?

Portia Catonis (70 BC-43 BC), usually known simply as
Portia, was the second wife of Marcus Junius Brutus, the friend and assassin of Julius
Caesar. Portia was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis and his wife, Atilia.
Portia's suicide is also well known, supposedly as a result of swallowing live, burning
coals. Before her marriage to Brutus, she wed an ally of her father, Marcus Calpurnius
Bibulus. They had a son, Lucius Calpurnius Bibulus, but there is some doubt that Portia
actually gave birth to him, since she would have been between the ages of 11 and
17.

Is Romeo and Juliet a tragedy?support your answer (tell me why!!)

Essentially, it is is not. Romeo and Juliet is better described as a rom-com with no jokes worth mentioning. The 'tragedy' concerns that worst of dramatic constructions, the deus ex machina, in this case the utterly implausible existence of a potion which convincingly imitates death. There is no such potion. But early adolescents being what they are - impressionable, gullible and stupid - the potion's effects are mistaken. And of course, if one's pubescent lover seems to have died, what else would you do but stab yourself?

It is vital to distinguish between 'tragic' events and tragedies. The former may be very sad: a car containing the world's best-adjusted family - mother and father still deeply in love, siblings the best of pals, lovable labrador puppy, parrot, goldfish etc, all of whom perish when car's brakes fail on precipitous cliff-side road - whilst the latter are very different: the wretched protagonists of King Lear, for example, whose personalities pre-destine their doom.

In other words, car accidents and their like are serendipitous, whilst tragedies are inexorable.

In "Animal Farm", why did the pigs get the job of teaching and organizing?

According to the text of the novel, the pigs are smarter than the other animals. However, the pigs are not as selfless as Old Major, the boar who originally predicted the revolution and died before it occurred. The pigs, especially Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer, condense Old Major's dream into a political philosophy called "Animalism" and proceed to take over the job of directing and organizing the other animals. However, as they continue to remain the supervisors, they do no physical labor, and they take extra food (milk and apples) for themselves instead of sharing with the others.

What does the symbol B stand for in the periodic table?

The symbol "B" on the periodic table stands for Boron.

Boron is a Group 13 element whose properties place it on the border between metals and nonmetals.  It is a semiconductor, and chemically it is closer to silicon than to aluminum, gallium, indium, and thallium.

The most common sources of boron are tourmaline, borax, and kernite.  Boron is used to produce the color green in pyrotechnics and flares.  It is also used as an ignition source in rockets, and also in nuclear reactors as radiation shields and neutron detectors.  Boron filaments are often used in the aerospace industry because of their light weight and great strength.

What is "willing suspension of belief"? How does having a willing suspension of belief help Mrs. Murry?

I think you mean the "willing suspension of disbelief".
The romantic poet Colleridge came up with the phrase to explain how a reader can engage
with a text even if the events or themes are not strictly realistic. The reader is
encouraged to overlook the plausibility of events and just appreciate the story outside
of reality. So, happily leave off what you know to be
true.

As a scientist, this would allow Mrs Murray to be
open to ideas that current science might not have answers for. She would be more willing
to entertain the idea of a tesseract, for example.

Why did Puritans execute witches?

The Puritans were were Calvanists who took the Bible literally. As such, they knew the command in Deuteronomy 18:10 “There shall not be found among you anyone . . . who practices witchcraft. . ." and the command in Exodus 22:18 “You shall not allow a sorceress [or witch] to live." As a result witchcraft was a capital crime in Puritan society. Puritans believed it was their duty to execute witches because it was God's command. Ironically, the people accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witchcraft Trials were condemned for other reasons than practicing witchcraft and those who may have practiced it were left unpunished.

What was Simon Finch's religion in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

Simon Finch, the ancestor of Atticus Finch, was a Methodist who left England to escape religious persecution. He was a successful fur trader and became wealthy. He also practiced medicine. According to Chapter 1, he eventually settled in Alabama, bought a few slaves and established a farm called "Finch's Landing". The family lost its wealth during the Civil War.

Summarize Provis' (Magwitch's) autobiography and the significant connection Pip and Herbert make based on what Provis tells them.

Provis' (Magwitch's) life can be summed up in a nutshell as he himself remarks: "In jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail."

