What did Captain Beatty tell Montag in part 1? What are the 3 (or more) main things in Beatty`s speech? What does that express in the book?In part...

This is an important part of the story because it explains how the society seen in "Fahrenheit 451" came about, and speaks to the message that Bradbury was trying to get across with his book which was people should work to prevent that sort of society from becoming reality.  Beatty tells Montag that the society came to be because people wanted things to be simpler and faster.  They didn't want to take the time to read an entire book or an entire newspaper even.  They wanted to know just what was necessary for them and then move on.  Consequently, books became condensed to the point of simply being a sentence describing the plot.  Along with the boring blandness that came with condensing books came the push to "cleanse" books of all material not deemed politically correct.  That cleansing, done for the sake of keeping people happy and free from upset, made books very boring.  Beatty explains that these two trends - desire for speed of information along with the white-washing of information - created the dictate that books were bad and they were needless.  Beatty says books caused people to be unhappy because books told the truth or books showed possibility of what could be.  So books were bad.  Since people wanted information fast and only relevant to themselves, they did not want to take the time to read a book.  Finally, he says that to keep people happy and occupied, the government pushed for recreation and schooling at younger ages so that the children were taken from home as babies and put in schools.  Little nurturing was done, but people were encouraged to partake of mindless contests and sports.  Those are the three main points that Beatty brings out to Montag in part one.

Is "An Ideal husband" by Oscar Wilde, a Classical Play? If not what style is it and why?

Fantastic question!
Oscar Wilde is a true Greek and a lover of classical literature, art, architecturel and all forms of Greek art. This serves as an argument in favor of An Ideal Husband and, indeed, most of his work, to be Greek Classical due to his personal preferences. In most Classical literature youwill find the tragic hero, orheroine, a tragica antihero, and a situation solved by no more than Moira (fate) alone. Under this premise, "An Ideal Husband" would satisfy those premises as both male and female characters are drawn to their fates through a situation of which they had no control. That is classical theatre at its best.

However, lest we forget that Oscar Wilde wrote less for form compared to what he wrote for essence. He was upset and highly fed up with Victorian society. He wrote this play as one of several ways of mirroring Victorian society's views of prudence and his own perception of marriage, love, passion, and life. He had somehow to come to a happy medium and created a realistic fictional play with Greek undertones to precipitate an effect that lasts until the 21st century.

Why does Conrad refer to champagne as "medical comforts"? "Holding a half-pint champagne bottle (medical comforts) . . ."I am translating Heart Of...

What a great project! Any time we translate into another language there are metaphors and nuances that do not translate well.  Hence we say "something is lost in translation."

The idea of champagne or any alcoholic beverage being a comfort arose as a euphemism in English. A "euphemism" is a word or expression that allows us to express an idea in a way that we believe is not as embarrassing as an outright statement.  So, for example, one might use the word "bosom" instead of the word "breast," or speak of the "ladies' room" instead of referring to the room that has the toilet we need!  Euphemisms were particularly common in Victorian times, when people thought it somehow offensive to speak of sexual anatomy or bodily functions. But I must say that it is likely that all languages and periods have some euphemisms.

Now, having said all of that, many people in the past (and now) felt that consuming alcohol was shameful and weak.  Some people who wished to indulge in its use claimed that it was solely for "medicinal purposes."  This was supposed to make others think that the alcohol had been "prescribed" or advised by a physician and was not a weakness or indulgence on the speaker's part.  In fact, before alcohol and various drugs were regulated by government, many pharmaceutical concoctions contained alcohol or drugs that would be illegal today.

Today, we often use the term "medicinal purposes" somewhat ironically, to show that we know how foolish a euphemism this was.  In fact, I have said this myself on occasion, telling my husband that I was drinking a glass of wine for medicinal purposes only.  This has become a common joke in English for people who are aware of the history of this euphemism.  I suspect Conrad was using the expression he used as a bit of a joke, too, knowing that the reader knew full well that champagne served no medical use whatsoever! If he were speaking to us and said this, the comment would have likely to have been accompanied by a wink.

Are you aware that English was not Conrad's native language?  He was born in Ukraine, raised later in Poland, and did not learn English until he was an adult.  Born in 1857,he only  became a British citizen in 1886, having travelled all over the world as a seaman.  His mastery of English, evidenced in his wonderful novels, is truly amazing.

Good luck to you in your translation.

What are some similarities and differences of the religious beliefs between the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Hebrews, and Assyrians?

The most obvious similarities involve the belief in one (or more, in the case of all but the Hebrews) deities, and a belief in an afterlife.  The most obvious difference, of course, is the monotheism of the Hebrew religion.

The early Mesopotamian religions, like almost all mythologies, portrayed the actions of nature as those of gods and goddesses.  These were brought into being by four creator gods, who were in turn created by Taimat and Abzu, personalized (or anthropomorphized, if you will) forces which arose from a primordial chaos.  There was a sky-god, An, Enlil a storm/weather god, an earth god named Nin-khursag and a water god named Enki.  You see the same or variations of these and other lesser gods and goddesses throughout Mesopotamian history from the earliest cities through the great empires of Babylon and Assyria.  Sumerian culture being Mesopotamian the same basic beliefs apply- a flat earth surrounded by seas from which the universe arose, the sky-god An and the goddess Ki giving birth to Enlil, etc.

