Who is credited with the quote: "The journey not the arrival matters." I've seen many instances where T.S. Eliot is the author of this quote but I...

I found a blog which considers this very question. It seems that most people attribute the saying to T.S. Eliot, but I've been unable to find any references or evidence. The Journey Not the Arrival Matters is the title of an autobiography  by Leonard Woolf (Virginia Woolf's husband), who died in 1969. A 1989 New York Times' review of Woolf's letters attributes the title observation to 16th century French philosopher Montaigne. Here is a quote from the blog, giving the closest quote from Montaigne:

In the essay "Of Vanity," Montaigne did write (in this 1877 Charles Cotton translation)

"But, at such an age, you will never return from so long a journey." What care I for that? I neither undertake it to return, nor to finish it: my business is only to keep myself in motion, whilst motion pleases me; I only walk for the walk's sake.

My search turned up as many people quoting Montaigne as the source as Eliot. I think this is an aphorism that is difficult to trace-it may be unlikely that we will know who truly said it, when, & in what context.

What is Mercutio's attitude toward love? How do you know?

Mercutio, apparently a haunted former soldier, could, perhaps be termed a "nihilist".  His attitude towards love, therefore, is the same as his attitude towards just about everything else: it's all ultimately meaningless.  Despite this, Mercutio has an immense appetite for life's simple pleasures (friendship, drink, wordplay, horseplay, swordplay), but he has killed for the state, has seen death, and he senses the futility of life and all its machinations (such as the ancient and pointless ongoing feud between two otherwise perfectly respectable families).  Mercutio is given to us by Shakespeare as something of a foil for his friend, Romeo.  Younger and still idealistic, Romeo does not live as recklessly as Mercutio, but, because of his aged cynicism, Mercutio would seem incapable of loving anybody with the same dedication as Romeo.

Find text to back this up yourself.  Scan all of Mercutio's monologues and exchanges with Romeo.  Look for the word "love" to begin with, but also take note of his fun-loving yet fatalistic approach to all things.  Personally, I would begin with the "Queen Mab" monologue, beginning in Act 1, scene 4, line 53...

Does the government have the right to institute a draft in times of war? Include 1 core democratic value.

Firstly, governments do not have rights.  Rights are the purview of individuals.  In the US, at least until recently, government derived its power by the consent of the governed, but this should not be understood that individuals ever ceded rights to the government -- rights, by definition, are intrinsic to an individual by virtue of existence, and cannot be altered or taken away by government. Secondly, the proper role of government is to safeguard individual rights.  Your question may be more properly stated as "Does the government have the power to institute a draft?"  Certainly in the US it has done so in times past, beginning with the North - South conflict in the 1860's. Establishment of a draft then resulted in riots in NYC that left many dead.  Although acts have been passed to institute a draft, its Constitutionality has been questioned several times, because it allows the power of the state to coerce an individual into the military.  Amendment 13 forbids involuntary servitude, and was made part of the Constitution as the final remedy to any kind of slavery in the US.  During the Vietnam Conflict, this amendment had been used once again to argue that the draft is a form of involuntary servitude, and apparently draftees who argued that their sovereign individual rights had been violated by being drafted were either released from or  were not forced to join the armed forces.

What do HR managers and departments do today?

I have edited your question a bit, but I am not clear on what "their contents" means.  There are many functions in today's HR department, so let's talk about that.  I do want to caution you, though, that different organizations may vary somewhat in how they use their HR resources.

Often, HR departments are responsible for hiring, discipline, and termination. In some companies, this department makes these determinations on its own, while in other companies, a manager or someone higher in the company will make final determinations, and the HR department will simply screen and/or gather information to assist the decision-maker.

Often, HR departments are responsible for training employees initially or for providing continuing education for employees.  Some companies do outsource this,  though.

Another function of the HR department is often the administration of unemployment compensation.  This might include everything from vetting a termination decision to see if it will result in a UC claim to representing the company at an unemployment compensation hearing. 

Still another function of the HR department is the administration of state and federal statutes, for example, the Civil Rights Act, OSHA, and the FLSA. 

HR departments are often responsible for the administration of benefits, including sick and vacation leave, and employer-provided life, health, or disability insurance.

That is not a comprehensive list, but I hope enough to get you thinking.

In "The Outsiders", why did Dally rob the convenience store after Johnny died?

Dallas took Johnny's death really hard. Despite his tough exterior, Dally truly cared about Johnny and seeing him die did something to him. Johnny was the only thing that Dallas cared about and now that Johnny was dead, he saw no reason to live. Dally robbed the store in a fit of anger. He lashed out and wanted to do something, anything, to take the pain away.

Readers often discuss how Johnny "needed" the group, but Dally's behavior shows us that he needed Johnny just as bad. For Dallas, Johnny represented all the innocnece and goodness that no longer resided in him. Dally always encouraged Johnny to be "tuff", but it is possible that he wanted the opposite to happen.

Why do Tom and Huck go to the graveyard?

In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn tells Tom the cure for curing warts and that is what takes them to the graveyard.  Hucks states, ""Devil follow corpse, cat follow devil, warts follow cat, I'm done with ye!"(Twain).

The catch is that Tom and Huck have to swing a dead cat over a freshly buried dead man said to be evil and state the above encantation.  So in the light of a full moon, Tom and Huck go to the graveyard and see Injun Joe murder Doc Robinson while graverobbing.  Muff Potter, the town drunk is implicated, but fear and a secret oath keep the boys from revealing the truth.

I've included a link to the full text here.

What is the relationship among Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus in Julius Caesar?

Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus form a political alliance and take of the rule of Rome as a triumvirate after Caesar's death. 

It can be argued that, of the three triumvirs, Octavius is the most wise and level-headed.  When Antony speaks of their fellow-triumvir Lepidus slightingly, Octavius challenges him, asking him how he can allow Lepidus to have the power to condemn people to death if he feels this way.  Octavius himself is "fair-minded and judicious", and his "commanding presence" appears to predict a positive and stable future for Rome.

Antony is a professional soldier and politician who has in the past had a reputation for being somewhat of a playboy.  He is athletic and possesses exceptional rhetorical skills; it is Antony who speaks so movingly at Caesar's funeral, inciting the crowd to riot against the conspirators.  As a triumvir, Antony works with the others to compile a list of men to be condemned, and he strikes a deal with Lepidus to allow the death of his own nephew in exchange for the life of Lepidus's brother, all the while scorning Lepidus as nothing more than a temporary "tool" in the newly formed government.  By the end of the play, however, it might be argued that Antony redeems himself somewhat, showing compassion by directing that Lucilius, who worked with the conspirators, be treated well, and by perceiving and declaring that Brutus, though a leader of the conspiracy, had acted in the common good.

Lepidus is the third member of the triumvirate, towards whom Antony is scornful while Octavius is supportive.  Little information is actually revealed about Lepidus beyond these conflicting assessments of his character.

What maxim does Boxer create when the Sunday debates are cancelled in "Animal Farm"?

Boxer actually creates two maxims:

"I will work harder." and "Napoleon is always right."

The reader must keep in mind that Boxer represents the hard-working class of Russia.  He has bought into the notion that hard work will help the cause of the Motherland and will eventually make life wonderful for all the "commoners."

His second maxim regarding Napoleon better connects to the cancelled debates.  He falls into the trap that the debates aren't truly needed because he can believe everything Napoleon says.  Orwell uses this to represent the Russian workers slowly giving up more of their rights because they originally trust Stalin completely.

In "The Reader", how do Hanna and Michael demonstrate deception and self deception and why?

Hanna demonstrates deception mainly in regards to the fact that she cannot read.  She is willing to lie in order to cover the fact that she is illiterate; otherwise, she is pretty forthcoming and honest, even to her detriment.  Take the trial for example.  She was completely honest about her role in the death of all of those women, she was willing to answer questions and take the blame, but the one thing that she lied about was the statement that she supposedly wrote and signed.  She was willing to be honest and condemn herself to prison in regards to the deaths of human beings, but, she wasn't honest about the tiny and not-criminal trait of being illiterate.  Her deception occurred with Michael too--she never stated to him that she couldn't read, she just asked him to read books to her.  She quit her job at the transportation office, giving up a promotion, because it would require her to read.  Instead of being honest about it, she just quit.  Deception comes into play in Hanna's life when it comes to illiteracy, but not much else.  Her deception manifests itself as an illogical self-pride that is a detriment in her life.

Michael is deceptive in almost every way when it comes to disclosing his relationship with Hanna.  He lies to his parents, and doesn't even tell any of his friends about their relationship.  Then later, he doesn't tell anyone connected with the trial about his relationship or his knowledge of Hannah's illiteracy, even if it could have helped her receive a lighter sentence.  When he goes to his father for help, he is deceptive also, phrasing things as a hypothetical "what if you know someone who..." instead of revealing that he knew Hanna in any way shape or form.  So, he enjoyed his relationship with her, loved being there, and made time to be with her, but denied his relationship or any knowledge of her to anyone, for most of his life.  His deception took the form of a strange cowardice and shame.

I hope that these thoughts helped; good luck!

What do you consider the qualities in Atticus that makes him such a good father to Jem and Scout?

There are two other qualities that make him not only a "good father" but a great father.  He is honest with his kids.  He never sugar-coats anything to them.  When Scout asks what "rape" was, rather than getting flustered like Uncle Jack did, he gave her the clinical definition of it.  He told Jack that when a child asks you a question, you answer it.  It's that simple.  He treated them with respect by being completely honest.  He told them what they needed to know, and didn't make a "production" of it.

The second and perhaps the more important of the two qualities was teaching them courage.  He didn't want the children to think that "a man with a gun in his hand" was courage.  He was referring to when he had to shoot the dog.  That wasn't necessarily courage.  He told them that true courage was

"when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.  You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all 98 pounds of her."

Both of those qualities make Atticus a wonderful father and a teacher at the same time.