Magwitch's life is that of an anonymous, orpahaned juvenile offender who from the time he became aware of himself till now has been a life of crime. In the course of his life of crime he was introduced to Compeyson a suave conman. Compeyson's accomplice was Arthur Havisham, the disinherited stepbrother of Miss Havisham. Arthur alongwith Compeyson had cheated Miss Havisham of her money and most importantly Compeyson had cheated Miss Havisham of her money by pretending to be in love with her and promising to marry her.  Arthur who was staying at the top of Compeyson's house was now dying and soon Magwitch becomes Compeyson's partner in crime. Shortly Arthur dies screaming that the ghost of Miss Havisham is killing him.

On one occasion both Compeyson and Magwitch are arrested but Compeyson manages to escape with a lighter sentence than Magwitch because of his fine clothes and superior manner and by turning approver against Magwitch.  Magwitch in turn vows to kill Compeyson for betraying him, and that is what he attempts to do in Ch.5.

In Ch.22 Herbert tells Pip the life story of Miss Havisham: but he does not know the names of the two men who cheated Miss Havisham. Only after listening to Magwitch's account of his life in Ch.42 he is able to identify Arthur Havisham and Compeyson.

How does Krogstad and Mrs. Linde's relationship serve to emphasize certain qualities in the Helmers' marriage?

The relationship between Krogstad and Mrs. Linde illustrates how forgiveness can heal relationships and bring people together. Krogstad and Mrs. Linde had a relationship many years before, but Mrs. Linde married someone that would financially support her mother and brothers. She did what she had to do for her family's sake, and years later, Krogstad was able to forgive her and move past the pain to go forward in their relationship.

This is a direct contrast to Nora and Torvald. Nora lied and forged for the good of her family, but Torvald is unable to forgive her and Nora realizes that her marriage cannot be healed.

Identify any five literacy devices in chapters 1,2 and 3 of The Catcher in the Rye.

In The Catcher in the Rye, the
following five literary devices are prevalent in Holden's narration.  In sum, they
contribute to the humor and alienation in his voice and comment on the disillusionment
of his episodic misadventure in post-war America:

A.
Anaphora: (repetition at beginning of sentence) : “It
rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his
stomach.”

B. Metaphor: “Or
you’d just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in
them.”

C. Alliteration: “crazy
cannon”; “we can smoke till they start screaming at us.”

D.
Verbal Irony (sarcasm, understatement,
overstatement): "It’s really ironical, because I’m six foot two and a
half and I have gray hair.”

E.
Hyperbole: “The one side of my head—the right side—is full
of millions of gray hairs.”

P.S.
Actually, hyperbole is an example of verbal irony, as it
is overstatement, but I think it still counts...

"A guilty conscience never feels secure"~Plubius Syrus: What is the meaning of this quote?

"A guilty conscience never feels secure" by Publius Syrus
is a maxim that is true of many characters in literature. One such example is Fyodor
Dostovesky's novel, Crime and Punishment in which a young student
named Raskolnikov murders an old woman money lender who lives above him to prove his
theory that extraordinary men are above the law since in their brillance they "think new
thoughts" and, thus, contribute to society.  He determines to prove his theory by
murdering a cynical old pawnbroker and her sister.  However, he does not consider his
conscience in his equation.

After Raskolnikov kills the old
woman, he reads the newspaper the next day--nothing is in it about a murder on his
street.  Still, he is watchful, attentive to any prolonged glance at himself or any
policeman passing by.  Days pass without incident, and this pattern continues until one
day, he can stand it no longer.  Raskolniknov's comes into contact with his conscience,
and he is made wretched by his guilt.  He begins to believe that the police officer in
charge of the murder watches him.  Raskolnikov becomes paranoic, imagining that the
officer suspects him.  And, the more Raskolnikov intellectualizes, the more imprisoned
he becomes.  When the officer does notice that Raskolnikov is acting strangely, the
sergeant then follows him and eventually arrests
him.

Constant worry that he would be found out is actually
what has caught Raslkolnikov because he begins to act oddly from his imaginings that the
sergeant suspects him.

