In "To Kill a Mockingbird" what happened to Judge Taylor and Helen Robinson after the trial?

The passages that you are looking for start at the beginning of chapter 27.  A few paragraphs in, Lee alludes to the fact that Bob Ewell is on the rampage; he is upset that his reputation has been ruined by Atticus's adept questioning in the courts, and wants to enact revenge.  So, he starts with Judge Taylor, who Bob also felt slighted by, as the Judge was not very polite to him during his testimony.  One night as the Judge was reading the paper, he heard a "scratching noise...from the rear of the house."  When he went to investigate, "the screen door [was] swinging open" and a shadow was lurking in the corner of the yard.  So, Judge Taylor went back to reading, but this time "with a shotgun across his lap."  So, nothing too drastic there, but, Bob was making his presence known.

As for Helen, she was fortunate enough to receive a job from Tom's former employer, Mr. Link Deas.  The book states,

"He didn't really need her, but he said he felt right bad about the way things turned out."

However, to get to work, she had to go a mile out of her way to avoid the Ewell place, because they were rude and threatening to her.  Deas finds out about this, and "walked Helen home" that day, stopping to threaten the Ewells.  He shouts out to Bob that if he bothers Helen again, he'll "have [him] in jail before sundown."  However, Bob follows Helen to work the next day, whispering insults, to which Deas tells him he'd better knock it off; Bob listens this time and leaves her alone.

So, Bob makes mischief for both Helen and Judge Taylor, but fortunately, no lasting damage is done.  Yes, he is saving that up for later in the book, as you'll find out.  I hope that helped!

What is ironic about the function of the Ministry of Love in "1984"? Please Help.. Thank you!

The Ministry of Love, like its three sister ministries the Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, and the Ministry of Plenty, is ironic because the results of its actions are exactly opposite to the meaning of its name. The Ministry of Truth deals in lies, the Ministry of Peace oversees endless war, and the Ministry of Plenty never produces enough goods to satisfy the population. In the case of the Ministry of Love, its business is terrifying the population into obedience. Even its physical manifestation stands in ironic contrast to its name:

The Ministry of Love was the really frightening one. There were no windows in it at all. Winston had never been inside the Ministry of Love, nor within half a kilometre of it. It was a place impossible to enter except on official business, and then only by penetrating through a maze of barbed-wire entanglements, steel doors, and hidden machine-gun nests. Even the streets leading up to its outer barriers were roamed by gorilla-faced guards in black uniforms, armed with jointed truncheons. (Part I, Chapter 1)

Later in the novel, the Ministry of Love will be where Winson Smith is tortured into "loving" Big Brother.

In what ways did corruption occur the Catholic Church at the end of the Middle Ages? As the medieval age drew to a close, the catholic church...

Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was rife with corruption. The church was split by the Great Schism (From 1378-1417 there were three simultaneous popes, each claiming to be the true pope: Urban VII, an Italian; Clement VII, a Frenchman; and a third pope elected by the Council of Pisa. For several years there were three popes anathematizing and excommunicating one another.). And, the Inquisition attempted to squash any reform movements  or attempts to reign in the lavish lifestyles of the clergy by people who could see through the "do as I say, not as I do" speeches given by the clergy to the parishoners.

The scandals that were rife in the Roman church from 590 to 1517 were numerous. Even though priests, monks, and bishops were required to take vows of chastity, ( Celibacy for clergy became Roman Church law in 1079) many nuns and priests engaged in sexual affairs and produced children as a result of these unions. Two popes, Innocent VIII and Alexander VI, fathered and raised children. The convents and monastaries were dens of corruption.

A system of indulgences was foisted upon the public as a way to keep up the luxurious lifestyles of the pope, bishops and clergy who lived more like princes than humble servants of God. These indulgences were sort of like a "free pass" on salvation or an escape from hell if one did a pilgrimage to a particular shirne, purchases a religious relic such as St. Peter's bones, some straw from Jesus' manger or a piece of the "true cross of Christ".  The money was used to furnish lavish apartments for the clergy.  With the system of indulgences, a very wicked person could "buy his way out of hell" by paying the priests to say the right prayers for his soul.

Because of the lack of "faith" among the clergy, many of the priests were awarded their positions based on family connections or political pull rather than by merit or faith and their ability to read and interpret scriptures. Many priests were illiterate and uneducated regarding the scriptures.   They did what they were told by the bishop and by the pope.

What happens after Farquhar seems to escape from the creek?

In the fantasy in which Farquhar finds himself escaping the attack of the Union soldiers and his immersion in the river, he travels continuously until he reaches his home.  Along the way, Farquhar travels through a forest that seems especially strange to him, though he is still aware of the direction in which he must travel.  As he prepares to step into an embrace with his wife, he dies.  Throughout the last part of the last chapter of this story, Bierce (the author) provides the reader with hints and suggestions that Farquhar is actually being hanged and that what is apparently happening to Farquhar is not as it seems; reality begins to intrude upon fantasy.

Do people being deported have to pay their own way to return to their country of origin?

The process for deportation is complicated and subject to changing principles and ideas.  Once it has been determined that a person is to be deported (meaning, they have had the hearing and it is to be determined that they are to leave), they will be taken to a federal detention center.  There is one in Buffalo, New York, for example.  At this point, the process states that the person will be escorted on a commercial flight to the nation of their passport.  Their passport is held until they have boarded the flight and then, it is given to the person in question. If this cannot be arranged, then at the federal detention center, the government charters a flight to that person's country.  Since the government escorts and arranges the flight, it does not specify that it is at the deportee's cost.

How does the digestive system help us to live?

The digestive system takes food from the state in which we eat it, and turns it into a form in which nutrients can be used by the individual cells. Without the digestive system, the cells of our bodies would not receive carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, and would be unable to survive.

The digestive process includes both physical and chemical breaking down of food. It begins in the mouth, where food is chewed and mixed with enzymes. In the stomach, acids continue the process of breaking down food into smaller molecules. In the small intestine, nutrients can be absorbed into the blood and transported throughout the body. The large intestine reabsorbs some of the water from what is left, before the remainder is excreted. This is very basic; there is a lot more to the whole process, but the digestive system takes nutrients from the food we eat, and gets them into a form in which the cells can utilize them.

In "The Rocking Horse Winner," how does Paul die?

In the text, it alludes to a strange fever that just takes over his body, rendering him weak, and eventually takes his life:

"His eyes blazed at her for one strange and senseless second...Then he fell with a crash to the ground...he was unconscious, and unconscious he remained, with some brain-fever...The third day of the illness was critical...He neither slept nor regained consciousness."

So, he collapsed, probably from exhaustion and fever, born from his obsessive hunt for "luck."  Throughout the story, he is so obsessed with making money that he stays up late in the night riding his horse, hoping for a revelation that will win his mother some more money.  So imagine a small child who gets very little sleep, unusual amounts of exercise, is fixated and obsessed with a certain life mission, and is zealous and intense in all that he does.  I would imagine that he slowly weakened himself, from not taking proper care of his body.  Kids need a lot of sleep, and studies have proven that stress undermines the immune system, making your body much, much weaker.  The descriptions of Paul show him becoming more and more feverish underneath his obsession; Lawrence describes his "bright eyes" over and over, hinting at a fever that burns underneath his skin, born from his intense pursuit of luck.  Eventually, it just wore him out, and his body was too weak to live anymore.  Lawrence is making a grave statement about people's obsession with money; he hints that it is not healthy, and only takes from people without giving in return.  Greed, materialism, and an unhealthy focus on the pursuit of wealth only sucks the life out of living, instead of making it better.  In this story, Paul was the sacrifice that greed asked.

I hope that those thoughs help a bit; good luck!

In the story "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry, what are the defining characteristics of Ben Price and Jimmy Valentine?

Ben Price is the law-man that persistently hunts down the infamous Jimmy Valentine.  And, persistence is one of his defining characteristics.  He knows Valentine's style and habits, so when he hears that a bank has been robbed soon after Valentine got out of jail, he wisely concludes,

"That's Dandy Jim Valentine's autograph. He's resumed business...Yes, I guess I want Mr. Valentine. He'll do his bit next time without any short-time or clemency foolishness."

And, he goes off on the hunt.  He is persistent, following Jimmy's trail until he finds him.  Other men would have given up, or wouldn't have cared at all, but not Ben Price.  He is determined and dedicated.  And, at the end, when he lets Valentine go, he shows his merciful nature, as he lets Jimmy Valentine go.

Jimmy Valentine, though a criminal, shows some very un-criminal character traits in this story.  He is definitely clever, as he has robbed many banks in his time, and does so with efficiency and skill.  But, he is also selfless, as he decides to save little Agatha, who got stuck in the safe.  He knew that he would be ruining his life with his sweetheart, and giving up his freedom and reputation as he exposed himself as a bank-robber, but, he did it anyway, in order to save the little girl.  He is very responsible, considering his criminal status.  After he breaks into the safe, he sees Ben, and doesn't run.  He accepts his fate, takes responsibility for his actions, and tells Ben,

"Got around at last, have you? Well, let's go. I don't know that it makes much difference, now.”

He is willing to turn his life over to Ben, and to prison, to pay for his crime.  So, he is responsible and willing to take punishment for his actions.  I hope that those thoughts help to get you started; good luck!

In the book Invisible Man, does Ellison portray similar combat between black and whites and what is the outcome of these combats?

Ellison's "Invisible Man" portrays combat between blacks and whites--both physically and psychologically. Chapter One reflects this through a horrifying incident.

The story describes a horrifying episode in the first-person narrator’s life in a southern town, Greenwood. Ellison’s narrator identifies himself as a “ginger” colored black who has distinguished himself in school, and who has given a superb speech at his high-school graduation ceremony. He has been asked to give the same speech before a meeting of town dignitaries, and goes to the meeting expecting to be received warmly and sympathetically. Instead of such friendliness, he is shown the very worst and most discriminatory vindictiveness of the members of the town’s white power structure.

