What are two conflicts from the book "Tuck Everlasting?" Please give supporting evidence the from the book.

One conflict is man vs. self.  This conflict is Winnie's conflict.  Should she accept the offer of immortality or not?  Only she can determine that for herself, and she struggles with it quite a bit.  The reason that she wants to take the immortality is because she wants the freedom that comes with it.  To go off with the Tucks, she would not be under the rules and regulations of society.  She reveals this desire early on, when talking with the toad:

"It'd be better if I could be like you, out in the open and making up my own mind."

However, what she comes to understand is that too much freedom is dangerous.  Without limits, there is danger.  Also, without a limit to life, joy loses is power.  Winnie comes to understand that love and joy are so intense because of the mortality of humans.  We have a short time on this earth, and must cherish our happiness.  Take away time, and you take away happiness.  Jesse's parents make this clear to her, and she bases her choice on their advice.

Another conflict is man vs. man.  The greed of the stranger in the yellow suit threatens the Tucks and Winnie.  He wants so much to have immortality that he is willing to reveal the Tucks to society.  They would be victims of any number of strangers seeking to have and to understand what has happened to the Tucks.  This is why Mae is forced to murder the man, ending the conflict with him. 

Who were the victims of the Holocaust?

The previous post was very well constructed in its definition.  I just wish to add one more element to this discourse.  The Primary target of the Nazis were individuals of the Jewish Faith.  However, their actions were directed at anyone who stood as "an enemy of the Reich."  In the Nazis' desire to create "the perfect society," they manipulated this definition to include many groups of people who were deemed as "not acceptable."  This included Homosexuals, Christians, people from Poland, Roma (gypsies), those with physical and mental disabilities, any anyone else who voiced dissent.  The primary target remained individuals of Jewish faith.  However, as the Nazis ascended to power, their consolidation and control became the driving force to eliminate "the other," or anyone who did not zealously support their views.  There are many examples of German born citizens who opposed Nazism and were sent to Auschwitz for "special treatment."  There were also political dissidents, such as Communists and Socialists, who rivaled for political power in 1930's Weimar Germany.  Once Hitler and the Nazis usurped power, these groups were sent to camps to be killed.  As countries fell like dominoes to Hitler and the Nazis, individuals who were loyal to these nations were summarily executed or sent to camps as means of enforcing Nazi Rule.  When the term "Holocaust" is used, the initial reference is to Jewish individuals, of whom over 6 million were killed.  The total number of dead at the hands of the Nazi party stood at approximately 11 million.  One of the most challenging elements that the war crimes tribunal at Nuremburg had to address was how many other groups of people, in addition to Jewish individuals, were killed in the Holocaust.

What good news did did Ben give to Sal after he read her palm in Walk Two Moons?

The good news Ben gives to Sal after he reads her palm is that she has let him hold her hand "for almost five minutes and...didn't flinch once".

When Sal meets Ben, she finds him to be much more demonstrative than she is.  Suffering feelings of guilt and inadequacy since her mother left her and her father, Sal has a tendency to shy away from love and human contact.  When Ben first comes into her life, Sal actually flinches whenever they make physical contact of any kind.  Ben notices this and points it out; Sal had not been aware that she is doing that, but realizes that he is right. 

One day, Ben offers to read Sal's palm.  He takes her hand and stares at it "for the longest time".  Finally, when he is done, Ben asks Sal if she wants him to give him to good news or the bad news first.  Sal chooses the bad news, and Ben says,

"The bad news is that I can't really read palms...the good news is that you let me hold your hand for almost five minutes and you didn't flinch once".

Sal immediately draws her hand away, and doesn't speak to Ben the whole way home.  She doesn't know what to make of him, especially since, when they part ways that day, he leans forward, and, although she is not sure he means to, she thinks he kisses her ear before he walks away (Chapter 20).

In "Of Mice and Men," what is the relationship between the main characters, George and Lennie, and is this relationship symbolic or thematic?

The relationship of Lennie and George in "Of Mice and Men" is thematic. For, Steinbeck's belief in the interdependence of society is a theme he explores throughout the body of his works. Steinbeck regrets that "Man's dominion has broken Nature's social order." With Lennie and George there is, at least, a brotherhood, a brotherhood which gives meaning to their lives. The aloneness of the men causes problems.  Slim says of this,

I seen the guys that go around on the rnaces alone.  That ain't no good.  They don't have no fun.  After a long time they get mean.

Crooks, the black hustler alienated from the others remarks,

A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody.  Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you.

But, Lennie and George have each other.  In a promise to Lennie's aunt, George looks out for his mentally handicapped friend while Lennie defends them if necessary.  The two men struggle for a place in their Depression Era world and dream of independence, security, and a sanctuary where they will be safe.  So interdependent are Lennie and George that when George must shoot Lennie to keep him from persecution, George himself loses; he loses the dream, the childlike trust of Lennie which is a sanctuary for George. Lennie provides George with someone to help him "measure the world."

At the same time that they contribute to the motifs of the novel, the characters are also symbolic.  Lennie is representative of the yearning of all men and also symbolizes loyalty and trust.  He obeys George when George tells him to give up the mouse in the beginning of the novella.  When Curley threatens Lennie, Lennie looks at George and does not hit the man until George tells him to.  George represents love and compassion.  He tells Slim that it is not so strange that he and Lennie go around together.  Afterall, they were born in the same place and he knew Lennie's aunt.

When his Aunt Lara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin'.  Got kinda used to each other after a little while.

George even takes responsibility for Lennie; he even takes responsibilty for killing him.  Before he shoots his friend, George responds to Lennie's worry that he is angry at him:

No, Lennie.  I ain't mad.  I never been mad, an' I ain't now.  That's a thing I want ya to know.

What issues did the populist party support?is US history

The Populist Party was a faction of American politics that arose from the Industrialization America underwent in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The Populist stood against the idea that the Carnegies and the Rockefellers should consolidate all the wealth at the cost of the agrarian and dispossessed individuals.  They believed that business leaders have colluded with the politicians, to prevent true reform.  The Populist Party fashioned themselves as the true nature of "grass roots" reform in America's political reality.  They stressed that the gold standard was a ploy by the wealthy to continue to strengthen their hold on the economic control of the country, so moving to gold, "the coin since the dawn of history," was the only way to change such a reality.  They wanted government to be in the hands of "the plain people," a call to Jeffersonian notions of agrarian governing and empowerment.  In order to equalize out economic disparities, the Populist Party demanded a graduated income tax.  Finally, in calling for a secret ballot, they also demanded one term for President and Vice President.  Of the most notable Populists, William Jennings Bryant was the most popular.

Explain the irony and satire in ch.3 of "Animal Farm."

In Ch.3 Orwell wittily and sardonically mocks at the functioning of the state apparatus of Communist Russia soon after it had captured power by overthrowing the Tsarist regime.

A striking instance of parody is when Snowball condenses the 'Seven Commandments' into the maxim, "FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD." Orwell is not only making fun of the Communists who were adept at coining catchy slogans but more significantly he is also mocking at Christianity. In the Old Testament of the Bible, God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament these Ten Commandments were condensed by the Lord Jesus Christ into two commandments, namely "love God" and "love man." So, Snowball's condensation of the 'Seven Commandments,' corresponds to Jesus' condensation of the "Ten Commandments" of the Old Testament into the two commandments of the New Testament.

Orwell's harshest satire, however is reserved for the manner in which the pigs led by Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer gradually gain control over the gullible animals and transform "Animal Farm" into their personal fiefdom. From the beginning the pigs 'are more equal' than the other animals. Unlike all the other animals they do not do any manual work, they only supervise the work of the others:

"The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership."

The irony of situation is self explanatory, the animals who fought hard and won their freedom from Mr.Jones have now allowed themselves to be exploited and oppressed by the pigs.

All the other animals especially Boxer, work hard to make the 'animal farm,' a great success:

"He [Boxer]had been a hard worker even in Jones's time, but now he seemed more like three horses than one; there were days when the entire work of the farm seemed to rest on his
mighty shoulders. From morning to night he was pushing and pulling, always at the spot where the work was hardest."

The reformatory zeal of newly elected governments is made fun of by Orwell when he mocks at Snowball's numerous committees and his failure to tame the wild animals. But Orwell is at his sarcastic best when Squealer explains to the other animals why the pigs are fed on a nutritious diet of milk and apples:

"Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brain workers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades," cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, "surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?"

In Julius Caesar, what do we learn about Brutus from his reaction to Portia's death?

From Brutus' reaction to Portia's death, we learn that Brutus is still practising the philosophy of Stoic.(The philosophy that teaches one to remain indifferent to the passions of pains and pleasures).Here we can recall the lines:

Cassius: Of your philosophy you make no use,

If you give place to accidental evils.

Brutus: No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.

After sharing the causes of Portia's death, Brutus declares to bury the dead and to attend to the business of the living which cleary points out that though he is "sick of many griefs", particularly that of Portia, yet he can bear fate patiently and stoically.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" what is the "near libel" which Jem puts in the front yard?

This is a tough question if you don't understand what the word "libel" means, which you rarely hear in everyday speech.  On definition of libel that applies here, from the Princeton web dictionary, is

"a false and malicious publication printed for the purpose of defaming a living person."

