In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, what is the Second Triumvirate? Who are its members? (Act Four, Scene 1)

The Second Tiumvirate was formed after the assassination of Julius Caesar; it consisted of Caesar Octavius (later known as Augustus Caesar), Marc Antony, and Marcus Aerilius Lepidus.  After the assassination, they set out to punish the murderers of Caesar, Brutus and Cassius, who were defeated in two battles fought at Phillippi. 

After this battle, the Triumvirate agreed to divide the provinces of the Republic into spheres of influence.  Octavian took the West, Antony the East, and Lepidus Hispania and Africa.  In September 40 B.C. a Pact was enacted.

In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," the play ends with the death of noble Brutus and the country is separated.  Act Four, Scene I foreshadows the envy of the men for each other.  In this scene Antony callously compiles a list of men in a proscription which will deal death to some.  Antony suggests letting Lepidus go.  However, Octavius argues that

You may do your will;But he's a gried and valiant soldier.

But, Marc Antony will not hear such an objection: 

So is my horse, Octavius, and for that /I do appoint him stor of provender.

At this point, Octavius begins to worry about others.  Here the moral flaw in Marc Antony's character can also be seen.  An unflattering picture of the great Antony as well as a warning of civil war.

In "Hamlet" broadly describe why Hamlet delayed taking revenge.

Cynics might say that this would be an extremely short play if Shakespeare had followed the usual plot of the “revenge tragedies” that were so popular in Elizabethan England. Earlier versions of Hamlet had Claudius surrounding himself with guards so that Hamlet had to find a way to get at him. Without this plot device, Shakespeare had to find a more interesting reason to delay the death scene.

One clue is at the start of the play. The ghost of Hamlet’s father is a far more complex character than previous versions with his talk of purgatory, hell and crowing cocks. Remember that the question of heresy was on everybody’s mind in Elizabeth’s day, and this is a very Catholic ghost. The Anglicans had banished purgatory from the religious lexicon, and references to pagan symbols like cocks could get you burned at the stake. The discussion between Hamlet and Horatio about whether this was truly a ghost from Heaven or a demon from Hell would have resonated with the audience.

Beyond that, Shakespeare seems to be teasing us by setting up a variety of reasons for Hamlet’s delay, rather as he does with Iago in Othello. It is unlikely that Shakespeare had a terrible memory and could not recall what he had previously written. More likely is that he enjoys layering meaning over meaning, so that we get the famous duck-rabbit paradox, where we can only grasp one reason at a time.

The standard set of reasons (that you probably already know) include:

1.       Hamlet could not make up his mind.

2.       Hamlet had a Freudian Oedipal complex.

3.       Hamlet was too intellectual.

4.       Hamlet was too immature until the fateful sea voyage.

5.       Hamlet was under the influence of the University of Wittenberg.

Take your pick or avoid simplistic answers and take them all, plus any more you can think of.

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Rabbit-DuckIllusion.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/21981/Hamlet

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/essays/hamlet_characters_essay.htm

How does Harper Lee use humor to discredit Miss Stephanie's stories about Boo Radley ?thanx !

Miss Stephanie represents the type of person most people have experienced at least one time in their life but wish they didn't. You know the type, the one you try to avoid because their only agenda is to gossip about situations they no nothing about but claim to have 'all' the correct information. Harper Lee's purpose in Stephanie's character is to confirm to the reader just how ridiculous her assumptions are towards those who are different from the accepted 'status-quo'. Lee's humor is best recognized in the conversation between Stephanie and Miss Maudie. In short, according to Stephanie, Boo's strange behavior is confirmed by her belief that he is watching her in her bedroom. Miss Maudie's response to Stephanie suggests how ridiculous her statements are simply because of their ignorant pretense. When Miss Maudie responds to Stephanie suggesting that if her story is true, she should make room for him in her bed. Harper Lee combines the quickness of truth with just the right dose of wit to see that Miss Maudie's humor equaled 'checkmate'.

Can someone explain to me the three times throughout the novel that conflict arises when people are caught reading books?What are the three...

The first significant conflict surrounding a person and books is the woman who chose death over superficiality. She is unnamed, (the neighbor who turned her in is Mrs. Blake) but her action is a catalyst for change in Montag's thinking. The firemen throw her books from the attic and then fill the house with kerosene gas. While Montag pleads for the woman to leave, she strikes a single match and goes up in flames with her home and her books. That anyone would find books important enough to die for stuns Montag, and causes him to think again about his own life and about the humanity behind the books.

The second event is Montag's revelation of the books to Mildred. Montag is left unsettled by Beatty's visit and his discourse on books. He has a sense that he needs to do something, but he can't determine exactly what that something may be. He reveals, to Mildred's horror, his stash of books collected over time. The first line he actually reads is from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, an interesting choice by Bradbury, as it is a political satire protesting the same ambivalence Bradbury decries in Fahrenheit 451. The result of this conflict is the increasing divide between Montag's thought and Mildred's superficiality.