How does Dimmesdale feel about his role as the much respected pastor in the community?That is, why does he avoid the people who admire him so...

In Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," that Arthur Dimmesdale is respected in the community is even more cause for his anguish.  For, he has

won it [the respect], in great part, by his sorrows.  His intellectual gifts, his moral perceptions, his power of experiencing and communicating emotion, were kept in a state of preternatural activity by the prick and anguish of his daily life.

While there are other ministers who have spent years acquiring "abstruse lore, connected with the divine profession," the Reverend Dimmesdale has lived with sin and sorrow, and is, thus, more "profoundly versed."  There are others who are better versed with

the better world, into which their purity of life had almost introduced these holy personages...only lacking the gift that descended the chosen disciples at Pentecost,

yet they all dwell in the "upper heights" and cannot touch the people as Dimmesdale does so well.  It is his burden of sin that gives him "sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind."  But, because the people perceive Dimmesdale as a "miracle of holiness," he is tortured by his guilt since he has always been a lover of truth, not a hypocrite.  He yearns to confess, but when he hints at his sin, the congregation merely believes that he humbles himself for their sakes:

More than once, Mr. Dimmesdate had gone into the pulpit....had actually spoken!  He had told his hearer that he was altogether vile,...the worst of sinners, an abomination, a thing of unimaginable iniquity...They heard it all, and did but reverence him the more.  They little guessed what deadly purport lurked in those self-condemning words.

Calling Dimmesdale "the godly youth" and "the saint on earth," the minister knows that if he does confess his great sin, the people will refuse to believe him:  "He had spoken the very truth, and transformed it into the veriest falsehood."  And, because he loathes lies, the Reverend comes to loathe his own "miserable self."

The minister cannot face these people without feeling his shame.  So, he begins self-flagellation and fasting in order to atone for his sins.  He keeps vigils in his penance.  Since "to the untrue man, the whole universe is false," he shrinks from people and life.  The only truth is "the anguish in his inmost soul."

With this tremendous conflict of Arthur Dimmesdale, a conflict much more torturous than that of Hester, author Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses his invective against Puritanism, a religion that would deny the intrinsic nature of man and the redemptive power of forgiveness for sin, a religion that forces individuals into hypocrisy if they transgress.

Compare and contrast Beowulf's speech with Sir Gawain's speech.

The thing to focus on for any kind of literature is the complete idea.  Read the entire line of poetry from the first word to the end punctuation in order to get the entire gist.  Reading that way will help you understand the English...it's just the syntax (the way the words are put together in the sentence) that's confusing you.

Now, Beowulf and Sir Gawain don't really give too many speeches.  However, they are both heros of the people, and they have both completed larger-than-life accomplishments.  Beowulf's speeches are full of boasts since he is an Anglo-Saxon creation and believes that his afterlife depends on his fame.  The stories told about him after his death will provide his "forever after".  Of course, he seems to have really done all the things he says he's done (killed sea monsters, swam the ocean in chainmail, ripped off Grendel's arm with his bare hands, sunk for hours to take on Grendel's mother, killed a dragon, etc.)  He also puts Unferth in his place by telling Unferth and all those listening that Unferth has first, had too much to drink, second, hasn't stood up the monster Grendel and therefore that's why the creature still feasts upon his people, and third, Unferth shouldn't be speaking up anyway since he is no better than Grendel because Unferth too, killed his kinsman.  In Beowulf's speech, he is very matter-of-fact and blunt about his accomplishments and what he can and will do.

Gawain, by contrast, willingly takes Arthur's place on the quest for the Green Knight.  He is honorable in this respect.  However, unlike Beowulf, his character is a little tarnished.  He lies to the green knight about the sash--reiterating the reason for the quest in the first place.  The Green Knight suggests that the knights of the Round Table have become lazy, braggarts, and less-than-honorable men since they don't all uphold the code of chivalry by which they have pledged to live.  Gawain does prove his worth, however, when he asks for forgiveness and pledges to teach the rest of the knights the message.

In "The Leap", what are the "three times" the narrator describes by which she owes her mother her existence?

The narrator says she owes her mother her existence the first time because of an incident that occurred before her birth.  Her mother, Anna, of the Flying Avalons, was a trapeze artist.  When she was seven months pregnant, she was performing the finale of their act with her husband when the circus tent was struck by lightning. Falling, Anna grabbed a guy wire, which was superheated by lightning.  She was confined to a hospital for a month and a half, and her daughter was stillborn.  Throughout her lifetime, the narrator considered this daughter, her half-sister, as a part of her own existence, "a less-finished version of herself".

While she was in the hospital, Anna met her second husband, a doctor, who was the narrator's father.  The doctor taught Anna to read while she was hospitalized, and they fell in love.  The narrator refers to the fact that her mother gave birth to her as the second reason she owes her for her existence, this time in a literal sense.

The narrator owes her existence to her mother a third time because of an incident that occurred when she was seven years old.  The narrator was home with a babysitter when their farmhouse caught fire.  By the time her parents returned home, the house was engulfed in flames, and there seemed to be little hope that firemen would reach the narrator in her room because their extension ladder was broken.  Undaunted, Anna used the broken ladder to climb an elm tree near the house that had a branch that brushed the roof.  She crawled along a bough above the branch and leapt towards the roof, landing on it and, using her acrobatic skills, hanging from the rain gutter over her daughter's window.  Anna entered the narrator's room, and, clutching their daughter, jumped from the window into a safety net below, saving her life.

Compare and contrast Shelley's "To a skylark" to Keats' "Ode to the Westwind".

Both of the poems "To a Skylark" and Ode to the West Wind" are by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Both these poems celebrate an aspect of nature, a higher order of existence that the poet compares to man's limited life on the earth.  

In "To a Skylark," the poet hears the song of this beautiful unseen bird who sings in flight, adding a soundtrack to nature that draws the poet's attention to the majesty of the world around him.

"Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!

                     Bird thou never wert -                  That from Heaven or near it                 Pourest thy full heart 

In profuse strains of unpremeditated art." (Shelley)

In "Ode to the West Wind," the poet is considering the power of the west wind and contemplating the journey of the autumn leaves and how they travel through the air looking for a final resting place. Because of the power of the wind, they have the ability to roam the heavens and the earth before they lay down.

"Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; 

Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh, hear!" (Shelley)

Shelley celebrates the power of the west wind, and desires to be a dead Autumn leaf, to experience the power and the freedom that it shares with the west wind.  

"If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear; 
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee; 

A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share" (Shelley)

In To a Skylark" the poet beseeches the bird to teach him about the secrets of nature that he alone knows, and that the poet feels is communicated through his song.

 "Teach us, Sprite or Bird, 

                        What sweet thoughts are thine:                      I have never heard                          Praise of love or wine

That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine." (Shelley)

"Finally, the speaker asks the bird to share with him the secret of its special joy. The unbridled joy of this creature is unlike that felt by men, who know pleasure only in comparison to the pain and tragedy that are an integral part of human existence. Hence, when possessed of the skylark’s secret, the poet will be able to transform the lives of his readers and improve humankind;"

Both of these poems share the similarity of looking at the mysteries and majesty of nature to try to understand the life of mankind.  

In nature the poet searches for answers to questions that are difficult o answer.  He acknowledges that the power of nature possesses more knowledge and more important than man.  That, as a poet, he tries to harness this source of power through his poetry, and that poetry, like nature, and through the celebration of nature adds meaning to man's earthly life in a unique way.

In Macbeth Act 4 why does Macduff flee from his castle? Why is he filled with pain and guilt?

It was Macduff who discovered the murder of King Duncan in his bed-chamber in Macbeth's castle. Ever since he suspected Macbeth & refused to obey him as the new king. Macduff did not participate in Macbeth's coronation ceremony at Scone; he also absented himself from Macbeth's coronation banquet. In the closing part of the Banquet scene, Macbeth expressed his doubt & apprehension as regards Macduff, and disclosed his paranoid mind by contemplating a surprise attack at Fife to annihilate the entire house of the Macduffs.

Macduff escaped to England primarily to save his life from the killer king. He fled from Fife, leaving his wife, children & all relations, but he never suspected that Macbeth could be so vile as to kill his entire family in his absence. Another reason behind Macduff's secret passage to England was to get in touch with Malcolm & convince him to return to Scotland so that under Malcolm's legitimate leadership an offensive could be organised for the ouster of the illegitimate King Macbeth.

When Macduff received from Ross the news of the ghastly killing of his wife and children, he was terribly shocked and filled with guilt because he held himself responsible for the whole tragedy. His regret mingled with deep anguish finds expression in these lines:

"All my pretty ones?

Did you say all? O hell-kite? All?"

Macduff, a man of feeling, reacts to a moment of extreme personal loss with exemplary self-control; when Malcolm advises him, 'Dispute it like a man', Macduff replies:

"I shall do so;

But I must also feei it as a man".

What is the symbolic meaning of "the salamander devours its tail"?Faber states that when books are found in the homes of firemen, it is going to be...

The salamander is the symbolic name that the fireman give to the fire truck and the symbol for the fireman, himself.  Therefore, if books are found in the home of a fireman, it is self-destructive.  The implements of destruction, in this case, fire, becomes the means by which the salamander actually destroys himself.

The salamander devours his tail is the means that Faber sees as the only way that the society is going to change, the firemen have to change from within.  Just like Montag is a convert, who turns away from his 10 year job as a destroyer of books, he is now a revolutionary who will seek the truth and be part of creating a new society.

The symbol of fire as a means of cleansing and rebirth will have a new meaning as the old society is literally burned off, a new brighter one will rise from the ashes like the phoenix.

What is Miss Emma's pain and primary concern regarding the use of the word "hog" in A Lesson Before Dying?

In trying to save him from being executed, his defense lawyer argues that Jefferson has no more sense nor intelligence than an animal - specifically a hog.  Miss Emma is deeply hurt by this blatant, racist negation of her godson's humanity.  She acknowledges that the defense lawyer is "just trying to get him off", but his allegation brings her pain that comes "from many years past". 