Instead of friendliness at the meeting of town dignitaries, which the narrator might have expected, he is cast among a dozen boys who are to fight a “battle royal,” or no-holds-barred free-for-all, to amuse the men at the meeting. After being forced to witness a seductive dance by a naked white woman (paragraph 9), the boys are blindfolded and forced to slug it out on the mat. As they swing against each other blindly, the spectators call for blood and insult the boys with all the negative words in the arsenal of racial discrimination. They single out some of the boys for particular punishment.

The affair is a virtual hell for the boys, one of whom seriously injures his hand. The narrator, clearly by the design of those in charge of the meeting, is finally bloodied and knocked down by a bigger boy, and when he gives his speech he is still spitting blood. The plan of the whites is of course not only to exploit the battling boys—the usual case with such organized brawls—but more importantly to put the narrator, as a boy with special talents, in his place.

The major structural development in the story is that of black against white. The other is the outright contempt and mistreatment of the black boys by the white spectators. There is also a broader conflict between oppressor and oppressed, for the white dancer might be included as one of the exploited. When she is tossed in the air it is clear that she, too, is being dehumanized, just like the boys (paragraph 9).

In addition, Ellison brings out the conflict of ordinary male adolescent intimidation, for the boys by no means present an organized and unified front. The larger boy, Tatlock, dramatizes his contempt for the narrator both with words and fists (paragraphs 27-37). We may conclude that Tatlock embodies the hostility and jealousy that the less intelligent often exhibit toward the more intelligent.

In short, the men at the meeting are unbelievably cruel and perverse, and the advice to “know your place at all times” is a reminder that the narrator, no matter how intelligent, is inferior to the most stupid of whites. The narrator is reminded that his role is to be invisible with regard to the white power structure.

What 3 quotations in this section create a deeper understanding of character or conflict development?This "section" includes chapters 12-15.

IN Chapter 12 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," the reader gains new insight into the depth of Calpurnia as she takes Scout and Jem with her to her church.  When one of the members of the church asks with contempt, I wants to know why you bringin' white chillun to nigger church."  Calpurnia replies in a dialect common to the others: "They's my comp'ny." 

A murmur runs through the congregation, and Calpurnia whispers to Scout.  When one of the women confronts Calpurnia, she halts the woman. With this remark said, Calpurnia smiles, and the others welcome the children.  Later, Calpurnia checks Scout when she questions why Mrs. Robinson cannot find work.  This experience teaches the children a new respect for Calpurnia. 

Chapter 15 is demonstrative of the development of Jem and Scout as they display their loyalty and quick-thinking.  When a group of men come to the Finch house.  When Atticus adamantly tells the men that Tom Robinson will not be moved from the jail, there is a

murmur among the group of men, made more ominous when Atticus moved back to the bottom front step and the men drew nearer to him.

Quickly, Jem reacts to diffuse the situation:  "Atticus, the telephone's ringing!"  The men start and scatter.  When Atticus tells Jem to answer the phone, the men laugh, and the laughter diffuses the tension.  Atticus returns to the house, saved by Jem's mature reaction.

When the mob appears later at the jail, smelling of stale whiskey.  Scout looks around at the crowd, feeling the tension as she looks from man to man, men whose sleeves are unrolled and hats pulled way down upon their faces. Scout searches for a familiar face and finds Mr. Cunningham:

'Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How's your entailment gettin' along?

Uncomfortable at having been recognized, Mr. Cunningham encourages the other men to depart.  The other man stare at Scout agape as she continues talking to Mr. Cunningham.  Finally, Mr. Cunningham bends down and talks to Scout.  Standing, he waves his large hand.  "Let's clear out....Let's get going, boys."  Scout, too, diffuses a very tense situation through her remembrance of Atticus's talking to reluctant people.  As the children accompany home, Atticus gives Jem an affectionate head rub, a rub of pride, too.

Can anyone detail the Missouri Compromise of 1820?I would like to know the various obstacles that were needed to be solved in order to complete the...

In December of 1818 a bill was placed into the hands of congressmen to allow Missouri to be acknowledged as an independent state of the United Sates.  The bill wanted Missouri to be permitted to have slaves.  One of the obstacles was that issue of slavery.  The Northern representatives did not want Missouri to have any slaves.  They wanted a free state and they wanted any slaves located in the territory of Missouri to be freed.  The Southern representatives wanted the state to retain their right to have slaves.  The on-going debate and argument progressed for the next two years until Mr. Jesse B. Thomas, a senator from Illinois, created what was to be known as the Missouri Compromise.

Main would break away from Massachusetts and become its own state and it would be a slave free state.  Missouri would become a state and be a slave state.  No territory above the 30-36 parallel would be permitted slaves and the balance would be maintained in Congress.

"Northern congressmen felt aggrieved by the power of the South in national affairs. Southerners dominated national politics through the operation of the Three-Fifths Compromise. Northerners were also angry at the policies of the two presidents from Virginia, Jefferson (1801–1809) and James Madison (1809–1817)"

We have the function f:[-1,1]->R, f(x)=x^2+mx+n, for x in [-1,0) or f(x)=px^2+4x+4, for x in [0,1].Find m,n,p real, so that Rolle's theorem to be...

Roll's theorem: If f(x) is a continuous and derivable function  in a closed interval (a,b) and f(a)=f(b), then there exists a  c  in the interval (a, b) for which f'(c) = 0

For the given function;

f(-1) = (-1)^2+m(-1)+n=1-m+n.

Condition of continuity holds everywhere, but it should hold at the special point, 0. So,

f(-0) = n= f(0+)=4.  Therefore, n=4

For the condition of differentiablity  holds good every where but at the special point ,0 it should satisfy:

f '(-0)= f '(0+): (x^2+mx+4)'=9px^2+4x+4) gives :m=4

f(1)=p(1)^2+4(1)+4 =p+8.

Therefore to hold Roll's theorem,

f(-1)=f(1):

1-m+4 =1-4+4= p+8  or p=-7.

Now, f'(c) = 2c+m=0 or 2pc+4 =0 for some c in [-1,1] to reduces to:

2x+4= 0=>c=-4/2=-2. But c = -2 is not in [-1,  1]

2(-7)c+4=0 implies c= 4/14=2/7. c =2/7 belongs to [-1,1].

Therefore, m=4,n=5 and p=-7 are the real values that makes Roll's theorem applicable to the given function f(x) defined  in [-1, 1]  and there exists a   c in accordance with Roll such that c=2/7 in  [-1, 1] for which f '(2/7)=0

What is the practical cure for tennis elbow?Tennis elbow is a rare problem affecting some people and doctors normally fail to prescribe effective...

Practical cure for Tennis Elbow:

Tennis elbow results from overuse of the muscles of the forearm during repetitive use, primarily in sports such as tennis and golf, but can also occur under other circumstances, for example as an occupational hazard in carpenters from hammering.  The overuse causes painful inflammation of the lateral epicondyle of the humerus or arm bone (bony bump on the side of the elbow).

Once the injury has occurred, it will not get better until the elbow has been rested for two to three weeks.  During the day or two following the onset of tennis elbow, ice rubs, localized massage of the tender area and analgesics such as aspirin or Tylenol are helpful.  Icy analgesic salves for topical application to the sore area are, in my opinion, non-effective and a waste of money.

When symptoms have resolved and the player wishes to resume tennis, she should take precautionary measures as follows:

1.  Consult a tennis professional regarding your tennis grip and correctness of grip size.

2.  Have your racquet restrung at the lowest pressure recommended for your particular racquet.

3.  During play, wear a pressure strap over your upper forearm, with pressure point placed approximately 1-½ inches below the tender epicondyle.

4.  Consider purchase of a Tennex -brand shock-absorbing wrist band (see link for availability at Amazon for $ 24.95).  This device consists of encapsulated mercury on a Velcro band.  It acts as a damper to absorb impact vibrations before they get to the elbow area.

5.  Consider taking a preemptive dose of two aspirins or other similar analgesic immediately prior to play.

6.  Once you are able to play without pain, use only the Tennex wristband.  There should be no need for aspirin.

Good luck and enjoy the wonderful sport of tennis!

When he learned that the regression would come, why did Charlie decide to return to work at the institute?

Charlie's situation at this point in the story is tragic. The experiment that gave him superior intelligence has allowed him to discover the Algernon-Gordon effect, which predicts he will continue to regress. As his intelligence wanes, he is faced not only with the emotional fallout this creates, but also the reality that he has no job and no money, having quit his job at the laboratory. Mrs. Flynn, his landlady, despite her concern for him, needs the rent. And so Charlie, out of intelligence and options, goes back to the only life he knows--that of janitor at the factory with his "friends."

What about biological importance of mineral substances?

By modeling biochemical activity in the body, mineral salts occur in the body to adapt to environment. A lot of response reactions to the request of the environment depends on the existence of minimal concentrations of mineral elements.More the relationship with external factors is more stressful, more the body wear becomes more marked.

Maintaining a permanent adaptability depends in large part by the physiological process deployment. Insufficiency of mineral substances affects the human body resistance and causes the development of certain diseases.By overcomming certain quantities, considered the optimal, is generating diseases as serious as well.

The role of the mineral is related to trade energy, adjusting the quantity of water in tissues,metabolism of  proteins,  increasing function, the equilibrium of the nervous system, the processes of synthesis of hemoglobin.

It was found that mineral substances have a fundamental role in cell and marrow growt. In this way are acting:calcium, zinc, etc.The intake of minerals leads to resumption of physiological growth. Significant losses in content of the mineral elements may occur through processing technology, the biggest loss being recorded in the transformation of grain in flour, the losses being greater as the flour is whiter.