The religion of Israel is the dramatic difference from others which arose in the area.  Of course, according to the Holy Bible ("Separated Book") this monotheistic religion was the original religion and the others were ideas which came later due to superstition and ignorance.  The creation myths of Babylonian culture and that of the Bible are quite similar except in this one point, and Oxford professor Dr. Stephan Langdon in Semitic Mythology claimed that his study of the earliest Babylonian inscriptions led him to conclude that the original religion of the area had indeed been monotheistic, and polytheism came later.  The Bible states that Abraham, father of the Arabs and Israelis, came from the Babylonian city of Ur, a city in which a moon-god cult was predominant.  The Hebrew religion differs in the concentration on a history of one family running from the first humans through Abraham and his descendants to an eventual "anointed" who would release mankind and the physical world from the burden of the human propensity for wrong-doing once and for all.  All these religions (including Israel in the meantime) used animal sacrifice (or human, for some of them).

Egyptian religion was similar to those of Babylon and Assyria; there was an watery chaos called Nun, out of which came the creator Ra.  Ra incidentally has three aspects- in the morning Khepera the Creator, at noon Ra the Sun-god and in the evening Atum the Complete.  Ra also had a secret name.  The Egyptians had a set of gods and goddesses with personal relationships which gave form to their complex religion, the core of which was contained in the well-known Book of the Dead.  This "book" was a set of murals in hieroglyphics which would be painted on the inner walls of the tombs of the rich and powerful to guide their spirits through the ordeal of judgement in the afterlife.

Early Mesopotamian religions, later versions throughout the area, the Israeli religion and Egyptian all believed in life after death, and the latter two in a judgement of the soul of the deceased based upon actions and beliefs during life. Most Mesopotamian religions did not believe in a chance of paradise after death, but simply an unending second life of a rather dismal sort.

What is a summary of Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18''?

This is one of Shakespeare's sonnets in which he gives "advice" to a young man, one he is apparently mentoring.  In various sonnets he gives him advice on love, money, etc.  This particular sonnet finds Shakespeare amazed and ashamed that the young man seems to have no love in his heart, only hatred.  In the first quatrains he asks the young man about this hatred, seeming to seek clarification that man really is so hateful.  In the second quatrain he compares the young man's hate to a house--the man hates so much that he does not even repair the roof of his home (i.e. himself).  If he takes such poor care of his home (himself) it will fall in, and perhaps kill him.  By the final quatrain Shakespeare is pleading with the young man to change his ways, or prove Shakespeare wrong.

Who is the swamper in "Of Mice and Men"?

Candy is the "old swamper" in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. The term "swamper" simply refers to the fact that he literally "swamps" or washes out the bunkhouse where the men on the ranch live. When we first meet Candy in chapter two, he is carrying a broom in his left hand because he lost his right hand in a work related accident. Steinbeck describes him,

The door opened and a tall, stoop-shouldered old man came in. He was dressed in blue jeans and he carried a big push-broom in his left hand. 

He's followed around by a "a drag footed sheepdog" with "pale, blind old eyes." He seems happy enough in the beginning and is used by Steinbeck to describe the various characters on the ranch, including the Boss, Slim, Crooks, Curley and Curley's wife.

At the end of chapter two, however, Candy's life takes a depressing turn as Carlson, a "powerful, big stomached" worker on the ranch suggests to Slim that Candy's dog is too old and decrepit and should be put out of its misery. He wants Slim to give Candy one of his puppies (one of them is given to Lennie). Slim, being the de facto leader of the men approves Carlson's idea, and in chapter three Carlson shoots Candy's dog.

The old swamper becomes despondent over the loss of his dog until George begins to describe the "little piece of land" he and Lennie hope to one day have. Because Candy received a settlement from the ranch over the loss of his hand he has $350 which he can contribute. He tells George:

“S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hunderd an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How’d that be?” 

George agrees and the "thing they had never really believed in was coming true." Candy also serves to provide foreshadowing for the ending of the book as he tells George,

“I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.”

Rather than let Curley or one of the other men kill Lennie, George takes Carlson's gun and shoots his friend in the back of the head. With the dream gone, Candy expresses his bitterness over the loss his future as he stands over Curley's wife,

“You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.” He sniveled, and his voice shook. “I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys.” 

Explain the mystery that Jabez Wilson wants Sherlock Holmes to solve.

Jabez Wilson is upset because he has just received notice that the Red-Headed League has been disbanded. He was being employed there because his exceptionally brilliant red hair supposedly made him the ideal candidate for membership in what was represented as a sort of fraternal organization founded by a wealthy man for the purpose of benefiting red-headed men. Wilson was getting generously paid for simply copying articles from the Encyclopedia Britannica. He is apparently hoping that Sherlock Holmes could find out why the League had been disbanded without advance notice and whether it might reopen again, or whether it has moved to a different location. He hates losing that easy income for such simple work. Holmes was sufficiently interested in this seemingly trivial case to go around with Watson to take a look at the shop. He realizes that Wilson's employee is tunneling into a bank vault and was using the Red-Headed League to get Wilson out of the way while he worked on his tunnel. The fact that the League has been disbanded tells Holmes that the burglars are ready to break into the vault. This story is one of Doyle's most popular Sherlock Holmes tales, although it is hard to believe that Wilson would bring his problem to Sherlock Holmes and hard to understand what Wilson thought could be done to help him recover his cushy job.

What is Chillingworth's physical imperfection, and what does it imply about his character?

His physical deformity is a hunchback, which symbolizes much about his character. First, it is symbolic of his devotion to deep, as opposed to superficial, knowledge. He has studied apothecary and the healing arts, first in Europe and later among Native Americans. This is a sincere benevolent exercise until he discovers his wife's actions, whereupon he turns his skills toward the evil of revenge.