The final event is Montag's poetry reading to Mildred's friends. He listens to their careless conversation about serious subjects (life, death, marriage, war, children...) and Montag's frustrated response is to bring a book of poetry to the parlor. He reads "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold. The simple beauty of the words and the depth of meaning in them brings Mrs. Phelps to tears, angers Mrs. Bowles, and frustrates Mildred. The end result of his poetry reading, however, is that it is the action that seals his fate. It is not long after this event that Montag pulls up in the Salamander to burn his own house.

Show how the complicated plot is resolved in "The Importance of Being Earnest".

The real origin of Jack *Earnest* Worthing is revealed at his country house.  This scene is specifically important because all the key characters are present: Jack's friend Algernon was already there trying to pry on Cecily and pretending to be Jack's brother Earnest.  Gwendolyn (Algernon's cousin) was there as she was looking for Jack (whom she thought was named Earnest). Lady Bracknell shows up on the scene looking to get Gwendolyn, her daughter, back to London. The last two chacters, Dr. Chausible and Miss Prism (Cecily's tutor), come back from a stroll. Once all the main characters are in place, the setting for the resolution of the plot begins.

When Lady Bracknell recognizes Miss Prism, Miss Prism tries not to get recognized. The two women had not seen each other in a long time, and apparently Prism had left Lady Bracknell's sister's household after accidentally losing the baby she was responsible to take care of inside of a handbag at Victoria Station *the Brighton Line :)*.

This is the moment when Jack/Earnest  realizes he was the baby that Prism abandoned, produces the handbag in which he was found, and is now able to have names for those parents Lady Bracknell pushed him to find out about prior to allowing him to marry Gwendolyn.

However, there is more- Not only does he now have information about who his parents were:  He also realizes he is Algernon's real brother and by default Lady Bracknell's nephew!

To make this complicated plot more interesting, there is the question of whether his real name could possibily have been Earnest (since he was named by the man who took him from the handbag).  After searching information about his father, we find out that his name was Earnest and "by right" both Algernon and Jack could claim the name Earnest as well. This, of course made Gwendolyn and Cecily quite happy because they were both obsessed with the name Earnest.

At this point, Lady Bracknell gets the peerage clearned for Jack to marry Gwendolyn;  Algernon and Jack are declared natural brothers; they both claim the name Earnest; the women are now satisfied with the name, and Miss Prism and Dr. Chausible (as well as all the couples) are seemingly happy "at last".

Write a note on religious and pastoral elements in "Lycidas" by John Miltonk.

Lycidas is known as a pastoral elegy, or an expression of grief that revolves around shepherds, pastures, nature. The author is writing about the loss of a dear friend, Edward King, a college classmate, as well as mourning the loss of his youth and days gone by.

Pastoral elements in literature focus on creating an ideal picture of country life, simple life, the pastoral setting is easy to associate with religious images.  God exists in nature, the purity of a life lived close to the earth. Especially with regard to sheperds and sheep, easily connected to the Christian images of Jesus Christ as the sheperd and his followers his flock.

Pastoral life consists of being near the land, working close to nature, farm life, a rural existence.

"But O the heavy change, now thou art gon,
Now thou art gon, and never must return!
Thee Shepherd, thee the Woods, and desert Caves,
With wilde Thyme and the gadding Vine o'regrown, [ 40 ]
And all their echoes mourn.
The Willows, and the Hazle Copses green,
Shall now no more be seen,Fanning their joyous Leaves to thy soft layes." (Milton)

In this passage, Milton is recalling the pastoral nature of the environment that he feels he has lost along with his dear friend. Because the pastoral images tie in so well with Christian imagery, Milton includes religious elements in this poem

"So Lycidas sunk low, but mounted high,
Through the dear might of him that walk'd the waves;
Where other groves, and other streams along,
With Nectar pure his oozy Lock's he laves, [ 175 ]
And hears the unexpressive nuptiall Song,
In the blest Kingdoms meek of joy and love.
There entertain him all the Saints above,
In solemn troops, and sweet Societies
That sing, and singing in their glory move, [ 180 ]
And wipe the tears for ever from his eyes."

In the final lines of the poem, Milton invokes the Christian God, Jesus Christ who walked on the waves, Jesus Christ walked on water, telling the reader that Lycidas is in heaven with the Lamb of God, who wipes away tears forever.

"The last two verse paragraphs establish the elegy’s Christian consolation and the poet’s readiness now to embark on his poetic career. Lycidas is not dead but resurrected in Christ (lines 172-73). Shifting into third-person narrative, the poem concludes with the “uncouth swain,” the shepherd-poet himself, rising and, in a gesture of hope, preparing to leave the pastures he shared with Lycidas for “fresh woods, and pastures new” (line 193)."