The idea of using mineral substances in the therapy of certain conditions was outlined in the last decades.It is the latest result of observations made over the years on deficiencies, corrected by the administration of minerals, as well as modern research which has enabled the identification of modalities of action of these .

In Julius Caesar, what are some reasons why the murder of Caesar was a bad idea?

There are several indications in Julius Caesar that the murder of Caesar is a bad idea.

To begin with, in Act I, Scene 1, the behavior of the commoners indicates that they idolize Caesar. Even though they are fickle, at the present time they are basically on Caesar's side, and unlikely to desert him unless they can be won over by a more popular leader.

A second reason the plot is a bad idea is that the plotters' motives are different. Brutus is motivated purely by his perception of the public interest -- he will not even bind the conspirators by an oath (Act II, Scene 1) -- while Cassius, as Caesar correctly notes, is driven by envy of Caesar and a desire to pull down a man who has risen far above him. When Cassius first hints at the plot, Brutus realizes this divergence of motive between them:

Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,
That you would have me seek into myself
For that which is not in me? (Act I, Scene 2)

However, he later succeeds in talking himself into the idea that the plot is a good thing by his own standards (Act II, Scene 1), and puts aside these qualms.

A third reason, which grows out of the second, is that the plotters cannot agree on an approach that will neutralize opposition and win over the Roman masses. In particular, Brutus wants to keep everything noble and thus opposes the elimination of Mark Antony. This, as Cassius correctly anticipates, is a gross error (Act II, Scene 1; Act III, Scene 1). Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral elevates him to the position of Caesar's heir with the crowd (Act III, Scene 2), and eliminates the possibility of the conspiracy gaining mass support.

The fourth and perhaps the most important reason is that Caesar is not just an ambitious individual, but the representative of a social trend. As the success of Antony and Octavian indicate, Roman society could no longer be ruled by the same methods it had been before. The mob had become fixated on personalities, not politics in the old sense. It seemed to need a strong man, and if that man were not Caesar, it would be someone else.

In Bud, not Buddy, what is the conflict, rising action and climax in the new kid?

Your question needs to be somewhat clearer. To which "new kid" are you referring? Also you are only allowed to ask one question and you have asked three distinct and separate questions. Focussing my response on conflict however, the conflict in this novel seems to be between Bud and the society in which he is trying to survive. Remember the setting of the depression and the widescale poverty that surrounds the action of the novel. Todd, by choosing to run away and search for his father, is placed in a battle for survival where he lives by his wits and has to confront many different situations and people, including often his own imagination, that threaten to end his hunt. Consider Bud's own response to his situation:

Being on the lam was a whole lot of fun... for about five minutes. Every time my heart beat I could feel the blood pushing hot and hard on the inside of my sting spots and the bite on my hand. But I couldn't let that slow me down, I had t get out of this neighbourhood as quick as I could.

I knew a nervous-looking, stung-up kid with blood dripping from a fish-head bite and carrying a old raggedy suitcase didn't look like he belonged around here.

We can see then that Bud, being "on the lam" or on the run, faces a number of challenges and his real conflict is against the world he finds himself in and how it tries to impede or stop his search for his father, and Bud needs to draw on all his worldly wisdom and ingenuity to be victorious.

The appearances and moods of the boys change the longer they are on the island. Describe how they change in appearance and conduct.

The change in the boys' appearances from neatly uniformed private school boys to ragged, scraggly-haired savages follows the change in the boys' behavior.  As their appearance degrades, so does their behavior.  At the start of chapter 5, Ralph, the narration tells us, "...discovered dirt and decay, understood how much he disliked perpetually flicking the tangled hair out of his eyes,...".  At the beginning of chapter 7, we are told, "He [Ralph] would like to have a pair of scissors and cut his hair....he would like to have a bath....and decided that a toothbrush would come in handy too."  Ralph constantly laments his degradation in appearance and cleanliness.  The worse his appearance becomes, the more he wishes he could be clean and well-groomed again.  The other boys are also experiencing the same lack of cleanliness and neatness.  By the end of the book, their clothes are barely hanging on their near-naked bodies because their clothes are in tatters.  Jack is described, in chapter 10, when he conducts a meeting as being "naked to the waist".  He is one of the most savage on the island and he seems to revel in his appearance, even going so far as to rub mud and ashes on his face, making himself even dirtier.  This trend away from civilized clothing and appearance mirrors the trend away from civilized behavior and attitude.  In chapter 1, Jack hesitates when he has the chance to kill a pig and loses the pig.  He hesitates because he is still civilized. The next time he sees a pig, just as he vowed in chapter 1, he does not hesitate because he has become more savage.  In chapter 4, Roger - who becomes the most savage of all of the boys on the island - throws stones at Henry, but purposely misses him. "Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life."  The "taboo" referred to is civilized behavior of not bullying.  The narration lets us know that this taboo will be broken though by use of the term "old life" meaning that a "new life" will replace it and along with it, a new society - one that is savage in nature.  By the end of the story, the boys have all become savage as they hunt Ralph who has to think and act like a wild animal so that he can survive.

Discuss how the following management theories apply to the present day business organization:systems theory,contingency theories and chaos...

out of the three theories mentioned in the question - contingency theory, systems theory, and chaos theory - only the contingency theory is a management theories. The other three theories are much more general in nature, with applications extending far beyond the field of management and business.

Contingency theory states that there are no fixed right and wrong approaches to management. There are many  alternative ways to manage a particular type of business function or to solve a business problems that are effective under different conditions. It is not possible, or advisable, to lay down fixed rules in advance for choosing the right solution or approach to a specific management situation. The right choice is contingent upon the the specific characteristic of each situation, and managers should pay close attention to these characteristics and take decisions accordingly.

Systems theory is concerned with understanding the nature of systems, which is defined very broadly as an integrated whole consisting of interrelated parts. As per this definition some thing as simple as a candle is also a system, and something as complicated as a human being is also a system. As a matter of fact the whole Universe is also a system as per the systems theory. The systems receive inputs from environment outside itself, process these within itself , and release outputs in the environment. The nature of outputs generated is dependent on the nature of inputs received and the nature of the systems itself.

The systems theory is used by managers to understand how business organizations, and businesses processes operate, and hthese can be made more effective. One major application of systems theory in business management is for Business Processes Re-engineering (BPR). Systems theory is also used extensively for development of all types of computer software including the ones for business management.

Chaos theory has its origin in the field of meteorology and is now developed in highly sophisticated branch of mathematics. Its application in management and business is more as a general principle that some minor variations in business can have major impact on the results. Based on this principle, it is argued that it is not possible to design organizations and systems taking into consideration all the different situation that the business may face. It is better to make organizations flexible and self-correcting that can respond effectively to specific situations as these arise.

Choose any character from "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai, and say how you feel sympathy for him/her.

My favorite character is the main character, Ravi.  He is such a vulnerable, imaginative, and hopeful little kid, and I can't help but relate to him.  Desai goes into such depth to describe his emotional landscapes that it is hard not to feel like you understand him, and to feel a connection with him.

A good way to feel sympathy for Ravi is to think back to when you were a child, playing hide 'n' go seek, and remember all of the excitement, nervousness, anxiousness, adrenaline, fear, joy and anticpation that went with the entire game.  Did you ever cram into a spot and get super nervous as whoever was "it" got closer and closer?  Did you feel the burst of speed and adrenaline as you raced as fast as you could to the home base?  Did you ever hide in your spot and imagine the victorious triumph you would have if you weren't found and ended up winning?  And if not, have you ever felt ostracized and left out by friends?  If so, then it is easy to feel for Ravi.  He experiences all of these emotions, and then at the end, as he is super excited to have been the winner, and realizes no one cares, he is devastated.  Desai describes his feelings very well:

"The ignominy of being forgotten—how could he face it? He felt his heart go heavy and ache inside him unbearably. 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."

How can you not be moved by his despair?  He realizes, as we all have at some point in our lives, that he is pretty insignificant, and not nearly as important as he thought he was to his friends.  Even if you haven't played hide 'n' go seek, it is easy to relate to a time when you have felt alone, left out, ostracized and forgotten by friends or family.  So, because there are so many ways in which I can feel for Ravi, he is my favorite character.

What parts of "Sonny's Blues" correspond to the plot stages of a traditionally told story?

In "Sonny's Blues," the a-chronological frame of the story surrounds the flashback, which occurs in correct chronology. Therefore, the flashback represents, first, the exposition of the plot with the typical Sunday evening, which introduces the situation and perhaps also the inciting element, which might be the times the brothers hid from their suffering in movies. The flashback section also represents the rising action, which may include the memory of the narrator's conversation with the brothers' mother and Sonny's choice of jazz music over classical. The rising action builds to the climax,.

The chronology would continue with the incident that opens the story, Sonny's brother reading about Sonny's arrest, which would be a complication preceding the climax. The chronological order is then maintained in the rest of the opening frame that continues until the flashback is introduced, which, of course, interrupts the chronology. The climax occurs after the flashback. A climax in literature is the point at which the resolution is set in motion. It may also be the most emotional or emotion producing section, but emotion is not a requisite element of a climax.

In "Sonny's Blues" the climax comes when both brothers independently witness the revival and each has an epiphany, a moment of enlightenment and/or clarity, that predicts and sets up the resolution. Immediately following the revival (metaphorically and symbolically appropriate), Sonny's brother listens to Sonny's point of view for the first time and the brothers talk genuinely and sincerely about suffering and the aids to stepping out of suffering's pain. Their conversation is part of the falling action, or denouement, which leads to the resolution.