In Shakespeare's
Hamlet, for instance, the same is true.  Claudius, who has murdered
Hamlet's father, the king, assumes the throne and marries Hamlet's mother.  But, because
Hamlet begins to act strangely, Claudius worries that he will be found out as one of the
murderers.  He devises various plans to rid himself of Hamlet, whom he suspects knows
much about him.  His final plan fails, however, and he himself is killed along with his
victims.

In chapter 12 of "Lord of the Flies", how does the naval officer view Jack? And why do the other boys weep?

The naval officer first views Jack with relative simple pleasure: he's happy that someone, anyone, is alive on the island. Very quickly, however, this immediate pleasure gives way to more intense and darker feelings. He's disappointed with how the boys have done on the island. He thinks they've given too much of themselves up, saying, "I should have thought that a pack of British boys—you're all British, aren't you?—would have been able to put up a better show than that—I mean—"

Readers aren't told if he just stops (as I think) or if Ralph interrupts him. In any case, the officer is essentially horrified.

The boys weep for lost innocence, and due to a sense of shame for what they've done.

What does the "D" in D-Day stand for?

See the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military Terms (linked below)

The DOD uses letters of the alphabet to specify different hours or days. Here are some examples:

C-day is the day on which a military deployment is scheduled to begin. That is, C-day is when troops currently stationed in the US are to be deployed for service abroad (or vice versa). 

D-day specifies the day on which a military operation begins. Although when we hear D-day we usually think of WWII, every battle has its D-day. For instance, D-day for Operation Desert Storm was Dec. 2, 1990. 

M-day is the specific day on which a mobilization is set to begin. Mobilization is the act of assembling and getting troops and supplies ready for war. Mobilization begins before deployment.

There are also N-days, R-days, S-days, T-days, and W-days. Visit the link below for information about them.

In Katherine Mansfield's story "The Fly," what does the fly represent?

The "boss" cannot get over the grief of losing his son in the war, but one day after the visit of a friend who shares the same fate, he distractly plays with a fly landing on his desk in his office. He teases the fly by letting a drop of ink fall on it, then watches it struggle to get free. He repeats the exercise another time, then another, encouraging it on, but the fly eventually drowns and dies.

The fly represents man in his frailty, who is no equal match against fate, which always wins in the end. He realises, at least on a subconscious level, a certain absurdity and non-reason of existence. It is no one's fault his son died, it could not be helped; and the only thing he can do at present is accept his son's death and get on with his own life.

It is interesting that "the boss" promptly forgets what he was preoccupied with when interrupted. Perhaps this is the first step indeed towards inner healing.

In the poem "The Last Ride Together," why does the lover say, "The petty done, the undone vast"?

The rejected -lover , in comparison to his failure of getting his lady , only gets a last ride with her .He invites self pity , and tries to explain his position  in an way of an idealist philosopher .

To him there is no perfect success in this world . Everybody , even the most successful person , is a failure .The labour , perseverance , and fortitude , spent for achiving an object , do not go altogether vain .We must attain a part of what we attempt .If we compare our presen achievement with with our past desire regarding that object , then , we realise the truth .

The lover thus advocates the limitations of human success , and acknowledges his failure as a part of his success.

Subrata Ray .Mousumipara .Uluberia .West Bengal .India .

Should George Milton be found guilty for his role in the death of Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men.Describe why George would be found guilty in John...

In Of Mice and Men, I think George
performs a "mercy killing," not murder, on Lennie, his long-time
friend.

To convict on murder you need: 1) the act of murder
and 2) an intent to kill which is intentional, purposeful, malicious,
premeditated.

So, while George's mercy killing is
intentional, purposeful, and premeditated, it is not malicious.  The two men had not had
a public fight; there's no signs of scuffle.  George was a type of guardian to Lennie,
and his role was that of protection.

According to
California State Law, George may not be guilty of murder.  There are exclusions,
according to Voluntary Euthanasia Under the
Law:

• Unlawful killings
  without malice or intent are
  considered manslaughter.


• Justified or
  accidental killings are considered homicides. Depending on the
  circumstances, these may or may not be considered criminal
  offenses.

So, I tend to think it
is voluntary euthanasia, or manslaughter, or justifiable homicide and not murder,
because there is no malicious motive on George's part.  He knew that Curley and the
posse were out for blood, and so he performed an act of mercy on his friend to prevent
the inevitable.