This reveals the other meaning of his deformity. His physical imperfection reflects his wounded soul. As the novel continues, his countenance appears more & more monstrous: an outward mirror of the twisted internal workings. Under this hideous visage he hides his true identity, so he can better torture the man who has cuckolded him. He entreats Hester

Breathe not, to any human soul, that thou didst ever call me husband! Here, on this wild outskirt of the earth, I shall pitch my tent; for, elsewhere a wanderer, and isolated from human interests, I find here a woman, a man, a child, amongst whom and myself there exist the closest ligaments. No matter whether of love or hate; no matter whether of right or wrong! Thou and thine, Hester Prynne, belong to me. My home is where thou art, and where he is. But betray me not!”

Thus, while he stands out due to his physical appearance, he is still anonymous in the land. His true identity is kept secret, while he is free to wreak his evil upon Dimmesdale.

What is the figure of speech in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

A figure of speech is a useful tool in literature, and introduces an inferred meaning into a description other than the literal interpretation. This allows for vivid descriptions and visual images which intensify the significance contained in, in this instance, Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 which begins with the familiar words "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's Day?" Shakespeare directs a question at the object of his admiration, and not expecting an answer, he answers himself adding great emphasis to the poem. The question is, therefore, rhetorical. Of course, the answer would be a resounding affirmation and in fact Shakespeare's subject is far "more lovely and more temperate." The opening line is a much repeated line in many romantic encounters, not all of which are sincere expressions of admiration. However, Shakespeare's intention is in no doubt and he uses metaphor to make his comparison with a summer's day.

His talk of "temperate" weather and "rough winds" reveals the enduring characteristics of his subject who is not affected by change, and the metaphor is extended so that the reader cannot mistake Shakespeare's feelings of high regard for someone whose "eternal summer shall not fade." It is significant that Shakespeare talks of the month of May which passes and of summer as the seasons change. "Nature's changing course" confirms that it would not be possible to sustain a "gold complexion" but, for Shakespeare's subject, not even Death (personified) can hold him in "his shade." 

Critical analysis of the poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns

The structure of this poem is four four lined stanzas, while the rhyme scheme varies in the first half and the second half.  In the first two stanzas, the second and fourth lines rhyme (Stanza 1:  “June” and “tune” and Stanza 2:  “I” and “dry”), while in the last two stanzas, the rhyme pattern features the second and fourth lines rhyming again, but the first and third lines end with the same word.  This helps to create the rhythmic and song like quality to the poem. 

The surface meaning is about a speaker who is naturally in love.  The speaker uses several examples of figurative language to relay the relevancy of love.  For example, the opening line and title compares love to a “red, red rose.”  This simile brings forth the mental picture of vibrancy and intensity, as it links one’s love to a traditional flower of love, the rose. 

This is continued with invocation of how love is a song “in June,” indicating temperate conditions filled with sun.  The length and breadth of the speaker’s love is continued in the second stanza with its comparison to the depth of the “seas.”  The surface meaning concludes with an emphasis of the speaker’s love in the last two stanzas, which serve to reemphasize the intensity and commitment of the speaker’s love. 

The symbolic meaning of the poem is to convey the passion and intensity that is involved in being in love with someone. 

A theme could certainly be that there are many ways to redescribe one’s love, many metaphors or ways of expression which help to clarify what it means to be in love with someone. 

The tone of the poem is exalting of love, joyful of being in its presence, which mirrors the mood of enthusiasm and joy.  In terms of the appreciation of the poem, I think anyone who believes in the power of love could appreciate much of what the poet employs here.  However, there is one dilemma that is present.  There is little to indicate why there is an emotional connection present.  We realize that the speaker is in love and they truly believe in the authenticity of this expression.  However, there is little else to indicate that this love is spiritually or emotionally inclined. 

If we continued to examine the poem in this light, we see that this might be infatuation or a surface type of love.  This might be something that resides in the mind of the reader, but it should be raised in terms of trying to gauge what statement might lie or its level of appreciation.

How are the images of blindness and sight in 'King Lear' relevant to characteriztion, plot and theme?Is this a comparative contrast essay or...

To correct the answer above..
Lear asks his three daughters how much they love him. Their answer will determine how much land they are given by him. This shows Lear being vain and wanting to obtain a large ego with reassurance of their love to make him happy. When his two eldest daughters speak, they are very nice to Lear only to gain the land that they desperately desire. When Cordelia, the youngest daughter speaks, she says she doesnt love her father more or less than she should. Cordelia speaks only the truth, unlike her sisters, which ulitimitely leads to her banishment from the family because Lear was blind to see her loyalty that Cordelia provided to him.
Lear later realizes his mistake in banishing Cordelia and goes mad. This is the result of his awareness of Goneril and Regan, the two daughters that he has faulsely trusted instead of his true loyal daughter Cordelia. Gloucester is the one who goes physically blind due to Cornwall, his own bastard son Edmund, Goneril and Regan bind him to a chair and pluck out his eyes. This shows Gloucester's blindness in trusting his bastard son Edmund instead of his loyal ligitimate son Edgar.

In chapter 7, Ender imagines the Salamander Army as the wolves in the game. What gives Ender hope in the midst of these ¨wolves¨?

Ender remains hopeful during his time in Salamander Army because he makes friends with Petra.  She teaches him how to become a better marksman.  He also keeps his hopes up by practicing during his play time with other "launchies" in the battle room and he learns by observing what other armies do correctly and incorrectly.  He also has hope because Bonzo is trying to trade him away to another army.  Ender is convinced that he will be a good soldier eventually.  He also sees that he will be superior to the other soldiers in Salamander Army.