While Chris has been dubbed the leader of the four boys, the story reveals the power that Gordie holds over the gang through his gift of...

Gordie does hold a great deal of control over the boys in the gang.  I will give you the broad elements and tell you where you can find evidence to support this.

The largest reason Gordon holds a level of sway over the group is with his power of writing and telling stories.  The story of Lard Ass is a great example.  The boys turn to Gordie to tell them a good story and this allows him to have power in the group.  When Gordie is telling the story of Lard Ass Hogan, for example, the boys are hanging on his every word, transfixed on his story.  Go back to this scene and see how King describes it and how the boys react to both the story and its ending.  It seems like they want more from Gordie in telling his story.

Another reason why Gordie possesses power in the group is that he is seen as the smartest.  Find evidence where this element is revealed.  The boys have a feeling that Gordie "is going to make it" and will do great things.  The other three feel there are distinct reasons why they will not "make it," and why Gordie will.  Teddy's emotional and chaotic mental state is something of which even he is aware.  Vern is seen as slightly dull intellectually and even he is aware of his inability to align things properly, ie. losing the treasure map to his pennies.  Chris realizes that he will not be given a shot by anyone because he is seen as a troublemaker and his father enjoys being abrasive to him.  Gordie, with his talent, and sense of self is seen as the one of the gang who will find success out of it, and in this, he holds power.  I think you can find evidence where the boys, especially Chris, believe this.

The last reason why Gordie holds power over the gang is because of his relationship with Chris.  The dynamics of the group may defer to Chris in a public setting, but I think all of them realize that Chris' close friendship to Gordie actually reveals a source of strength regarding Gordie. There are situations in the book where we see Chris turn to Gordie for guidance and where Chris exudes a genuine amount of respect for Gordie.  This is most evident when Chris challenges himself by taking the college prep classes with Gordie's help, ultimate proof of his leadership in the gang.  Another reason that can be used as to Gordon's power in the gang is that all of the boys realize that Gordon has been given a truly raw deal.  The fact this his brother dies and that his parents are in such grief that the elder son, the one they loved more, is dead, and as a consequence, discard Gordie is one that the boys come to respect as representing true difficulty.  Even though the other three might have parents that are abrasive and out of control, there seems to be a differently level of respect for a kid whose parents have no affect towards them.  The boys generate a healthy respect for Gordie's double blow:  The death of his brother, and the emotional death of his parents.

Your conclusion should reffirm Gordon's leadership role as being the narrator, he is the leader of the story of the gang.  This leadership role was felt by the boys and the reader.

Explain the quote "The Weapons with which the bourgeoisie felled feudalism to the ground are now turned against the Bourgeoisie itself"?

This particular concept that Marx and Engels explore helps to illuminate what they see as the imminent critique within capitalism.  The argument here is that the "weapons" used by the bourgeoisie was the desire for material wealth and the coveting of profit.   The belief argued was that through this profit hoarding desire and the institutional apparatus of power that supports it, the progression of material stages of history (dialectical materialism) eliminated feudalism and ushered in the stage of capitalism.  At the same time, Marx and Engels argue that this is not the final stage of growth and development.  Rather, that capitalism will inevitably give way to an order where the Proletariat will assume control and deconstruct the capitalist power structures.  In the historical and economic inevitability which allowed the usurpation of feudal control to a capitalist order, the same fate will befall capitalism and the emergent bourgeoisie.

Why did Thomas Jefferson oppose Alexander Hamilton's plan for a national bank?

Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were on the same 'side' to absolve colonial ties with Great Britain. Once independence was documented at the Treaty of Paris the business of creating a new nation was at hand. It became clear that those who were on the same 'side' during the revolution would find themselves at odds with each other upon its end. This was the case regarding a 'National Bank' for the United States.  Alexander Hamilton understood that if the new nation were going to recognized as a nation it must present itself as one.  He argued that the nation's financial weaknesses would make the nation vulnerable to nations that had the financial power to destroy the new nation. Hamilton's plan for a National Bank was to take the debt accumulated by the individual states to foreign nations, especially France, during the war and using it to create a line of credit with these nations. Jefferson's opposed the plan for several reasons:

1. He believed a 'National Bank' would only give more power to the new federal government. Jefferson detested centralized authority, for him the 'National Bank' represented the concentration of power in the hands of the few.

2. By the time Hamilton's plan was issued all of the southern states had already paid off their debts to foreign nations...Jefferson was from Virginia.

