An important idea in the story "Games at Twilight" is that the childish games are...?

"Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai is a touching and very well-written account of Ravi, who learns a profound life lesson while playing a classic child's game of Hide 'N' Seek.  The story recounts, in detail, Ravi's excitement at having found an excellent hiding place, his giddy anticipation at emerging triumphant and all-glorious after beating out the bully Raghu, who was the seeker.  Unfortunately, he daydreams a bit too long, and by the time he emerges, the other children have moved on--they have completely forgotten about him.  It is at this point that Desai inserts the profound and moving lesson that Ravi learns that day:

"The ignominy of being forgotten—how could he face it?...He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance."

So, to finish the sentence given above, there are several different possibilities.  You could try "the childish games are actually training grounds for coping with disappointment in later life."  This reflects how Ravi is being exposed to disappointment through a game, which will give him experience with it in future, real-life encounters.  Another possibility is that "the childish games are a microcosm of real life, representing many aspects that children will enounter as adults." Consider Raghu, a representative for every mean, unfair bully that you might meet in the workplace or in everyday life.  Consider Ravi's foolish and vain day-dreaming, a symbol of the frailty and uselessness of vanity.  Consider the crowd of children, who forgot him, symbolic of how most life moves on very quickly, even when you are upset.  The entire game with its characters and events can correlate to real-life situations people enounter.

Those are just a couple possibilities of ways to finish off that sentence, and I hope that they help to get your wheels turning.  Good luck!

What are some major decisions made by the men and women featured in Into Thin Air?

Because you are discussing a nonfiction work in which real people's deaths are portrayed, most of the major decisions made in the work are life or death decisions.  Here are several:

1. Krakauer states that there are many inexperienced climbers on Mt. Everest during this climb, and as his team leader makes the decision to reach the summit, Krakauer wonders if this is a wise move.  His question comes from the news that high winds and a storm are approaching, and since it takes at least 12 hours to reach the summit from the last camp, the author is skeptical that they will have time to summit and get down safely.  As readers, we know, of course, that this ends up being the most costly decision made in Into Thin Air. 

2.  Guides and other climbers must make the decision to stay with stranded climbers.  Rob Hall, a guide, heroically stays with one of his climbers, and when the climber dies, Hall does not have enough oxygen or orientation to come down the mountain.  He ends up giving up his own life.  Additionally, as climbers pass Beck Weathers lying in the snow, they decide that he is too far gone to try to help him back to camp; some even assume that he is already dead.  Miraculously, Weathers does blindly make it to camp and doesn't blame others for leaving him, but one wonders if the climbers question their other decisions to leave behind people on the mountain.

These are the most significant choices portrayed in the book; but of course, you could also go back to climbers' decisions in the first place to attempt to conquer Mount Everest.

Is "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold a descriptive poem or a meditative one?

Can't it be both?  Matthew Arnold, in his poem "Dover Beach," is highly descriptive AND meditative.  You can see his descriptiveness as he relays the beautiful scene out his window.  He describes the moonlight as "fair," the cliffs as "glimmering," the coast as "gleaming," the land "moon-blanched," the waves as having a "tremulous cadence," and the night air as being "sweet."  His descriptiveness in that first stanza is so detailed and poetic that it is easy for the reader to imagine the beautiful scene out of his window.

From here on out, the descriptiveness does not stop, but, Arnold becomes more meditative.  Instead of just describing the scene in front of him, Arnold also describes his thoughts as he ponders the scene.  The scene is a sad one to him, reminding him of an "eternal note of sadness."  His meditations then move on to the ancient Sophocles, whose plays also reflected "the turbid ebb and flow of human misery."  If the poem were merely descriptive, Arnold would not be pondering anything at all, and would have just described the scene.  But he goes further, and relates his cynical viewpoint on life, that he mulls over as he looks out his window.  From Sophocles he mourns the fact that he feels "The Sea of Faith" and its "long withdrawing roar" that leaves the world empty and devoid of any goodness.  The world as he knows it, though filled with idyllic views from windows, has no "joy...love...light...certitude...peace...help for pain."  He ends the poem with a glimmer of hope, a plea to his loved one to "be true to one another," as it might be the only thing that can save them from the "darkling plain" of the world.

Arnold's poem uses beautiful descriptions to set the scene, and to more poetically express his meditations as he sits at his window.  It is both highly descriptive AND meditative.  I hope that these thoughts helped; good luck!

How can Ch.7 of Ethan Frome be considered the climax of the novel?

Chapter 7 is generally not identified as the novel's climax since Ethan Frome belongs to modern American literature, but if you were to examine it as such, you should consider Shakespeare's dramatic structure in his tragedies. The dramatic climax of the play occurs in Act III of a Shakespearean tragedy when the tide turns against the hero. In Act IV, the hero struggles valiantly but unsuccessfully to reverse his fortunes, and in Act V he meets his fate and is destroyed.

When viewed in this context, Chapter 7 could be interpreted as the novel's climax because tide turns against Ethan at this point. Zeena returns from seeing the doctor with the news that she has "complications," needs a hired girl to do all her work, and intends to send Mattie away, immediately. This leads to the first quarrel between Zeena and Ethan in their marriage, and it is nearly violent. Ethan is devasted by the idea that he will lose Mattie in his life, and he feels a burning hatred toward Zeena. He refuses to consent. At the end of the chapter, Zeena finds the mended pickle dish. Anger, loss, bitterness, and resentment overwhelm her, all of which she turns upon Mattie. There is no doubt at the conclusion of Chapter 7 that Zeena will put Mattie out of the house. The subject is closed, and Ethan's tragic fate is sealed. When viewed in terms of Shakespeare's structure, Chapter 7 serves as the dramatic climax in this novel, just as Act III contains the dramatic climax in one of his tragedies.

Moreover, the remainder of the novel falls into place as the narrative equivalents of Acts IV and V in one of his dramas. Ethan's fate is sealed, but he struggles valiantly to overturn it. He makes a plan to leave with Mattie, realizes he lacks enough money to support both women, and decides to get the money due him from Hale. This attempt fails, but he struggles on until the "smash-up," which destroys Mattie's body and spirit. In her destruction Ethan's own is realized.