In his argument, the defense attorney creates a representation of racism in the extreme.  He addresses the jury heartlessly,

"Do you see a man sitting here?  Look at the shape of this skull, this face as flat as the palm of my hand - look deeply into those eyes.  Do you see a modicum of intelligence?  Do you see anyone here who could plan a murder, a robbery, can plan...anything?  A cornered animal...strike(s) quickly out of fear, a trait inherited from his ancestors in the deepest jungle of blackest Africa - that he can do - but to plan?  No...this skull here holds no plans.  What you see here is a thing that acts on command...why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this".

It is no wonder that Miss Emma is devastated by the defense's words.  His attitude is just another slap in the face in a long series of injustices and indignities that she and her family have had to endure as Negroes in the 1940s American South. Despite the defense's degrading argument, the jury still sentences Jefferson to death.  Miss Emma has raised Jefferson and loves him dearly.  Although she can accept the inevitability of his coming execution, she cannot accept the rude and blatant negation of his dignity.  She says,

"I don't want them to kill no hog...I want a man to go to that chair, on his own two feet" (Chapter 2).

In "Fahrenheit 451" what technology does Mildred use to go to sleep?

In order to sleep, Mildred not only relies heavily on sleeping pills, she also relies on little earphones that she puts in her ears, that constantly plays music, entertainment, news and talk that her society channels in.  They are just like earbuds, but wireless, and Bradbury refers to them as Seashells--probably in reference to how if you hold a seashell up to your ear, there is the continuous sound of the ocean waves roaring.  These are just the same--there is non-stop news, entertainment, and mindless talk streaming constantly from these earphones.  As Montag walks in the first night, he sees Mildred in bed, listening:

"And in her ears the little Seashells, the timble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in, coming on on the shore of her unsleeping mind."

So, even as she rests, Mildred is surrounded by noise, by constant entertainment, just like she is during the day with her t.v. walls.  Montag's society uses these seashells for two purposes.  The first is to control information, and hence, thought and potential rebellion.  If they are the ones controlling what information you get, they can tell you whatever they want, giving only one perspective, and painting a rosy picture so that people are never discontented.  They also use the shells to relay important information.  For example, when Montag escapes at the end, they send a message through all of the seashells for everyone to look out for him, and to turn him in if they see him.  They automatically have a huge civilian army at hand, through the use of the seashells.  Secondly, if people are constantly "plugged in," they don't have any spare time for their minds to be on their own.  If people never have silence, they never think, and so never have the kind of discontented thought that come from meditation.

Mildred stays "tuned in" so much that she really has no mind of her own.  In this sense, she is a perfect citizen of her society.  I hope that these thoughts helped; good luck!

What is the plot of "No Country for Old Men"?

In the novel by Cormack McCarthy, “No Country for Old Men,” the plot is pretty standard.  You have a young Vietnam vet, Llewellyn Moss, who is antelope hunting somewhere in West Texas.  He stumbles upon a bloody scene of dead bodies and dead dogs. He also stumbles upon a satchel of over two million dollars.  He mistakenly decides to take it.  He knows that whoever the money belongs to will come after him but he thinks he can get away with this money and outwit the drug dealers.

Anton Chigurh, is the antagonist who goes around killing anyone who crosses paths with him and his search for the money.  He kills with a strange weapon.  It is an air gun used to kill cattle. 

The “hero” is Sheriff Bell, a World War II veteran who tries to find and protect Moss. The plot is about a good man who makes a bad choice and spends the rest of his short life running from a killer.  The good Sheriff Bell tries to help Moss save himself but Moss just can’t let go of the money. 

"Every moment in your life is a turning and every one a choosing. Somewhere you made a choice. All followed to this. The accounting is scrupulous. The shape is drawn. No line can be erased. A person's path through the world seldom changes and even more seldom will it change abruptly. And the shape of your path was visible from the beginning."

What memory kept haunting Brian in "Hatchet"?

Throughout the novel , Brian is haunted by the memory of his mother's "secret". The secret that continues to invade Brian's memory is the affair that his mother had while still married to his father. Readers are never given the specifics of this affair, but we do know that this is probably the reason Brian's parents are now divorced.

It is possible that the reason the affair has affected Brian so much is because he was witness to it. Brian accidentally stumbles upon his mother kissing another man in a parked car at the mall. The memory of this creeps into Brian's thoughts and dreams unexpectedly.

Find a place in the story where John achieves a breakthrough, and explain what he discovers.How does the first person point of view help you...

The most significant breakthrough that John achieves in this story is the discovery that the "gods" were not actually gods, but mere men. This comes at the end of the story after John as seen his vision. He discovers a "dead god" that has been well preserved, who obviously sat and watched the destruction of John's dream that wiped out his people and his city. The discovery of this "dead god" causes John to reflect on human nature and wisdom:

But there was wisdom in his face and great sadness. You could see that he would have not run away. He had sat at his window, watching his city die - then he himself had died. But it is better to lose one's life than one's spirit - and you could see from the face that his spirit had not been lost. I knew that, if I touched him, he would fall into dust - and yet, there was something unconquered in the face.

John obviously feels some connection with this "dead god", for at this discovery he realises that the gods were not gods at all, but men like him. The paradox of the "dead god" - his physical fragility but also his enduring permanence with "something unconquered" in his face makes John reflect about knowledge and how these "gods" had brought about their own downfall. This allows him to reflect that "Perhaps, in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast", offering hope for the remnants of humanity that remain in this post-apocalyptic world.

The point of view supplied in this story is particularly appropriate because it allows us as readers to discover and find out facts along with John. We are presented with a tantalising selection of hints and scraps of information that we must weave together to form a truth - that the world of John is a world of the future, a future after mankind has all but wiped itself out by its scientific advances.

Characters struggle, and in some cases, suffer with the aftermath of decisions they or others have made. Please read the details! Identify and...

I agree with the above post, and would add that the creation of the monster is the act which brings the most suffering for Victor Frankenstein. The deaths of William and Justine are the direct results of his decisions, and he is wracked by the guilt of these crimes throughout the rest of the novel.

Even the monster himself is forced to deal with suffering and isolation as a result of his actions. His desire to find a place within society drives him toward human contact, yet his seemingly uncontrollable need for revenge drives him further away. Indeed, he must struggle with the consequences of every action, as his very existence brings him pain. He will foreve rbe "the Other", and every moment of life brings suffering. And of course, all of this is again the result of Victor's decision to create him in the first place.

As for Macbeth, look to Lady Macbeth. Her goading of her husband and his murder of Duncan leads directly to her breakdown. She suffers as a result of both her own actions and her husband's.

What are the major themes in the novel and how does Austen use characters, conflicts, and setting to communicate the themes?

Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" raises important moral issues concerned with the institution of marriage.

The most important one being how much money is necessary for a happy and successful marriage:"Pray, my dear aunt, what is the difference in matrimonial affairs, between the mercenary and the prudent motive? Where does discretion end and avarice begin?" (Ch.27)

Jane Austen does not explicitly answer this question by preaching a moral to her readers;but she puts things in perspective by revealing to us the importance of money in marriage and then leaving it to the readers to decide for themselves what is 'moral' or 'immoral'.

In Ch.33 Col Fitzwilliam Darcy the younger son of an earl and obviously a very rich man hints to Elizabeth that he can't marry her: "Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marrywithout some attention to money."   Was he being prudent or avaricious in not marrying Elizabeth? Jane Austen leaves it to the readers to decide.

On the contrary, Darcy also a very rich man overlooks Elizabeth's impoverished financial status and goes out of the way to ensure that Wickham marries Lydia so that the Bennet's  family honour is intact. His love  for her compels him to virtually bribe Wickham his worst enemy into doing so. This clearly establishes that he is a noble and generous person and Elizabeth readily accepts his second marriage proposal in Ch.58.

Another important theme is the contrasting lifestyle of different social groups which is structurally central to a Jane Austen novel. In "Pride and Prejudice" the landed gentry represented by Darcy  is contrasted with the newly rich trading class represented by Bingley.

The novel was written against the background of the threat of an  invasion by Napoleon. The militia was a temporary voluntary force raised especially during times of a national emergency. Wickham was a member of this militia. Col.Fitzwilliam Darcy the younger son of an earl, on the contrary, is a fully commissioned officer of the regular army. In those days only an aristocrat or a member of the gentry could afford to purchase a commission in the army. In "Pride and Prejudice" Darcy purchases a commission for Wickham so that Wickham agrees to marry Lydia.

Jane Austen  portrays only the elegant aspects of Regency England. The seamy side,however, is  sometimes hinted at. Discipline in the army was very harsh and there is a report of a private being whipped. Similarly the prevailing poverty of the lower classes is revealed by the reference to poor feeding.

But most importantly the harsh reality of a bleak future  for a dependent unwed old woman is hinted at when Charlotte Lucas' brothers are relieved that Collins  is going to marry their sister, for otherwise they would have to look after her in her old age.

'Romantic love' is the central theme which unites all the incidents and the characters in "Pride and Prejudice." But there is nothing 'romantic' about Jane Austen's treatment of 'romantic love' in the novel. 'Romantic love' is checked and controlled by the incomes and financial freedom of the partners involved. In this manner Jane Austen is able to blend 'romance' and 'realism.' For example, Lydia and Wickham who elope 'romantically' have to be rescued by the generosity of Darcy before they are married.

The restraining power of money on 'romantic love' is spelt out in the thematic statement found in Ch.27, "Where does discretion end, and avarice begin?", when Elizabeth replies to her anunt's query concerning Miss King the latest lover of Wickham. Her aunt is relieved to know that Elizabeth is not in love with Wickham who has virtually no income at all and is only employed temporarily in the Militia.