Most importantly, Ender remebers that Alai had told him there was always at least one person worth knowing in any army To which Ender would be assigned.

"When Ender gets assigned to Salamander Army, Alai reveals his true friendship in a hug and a whispered "Salaam." "Whatever it meant to Alai, Ender knew that it was sacred; that he had uncovered himself for Ender, as Ender's mother had done, when he was very young." Alai's voice is the first Ender hears when he is finally allowed to work with others at Command School."

Discuss the stands the author and characters take in "Fahrenheit 451" in regards to the theme mentioned below.Freedom of speech and the...

Montag lives in a society where not only speech is controlled (through the burning of books, and the production of only informational materials), but also thoughts.  Controlling speech helps to control thoughts, and as the kids in schools are crammed full of factual, useless information, then kept busy watching t.v. and smashing cars on the weekend, they have no room or time for true thinking.  Clariss mentions that at school

"we never ask questions; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing."

This indicates that speech--and thought--is being controlled by the teachers.  They give all of the answers and information the kids need so that kids can't or don't need to ask questions at all, or express curiosity through speech.  And, since Clarisse is a curious girl, and very happy being so, Bradbury seems to be indicating that the repression of speech and thought leads to shallow, violent, non-connected human beings who just follow whatever orders are given to them.

Beatty's speech to Montag gives more background on how speech and expression of thought through words is repressed.  Beatty states society's attitude towards people who expressed themselves through writing and thought:

"Authors, full of evil thoughts lock up your typewriters...Books, so the...critics said, were dishwater...a book is a loaded gun next door.  Burn it...breach man's mind.  Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?  Me?  I won't stomach them for a minute."

Through Montag's society, Bradbury is pointing out what happens in our society all too often.  Expression of speech allows mankind to express individuality, and views that might contradict the powers to be, or cause rebellion and dissatisfaction in the masses.  In order to control the masses, we control the information.  We don't report on protest rallies that occur.  We don't allow certain books or news items to be published.  We discourage and defame anyone who speaks anything against what the powers that be want to be heard.  Bradbury, through the use of this dystopia, indicates that the lack of free speech in society means the lack of discussion, progress, thinking minds, individuality and freedom.

I hope that these thoughts help; good luck!

I Need some help with the prompt: Conflict brings the best and the worst in individuals and in society. I need three types of conflict: ...

I think that there are plenty of examples from The Crucible to prove that conflict brings out the worst in people.  From Proctor's inability to confess and be transparent about the affair, to the society that forces false confessions to witchcraft out of prisoners, to Abigail's character (or lack of it), there are plenty of instances where one sees how internal and external conflict brings out the very worst in human beings and in society in general.  The argument Miller makes in his depiction of conflict and its effect on society is that "the best lack all conviction, while the worst are filled with passionate intensity."  While the previous was a line from Yeats' poem The Second Coming, I think it is highly applicable here.  In terms of finding examples where we see the best of people brought out through conflict, I think Giles Corey, admittedly concerned about his land, refuses to confess to the crime of being a witch.  His demand of "more weight" could be a symbolic move by Miller to show that in the midst of a complete social meltdown through conflict, there are individuals who will assume the courage to take the consequences of simply representing and speaking the truth.  Concerned with his children's inheritance and their ability to live a life without stain on their character, Corey refuses to capitulate to a false confession and pays the price for commitment to his notion of truth and identity.  This might be one instance where good in human beings is illuminated in crisis.

If Nicotine is not the active ingredient in tobacco products, what is?Needing to know what the name of the chemical is tht makes tobacco products...

Two assertions made by the answer posted above are quite true. One, that tobacco products contain many products other that could be addictive., and second physical action associated with smoking are also addictive. However both these assertions tend to play down the harmful effect of nicotine in tobacco.

Most of the other ingredients contained in tobacco are fairly representative of contents of any leaf, and many of these products could be harmful and addictive when taken in sufficient quantities. But the quantities of these other substances present in tobacco is such that immediate harm done by them or the degree of addiction caused is much less, as compared by the actual quantities of nicotine contained. In similar fashion, addictive effect of nicotine in tobacco is much more than that of other ingredients. In sum total nicotine is the most damaging ingredient in tobacco.

The other most damaging ingredient in tobacco smoking is the tar, which gets deposited in lungs. The quantity of tar inhaled can be reduced by use of filters, such as in cigarettes or in cigarettes holders. In hookah, a smoking device used in India and some other countries, the tobacco smoke is passed through water to filter out the tar and other similar ingredients.

Addiction to the action of smoking is no different from some habitual actions that individual sometimes pick up. Trying to give up these habits causes no serious physical discomfort or mental craving associated with giving up of smoking by heavy smokers. These problems of giving up use of tobacco is associated with tobacco chewing also, where actions of tobacco smoking are not involved.

In conclusion, without nicotine, tobacco is not likely to be used that commonly, because then it will neither produce the typical immediate pleasures of tobacco, nor be addictive enough.

How does Rebecca Hilliker describe her students in the play the Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman? Include some quotes.

Hilliker represents the standard college professor and also the hope for tolerance and acceptance in the work.  She likes how her students are "open" and "honest."  While she believes that she might speak their minds which might be dissonant in its tone, there is an honesty present and a sense of transparency in their beliefs.  She feels that such opinions can represent the basis of dialogue and discourse, the elements that would hopefully preclude an incident such as the violence that robbed Matt Shepard's life and the homophobic attitudes that seek to eliminate a sense of dialogue and understanding in a diverse and pluralistic community.  Hilliker believes that the hopes of Laramie representing a forum for discussion and free exchange of ideas can be embodied in her students.