What lesson is learned from the pilot and the prince in Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince?

The most important lesson we learn from the pilot and the prince is that it is the things unseen that are most important. The pilot's drawing of a boa constrictor from the outside digesting an elephant was imperative to the pilot because it contained a secret, the enclosed elephant. The prince's fox teaches him that "what is essential is invisible to the eye" (Ch. 17). The prince looks longingly up at the sky and found the stars to be beautiful because up among the millions of stars was his own planet holding his precious flower that cannot be seen, as we see in his line, "The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen" (Ch. 24). When the prince and the pilot go out in search of a well, the prince calls the desert beautiful because "somewhere it hides a well" (Ch. 24). Finally, the pilot, even though the prince is physically beautiful, finds the prince to be exceptionally beautiful because of what's inside the prince, such as his heart, his wisdom, and his faithful love for a flower that can't be seen, as we see the pilot reflecting in his lines as he carries the prince through the desert in search of a well:

What I see here is nothing but a shell. What is most important is invisible ... What moves me so deeply ... is his loyalty to a flower. (Ch. 24)

Hence we see that the most important lesson the pilot and the prince teach us is that it is the things unseen, the spiritual world of love and faithfulness, that is important, rather than the corporeal world.

This is totally what you think, not what the book says. Do YOU think Bella should stay human or become vampire?

I think Bella has no other choice than to become a vampire, if she wants to be with Edward forever.  In a normal human existence, a married couple will grow old together over a period of years, but Bella will never have that because of Edward's vampire status.  The alternative to becoming a vampire is to grow old and eventually look like Edward's grandmother; although Edward says he will always want to be with Bella no matter what she looks like, this is not an alternative Bella wishes to contemplate, much less experience.  Of course, Edward resists the idea of Bella changing over because he doesn't want to deny her the world of experiences she will have as a human being; he also recognizes that once Bella has changed, it is irrevocable.  However, for Bella, this step into immortality is not an option, but something she needs to do to be with Edward forever as an equal-opportunity vampire. 

In the book/play "Miracle Worker" by William Gibson, why do Annie's nightmares stop?

Anne Sullivan's first job was taking care of the wild Helen Keller; she left the Perkins Institue where she had been a pupil (Anne herself was partially blind) to become Helen's governess.  Annie's life had not been a happy one.  Among other things, she had always blamed herself for her younger brother's death.  She is only able to come to terms with her painful past and end the nightmares when she finally reaches Helen and promises to love her "forever and ever," just as she had once promised her brother Jimmie. 

In Night, Chapter 8, Does Eliezer feel guilt as his father dies? Why?

Eliezer feels more of a relief when his father dies.  By this point in the work, Eliezer's struggle to survive has taken such an encompassing hold on him that the death of his father is seen in survivalist terms.  Eliezer believes that it will be easier for him to live in the camp without having to worry or tend to his father.  Additionally, given the fact that his father was in such dire physical condition, Eliezer will no longer have to expend energy and care in tending to him.  If there is guilt, it is in the feelings of not having any guilt, especially given the promise he made earlier that he was going to do his best to maintain the bonds between he and his father and not break them.

It should not be read, I don't think, as Eliezer has become unfeeling or selfish.  A concept brought out throughout Night is that the horror of the Holocaust was in its betrayal between people, and that in certain conditions, bonds of loyalty are quickly broken between individuals.  The traditional belief is that people always rise to their own sense of best during harsh conditions.  Yet, Wiesel is astute to point out that the real terror of the Holocaust was that sometimes the best of nature is not revealed, but actually the worst.  Recall the previous scenes how people stepped and fought over each other for a piece of bread.  Seeing this is where the real horror of the Holocaust lay.  In recognizing this, Wiesel is making an earnest plea that such a condition, in any form, must be defeated and opposed at any and all costs.  In another portion of the book and later on in his life,  Wiesel recalls an incident from his own life where he saw a woman throwing coins at children who were fighting one another to obtain them.  When he asked her why she does it, she responds, "I like to give to charity."  In presenting this image, the reader is confronted with the understanding that human indifference and savagery might have been a condition of life during the Holocaust.  Yet, the only salvation from such a period has to be the changing of moral behavior and lessons from it.  When this woman throws coins to see children fight and responds with her supposed "love of charity," Wiesel might be saying that this might be on the same level of repugnance as what was experienced during the death camps.

What is the internal conflict for Zaroff?

There are quite a few conflicts that the characters are faced with in this short story. Zaroff's major internal conflict stems from the fact that he no longer enjoys hunting animals.  Zaroff's internal conflict is that he does not see the challenge in hunting animals and needs to find a more intelligent type of prey to hunt -- for him this prey becomes man.  The internal conflict then becomes -- does he hunt man or does he continue to hunt something that he does not see a point in hunting.  Zaroff obviously makes the decision to hunt man. 

Compare and contrast the real-life Walter Mitty with his imaginary counterparts.

In Walter Mitty, the author James Thurber has created an Everyman. Henpecked by his wife and beaten down by life, Mitty is a middle-aged man trying to navigate the challenges of ordinary life, with little success. Nagged constantly by his wife and mocked by others he encounters in the course of his mundane existence, Mitty retreats into a fantasy world of extraordinary events.

In his imagination, Mitty becomes a daring combat pilot, a uniquely skilled surgeon called in to consult on a puzzling medical case, and a brilliant lawyer whose eloquence saves the day in a tense courtroom drama. In all of these fantasies, Mitty is the hero, a sharp contrast to the little failures of his real life. Indeed, it is exactly that contrast that gives Mitty relief from the humiliation of his day-to-day existence.

What is the resistance?In Lois Lowry's novel Number the Stars, what is "the resistance"?

During the second World War, some people in occupied countries such as France, The Netherlands, and Denmark resisted Nazi forces. These brave men and women met secretly and planned ways to thwart the German army's efforts to round up Europe's Jews and others.