The resolution comes at the jazz club when three things occur almost simultaneously. These are that Sonny plays "Am I Blue," his brother realizes the blues have given Sonny some degree of freedom (no matter how shallow and inadequate, which is evident because he is a heroin addict and just got out of prison), and the reader witnesses the brothers both start on the path of inner freedom from suffering, although great questions still remain about Sonny's future safety and happiness.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," who is Zeebo, and what are his jobs?

The passages that you are looking for are going to be found in chapter 12, right in the middle of the chapter.  Calpurnia ends up taking Scout and Jem to her church, because Atticus is out of town.  She doesn't trust them to go to their own church unsupervised; the last time that they did that, Jem caused a ruckus by convincing a little girl that if she touched the radiators "she wouldn't get burnt if she had enough faith."  So, to Cal's church they went.  They meet Zeebo, who happens to be "the garbage collector," so, a garbage man.  But, once church starts, they realize that he is also in charge of leading the congretation in hymns.  And by lead, it means that he sings out each line, pauses, and waits for the rest of the congregation to repeat each line.  He does this for two reasons:  1.  Most black people couldn't read, so, they just repeat what he says because they can't read a hymnal, and 2.  The church might not have enough money to provide hymnals for all of its members.  So, Zeebo is not only a trash collector, he is a literate hymnal leader and singer too.

I hope that those thoughts help; good luck!

Grendel traces his ancestors back to the Biblical family of _______. Here are more questions: The monster's murederous raids last for ____...

Grendel's ancestry is linked back to the Biblical Cain who killed his own brother in Genesis. (lines 106–114 and lines 1260–1267 of Beowulf)

The Danes have been fighting Grendel for 12 years, and Beowulf swears he will rid the Danes of this evil when he enters Hrothgar's hall.  He meets the challenge of his ability by Unferth by telling of brave deeds he has accomplished including fighting a beast underwater overnight causing him to lose  a swimming race.  It seems that Beowulf is a braggart, but he defeats Grendel by ripping his arm off bare handed.  The jubilant Danes hang the arm in the mead hall and celebrate Beowulf's victory.

For twelve years, the Danes have been attacked by the monster Grendel. The king Hrothgar is worn and at his wits end when Beowulf arrives. It’s not entirely clear what exactly Grendel is, but there is a line, “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts.” (Heaney 9) This line actually tells the reader two things. First, many scholars believe it implies Grendel was of Cain’s lineage. Yes, the very same Cain from the Bible who slew his brother Abel. It also shows there are strong Christian references in the tale. (http://www.sportell.com/historypodcast/index.blog/1659399/episode-4-beowulf/)

Is Cassius in Julius Caesar a round, flat, static or dynamic character?

I don't think Shakespeare really writes flat or static characters: it seems to me that there is always both a sense of character development (and that what we know about a character goes forward in the play) as well as a sense of complexity (i.e. that it's difficult to reduce the characters to stock 'types' or stereotypes).

Cassius supports my thesis. For a long time, people basically agreed with Caesar's assessment of him:

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.

He is dangerous indeed. He knows exactly how to persuade the arrogant Brutus into the conspiracy, comparing Brutus' name to Caesar's and asking why Caesar is so much more powerful than Brutus:

Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that 'Caesar'?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?

He is indeed a shrewd contriver who knows exactly how to persuade people. He has no wife as far as we know in Shakespeare's play (unlike both Brutus and Caesar) though he does seem extremely personally attached to Brutus, despite his wililngness to persuade and manipulate him.

On the one hand he's bitter and ambitious:

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.

Yet he's not just the 'baddie'. Every tactical decision he suggests in the play - killing Antony as well as Caesar, his battle plan, his insistence that Antony should not be allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral - is right. And yet Brutus never listens to him. He's the best tactician - and possibly the brightest character - in the play. Yet he never gets his own way.

And, even though he dotes on Brutus (read that argument in the tent from Act 4) at the end of the play, who does he say this line about?

O, coward that I am, to live so long,
To see my best friend ta'en before my face!

Not Brutus. But Titinius. What do you make of that?

Cassius indeed is a complex and rounded character.

"How is your studies?" "How are your studies?" "How is your study?" Which one is correct among the three?

If you keep in mind the rule concerning subject verb agreement the correct sentence is "How are your studies?"  The rule states that the subject and verb must agree.  If you have a plural verb, you must have a plural subject.  If you have a singular verb the subject must also be singular.  Subjects and verbs must also follow parallel structure and be the same tense throughout the sentence.

Also keep in mind that the statement, "How are your studies?" is not a correct formal sentence.  This is a question that is worded rather awkwardly.  A better way to write the sentence would be,  "How are you doing with your school work?"

In two sentences, describe what "the groan of a two-hundred-year-old warning bell" contributes to the atmosphere in "State of War".It is an...

The "groan of a two hundred year warning bell" can refer to the years of Imperialistic rule over Philippines.  The "warning bell" idea can be read as Filipino identity is not something that can be repressed and denied without some type of consequences.

The quotation, in a larger sense, refers to the awakening of post- Colonial life.  Imperialism and colonialism sought to increase nations' hold on other nations.  The challenge becomes when colonialism ended, these nations had to define themselves, for the in the absence of a controlling figure to give definition, identity had to come from within.  This has been a challenge in many nations.  Some formerly colonized nations in Africa, Asia, and South America are still in this process of "self- definition."  Other nations like India have sought to define themselves in divergent manners on both economic and political grounds.  Nations like the Philippines, the subject of Rosca's work, seeks to define itself in the wake of controlling imperalism and colonialism.  The "groan" of national identity is something that cannot be denied for too long; it is "the warning bell" whose toll must be heeded.

What is the summary of "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost?

violaazad,

This popular Frost classic delights the reader’s rhythmic senses with an incredibly simple A-B-A-A-B rhyme scheme. The message is clear and inspirational. The speaker considers two paths, and chooses one. The tone is nostalgic for the moment of choice that has long since past, having relished the anticipation of the experience and the contemplation at the place where the roads divided in the woods.

The broader symbolic implications are, of course, for more than a walk in the woods. The poem encourages individuality, confidence, and a no-regrets attitude.

Despite the ambiguity that surrounds the poet’s intent, the poem succeeds. The two roads are aptly symbolic of the choices we have to make almost every day of our lives.

Still, perhaps the poem’s essential playfulness is evident in the dramatic “sigh” with which the speaker expects some day to talk about his choice, and in the portentousness of the last line, which seems a bit exaggerated considering that the two roads were “really about the same.”

This classic poem is so often misunderstood as incorrectly being about a road "less-travelled."

Where does Snowball go after being expelled by Napoleon?

Good question!  Orwell does not make it clear where Snowball escapes to after he squeezes through the hedge.  Napoleon uses this mystery to his advantage by blaming all negative happenings on the farm on a ubiquitous Snowball.  In Chapter 7, the narrator explains that

"All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. He was rumoured to be hiding on one of the neighbouring farms, either Foxwood or Pinchfield."

The mystery of Snowball's location works well for Napoleon.  If his dealings with Foxwood fall through, he blames it on Snowball's presence at Foxwood.  If his communication with Pinchfield is stifled, it is because Snowball actually went to Pinchfield.

Orwell does not leave Snowball's final destination a mystery simply for the convenience of his plot; rather, he is portraying Trotsky's fate.  After working tirelessly for Lenin and Stalin's cause, Trotsky was run out of Russia by the secret police, and rumors abounded as to where he might be.  Most believe that he was murdered in Mexico most likely by KGB agents.

When the children plan to send a letter to the person who leaves the gifts, they are prevented. How does this happen?Who does it?

The kids decide to leave a note in the knothole of the Radley tree.  However, when they get there, Mr. Nathan Radley is filling up the hole with cement.  Because he's there, they can't leave the note.  When Jem asks Nathan why he's filling it up, he says,

"Tree's dying.  You plug 'em with cement when they're sick.  You ought to know that, Jem."

But as Jem discusses this with Atticus, Atticus tells him that the tree looks just fine--green leaves and all.  After Jem was by himself for awhile, Scout noticed that he'd been crying. 

"His face was dirty in all the right places."

Jem had realized that his "friend" (Boo) had been taken away from him.  He now had no chance at communicating with him anymore, and he realizes this.  Scout, however, is clueless.  She has no idea who was leaving the gifts.

In the novel "Atonement", when does Briony realize what she has done to Cecilia and Robbie?

The only clues we get are when the novel jumps forward to part three, and Briony is 18 years old, and working as a nurse during the war.  At this time, McEwan has a fully realized Briony, who is writhing with guilt at the realization of what she has done.  However, she must have realized her error much earlier than that, if by 18 she is in the throes of tortuous regret.  Every time she thinks of Robbie dying in the war, the impact of what she has done is even more intense.  Thinking of it, she fears "how the war might compound her crime."  Then, she goes to Lola and Paul's wedding, which helps her to replay events in her mind again, and her realization of her mistake crystallizes even more.

Then, she visits her sister and Robbie.  Robbie asks her if she is certain that he was innocent, and she gives a very certain "Yes," but when he asks if she was as certain about his guilt back when she was 13, she states, "Yes, yes and no.  I wasn't certain."  So, even back when she made the original accusation, there were seeds of doubt.  But, probably slowly, through the years, she realized fully just exactly what she had done. She tells Robbie that "growing up" was to account for her realization, nothing more.  And, there is truth to that; we understand so little in our youth, and only growing up helps undo some of our misconceptions.  But, realizing what she has done to them is the torment of her life; it haunts her wherever she goes, and is one of the key reasons that she releases the truth in novel form before she dies.  She seeks some sort of atonement for her tragic mistake.

I hope that helps; it's a great book.  Good luck!

How is resistance represented in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"?

Resistence is impossible ... depending what you are talking about.  Although Brown resists the journey that he is about to undertake, it is something that he/none of us, can resist.