So, in other words, something made to deliberately make fun of someone.

That being said, the passages that you are looking for can be found in chapter eight, where, for the first time in a long time, it actually snowed in Maycomb.  Jem and Scout, excited, decide to make a snowman.  They have a hard time of it--there isn't much snow, so it ends up looking more like a "mud man" than anything else.  Well, Jem decides that  "Mr. Avery's sort of shaped like a snow man, ain't he?" and then fashions the snowman to look almost exactly like him.  Mr. Avery is an older, rather surly man who tends to be drunk quite frequently, and make grumpy and frightening comments to children to make them feel bad for being rowdy.  Jem and Scout even witnessed him peeing off his front porch for quite a long time (and distance) one evening after too much drinking.  So, Jem and Scout "succeeded in making Mr. Avery look cross" as a snowman. It was their way to kind-of make fun of Mr. Avery. When Atticus came home, he noticed the resemeblance immediatly, and said, "You've perpetraed a near libel in the front yard," because he looked so much like Mr. Avery that it is obviously noticable.  So, they grabbed one of Miss Maudie's hats and try to disguise the snowman's resemblence to the cantankerous Mr. Avery.

I hope those thoughts help; good luck!

What is the atmosphere of "The Portable Phonograph"?

The atmosphere is cold, bleak, dark, wretched, nearly unbearable and uninhabitable. It is the atmosphere of a wasteland. These four men seem doomed. They are being reduced to a primitive existence without the survival experience of the American Indians who lived there before them. Furthermore, the land has been ruined by the climatic conditions created by the atomic war. They are civilized men who have lost their civilization, and they are consequently lost without it. It seems like winter but it might be summer. The poisoned atmosphere has brought about a permanent winter.

Out of the sunset, through the dead, matted grass and isolated weed stalks of the prairie, crept the narrow and deeply rutted remains of a road.

There must have been land warfare in addition to the violent exchange of nuclear bombs and missiles.

The frozen mud still bore the toothed impress of great tanks...

The setting with its atmosphere of desolation and despair plays an unusually important role in this story because the author's intention is to paint a word-picture of the aftermath of an atomic holocaust as a warning. This was the kind of aftermath that many people feared during the Cold War, although few had the ability to imagine it as vividly as Walter Van Tilburg Clark.

When William Faulkner received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951 he told the assembled audience:

Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When will I be blown up? 

By some miracle, humanity managed to survive that perilous phase of history, but the danger has not completely vanished. There are still enough atomic weapons in existence to bring about the reality Clark envisioned.

In "Scent of Apples" by Bienvenido N. Santos, what does the apple symbolize?

There are different opinions about the symbolism behind "apples," "apple trees," and "scent of apples" in these short stories by Bienvenido Santos. According to some, they may represent loneliness or sadness. This is possible but I think that the more likely answer is that apples are symbolic of the past.

There is no doubt that in every instance where apples are mentioned, the narrator is reminiscing about the past. He remembers and misses the past, how things used to be. There is a longing for something that has been lost. 

The narrator's love of apples and their scent seems to be symbolic of his love of Filipino culture. He makes known in various ways that he is not happy about being away from his culture. 

So apple trees, in my opinion, are about the happy past that the narrator is longing for. You should feel free to think about and develop your own opinions about what apples mean in these stories. 

How do you write reference to context?

When answering a with-reference-to-the-text question you should include the following about the given passage/sentence in your answer: the name of the book, chapter/act, page, the person who said the passage or sentence, and who this person was saying the passage/sentence to. This is your introductory sentence.

How they pile the poor little craft mast-high with fine clothes and big houses; with useless servants, and a host of swell friends that do not care twopence for them,---quote sourced from google books.

For example, this sentence is taken from the book Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), chapter 1, page 26-27, and the statement was said by Jerome. 

After this introductory sentence providing the information about the statement, you should go on to briefly describe what the character is trying to say by using that statement and what previously happened in the story to cause the character to make this statement. 

For example, the statement made by Jerome criticizes the materialism of the upper-class in society. Jerome's criticism of the upper-class possibly comes about because he was poor while growing up. Depending on the marks of the question, you can elaborate further.

What groups and organizations was Adolf Hitler involved in? I need to know for a history assignment, and every time I try to google it, it comes...

Hitler was a member of many groups throughout his life, he also avoided or was barred from entering several organisations.

The Vienna Academy of Fine Arts rejected his membership in 1907 and 1908 due to he being 'unfit as a painter'. His secondary school results (or lack thereof) meant that he couldn't enter the Academy as an architect either.

Hitler left Vienna for Munich in 1913, partly to avoid conscription into the Austrian Army.

He volunteered to serve in the Bavarian Army in World War One. He served as a dispatch runner for the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 16.

After the War, he was appointed an intelligence officer in the Reichswehr and became a member of the German Workers' Party (DAP). The Party then changed its name to Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party, "Nazi Party").

Why didn't Prince Hamlet become king after the death of his father? How is it that Claudius became king?

Primogeniture was not practiced in Shakespeare's day. Although King Hamlet had a son, that son's succession to the throne was not automatic. Perhaps the King had not yet named his heir, which would open the kingship to election by the nobles. There is evidence of this in Hamlet's comment following the death of Claudius and his own fatal wounding:

I do prophesy the election lights on Fortinbras.

It is likely that after killing King Hamlet, Claudius used Hamlet's absence at school and the fact of his marriage to Gertrude to manipulate that election so that he could be king. He was certainly a skilled diplomat, and there was definitely an immediate need for rulership, given the impending threat from Norway. It seems very likely that Claudius used this pretext to manoeuvre his way onto the throne.

What is the role of the chorus in Oedipus Rex?

The Chorus is roughly like the peanut-gallery (it’s even occasionally told to shut up). Sophocles uses this group of Thebans to comment on the play's action and to foreshadow future events. He also uses it to comment on the larger impact of the characters' actions and to expound upon the play's central themes. In Oedipus the King we get choral odes on everything from tyranny to the dangers of blasphemy.

Sophocles also uses the Chorus at the beginning of the play to help tell the audience the given circumstances of the play. We hear all about the terrible havoc that the plague is wreaking on Thebes. By describing the devastation in such gruesome detail, Sophocles raises the stakes for his protagonist, Oedipus. The people of Thebes are in serious trouble; Oedipus has to figure out who killed Laius fast, or he won't have any subjects left to rule.

Unlike his contemporary Euripides, Sophocles was known to integrate his choruses into the action of the play. In Oedipus the King we see the Chorus constantly advising Oedipus to keep his cool. Most of the time in ancient tragedies choruses do a lot of lamenting of terrible events, but do little to stop them. Amazingly, though, the Chorus in Oedipus the King manages to convince Oedipus not to banish or execute Creon. Just imagine how much worse Oedipus would have felt if he'd killed his uncle/brother-in-law on top of his other atrocities.

The Chorus in Oedipus the King goes through a distinct character arc. They begin by being supportive of Oedipus, believing, based on his past successes, that he's the right man to fix their woes. As Oedipus's behavior becomes more erratic, they become uncertain and question his motives. The fact Oedipus doesn't start lopping off heads at this point is pretty good evidence that he's not a tyrant. In the end, the Chorus is on Oedipus's side again and laments his horrific fate.

Like most all ancient Greek tragedians, Sophocles divides his choral odes into strophe and antistrophe. Both sections had the same number of lines and metrical pattern. In Greek, strophe means "turn," andantistrophe means "turn back." This makes sense when you consider the fact that, during the strophe choruses danced from right to left and during the antistrophe they did the opposite. Sophocles may have split them into two groups, so that it was as if one part of the Chorus was conversing with the other. Perhaps the dualities created by strophe and antistrophe, represent the endless, irresolvable debates for which Greek tragedy is famous.

What does Tom discover about Casy and how is Casy different from what he once was in Grapes of...

Tom discovers that Jim Casy is a union organizer.  In contrast to the way he was when Tom last saw him, he is full of purpose and determination.  When Casy is attacked by men whose objective is to halt his union activity, Tom reacts with fury and fights back with deadly force.  He grabs the pick handle with which Casy has been killed and "club(s) a guy", perhaps killing him.

Jim Casy was a preacher, but by the time he set out west with the Joad family, he had given up his original calling.  Although people still looked up to him as a preacher, he could neither preach nor pray.  Bewildered by the injustices he saw around him, Jim Casy was not sure exactly how he should respond.  Driven by love for his fellow man but uncertain of his mission, he took the blame for a crime he did not commit, and was sent to prison.

It is while he is incarcerated that Jim Casy finds his true calling.  He understands now that "it's need that makes all the trouble" in life, and has discovered that when men join together to stand up for injustice, they have power far greater than they would were they to stand up alone.  Casy tries to explain what he has learned to Tom, but Tom is looking at the issue - striking and strikebreaking - from the opposite perspective.  He points out the natural tendency of men who are trying to survive by using the example of his own father.  Pa must look out for himself and for his family, and is not likely to "give up his meat on account a other fellas", especially when he and they are so close to starvation themselves.

When Casy is killed, Christ-like, by men who "don't know what (they're) a-doin'", Tom reacts with rage.  He doesn't see how, practically speaking, the union activity Casy espouses will ever work, but he knows that Casy is "still a - good man" (Chapter 27).