Many of the techniques described in Lowry's book are historically accurate. Denmark in particular was highly successful in protecting its Jewish population, both by transporting Jews out of the country and hiding them in their homes.  Sadly, many in the resistance paid for their bravery with their lives, as Peter and Anne Marie's sister do in the story.

I need to write an essay on swine flu. What are some good tips to get started?It needs to be original and about swine flu.

This is a very big topic, and I think your biggest task is to narrow your focus.  You will have no difficulty finding plenty of materials in your research.  What aspect of swine flu might you want to discuss?  The topic can be viewed from a public health perspective, for example, focusing on what public health officials have done to prevent the spread of the disease.  Even that might be narrowed to focus on what was done in Mexico, or in the USA, for example. Perhaps you want to focus on how the media handled information about the flu.  Did the media make things worse?  Or did their reporting reassure people? Another possible focus might be what actions people should take to protect themselves.  You could also discuss the biology of the disease, its combination of human, swine,and avian flu, and the possibilities for mutation. As you can see, there are many ways to approach this subject.

No matter what aspect of swine flu you choose to talk about, you will need to provide some background information on the flu, assuming that readers don't know much about it.  This can be accomplished briefly in an introduction, or it can be accomplished in a separate paragraph, right after the introduction. 

Decide what approach you want to take, and what points you want to make.  Each point should be made in a separate paragraph.  Those paragraphs are the "meat" in your "sandwich," with an introduction and conclusion holding your sandwich together.

When you offer your reader quotations, information, or ideas that you found through your research, you will need to provide in-text citations to let the reader know your sources, and a final page listing your references or works cited.  Check with your teacher to see if you are supposed to use MLA or APA form.  I have given you links to learn how to use both, if you are not familiar with these. 

Do individuals have any power over what they become or are their characters entirely determined by static factors such as family and race?

This is a large question. You will have to decide what side you are on. Basically, it deals with both "nature" versus "nurture" and "free will" versus " determinism." How much control or power does our environment have to shape our character, and how much of who we are are we born with?

Most people today will say that we are influenced by both nature (how we are when we are born) and nurture (what influences our environment has had).

Ask any mother, and she will say her children had definite personalities that they seemed to have from birth.This is like saying we have a "genetic predisposition" towards certain things, that some of our personality is "hard wired" into our genes. (Why is Johnny so happy all the time? He was born that way...)

On the other hand, much in our society is organized around the belief that environment can influence our personality and our actions. We care about pre-natal care because we don't want a child's options to be shut down before he or she is born (as is the case with severe fetal alcohol syndrome, for instance) and we read to our children because we think that that will make them smarter. Early psychologists actually believed that we could program a child to be anything we want her to be just by controlling her environment from the years 1 to 5.

This brings us to the question of free will, and whether or not we have any power to shape the person we will become. The most honest answer to this question is that we are both a product of our environment and a free agent with the power to decide for ourselves who and what we want to be.

Bilbo was not very adventurous by nature. As a hobbit, he was more excited about meal time than travel. Had Gandalf believed that people did not have the power to alter their nature, he might not have approached Bilbo. It is difficult to say whether or not Bilbo already possessed the courage and the character he developed over the course of the adventure. Perhaps it was always there within him; however, it might never have emerged had he not been in an environment that allowed it to grow.

How can persuasive language be used in a positive and negative way to influence people ?Similar to what happened with the Nazis and Hitler.

In its own right, language is a powerful element.  History has demonstrated that when words are articulated into certain settings, they can have great impact on individuals, nations, and civilizations.  We can see this with great orators and writers.  To a large extent, we can also see this with Hitler and the rise of Nazism in the 1930s.  Hitler utilized persuasive language as a method to tap into a reservoir of anger and frustration along wit a perceived sense of unfairness that many Germans felt, but could not articulated.  Persuasive language attempts to do this, as it hopes to speak a shared or common experience that will build bonds between speaker and audience.  In the case of Nazism, this solidarity was formed at the expense of demonizing "the other."  Hitler and the Nazis were able to persuade people by appealing to Germans' national sense of identity and honor, and articulating a vision of an idyll setting when compared to the dire condition of post War Germany.  Through the use of idealistic and persuasive language, Hitler and the Nazis were able to convince Germans that they were the victims of conspiracy and manipulation in order to advance their own agendas.  Persuasive language is most effective when it is able to articulate the painful predicament of a group of people, and then offer a way to evade such an agonizing condition.  Certainly, in this way, Hitler and the Nazis were able to galvanize the people of Germany to actively endorse and support the Nazi ideology.

Persuasive language is exactly that- persuasive.  It can mobilize and motivate individuals to accept a vision from a leader or person in the position of power.  Hitler and the Nazis were an example of how this can be done for malevolent purposes or intent.  There are situations where persuasive language resonates in the mind's eye of history as it appeals to a transformative notion of reality that posits what can be as opposed to what is.  Certainly, Hitler and the Nazis and their followers would suggest that this was their end in the utilization of persuasive language.  However, history, as well as the many individuals who died as a result of such language, might have a different opinion on this.

How did Matt Gordon try to protect his son from Rose's rage in Flowers for Algernon?Why did Matt fail to do it?

Charlie has many memories of his father, Matt Gordon, trying to protect him from his mother Rose.  When Charlie was in early elementary school and was struggling, Rose refused to give up on the idea that her son was normal, and ignored the recommendations of teachers who wanted to put him in a special class.  Instead, she mercilessly pushed him to do things he could not do.  Matt tried to stick up for young Charlie, asking Rose, "Why can't you let yourself see the truth?", but to no avail (April 28).  After Norma was born, Rose changed her attitude, focusing all her hopes on her daughter and wanting Charlie out of her life.  As she grew up, Norma picked up on her mother's manipulative ways and, like Rose, treated Charlie; Matt continued to try to defend his son, as illustrated when Norma demanded a dog for getting good grades (June 5), but he was ineffectual in the face of his wife's and daughter's histrionics.