Another important consideration in love and marriage was the social class to which the characters belonged:

At that time, ownership of land and not money was the single most important criterion which determined the social status of an individual. Lady Catherine tries unsuccessfully to dissuade Elizabeth from marrying Darcy,because she is poorer than him but Elizabeth angrily retorts: "In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter: so far we are equal."(Ch.56).

What examples of dramatic irony can we find in To Kill A Mockingbird and what are their effect(s)?[tragedy,comedy,suspense, or horror]

Dramatic irony, of course, is when the reader knows something that the character does not know.  There are numerous examples of dramatic irony in To Kill a Mockingbird, but let me get you started with a few arranged in order of importance. 

First, and probably the least significant but an example of dramatic irony just the same, is when Uncle Jack tells Scout a funny story as she fusses and frets about a big splinter under her skin.  The readers know that Uncle Jack is trying to take her mind off of the pain, so that the splinter can be removed.  However, that fact surprises Scout.  The effect of this particular instance of dramatic irony is humor. 

Second, there is the tense scene during which Scout asks about rape.  The readers of the book all know exactly what rape is.  Scout, being the innocent in To Kill a Mockinbird, does not.  Therefore, this time Lee's use of dramatic irony creates a bit of suspense.

Third, there is the amazing scene where Atticus saves the town by shooting a rabid dog with one quick shot to the head.  By the middle of the incident, as Heck Tate talks with Atticus, the audience knows that it is Atticus who is the best shot in town, but it isn't until the shot is fired that both Scout and Jem understand this.  Not only does this create suspense, but also adds a lot to Atticus' characterization (proving that he is a brave enough man to keep a murderous skill like marksmanship to himself).

Finally, there is the scene when Scout shows up at the jail, showing great loyalty to Atticus.  When Scout arrives, she immediately sees Mr. Cunningham and asks how his "entailment" is coming along.  Mr. Cunningham, who has come to the jail to do possible injury to Atticus, is thrown off-guard by Scout's innocent and caring question.  We understand this, but Scout does not.  Scout, through dramatic irony, deflects the angry mob at the jail.  The effect here is all suspense related.

Lee, then, is a master of dramatic irony, as it permiates the book and creates numerous effects with a single literary device.

Why do you think Mrs. Olinski was able to discipline Jared and Ham effectively in View From Saturday?Have you ever seen her strategy work?

Mrs. Olinski is able to discipline Jared and Ham effectively because she has developed the confidence to respond strongly  against the boys' attempt to disrupt the class.  Troublemakers like Jared and Ham act out because they want attention, and by embarrassing them in front of the class, Mrs. Olinski regains her rightful control.  It is evident from the body language of the students how the focus of their respect changes after the belching incident.  As Ham and Jared walk to the front of the room after first being challenged by Mrs. Olinski, their "smiling faces (lift) and (tilt) toward (them) like...sunflowers as they follow the sun across heaven".  After Mrs. Olinski puts the boys in their place, no one "smile(s)...or even (makes) eye contact with (them)" as they return to their seats (Chapter 6).

Mrs. Olinski hasn't always been able to be such an effective disciplinarian.  In this, her first year back in teaching after having been rendered a paraplegic in an automobile accident, she has tended to be a little tentative in her approach to her class.  Hamilton Knapp in particular has been taking complete advantage of Mrs. Olinski's situation, putting her on the spot by pretending he cannot see what she's written on the board while knowing that she cannot write any higher from her wheelchair, and by cruelly writing the word "CRIPPLE" on the board when she is out of the room.  Recognizing her predicament, the Souls resolve to "give her some support...give her a lift", and through the friendship and kindness she finds with them at Sillington House, Mrs. Olinski develops the "chops" to assert herself as a teacher and earn the respect of even the most malicious of troublemakers (Chapter 4).

You will have to decide for yourself whether you have ever seen this strategy work in the classroom.  Think of a time when a classmate has tried to undermine a teacher's authority by clowning around, and remember how the teacher handled the incident, and what the result was.

I heard that it is illegal for a teacher, to not allow his student to use the restroom. Is this true?

I have never come across any legal provisions defining rights of teacher to allow or not allow students o use rest room.

But I quite understand that teachers must show some flexibility when student in their class ask permission to use the rest room. At the same time we should also understand such practices cause disturbance in the class. Also students must learn to discipline themselves. If they don't, they will have serious problems in their working lives.

In  general teachers and schools adopt more permissive approach in lower standards, gradually the discipline is tightened in upper classes. I believe by the 12th grade students should be disciplined enough to not to use rest rooms during class hours barring rare exceptions.

Are the people in "Fahrenheit 451" observant? Do you think this is similar to today?

I think that your question asks if people today are similar to those in Fahrenheit 451?  In some ways they are, for example, Mildred's obsession with the television which has been transformed into a wall size unit that allows the viewer to feel like he is part of the television program can be linked to shows that we have today where the viewer is actively involved in the outcome of the show, like American Idol or any other shows where the audience seems to determine the outcome or the winner.

Also, we are getting bigger and bigger screens, as they get flatter, they appear to be part of the wall, so it is not a stretch of the imagination to think that one day they may be wall size.

"By portraying many characters as passive figures who never even wonder about their lot in life, Fahrenheit 451 seems to imply that apathy is a very important element in the decline of Montag's society. Millie is content to receive whatever "entertainment" that comes from her television, unable to distinguish between programs that are numbing in their sameness."

Mildred is so addicted to the "family" as she calls the actors who appear on her giant wall screens, that they are more important to her than her husband.  She is totally immersed in the fake world of television while ignoring everything around her.  All she is concerned with is getting the fourth wall to complete her television world, like a giant fish bowl where she can swim in the middle and interact with the players.

The other constant distraction that Mildred has is the Seashell radio in her ear.  This is similar to the Blue tooth that people walk around wearing and if you don't see it, you think that they are talking to themselves.

So yes, we have technological devices that separate us from each other and from sources of knowledge, such as books.  But our technology also offers greater opportunity for learning.  The Internet has opened a whole world of information that is available, what Fahrenheit 451 focuses on is that people chose to not access books or knowledge but chose simple mindless entertainment instead, like watching TV or playing video games.

The society that has developed in the book emerged after people chose to stop going to school, stop learning, stop having meaningful conversations, meaningful relationships and disengaging from every aspect of intellectual pursuits.

I don't think that our society has gotten this far, I and I don't think that it ever will.

Which of the quotations from this story reveal an objective point of view?

The objective point of view is limited to what the narrator sees or hears.  He can not project into others thoughts or motives.  Much of an objective point of view is dialogue so any point in "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" where there is actual dialogue is from an objective point of view.  A good example of this is in section two of the story when Peyton Farquhar is speaking with the soldier who approaches his wife and him while they sit on the bench.  Below is a little of that conversation:

"The Yanks are repairing the railroads," said the man, "and are getting ready for another advance. They have reached the Owl Creek bridge, put it in order and built a stockade on the north bank. The commandant has issued an order, which is posted everywhere, declaring that any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains will be summarily hanged. I saw the order."

"How far is it to the Owl Creek bridge?" Farquhar asked.

"About thirty miles."

"Is there no force on this side the creek?"

"Only a picket post half a mile out, on the railroad, and a single sentinel at this end of the bridge."

"Suppose a man--a civilian and student of hanging--should elude the picket post and perhaps get the better of the sentinel," said Fharquar, smiling, "what could he accomplish?"

There is more objective point of view in the section of the story where the narrator describes Fharquar struggling in the river.  I hope this give you an idea of what to look for in reading the story.  That way you can choose the quotations you want to use.

Compare and contrast the "Hollywood" creature to Mary Shelley's creature.Physical appearance, abilities, actions, etc.

The "Hollywood" creature, as it is most stereotypically portrayed, is a sort-of zombie like creature with large feet, a flat head and bolts in his neck to indicate that he was "put" together by Victor Frankenstein.  He is often portrayed as being able only to make moaning noises and walk slowly with his large arms outstretched.

In the actual novel, Frankenstein's monster is of huge proportions and he was assembled from various parts of cadavers that his creator collected and sewed together.  He is portrayed as huge and ugly, which leads to his withdrawal from society and his ultimate misery.  However, the similarities, for the most part, end there.  Frankenstein's monster, through his observations of the natural world as well as his "interactions" with the DeLacey family, is initially a very gentle creature trying to figure out his place in the world that he had been thrust into without any sort of help from his "father."  Becuase of his ugliness, he is rejected again and again.  On one occasion, he is even scorned after selflessly saving a young woman from drowning.  This superficial view of the monster is based solely on his appearance and has nothing to do with the gently creature that exists underneath his rough exterior.

So, the monster is slowly turned against man and society and seeks revenge upon his "father" who created him only to desert him and leave him to fend for himself without any sort of guidance or explanation.  He is very, however, very human and civilized mentally.  It is the fault of Victor Frankenstein's unnatural desire to play God and an unfriendly society that the monster is jaded and becomes a dangerous figure in the novel.

In The Great Gatsby, what is the symbol of Daisy's marriage in Chapter VII where Gatsby shows surprise?

The visible symbol of Daisy's marriage to Tom is their daughter Pammy. At the Buchanans' home, Gatsby and Nick were sitting with Daisy and Jordan while Tom was momentarily out of the room. A nurse (nanny) brought the little girl into the room. Daisy greeted her daughter effusively:

"Bles-sed pre-cious," she crooned, holding out her arms. "Come to your own mother that loves you."

The little girl (Pammy) ran to her mother and buried her face in Daisy's dress. When Daisy told her daughter to stand up and say hello, Nick and Gatsby took turns shaking her little hand. Nick noticed Gatsby's reaction:

Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don't think he had ever really believed in its existence before.

Gatsby was amazed to see Pammy standing before him, flesh-and-blood proof that Daisy's relationship with Tom had created a child. His dream was to wipe out the previous five years and repeat the past with Daisy, and her daughter's presence did not fit into his plan. He did not know how to deal with the reality of the little girl.