3. Jefferson simply did not agree with Hamilton when it came to the nations' future. This was the beginning of politics in the United States. Jefferson's was more comfortable with decentralized government power, similar to what we associate local and state authority with.  His philosophy regarding the future of the United States was one where the citizens cultivated the land, read books, and enjoyed their 'freedom'. Hamilton saw the future of the United States as that of major player on the global stage. His vision required a strong federal government, as well as the financial prowess it gave the new nation.

Explain the influence of conservatives during the Reagan years, both in social issues and in changes in the Supreme Court

One of the pervasive fear of the American public leaving the 1970s was that "all was not well with America."   There was a tangible feeling of chaos and that America had lost its way from establishing control over its own destiny and its place in the world.  Unemployment, double digit inflation, as well as loss of social coherency contributed to these fears.  When the American Embassy in Iran fell victim to terrorists and hostages were held for over four hundred days, the feeling was that America, itself, was taken hostage.

The Conservative influence, led by Ronald Reagan, articulated a vision of a "new America."  Attempting to make sense of what was completely nonsense, Regan and the Conservatives presented Americans with a unifying purpose.  Quoting John Winthrop, Reagan and the Conservatives argued that America was "the shining city upon a hill" that would be a beacon to all.  Patterned in this idea was the notion of a smaller role of government, deregulation of industry, lower taxes, and enhancing American businesses.  The role of the federal government was diminished while "states rights" became a familiar refrain.  This also was represented by a sense of moral clarity where "right" and "wrong" were evident and clearly demonstrable.  The Conservative movement in America emphasized a movement away from the cities and to the suburbs, as economic growth was stimulated with such a "pro- business" approach.  Internationally, the Republican party believed in the strength of the American military in facing down the Soviet Union on the issue of nuclear proliferation and defense.

These ideas were felt in American society and the Supreme Court.  The composition of the Court became populated with justices who favored a strict, traditional, and conservative approach to the interpretation of the Constitution.  Justices like Scalia and Rehnquist became the leaders of the Court.  Such thinkers did not favor the activistic approach of the high court in the 1960's and 1970s.  The court took a role of not wanting to intervene in social issues to cause social change.  Majority of the decisions rendered were taken under the guise of restraint, as well as rulings that favored business growth and deregulation of industries.  Socially, the growth of the religious fundamentalist had been not seen to the level as it was during the Reagan years.  Televangelists and the rise of the Religious Right became predominant.  The concept of "sin" and "righteousness" was spoken with a great deal of brazen and direct emphasis.  This movement sought to increase the death penalty for capital crimes and reverse the Roe v. Wade decision. While the court did not overturn the case, it sought to stand clear of making law by redirecting the issue to the states, consistent with Republican beliefs.  Echoing the faith in business and money, American society became one where the acquisition of material wealth was defined as success.  This is the era that gave the "Yuppie" (Young Urban Professional) and the phrase "Greed is good" to the national dialogue.  Finally, the growth of an emerging class of wealthy individuals, who sought to move to the suburbs and consolidate their wealth was matched by a decay of urban centers, left neglected under the Republican mantra of "less government" and "lower taxes," which contributed to a slashing of federally funded social programs.

How does the quote at the beginning of chapter 12 relate to Lily's anguish?

This is an important question. It is a good idea to pay attention to the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

Now, you will notice that the queen bee is characterized as the "mother" of the hive, is described as "spending her days in darkness" (232), and does not appear to have any "maternal instincts or ability to care for her young (232).

It becomes clear that Lily's mother, Deborah, while she loved Lily deeply, was very much like the queen bee. As Lily learns the truth about her mother, she is anguished about how the past led her to her present state, a feeling of great loss and confusion, and the pain of not having a mother. 

What are the similarities between Deborah and the queen bee?  The world of darkness in which the queen bee exists is much like the world of darkness in which Deborah existed.  We can see that Deborah suffered from clinical depression, which is characterized by many who suffer from it as a kind of terrible darkness.  Also, because of the differences between Deborah and T. Ray, her marriage was a world of darkness, as was her existence on a remote rural farm.  Now, a person who is living in such a dark world is not necessarily someone who is prepared to be a good parent.  Deborah appears to have been very young when she had Lily, and might not have had the wherewithal to be a good mother and fight the darkness within her and around her.  New mothers also need support, and it is unlikely that she had much support from T.Ray or her community.  So in this way she was like the queen bee, who is a mother without the instincts or skills necessary to be a mother. 

It was these aspects of Deborah that led to her running away from her situation, toward someone who had been able to mother her in the past, August.  Of course, her return to the household resulted in her death, which was really no one's fault, but which did lead to Lily's painful years of growing up.  For Lily to learn that her mother was willing to leave her is even more painful. 

Are health care practitioners legally liable for all unsatisfactory medical outcomes?