Why is the nurse slow to give Juliet the message from Romeo in Romeo and Juliet?The information can be found in Act 2, Scene 5?

This is one of my absolute favorite scenes from Romeo and Juliet!  Very simply, Juliet's nurse is joking with Juliet.  This is the scene where the audience begins to truly understand the very tender and loving relationship that Juliet has with her nurse.  The nurse understands just how much Juliet is looking forward to this news.  Further, the nurse already knows the news is good (in other words, that Romeo truly does want to marry Juliet); therefore, she shows her awesome sense of humor by making Juliet wait for it.  Even further, the nurse gets joy out of hearing Juliet's reactions:

Juliet. What says he of our marriage?  What of that?

Nurse. Lord, how my head aches!  What a head have I! / It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces. / My back o' t' other side--ah, my back, my back! / Beshrew your heart for sending me about / To catch my death with jauncing up and down!

Juliet. I' faith, I am sorry that thou art not well. /Sweet, sweet, sweet nurse, tell me, what says my love?

Nurse. Your love says, like an honest gentleman, and a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome, and, I warrant, a virtuous--Where is your mother?

Juliet. Where is my mother?  Why, she is within. / Where should she be?  How oddly thou repliest! / "Your love says, like an honest gentleman, 'Where is your mother?'"

The nurse's humor continues as the audience enjoys the relationship.  I consider this to be comic relief (which is a good thing) for the play is so consumed with suspense for most audience members.  In my opinion, the version with Claire Danes and Leonardo Dicaprio is phenomenal during this particuar scene.  Both the tenderness between Juliet and her nurse as well as the substantial humor of the scene are unparalleled.

The Garoghlanian tribe has been mentioned in "The Summer of the White Horse". Does this tribe exists or existed or is it fictitious?

This one is a bit tricky to answer.  I think it is difficult because it addressed a challenging, albeit unaddressed, situation in history.  The Gargoghlanian group of people were Armenians, according to the short story.  We are not sure if they actually did exist.  This is not to say they were invented, but it is only to say that it is challenging to find information about the group's existence.  The reason this is so is because it is entirely plausible that this group did exist, but were one of the many groups of people that were wiped out by the Armenian Genocide that happened in Armenia at the hands of the Turkish government immediately after World War I.  This group of Armenians could have been in existence and then murdered as were many Armenians this holocaust.  The Armenian Genocide is one of the first modern examples of Genocide but is also concealed because of A) Its timing after World War I, when other world events obscured it and B)  The Turkish government does not fully accept its complicity in the genocide and disputes that it actually was a genocide.  The Garoghlanian Armenians seem to find themselves within this historical anomaly.

Saroyan, author of The Summer of the White Horse, is heavily influenced by the Armenians who did settle in California, specifically Fresno, around the time of the Great Depression.  Fresno was seen at the center of the Armenian American population, and given the fact that his stories centered around this group of Armenians, we can assume that Saroyan has some knowledge of the specific group of the Garoghlanians.  It is difficult to pinpoint if this group actually existed in Fresno at the time.  Perhaps, Saroyan invented this group of Armenians, or he had heard about this group from oral traditions passed down from elders.  If we extrapolated this to a wide degree, maybe Saroyan is making a statement about the Armenian genocide, and its lack of acknowledgement, by making the protagonist of his short stories an adolescent of a group of people that were wiped out at the hands of a government.  Essentially, then, we are reading and revelling in the stories of a group of people who speak to us from beyond the grave, cut down in an unspeakable atrocity.  I cannot say that this sect of Armenians is fictitious because to do so, in my mind, moves me closer to denying the Armenian genocide.  We cannot find a record of the group's existence.  I think it can be stated that while we lack a foundational record of the tribe, the stories Saroyan writes is to represent the Armenian community, a group that has been forgotten to some extent in the records of history.

Useful resources on the American Civil war? (accounting for the success of the North.)I am doing a(n) Historical Investigation into the American...

gigi-nublet,

The best websites on the American Civil War, many with scanned historical documents are:

1. www.americancivilwar.com


2. www.americancivilwar.com/civil.html


3. spec.lib.vt.edu/civwar


4. www.civilwar.com


5. http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war


6. sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war


7. sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html


8. www.hist.unt.edu/web_resources_mil/am_civil_war1.htm


9. homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/civilwar/civilwar.htm


10. www.cwc.lsu.edu


11. www.civilwarhome.com


12. alexanderstreet.com/resources/civilwar.access.htm


13. www.civil-war.net


14. www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcivilwarC.htm


15. www.history.com/content/civilwar


16. www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/civilwar.htm


17. civilwar.si.edu


18. www.snowcrest.net/jmike/civilwarmil.html


19. www.archives.gov/research/civil-war/index.htmll

I am not sure where you live, but if you can get to one of the following museums, they have many valuable resources:

1. A. H. Stephens Historic Park


2. African American Civil War Memorial


3. Andersonville National Historic Site


4. Antietam National Battlefield


5. Atlanta Cyclorama


6. Bennett Place


7. Bentonville Battlefield


8. Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site


9. Bulltown, West Virginia


10. Burt-Stark Mansion


11. Camp Moore


12. Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park


13. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park


14. Civil War Museum (Bardstown)


15. Civil War Soldiers Museum


16. Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia


17. Confederate Museum 


18. Fort McAllister Historic Park


19. Fort Sumter


20. Grant's Headquarters at City Point Museum


21. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park


22. Manassas National Battlefield Park


23. Museum of the Confederac 


24. Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site


25. Petersburg National Battlefield


26. Port Hudson State Historic Site


27. Richmond National Battlefield Park


28. Shiloh National Military Park


29. Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial


30. Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)


31. Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History


32. Stones River National Battlefield


33. Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum


34. Vicksburg National Military Park

For books, I would recommend:

1. The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote


2. Battle Cry of Freedom by McPherson


3. Killer Angels by Shaara


4. Lee's Lieutenants by Freeman


5. Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend by Robertson


6. The Gettysburg Campaign by Edwin B. Coddington


7. A Stillness at Appomattox  by Bruce Catton


8. Confederacy's Last Hurrah/Embrace an Angry Wind by Wiley Sword

I rate The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote as one of the best books on the Civil War I have ever read.

How is McCarthy able to make the postapocalyptic world of "The Road" seem so real and utterly terrifing?Which descriptive passages are especially...

The world seems so real because it is familiar to us.  The narrator and his son walk on a road, they encounter houses, towns, cars, semi-trucks, and stores with escalators and departments.  That is our world today.  We recognize it; there isn't anything there that we don't know.  Also, McCarthy chooses to have a narrator that has lived in both worlds; the world before the blasts, and the world after the blasts.  This helps to make the current scenes seem more real, because the narrator himself lived where we live, in a time like we live, and has seen the descent into chaos and despair.  Because he has been there, we believe it more.  He has dreams, memories, and a life from before, and is not trying to survive here, and that makes it real.  McCarthy also describes scenarios that are not too far-fetched, which keeps it feeling real.  The stores and houses are ransacked-a very likely and probably scenario.  People are so starving that they will do anything to survive-also believable.  The scientific side seems believable too-his descriptions of ash, cold, a distant sun, the petrified corpses, the fires, the brittle forests.  One descriptive passages says,

"Dark of the invisible moon. The nights only slightly less black.  By day the banished sun circles the earth like a grieving mother with a lamp."

All of that seems to fit a post-apocalyptic world, so it seems feasible and real.

McCarthy helps to make it so terrifying by hinting and alluding at the terrors before we actually see them.  Consider this moment, when he is remembering a conversation with his wife after the bombs where she says,

"Sooner or later they will catch us and they will kill us.  They will rape me.  They'll rape him...and eat us."

That passage alone strikes fear into anyone's heart, and McCarthy introduces it before they actually encounter any of these nasty "survivors," so that we too can feel the same dread when they run across the first ones of the book, in the truck.  Then, McCarthy makes good on his allusions by indicating that after he shot the man, his comrades boiled him and ate him:

"He found the bones and the skin piled together with rocks over them.  A pool of guts.  He pushed at the bones...they looked to have been boiled."

So, McCarthy makes the horrors true, as he describes it from the narrator's own eyes.  This is terrifying, especially as they keep running into these types.  We now know, and believe, what might happen, which makes their plight that much more grave.  I hope that those thoughts help; for your other questions, I suggest submitting them each separately, as the guidelines of this website allow for one a day.  Good luck!

What are some of Piggy's character traits, and what are some quotes that demostrate them?

As an allegory, "Lord of the Flies" has characters themselves represent traits. Thus, these characters are not the typical developed characters of most fiction.  Piggy represents the adult type on the island. His physical traits are much like that of an older person:  He is fat, he is nearsighted, his hair is thinning, he has medical conditions.  Interestingly, in Chapter One, Piggy expresses concern that there are no other adults, and he is worried that "Nobody don't know we're here...."

Aren't there any grownups at all?....An expression of pain and inward concentration altered the pale contures of his face.

Piggy represents the rational side of man in "The Lord of the Flies."  (In Chapter 5, Ralph reflects, "Piggy could think.") He has learned to follow the rules and is reluctant to abandon the order and trappings of society as he knows that these are what hold society together: "Auntie told me" is what he often repeats in the first chapter.  In Chapter 2 he says, "I bet it's tea-time," reminding himself of society's order.