What is the narrative line of the Three Musketeers story?

The narrative style of The Three Musketeers is told in straight and direct third person form.  It is told in a manner that highlights the heroism of D'Artagnan and his friends, and does not spend a great deal of time in developing characters, as much as it does in narrating adventures.  Originally published in a serialized and incremental format in a newspaper, the work does read like a "telenovela" or a serial that builds off of cliffhangers and action/ suspense.  Certainly, this narrative style is present in the details of the swordfights, and its "swashbuckling" tone.  This Romance of action is present in the main characters.  The main characters fight, and fight with intensity, as there is little in the way of musing and reflection about what they do, why they do it, or the implications of such decisions, as they are only motivated only by the honor and chivalry which they are meant to protect. They are heroes in the sense of being men of action and the narration reflects this.  The dialogue present is meant to advance the storyline, and the author rarely steps in, contributing to the idea that these are men of action.  The narration makes the characters nore merely advance their cause of fighting for justice, but also for fighting to move the story along, as well.  The adventures of D'Artagnon, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis represent a style of narration that lauds or praises action in armed, direct conflict, in a manner that builds up suspense in a very theatrical and Romantic manner.

Please explain the historical connection between human diseases and diseases carried by animals.This topic is found in chapter 11; "Lethal Gift of...

In chapter 11 of "Guns, Germs, and Steel," by Jared Diamond, the concept of germs being passed from animals to humans is discussed. Diamond describes the attack and growth of various  pathogens suffered by the animal to human contact in the Agricultural societies. The Agricultural societies were better suited for these type of diseases, than the Hunter-Gather societies.  Because the population, in the Agricultural societies, was so much larger than the Hunter-Gather communities the pathogens were more easily spread from person to person.  Early on, the farmers even use to collect the feces of the humans and mix it into the soil for fertilizer.  This also increased the spread of these diseases. 

Diamond talks about four main stages of this animal to human infection.  The first stage is the diseases that we simply pick up once and a while.  My cousin just got out of the hospital a few weeks ago because of Cat-Scratch Fever.  This is an example of that type of disease.  In the second stage writes Diamond ;

.."a former animal pathogen evolves to the point where it does get transmitted directly between people and causes epidemics.  These are diseases like Measles (came from cattle), Tuberculosis (cattle), Flu (pigs and birds) and Smallpox (cattle and livestock).  A third stage in the evolution of our major diseases is represented by former animal pathogens that did establish themselves in humans that have not yet died out, and still may become killers of humanity.  Lassa Fever is a good example of this type of pathogen.  The fourth and final stage of this evolution is represented by the major, long-established epidemic diseases confined to humans.  These diseases must have been the evolutionary survivors of far more pathogens that tried to make the jump to us from animals - and mostly failed." (pg. 207-209)

In "A Rose for Emily," what details foreshadow the conclusion and how does this create interest and suspense?

Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" contains numerous examples of foreshadowing, and it's the foreshadowing that gives the surprise ending legitimacy once it occurs.

First, Emily is reluctant to give up her father's body once he dies.  She keeps it in the house until she is finally talked into releasing the body for burial five days after her father's death.  In this instance, the townspeople are aware of her father's death, so ultimately she has no choice but to give up the body.

Second, Emily buys poison.

Third, Homer disappears but nothing is said about anyone ever seeing him leave.

Fourth, the house smells.

Faulkner manipulates these events by relating them in piecemeal fashion so they do not come off as hints, but instead can be used as foreshadowing to legitimize the ending for the reader.

Explain the quote "What the Bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are its own grave diggers".

As per Marxist concepts, bourgeoisie is the class of people who own and manage the means of production. At the dawn of industrial revolution the bourgeoisie was the downtrodden class with the feudal occupying the position of dominant class. But over a period the bourgeoisie as a consequence of industrial revolution overthrew the feudal power to become the dominant class. In this way bourgeoisie acted as, as per Marxist terminology, gravediggers for feudal.

Karl Marx as well as subsequent prominent communist leaders like Lenin used the term Grave digger to describe a rising revolutionary class which is destined to overthrow the ruling class. Marx wrote that though bourgeoisie acted as grave diggers for feudal, now by creating a vast under privileged working class their own grave diggers, as this oppressed class is bound to organize themselves and overthrow them in a revolutionary way.

Give a little detailed summary of the first 3 chapters of Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.

The first chapter is entitled "The Curriculum".  The author relates how "the last class of (his) old professor's life takes place once a week in his house", with the author as the only student.  The class meets on Tuesdays, and the subject is "The Meaning of Life".  There are no grades given, but the student is expected to respond to questions and pose some as well.  In lieu of a final, the student is expected to write a long paper, which is this book.  Instead of graduation, there will be a funeral.

Morrie Schwartz had been the author's favorite professor at Brandeis University a little more than fifteen years earlier.  When the author introduces Morrie to his parents at that graduation, Morrie tells them their son is "one of the good ones".  He asks the author to "stay in touch", and when he leaves, Morrie is crying.

In the second chapter, "The Syllabus", the author says that Morrie received "his death sentence...in the summer of 1994".  Morrie had known something was wrong for awhile.  First, he had had to give up dancing, then he developed asthma, and finally he began to have trouble walking.  The doctors' diagnosis was ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, a terminal disease of the neurological system. 

Soon, Morrie must give up driving, and use a cane.  He teaches his last college course.  The doctors guess that "he (has) two years left, (but) Morrie (knows) it is less".  He resolves to make the best of the time he has left, and decides to "make death his final project".  He "would walk that final bridge between life and death, and narrate the trip".

When Morrie has deteriorated to the point to where he must use a wheelchair, a good friend of his dies.  At the funeral, Morrie realizes that it is a waste that "all those people (say) all those wonderful things" at a funeral, and the deceased never gets to hear them.  With this in mind, he arranges a "living funeral" for himself.

The focus shifts to the author in the next chapter, entitled "The Student".  After graduation, the author had gone to New York City, to become a famous musician.  His dream never materializes, and when a favorite uncle dies of pancreatic cancer at age forty-four, the author, feeling that he is wasting his time, he goes back to school and begins working as a sports writer.  He is highly successful in this field, gets married, and "burie(s) (him)self in accomplishments...believ(ing) he (can) control things, (he tries to) squeeze in every last piece of happiness before (he)...die(s)".  He remembers Morrie, but has not kept in touch, and things might have continued like this, except for something he hears on TV late one night.

Describe as completely as possible the character of Walter Young in Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun.What are his weaknesses? Despite...

Hansberry's Walter Younger is a character that represents a unique combination of McKay's Ray and Jake.  Throughout the play, we see Walter as desiring something more than what is there and in pursuit of his dreams, wanting to leave his job or seeking to open the liquor store.  This element is reminiscent of Jake, in his desire to improve his setting.  However, the countervailing force of this dream is the despair at their lack of fruition and its accompanying despair.  Walter believes that the social order that denies him a sense of equality and independence is to blame.  This is exemplified in his belief that discriminatory elements lock him in a role, as well as the belief that even people he is supposed to trust do not support him (His friend stealing the money to open the store, his wife telling him to "eat his eggs" when he speaks of his dream, his sister's medical school expenses.)  This aspect of his character is very reminiscent of Ray, and his mistrust of society, his abilty to wander and not settle into one area, and his inability to work within social and realistic conditions, thereby running from them.  Walter is an emotional wanderer, in his own right, as we see during the play when he will not emotionally commit to the child being born, the family that is with him, or to the job that he detests. There is an implication that he wanders outside of his marriage, and this lack of emotional link is similar to Ray.  Yet, where we see change in Walter, in his standing up to Lindner and not acquiscing to the "quick buck" and the assumption of his role in the family as leader is uniquely different from both Ray and Jake.  Certainly this assumption of leadership is different than the Ray, but it might also be different than Jake, who seemed to be willing to work within the system.  Walter has evolved through the play to the point where he calls the system out, a trait that we might not have seen fully embodied by Jake.  This might be reflective of the difference between McKay's landscape of the 1920s and Hansberry's canvass of the 1960s.

What are the best character traits for the main characters mentioned in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

What a fun question!  Well, obviously this is open to interpretation, but here is my opinion of the "best" character trait for each of the main characters:

Romeo: Passion (as evidenced by his every word and action and culminating in his death by poison)

Mercutio: Bawdy Humor (as evidenced by his efforts to break Romeo out of his "funk" with such stories as Queen Mab)

Juliet: Coy Intelligence (as evidenced by her flirtation with Romeo upon first meeting him and her innuendo in referring to men's body parts)

Tybalt: Abrasiveness (as evidenced by his desire to fight in ever scene he inhabits)

Nurse: Good-Natured Humor (as evidenced by her exchange with Juliet after returning with news from Romeo)

Paris: Chivalry (as evidenced by Paris' desire to lie in death near to Juliet)

Friar Laurence: Loyalty (as evidenced by his great lengths to both marry the young couple and desperate tries to help them live happy lives)

Why is Montresor's family motto appropriate?

Montresor has been lying to Fortunato consistently since they met on the street. There is no reason to believe that Montresor is telling the truth in the following exchange:

“I forget your arms.”

“A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.”

“And the motto?”

“Nemo me impune lacessit.”

“Good!” he said.

More is going on here than is immediately apparent. It seems likely that Fortunato is being disingenuous. Montresor is not an aristocrat. He does not have a coat of arms or a family motto. He knows that Fortunato is only being his usual cruel self. The coat of arms that Montresor invents is totally bizarre. Imagine a huge human foot! And a golden one, at that! Would the foot be bare? Would we see all the toes? Wouldn't a knight be wearing something protective on the foot? Wouldn't an enemy just laugh at a knight who had a big golden foot on his shield? Isn't Montresor intentionally making the picture look ridiculous?

The motto, of course, goes with the coat of arms--but both may be pure inventions. Fortunato is drunk and doesn't really understand why his intended insult didn't have the intended effect of making Montresor feel humiliated. It would seem, too, that Fortunato does not understand Latin. This may be Montresor's way of retaliating for the intended insult: He satisfies himself that Fortunato may be rich but is not educated.