In The Great Gatsby, use evidence to show where Wilson got the information to track the car to Gatsby? What do you suspect happened to Wilson?

In regards to tracking the yellow car, Wilson absolutely got the information from Tom Buchanan.  We find this out from Tom himself in Chapter IV right after Nick refuses to shake Tom's hand and asks what Tom said to Wilson that night:

"I told [Wilson] the truth," [Tom] said.  "He came to the door while we were getting ready to leave, and when I sent down word that we weren't in he tried to force his way upstairs.  He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadn't told him who owned the car.  His hand was on a revolver in his pocket every minute he was in the house." (Fitzgerald 180)

Tom had it in for Gatsby, of course, for loving his wife (Daisy), . . . but also for what he thought was running "over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog" (180).  Myrtle, of course, was Tom's mistress.  The irony here is that Gatsby wasn't even driving the car.  Daisy was.

In regards to what happened to Wilson, there is no doubt about that either.  They find Gatsby shot to death in his own pool and make another stunning discovery as they begin to move the body back into the house:

It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete. (163)

Wilson kills himself.  Further, I absolutely love the way this scene is handled in the movie version of the novel, . . . with the white tulle curtains blowing in the wind.  You never actually see what happened, but you know it just the same.  Fitzgerald used a similar method within the novel.  Fitzgerald:  a tortured literary genius!

In "The Storm" analyze Calixta and Alcée's relationship. Will this be an isolated incident? Will the characters remain "happy"?

A major theme in much of Kate Chopin's writing is that of women feeling unhappy and repressed in marriage.  So, Calixta's tryst with Alcee represented Calixta taking control of her happiness, through an affair with another man.  After this incident, she was happy, laughing, and much more laid-back than her normal self.

If we look at the text, Alcee writes his wife, not to tell her of the affair, but to say that he missed her but was doing okay if she wanted to stay away a bit longer.  This letter seems to indicate that Alcee is planning on continuing his affair with Calixta, since he is encouraging his wife to stay away on vacation.  But, it probably isn't going to be a permanent thing; he has a wife, after all, and they must reunite at some point.  So, from that evidence in the text, I would assume that they will probably hook up again, but it will be for them, something that they do occasionally when circumstances allow, without altering the main course of their lives.

Whether they will remain "happy" is an interesting thought--if we are to believe Kate Chopin's slant, that even Alcee's wife was relieved to have her "first free breath since her marriage" while she is away from her husband, we could assume that yes, this is the "solution" that all of them have been looking for.  Alcee won't have a nagging or jealous wife, and Bobinot will be pleased to say goodbye to the "overscrupulous" Calixta that seems to have vanished after Alcee's visit.  It will, most likely, last for some time.  But, Alcee and Calixta might tire of each other after a bit...if they do, they will most likely find someone else to be with, in order to have that "outlet" that Chopin seems to find so empowering and necessary in order for married life to be survivable.

I hope that these thoughts help a bit; good luck!

What exactly is the tale of Prometheus and how does it impact the reading of the novel? (Include quotes if applicable.)

Shelley uses the title of "the modern Prometheus" was designed to be a modern interpretation of the creation myth.  Prometheus was the Greek Titan who created man and also taught him the use of fire and how to trick the gods.  When Zeus punishes humanity for their deception, he condemns Prometheus, who accepts his punishment with an honorable sense of responsibility.  This particular example of creation shows a love, respect, responsibility, and care from the creator to the created.  Shelley wants to invert this in her depiction of the relationship between creator and created in Frankenstein.  The same elements of wanting to create something (what she will call a "hideous progeny") are present in both the ancient and modern versions of Prometheus.  Instilling the creature with abnormal size and strength is akin to Prometheus giving fire and the ability to trick to gods to mankind.  However, in the ancient story, the creator does not abandon the created- both suffer together.  In the modern version, Victor is horrified with his creation and he abandons it entirely, and then claims to not have any responsibility for it or its actions.  This modern Prometheus shows the lack of connection between a creator and what is created.  In some respects, the paternally loyal vision of the ancient world has been supplanted by a modern version where siblings abandon one another and parents abandon children, with frightening regularity.  The modern version of creation is, thus, one steeped in a tragic condition.

It has been suggested that Victor does take responsibility throughout the novel for the monster's actions.  While this is valid, it should be noted that part of Shelley's need to use Prometheus as a creation myth is to underscore that Victor still does not live up to his responsibilities as a creator in relation to his creation.  While he does take it upon himself to destroy the monster, his initial response to it is to flee from its "hideous" state.  Victor does not feature any conceivable notion of communication or connection with his creation.  Notice in the Prometheus myth that Prometheus has an emotional bond or connection to his connection.  He nurtures man, supports him, and helps him establish his own sense of identity.  When man is punished, Prometheus does not evade punishment.  Shelley is raising a valid point when she depicts Victor as not having initial connections to his creation.  He may take it upon himself to hunt down the monster in order to prevent further bloodshed, but there is little in the way of emotional connection or nurturing that Victor demonstrates towards the monster.  Even when the monster demands companionship and another person with whom to share his life, something that Victor should have offered himself to the monster after having created it, Victor decides that he cannot, in supposed good faith, create a companion.  At a moment where the monster offers his humanity for the world to see, Victor repudiates it.  Again, it should be noted that Victor does accept responsibility for seeking to end the monster's life.  However, unlike Prometheus, who is an active and nurturing agent of caring for his creation, Victor is a creator who lacks this, evidence of "the Modern Prometheus."