Although Matt was the one person in Charlie's family who "had been willing to take (him) as he (was)" (June 20), he was just not strong enough to stand up effectively to his wife.  Charlie remembers Rose as "always fluttering like a big, white bird...around my father, and he too heavy and tired to escape her pecking...Dan massive and slumped, Mom thin and quick" (April 28).Rose's power over Matt extended beyond issues involving Charlie; because she had told him "she would never have a barber for a husband", Matt gave up his dream of owning his own business while he was married to her and stayed in a job he absolutely despised (June 20).  Rose was "used to having her way through hysteria" (June 15).  On the day that Matt finally caved in and took Charlie away to be placed in an institution, he did so because she was threatening to kill the child with a kitchen knife (June 20).

What are Ms.Love's specific characteristics and/or actions that contribute to changes in Cold Sassy?

Miss Love is a an adventuresome soul who is not afraid to speak up, but when the town's  shun her with disapproval even though she is hurt she puts on a brave face.She might cry at home, but she smiles in public. When Miss Love begins to admit to being bothered by town attitudes, she finds life happier for the confession.

After she and Rucker begin to fall in love she follows this path of honesty and tells him of the abuse in her past. His acceptance makes her accept herself as lovable, and so when she finds herself pregnant and a widow, she is detemined to stay knowing the positive example she has displayed for the town. And even if they don't accept her she knows the town will accept her child.

How are the scarlet letter "A" and the child Pearl alike? In 'The Scarlet Letter.'

The scarlet letter "A" and her daughter Pearl testify to what Hester has done and are symbols of shame; but at the same time they both distinguish her as being apart from and even above the rest of the community. (Her position on the scaffold does the same thing.)

Hester bears the "A" on her bosom as an emblem of her identity (incidentally, much as the Jews would wear the star of David during the Nazi regime), and its presence somehow emboldens her to assume her life since she has nothing to hide. Unlike Dimmesdale, the father of the child, Hester does not cower in the shadows or pretend to be someone she is not; by wearing the "A" ("A"for Adultery) without flinching, Hester gains a certain dignity and self-respect by doing so.

Sprite-like Pearl, skipping among the light and shadow of the forest, is both Hester's burden and solace. Pearl cannot offer her mother the same kind of companionship as that of an adult, but her very presence breaks her solitude just the same. Her name is symbolic, too, in that the consequence of Hester's stigma for committing adultery is the gift of a beautiful child, untainted by the reproach which falls upon the mother. Pearl is indeed her pearl; and if before the eyes of the community the child is first considered a malediction, to Hester her daughter is a bittersweet consolation.

It is paradoxical that Hester Prynn devotes her life in service to a community which in essence has rejected her;although not a Christ figure per se, Hester nevertheless embodies the ideals of both sacrifice and atonement. Even the vividly red "A" she bears loses its original association; does it still mean 'adultery' as originally intended, or 'acquitted' or 'absolved,' or even 'angel?' (A far cry Hester is indeed from the personality of Dimmesdale, who succumbs under the weight of hypocrisy and pride. By such a flagrant contrast of characterization, Hawthorne deftly raises the important question of the real meaning of 'purity' within the New England 'Puritan' congregation and on a broader scope as well).

To sum up, the letter "A" and Pearl are alike in that they originally are negative in connotation by exposing Hester as an adulteress, but in the end they are emblems of her virtue instead.

How do Huck and Jim avoid being seen while they are floating down the river?

Mainly, Huck and Jim avoid being seen by travelling at night, and then tying up the raft and sleeping during the day.  Twain writes some  beautiful descriptions of the night sky and travelling that way. When they meet up with the King and Duke, this easy way of life becomes more complicated, and then they have to make up elaborate stories (e.g., traveling with a "sick Arab") in order to go down the river in daylight.

In this book Speak, what are some characteristics of Melinda?

Quite simply, Melinda is a fourteen-year-old high school student whose life is dominated by the silence she creates for herself.  She is miserable in her school life and as a result of being ostracised, she publicly appears mute.  Ironically, Melinda has incredible "people-watching" skills that she reveals through her inner monologue.  Through this monologue, the reader finds Melinda to be all encompassing:  serious, intelligent, humorous, and cynical.  Despite all of these endearing qualities, Melinda remains misunderstood.  In my opinion, Melinda is also brave.  It takes a very special girl to call the authorities when friends and acquaintances are drinking illegally.  Her involvement in the illegal activity simply magnifies her bravery (not to mention the fact that Melinda was raped).  Unfortunately, Melinda becomes obsessed with what others think of her; however, she ultimately triumphs through the vindication of helping others through sharing her own experience.  Furthermore, what English teacher wouldn't adore a character who relates to Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter!

Given: Sonnets 18, 73, 116. Explain what these 3 sonnets' closing couplets say about the theme of respect and truth?

Essentially, the theme of the three couplets revolves around the idea of finding, keeping, and discovering a sense of eternal and true love.  In Sonnet 18, the speaker has spent the sonnet comparing the love interest to the natural beauty and temperament of a summer's day.  The closing couplet reaffirms this with its assertion that an eternal sense of natural beauty will never leave the love interest of the speaker.  In linking the beauty of the speaker to a natural setting, it is something that can almost be generally accepted as truth by anyone, indicated in the idea that "So long as men can breathe and eyes can see, /So long lives this and gives life to thee."  In Sonnet 73, the closing couplet emphasizes a similar theme of natural conditions as the backdrop to emphasize a speaker's sense of devotion.  In this setting, while the seasons change to one of frigidity and lack of life, this is cast in stark contrast to the devotion the speaker feels towards the love interest.  While death and decay may be a reality in the natural world, the speaker suggests that this will does not weaken the bond towards the love interest, but rather strengthens it.  The closing couplet, again confirms this, with the idea that "thy love" is strengthened with the belief that while death and termination of life may be a part of the natural setting, it does not apply to the love shared between both speaker and love interest.  This concept of striving to establish something that is permanent in a setting of impermanence, a hope of finding an absolute in a world of contingency, Sonnet 116 stresses that while "impediments" to true love and devotion may abound, the love shared between both parties can transcend this into a realm of pure and accepted truth.  The speaker literally goes "all in" on this notion in the couplet in the suggestion that if proven wrong, "I never writ and no man ever loved."  In all three settings, the commitment and devotion of love is both a part of the world and also seeks to go beyond it as a beacon of light to and for all.