My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise.

We all must go through some sort of initiation rite where we learn that our young/childish/immature vision of the world oversimplifies the complex realities of life.  Brown wanders through the forest (perhaps), seeing many things that "seem" or "appear" or "might" indicate the presence of evil in his family and in his fell townspeople.

Toward the end of the evening, when he appears to be at a "Black Mass," he utters the words that this question seems to be based on:

"Faith! Faith!" cried the husband, "look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one."

He thinks his wife, Faith, is there, but he is also clearly pleading for his own "Faith," religious and in human nature" to resist the evil he suspects is everywhere and in everyone; the rest of the story makes clear that he is unable to do so.  Because he is unable to compromise, to resist, as it were, his need for everyone to be perfect, his life takes a turn for the worse and he dies a miserable man.

The enemy of the good is the perfect.

What was religion tied to in England that people wanted to get away from and create a new life?

Unlike the United States and some other countries, England had and still has an official state religion. Depending on the period in question, England was either Catholic or Anglican, until it finally stabilized under Anglicanism.  The Anglican Church is the official church of England, and even the prime minister must be Anglican to serve in that position. (In the United States, Anglicans are called Episcopalians, and the Episcopalian Church is not an "official" church because we have none.)

Given that England had an official religion, everyone who was in charge of anything was Anglican. The king or queen was always Anglican, for example, as were most royalty and members of Parliament. You can imagine that people who were not Anglican did not fare very well.  This religious intolerance set the stage for English settlement of the America.

When it came time to establish a government of the United States, the founding fathers of the country realized what a bad idea it was to have an official religion.  Some of the colonies had had official religions, while others had made a point of religious tolerance.  After the United States Constitution was passed by the colonies, the next step was the Bill of Rights, which has an amendment guaranteeing freedom of religion.  In fact, it is the First Amendment, demonstrating how important freedom of religion, among other freedoms, was to the people. 

In countries that have an official state religion, religious intolerance is more likely to occur.  The religious intolerance experienced by our ancestors in England (and in other countries) led to what I believe is a great American principle. 

Please help me think of a catchy intro sentence and a concluding one.im doing a report for class on a project and i was wondering how to start of...

Given your two statements about the assignment, it's a little hard to figure out just what the assignment is.

If it's about what is found in your bag and what that protrays about you, I wouldn't get hung up on what is ACTUALLY in your bag.  Instead, I would start by jumping right into a list of interesting items that tell about you.

If you are really interested in guys and your appearance, then make-up, etc. would be the focus.  If you are political, you might have a button or handout about a cause of interest.  If you are a serious student, you might have scrap paper from the library where you wrote down the call numbers of some extra reading for a course.  If you are into drama:  a marked-up script.  If you are into music:  some sheets of music and maybe a pick or reed or whatever.

You get the idea.  I would make the first sentence a list of two or three items with a few adjectives to describe them.  To get the sentence without using I, you could do something like: "The contents of her [my?] bag spilled on the table:
....."

Good luck - this sounds like a fun assignment.

Why was Charlie upset about the incident with the dishwasher in Flowers for Algernon?

Charlie is upset about the incident with the dishwasher because the people are laughing at the boy because he is retarded.  Charlie was once like the young dishwasher, and he is upset not only because of the way the people react to him, but also because he realizes that, at first, he himself "had been amused along with the rest".

Charlie goes to a diner one everning and notices "something familiar about" a new dishwasher there, a boy of about sixteen.  The young man has a certain distinction to his movements, and a certain look in his eyes.  As he is clearing one of the tables, he drops some dishes and stands there, "dazed and frightened, holding (an) empty tray in his hand".  "Whistles and catcalls" emanate from some of the customers, until the owner comes out to see what has happened.  The boy at first cowers, but when the owner just shouts at him, "All right, you dope...don't just stand there!  Get the broom and sweep up that mess.  A broom...a broom...you idiot!", the dishwasher, seeing that he is not going to be punished, smilingly does what he is told.  His "vacant eyes (move) across the crowd of amused onlookers, (and he breaks) into an uncertain grin at the joke which he (does) not understand".

Charlie "(feels) sick inside" as he realizes that, like himself at one time, the child is being made fun of because he is retarded, and doesn't even know people are being mean to him.  Furious at himself and "all those who (are) smirking" at the boy, Charlie jumps up, shouting, "Leave him alone!  He can't understand.  He can't help what he is...but for God's sake, have some respect!  He's a human being!" (June 24).

In Chapter 11 what strange epergne does Pip see on the table,and how does this object relate to Miss Havisham's dress?

In Ch. 8 Pip visits Miss Havisham for the first time. At the end of that visit, Miss Havisham tells him "come again after six days." So accordingly, in Ch. 11 Pip visits her for the second time. This time Miss Havisham orders him into another room. Pip describes the room as a room from which "daylight was completely excluded, and it had an airless smell that was oppressive."

It doesn't take too long for Pip to discover the reason for the stink which pervaded that room. The most prominent object in that room was a long table covered with a table cloth on which it seemed as though a feast had been laid out. Pip after looking carefully realises that the "epergne or centrepiece ... was so heavily overhung with cobwebs that its form was quite indistinguishable." It had become rotten and seemed "like a black fungus" on which were crawling spiders.

Finally, the mystery is cleared up by Miss Havisham telling Pip who was not able to guess what it was that "IT'S A GREAT CAKE. A BRIDE-CAKE. MINE!" Before Pip is able to figure out what she meant by this, Miss Havisham catches hold of him and asks him to help her to walk around the room.

Later, in Ch.22 Herbert tells Pip how Miss Havisham was cheated on her wedding day by her fiancee: " the marriage day was fixed, the wedding dresses were bought, the wedding tour was planned out, the wedding guests were invited.The day came, but not the bridegroom." Miss Havisham obviously went into a state of shock from which she has still not recovered and she has left the wedding cake on the table to continue to rot till today.

During his first visit to Miss Havisham's in Ch.8 Pip describes how she was dressed : "she was dressed in rich materials - satins, and lace and silks - all of white. Her shoes were white. and she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white.

The dress which Miss Havisham is wearing now is the same   wedding dress which she wore in preparation for her wedding which did not take place, and the rotten mass which Pip sees in Ch. 11 is the wedding cake which was never used.

In Night, Chapter 6, what keeps Eliezer going during the brutal march?

Part of what keeps Eliezer moving onwards and not stopping is the presence of his father along side him.  The penalty for stopping is to be shot, so motivation of self interest is present. However, Eliezer seeks to maintain the bond with his father, despite the looming threat of death.  Eliezer saw instances where sons betray fathers, and Eliezer vows not to let this happen to him in his relationship with his father.  On the night march, he saw the Rabbi's son break away from his father in the belief that his father wound not continue.  Such a condition illuminates that the struggle for survival is one that pits son against father, breaking all hopes of bonds and unity.  Eilezer offers a thought, almost like a prayer, that he does not do the same to his father.  Eliezer's belief is that if he keeps going, so will his father, who is running along side him.  This notion of loyalty is something that is pervasive in this section and serves to motivate Eliezer into continuing to struggle to live and acknowledging the bonds of loyalty at the same time.

What does the soldier in chap. 3 mean by the statement, "All that peace, man, it felt so good it hurt. I want to hurt it back" (p.35)?

One of the things that is important to note about O'Brien's work is that he doesn't always make it clear exactly what anything is supposed to mean, he leaves that work largely up to the reader.  In this case, I always read it as something like a commentary on what the conditions of war can do to someone.  So much of what O'Brien writes about leading up to that little story is the desperate search for ways out of the death and terror and boredom and dismay and burdens of war.  This guy found it.  He could just sleep with his nurse all day and be free of it.

But something about the lack of hurt and pain drove him back to his unit.  He had to find some way of getting back at all that peace because it felt wrong, he had to break it because he was perhaps so conditioned to being in that condition.

Select four passages that, in your view, represent Shakespeare's ability to stimulate people’s imaginations and appeal to their senses.The...

Here are four passages from "Macbeth" that are replete with imagery:

1. Double, double, toil and trouble;/Fire burn and caldron bubble./Fillet of a fenny snake,/In the caldron boil and bake;/Eye of newt and toe of frog,/Wool of bat and tongue of dog,/Adder's fork and blindworm's sting,/Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,/For a charm of pow'rful trouble,/Like a hell-broth boil and bubble./Double, double, toil and trouble/Fire burn and caldron bubble. (IV, i, 10-21)


2. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo.  Down!/Thy crown does sear mine eyelids.  And thy hair,/Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first./A third is like the former.  Filthy hags!/Why do you show me this?  A fourth! Start, eyes!/What will the line stretch out to th' crack of doom?/Another yet! a seventh!  I'llsee no more./And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass/Which shows me many more; and some I see/That twofold balls and treble scepters carry:/Horrible sight! Now I see 'tis true;/For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me,/And points at them for his. What, is this so? (IV,i,112-124)


3. ...Besides, this Duncan/Hath borne his faculities so meek, hath been/So clear in his great office, that his virtues/Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against/The deep damnation of his taking-off;/And pity, like a naked newborn babe,/Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin horsed/Upon the sightless couriers of the air,/Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,/That tears shall drown the wind.  I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And fall on th' other. (I,vii,16-28)


4. The raven himself is hoarse/That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/Under my battlements.  Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/Of direst cruelty!  Make thick my blood,/Stop us th' access and passage to remorse/That no compunctious visiting of nature/Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between/Th' effect and it!  Come to my woman's breasts,/And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers,/Wherever in your sightless substances/You wait on nature's mischief!  come, thick night,/And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,/That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,/Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,/To cry "Hold, hold!" (I,v, 39-54)

How does "The Black Cat" or "The Fall of the House of Usher" resemble "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"?