What is the significance of Mayella's right eye being blackened and bruised in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

It is significant, because it means she was most likely beaten by a left-handed man. Bruises often occur on the opposite side of the blows that create them. Atticus knows this, and during Robert Ewell's testimony it is revealed that he is left-handed. Atticus then asks Tom to stand, and everyone in the courtroom can see that it would have been nearly impossible for him to inflict the bruises, as his left arm was lost in an industrial accident years before. In fact, it was this misfortune that brought him into the Ewells' lives in the first place. Because he cannot do as much as he could before the accident, he does odd jobs for anyone who hires him. It is this which brings him into contact with Mayella.

If a white man had been on trial, this revelation would most likely have proved his innocence in the minds of the public. For Tom though, it simply shows that the racism of Maycomb runs so deep that they would convict an innocent man before they would challenge the testimony of a white man. So, even though Scout, Jem, and the audience realize that Tom could not have been the one to beat Mayella, the jury ignores the evidence, and follows instead their instincts of fear and oppression.

What are the different approaches to marketing industrial and consumer goods?How these goods are marketing

Consumer goods refer to the goods that are purchased for personal, including for family and household use and for personal gifting. In contrast contrast industrial goods refer to goods purchased for use by industrial and business establishments. The industrial goods are purchased mostly of resale, with of without processing. It also includes consumables required for operation and maintenance of equipment and facilities used by these establishments. Generally the nature of industrial goods and consumer goods are quite different but there are some material falling in the category of both consumer and industrial goods. For example, food ingredients are purchased by large hotels and restaurants for business use as well as by consumers for domestic use.

Thus the difference in marketing of consumer and industrial goods is more because the nature of purchasing behavior for consumer and industrial goods rather than because of nature of the goods. Industrial goods are generally purchased by a few customers in large quantities. In comparison consumer goods are purchased by large number of people in smaller quantities. These limited buyers of industrial goods are generally concentrated in some specific geographic location rather than spread out like buyers of consumer goods. The purchase decision for industrial goods is often taken by a team of people rather than individuals. The buyers are professionally skilled in buying and generally have to follow some procedures laid down by ther companies. The buying decision is taken more on the basis of objective consideration of factors like price and quality, rather than subjective. Also for industrial buyers, service rendered by sellers in terms of timely availability of material and responsiveness to requirement of the buyers is much more important.

Because of these differences between industrial and consumer goods, different approaches are suitable for the two. The following aer some of the main features of industrial marketing as compared to consumer goods marketing.

• First and foremost, industrial marketing requires much greater emphasis on building long term relationships with customers. This also implies that sellers mus provide ongoing service to the customers and respond promptly to request for information and technical support.


• General advertisements, particularly appealing to the emotions, less important for industrial marketing. Instead industrial marketing requires more stress on providing relevant technical and commercial information.


• For large one time purchases, industrial buyers use method of formal competitive bidding. Such methods are almost non existent for consumer marketing. Therefore industrial marketers must be well skilled in selling under this kind of competitive bidding.


• It is necessary to understand requirements of each customer and respond accordingly, rather than offer a common marketing mix to all customer based on general market research, as is the common practice in consumer marketing.


• One to one communication between customer and seller organization should be more intensive as compared to that required in consumer marketing. On the other hand advertising plays a marginal role in industrial marketing.

How must Amir contend with some aspect of the past? And how does his relationship with the past contribute to the overall meaning of the book?I'm...

I would agree that the overall theme of the book is a quest for redemption.  Much of what Amir must redeem himself from involves his past, his father's past, and his country's past. 

He must contend with his own cowardice and lack of loyalty to Hassan, which he finally does by fighting figuratively and literally for Hassan's son.  He must also contend with the spectre of Assef, who, if you recall is the sociopath that Hassan protected Amir from, but whom Amir did not protect Hassan from.  This also helps him to redeem himself. 

Insofar as Baba is concerned, Amir redeems his relationship with him, albeit after Baba's death.  This takes place on a few different levels.  He finds he must contend with the "theft" which Baba perpetuated against Ali, by having  sex with Ali's wife and hiding his transgression by passing Hassan off as Ali's son.  Once Amir learns of this, it is up to him to make things right, which proves to be a most difficult task.  Amir must also grapple with his feelings that he was not a worthy son, feelings that are exacerbated when he learns that Hassan was Baba's son, too. 

Insofar as his country of birth is concerned, Amir must redeem himself by overcoming the prejudices with which he was raised, prejudices arising from the treatment of different ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and prejudices which figured in his own attitude toward Hassan and Ali.  Even when Amir returns to Afghanistan, he finds there is still considerable prejudice against Hassan's son because of his ethnic group, and  even worse, this prejudice is exhibited when Amir takes Sohrab home to America, where the Afghan community still turns its collective nose up at the Zahari. 

Certainly, if Amir had had an easy relationship with his past, there would be no story at all.  The entire novel is a quest for redemption, and also a quest for self-knowledge and self-actualization.  The entire story is a good example of "the sins of the fathers" being visited upon the sons, and Amir's struggles involve not only his past, but also the past of his father and of his native land. 