Compare Dr.Jekyll and Lanyon's character in "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

Jekyll and Lanyon are alike in being male, from privileged classes, and interested in science/medicine. They differ in that Jekyll is drawn more directly to experimentation, and to, forgive the cliché, the dark side of things. He is mysterious. Lanyon is, by contrast, cheery, even sunny. Lanyon is open; people understand him. He's a positive sort, at least until he observes the transformations that are happening. That depresses him, and breaks his health. However, Lanyon's sufficiently drawn to the dark and experimental that he's willing to watch Hyde drink the potion.

What's the symbolism behind every one of Boo's gifts to Jem and Scout?

Actually, I think all these answers are correct.  Radley tells Jim that the tree is diseased.  Radley views the Family tree as being diseased by the presence of Boo and Boo's alleged mental illness.  Keep in mind, that Radley gave up his already established life, to return home and maintain his father's old routines.  For Radley, Boo is the end of normal life.

However, Atticus, who is undoubtedly the voice of reason in the novel, recognizes that Boo is healthy in mind and body.  Atticus understands that Boo is simply a product of his environment.  Therefore he sees that the tree is healthy, in spite of the knot-hole scar.

The cement, like Boo's imprisonment, is simply a way to cover up the imperfections of the family and the tree.

This upsets Jem, because he begins to understand that Boo is a victim, not the villainous cat-eater of neighborhood legend.

What were the Federalist attitudes towards the national government in 1870's?Who were leaders and the supporters of the two parties?I dont seem to...

First of all, 1870s can't be right -- there were no
Federalists by then.  I think you probably mean 1780s.

The
national government means what we often call the federal government or the government in
Washington DC.  That is as opposed to the governments of the individual
states.

The Federalists were in favor of having the
national government be very powerful.  They thought it ought to have more power and the
state governments should have less.  The Federalists were led by people like Alexander
Hamilton.  The Democratic-Republicans were led by Thomas
Jefferson.

Stereotyping in "Trifles": The reader is introduced to some age-old stereotyping in this story. What are the stereotypes?How does the stereotyping...

A stereotype is an expectation or fixed notion based on limited knowledge.  The most important stereotype introduced in this play is that women are lesser creatures than men--that they are not capable of thinking as competently as their male counterparts.  The men allow this stereotype to interfere with the investigation as they continually comment on the silliness of their conversation... "They wonder if she was going to quilt it or knot it"...as the women wait for the men to find evidence of Minnie's guilt.  Had they paid more attention to what the women were discovering, they would have found the evidence they needed.  The broken birdcage, the bird's dead body wrapped lovingly in satin material, the erratic stitching in her quilt blocks. Because of their opinion that women are trifles and they worry themselves with trifles, they did not succeed in collecting valuable evidence against their suspect.

As a result, the women stick together and conceal the evidence they know the men need to convict Minnie.  One can only assume that they are also tired of being considered "less than" a man, and instead of killing their husbands as Minnie did, they secretly rescue one of their own from jail and further persecution.

What role does the fear of abandoment play in Willy's life in "Death of a Salesman"?

As Death of a Salesman unfolds, we see the unravelling of Willy Loman's life and mind. As his current life falls apart around him, Willy retreats more and more into the past, always revising history as he goes. He has created a family history that fulfills his American Dream but which is far from the truth. There is a deep need in Willy to be a hero to his sons and a stalwart husband to his wife, and it could be argued that this need has its roots in the traumas of Willy's early life. Increasingly, during the course of the play, we see the shadow remembrance of Ben, Willy's older brother who went into the jungles of Africa and came out a rich man. Ben has become an icon in Willy's pantheon of heroes, but is Ben real? The abandonment of his younger brother to a much lesser life has certainly scarred Willy in ways from which he can never recover. He is unable to blame Ben for abandoning him, seeing him instead as a hero of mythic proportions. To shore up his own self-esteem, he borrows from Ben's story to raise his own sons: still overlooking reality, he destroys their lives as well as his own, never recognizing how he enables the lies, cheating, and stealing that eventually bring them down. With the play's final scenes of the tragic truth, the lives are now ripped apart, and Willy can no longer continue the charade that has been his whole life.

What are some examples of autobiographical material in literature?According to my teacher: Some writers, while not choosing the genre of...