"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe resembles "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in the fact that at the beginning of the story, you have a calm, friendly, kind man, but by the end of the story, he is a villianous, rage-filled murderer.  That outline holds true for both stories.  In "The Black Cat," Poe has the narrator describe himself at the beginning of the tale as having "docility and humanity" in his "disposition," and as being very happy in his state in life.  However, like a bad biography of a celebrity rock star, the narrator too was not free from vices and addictions.  The text mentions that through "intemperence," or alcholoism, his personality suffered a "radical alteration for the worse."  He became violent, ill-tempered, and abused both his wife and all of their pets.  By the end of the story he has resorted to outright murder.

Compare this to "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."  In this tale you have the friendly scientist, Dr. Jekyll, who is decent, humane, and giving.  But, through the use of his chemical formula--much like the alcoholism in Poe's story--he turns into the violent and savage Mr. Hyde.  Slowly, he deteriorates and his savage self takes over, and he commits horrific acts under the influence, just as the narrator of Poe's story did.

I hope that those thoughts help a bit with those two comparisions; good luck!

What reasons does Holden give for being "sort of sorry" for visiting Mr. Spencer in Catcher in the Rye?

There are two main reasons that Holden gives as to why he is "sort of sorry" for visiting Mr. Spencer.  The first reason is because Mr. Spencer has been sick, and Holden has to visit him in his room. 

Holden comments,

"He was reading the Atlantic Monthly, and there were pills and medicine all over the place, and everything smelled like Vicks Nose Drops.  It was pretty depressing.  I'm not too crazy about sick people, anyway.  What made it even more depressing, old Spencer had on this very sad, ratty old bathrobe that he was probably born in or something.  I don't much like to see old guys in their pajamas and bathrobes anyway.  Their bumpy old chests are always showing.  And their legs...always look so white and unhairy".

It is uncomfortable for Holden to see his history teacher looking sick and old.  He is used to interacting with him in the more professional environment of the classroom.  To see his teacher as vulnerable, elderly, and mired in all the unpleasantness of illness is hard for Holden to take.

After the two have engaged in a bit of small talk, Holden begins to "feel a terrific lecture coming on", which is the second reason why he regrets having come to visit Mr. Spencer.  Mr. Spencer knows that Holden has been kicked out of Pencey, and begins to repeat the same admonitions Holden had already received from Dr. Thurmer, about "Life being a game and all...and how you should play it according to the rules".  Mr. Spencer than brings up Holden's parents, what "grand people" they are, and how they will react when they hear the news of their son's expulsion, before proceeding to the topic of the reasons why Holden has been expelled in the first place. He actually confronts Holden with a sample of his poor work, which embarrasses Holden and makes him feel resentful.

Mr. Spencer ends his lecture by telling Holden that he'd "like to put some sense in that head of (his)", and that he is only trying to help him.  When Holden finally leaves, he is irritated, focusing on the "phoniness" of Mr. Spencer's sincere concern, and he feels "sad as hell" (Chapter 2).

In Bud, Not Buddy, what do you think the flyer symbolises?

The flyer, along with the suitcase, is a very important possession to Buddy, as he thinks that in it somehow lies a clue to the identity of his father. In the first chapter he tells the reader how he remembers his mother getting very upset one night as she constantly looks at the flyer and then puts it back down, and ever since then he has treasured this flyer, which advertises a jazz band, as a symbol of the hope that he has that he might be able to connect with his father at some point in the future. Note what Bud himself says about the flyer:

The paper was starting to wear out from me looking at it so much but I liked checking to see if there was anything I hadn't noticed before. It was like something was telling me there was a message for me on this flyer but I didn't have the decoder ring to read what it was.

Bud's feelings about the flyer are therefore particularly important. He treats it as if it were some kind of puzzle that he tries desperately to work out, because if he can, the flyer will hold the secret to his father's identity and location. From the way that Buddy himself admits that the flyer is now "starting to wear" because he looks at it so often, the reader can see how desperately Buddy desires to find his father. The flyer therefore symbolises his hope of meeting his father some day.

How was Prometheus different from Epimetheus?

Prometheus and Epimetheus were both titans, the immortals that came before the gods. Prometheus and Epimetheus were brothers. Prometheus's name means "forethought" meaning he could see ahead what the consequences of his actions would be. This is why he chose to help Zeus and the other gods during the war between the titans and the gods. Prometheus is considered the wisest of the titans. He was the protector of men. In some myths he and his brother, Epimetheus, created man. In all myths Prometheus was the immortal that brought fire to man, thereby angering Zeus and he was punished. Epimetheus means 'afterthought' so he always acts before thinking and was considered very stupid. He only fought on the right side because he did as Prometheus instructed him. Epimetheus accepted Pandora as a gift from Zeus. She was given to him as his wife and it was she that brought evil into the world.

So, to summarize, Prometheus is the opposite of Epimetheus. Prometheus was wise and could look ahead to what consequences his actions would bring; while Epimetheus, it seems, blundered along and acted before putting thought into the consequence.

How have John and Lorraine matured during the course of The Pigman? Give evidence of their growth.

In the beginning of the book John and Lorraine are in the tenth grade and they are very self centered.  John makes up stories to get out of things such as school book reports and fakes illness to get his parents to give in to him.  The two also plot to get some money from Mr. Pignati by coming up with a scheme that they are trying to raise money.

And John lies to his mother and father.  He told them one time that he was hearing voices from outer space, and he thought creatures were going to come for him some night, so if they heard any strange noises coming from his room would they please call the police. (23)

After befriending Mr. Pignati and he is hospitalized the two decide to have a party in his home.  The party gets out of control.  One of their friends tries to steal from Mr. Pignati and John fights him.  People tear his wife's dress and destroy a pig that he had given to his wife.  The kids are upset that they had harmed him.  They realize the error and how they had violated his trust and how deeply they had hurt him.

When they visit Bo Bo, the monkey, at the end of the book, Mr. Pignati dies after learning Bo Bo had died.  John then recognizes how sad it was for a man to have only the apes to visit and talk to in his life.  The kids have begun to be less egocentric and to be concerned about the feelings of others.

Both teen shad basically put blame for all the short comings in their lives on everyone else, but through knowing Mr. Pignati and thinking back on their own actions they learned:

Our life would be what we made of it-nothing more, nothing less. (149)

What does Cormac McCarthy have to say in No Country for Old Men about the nature of life and the ability to survive and prosper in current times?

To understand what McCarthy may be saying about the nature of life and the ability to survive and prosper, you might look to the individual characters in the novel, the roles they play and the experiences they have had before and during the plot. Death, rather than life, seems to rule the novel. Both Moss and Wells are Vietnam vets, and they each see death as a tool to gain power and money. Sheriff Bell is also a war veteran, and while he is clearly the lucid voice of morality, his war experiences serve to remind him of his own inherent cowardliness and human weakness. Finally Anton Chigurh seem to serve the role of death itself, as he haunts every character and every scene with his inevitability. The novel focuses on characters' responses to facing death in the form of Chigurh, and, as seen with Wells, death seems to reduce all to a state of indignity and reveals people's underlying cowardliness. Carla Jean provides a moment of possible hope, but even she succumbs to the inevitable useless pleading in the face of death. Survival and prosperity in the novel may be more a matter of dignity in the face of inevitable death--a dignity which no one in the novel quite achieves. Bell's dream of his father carrying the fire is an important image here. Do you think the fire is a beacon of hope and dignity, a symbol of deep goodness that is carried for us to follow by those who have walked the path of life before us, and something we can achieve if we seek it? Or do you see it as a beacon of the past, drawing Bell away from life as it has become now, a symbol of the hopelessness of life an dignity in current times?

In The Great Gatsby, did Gatsby develop a plan to reach his dream? Why did he fail?

At the conclusion of the novel when Henry Gatz shows up to attend his son's funeral, he brings with him a book that Jimmy Gatz had owned as a boy. In the book Nick finds notes the boy had made. There was a daily schedule and a list of "General Resolves." The contents show that as a boy, Gatsby had developed a plan to achieve the kind of life he longed for. His notes suggest discipline, hard work, thrift, self-improvement, and entrepreneurship ("Study needed inventions," said one note.) They also show a conscience: "Be better to parents."

When he could no longer stand being at home, Jimmy simply ran away, and his plans were left behind. He followed no particular course of action; he moved from one insignificant, temporary job to another, simply falling into whatever the moment offered. He attended college briefly and worked as a janitor to pay his way, but soon tired of it. He was too restless to stay in one place for too long, with his dream calling him on. By chance, he met Dan Cody, put on his new name, and became Jay Gatsby--sailing the world, living among the rich, and developing a pseudo-sophistication. It was chance, again, that threw him into the path of Meyer Wolfsheim, and his criminal association with the gangster led to Gatsby's great fortune.

Jimmy Gatz had dreamed of a life of beauty, glamour, wealth, and excitement. Jay Gatsby achieved that dream. However, when he met Daisy in Louisville before going to war, Gatsby's initial dream took a left turn. After that, Daisy became his dream and he dedicated the rest of his life to winning her back and repeating their past.

Once he had become wealthy and bought his mansion in West Egg, Gatsby learned that Daisy lived across the bay. At this point he did make a plan to bring her back into his life. He threw extravagant parties, hoping that she would "wander in" some evening. When he learned Nick knew Daisy, Gatsby arranged for Nick to invite Daisy to tea so that they could be reunited. Before the meeting, Gatsby went to enormous efforts to make the setting perfect for Daisy's appearance. He and Daisy did meet again, their love was rekindled after years of absence, and Gatsby's dream seemed very close to fulfillment. It was not fulfilled, however, and Gatsby paid with his life for pursuing it.