What character difference are there between Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason in the book Jane Eyre?Much appreciated! = )

Bertha Mason, as presented in the book Jane Eyre, is everything Jane is not.  Jane is depicted as being physically plain and slight of build.  She is highly intelligent, and, her tendency to be outspoken notwithstanding, she is a proper Englishwoman, comparatively cultured, fine, and neat in appearance and manner.  Jane is capable, and sensible.  She is a survivor, is passionate, as well as strong in character.  In contrast, Bertha is monstrous, barely human.  Although she shows with her sinister actions that she is capable of some awareness and rational thought, recognizing Jane as as a threat to her position and seeking her demise to prevent that from happening, she cannot speak intelligibly.  Bertha is presented as being exotic and unbridled; she is violent, clearly insane, and exhibits an animal nature.

Despite the clear differences between them, however, it has been suggested by some critics that Bertha's character runs parallel to that of Jane's, with Bertha being a kind of "darker double of her English counterpart.  In support of this theory, it is interesting to note that Bertha lives confined to the attic at Thornfield, just as Jane was earlier locked up in the red room at Gateshead Hall.  Both women are or have been a source of attraction to Edward Rochester, and both are at one point married to him.

In "The Gift of the Magi", how much money does Della get for her hair and what does she get Jim?

After Della realizes that she only has 1.87 to buy her husband a gift, she sits down and cries.  Then she gets an idea, she decides to check out the idea of selling her beautiful long hair. Della goes into a shop where hair is bought and is told that she can have 20.00 for her long brown hair.  She makes a quick decision and sells her hair.

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."

Down rippled the brown cascade.

"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.

"Give it to me quick," said Della." (O Henry)

Keep in mind that the story takes place in the early 20th century, written in 1906, so the value of 20.00 is much greater than what we think of it today.  And, remember that 20.00 would buy a great deal more than it would today.

"The "Dillingham" had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D." (O Henry)

Della's husband, Jim was making an incredible amount of money 30.00 per week, and then his salary was reduced to 20.00.  So if his entire week's pay was 30.00 and then 20.00. imagine how much 20.00 for Della's hair would really be equal to today.

With the 20.00, plus 1.87, she already had, she buys a chain for her husband's watch.

"Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain." (o Henry)

What are some conflicts in the novel In the Time of the Butterflies?

When looking at internal conflicts in the book In the Time of the Butterflies one must look first at the girl Patria.  Patria starts out with the most giving personality and struggles with a decision to become a nun.  She frequently asks guidance on the issue as she feels very drawn to the state of serving God.  However, when she discovers that she is attracted to males and wants to be with a particular boy, her struggle is resolved as she does not become a nun.

Another internal struggle Patria has is if she should join the underground movement like her sisters.  She witnesses the jeopardy they find themselves in when she is taking care of their children while the two sisters are incarcerated.  Her son enters into the movement and soon Patria realizes that she too must do something for her country.

The external struggle is evident by the way that the current ruler controls the people.  He likes young women whose lives he ruins by putting them up and using them for sex until he tires of them.  He takes the girl out of school who Minerva knows.  Then he tries to seduce Minerva who refuses his touches.  He is angry and places pressure on her father by arresting him.  He demonstrates his power and reduces the father to a childlike state.  The man is shaken and no longer copes.  His rule is not resolved during the book until he is later thrown out. 

Discuss how four significant quotations contribute to the novel's theme. Choose quotations up to three lines each.

All right, then, I'll go to hell.

The climax of the novel when Huck makes a moral decision. He will help Jim escape from slavery even if he damns his soul. He believes that what he is doing is wrong, by his society's standards, but he does it anyway.

Twain presents the theme that an individual's conscience must take precedence before society's laws.  In Huck's naive point of view, he does not realize yet that society's laws are unjust, but he has the courage to follow his heart and his own conscience to do what he feels is right, despite the consequences.

Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren's en makes 'em ashamed.

Huck had just played a practical joke on Jim, lying to him that they had not been separated in the fog and that Jim had just had a bad dream, only to reveal the debris on the raft as proof that they DID, indeed, get separated, and Jim's interpretation of his dream was foolish and silly.  Jim teaches Huck how to be responsible for his actions, and how his actions affect others. For the first time, Huck realizes that Jim is a human being that deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, not just a play thing to be used for entertainment.

The novel criticizes racism and prejudice. This quote reinforces the theme that all human beings have an intrinsic worth. People should not be judged based on the color of their skin but based on the quality of their character and actions.

. . . and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It don't seem natural, but I reckon it's so.

Huck overhears Jim crying at night because he misses his family. He has been taught that slaves are property and inferior to white people. However, Jim's actions disprove that belief, and Huck begins to question the beliefs of his society. 

This quote stresses a major theme that all human beings are equal and deserve the same rights to respect, dignity, and happiness.

Colonel Grangerford was a gentleman, you see.

After this statement, Huck describes Colonel Grangerford as a clean cut, handsome, gentle, respectable man. He is clean shaven, wears clean and classy clothes, speaks in a mild manner, and presents an air of authority and respect. Huck's judgment of character are superficial.  Meanwhile, we find out that Grangerford is involved in a bloody feud fueled by blind hatred.  Both famlies attend the church with their guns, ready to kill each other on the spot as soon as they exit from church.

This is a good example of dramatic irony, where the reader knows the opposite is true from what Huck thinks. We know that Grangerford is a heartless, cold blooded murderer, a far cry from a gentleman.

See the above theme about not judging people on external qualities such as the color of their skin, or the clothes they wear, but on the merit of their character.

How does Morrie rationalize his thoughts about aging in Tuesdays With Morrie?How does Morrie rationalize his thoughts about aging, that aging is...