Much fiction is based on read event and then adapted later
by a writer who lived them.  Here are some more
examples:

The Things They Carried: Tim
O'Brien is a character (persona) in his own story which deals with his real-life
experiences in Vietnam and after as a writer.

The
Old Man and the Sea: Hemingway bases this novella on his observations of an
old fisherman in Cuba where he lived for many
years.

The Great Gatsby: Fitzgerald
himself is an amalgam of Nick and Gatsby.  His wife, Zelda, is very close to
Daisy.

Trifles and "A Jury of Her
Peers": Susan Glaspell bases her play and short story on a real murder of a husband by a
wife that she noted as a court reporter.

The
Catcher in the Rye: though this is not autobiographical in terms of plot,
Salinger is very much like Holden was a teen.  Salinger also writes himself into the
book at Mr. Antolini.  Here's some other
matchups:

I.
Salinger vs.
Holden

A. both born and raised in
NYC

B. both attend schools and fail to graduate
(Holden-prep school; Salinger-college)

C. both have parents
of different religious faiths

D. both have well-to-do
parents

E. both underwent treatment (Holden-psychiatric;
Salinger-post war stress)

F. both isolate themselves from
others (Holden runs away; Salinger is a recluse in N.H.)

Explain why Mary Warren thinks Elizabeth should speak civilly to her in "The Crucible"?

Mary Warren thinks Elizabeth should speak civilly to her because, unbeknownst to Elizabeth, Mary has just saved her life.

Mary Warren, servant to John and Elizabeth Proctor, has been attending the witch trials in Salem without their permission.  She defies John Proctor, who is angry that she has gone to the proceedings against his wishes, telling him that she is a witness and "an official of the court", and that she has "God's work to do".  To emphasize her importance, Mary says that just an hour ago she had sat with "four judges and the King's deputy...at dinner", and reveals that in court that day, Elizabeth's name had been "somewhat mentioned" among the names of the women suspected of witchcraft.  Mary claims that she had stood up for Elizabeth, attesting that she "never see no sign (Elizabeth) ever sent (her) spirit out to hurt no one".  The court, knowing that Mary "do live so closely with (Elizabeth)", had dismissed the charge.  Mary, proclaiming to the Proctors that she "saved (Elizabeth's) life today", feels that they should be indebted to her, and asserts by saying, "I would have you speak civilly to me, from this out" (Act II, Scene

What happened in Chapters 7 and 8 of "The Cay"?

In Chapter 7, Timothy brings the raft to land.  He carries Phillip and Stew Cat ashore, and then goes to explore the island.  Phillip, who is still blind, is terrified when left alone, and imperiously orders Timothy to promise not to leave him again.  Phillip is angry that they have landed on an island which is uninhabited, but Timothy says that he will make a camp, catch langosta, or lobsters, for food, and that hopefully, a ship will pass by soon and rescue them.  Timothy believes they are on a cay known as Devil's Mouth, and that they will be all right, but Phillip feels that Timothy is not telling him the whole truth.

In Chapter 8, Timothy admits that the island they are on is more remote than he had thought, but he still has hope for their survival.  Phillip is indignant when Timothy leaves him again, but Timothy gently chides him, reminding him, "'ere I'm all you got".  Phillip notices that Timothy seems "tired and groans a lot" as he works, and learns that the man is over seventy years old.  In the morning, Timothy makes a fire on the beach, and wants to spell a message on the sand to attract the attention of passing planes.  Although Timothy is too proud to directly ask for help, Phillip figures out that Timothy cannot spell, and draws out the letters HELP in the sand so that Timothy can arrange large rocks to make a signal that can be seen from the air. 

Wasn't the relationship between Candide and Cunegonde incest?

In Voltaire's time marrying a cousin was not considered incest, for people did not realize the genetic risks of such unions.  In "Wuthering Heights," for instance, Catherine marries Sir Edgar, her first cousin and their is no implication of incest.

Do not forget, too, that Volaire is ever the satirist.  So, perhaps, he ridicules the custom of maintaining blood lines and the false pride taken in family heritage.

How is the theme good vs. evil evident in the novel Lord of the Flies?