Gatsby's dream of Daisy was founded on illusion--the primary illusion being that only money separated him from Daisy and her world. It failed because it was rooted in illusion rather than based on reality. In reality, no matter how much money Gatsby possessed, he would never belong in Daisy's world. He lacked the social credentials; new money would never be as good as old money. Furthermore, as an outsider, Gatsby did not understand Daisy (an insider) and the forces that had shaped her and that continued to drive her. His dream of Daisy failed because it was an impossible dream to begin with, despite its "colossal vitality."

In Death of a Salesman, what is the twenty-thousand dollar proposition Willy discusses with Ben? How does Willy envision his funeral?

As Willy's emotional disintegration continues, he begins to consider suicide. Linda's finding the piece of rubber hose in the basement is one sign, for sure. Willy's increasingly frequent car accidents may be another. By the conclusion of the play, Willy is moving closer to taking his own life, thinking that the proceeds from his insurance policy ($20,000) will do more for his family after he is dead than he can do for them while he lives. In his troubled state, he has another hallucination in which he talks to his brother Ben, long dead. He explains his $20,000 "proposition" and seeks Ben's thinking in the matter. As he carries on his conversation with Ben, we gain insight into Willy's feelings and sense of failure. He imagines his own funeral, with people coming from great distances to pay respects to him. He loves the idea that at his funeral his sons will realize what a "great man" he had been. He imagines what great things Biff can do with $20,000 to back him up. In the hallucination, despite raising the issue of cowardice, Ben finally agrees with him. Willy does take his own life. Few attend his funeral, and his grieving wife is left wondering why he would choose to leave her.

Summary of poem ''Thought'' by Sara Teasdale.

The title of this poem is "Thoughts." 

Some people are very happy in the company of others, and enjoy hearing what women and men around them have to say.  But Sara Teasdale is talking about when she is alone and has no men or women around her to listen to.  When we are alone, what do we have to listen to?  Our own thoughts are all we have when we are alone, and this was particularly true in Sara Teasdale'sday. She died in 1933, before there were televisions, computers, iPods, etc. (She could have turned on the radio, though.)  A person who is alone and who has a good imagination can sometimes have a better time than he or she could listening to other people, and this is the gist of Teasdale's poem. 

She describes her thoughts in a beautiful and imaginative way, with images of light and lightness.  She imagines her thoughts as "silver" or "white" and she says they "flutter."  SOme of her thoughts are "merry" and some are "grave," meaning that she has ideas that make her smile, and ideas that make her serious.

Can't you almost see your thoughts sometimes, fluttering around you in their beauty?  Sometimes those thoughts are much better than the silly chatter we hear all around us.  And if that is true, then we can envy the person who is able to sit quietly and think those wonderful thoughts. 

In Act IV, scene iii of "Macbeth", what are the discourses operating, and how are they represented in the text?Shakespeare's "Macbeth" (I don't get...

In this scene before the King's palace in "Macbeth," Malcolm, suspicious of Macduff, tells him that

This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues,/Was once thought honest:  you have loved him well; [and] may deserve of him through me; and wisdom/To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb/T'appease an angry god.   (IV,iii,12-14)

Here Malcolm suggests that Macduff may betray him to Macbeth, but Macduff replies that he is "not treacherous."  Malcolm apologies:  Let not my jealousies be your dishonors" (IV,iii,29).  He then goes on to say that he speaks not just in fear of Macduff, but also in fear of England, for he would not be a good king:

...yet my poor country/Shall have more vices than it had before,/More suffer, and more sundry ways than ever,/By him that shall succeed. (IV,iii,46-48)

Then, he deprecates himself, saying that compared to himself "black Macbeth/Will seem as pure as snow (IV,iii,52-53), but this is said only to test Macduff.  When Macduff refutes his statements, telling Malcolm to "fear not yet/To take upon you what is yours (IV,iii,69-70) and that his vice can be "portable,/With other graces weighted" (IV, iii,89-90), Malcolm, sensing Macduff's despair when he cries,

Fare thee well!/These evils thou repeat'st upon thyself/Hath banished me from Scotland.  O my breast,/Thy hope ends here! (IV,iii,11-113)

explains that he does not mean what he says in disparagement of his own character.  He tells Macduff that after he has thus shown such passion, he knows Macduff to be a "Child of integrity," so he "adjures/The taints and blames I laid upon myself," because he has been testing Macduff's loyalty and sincerity. Shakespeare has employed this discourse to demonstrate that Malcolm is a good, humble man who should be king.

Using another technique, Shakespeare has a doctor speak to Malcolm about people with scrofula, a skin disease called "the king's evil" because it was believed that it could be cured by the king's touch.  This passage anticipates the news brought by Ross to Macduff that his wife and children have been murdered.  Malcolm tells Macduff that they must give the "king's cure," so to speak, to Scotland, and rid it of the disease of the evil Macbeth:

Our power is ready;/Our lack is nothing but our leave. Macbeth/Is ripe for shaking, and the pw'rs above/Put on their instruments.  Reveive what cheer you may./The night is long that never finds the day. IV,iii,236-240)

You may wish to read the etext sited below because a modern English version is given beside it that you may more easily understand.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" what does the blanket in chapter 8 (the one Boo puts around Scout) symbolize?

Before this point in the story, Boo was known to all of the town, and the neighborhood children, as the "malevolent phantom," a bad character who was responsible for spying in people's windows, harming small animals, and stealing things.  Although none of these things are true of Boo, kids still are afraid of him, and he is a bit of a legend in the town.

As Scout stands outside in the cold, watching Miss Maudie's house burn to the ground, she realizes at some point that she was "clutching a brown woolen blanket" around her shoulders.  She doesn't know where the blanket came from.  It is confirmed by Atticus and Jem that Boo put it there.  She hadn't even noticed.

So, Boo, this supposed evil person, had noticed Scout that Scout was cold, and slipped a blanket around her to keep her warm.  This action symbolizes friendship, kindness, generosity, and, as is a strong theme in this book, how people aren't always what we think they are.  People aren't what they appear to be on the surface, and we shouldn't judge them before we get to know them.  Boo, on the surface a strange social recluse with a reputation for harm, was really a harmless, friendly, kind human being that noticed Scout's need and served her selflessly.  I hope that those thoughts help; good luck!

Why is "The Scarlet Ibis" so popular and memorable? What feelings do you think it taps into?

The story is memorable largely because Doodle's character is unforgettable. A gentle, sensitive, and sweet-natured child, Doodle is abused physically and emotionally by the brother he loves. Doodle's need for his big brother is so great that Doodle tries hard to please him; Doodle dies trying to please him. He cannot defend himself against his brother's unrealistic demands or his bursts of cruelty. Doodle evokes great sympathy--for his size, his frailty, and the physical disabilities he struggles to overcome. He also gains our sympathy because he is so innocent, he suffers so much, and his death is so tragic and unnecessary. The dramatic conclusion of "The Scarlet Ibis" remains with the reader long after finishing the story. It is shocking and tragic, and the picture of Doodle's small broken body lying in the rain, cradled in death by his brother, is powerful and more than poignant.

Who is the actual monster in Frankenstein and why?

This is a highly subjective question, with several answers supported by the text. Many people would argue that the creature is the actual monster. Indeed, he is hideous in form, unnaturally came into being, and cannot take any place in human society. He also kills mercilessly, taking the lives of innocent adults and children alike. Those who believe the creature to be the monster of the story would argue that nature (your DNA, if you will) is more important than nurture (the environment in which you grow). The creature has been a monster from the beginning, and he makes the choices to alienate himself from humans, and kill those whom he perceives as his torturers.

Others would argue that Victor is the monster. He has chosen to create the creature, and then chooses to abandon it when he sees it form. He is in the role of the "dead-beat dad" (if you'll forgive contemporary terminology). Even worse, he makes no attempt to stop the creature's actions. He lets Justine go to her execution, when he could have confessed and saved her. He also gives in to the creature's demands by making a female version, then destroys her, sealing his own fate. But in this action, he has also doomed Elizabeth as well. the creature later kills her for revenge. The sadness of Victor is that he has the power to bring these events to an end, but he's too much of a coward to act. Instead, he lets the creature wreak destruction on his family and friends. I tend to agree with this view.

Still others argue that it is Victor's mentality that is the true monster. Shelley seems to be suggesting this: "knowledge for knowledge's sake" isn't always a good thing, and indeed, can lead to disaster. At the time the novel was written, a new view of science was emerging. It was considered to be inherently good, with no regards to how information would be used, or what consequences would arise. This allows Victor to justify his creation, which some would say offends nature by its very existence.

How does Dickens use suspense in his account of Carton's plan with Barsad?"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens

In Book the Third of "A Tale of Two Cities," Miss Pross is on her way with Jerry Cruncher as "purveyors" for the Darnay family.  Charles Darnay has been set free, but is again charged by "Saint-Antoine" and is returned to the Conciergerie.  As Miss Pross recognizes her brother Solomon, so, too, does Jerry recognize him.  However, he knows this man to be John Barsad, from the trial of Darnay at the Old Baily.  Coming out of the shadows, Sydney Carton reaffirms this identification. 

Then, Carton tells Solomon/Barsad that he has been observed going into the prison of the Conciergerie.  And, as Carton has observed Barsad, he has thought of a "purpose."  But he cannot explain it on the street, he tells Barsad; so, he asks the spy to accompany him to Tellson's Bank.  Because of the look Carton gives him, Barsad agrees to accompany him. At the bank, Mr. Lorry,too recognizes Barsad.  Sydney, having informed Mr. Lorry of Darnay's second arrest, tells Barsad that he "proposes...to win" is a friend. That friend is Mr. Barsad.  Barsad counters this proposal:  "You need have good cards, sir." 