In Chapter 7 of The Hiding Place, what did Eusie Smit (a.k.a. Meyer Mossel) add to the life at the Beje?

Eusie Smit is light-hearted and always optimistic.  His thoughtful and generous nature has the effect of lifting the spirits of all those with whom he comes in contact, and serves to keep the attitude of his housemates positive and loving.

Meyer Mossel is "a Jew whose features (give) him away".  For this reason he cannot remain with his wife and children, who are hiding on a farm in the north, and he is referred instead to the Beje.  When Corrie is introduced to this "smiling slender man in his early thirties, with his protruding ears, balding head, and minuscule glasses", she "like(s) him instantly.  His first concern upon coming to live with the Ten Booms is whether he should quit his habit of smoking, lest the smell offend them.

Corrie is amazed at the man's attitude.  She notes that "of all the Jews who (have) come to (their) house this (is) the first to enter gaily and with a question about (their) own comfort".  Meyer, who is given the name Eusebius Smit so that the Semitism of his appelation does not give him away along with his features, quickly endears himself to Casper Ten Boom with his witty and light-hearted banter.  A cantor in the synagogue by profession, Eusie blesses the house with his passionate readings from the Bible, and gives Hebrew lessons one night a week to the others who find shelter at the Beje.

Eusie's loving attitude sets the tone for that of the others.  When the group gathers to discuss how to handle the problem of Mary Itallie, who suffers from a constant asthmatic wheeze and could endanger them all should the Nazis come to search the house, Eusie says,

"It seems to me that we're all here in your house because of some difficulty or other.  We're the orphan children - the ones nobody else want(s).  Any one of us is jeopardizing all the others.  I vote that Mary stay".

With that preamble, the situation is put to a vote.  All nine residents, sharing in the generous outlook exemplified by Eusie, vote that Mary should stay (Chapter 7).

How are the greasers and the socs alike and differant?Please give me a page number for each example, i forgot my book at school.

The Greasers and the Socs are the two rival gangs in Susan Hinton's teen novel "The Outsiders." The Socs (short for socialites) are mostly rich kids from wealthy families--preppy types with nice clothes and flashy cars. The Greasers are poor kids from the wrong side of the tracks with long, well-oiled hair and black leather jackets. Both groups are outcasts from middle class society, and both groups feel they are outsiders from their parents and other teens their age. Both groups like to fight to decide their conflicts, and the occasional weapon is not frowned upon.

Where are instances in which Sammy shows that he is judgmental in "A & P" by John Updike?

In the exposition of  Updikes's story "A&P," Sammy makes his first judgments on the girls' appearances.  For instance, he describes the tall girl of the three as possessing

a chin that was too long--you know, the kind of gifl other girls thing is very 'striking' and 'attractive' but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much.

While the obvious judgment of Sammy's is that the girl's chin is too long; the implicated judgment is that other girls like to go around with a girl who is "flawed" because in contrast to her, they will look attractive.  Sammy describes the third girl as "the queen," who

leads the others around and salks straight on slowly, on these long white prima-donna legs.

Of course, there are many judgments passed upon people by Sammy such as the usual clinetele of women

with six children and varicose veins mapping their leags and nobody, including them, could care less.

He continues his commentary on the girls who reach the meat counter and are subjected to the ogling of "old McMahon"; at this point his judgments become kinder as Sammy remarks, "Poor kids, I began to feel sorry for them, they couldn't help it."  When Queenie brings the jar of herring to the counter, taking a folded dollar bill "out of the hollow at the center of her nubbled pint top," Sammy, unnerved, says, "I thought that was so cute."

"Then everybody's luck begins to run out," Sammy comments as Lengel, the manager, scolds the girls, "Girls, this isn't the beach" and the conflict begins.

Of course, the irony is that Sammy ends up quitting as a show of sympathy for the girls and an act of rebellion against the staus quo.  Once outside, Sammy is not so sure that his rebellion against the mores of the older generation has accomplished much as Lengel in his place checks out the customer as though "he'd just had an injection of iron."  Sammy concludes that his last judgment has lasting repercussions:  "I felt how hard the world was going to be to me herafter."  This is his final and much more mature judgment.

Explain "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" through Longfellow's use of poetic elements.

In addition to the answer by akannan, which is an excellent answer, you may find that your teacher is interested in your knowing about different types of poetic devices.

Longfellow is using a type of rhythm in the poem that reminds you of the galloping beat of the horses hooves. 9 syllables per line is almost iambic pentameter which should contain 10 syllables per line with a stressed and unstressed syllable per "meter foot".

Longfellow uses his stanzas to group different phases of Paul Revere's ride together. His stanzas are not of consistent length, but the length of each stanza either moves the reader along or slows the reader down to emphasize the passage of time.

He also used a variety of poetic devices to convey urgency and fear to the reader regarding the epic ride of Paul Revere.

The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"

personification

A line of black, that bends and floats

On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.

simile

As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and somber and still.

alliteration

Longfellow uses extended simile and metaphors to make comparisons that stick in your mind. There is a thrill of doing this rushed thing by moonlight only. The comparisons are easily remembered and quoted to this day.

Longfellow ends his poem with an open rather than a closed syllable allowing you to have your mouth open at the end of the poem. This gives the reader a feeling of exhaustion and even allows a sigh. It is as though the reader has been on the ride with Paul Revere.

In The Masque of the Red Death, what methods do people use to try to avoid death?