In the novel, there are many examples of good versus evil.
Golding inserts in the novel many Christian symbols--the hit-you-over-the-head kind. For
example, Simon is the Jesus figure: he is kind, works on the huts (Jesus was a
carpenter), feeds the children fruit that they cannot reach (Jesus fed people in the
Bible), and he goes to a private place with natural candles on the trees to meditate
(similar to going to a church to pray). Simon is also the one who has the standoff with
the beast--the boars head on the stick. This is where the beast informs Simon that there
is no beast to be afraid of: they only have to be afraid of themselves--the beast
within.

Furthermore, many experts believe that Jesus had
epilepsy (a seizure disorder), and Simon has this condition, too. He has a seizure at
the end of his conversation with the beast, which is why he has so much trouble walking
down the mountain after he wakes up. He slinks down the mountain, hunched over, and the
kids (at first) mistake him for the Beast. But then they know who it is and they kill
him anyway--good versus evil again. As his body floats away, the head is surrounded by
bioluminescent creatures that make a "halo" around it.

Then
there is Jack versus Ralph. Jack creates a tribe, one that sacrifices animal parts to
the Beast--very reminiscent of young civilizations. Maybe the Beast will be pleased and
won't hurt them if they sacrifice these pigs heads. They have moved from science to
superstition. Jack's henchmen, Roger and Maurice, are as evil as they come. Roger
tortures kids, and he eventually kills Piggy with a large
boulder.

Jack, at the end, reverts to human sacrifice, with
a stick "sharpened at both ends" for Ralph, as he plans on sacrificing Ralph's head to
the Beast. Then Jack's entire tribe hunts Ralph until they are rescued by the adults.
All of the kids, with the exception of Simon, have let their inner beast out on the
island at some point.

What are two significant events in The House On Mango Street?

There are many important events in this book, which interweaves many family stories. I like to start with the first major event, which is the Corderos moving into the house on Mango Street. It is a major event for them (their first house), and is therefore full of expectation and emotion.

 

Another event that defines the book is when Rachel and Lucy new little sister dies. This loss is sad in itself, of course, but it is also when Esperanza gets her palm read. This sets up her wish in the final chapter, and the expectation that it might happen: that she might have her own house some day.

How did Woodrow Wilson spend more time on his foreign policy rather than his domestic one?Try to include as many points as possible!

It really makes a lot of sense that Woodrow Wilson would
have split his time like this.  After all, he was the president of the United States
during a big time in foreign affairs.

First of all, he had
to deal with the issues of World War I beginning in 1914.  He was trying to figure out
what role the US would play in the war.  First he worked to keep the US out, then, when
the US was in, he tried to shape the war aims of the
Allies.

Second, he had to deal with the issue of the peace
treaty -- the Treaty of Versailles.  He had to work on negotiating it at first and that
kept him outside the US for a long time.  Then he had to try to push it through the
Senate.

All of this took up his time and he did not have
enough time or energy left over for domestic affairs.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," what are the similarities and differences between Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell? E.g.: atticus-righteous and...

I would say the most important way they are alike is that they both have to deal with people who clearly hate them.  In Atticus' case, many people in Maycomb think he's a "nigger-lover" and are very vocal about sharing that opinion.  In Bob Ewell's case, people think he's white trash and I think that even he knows that they secretly consider him below the hard-working blacks.  I think that's why he hates blacks so much.

But that similarity leads to the most important difference.  When Atticus feels like the world has turned against him, he continues to do the right thing, even when it's him against a mob and he believes he is going to lose.  He doesn't scramble after some illusion of power.  But Bob Ewell is determined to prove his "worthy" by proving that he has power over others.  He dominates his daughter (and possibly rapes her, which is a clear power play).  He accuses Tom Robinson and essentially gets him killed.  He attacks Jem and Scout, two children who are no match for a grown man.  He wants power, and he abuses others to feel more powerful. 

Which event in the story is a key detail in Holmes's solution of the case?

When Holmes is visiting the neighborhood of Jabez Wilson's pawn shop with Watson, he rings the bell of the shop and John Clay opens the door to invite them in. Holmes merely asks for directions to the Strand. Toward the end of the story, when he is explaining his deductions to Watson over whiskeys and sodas back at Baker Street, he tells his old friend:

I hardly looked at his face. His knees were what I wished to see.