A health care professional has the legal responsibility, while treating his patients, to follow the the right procedures, and prescribe medicines and other treatments in line with the accepted professional knowledge. Similarly, in performing operations or carrying out other similar procedures the physician must possess and use adequate skills. Also, he must take other necessary precautions such as availability of adequate facilities and material for the operation and maintenance of standard of hygiene.

The actual outcome of medical treatment may be not be satisfactory, in spite of all such necessary precautions being taken. This is because medical science is not a perfect science. Most of the medical treatment and medicines are are such that these help majority of the patients in majority of the cases, but they do not guarantee 100 percent satisfactory results in all cases. Therefore the medical practitioner has no legal responsibility for unsatisfactory medical outcome in spite of satisfactory treatment.

What flaws did Odysseus have?

Odysseus is definitely a flawed hero; his most obvious faults being pride, cruelty, and faithlessness.  In Book IX, when Odysseus and his men find the cave of the Cyclops, he displays his ruinous pride in wanting to claim a guest-gift from the Cyclops.  He could have just left, or could have stolen some cheese from the Cyclops, but he preferred to meet him.  Odysseus knew that the Cyclops was dangerous, but his bravura made him want to be able to boast that he had met and claimed a guest-gift from him.  This caused the horrible death of several of Odysseus' men.

At the end of the poem, Odysseus displays his cruelty by forcing the unfaithful maids in his house (those who had taken up with the suitors) to clean up all the blood of the suitors he had slain (Book XXII).  It was bad enough that Odysseus had trapped and killed many unarmed men (who were, it must be said in all fairness to Odysseus, bent on his destuction), but Odysseus goes a step further.  After the maids had performed the grisly task, he hung them all.  Hanging in those days was a slow, agonizing death (it was slow strangulation, rather than the breaking of the neck).  After this he horribly tortures and dismembers Melanthius.  This might have been the standard justice in Odysseus' time, but it seems particularly cruel.

Finally, Odysseus infidelity to Penelope, though not the most damning of his sins, surely, was repeated and long-lived.  Odyesseus spends a lot of time lolling about on islands with Circe and Calypso, cheating on his wife.  Granted they were an an enchantress and a goddess, so perhaps not that easy to escape, but compared to Penelope's long-suffering faithfulness to Odysseus, it seems an egregious character fault on his part.

What is the moral lesson in the story "The Little Prince"?

There is not one moral lesson to be found in "The Little Prince".  Any time you want to find either the theme or the moral of a piece of literature, use this formula:  ______________ (the text) is a book about/story about/play about _____________(abstract noun).  For example, you've probably read "Romeo and Juliet".  Here are three themes/morals from the play:

Romeo and Juliet is a play about love.

Romeo and Juliet is a play about hate.

Romeo and Juliet is a play about haste.

As far as The Little Prince is concerned, you are talking about a semi-autobiographical narrative by a French pilot who has crash landed in the desert and is hallucinating.  If you want to find the morals, take each individual story and decide what it is "about".  The story about the drunk, to name one, is a story about desperation.  You could expand this example to address the general desperation of mankind.  Each story is the same in that universal fashion.  Mostly, these stories are about how each individual is wrapped up totally in himself.

How is the imagery of fire used in Part 1: The Hearth and the Salamander?How does Ray Bradbury use the imagery of fire in "The Hearth and the...

One of literature's best opening lines is Bradbury's: "It was a pleasure to burn." Those words capture the interest of the reader by pure shock value. As the opening paragraph continues, Bradbury paints a picture of the firehose as a snake and Montag's hands as "some amazing conductor." The metaphors continue with "swarms of fireflies" and "pigeon-winged books."

Bradbury's use of ironic imagery creates a sense of realism to a skeptical reader. Most people view fire with a healthy respect for its power or as a symbol of comfort and warmth. Bradbury eliminates both, making fire something controlled by an authority and used to destroy. (Bradbury references this in the third part of the book when Montag observes the fire of the book-men was not burning, but was warming.)

By turning the common view of fire upside-down, Bradbury begins to show readers how censorship turns the common view of books upside-down. To Bradbury, books are important keepers of information, of philosophy, and of culture. Condemning books based on transitory emotions is no more logical than believing fire can be controlled.

Describe Mr. Lockwood's strange dream at Wuthering Heights.

In Ch.3 because of the storm the primary narrator is forced to spend the night at "Wuthering Heights." Zillah the housekeeper ensures that he is lodged in a room upstairs, while leading him up to this room

"she recommended that I [lockwood] should hide the candle, and not make a noise; for her master had an odd notion about the chamber she would put me in, and never let anybody lodge there willingly.

I asked the reason.

She did not know, she answered; she had only lived there a year or two; and they had so many queer goings on."