It is Piggy who finds the conch and suggests using it to call the boys to meetings.  With his scientific approach to problems, Piggy is the voice of reason as he knows that building the shelters is of paramount importance to the boys survival (Ch.2).  His glasses serve to start the fire that eventually signals to the ship that rescues the boys:  "'We used his specs,' said Simon....'He helped that way.'" When Jack argues with him, Piggy tries to reason:  "How can you expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?" But, Piggy is ineffective without Ralph's leadership.  As Ralph angrily asks Piggy why he did not get a list of names one day, Piggy cries indignantly, "How could I ...all by myself?" (ch. 2)  Now ineffective, Piggy continues to ask the boys to listen to reason.  When the fire is allowed to go out, he scolds, "You didn't ought to have let that fire out..." (Ch.4).  And, it is Piggy who suggests moving the fire to the beach, away from "the beast" (Ch.8):  "Only Piggy could have the intellectual daring to suggest moving the fire from the mountain." He remarks,

Do all right on our own...It's them that haven't no common sense that make trouble on this island.  We'll make a little hot fire--

In Chapter 8, when the little society of boys  shatters, Piggy tries to encourage Ralph to continue to reason:

I dunno, Ralph.  We just got to go on, that's all. That's what grownups would do.

However, Piggy loses any respect. That he has moved to the outside of the boys' society is symbolized in Chapter 5 when he is described, "Piggy came and stood outside the triangle" (paragraph 14). Then, when Ralph's leadership is usurped by the brutal Jack and his hunters, Piggy, constantly told to "shut up" is silenced permanently after Jack yells, "Bollocks to the rules!  We're strong--we hunt!" Against this savagery, Piggy has no defense, appealing to Ralph, "How about us?  Suppose the beast comes when you're all away.  I can't see proper, and if I get scared--" (89 in Penguin edition).

Piggy becomes "the center of social derision" in Chapter 9. After Simon is killed, however, Ralph seeks Piggy as he would an adult, to tell him what has happened.  Piggy desperately tries to quiet Ralph:

It was an accident...that's what it was.  And accident.....Coming in the dark--he hadn't no business crawling like that out of the dark...

Simon's killing is no accident, and Piggy falls as the next victim. As Piggy is killed, the conch, "that talisman of civilization," also shatters.  All reason is gone in Chapter 11.

What are some differences between the story of Alice In Wonderland and the other children's stories of that time?? I want to know if this story...

Lewis Carroll's work is written during the Victorian period when childhood was considered a golden time in the life of an individual.  Of course, it depended on what your social status was, because lower class Victorian children did not live a magical life.  Even upper middle class Victorian children were expected to be polite, respectful and seen and not heard.

"Literature for children, often with a strong moralistic tone, became wildly popular during the Victorian era."

Therefore, Carroll's book about Alice and her adventures in Wonderland strike a different note in children's literature, it does not simply instruct a child on duty, responsibility and good behavior, Alice actually gets into a great deal of trouble because she is misbehaving.

"Children learned their catechism, learned to pray, learned to fear sin—and their books were meant to aid and abet the process," states Morton N. Cohen in his critical biography Lewis Carroll. "They were often frightened by warnings and threats, their waking hours burdened with homilies. Much of the children's literature … were purposeful and dour. They instilled discipline and compliance."

Even though Alice maintains her sense of responsibility and has expectations of the inhabitants of Wonderland, she is trying at all times to be proper, what makes this book so different from other children's books at the time is that Alice in Wonderland is entertaining and not simply instructional.

Carroll, not his real name,

"Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who wrote under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll,"

wrote this book in tribute to the three Liddel sisters that he often saw on his visits to a family he visited in his capacity as Minister.

"Dodgson quickly made friends with Alice's sisters Lorina (three years older) and Edith (two years younger). On July 4, 1862, the four of them, in company with Reverend Robinson Duckworth, took a boat trip up the Thames River. As they traveled upstream, Dodgson told the story that would become Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Alice Liddell."

This book was meant to be entertaining, it also carries a message that the author believed children's feelings and emotional health should be looked after by the adults in their lives.  Often parents in this period left rhe raising of their children to nannies, governesses, servants.  Carroll is suggesting with Alice's adventures that children need emotional attention from their parents, not just food, lodging, clothing, medical care and education, they need love and attention.

"On the other hand, Alice's own experiences suggest that Carroll felt that children's feelings and emotions were fully as complex as any adult emotions. By the end of the novel, she is directly contradicting adults; when she tells the Queen "Stuff and nonsense!" she is acting contrary to Victorian dictates of proper children's behavior."

This perspective was unique for a Victorian children's book, it examined more than just issues of morality and discipline, it dealt with emotions, children's emotions in a serious context.

What are the features of a dramatic monologue? Discuss Browning's Porphyria's Lover as a good example of a dramatic monologue.

moumoha,

Compared with “‘My Last Duchess,” this poem has more story and less of the diction of a particular speaker, but one can fairly soon see that the interest in “Porphyria’s Lover” is not only in what happened but also in the speaker’s mind.

His insane egotism led him to attempt to preserve forever Porphyria’s love for him. He believes that although she struggles to offer her love, her weakness (lines 21–25) made her require his assistance. Interestingly, in 6–15 she seemed energetic and efficient; perhaps there is even something a
bit too efficient in making the fire before speaking to her lover. Or are we to remember that we are seeing things through the eyes of a madman (Browning published this poem along with another, under the title of “Madhouse Cells”)?

The speaker’s egotism is tempered with solicitude (41–42, 50–54), making him less monstrous but certainly mad. Inevitably discussion in class centers on the lover’s motives (do we believe them?). Surely he is mad. He apparently kills Porphyria in order to possess her forever—a state of mind seen in many literary works.

It is possible, however, that Porphyria too is unbalanced. At the risk of blaming the victim, can one argue that she must have known what sort of a man the lover was. She regularly visited him, and (according to his account) in this instance without greeting him she tidied up his cabin and then placed his arm around her waist—very odd behavior, one might think. This calls attention to the following passage:

But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could tonight’s gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain: . . .

In this view, Porphyria takes delight out of visiting and dominating a man who is very nearly catatonic. My own view
stops well short of this psychoanalytic interpretation of orphyria, but. . . .

Discuss O. Henry's narrative style in his short story "The Gift Of the Magi."

The narrative style in The Gift of the Magi is third person, limited omniscient.  The story seems to follow only Delia, giving us a detailed view of what she is thinking and doing, but the reader never knows what Jim, her husband is thinking, for example, we can't predict what Jim will say about his wife's short hair.

 "It is almost as if the narrator is an additional character that is heard, but never seen, engaging the reader as a friend and sharing his insights into the Youngs' situation. The narrator tells the story in a joking, neighborly way, with several funny asides directed at the reader."

The narrator in this story by O Henry can almost be viewed as a storyteller, spending time with the reader to impart the moral lesson that the story tells.  Because this story focuses on Christmas and the idea of giving gifts to loved ones, you can almost imagine the narrator as a grandfatherly figure who surrounded by children, listening to his every word, tells a beautiful story about selfless love, sounds a little like Santa.      

What is the characterization, plot, symbolism and theme of the story "Patriotism" by Yukio Mishima?

The plot of "Patriotism" involves the conflict experienced between a commander of an army unit that has staged a coup against the political wing of the government.  The commander was unaware that his unit has undertaken such an action, and realizes that he will be commanded by the government, an extension of Emperor to whom he is absolutely loyal, to strike against his unit of soldiers.  Hence, the conflict:  Does the commander betray his Emperor, to whom he has professed absolute loyalty, or to his men, to whom he has trained and fought along side in battle with a "soldier's code of honor?  The answer to this dilemma is for the commander to commit Japanese suicide.  Consistent with the established themes of the writer, the overarching idea is the glorification of the soldier who achieves spiritual purity through suicide.  There is a very strong belief present in the story that the government has become corrupt and corroded by the influence of materialism and other "worldly" pursuits.  This corrosion has spread to the military, to which the author senses that the soldier is the last line of defense in upholding the spiritual discipline and purity needed.  The soldiers stage the coup to take action against the political government, reflecting and symbolizing purity in an impure world.  The commander outdoes their purity, in his loyalty to them and the Emperor, and the acceptance of his need to commit Seppuku (Japaese suicide) reflects this.  "Patriotism," as a concept, can only be achieved when spiritual authenticity is evident, and as the commander cannot be disloyal to both his troops, who acted in symbolic purity, and the Emperor, who represents national purity, the Commander does the only "honorable" thing in committing suicide.  In this depiction, the Commander is symbolic of the very best in human honor and purity.

What is the rising action?

In a novel or other dramatic work of fiction or narrative, the rising action refers to the series of events and behaviors that lead toward a climax. Also this action functions alongside the trajectory of a main character and plots his or her journey through the narrative. In 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' the rising action is McMurphy's efforts to transform the lives of them men living in the mental asylum. He finds that their physical and mental conditions are not as serious as many of them think, and he believes some of the patients are normal and don't belong there (like Billy). He plays games with the men, encourages them to misbehave, and gets them to stand up for themselves.