The different means by which the "happy and dauntless and sagacious" Prince Prospero and his "thousand hale and light-hearted friends" protected themselves from getting killed by the plague of the 'Red Death' are listed out in the second paragraph of the story. They are:

1. Prince Prospero and his friends "retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys." An abbey is by itself a very secluded place where monks or nuns spend their whole lives in prayer and spiritual activities. So the Prince and his friends hope that the evil plague will not be able to penetrate into such a religious place. Moreover,  even in this already secluded place they shelter themselves in the - "deep" - innermost and most secluded portion of the building. Lastly, the abbey itself is fortified like a castle - "castellated" - to keep out the Prince's enemies. This building  itself was doubly protected: "a strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron." So, both physically and spiritually the Prince and his friends protect themselves by withdrawing into the deep, innermost part of the strongly fortified abbey.

2. Once the Prince and his merry making companions had entered the fortified abbey they

"brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within."

The decision to enter and seek refuge in the fortified abbey was permanent. The bolts of the gates and other entrances and exits were firmly welded so that no one from outside could come in or no one from inside could have second thoughts about going out.

3. Before locking themselves in, the Prince and his companions made sure that "the abbey was amply provisioned." There would be no lack of food and water supplies till the plague would run its course, after which the Prince and his companions could safely come out.

Which is the largest number? 4/5, 5/8, 12/17, 9/11

Here are 4 fractions given to identify the largest. We can determine the value of each fraction by converting them into decimal numbers or by finding  comparable equivalent fractions with one common denominator. The first one is easy, but I do not understand  level of difficulty of the question raiser.Since it is only 4 fractions we can determine which is greater by comparing 2 of them at a time also.

(i) Comparing method: a/b > or = or <  c/d  according as ad > or = or < bc.

4/5 and 5/8 : 4*8=32 and 5*5 =25. 32>25. Therefore,4/5>5/8 ....(A)

12/17 and 9/11: 12*11 =132 and 17*9=153.132<153. Therefore, 9/11 is larger. or  12/17 < 9/11 ---------(B)

From (A) and (B) , it remains to identify the larger of 4/5 and 9/11:

4/5 an9/11:  4*11=44 and 5*9 =45.  44<45. So, 9/11 is  the lager.  (C).

Considering the facts at (A), (B) and (C), we conclude the fraction 9/11 is the lagest.

(ii) By finding decimal equivalents.

We convert each fraction to their decimal equivalents.

4/5=0.8000.

5/8=0.6250

12/17 = 0.70588...

9/11=0.818181.

One example of  how 12/17 is converted into decimal:

12/17 : 17 cannot go in 12 . So put 0 as quotient and 12 as reminder.

Remainder 12*10/17 = 120/17 =quotient  7 and remainder 1

reminder1*10/17= 10/17  = Qutient 0 and  remainder 10

remainder 10*10/17 =100/17=quotient 5 and reminder 15.

remainder 15*10/17 = 150 /17= 8 qnd remainder 14

remainder14*10/17 = 140/17 =8 and remainder 4

Put all the qutients together in order, putting a decimal point after the 1st zero as below and you get the decimal value:

Therefore ,12/17= 0.70588 nearly still some remainder value we neglected.

Therefore, by looking at the decimal values of all fractions you can notice that  9/11 is the largest of the given 4 fractions.

(iii)By finding a common denominator, which is equivalent to LCM of denominators:

We can easily compare the fractions by their size of the numerator, when all  fractions are expressed in equivalent fraction with a common denominator. The common denominator is any common multiple or least common multiple of the denominators of thr fractions.

The Least Common Multiple (LCM) of denominators:

5,8,17,11 has the LCM=5*8*17*11=7480.

Therefore the equivalent fractions of the given fractions are as follows:

4/5  = 4*1496/(5*1496) = 5984/7480

5/8=5*935/(8*935)=4675/7480

12/17=12*440/(17*440)=5280/7480

9/11=9*680/(11*680)=6120/7480 largest numerator with common denominator 7480. Threfore, 9/11 is the lagest of the given fractions.

I suggest the first method for beginners with fractions. But it is easy when the number of fractions to be compared are considerably more.

Hope this helps.

What are the dangers of an all powerfull state in the novel "Brave New World"?

The dangers of an all powerful state are pretty obvious and treated well in Orwell's 1984 and numerous other texts.  The state in Brave New World is quite different.  The danger is, of course, total control of the population.  People are created "as needed" to fit jobs that they will fulfill later in life.  Their education, through hypnopedia and other techniques, makes them accept their position in life as the best, no matter how menial it may seem to us.  Most of the "passions" of our life are dealth with by making what satisfies them readily available.  Sex is no longer seen as something to be shared with a person, but with anyone you wish since everyone belongs to everyone else.  Want new thing?  That's also the best; after all, ending is better than mending.  And, of course, if things don't go well, there's always soma, the cure for anxiety, rejection, frrustration ....

To get this "paradise" you give up everything that we would recognize as individuality.  There have been some lively discussions about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.  Would it be such a bad thing to be happy all the time?  Is the problem with drugs in our world that they don't work well enough?  John, of course, is the argument against the price of this paradise.  But do things work out all that well for John? Is the price of individuality worth it?

Of course, even their society doesn't work for everyone, and it's clear that Huxley would not recomment it for all of us :)

Should Dally Winston be considered as a hero after helping save the children in the church or should Johnny get all the credit?

Your answer to this may depend upon your interpretation of Dally Winston's character in general and his specific intentions when he enters the church.  How do we define a hero?  Also, how do we evaluate Dally?  It seems as though all that really matters to the reckless Dally is Johnny.  If Johnny had not entered the church, Dally would not have entered the church.  He accomplished a heroic act of helping to save children, but he only did so in order to assist Johnny, the one person in the world for whom he is willing to die.  It seems that to give Johnny the credit would be the right and noble thing, since it is Johnny who initiates the heroic act, and also inspires Dally to help. Dally wants to show the world that he does not care.  He does not care about laws or offending "Soc" girls.  However, he cannot hide that he cares about the group's "kid brother" Johnny.

Find two historical details that help create a positive mood.

It is interesting to see how different people find meaning in a question like this.  My interpretation of the question is a bit more literary, I guess, because what comes to my mind is connected to the kinds of historical events that can led a positive tone to a work of literature. 