Naturally the motto is appropriate if Montresor invents it to suit his present purpose. The fact that it is so appropriate actually suggests that it is an invention. Montresor is not murdering Fortunato because it is mandatory in his family tradition to exact revenge for injuries; he is killing him because he hates him. It is a personal matter, not a part of a family code of honor. In fact, it can hardly be said that what Montresor is doing is "honorable."

Why is "the age of the common man" or "the age of Jacksonian Democracy" an ironic name for the period from 1816 to 1840?

Indeed, Jacksonian Democracy did increase democratic sentiments with a "common man" touch.  It is a bit misleading because some of the elements during this time period did not enhance democratic sensibilities.  This can be seen at the start of the election process, where nominating conventions were held to nominate candidates.  This was nothing more than a meeting of Jackson supporters who ended up supporting Jackson.  This is not an enhancement of democracy, that stipulates the need for discourse and divergent voices. 

This theme of "majority only voice" was continued throughout Jackson's presidency.  The presence and expansion of the spoils system, where friends and supporters of Jackson, did not increase democracy, as much as it increased patronage and favoritism which are principles against democratic governing.  Certainly, the spoils system had been around before Jackson, but Jackson was so brazen about its growth and enhancement, almost to the point where he actually argued that it increased democracy. 

Another element within Jacksonian Democracy which actually inverted democracy was that Jackson did not seek to enhance dialogue and diversity in thought.  Through the spoils system and the brash manner with which he carried himself, Jackson did not seek to bring dialogue or discourse by the encouragement of dissenting voices.  Rather, he and his followers created a feeling of an almost "regime- like" sensation as government positions were stacked with Jackson loyalists. 

Additionally,  Jackson never sought to integrate the other branches of government within his presidency tenure.  This is proven in Jackson's disagreement with the Supreme Court case of Worcester v. Georgia, that held that Native Americans had a right to live on their land specified in treaties with the federal government.  Jackson, seeking to move the Native Americans out, did not enforce the decision with the necessary zeal of a President in following the orders of the Supreme Court. 

Finally, Jackson's forcible movement of Native Americans, the relegation to reservations, and the Trail of Tears are examples where it is hard to conceive of Jackson acting in democratic interests or speaking out for "the common man."  By itself, Jackson's treatment of Native Americans can be seen as an example of acting against the interests of democracy and democratic sensibilities.

Where in Chapter 2 of The Hiding Place is there a reference to the hiding place? This is a question from my study guide & I have read this...

Just a little past the halfway point of the chapter, there is a recounting of how Father gathers the family around to read the Bible before they begin their day.  Father puts on his spectacles and reads the following passage from the Book of Psalms -

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path...Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word..."

As he reads, Corrie wonders idly what kind of hiding place is being spoken of, and what is there to hide from.  This Bible reading is a foreshadowing of what is soon to come, when the Ten Boom home will become a hiding place for countless Jews who are hiding from the Nazis, who want to exterminate them.

Earlier in the chapter, in a further development of the theme of foreshadowing, Corrie describes in detail the floorplan of the house.  The first story is largely taken up by the watch shop and workroom, and the two rooms on the second level belong to Tante Jans.  Above these rooms is

"a narrow attic beneath the steep, sloping roof...for as long as (Corrie can) recall, this space (has) been divided into four truly miniature rooms.  The first one, looking out over the Barteljorisstraat - and the only one with a real window - (is) Tante Bep's.  Behind it, strung like railroad compartments off a narrow aisle, were Tante Anna's, Betsie's and our brother Willem's.  Five steps up from these rooms...(is) Nollie's and (Corrie's) small room, beneath (theirs) Mama's and Father's room, and beneath theirs the dining room with the kitchen tacked like an afterthought to the side of it".

The house's unusual construction makes it truly a labyrinth, and with a few small modifications, it will soon become the perfect hiding place, a refuge for the Jews who have nowhere else to turn (Chapter 2).

What do the altar candles symbolize in below sentence and how do they relate to the "piece of glass" she is holding?The sentence is "smiling at...

At this point in Scene 7, Laura and Jim are alone in the Living Room and she is face to face with her high school crush. This moment is truly a holy moment for Laura, she worshiped Jim O'Connor in silence, to her he is a god.  This man, Jim O'Connor, is the only man Laura has ever had feelings for in her life, she is 24 years old and is made to feel like a high school girl again by getting the chance, she never had in high school, to talk to the boy, now a man, she adored from afar.

Laura gets Jim to autograph her high school program from his play.  These simple events have given Laura more joy than anything else she has experienced.

The quote refers to how Jim O'Connor, the gentleman caller has made Laura feel on this very special night.  She is filled with happiness, glowing with joy and smiling.  She is so happy and relaxed with Mr. O'Connor that she shows him her favorite glass animal, the unicorn, a symbol, in itself for Laura, who like her is not like everybody else, all the other horses, he has a horn which makes him different, just as Laura has a limp.

Laura shows Jim the unicorn exclaiming:

"There now you're holding him gently, hold him over the light, he loves the light! You see how the light shines through him?" (Williams)

Just as Laura has lit up with joy being with Jim, the unicorn, made of glass, sparkles when it is held over the light.  In the glow of the candlelight the little glass unicorn looks beautiful, refracting the light into many colors.  Laura is also beautiful in the candlelight, sitting next to a man she still has deep feelings for, she is brought into the light of love by Jim.

Symbolically, Jim leads Laura out of the darkness, of having never been kissed, or considered attractive by any man, he brightens her life, even if it is only for one short evening.

The glass menagerie is symbolic of all the characters because each of them is fragile in his or her own way.  Laura is frail and shy.  Amanda has had her life shattered by her husband who abandoned her.  Tom feels trapped, like one of Laura's animals in her collection, he longs to escape the controlling hand of his mother.

What are the themes of Thackeray's "King Canute?"

W.M.Thackeray's (1811-1863) poem "King Canute" drives home the moral that all men no matter how great they are will have to die some day or the other and that no matter how great a person  is or how much he has achieved, all his greatness and achievements are nothing compared to the awesome power of God the Creator and Controller of the Universe and all that is in it.

A subsidiary theme would be Thackeray's caustic satirical attack on the universal vice of sycophancy. At all times in all parts of the world sycophancy is and will continue to be a prevalent vice: "King Canute is dead and gone: parasites exist alway."

Thackeray narrates the legend of King Canute who after a long and hectic reign characterized by much violence:

"Cities burning, convents blazing, red with sacrilegious fires;
Mothers weeping, virgins screaming vainly for their slaughtered sires.—"

was bemoaning his weakness and his age as he was walking along the shore one day with his retinue of fawning courtiers. He confesses that he is "sick and tired and weary" and wishes for an early and peaceful death: "Would I were [dead] and quiet buried, underneath the silent mould!"

Immediately his sycophantic courtiers try to cheer him up by saying that he will live for another fifty years at least or like the Biblical characters even for a thousand years! The Bishop flatters him by remarking, "Death was not for him intended." The King decides to teach his courtiers a lesson. He asks the Bishop whether the waves of the sea will obey him, immediately the Bishop replies that they will:

"Will the advancing waves obey me, Bishop, if I make the sign?"
Said the Bishop, bowing lowly, "Land and sea, my lord, are thine."

But when he orders the waves to obey him the waves refuse to do so and rush into the shore carrying with them the king and his courtiers. The courtiers learnt a lesson that day which they never forgot for the rest of their lives. From that day on King Canute never wore his golden crown and ordered his courtiers never to kneel in front of him:

"And he sternly bade them never more to kneel to human clay,
But alone to praise and worship That which earth and seas obey:
And his golden crown of empire never wore he from that day."

What would be a good thesis statement based on the character of the grandmother?

The grandmother is the central character in this story by Flannery O'Connor. The transformational experience of the grandmother finds her being judged by a murderer who has cornered her family.  

He, Misfit, finds the grandmother lacking he criticizes her the same way that she tears into her son and his family always complaining, finding everyone beneath her, feeling superior to everyone.  It is a deliverance of justice in a creepy, eerie way, that grandmother would be sent from this world from someone that she would ordinarily not give the time of day to, had she not been held hostage with a gun in her face. 

Misfit, the killer, brings out the best of grandmother, changing her, reforming her, bring her to her knees, finding her compassion for another human being, except its too late.

She is a selfish, demanding, controlling individual whose forced decisions on her son and his family actually end up getting them all killed.  The grandmother is so self-involved that she can't even see that her selfishness has led to tragic disaster for the family.

"If the Grandmother had not insisted they detour to see the old house, which, she realized too late was in Tennessee, not in the part of Georgia where they were, the family would have escaped the disaster." 

Grandmother has set in motion the fatal events that take place, her poor family is sacrificed at the hands of the murderous thugs led by Misfit.  

She tries to talk her way out of the confrontation with the evil men, but to no avail.

"Listen," the grandmother almost screamed, "I know you're a good man. You don't look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people!" (O'Connor)

Grandmother makes Misfit so uncomfortable, he recoils against the thought of her calling him one of her own babies, she brings out the worst in the murderer, who seems to enjoy shooting her three times just to shut her up.

"His voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother's head cleared for an instant. She saw the man's face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children !" She reached out and touched him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest." 

"She would of been a good woman," The Misfit said, "if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life." (O'Connor)  

What is Walt Whitman saying in his poem, When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer? Is the learn'd astronomer supposed to be intelligent and brilliant?