Carton does, indeed, have "good cards." He releases his information on Barsad:

Mr. Barsad, now in the employ of the republican French government, was formerly in the employ of the aritocratic Englsih government, the enemy of France and freedom.  That's an excellent card....I play my Ace, Denunciation of Mr. Barsad to the nearest Section Committee.  Look over your hand, Mr. Barsad, and see what you have.  Don't hurry.

Barsad has been a double-spy, an informer first for the French, and now for the English.  The apprehension that he is not safe comes upon Barsad as he envisions Mme. DeFarge knitting her register of names. "He foresaw that the dreadful woman of whose unrelenting character he had seen many proofs, would produce against him that fatal register, and would quash his last chance of life.

Still resuming his air of contemplating cards, Carton reveals that he understands the third identity of Barsad:  Roger Cly, the very man who has feigned his death in England.  Now, Carton has his man as he described a conversation that Roger Cly has had with an officer in the prison: 

A plot in the prisons, of the foreigner against the Republic.  A strong card...A Guillotine card!

Charles Dickens does not reveal the plan here, only that there is one, an interesting one, at that.  The reader perceives here how all the minor plots will play into the main plot as all of the characters from London are now in St. Antoine--a tale of two cities, indeed.

"Into the Wild" help please!?Identify two specific details or examples (using quotes) from Chris McCandless’ childhood/high school years that...

Chris McCandless was an adventurer all of his life. In Krakauer's book, the chapter entitled, "Chesapeake Beach" we read about Chris's childhood.  Walter McCandless Jr. describes Chris as a boy who was always being "pulled back from the edge."  On page 106 Krakauer writes:

"It is impossible to know what murky convergence of chromosomal matter, parent-child dynamics, and alignment of the cosmos was responsible, but Chris came into the world with unusual gifts and a will not easily deflected from its trajectory.  At the age of two, he got up in the middle of the night, found his way outside without waking his parents, and entered a house down the street to plunder a neighbor's candy drawer."

Another example of Chris's independent and wandering nature on page 109 Krakauer relates the story of a time when Chris was older and his father took the family on a camping trip to Longs peak in Colorado.  They were hiking a mountain with an elevation of 14,256 feet.  Walt got tired and decided to turn the family back at 13,000 feet and

"Chris wanted to keep going to the top.  I told hin no way.  He was only twelve then so all he could do was complain.  If he'd been 14 or 15 he would have simply gone on without me.  Chris was fearless even when he was little."

There are other examples of Chris's nature and rebellion throughout this section of the book.  The time he qualified for advanced classes and tried to convince the teachers that the test scores were a mistake because he didn't want to do the extra work is another indication of his independent spirit. 

For those people who wished to look closely they could have seen that this young man was a wanderer and that he had the personality to be influnced by the great adventure writers and take off on his own adventure.

What qualities of the Wilks girls allow them to be duped so easily in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Pretty much everything about the Wilks sisters make them easy prey for those who might want to take advantage of them.  They are completely trusting, accepting the duplicitous duke and king as their long-lost relatives without question.  They are also loyal, standing by the duke and king even when "a big iron-jawed man" named Robinson, the family doctor, warns them "as a friend, and an honest one, that wants to protect (them) and keep (them) out of harm and trouble, to turn (their) backs on (the) scoundrel(s), and have nothing to do with (them)".  Mary Jane in particular is appalled that someone should question the integrity of the duke and the king, her departed father's purported brothers, and defiantly demonstrates her loyalty by giving them a bag of money, telling them to "take this six thousand dollars, and invest for me and my sisters any way you want to, and don't give us no receipt for it" (Chapter XXV).

Of all the sisters, Joanna, the "hare-lip", is the least naive and the most discerning.  She catches Huckleberry weaving a web of lies, and although she is not exactly sure what is true and what is not, she is aware that he is not telling her the whole truth.  Her sisters, however, especially Mary Jane, berate her for expressing her doubts to Huckleberry, and in doing so reveal the complete spirit of selfless generosity that underlies their approach to life and in effect makes them so susceptible to the wiles of malicious others.  When Joanna points out that Huckleberry is, in fact, telling lies, Mary Jane responds,

"I don't care whether 'twas little or whether 'twas big, he's here in our house and a stranger, and it wasn't good of you to say it.  If you was in his place, it would make you feel ashamed; and so you oughtn't to say a thing to another person that will make them feel ashamed...It don't make no difference what he said - that ain't the thing.  The thing is for you to treat him kind, and not be saying things to make him remember he ain't in his own country and amongst his own folks" (Chapter XXVI).

What do the notes on the elevator reveal about what is happening in Sunset Towers in The Westing Game?What strategies does Grace Wexler use to...

The notes on the elevator reveal first of all that there is apparently a great need for a "bulletin board" in Sunset Towers.  Within a day, "the elevator (is) papered with notices and filled with tenants facing sideways and backwards, reading as they (ride) up and down".  The two major topics addressed by the notes are lost or stolen items, and clues for the Westing Game.  Among the missing things are "important business papers" belonging to Sydelle Pulaski, jewelry belonging to Grace Windsor, a clock belonging to Turtle Wexler, and a string of pearls belonging to Flora Baumbach.

In a shamelessly hypocritical ploy to obtain clues from her daughters, Grace Wexler puts on a show of being uncharacteristically nice.  She stops herself from using her ordinarily critical, demeaning approach with Turtle and "quickly sweeten(s)" her tone, calling her younger daughter "dear" and inviting her to go to her room so she can do her hair.  Turtle, momentarily caught off-guard, notes that her mother "had not done (her hair) with such care in a long, long time...her mother was so warm, so close".  She is mystified when Grace tells her that she "look(s) so pretty in pink"; her mother had "never used that word (pretty) before, not about her".  Turtle's confusion is soon resolved, however, when her mother reveals the real reason behind her sudden change in demeanor, "wheedl(ing)...'you know, sweetheart, I'm rather hurt that you won't tell your own mother about your clues'".  Having seen through her mother's duplicity, Turtle defiantly clams up, at which point Grace Wexler returns to her normal practice of ignoring her recalcitrant offspring. 

When Grace Wexler's "favorite", Angela, comes in with her partner Sydelle Pulaski, Grace focuses her attention on Sydelle, in hopes of getting the woman to share her notes with her.  As usual, she completely overlooks Angela herself, even as she seeks to gain access to the clues Angela might have discovered to this point.  Instead, "her voice dripping with honey", she addresses Sydelle, whom she obviously considers to be the significant member of the team, observing that if she (Grace) wins the inheritance, everything she owns goes to Angela (Chapter 9).

How has Nurse Ratchet set up the ward as an anti-cure?

The nurse has created an environment that is very controlled. Between the pills each patient takes, the music that plays, the meticulous schedule that must be followed, Nurse Ratchet creates a relationship of dependency between her and her patients. During group sessions, she uses the characters' weaknesses against them, driving each man more and more into himself. MacMurphy’s character is the antithesis of the dependent patients. His presence and antics create chaos to Ratchet’s controlled environment. The patients begin to act “normal.” She must finally control MacMurphy the only way she can; the essence of the character – the personality – is removed. The ward returns to the controlled routine it was at the beginning of the play. The Chief’s escape is the only sign the MacMurphy may have made a permanent change.

In Chapter 22 of Frankenstein, what was Victor's plan for the monster on his wedding night?

Victor plans to kill the Monster if necessary.  He states:

"I took every precaution to defend my person in case the fiend should openly attack me. I carried pistols and a dagger constantly about me . . ." (179).

He even plans to take Elizabeth to a remote location.  Unfortunately, Victor misinterprets the Monster's intention and threat.  He thinks that the Monster plans to kill him on his wedding night, but the Monster's ill intentions are toward Elizabeth.  He will destroy Victor's love as Victor destroyed his (the female creation).

Why does Julius Caesar not trust Cassius?

Caesar has noted a restlessness in Cassius that indicates that Cassius becomes easily discontented and jealous when dealing with those who have done better in life than he has. In a long discussion with Mark Antony in Julius Caesar Act I Scene 2, Caesar specifies exactly why he feels Cassius is dangerous. Beginning with the somewhat shallow-sounding observation that Cassius is too lean and "thinks too much," criticisms that make Caesar look silly, he moves into a more substantiative critique:

He reads much,
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he mock'd himself, and scorn'd his spirit
That could be moved to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And therefore are they very dangerous.

In short, Caesar claims that Cassius is a jealous and cynical obsessive, who will automatically become restless and hostile when he sees someone who is superior to him. Since earlier in the scene, we have observed Cassius working on Brutus to turn him against Caesar, Caesar's words appear extremely perceptive.

I am looking for a critical analysis of the poem "Fidele" by William Shakespeare.

The overall meaning of the poem is that there is a natural end to all human endeavors.  This natural end could be death, or it could simply be the termination point for all that is done.  Shakespeare employs several ways to accomplish this.  The repetition of the verse "come to dust" which closes each of the three stanzas accomplish this.  The first stanza's use of summer and winter seasons also bring the idea of a cycle of life, death, and rebirth to mind.  Additionally, in line 9, the idea of "care no more to clothe and to eat," brings to mind that all human activity, while we consider it important, does not necessarily evade the fact that there is a natural end to everything we do.  The rhythm of the poem is established with  a couplet at the start and and end of each stanza, beginning with "Fear no more" and ending with "comes to dust."  The tone of the poem strikes with a resigned melancholy.  The speaker does not seem overwhelmingly sad or angry with the natural end of everything "coming to dust."  Yet, there is a silent acceptance over the fact that death ends everything.  There is a tinge of sadness, but it is not overwhelming throughout the poem.  Through the use of specific images, both human made (line 9) and pictures of natural phenomena (lines 13 and 14, thunder and lightning), Shakespeare creates the meaning that everything faces a natural end.