The worn, wrinkled and stained condition of the knees of Clay's trousers proved to Holmes that he was right in suspecting that Wilson had been gotten out of the way so that his assistant could be free for four hours a day to dig a tunnel. When Holmes walked around the corner and saw the branch of the City and Suburban Bank, he was sure the tunnel was being dug for the purpose of looting the bank. The most important event in the story was Holmes's asking for directions to the Strand and seeing the condition of John Clay's trousers. He was already sure that the shop assistant posing as Vincent Spaulding was the master criminal John Clay.

What are the setting and elements in "Shooting an Elephant"?

The physical setting of the story is in British-occupied Burma.  The main character, a British soldier, is forced to kill an elephant after is has run wildly through the village on a rampage which killed a local man.  The soldier is caught up in an internal conundrum since he knows it is immoral to kill the now calm elephant--as much a character worth studying as any of the humans--but he also knows that it is expected of him by the locals.  Not to kill the elephant will be to lose respect of the locals which may put the soldier in an even more dangerous predicament than living among locals who already resent being forced to live under British rule.  The elephant symbolizes big government among other things...making it a difficult decision for him to pull the trigger.

After many of the facts had been revealed, what action did congress take and what did Nixon do in response? (Watergate scandal)u.s history research

Inconvenient facts were not
revealed.

Read my book 'Watergate The Political
Assassination' for an alternate interpretation.

After 40
years, we are beginning to question the inconsistencies of the Watergate
story.

Read my book - Watergate - The Political Assasination which has
to be a docu-fiction for legal reasons for an aternate interpretation and tries to give
answers to the questions below:.

Why was the arrest at the THIRD
attempt at break-in not reported more widely?
Why did the dollar notes on the
arrested raiders have consecutive serial numbers?
Why was Howard Hunt's name
in the address books of TWO of the four arrested Cubans?

My ebook
(ISBN - 9780956911940) will be avaialble at href="http://smashwords.com/">smashwords.com in a few days, in time for the
40th anniversary of Nixon's historical trip to China. It has hyperlinks to all the
historical evets covered in the book.

Rene
Chang

Read more here: href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/14/2639954/the-profound-lies-of-deep-throat.html#storylink=cpy">http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/14/2639954/the-profound-lies-of-deep-throat.html#storylink=cpy

What are 3 examples of the way Jem matures throughout the book "To Kill a Mockingbird"?Explainations? Detail?I was thinking Ms. Dubose, the trial,...

The examples you have a good. Reading to Mrs. Dubose should Jem that his actions have a reaction and there is usually more to people that we generally see. The trial obviously opens Jem's eyes to the injustice in the world, and allows him to think critically about the world around him (look at the discussion he has with Atticus about the legal system). The incident with Atticus shooting the rabid dog, Tim Johnson, shows Jem the a gentleman does what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

There are several other examples of Jem growing up. When Nathan Radley cements up the knot hole that Boo had been leaving gifts in, Jem begins to cry. He obviously knows that it was Boo's only way to communicate and Nathan is preventing that. Also, Jem tells Atticus that Dill has run away and Scout explains that by doing this, Jem "broke the final code of childhood." Jem stands up to Atticus when the mob tries to attack Atticus to get at Tom Robinson--a very grown-up thing for Jem to do. Another small example is when Scout and Jem are sleeping out on the porch, and Scout is about to squish the roly-poly bug. Jem tells her not to do it, as it didn't do anything to her. Jem has learned the adult lesson of empathy.

Why do one's cheek burn with silent imputation of parsimony?That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time...

The sentence means that Della was embarrassed (cheeks burning) by the unspoken (silent) suggestion (imputation) of stinginess (parsimony).  Della and Jim had very little money and so they had to make every penny count and to some that might appear that they were being stingy rather than simply being frugal.  The suggestion that they had to be so frugal was embarrassing, thus causing a blush on her cheeks.

In the story, it is this lack of money that causes Della and Jim each to part with her/his most loved possession in order to buy the other a special gift.  Of course, the irony in the story is that the gift each purchased for the other was a gift that would have adorned the possession that each sold. 

How does Scout change during the course of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird?