Also, McMurphy's friendship with the Chief, the Native American who pretends to be deaf and mute and who narrates the novel, represents an important movement in the novel. The growing trust and loyalty between them begin to affect many other events and ultimately determine the novel's outcome.

How can we relate "The Gift of Magi" with other stories?

The story of "The Gift of the Magi" is one of unrelenting love and sacrifice.  Delia and Jim are dealing with hard times, and neither has any money to celebrate their love for each other at Christmas.  The two items they have of which they are most proud are Jim's heirloom watch, and Delia's long, lustrous, beautiful hair.  They ultimate sacrifice they take is to sell the items most dear to them in order to buy the gifts each thinks the other deserves.  Delia sells her hair to buy Jim a watch chain for his watch.  Jim sells his watch to buy her a lovely comb for her hair.  Ironically, the gifts are useless to each other now, but they are a symbol of how much they love one another and to what lengths each would go to make the other happy.

Your question is how can this story be related to other stories?  Well, for one, any story of great love and sacrifice is easily related to this one.  Romeo and Juliet also went to great lengths to be together and show each other love.  Elie Weisel's father gave his son his rations for a long time to keep the boy from being hungry in NIGHT.  The story of the people who crucified Jesus Christ is easily relatable since he gave his life for the love of all the people (even those who insisted on his death) on earth.

The title of this story also gives you hints.  "The Gift of the Magi" reminds us of the Christmas story (also a connection since O. Henry's story is set at Christmas) when the three wisemen (also called Magi) traveled great distances just to see the Christ child and to give him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Now, think of other stories, TV shows, movies, or songs you have seen, heard, or read which might relate in some way to this one.  What great sacrifices for love, gifts for love, characters, setting, intentions remind you of "The Gift of the Magi"?   Good Luck!

What is the difference between parameters and variables?

In mathmatical related sciences we often come accross the parameters and varibles.

A parameter for a particular value determines a particular function.

For different values of the parametrs we get a family of functions.

The variable for for values gives the paticular values of the paricular function.For the entire domain of the variable it defines a particular function.

Example:

y=5x+ c. Here c is a parameter. x is a variable.

y=5x + c reprepresents a family of parallel straight lines ,all having a slope of 5 ,for different values of c. for c=1, y=5x+1 is one member this family of straight lines.

x is a vaiable. For a particular  value of x=5, we get a particular functional value of the function y= 5x+1  and that value is 5*5+1=26.

For all  values of the variable x,    y = 5x+1  represents a particular function. In fact in y=5x+c is also a member of the family of functions y=mx+c for parmetric value of m=5.

x^2+y^2=a^2 represents a family  functions: y = +or- {Square root (x^2-a^2)}

For different values of a ,the parameter, we get a family of concentric circles but with different radii.

Hope this helps.

In the movie "Inherit the Wind" what is the punishment the judge gives to the jury?

I am not certain that there is a punishment that the judge gives the jury a punishment.  The jury does return a verdict of "Not Guilty" and fines Cates 100 dollars, which Drummond demands will not be paid, suggesting that he will go to the Supreme Court, if necessary to plead his case.  However, there are several examples of judgments that turn into punishments at the end of the play.  Matthew Brady receives the harshest of these judgments when he and his views become discredited.  The testament to this is when he tries to read his remarks into the record after the trial and is discarded by the public.  He dies of a heart attack at that moment, proving that fame and sensationalism can take its toll on even the most pious.  Southern and/ or Religious Fundamentalist society received a judgment as a result of the trial, in so far as their value system was questioned, if not somewhat repudiated, by the result of the trial.  Finally, the modernist movement that gripped America of the 1920's seemed to receive a judgment/ punishment.  During America of this time period, mass consumerism and modern faith in progress was at its zenith.  The trial brought this into question, in so far as no absolute and defining answers were given.  As indicated by Drummond at the end of the play, when he holds both the Bible and Darwin's work together, unable to determine if there is a definable answer in the choice between both.  When the play comes to a close, we are left suspended in being able to determine "who was right."  For all of its faith in modernism, mass consumerism, and celebrity, the Jazz Age could provide no definite answers, proving to be quite a punishment as America closes the decade and enters the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Comment on: "...then the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white .....the body of Piggy was gone."chapter 11 castle rock

This quote comes right after Roger has killed Piggy by rolling the boulder off the top of Castle Rock onto Piggy.  Piggy's death was preceded by a yelling match between Piggy and Jack where Piggy asked the boys of Jack's tribe, which was better - to be sensible or to be a pack of painted Indians? Piggy's death was sudden and swift.  He is crushed and washed away and in that same moment, reason and civility are also washed away by the ocean.  Once Piggy's body was gone, the water quickly went from pink to white again like the death never occurred.  Once Piggy is dead and all reason is gone, it's almost as if reason and civility had never occurred on the island.  The correlation between the ocean's washing away of Piggy's body and the savagery on the island being complete is clear.

Where was Caesar assassinated?

Caesar has gone to the forum- a public place of government- to accept a petition, but he is taken to a room past the Theatre of Pompey. The exact location is said to be Campus Martius. It is on a false pretense of having Caesar read the document which is discovered to be fake.

So in a room past the Theatre of Pompey, on the Ides of March, 44 BC, Caesar is tricked and betrayed.  He fights back valiantly, but soon realizes that his trusted Brutus is among his attackers.  He utters the famous line, "Et tu, Brute--then fall, Caesar."  He falls and is dead.

Define what maturing means, and give 2 examples that Tony is maturing by the end of Bless Me, Ultima.

According to Merriam-Webster, "maturing" is "the process by which one becomes mature; develop fully". So it is the process of coming of age, of becoming an adult, losing one's innocence, etc. Basically...growing up! Bless Me, Ultima is centered entirely around Antonio's growth and maturation.

When the novel begins, Tony is only seven years old. He is happy with his family, but he understands there is a certain level of contention between his father's family, Marez, and his mother's, Luna. This struggle defines Tony's search for his own destiny. Will he be a vaquero, like the Marez clan? Or will he become a priest for the Lunas, to fulfill a prophecy? Seeking the answers to these questions becomes Tony's quest.

One example of Tony's growing maturity is his questioning the notion of faith and organized religion. Tony has been raised Catholic by his mother, but he has difficulty coming to terms with the vengeful, wrath-filled male God. He much prefers the kind, gentle Virgin Mary, yet cannot reconcile the two halves of the religion in his mind. His friendship with Florence solidifies this doubt. It is Cico's revelation of the golden carp that opens Tony to the possibility of other beliefs, and helps him to better understand his own faith.

A second example is Tony's acceptance of death. As a young boy, he experiences death in many forms. First, Lupito is shot in front of him at the river. He struggles with the horror of this tragedy, but Ultima helps him come to terms with what he has seen. Then, Narciso, who Tony turned to for guidance, is shot by Tenorio. Again, Ultima helps Tony understand the nature of his death. Ultima's support strengthens Tony, leaving him able to bear Florence's drowning, and eventually, Ultima's own death.

What effect does Madame Defarge have on Lucie when the Defarges visit Lucie's apartment in Tale of Two Cities?

Lucie, so grateful for the note from her husband which Defarge has transported, at first turns to Madame Defarge to kiss her hand.  Lucie's action is "a passionate, loving, thankful, womanly action", but Madame Defarge chillingly makes no response; her hand "drop(s) cold and heavy, and (takes) to its knitting again".  Lucie recoils with fear, "putting the note in her bosom, and with her hands yet at her neck, look(s) terrified at Madame Defarge".  The malevolence that Madame Defarge exudes is almost palpable, and Dickens uses the symbols of darkness and light to illustrate this effect.  With her golden hair and loving nature, Lucie is symbolized by light, but Madam Defarge threatens that light with the darkness of her hate.  Dickens develops the symbolism of darkness and light, saying,

"The shadow attendant on Madame Defarge  and her party seem(s) to fall so threatening and dark on the child, that her mother (Lucie) instinctively kneel(s) on the ground beside her, and (holds) her to her breast.  The shadow attendant on Madame Defarge and her party seem(s) then to fall, threatening and dark, on both the mother and the child" (Book the Third, Chapter 3).

Doctor Manette finds a sense of purpose when he realizes that he can help Darnay.  He becomes focused and efficient, navigating through the crazed masses and presenting himself to the Tribunal at the Bastille as "a notable sufferer under the over-thrown system", and pleading for the safety of his son-in-law.  Although he cannot get Darnay released, he is assured that "the prisoner...should, for his sake, be held inviolable in safe custody".  It is granted that Dr. Manette be allowed to remain in "the Hall of Blood" to ensure his son-in-law's well-being "until the danger (is) over".

Through being able to help Darnay, the object of his daughter's love, Dr. Manette finds meaning in the eighteen years of imprisonment he was forced to endure.  His suffering has given him "strength and power", and he says,

"It all tended to a good end...it was not mere waste and ruin.  As my beloved child was helpful in restoring me to myself, I will be helpful now in restoring the dearest part of herself to her, by the aid of Heaven" (Book the Third, Chapter 4).

In the story "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston, do you think Delia should have helped Sykes?

Delia’s has a fear of snakes and Sykes intends to get her to move out of the house using this phobia. If she does not move, Sykes will use the snake to get rid of her.  This is the premise at the center of the story “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston.

Could Delia have saved Sykes from the snake? Should she have tried?