Morrie says that

"As you grow, you learn more.  If you stayed at twenty-two, you'd always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two.  Aging is not just decay...it's growth.  It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's also the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it".

To Morrie, aging has as much to do with the spiritual aspect of life as it does the physical; he is more concerned with how a person grows older in wisdom than how his body decays with the years.  In his thinking, growing in wisdom is cummulative - the older you get the more wisdom you accumulate.  He remembers "what a misery being young can be...(because) the young...have very little understanding about life".  Morrie says that "if you've found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back, you want to go forward".  From Morrie's viewpoint, life is a spiritual exercise, and is so much better when it can be lived with the understanding that comes with age.

Morrie says that "if you're always battling against getting older, you're always going to be unhappy".  He himself "embrace(s) aging", having discovered the ability "to accept who you are and revel in that".  From the vantage point of old age, Morrie says that "part of me is every age...I've been through all of them, and I know what it's like...I am every age, up to my own".  He cannot be envious of those who are still young, because he carries the memory of being young within himself, and it makes him a better, wiser person ("The Seventh Tuesday - We Talk About the Fear of Aging").

In Chapter 2, what is the nature of the relationship between Pip and Joe Gargery?

Pip and Joe Gargery have a special relationship. Although Joe is married to his sister, and is therefore a parent figure to him, Pip considers Joe his equal. “I always treated him as a larger species of child, and as no more than my equal.” Joe is a simple, good-hearted man, and Pip views him as a “fellow-sufferer” of Mrs. Joe. Pip’s constant use of the term “by hand” is also revealing. Pip is convinced that Mrs. Joe must have forced Joe to marry her “by hand.” His sister, who is cantankerous and not pretty, seems to have found a spouse who is her complete opposite in both looks and personality. “I had a general impression that she must have made Joe Gargery marry her by hand.”

Pip sees Joe as a slightly older child, one old enough and strong enough to protect him from Mrs. Joe. When Pip returns to the house, Joe warns him his sister is on the “Ram-page” and suggests where Pip should hide. Mrs. Joe is the formidable force in the house. Pip, for example, does not think of taking bread from the house taking from Joe. “I never thought I was going to rob Joe, for I never thought of any of the housekeeping property as his.”

Joe sometimes takes the role of the father; in this chapter, the food bolting episode is a good example of this. When Pip hides his bread, Joe notices it has disappeared very quickly. He thinks Pip has eaten too fast, and he gives Pip a lecture. “You know, old chap,” said Joe, looking at me, and not at Mrs. Joe, with his bite still in his cheek, “I Bolted, myself, when I was your age — frequent — and as a boy I’ve been among a many Bolters; but I never see your Bolting equal yet, Pip, and it’s a mercy you ain’t Bolted dead.” Joe does not want to get Pip in trouble, but in this instance, his concern for Pip overrides his usual tendency to protect him from Mrs. Joe.

Can you please explain the first stanza of the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas?

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Here Thomas begins a straightforward command.  Notice that the syntax of the sentence (a command!) mirrors the meaning--Don't go gently into "that good night."  You probably know that night and death are very much alike, the darkness of closing one's eyes, the fact that the sleeper is in a prone position, the inability to know what is there in sleep or in death.  The speaker in the poem is giving a message which is not a peaceful one about death:  don't accept it, don't glide into it without a fight at the very least!

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Many people describe old age as the "golden years" when people slow down and take it easy.  Again, Thomas want to subvert that common image of old people, and of the acceptance of death, by playing with the image of burning and raving.  These are not glowing embers of a dying old fire;  people should not just accept the going out of the fire, but kick it up a notch:  burn.  The verbs are especially important here: full of action, yes, but also senses.  Burning is heat, light, smell, sound.  Raving is action and sound.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Here Thomas is beginning the repetition he'll continue throughout the poem:  a command to defy death, "the night" from line one, the "dying of the light" here.  You'll see that the rest of the poem goes on to describe the different kinds of people and how/why they should rage against the dying of the light.  Notice again the command form in syntax, and choice of verb: "rage."  Do not accept death.

In the poem "The Seafarer," is the speaker fully at home on land, on the sea, or in neither place.

This is a trick question because one could make a "correct" argument for any of the three possibilities.  In my opinion, however, the best answer to your question is that the speaker of "The Seafarer" is not fully at home in either place.  Let's look at the text for support here. 

First, the speaker continually refers to the sea as a "home," but one that is not his own.  He refers to the ocean first as he is called over "the horizon, seeking foreigners' homes" (38).  Just a little while later, the same speaker refers to the sea as the "whale's home" (60). 

Although never referred to as a "home," the sea is constantly referred to as a pull to the speaker's soul: a catalyst to spirituality.  The speaker says that "my soul / Calls me eagerly out" to the sea (36-37) or that "my soul roams with the sea."  This is incredibly significant in proving that the speaker's home can be found neither in the sea nor on the land.  Why?  Because the seafarer's home is in Heaven.  The speaker spends a considerable amount of time discussing the wrath of God and the fact that one cannot take material wealth into the afterlife.  Then, the speaker uses the word "home" one final time, proving my point.  The author reveals it in some of the last lines of the poem:

Our thoughts should turn to where our home is, / Consider the ways of coming there, / Then strive for sure permission for us / To rise to that eternal joy, / That life born in the love of God / and the hope of Heaven. (117-122)

Then the speaker uses the most vivid clincher sentence that anyone has ever used to end a literary work with a bang:  "Amen."