There are many works of literature that contain authentic historical details, and these can, of course, make a work more positive or negative.  Imagine, for example, a novel that begins with the final spike driven in the transcontinental railroad.  Such an event would lend great optimism to any novel.  Similarly, a novel that included the tumbling of the Berlin Wall would be driven in a positive way by that event.  The end of World War II would be another example of an event that would make a story more positive.  A more recent event, the election of President Obama, would certainly make a story about race relations in the United States more positive. 

On the other hand, there are plenty of negative historical events for an author to use in a story.  Some examples are the Holocaust, the attack of 9/11, the Cold War, or the Depression. 

Generally, when an author includes historical details in a work of fiction, he or she is certainly aware that such events help to set the tone for a story, just as the setting of a story helps to set the tone.  One good example of a story with rich historical details is Ragtime, by E. L. Doctorow. 

I hope someone is able to provide an answer that is of use to you.  Good luck!   

Is torture justified to protect national security?geneva convention

Given the recent discussions that have been taking place in the American national and political dialogue over the last eight years, this question is highly relevant. This will be where my post will be directed, and not international uses of torture. There is little way that this answer will be fully articulated in this post and there will be other views on it.  Thus, you will have to assess from what you have what you think is the best way to approach this.  In terms of the United States, the 8th Amendment speaks loudly to its position on torture as it strictly forbids "cruel and unusual punishment" to those who are held in captivity by the state.  Since the September 11th attacks, however, the view of torture and "enhanced interrogation techniques" have been revisited.  The belief at the time, and still held to a large extent, is that since that fateful day, America has been at "war" with those who wish to do harm to the nation, the terrorists.  It has been argued that the most valuable commodity in this war is intelligence and information because this war, as it has been articulated, is not a traditional war fought on traditional battlefields and domains.  Rather, it is a war where preemption and proactivity will determine victory or defeat.  Accordingly, there has been a high price placed on information and the vital nature of achieving it.  Since this is the fundamental premise of success, the argument has been that sacrificing of comfort, some level of rights, and redefining the old paradigm into which the Geneva Convention would fall is critical.  The belief was that in the demand for intelligence, enhanced interrogation techniques such as waterboarding can be used and not deemed as torture because such initiatives are not designed for a gaudy or obscene demonstration of power as much as the need for intelligence.

The flip side to this coin is quite obvious.  The first is that the Constitution, under the 8th amendment, does not finely distinguish between "enhanced interrogation" and "torture."  Any "cruel and unusual punishment" is strictly forbidden.  This would mean sleep deprivation, waterboarding, humiliation and degradation or any of the other extreme measures taken in the name of "gaining intelligence" is unconstitutional.  Additionally, over the last half decade, Americans have become aware to how torture has actually led to misinformation.  The dilemma with enhanced interrogation techniques is that the information received has been gained under duress and is not reliable.  The subject is only relaying information, any information, that will stop the abuse.  The veracity of this data is unreliable, as a result.  Further analysis has also revealed that much of the information gained through enhanced interrogation or torture was data that would have been inevitably discovered with competent intelligence fieldwork.  Finally, there is a compelling argument that argues that the national identity of a nation that has represented freedom and justice such as America is debased and vulgarized when it stoops to a degrading level such as torture (Seen in the poem attached below).  Regardless of the consequences, it is suggested that any time American forces or law enforcement engages in torture, the enemy has already "won" for there has been a political and moral abandonment of principles and Constitutionality.

What was the reason for Chamberlain's declaration of war against Germany in 1939?

Many historians think Chamberlain's 'appeasment' was simply buying time for rearmament. Towards the end of the war Hitler often had tantrums about being 'tricked' by Chamberlain into delaying the start of major conflict. By the time Hitler invaded Poland (seventy years ago today), Britain had beefed up it's military hardware and had made many military preparations.

Obviously, Chamberlain hoped Hitler wouldn't grab anymore of his nieghbours' land, but he didn't just sit there with his fingers crossed! He switched the country towards a 'total war' footing and got ready. History has remembered him unkindly.

Chamberlain finally declared war because Hitler launched a naval attack against the strategically vital port of Gdansk in Poland and had mobilised a massive invasion force which swept across western Poland. Hitler's previous land-grabs had been low-key, localised events. But the invasion of Poland was a massive and irreconcilable move. It was a clear statement of intent to dominate the whole of Europe.

In The Crucible, find examples of the different ways Miller uses language to represent the hostility between member of Salem.

First of all, Miller throws them all in a tiny room together, gives them a pretty tense situation to try to figure out, and uses that that as the catalyst for a lot of the aruging that is occuring.  And, it works--the sparks certainly do fly.  So not only does he use language to relay the tension, but he sets it all up with an intense situation that brings out the worst in people.

As the townsfolk argue, look at some of the word choices and phrases that Miller has them using.  They use phrases like "I like not the 'smell' of this authority" (Proctor here, using sarcasm to relate his distaste of Parris's preaching), Parris saying things "in a fury" (in the stage directions), "Aye, and well instructed in arithmetic" (Giles, being sarcastic about Parris's obsession with salary), "Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again?" (Proctor, criticizing Parris's sermon topics), "Why then, I must find it and join it" (Proctor, saying he'll join opposing forces against Parris, "Why, we are surely gone wild this year" (Putnam to Proctor, accusing him of stealing lumber), "What anarchy is this?" (Putnam to Proctor), "You load one oak of mine and you'll fight to drag it home!" (Putnam threatening Giles), "I'll have my men on you!" (Putnam to Giles again).

In this extensive list (and there is much, much more) we see sarcasm, threats, whining, criticism, antagonism and hatred abounding.  Miller uses not only the words that they say to relay this tension, but the pace at which it is said (they go back and forth very quickly, escalating the tension), how the things are said (the stage directions), and in all of the underlying meaning relayed in the information they give.  With all of these techniques, Miller manages to, in one quick scene, expose the fact that Salemites have many underlying issues with one another.  This provides relevant background information that helps to explain how so many were accused of witchcraft.

I hope that these thoughts helped; good luck!

Introducing the man, London describes as being ''quick and alert'," but ''without imagination." How does this lack of imagination mislead him?Jack...