Delia as a Christian thinks about getting a doctor.  She realizes that the nearest doctor is in Orlando which is too far away to help Sykes.  Emotionally, Delia feels pity for the man who intended to kill her in the same way that he is dying.

"A surge of pity too strong to support bore her away from that eye that must, could not, fail to see the tubs....[s]he could scarcely reach the Chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heart while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew..."

There was really nothing that she could do to save him.  Do not forget that Delia was deeply afraid of snakes.  Do not forget that Sykes placed the snake in the basket of clothes hoping that Delia would be bitten. 

If Delia had warned Sykes, who knows what he would have done. He had been drinking.  Possibly, he would have tried to put her back in the house with the snake.  Delia might have been bitten herself if she had opened the door and gone in to help Sykes. 

What happens when Sykes comes back to the house? 

Since Delia does not succumb to her phobia of snakes and remains in the house, Sykes has to take his plan to get rid of his wife to the next level.  He places the snake in a clothing basket that he knows Delia will work with when she returns from church.  Luckily, Delia notices the snake before it has the chance to bite her. 

Delia runs out of the house and climbs up in the barn hay. 

“Well, Ah done de bes’ Ah could.  If things ain’t right, Gawd knows tain’t mah fault.”

Eventually, Sykes returns home thinking that Delia is probably dead from the snake bites.  He tears up the snake cage trying to hide the evidence that he brought the snake home. Hesitating before he goes into the house, Sykes slowly moves inside the house and closes the door. 

Delia watches and listens waiting to see what happens.  Inside the house, Sykes finds the snake coiled and ready to strike.  He jumps toward the bed but is bitten many times.  When he pulls down the window shade, he sees Delia outside and screams for her.  One of his eyes is not swollen shut; Delia knows that he sees, and she cannot and does not try to save him.

In "I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain", what do these lines mean: "creak across my soul with those same boots of lead, again. Then space began to toll"?

In this poem, Dickinson relays metaphorically the possible mental breakdown of a person's sanity.  It is a startling poem, and frightening, as she aggressively describes thoughts that incessantly barrage her brain, driving her crazy.  She feels her sanity dying, and hence, a funeral for her sanity is the theme of the poem.

As with all poems, the lines are open to interpretation, as long as you can support your opinion with the text.  In the stanza that you are referring to, the box could possibly symbolize her former, sane self, that has been put into a coffin, and is being carried away for burial.  The box is the coffin, and the creaking across her soul is the noise that taking her former sane self away in the coffin makes on the floorboards of her mind.  When she says that they lift a box, she is not referring to herself, but rather to the thoughts that have driven her insane; they are the ones that broke her mind, so it is only natural that they are the ones that take her coffin out to bury her once and for all.  That is just my take on it though; your thoughts were intriguing too.  But, since she does say "me" and "my" throughout the poem, if she was the one lifting the box, I figure she would say that she heard herself lifting the box, and not "them," which is why I conclude that "them" refers to the they she has been talking about the entire time-the menacing thoughts.

For the "boots of lead", I imagine it is just dramatic effect to indicate how heavy these thoughts feel to her; they are tramping upon her former sanity in leaden boots.  That is heavy, crushing, and unmerciful.  If the thoughts weren't damaging, they wouldn't being wearing boots of lead.  For space beginning to toll, imagine the church bells that toll at funerals; they are loud and somber.  But since her rational mind is breaking down, for her, all of space is tolling the passing of her sanity.  Everything that she knew in space, is broken, because her mind is broken.  The noise must be like all of space tolling, or ringing, at a funeral, to symbolize her demise.

I hope that those thoughts help a bit; it's a tricky poem, but one that is definitely thought provoking.  I provided a link to a discussion of the poem that will also be very helpful.  Good luck.

In Julius Caesar, what impression of Ceasar if formed at the beginning of the play, and does it change or develop?

The first impression we have of Caesar is formed in Act I through the speeches of Cassius. Cassius hates Caesar and resents his rise to such great power in Rome. He describes Caesar in bitter, mocking words, showing his contempt. According to Cassius, Caesar does not deserve the power he wields. Through two specific stories he tells, Cassius presents Caesar as lacking both courage and physical strength. Thus, the first impression of Caesar is that because he is weak, he is not fit to rule Rome.

Brutus listens to Cassius, but offers no such criticism. His concern in regard to Caesar's rule is that he has gained too much power and may prove to be a threat to freedom in Rome. His doubt raises questions immediately in the play in regard to Caesar's nature and intentions. Does he seek all power? Does he wish to become a king in Rome? When Caesar subsequently refuses three times a symbolic crown offered by the people, his actions are viewed skeptically by his critics, leaving this question in regard to his character unresolved.

Caesar's character is further developed by Caesar himself in the second scene of Act II. On the night before the Ides of March, he seems sympathetic  as he takes to heart Calpurnia's distress. However, another side is revealed as he throws her feelings aside and decides to go to the Senate once he believes that his not going will raise questions as to his courage. He speaks of himself in the third person, attesting to his own courage. Also, being told that the Senate may offer him a crown seems to firm up his decision, a detail that supports the idea that he seeks to dominate politically and stamp out Roman freedom, Brutus's worst fear. Caesar's behavior in this scene show him to be, most of all, a skillful politician who knows how to preserve power and who seems to seek more.

Finally, Caesar's address to the Senate shortly before his assassination emphasizes his great ego and his inflexibility in ruling Rome. He will not consider the petition presented him to allow the return of a Roman citizen he has banished, and he speaks with cold arrogance in describing himself and his position among fellow Romans:

I could be well moved, if I were as you.

If I could pray to move, prayers would move me;

But I am constant as the Northern Star,

Of whose true-fixed and resting quality

There is no fellow in the firmament.

By this point in the play, Brutus's fears have been confirmed and Caesar has been developed to show that his character has been corrupted by power.

However, even after his death, his character development continues. At Caesar's funeral, Antony presents a radically different view of Caesar. As he addresses the crowd, Antony stresses Caesar's strength and courage in defense of Rome and his love for the Roman people, as evidenced by his generosity toward them in his will.

Throughout the play, then, Caesar's character is developed in numerous, and often conflicting ways, showing him to have been a powerful and complicated figure. The first impression of him as delivered by Cassius proves to be false and misleading. Whatever else might be said of him, Caesar was not a man to dismiss as being weak.

"It was a lovely sight, even to me poor wretch who had never beheld aught beautiful before." (Said by the monster.)From Chapter 11, when the...

I cannot help but feel that such an expression for the monster to articulate highlights his desire for companionship and for social connection.  It is interesting to note that while the monster was created in isolation, within the confines of science and scientific inquiry, he expresses a sentimental longing for beauty and happiness.  This reclamation of innocence is a very strong theme in Romantic poetry and thought, which had to have influenced Mary Shelley (being married to a Romantic poet in Percy).  She did understand that Romanticism's emotions and beliefs in the beauty of simple things such as childhood and purity, are a direct response to the cold and calculating world of Neoclassist scientific notions of the good, which advocate dispassionate and unemotional quantification.  It is also interesting to note that the monster is separate from this experience of watching cottagers play, but is longing to be a part of it.  This shows that the monster is gaining awareness of self and growing in being conscious of his identity as a thinking and living being.  Such an expression- especially the imagery of seeing himself as a "poor wretch"- reflects that while the monster was responsible for great damage and horrific acts, there was a side to him sensitive to the joys of others, and wishing for a fraction of this beauty for itself.  The image of someone loathed and despised hoping for a taste from the nectar of happiness is a powerful image, and one that proves that there could have been some redemption in the monster had he been exposed to a voice or face of love, yet again another theme of Romanticism.

What is the direct significance of the mad dog, the snowman and the tree with the knot hole in "To Kill a Mockingbird"? There are so many...

A symbol is something that means both what it is and more than what it is; symbols function both literally and figuratively at the same time.

1. The mad dog becomes a threat to the children and others on the Finches' street when it nears their home.  So, Atticus shoots it.  However, as a symbol, the dog represents more than what it is.  It represents a true physical threat that can be dealt with in only one quick way.  By contrast, the mob scene of a later chapter in which men converge upon the jailhouse, demanding that Tom Robinson be released to them, so that they may lynch him is not a situation that calls for this one, direct "solution."  Tom is a human being with certain rights, one of which is the right to a fair trial, a right in which Atticus strongly believes.  In shooting the dog, Atticus compromises no principles.  However, were he to release Tom to the mob, he would greatly compromise his priniciples.

2. The snowman that the children build for Miss Maudie is built, as are many a snowman, for the pleasure of its construction and for the pleasure that it provides those who look upon it.  However, the significance of this act is that the Jem and Scout make this delight in snow for the same reasons that Miss Maudie bakes for them:  They wish to manifest their affections for her in a material way.  When Miss Maudie's house burns, for instance, Scout is quick to reassure her that they will rebuild the snowman.

In addition to being a work of their love, the snowman, when first constructed, had to be made of both dirt and snow since there was not enough snow.  The dark soil and the white snow work together, just as black and white must work together in society in order to have successful co-existences.

3.  The tree with a knot hole is like a mailbox for Boo Radley; it is his means of communication with the children through the boundaries of his cofinement.  In it he leaves little gifts for Jem, Scout, and Dill.  When Mr. Radley blocks this hole, he severs communication for Boo with the outside world, a very cruel act on his part, for it again alienates Boo.  Mr. Radley's act is another display of his miscommunication with the world.