This sets the tone and the gothic atmosphere of this chapter. Lockwood begins to browse through the diaries of the elder Catherine which she had written when she was a small girl. Weary as he is he soon dozes off only to be woken up by the branch of a tree scratching a window pane and disturbing his sleep. He wakes up and opens the window to get rid of the offending branch only to grab the hand of a small child!

"I must stop it, nevertheless!" I muttered, knocking my knuckles through the glass, and stretching an arm out to seize the importunate branch; instead of which, my fingers closed on the fingers of a little, ice-cold hand! The intense horror of nightmare came over me. I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it, and a most melancholy voice sobbed, "Let me in -- let me in!" "Who are you?" I asked, struggling, meanwhile, to disengage myself. "Catherine Linton," it replied shiveringly. (Why did I think of Linton? I had read Earnshaw twenty times for Linton.) "I'm come home. I'd lost my way on the moor." As it spoke, I discerned, obscurely, a child's face looking through the window. Terror made me cruel; and finding it useless to attempt shaking the creature off, I pulled its wrist on to the broken pane, and rubbed it to and fro till the blood ran down and soaked the bedclothes. Still it wailed, "Let me in!" and maintained its tenacious gripe, almost maddening me with fear. "How can I?" I said at length. "Let me go, if you want me to let you in!" The fingers relaxed; I snatched mine through the hole, hurriedly piled the books up in a pyramid against it, and stopped my ears to exclude the lamentable prayer. I seemed to keep them closed above a quarter of an hour;

yet the instant I listened again, there was the doleful cry moaning on! "Begone!" I shouted; "I'll never let you in -- not if you beg for twenty years." "It is twenty years," mourned the voice -- "twenty years. I've been a waif for twenty years!" Thereat began a feeble scratching outside, and the pile of books moved as if thrust forward. I tried to jump up, but could not stir a limb, and so yelled aloud in a frenzy of fright."

The meaning of Lockwood's dream becomes clear when Heathcliff arrives on the scene and from his frenzied manner we realise that it was the ghost of the elder Catherine which was trying to come back to 'Wuthering Heights' where it had spent its early childhood.

Elie Wiesel-"The Perils of Indifference"-Why does he think indifference on the part of America endangers the entire world?

Wiesel draws upon his own experience as a survivor at Buchenwald, one of the Nazi death camps, to prove the argument that American indifference endangers the entire world.  He makes the valid assertion that it was the action of American troops that stopped Hitler, ended the Holocaust, and freed the survivors, like Wiesel himself:  "And now, I stand before you, Mr. President- Commander in Chief of the army that freed me, and tens of thousands of others- and I am filled with a profound and abiding gratitude to the American People."  In the speech, Wiesel asserts his belief that indifference ("not caring") would have not freed him from the hell of the Holocaust, and serve to aid the aggressor:

Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response.

Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees -- not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity we betray our own.

Notice again, the argument being articulated here.  It is not merely the absence of action which is wrong.  It is the fact that absence of action is a silent nod to the aggressor, it is complicity.  The irony of the situation is not lost on a survivor like Wiesel:  America, as well as other nations in the Europe, knew very well what Hitler was proposing, why these nations' indifference to Weimar Germany's struggles enabled Hitler's rise to power, and that the Nazis represented a force of doom to millions of Jewish people and millions others.  It was indifference that caused the Holocaust.

Wiesel concludes by demanding the America exercise the same moral authority it did during the Holocaust, in the situations such as Kosovo or Rwanda.  Indifference or isolationism is not an appropriate response to evil, and Wiesel's argument is that American indifference assists the aggressors or perpetrators of such evil, endangering the entire world.

Identify traits of Puritan culture showed in "The Crucible" through character beliefs, motives, etc.

Puritans had a strong belief in the devil, and that Hell existed.  Because of this, they felt that the devil could exert power and influence over people when they were on the earth; hence the belief in witches.  They believed that witches were servants to the devil and did his work for him on earth.  This belief is extremely evident in "The Crucible" as women and men are accused of being witches who have "signed his black book," meaning, signed their souls over to Satan.  We see that Reverend Hale, who is a minister ordained to preach the word of God, also had an extensive knowledge of all of the "demonic arts" too; Satan was just as real as God was.  Hale believed in Satan's influence so much that he was well studied in him and his various forms.  Accusations of witchcraft only fly in a society where people believe in witches; Puritans did.

Another belief that the Puritans had was that the bible was not only the law of God, but the law of the land also.  In Salem, they had a theocracy, which means that their government was also their religion; religious rules were the law.  Because of this, witchcraft was punishable by law, because it was forbidden in their religion.  Ministers became enforcers of the law.  The bible was referred to for punishments and law setting.  Pay attention to how often the townspeople refer to the bible as their guiding force.  They refer to it for all of their dictates.