In "To Build a Fire" since this is the man's first trip to the Yukon and he is not acquainted with the extreme cold, and since he lacks "the imagination,"

He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances.

The man misses the significances of the words of the old man from Sulphur Creek who tells him that no one should go out into the severe cold alone; he does not ponder life and death.  In contrast to the man, the husky has an instinct that tells it "a truer tale than was told to the man by the man's judgment."

As a result of his "lack of imagination," the one thought that continues to run through his head is "that it was very cold."  His judgment of the cold, however, is inaccurate by about twenty degrees.  When he stops for lunch, he is amazed at the speed at which his hands freeze.  Still, he holds on by building a fire.  However, when he steps into a hidden spring, the man becomes wet and must build another fire.  Yet lacking "imagination," he does not consider that a fire beneath a snow-covered fir tree will melt the snow, causing it to fall onto the fire.  This omission of thought effects a tragic result as the man is unable to relight another fire because of his frozen fingers.  Having no intimacy with the dog, the animal does not cover him with its body as some dogs have done their masters.  Impassively, it watches the man until it smells death.  Then, "it turned and trotted up the trail in the direction of the camp it knew, where were the other food providers and fire providers.  Stronger in dealing with Nature because of its instincts, the dog survives while the man, less physically adapted and mentally weaker for his "lack of imagination" dies in the impersonal cold.

A man said to the universe:/"Sir, I exist!"/"However," replied the universe,/"The fact has not created in me/A sense of obligation."      -Stephen Crane

I need a critical analysis of the poem "A Consolation" (Sonnet 29) by William Shakespeare. recommendation: This analysis includes the treatment of...

In Sonnet 29 Shakespeare's speaker arouses the curiosity of the reader in the first line as he appears alone and "outcast" at the nadir of his life, "in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes."  Thus, in this first quatrain, the fist aspect of the poem's theme is presented:  the speaker is suffering from the isolation of misfortune.

In the second quatrain, the poet's discontent continues as he desires

this man's art, and man's scope/With what I most enjoy contented least

This discontent is resolved in the third quatrain as the speaker thinks of his friend/lover and

then my state (Like to the lark at break of day arising (simile)

lifts his spirits.  After this, the couplet comments on what was expressed in the quatrains:  When the speaker reflects on his friend/lover, he realizes that "thy swee love remember'd such wealth brings."  Love is the greatest wealth one can possess.

Like all Shakespearean sonnets, Sonnet 29 is written in 14 lines of iambic pentatmeter:  one unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllabus x 5. [ta DUM, ta DUM, ta DUM, ta DUM, ta DUM] The rhyme scheme is abab,cdcd,efef,gg

Certainly the tone is initially very melancholic, but with the progression of the sonnet, the tone lightens and the speaker realizes the true values of life.  Thus, the poem moves from the worldly worries--"fortune" and "fate"  and envy, "Desiring this man's art and that man's scope" to the aesthetic: "my state/sings hymns at heaven's gate."

The sonnet is replete with metaphors which elevate the thought to the poetic/artistic levell; for example, "bootless cries" connotes the worldly poverty of the speaker. Much is expressed with the metaphors of "this man's art" and "that man's scope"; the speaker envies the cunning and manipulative abilities of others and skill with people (social acumen) and the range of their wealth, business dealings (economic prowess).  Yet, in this self-serving pity, he is roused by the aesthetic as he contemplates the love he possesses and his "state" of melancholy and self-pity rises to the metaphoric "wealth" of the spiritual which surpasses even the wealth of kings.

On The Grasshopper and the Cricket: I want a simple summary.

John Keats' Sonnet "On the Grasshopper and the Cricket" was written on December 30th 1816. The message of this poem is foregrounded in these two lines:

"The poetry of earth is never dead" which is the opening line of the octave and the poem; and "The poetry of earth is ceasing never"which is the first line of the sestet. Keats asserts emphatically that no matter what the season, whether it is the peak of scorching summer or the bitterly cold winter season the music and 'poetry' of Mother Nature will be omnipresent and add vitality to the environment.

The octave and the sestet compare and contrast a  hot summer day and a bitterly cold and lonely winter evening. It's so hot that the usually chirpy and active birds have taken shelter amongst the shady trees and the whole countryside seems to be quiet, but just then one can hear the ever active grasshopper chirping away merrily in the hedges.

Similarly when one is cosily sheltered in the comfort of his home in front of a warm stove from the cold frosty winter and is beginning to feel lonely, the silence is shattered by the shrill chirpings of the cricket which adds meaning to the lonely winter evening without filling it up by reminding him of the music of the grasshopper in the summer months.

In Chapter 7 of The Outsiders, what information did Ponyboy learn from the newspaper?

Ponyboy gets information on three issues from the newspaper.  First of all, he learns what really happened up at the church.  Second, he finds out what happened after the fight in which Bob was killed.  And lastly, he discovers that the authorities are considering separating Darry, Soda, and him and putting the younger two in "a boys' home or something".

The article in the paper is entitled, "Juvenile Delinquents Turn Heroes".  It tells how Johnny and Ponyboy "had risked (their) lives saving those little kids, and there was a comment from one of the parents...that (the children) would all have burned to death if it hadn't been for (them)".  The newspaper goes on to tell about the fight that resulted in Ponyboy and Johnny being at the church in the first place.  Cherry Valance had been interviewed, and had said that "Bob had been drunk and that the boys had been looking for a fight when they took her home...(Bob's) buddy Randy Adderson who had helped jump (Ponyboy and Johnny) also said it was (the Socs') fault and that (Ponyboy and Johnny) had only fought back in self-defense".  Nonetheless, Johnny is being charged with manslaughter, and that if he recovers, he and Ponyboy are scheduled to appear at juvenile court, for running away from the scene of the crime.

In a separate column, there is an article about Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy.  That section tells how Darry works two jobs to keep the family together, how Sodapop has quit school so that he can help out too, and that Ponyboy is on the honor roll and is a standout track star at school.  It is this article that makes Ponyboy realize that the family might be broken up (Chapter 7).