Scout matures from her experiences in the novel. At the beginning of the novel, she is innocent and naive. By the end of the novel, she has lost much of her innocence due mostly to the events surrounding Tom Robinson's trial. She understands more about life and people. She learns about prejudice and intolerance when she witnesses the trial of Tom Robinson and sees how ugly people can be when they are racists and bigots. She also learns this lesson about Boo Radley who has been made out to be a monster. At the end of the book, she learns what a good, kind man Arthur Radley really is.

Scout also matures from the time she spends with the people who live around her and with her. Calpurnia teaches Scout manners, such as the time Cecil Jacobs comes home to eat lunch with them. Scout comments on Cecil pouring syrup all over his food, and Calpurnia scolds her for it. Miss Maudie teaches Scout about her father and the beliefs Atticus holds dear. She tells Scout why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird and comments on some of the other people in the town.

Atticus has the biggest influence on Scout. At the beginning, she wishes Atticus was younger and more active, like other fathers. As the book progresses, she begins to respect Atticus for his courage and his ways of parenting. By the end of the book, Scout is on her way to becoming a young woman whom Atticus can be proud of.

Who is Allie, what does his glove symbolize, and why does Holden keep it in The Catcher in the Rye?

Figuratively, Allie's glove is a symbol for Holden's emotional expression.  He keeps it hidden, it is precious and holds his heart.  Allie's glove has poetry written on it. When Holden has to write a composition for Stradlater's homework, he looks to Allie's glove for inspiration.  Allie's glove is Holden's connection to his feelings, which he reserves for a very few, Allie being one and Phoebe, his little sister, being the other. 

It is connected to the story, because at the heart of the story is Holden's grief over his brother's death. Holden needs help dealing with this grief.  He must take out the glove, literally and confront his pain and acknowledge his feelings in order to release himself from the terrible guilt and loss that he feels. 

Holden does not understand why Allie who was much smarter than him died.  He feels guilty that he, who lives because he is not sick like Allie was, is inferior and stupid. So it is the central emotion that dominates Holden's journey throughout the book.   

I need help getting started on my essay for Romeo and Juliet...I have 2 topics (I only need to write about one). I need to discuss Shakespeare's...

Of the three mentioned, the topic of comic relief is
certainly a more cheerful one; and, as pointing to its usage is not difficult, you may
wish to explain how it is used and what it accomplishes.  The secon topic, that of fate
and coincidence is interesting as so much of everyone's life has been affected by mere
coincidence: "being in the right place at the right time," or "being in the wrong place
at the wrong time" has often had monumental effects in people's
lives.

From beginning to end, Shakespeare's Romeo
and Juliet has coincidential occurrences.  Here are some
ideas: 

• Is it coincidence that the party for
  Juliet comes at a time that he has just suffered unrequited
  love?


• Is it coincidence that Tybalt sees Romeo
  there?


• Is it coincidence that Paris wants to marry Juliet
  before she is even fourteen, and at the same time that she falls in love with
  Romeo?


• Is it coincidence that Mercutio is in a bad temper
  when he sees Tybalt in the streets of Verona?


• Is it
  coincidence when Romeo appears?


• Is it coincidence when
  Romeo is banished and a plague strikes Mantua?


• Is it
  coincidence when Friar John gets to Mantua after
  Balthasar?


• Is it coincidence that Paris is at the tomb of
  Juliet at the same time as Romeo?


• Is it coincidence that
  the guards come just as Friar Laurence tries to tell Juliet to
  leave?


• Is it coincidence that there are so many
  coincidences? Or are some of these coincidences fate for the "star-crossed
  lovers"? 

What is the climax of the story "The Masque of the Red Death"?

The climax of this story occurs after Prospero has ordered his revelers to unmask the mysterious stranger who has appeared in their midst. The rising action has been the movement of Prospero and his guests through each of the different colored rooms, except for the very last room which frightens them all. Upon seeing this unknown "guest" in his horrific costume of death and blood, Prospero orders his other guests to grab this "blasphemer" and unmask him so he can be punished. The guests are too frightened to, so finally Prospero has to do it himself, after chasing the figure into the final room. The climax, then, is the turning of the figure to face Prospero, who now learns that the uninvited guest is the Red Death itself, which is there to kill Prospero and all of his revelers.