Another Puritan belief was that of being complete and total sinners, and that only baptism and strict adherence to gospel law would save people.  In the play, Reverend Hale notes that people had noticed that John Proctor had not baptized all of his children--this put them in danger of not receiving salvation if they died.  Hale encourages them to baptize their children immediately.  Without baptism, a soul was condemned to Hell.  Strict adherence to religious law was also needed to achieve salvation; Rebecca Nurse refused to confess to witchcraft because, she stated, "It is a lie!  How may I damn myself?"  She would rather die than tell a lie that might jeopardize her salvation.

Those are just a few thoughts, and I hope that they help; good luck!

In Buried Onions, what role does trust play in Eddie's relationship with another character?Please explain well because when I read the book I was...

Trust plays an important role in Eddie's relationship with a number of other characters; actually, what is more significant is that there is a lack of trust. Eddie's relationship with Angel is characterized by a complete absence of trust. Although Angel acts like he is on Eddie's side, Eddie knows that Angel lies, and as the story progresses, he becomes more and more convinced that Angel is capable of any evil or betrayal, even towards those he considers his friends. When Mr. Styles's truck is stolen from in front of Eddie's apartment, Eddie suspects it is Angel who is the dark-skinned, skinny boy who nonchalantly drives the truck away. Also, because of rumors and his own growing realization of the depths of Angel's depravity, Eddie becomes convinced that it was Angel himself who killed Eddie's cousin Jesus. Eddie's relationship with Angel begins with suspicion and culminates with complete lack of trust.

Trust, or the lack of it, plays a role in Eddie's relationship with Mr. Stiles as well. When Mr. Stiles first hires Eddie to help out at his house, he trusts him to the point that he allows the boy to take his truck on an errand to the dump. Then the truck is stolen, and the trust is broken. Mr. Stiles thinks at first that Eddie has stolen the truck, and even though Eddie finds the truck and arranges for Mr. Stiles to get his truck back, the trust they had is not fully restored. Mr. Stiles agrees to have Eddie come back to work for him, but sets him up to be arrested on the suspicion that Eddie did steal the truck, and used it in a crime at a nearby laundromat. Trust, once broken, is not easily fixed; Mr. Stiles is not sure about Eddie, and though he seems not to want to, turns Eddie in to the police.

In regards to Frankenstein, in what way is Victor's story affected by having Robert Walton tell it?In what way are Victor Frankenstein & Robert...

Walton’s letters serve to filter Victor's story through another perspective, adding a level of objectivity to the reporting. Walter also helps set a realistic tone for what is otherwise a completely outrageous story. After all, who would believe that someone could create life out of dead matter? Walton helps diffuse this sense of disbelief, as he is introduced as a pragmatic man, concerned with facts and the practical matters of his expedition. But he is also a Romantic adventurer, eager for the rewards of new experiences and sensitive to human emotions. This creates a practical lens Walton is established as a reliable reporter, so his description of his passenger as an honest, sincere man makes his bizarre story more believable.

Walton and his passenger share a common bond in their Romantic natures. Both men desire to explore the unknown and are inspired by grand ideas. There is also a strong emotional tie between the two, and they are both quite sensitive and sympathetic towards each other. Both Victor and Walton are typical Romantic characters. Victor immediately understands Walton’s need for a close, spiritual friend. Walton is very aware of the terrible sadness that envelops his guest; he feels a kinship towards him, believing him to be a person of great intuition and judgment.

Walton and his new passenger are alike in other ways. They are both sensitive, compassionate men who began their respective adventures with lofty visions, excited at the thought of the great discoveries they intend to make. They were both willing to endure great hardship in order to achieve their goals, and they were single-minded in the pursuit of their objectives. As an Arctic explorer, Walton, much like Victor, wishes to conquer the unknown. However, when he discovers Victor near death on the icy water, he listens to Victor's bitter and tormented tale of the creature. This makes him reconsider continuing his own mission, if it will put his own crew in danger. When the creature appears as Victor's is dying, Walton fails to destroy the creature, as Victor requested. Instead, he does what Victor continually failed to do: he listens to the creature's anguished tale with compassion and empathy. So, he succeeds where Victor fails.

In Act 3 of "The Crucible", what dramatic effect is served by the girls echoing Mary Warren's words?

Mary Warren has come to the courts to declare all of these girls frauds.  This is a dangerous thing to do, because at any given moment, they could turn on her, and accuse her of being a witch.  She knows this, which is why at the end of Act Two, she tells John Proctor, "I cannot!  They'll turn on me!" when he demands that she tell the truth in the courts.  And, sure enough, that's what they do.  It starts when Abby sees her chance to pounce in after Elizabeth lies about John and her affair.  She knows that she'd better discredit Mary, or she'll be in trouble.  So, she pretends that Mary is a "yellow bird" that wants to "tear [her] face."  Mary knows what she is up to, and demands that she stops.  And that is when the girls kick in with their mimics of whatever Mary says.