Whitman seeks to expand the appreciation of both scientific phenomena and the natural world in this particular poem.  Representing a sense of American Romanticism, Whitman appreciates to a certain extent the astronomer's explanations (The title does not seem to be a sardonic reference of the astronomer's knowledge.)  Whitman does possess an appreciation for "the proofs" and "the figures," and does hold a certain respect for "the diagrams" and "the charts" along with the processes that account for them.  Where Whitman holds some level of divergence with this rationalist approach to the scientific phenomena is that Whitman feels there is a sense of wonderment and amazement that is not fully recognizable through the scientific method.  When Whitman describes his leaving the lecture hall as "riding" and "gliding off," it marks an active break with the established normative process of science and begins an embracing of the imaginative aspects of astronomy, and science in general. This is heightened with the use of the verb "wandering," indicating a certain heavenly and unexplained quality to the phenomena of stars and their alignment in the sky.  The "perfect silence" and image of the night sky lends an air of reverence which is not necessarily evident in the objective approach of the "learn'd astronomer"  and his applauding audience.  It seems that Whitman is embracing a form of negative capability in the picture he sees in the last line.  This idea of being comfortable with the unknown is something which is not amplified through the scientific approach, in its very nature seeking to quantify and explain.  Whitman is pointed in suggesting that while Science and rational thought does have a place in re-describing the natural world, there is a level of individual amazement and wonderment which will and should never be supplanted with rational thought.  This level or sphere which signifies the expansion of moral and individual imagination is intrinsic to the individual, the reason why he leaves the lecture hall when the group applauds the astronomer.

How does this metaphor contribute to the overall meaning "He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor"This is...

This is a quote by Nick as he regarded the information that Jordan just gave him.  She told him that Gatsby bought the house he bought to be near Daisy.  She has also told him the story of how Daisy and Jay met and how it came to be that Daisy married Tom rather than Jay.  This quote contributes to the overall meaning of the story because Jay Gatsby was born suddenly; that is, the man was born James Gatz and only suddenly became Jay Gatsby when Dan Cody asked him his name years before.  Jay recreated himself not just then, but later, in the years following the war and before the start of the story.  When Jay and Daisy parted as Jay left for war, Jay was poor.  He worked hard to re-invent himself as a wealthy man.  It is therefore somewhat ironic that Nick sees this information as a sort of "birth" for his understanding of Jay Gatsby.  Furthermore, this quote contributes to the overall meaning because of the words "purposeless splendor". Waste, in many forms, is one of the themes of the story and the word "purposeless" is a word about waste.  Of course, "splendor" describes the lifestyles enjoyed by the Buchanans and by Jay Gatsby.

Please share some quotes that describe Melinda's character.

There are quite lots of quotes in the novel that show Melinda to be a young high school student whose life is dominated by silence and pain.  Melinda is incredibly unhappy and, ostracised, decides never to speak in public.

"My throat squeezes shut, as if two hands of black fingernails are clamped on my windpipe."

Melinda spends ample time discussing (only with us, the readers) exactly why she chooses to do this.

It is easier not to say anything, . . . Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.

In accordance with this low self esteem level, Melinda lives in solitude and isolation both at school and home.  I find it incredibly ironic that, despite her "inability" to speak, Melinda has a good knack for determining the personalities of others.  Melinda reveals this to the readers through her inner monologue.  Most quotes revealing her character come from this monologue.  There are quite a few quotes showing Melinda to be serious, intelligent, humorous, and cynical. 

Sometimes I think high school is one long hazing activity: if you are tough enough to survive this, they'll let you become an adult. I hope it's worth it.

Melinda is certainly a misunderstood young lady.  Her pain increases as she is forced to keep a secret as to why she called 911 at a party that got lots of her classmates in trouble.  These classmates do not know Melinda was raped and, therefore, consider the phone call to be a betrayal.  This crux of the story reveals even more about the bravery and pain of Melinda's character. 

It's getting harder to talk. My throat is always sore, my lips raw. When I wake up in the morning, my jaws are clenched so tight I have a headache.

It is such a shame that someone with such eloquent thoughts chooses to keep them to herself!  Luckily, Melinda ultimately triumphs through the vindication of helping others through sharing her own experience. 

What hinders group discussion in Twelve Angry Men?

Group discussion is hindered for a variety of reasons, one being each juror's bias and the lack of respect for the jury process. The majority of men are eager to declare the guilty verdict and be on their way, especially on an incredibly hot day. Juror 8 is the only man that wants to discuss the case, testimony, and really study whether or not there is or is not reasonable doubt. He outrages jurors 3 and 10 by being the only one to vote 'not guilty' and force everyone to discuss the matter. 

Remember, all twelve men are VERY different; you need to consider age, background, occupation, and overall personality. Reginald Rose does an amazing job of giving readers clues about each juror within their dialogue. Prejudices and bias cause lack of communication and heated arguments. Many men assume the boy's guilt because of the background information provided. He is a "bad kid" from a "bad neighborhood" so therefore he killed his father. Jurors 3 and 10 feel so confident in this mindset that they refuse to listen to reasoning from Juror 8 and eventually others as the vote begins to more toward 'not guilty.'  Juror 8's persistence, level-headed way of talking, and lack of bias allows more room for discussion and the eventual decision.

What literary devices are used in the poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns?

Many similes are used in Robert Burns' poem "A Red, Red Rose". The first one, the title, compares love to a rose. It is an obvious comparison to the beauty and delicacy of the flower. The second simile is "My love is like a melody that's sweetly sung in tune". Here Burns compares love to a song that contains no discord. It is also important to deconstruct that he does not say "harmony". He uses the word "melody" which insinuates to primary attraction of the song, so to say. The melody is what the listener pays the most attention to and recognizes more easily. There are a couple to get you started. Try looking for more similes and metaphors in the poem.

My question is related to economics. What are real costs?

The concept of real costs is an all encompassing idea.  From an economic point of view, real costs refers to the cost of producing a good or service, including the cost of all resources used and the cost of not employing those resources in alternative uses (see website link below.)  The idea of determining real cost helps manufacturers better understand how much money will be needed to generate a product in multiple domains.  For example, real costs would include, but not be limited to, production, market analysis, distribution, and advertising.  In this process, both total cost and overall value is determined and assessed.  This will help crystallize the vision of a product's profit and whether further investment is warranted.  In a real world setting, when one is determining the real cost of owning an automobile, they would have to factor in not only the purchase of the vehicle, but maintenance, gasoline/ petrol expenditures, insurance, renewal of title and ownership deeds, to name a few.  Real costs analysis gives a greater picture of a product and the spending associated with it.

Which are the important properties of titanium?

Titanium, when pure, is a lustrous, white metal. It has a low density, good strength, is easily fabricated, and has excellent corrosion resistance. It is ductile only when it is free of oxygen. The metal, which burns in air, is the only element that burns in nitrogen.

Titanium is resistant to dilute sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, most organic acids, most chlorine gas, and chloride solutions.

Natural titanium is reported to become very radioactive after bombardment with deuterons. The emitted radiations are mostly positrons and hard gamma rays. The metal is dimorphic. The hexagonal alpha form changes to the cubic beta form very slowly at about 880C. The metal combines with oxygen at red heat, and with chlorine at 550C.

Titanium metal is considered to be physiologically inert. When pure, titanium dioxide is relatively clear and has an extremely high index of refraction with an optical dispersion higher than diamond.

Titanium has a high melting point of 3135°F (1725°C). This melting point is approximately 400°F above the melting point of steel and approximately 2000°F above that of aluminum.

I need to know 20 important events in order from the book Slam! Can you help?

1. Slam tries out for basketball at Latimer.  Though Coach takes him to task for his attitude, he makes the team.

2. Slam hangs out with Mtisha and Ice.  Mtisha thinks Ice is hanging out with the "wrong dudes" and asks Slam to talk to him.

3. Coach gets on Slam's case because of his attitude.  Slam meets Goldy, who offers wise perspectives on the situation.

4. Slam is called to the office because of his grades.  The school wants to send a tutor to work with him.

5. At the first home game against Regis, Slam is held out the first half, then goes in the second half and wins the game.

6. Ice comes by with two girls and a fancy car.  Slam goes for a ride with them.

7. Slam begins a school project with Margie, a white girl.  They will do a video on Slam's neighborhood.

8. Though he did so well in the game against Regis, Slam still does not start the next game.  He meets Goldy at a diner; Goldy explains that Coach thinks Slam is not a team player.

9.Slam fails a math test and fights with teammates.

10. Slam thinks Margie is making his neighborhood look like a "freak show" in the video they are working on.

11. Mtisha begins helping Slam with his math.  She challenges him to try his best, even when he rebels.

12. Slam's little brother Derek borrows the school video camera and loses it.

13. Slam and Ice hang out, and come across a man having a heart attack on the street.  Ice pays people to call 911 and do CPR.  He tells Slam he is not dealing.

14. Slam and Mtisha watch Ice play basketball for Carver.  The camera is recovered, and Mtisha seems willing to take her relationship with Slam to the next level.

15. Slam scores above a 700 on the SAT, making him eligible for scholarship consideration.

16. Coach benches Slam again, hassling him about his attitude.  Goldy admits Coach is out of line but challenges Slam to show strength of character and do his best anyway.

17. Slam is unfairly humiliated by his English teacher and storms out of class angrily.  Goldy talks to him, comparing the pressures of life to those in basketball.

18. Slam plays against Ice in the Latimer/Carver game.  Ice is amazing but Slam is better.  Latimer wins.

19. Slam goes to a party at Ice's house.  He learns Ice really is dealing, and the two fight.

20. Things are going better at school and on the team, but Slam is still devastated by the knowledge that Ice is a drug dealer.  Slam understands that life, like basketball, is a constant struggle to "get his game right".

How does Napoleon express his contempt for Snowball's windmill plan?In the novel Animal Farm, how does Napoleon express his contempt for Snowballs'...

I'll bet some teachers wait a lifetime for a crack at this question...

To show his opinion of Snowball's drawings for the windmill, which he opposes, Napoleon pees on the papers. Of course, after driving Snowball off the farm, Napoleon goes ahead and builds the windmill, claiming it was his idea in the first place. Later, when a storm destroys the windmill because it is poorly designed, Napoleon then convinces the other animals that Snowball came back in the dead of night and sabotaged the construction.