Romeo and Juliet Act 2 : Scene 3. What observations does Friar Lawrence make about flowers and herbs? (lines 1-27)

Friar Lawrence's remarks about flowers and herbs underscore the moderation vs. excess theme of "Romeo and Juliet."  As he gathers these flowers and herbs in his soliloquy, he reflects,

For naught so vile that on the earth doth live,/But to the earth some special good doth give/Nor aught so good but, strained [turned aside] from that fair use,/Revolts from true birth [its true function], stumbling on abuse [misuse].Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied,/And vice sometime's by action dignified.

Friar Lawrence notices that a poisonous plant can produce a cure if only a small amount of its poison is used.  Likewise, if something good is overused, its effects are mitigated.  In his reflections, he considers that man, too, possesses both good and evil; if he allows his evil side to be stronger, then the beauty of his soul will be destroyed:  "Full soon the canker death eats up that plant."  Moderation is the key to controlling evil from taking hold.

Later, when Romeo rushes in and tells the friar that he is in love with Juliet and wants to marry her, the priest cautions Romeo with the same idea of moderation in mind:  "Wisely and slow.  They stumble that run fast."

Ironically, however, Friar Lawrence does not always follow his own advice.  In Act Four when Juliet rushes to Friar Lawrence in her despair, he devises a "plan" for her to take a drug, appear dead but later wake to the joy and forgiveness of her parents.  However, because he enters hastily into this plan without considering extenuating factors involving the always impetuous Romeo, fate is allowed to work and "the worser is predominant" and "death eats up that plant"--death takes both lovers.

How do I contrast Macbeth's and Banquo's characters?

Both Macbeth and Banquo, military leaders in Scotland, have thus far, by all indications, lived their lives in honor and service to their king. This service was the focus of their ambition until the encounter with the Three Weird Sisters.

In the prophecy, Macbeth is predicted to become king, while Banquo is told that it is his children who will ascend the throne. The nature of these prophecies perhaps regulate the reactions of the two different men.

Banquo is not told anything about himself, but only his children. Therefore, he does not have an immediate vested interested in taking action to fulfill the prophecy. Macbeth, however, does have an interest and takes upon himself the responsibility to bring it to fulfillment, rather than let Fate take its course.

Banquo, in discussing the prophecy, expresses doubts as to the validity of such a thing, coming as it does from witches. While he admits that it might contain some element of truth, he is wary that its way is to lead them to evil, rather than success. In this, Banquo shows a level of wisdom and insight that Macbeth does not possess.

Banquo's refusal to take action in fulfilling the prophecy conflicts with Macbeth's choice to do so, aided by his wife. This puts Banquo in a dangerous position, especially since, according to the prophecy, it will be Banquo's children, not the children of Macbeth, who will succeed Macbeth. Unsure of this aspect, Macbeth is taking no chances and murders Banquo as well as Duncan.

How is West Egg different from East Egg?

East Egg and West Eggappear as identically-contoured formations of land, “enormous eggs,” separated only by “a courtesy bay.” However, the eggs are dissimilar in “every particular except shape and size.” On West Egg, “the less fashionable of the two,” the houses are built with no regard to codes or restrictions, as Nick's house is a bungalow sandwiched between two mansions. By contrast, the houses on fashionable East Egg “glittered” with “white palaces.” We see the difference between nouveau riche or new money, with the possible implication of lack of refinement or class (West Egg), and old money, with well-groomed houses and lawns accompanying well-groomed, well-bred occupants, who, on the surface, are characterized by gentility (East Egg).

The West Egg residents symbolize pioneers, almost a sterotype of the rugged West. For example, in the West an evening “was hurried from phase to phase toward its close,”  in contrast to the pleasure and relative unimportance of work in the East, where making the most money with the least amount of effort seems to be the goal. West Egg, in its eclectic “melting pot” neighborhood, takes on the symbolism and character of the Old West, the land discovered in the fulfillment of dreams. Conversely, elite East Egg comes across as sophisticated, superficial, and smug.

What are the programs of the Asian countries to stop overpopulation?specify what country.

The basic approach for controlling over population in India is to motivate people to have less children and to delay the the time of having children. I believe this approach will be common to not only other Asian Country , but every countries making planned efforts to control over population.

All the efforts of Population control in India go uner the name of Family Planning Program. This has three main areas of activity - publicity, facilitating and incentives.

Publicity refers to all the activities to convince people that it is in their interes to limit the size of their family. Thus the Family Planning Department publicizes through various means the benefits of various action such as small family, delaying child birth, and delaying marriage. One specific problem in India is the desire among Indian for at least one male child. Therefore the publicity also targets specifically at convincing that a daughter is no less valuable to parents than a son. This also liks up well with the national goal of achieving equality for women.

The publicity also cvers creating awareness about different methods of birth prevention and how to practice them.

Facilitating refers to giving easy access to various means of birth prevention. This includes subsidies sale items used for birth. It also includes easy and inexpensive access to medical procedures used for birth prevention.

Incentives covers, the benefits people are given for keeping their families small. This Generally consists of small cash award for people undergoing operations such as vasectomy and tubectomy. Also there may be some disincentive in form of denying some medical and other benefits that are available in government services for birth of children beyond he first two.

Idek, the head of the camp, unleashes his fury on Wiesel’s father. Wiesel watches without moving, and thinks mostly about how to avoid being hit...

In this section and the one before it, the reader begins to absorb the full impact of the Holocaust on Eliezer.  The gradual erosion of his humanity proves to be the most horrifying and painful condition of the Holocaust.  In the previous section, Eliezer professes loyalty to his family, including his mother and sister.  Yet, they are separated from father and son during the Birkenau.  In the process, they are also dislodged from the narrative as we never hear of them as Eliezer does not speak of them.  This gradual withering away of his sense of humanity is present as he watches his father being beaten.  This condition reveals much about Eliezer's state of being in the world.  On one hand, Eliezer has witnessed a great many atrocities and they are beginning to exact a toll on him.  Watching the cruelty, the horrific executions, and the systematic slaughter on a mass scale begins to impact Eliezer on a psychological level.  What else can one say when one watches infants and babies burned alive?  To witness this exacts a huge toll on one's sense of understanding of the world.  Eliezer's faith in being freed or escape becomes less, his sense of defiance weakens, as his emotional frame of reference becomes increasingly attached.  Eliezer's faith in God begins to be radically transformed into a shell of anger, remorse, and limitless agony at his own condition and the millions of others around him.  The only way he can articulate this condition is through withdrawal and disengagement with the horror that surrounds and envelops him, invading his sense of reality and understanding of the world.  The other element that is evoked from this is that Wiesel, as an author, is using his memoir to make a critical statement.  When we, as human beings, take the form of the world around us and lose our ability to speak out and take defiant stands against injustice, we embolden the aggressors and perpetrators of evil.  Eliezer watches his father being beaten and his silence increases the torture.  For Wiesel, silence is a "nod to the aggressor" and the illustration of Eliezer's lack of sympathy speaks to this.

What qualities make Laura a sympathetic character in "The Glass Menagerie"?

Laura is a very sympathetic character, first, because she is crippled, she walks with a limp.  She lives a very isolated ', solitary life, content to polish her glass collection.  She patiently deals with the constant nagging of her mother who fears for her future.

Laura is the peace-maker of the family, trying her best to help her brother to get along with their mother.  And, finally, after Jim O'Connor comes to the house for dinner, and she actually has a wonderful time talking, dancing and sharing an intimate kiss with him, the reader feels a great deal of sympathy for her when she finds out that he is engaged to be married.

At the end of the play, when Tom abandons the family, the reader feels very sorry for Laura.

Describe the language of the poem Sunlight by Seamus Heaney.

“Mossbawn: Sunlight” by Seamus Heaney presents an imagery of intimacy with the woman making the scones, heating the griddle, and keeping a watchful eye on their baking progress.  Despite the “sunlit absence”, the setting is replete with warmth, light, and plenty.

Structured in five sentences and six stanzas, the poem emanates a tone of industry, art, and love.  Industry, in the sure dexterous moves of the baker and the continuous repetition of the “s’ sound suggesting speed and nimbleness, studied craft, in "her hands scuffled over the bakeboard” or “she dusts the board with a goose’s wing” and love, “like a tinsmith’s scoop sunk past its gleam in the meal-bin".  The language has the detail of a familiar observer who may have frequently witnessed this essential daily activity or perhaps has engaged in the same.

“The helmeted pump in the yard” appears as a friendly supervisor once it has “honeyed” the water in the “slung bucket” and the “reddening stove” appears to hurry the baker along as it radiates its “plaque of heat” against her.  “The floury apron”, “the whitened nails”, the spotted “measling shins” the old-fashioned, loud “tick of two clocks” and the sitting “broad-lapped” suggest familiar loving, warm images of an almost lost art.  The last stanza anchors the warmth of sunlit love in the gleam of the scoop grounded in the “meal-bin.”: “And here is love/ like a tinsmith’s scoop/ sunk past its gleam/ in the meal-bin”.

Could I have the theme of the poem, "Loveliest of Trees."The Poem is written by A.E.Housman.