The echoing by the girls adds intensity--if you have ever had a younger sibling do this "copy game" with you where they copy everything that you say, you know how insanely infuriating it gets.   It is hard not to just blow a gasket when someone is doing that do you!  It pressures you, makes you rethink what you say, and pokes at the nerves.  So, that alone increases the drama by adding chaos and a very nerve-wracking situation--we feel for poor Mary.  It also makes the pace of the play pick up a bit--the back and forth makes the audience feel tense and out of control, as it does Mary.  She caves quickly, turning on John, calling him a "devil's man," because in the course of the mimicing that is occuring, Danforth seems to turn on her, believing the parroting girls over her.  The echoing doesn't allow her to get a logical word in edgwise.  It brings the conversation down to an infantile level where nothing real can be discussed.  This makes Mary unable to prove her case, or argue with any sense, and puts her in a frustrating situation.

For all of these reasons, the echoing adds dramatic intensity and suspense, and was well-placed by Arthur Miller.  I hope that these thoughts helped; good luck!

What are the key words for first person pov?I decided to brush up on old essays from the past and learn a little more about writing. and i realized...

First person point of view, as you say, is when a narrator tells his or her story using the personal pronouns I, me, my, we, our, ours, etc.  Second person point of view refers to how we might directly address a person, for example in conversation, when referring to someone or something as "you" or "yours."  Third person point of view is when a narrator tells his or her story from outside the story, an independent observer, using the pronouns he, she, it, his, hers, its, etc.  Within the third person point of view are defined the third person limited narrator, who knows and expresses the inner thoughts and feelings of one character, and the third person omniscient, or all-knowing, narrator, who knows and expresses the inner thoughts and feelings of all characters in the story. 

How does Winnie's talk with Miles when they go fishing relate to her earlier talk with Angus in Tuck Everlasting?

Winnie's talk with Miles is an extension of her earlier talk with Angus, only from a different perspective.  Angus' nature is to be reflective, and it is his inclination to approach his situation in a philosophical manner; Miles, in contrast, is more of a man of action, and he confronts the same situation with the attitude of trying to figure out how he can make the best of it.

Angus takes Winnie out on the pond because "the pond's got answers" (Chapter 11).  He explains to Winnie his philosophy on life, and his reasons for wanting to keep the water that grants eternal life a secret.  He says that life is "moving, growing, changing", and compares it to a wheel, "turning and turning, never stopping".  Dying, to him, is a necessary "part of the wheel, right there next to being born".  Because he will never die, Angus feels that life is passing him by, and always will.  He cannot grow and change, so he cannot live; he and his family "just are", watching life go by "like rocks beside the road".  Angus desperately wants to convince Winnie to keep the secret of the magic water.  He is afraid that if people find out about it, they would do anything to get it, then regret it when they figure out the predicament in which it will leave them, when it is too late.  He cannot do anything to improve his own position now, but he is determined to do what he can to prevent others from finding themselves in the same situation (Chapter 12).

Miles, a practical man, takes Winnie out on the pond a few chapters later also, but true to his nature, he has a practical motive for going, to catch fish for breakfast.  While they are fishing, Miles tells her concretely about the consequences of his family's situation, explaining how he once had a wife and family, but they grew old without him, and, not wanting them to be "mixed up and peculiar", he parted ways with them.  Miles' revelation supports Angus' desire that Winnie keep the secret of the magic spring, yet, having been placed in a difficult situation, Miles himself is determined to make the best of things.  Miles disagrees with his father in that he says, "It's no good hiding yourself away, like Pa and lots of other people".  Miles wants to "do something useful if (he's) going to take up space in the world" (Chapter 17).

Broadly describe how and to what extent king Claudius suffered from his guilty conscience.in "Hamlet" - pls make the answer very broad.

Right when he is ready to murder Claudius to avenge his father's death, Hamlet witnesses Claudius making his mea culpa (acknowledgement of guilt). Although Hamlet thinks his uncle is under grace at this moment, Claudius realizes that he has not really repented for as much. He understands that his words are merely "lip service" to go through the act of confession, but that his heart is not really in it. By this, one can understand that although Claudius is revulsed by his acts, he is nevertheless glad to benefit from the consequences thereof: he has his brother's wife Gertrude now as his own, and he is king in his stead.

How can one honestly 'be sorry' and 'be glad' at the same time? Claudius at least sees the absurdity of the situation and the hypocrisy of such pretention.

Ironically, Hamlet does not follow through with his plan to kill Claudius at this point, thinking that Claudius will die forgiven and expiated for his sins. This scene is pivotal, for if Hamlet had indeed killed his uncle at this point, he would have had his vengeance and the horrible bloodbath which ensues would have been avoided.