In Buried Onions, what did Mr. Stiles do at the end of Chapter 6?

At the end of Chapter 6, Mr. Stiles turns Eddie in to the police.

Eddie had worked for Mr. Stiles a few times, and had earned his trust. One day, Mr. Stiles had given him the keys to his truck and instructed him to deliver some items to the dump. Eddie had done his job as instructed, but had stopped off at his house on the way home to drop off a refrigerator he had salvaged from the dump. During the few minutes that he had been in the house, someone, most likely Angel, had stolen the truck from the front of his house.

Later, Eddie had found the truck outside a restaurant, and, at the urging of his friend Jose, had called Mr. Stiles and told him where to pick it up. After a few days, Mr. Stiles and Eddie had talked; Mr. Stiles had said he had forgiven Eddie, and asked him to come work for him again. When Eddie shows up at Mr. Stiles' house, the old man is very nervous, and seems to want to say something to Eddie, but he never does. The next thing Eddie knows, the police arrive. Apparently, Mr. Stiles' truck had been used in a robbery at a laundromat in which an old man had been brutally beaten. Since Eddie had been in possession of the truck before it had purportedly been stolen, he is a suspect, and Mr. Stiles has lured him to his house with the promise of work, and turned him in.

Why is Robert Frost's poem called "The Road Not Taken" instead of "The Road Less Traveled"?

Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken," the speaker says,

I shall be telling this with a sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence:/Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--/I took the one less traveled by,/And that has made all the difference. 

In this final stanza of the poem, the contolling metaphor is not having gone one's individual way, but, rather, having departed from the allure of another way. That is, the speaker wonders how his life would have been different if he had gone down the road that he "kept...for another day."  Thus, the theme of Frost's poem is the rue of the speaker that he had not chosen another "path" in life, not that he "took the one less traveled."

This point of emphasis may be what draws many readers to Frost's poem.  For, so often people perceive the other road down which they could have gone in life as having more appeal later in their lives in light of their disappointments and "sighs" over their present states.

In "Lord of the Flies", what dangers will the boys face when the navy returns them to the civilized world?We know they faced many dangers while on...

They will also be returning to a world in the midst of war. They will have to deal with the reality of attacks on their country, while facing the changes the war may have wrought on their family and homeland. The older boys may face a draft within the next few years, and what they experienced on the island may return on the battlefield. Also, they will face a forced return to normal life. For many of them, especially the littluns, this may mean a complete re-education. For example, Percival can no longer remember his name or address. Many children may face the struggles of learning how to write again, or simply remembering who they are.

Finally, some of the boys may be permanently scarred by what they experienced or helped happen on the island. Jack may be saved by therapy and guidance, but where would a boy like Roger fit in? He already exhibited violent tendencies, and he has now participated in 2 deaths, not to mention the brutal killing of the pig. While adults may never find out about these events, it would be difficult for Roger to lead a normal life after having shown sociopathic behavior. Most of these boys face a danger of never returning to their old selves. They will be haunted by what took place on the island long after they leave.

I need help with a crtical analysis of the poem "To Daffodils" by R. Herrick? http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/To_Daffodils.htm

The surface meaning of this poem concerns a speaker who is moved by the sight of wilting flowers.  The speaker laments this in the opening lines by saying “we weep to see/ you haste away so soon.”  This sets the stage for the comparisons that the speaker will make the flowers’ passing as well as our own.  The speaker parallels those flowers to human beings in several ways:  Both have “short time to stay,” as well as a “short a spring.”  Both grow “to meet decay”  and when both die, they are “Ne’er to be found again.”  In this naturalist poem, there is a strong link between the experiences of the flowers in the natural setting and our own lives.  This feed into the symbolic meaning where the speaker feels a certain melancholy about the flowers’ passing, and perhaps this is because it keys in the specific feelings of the fleeting nature of human beings.  The link between natural experience and human growth is very strong.  The imagery invoked in the poem is designed to give the feel of something growing and then dying far too soon.  The speaker uses lines like “As yet the early- rising sun/ Has not attain’d his noon.”  This brings out the idea that the flowers died too young, and perhaps, human beings experience the same.  The image of the “pearls of morning’s dew” is another image designed to create a vision of beauty that is not lasting, something that is to be dashed.  The theme of the poem is that there is a short and transitory nature to existence, and like the daffodils spreads beauty in its state, we should aspire to do the same.  There is a definite melancholy tone about how existence and death is an unavoidable cycle.  You might have to assess for yourself whether this is something to be believed.  For example, a follower of reincarnation would have challenges with the speaker’s closing idea of “Ne’er to be found again.”  I think the appreciation of the theme of the poem might be contingent on one’s own belief about death and the afterlife.

How does the book "My Side of the Mountain" end?from page 148 to 177

In the classic novel, My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George, Sam Gribley runs away from his family and their crowded New York City apartment for life on a deserted section of family land in the mountains. The novel chronicles his adventures. During his stay, he encounters a stranger on his mountain, and through their discussions, Sam realizes that he misses his family. Part of the reason he ran away was his perception that he would not be missed. He finds that this is not true, when his father comes to visit him at his mountain home in a hollow tree. Through their visit, Sam comes to realize how much he misses h is family, and how important they are to him. While his father does not demand that Sam come home, Sam decides that he wants to rejoin his family.

Does the Switchfoot song "Meant to Live" express a similar idea to the following quote?The weakness of the will begins, when the individual would...

Switchfoot's song "Meant to Live" does express a similar idea to that expressed by Emerson when he says "The weakness of the will begins, when the individual would be something of himself.  All reform aims, in some one particular, to let the soul have its way through us; in other words, to engage us to obey."

In the quote, Emerson contends that the everyday things an individual does - eating, drinking, planting, et al. - only serve to misrepresent who that individual is.  These activities neglect the role that the soul plays in allowing an individual to transcend the physical aspects of his/her existence.  When an individual takes the everyday things he/she does to represent who they are - to be "something of himself" - he/she is denying the importance of the soul.  For example, the soul provides the intangible aspects of affection (love), intellect (genius), and will (virtue).  Without the soul, the individual cannot experience the transcendent aspects of affection, intellect, and will.  In short, Emerson expresses that there is a transcendent aspect of the world which underlies those physical aspects humanity experiences on an everyday basis.  Taking the physical aspects to represent the true nature of things serves to "blind the intellect," as Emerson phrases it.

In "Meant to Live," Switchfoot certainly does not attempt to develop a philosophical system on par with Emerson's, but the basic idea of transcending the realm of experience (or acknowledging the transcendent aspect of experience) is clearly presented in the song's chorus:  "We were meant to live for so much more/ Have we lost ourselves? Somewhere we live inside."  Switchfoot indicates that there must be something beyond the everyday realm of experience, at the same time acknowledging the idea that most perhaps have forgotten that transcendent aspect.  Then, they remind the listener that there is something inside that is integral to our existence - our living.

While the song does not develop its ideas nearly as much as Emerson does, it does express the same basic assumptions:  there must be something more than what we experience on a daily basis.  While Switchfoot does not fill in the blank, Emerson suggests the importance of the soul for discovering that "something."

Which labor issues did reformers hope to remedy through legislation?us history

Labor unions began to pose a threat to big businesses as far back as 1869. The Knights of Labor was the first 'big union'. Its membership was not restricted by skill or craft. With the rise of the American Federation followed by the Congress of Industrial Organizations and F.D.R.'s New Deal for Labor, several major reforms were legislated into law in order to achieve a balance of power between labor and management.

1. The Wagner Act 1935- gave unions the right of collective bargaining, and defined unfair labor practices. under this legislation Congress created the National Labor Relations Board to act as a 'watchdog' regarding labor-management relations.

2. The Fair Labor Standars Act 1938- created a national minimum wage and guaranteed overtime for workers who worked more than 40 hours a week.

3. Several 'child labor protection' laws helped to stop the exploitation of children, as well as help to establish a push towards mandatory education laws for children in the major urban areas at the beginning of the 20th century.

The basic aims of unions today are largely rooted in the protection of wages,job security, health benefits, and retirement packages. Although labor unions in the United States are not void of corruption and abuses, the favorable Congressional legislation towards union organization during the 1930's helped to establish a 'relationship' between the two opposing forces.

What are some symbols in David Wroblewski's "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle?"

In The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, the names of the dogs as well as the dogs themselves could be considered symbolic.  Keep in mind each dog is named directly out of the dictionary.  (One brief discussion point in the naming of the dogs is the question of whether they live up to the definition of their names, or they are named so perfectly that their character is defined before each is mature.)  To fully explore this idea, I encourage you to make a list of the most important dogs in the story and consider the personality and key role of each dog.  You will quickly begin to notice that the character of the dog comes to fit almost perfectly with its name.  To help you get started, let's look at the following:

1. Almondine: Edgar's "nurse" and protector from the time he is a baby; the constant companion of the entire family; brings comfort in the wake of death.  Almond = Biblical symbol of watchfulness and promise; almond branches often portrayed artistically as holding the Baby Jesus.


2. Forte: the original Forte was a dog of great size and strength; the stray/wild dog whom Edgar names Forte lives on his own in the wild.  Forte = "fort" a stronghold; "Fortinbras" from Hamlet is the only one alive in the end to take on the throne.


3. Essay: the "alpha" from Edgar's first litter; the one who teaches Edgar the most about training, himself, the dogs, etc.  John Sawtelle's original vision (canis posterous) is realized in her seeming understanding of the fire and leading the other dogs away from harm; Essay = to put to a test; experimental effort.

Other symbolic elements in the book include nature (notice the way the weather often fits the mood of a scene; seasonal change parallels life changes), poison (displayed in the character of Claude, both literally and metaphorically), and record-keeping (records of the dogs to test and ensure genetic perfection; mental/emotional records or grudges which play out as the story progresses).