The theme of the poem is the idea that time is fleeting and one must take as much opportunity as possible to enjoy what is present in one's lifetime.  The opening stanza speaks of the natural beauty of the blooming cherry blossom tree.  The second stanza indicates that time is fleeting, and the time to enjoy the blossoming will only happen one more time each year for the rest of his life, which he estimates at fifty more years.  While the speaker should take advantage of this and enjoy it while it blooms each season, it would also bring him happiness if he was able to observe its beauty even in winter, when "hung with snow."  The poem does stress the theme of appreciation of nature and of life in its natural beauty.  Yet, it also stresses that there are more opportunities to experience this joy even when elements of existence are not in their most natural beauteous state.  The speaker suggests that by seeing the tree in the winter, he will be able to experience it more than simply one time in the year.  Time will always pass and the speaker cannot change that.  This is why the moments and experiences that are joyous in one instant can also possess beauty when we partake in them as often as possible.  The theme of life's experiences being felt in any and all conditions seems to be the theme of the poem.

How does The Great Gatsby challenge readers to re-construct the coherence of meaning in a fragmented age?

The Great Gatsby challenges the reader to understand what Gatsby's motivation was, why he had the fancy parties, whether his means of making money was legal or not and whether his life has meaning and purpose.

Against the backdrop of illegal activities, prohibition, and senseless partying and wild drinking, the author asks the reader to find the depth of the love story that lies hidden in the chaos.

Gatsby and Daisy's lives were disrupted by WW I and then the dawn of an age where everyone seemed to pursue pleasure, without thought of consequence.  Fitzgerald is a master at drawing the reader into the Jazz Age, so named by Fitzgerald himself.

Gatsby is a likable guy, he appears to be very generous and has tons of money, he is also a man of great mystery.  The reader learns that he has a deep lasting love for Daisy Buchanan, his neighbor in East Egg, a woman he loved and lost due to the fact that he shipped off to war and was not a wealthy man.

The reader comes to care for Gatsby and Daisy's secret love, since Tom, Daisy's husband is such a cruel, indifferent cheater.  The sadness that echoes through the book, after Gatsby's hopes are raised and then dashed by the events which unfold, the death of Tom's lover in the car accident, the car that was driven by Daisy.

The reader is drawn in through Gatsby's desire to be so self-sacrificing on behalf of Daisy and her reaction to this is total indifference and escape.

Gatsby is the real victim in this sad story.

How did the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians affect their society?please help! THANK YOU~

The ancient Egyptians' belief system is generally studied by their interpretation of three concepts of thinking mythology, religion, and philosophy. Their society centered around their attempt to explain such nonempirical questions such as; 'Is there life after death?' 'How did the universe began'? Their explanations of these questions shaped their society for three thousand years. Mythology contains stories that are not to be taken literally, however have a message for the society. Myths take place in primordial time, ( in other words the 'time' before 'time') Religion has only one requirement, faith. The ancient Egyptians were the first resurrectionists meaning they believed in life after death. The creation myth of 'Osiris' dominated their belief system resulting in the central focus of their society. The development of the art of ancient Egyptian mummification has left much evidence as to the importance of the birth-death-re-birth concept was to their belief system, it ties together their entire existence. Since philosophy requires fact the evidence suggests that the ancient Egyptians paid little attention to this concept because although no specific proof has ever been found, most Egyptologists concur that their way of thinking concentrated on putting all the pieces of the puzzle perfectly together. (facts have a tendency to impose upon a perfect fit)

The ancient Egyptians' belief system of life after death, (birth, death and re-birth) as explained in the myth of Osiris parallels their ties to the Nile River. The waters of the Nile were to the ancients 'the gift of life'. The flood cycles of the Nile shaped the ancient Egyptians' sense of time. The seasons of inundation, planting, and harvesting was the equivalent to the resurrection of life.

In A Separate Peace, what is a topic sentence that states whether Gene finds redemption?

I am a bit confused by your question. If you are writing a topic sentence to take a position in regard to Gene's achieving redemption, you could choose to argue either way. However, there is strong evidence that Gene does finally find redemption, a separate peace of his own. If you chose that position, your topic sentence could be something like this:

After much suffering, Gene returns to Devon after fifteen years to relive his betrayal of Finny; having achieved a greater understanding of himself since leaving school, Gene is finally able to forgive himself and find peace.

If you are looking for a sentence from the novel that states whether or not Gene finds redemption, you won't find one that makes that specific statement. However, this sentence that appears at the conclusion of the introduction does suggest that Gene finds peace after returning to Devon after fifteen years:

Changed, I headed back through the mud. I was drenched; anybody could see it was time to come in out of the rain.

The most important word in the quotation is "Changed," suggesting that Gene's return to Devon had affected him in a profound way. The reference to its being "time to come in out of the rain" suggests figuratively that it is time for Gene to let go of the painful past.

Please help with Othello... I need 4 famous quotes from each scene together with its explanations.find quotes which are most likely to appear in exams

Your teacher meant acts, not scenes. Othello has five acts, but each act has many scenes, some of them very short without notable quotes. Here are quotes from each act.
1. Iago: "But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am." Act 1, Scene 1
This is a great quote from one of literature's greatest villains: Iago. When someone wears his heart on his sleeve, he shows his emotions outwardly, so all know why he is acting the way he is. But Iago is wearing false emotions, so dead that crows could eat them as they eat dead flesh. He wants others to see him one way, but not the way he really is.
2. Iago: "for whiles this honest fool
Plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes
And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,
. . . .
And by how much she strives to do him good,
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all." Act 2, Scene 3

Iago here reveals his plan to destroy Othello. Iago has already gotten “this honest fool” Cassio drunk and demoted. He has convinced Cassio to fix his demotion by pleading his cause through Desdemona, Othello’s young, beautiful wife. He has also gotten Desdemona to argue Cassio’s case to Othello. Iago will try to make Othello believe that Cassio and his wife are lovers. Iago knows that Desdemona is empathetic to Cassio’s misfortune and that her motives are beneficent, but he hopes to make Othello believe otherwise.
3. Desdemona: “my noble Moor
Is true of mind, and made of no such baseness
As jealous creatures are, it were enough
To put him to ill thinking.” Act 3, Scene 4

Iago has talked his wife into stealing Desdemona’s handkerchief given her by Othello. Desdemona has been looking for it and is in a dialogue with Emilia. Innocent Desdemona tells Emilia that Othello is not a jealous person and it’s a good thing because if Othello were jealous, her losing the handkerchief might get him thinking negatively.

4. Iago: “As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad;
And his unbookish jealousy must conster
Poor Cassio’s smiles, gesters, and light behaviors
Quite in the wrong.” Act 4, Scene 1

The evil Iago is trying to pull off one of his tricks. He has convinced Othello to stand out of earshot while Iago talks to Cassio about Desdemona. If Cassio acts familiar, that will prove that he and Desdemona have something going. However, Iago is really asking Cassio about Bianca, a prostitute who is found of Cassio. His trick works and Othello becomes jealous.

5. Othello: “Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely, but too well;
Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe;” Act 5, Scene 2

This speech occurs after Othello has killed Desdemona in a fit of jealousy and after Iago’s treachery has been revealed. He is talking to Lodovico who is there to arrest him. Othello claims that he is not a jealous person, but once made jealous, his rage was uncontrollable. He realizes that Desdemona was indeed innocent, a pearl that he threw away.

I hope these quotes help you. My reading of Othello was from Literature and Society: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction by Pamela J. Annas and Robert C. Rosen, Pearson Education, Inc. 2007. I used this text in LIT2480, which I taught last semester.

Why does M&M call Bryon and Mark "weird" in That Was Then, This Is Now?

M&M calls Bryon and Mark weird because of their hypocrisy.  He tells them,

"You make me sick!  You just rescued me from some guys who were going to beat me up because I'm different from them, and now you're going to beat up someone because he's different from you.  You think I'm weird - well, you're the weird ones".

M&M has a reputation for being a "nice guy, but weird".  He is "a hippie in a hood's part of town", reads Newsweek when most other guys would prefer to peruse "skin mags", the "most serious guy" Bryon and Mark know.  He is "real absent-minded" and has a disarming honesty.  In contrast to the cool, tough-guy persona adopted by most of the other kids in the neighborhood, M&M wears his "charcoal-colored hair down past his ears and down to his eyebrows...always (wears) an old Army jacket that (is) too big for him and (goes) barefoot even after it start(s) getting cold...he (has a metal peace symbol hanging around his neck on a piece of rawhide string".  The quintessential hippie except for his often almost clueless naivete, M&M has run-ins with his father over the way he dresses, and is "one of those nonviolent types who practice(s) what he preache(s)". 

Bryon and Mark have just run off some hoods who have stalked and jumped M&M and cut his metal peace symbol off its rawhide with a knife.  Now that the incident is over, the two boys, still feeling exhiliarated by their victory, are talking about getting a little more "action" by jumping a black guy who is standing nearby at the intersection waiting for the light to change.  M&M correctly points out the "weirdness" Bryon and Mark exhibit in being so hypocritical.  M&M cannot understand how the two can save him from being persecuted for his differences one minute, then nonchalantly persecute someone else for the same reason the next (Chapter 1).