Why does Cormac McCarthy in 'The Road', not give his character's names? How does the labels 'boy' and 'man' affect the way readers relate to them?

In "The Road" the author does not provide names for his characters because it makes the story's theme of the violent indifference that has stricken the world more intense, it conveys how this devastation has stripped us of our individuality, now those who have survived wander in a rugged, raw new wilderness, fighting to stay alive.

The bleakness, coldness and indifference that is conveyed through the impersonal nature in this story helps to support the author's message of the total destruction of everything that we love and appreciate about our lives.  

"The boy and his father hope to avoid the marauders, reach a milder climate, and perhaps locate some remnants of civilization still worthy of that name. They possess only what they can scavenge to eat, and the rags they wear and the heat of their own bodies are all the shelter they have. A pistol with only a few bullets is their only defense besides flight."

In Macbeth, why does Macbeth think that he should not kill King Duncan?

There are many reasons that Macbeth reviews in his mind and in discussion with Lady Macbeth as to why he should give up the plan to kill Duncan. As has been mentioned, these include the personal excellence of Duncan, Duncan's trust in him, and Duncan's position at the moment as a guest in Macbeth's castle. However, the most important reason -- even more important than the prospect of eternal damnation for such a murder -- is given by Macbeth in Act I, Scene 7:

But in these cases
We still have judgement here, that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which being taught return
To plague the inventor. This even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips.

In other words, if Macbeth murders Duncan, he establishes a precedent that will come back to haunt him: his deed will "plague the inventor." How can he ask anyone to be loyal to him if he has gained the throne by disloyalty and so "taught" the "bloody instructions" that a superior is to be stabbed in the back whenever it is convenient? The details of how he would fail his trust -- turning on a superior, harming a guest -- are less important than the fatal example he would give by betraying trust in any way at all.

Why does Montresor wait so long to tell everyone what he has done to Fortunato?"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe

In "The Cask of Amontillado," there is a perverse pride that Montesor takes in his revenge and its methodology.  In fact, the motivation for Montesor's narrative is to relate how cleverly he has effected his exact and appropriate revenge upon Fortunato.  This first-person point of view is the lens of Montesor's irrational narrator whose main desire is to describe in minute detail his fulfillment of his family's motto: "Nemo me impune lacessit."

That Montesor tells his tale with the intention of instruction is apparent in his first paragraph as he states the lesson to be developed for his reader: 

A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser.  It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

Then, in his conclusion, Montesor displays a pride in the success of his plan, the development of his lesson, as he declares that

For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them.  In pace requiescat!

Thus, he has achieved his objective stated in the first paragraph.

What are the major themes in Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher?All themes developed in the novel.

     When searching for the themes of a novel, it may be helpful to identify topics that are addressed, and then ask yourself, what kind of message is conveyed about each of these topics in the novel?  For example, in Whale Talk, one topic that may be identified is identity.  Many of the characters in the novel struggle with forming identities with which they feel comfortable.  T.J. finds it difficult to truly identify with any of the ethnicities which make up his mixed background.  He also finds it difficult to be accepted in society because of the strong presence of racism not just in his hometown, but in the entire country.  Chris Coughlin is another character who struggles with identity.  He is mentally handicapped and he clings to the identity of his older brother who has passed away.  He does so through his letter jacket.  However, the jocks of the school criticize Chris for wearing a jacket he has not "earned".  This injustice is what leads T.J. to form a swimteam in which the outsiders of the school find a place to feel accepted.  So, what is the statement about identity?  You might say that one must take a journey to find identity and that journey needs others to guide the way.  People find out who they are through the help of the perspectives of others.  Everyone needs some kind of positive encouragement to be confident in his or her identity. 

     The theme of identity also connects to the theme of the universality of human existence.  The title refers to a video watched by T.J.'s father of whales communicating.  T.J.'s father compares this to human communication.  Though all humans may need to hear the same messages, he feels as though some never do. 

     I hope this helps.  To find other themes, try to identify topics or issues addressed throughout the entire novel, and evaluate the overarching statement about each one.

What role does irony play in Vonnegut's portrayal of the Dresden bombing?

One of the main points of irony is that the men stay safe in a slaughterhouse, which is usually seen as a place of violent death.  The usual place of death is like a womb or a tomb (underground) that keeps the men safe from the destruction that is happening above them.

When the men emerge from the slaughterhouse, Vonnegut describes the landscape as barren, calm and quiet, like the moon.  These are descriptions that one wouldn't normally connect with the aftermath of a bombing.  Usually we think of destructions and death, blood and screaming, but Vonnegut instead focuses on how quiet and serene it is, and how the men climb over and through the craters left by the bombing.

The last main instance of irony is where the men stay after the bombing.  A blind German innkeeper lets them stay in his barn--after their country just committed a horrible atrocity on the nearest town.  These men, these soldiers, who were supposedly part of the destruction, are paralleled to Jesus--they hide in an underground tomb, emerge to a different world, and then sleep in a stable.

What is the main theme of Beowulf, and is it sustained from start to finish?

If it can be stated as such, the main "theme" of Beowulf deals with honor and bravery, according to a code of ethics that was a precursor to the feudal code of medieval times.  The values exemplified in Beowulf focus on the consensus of 'allegiance for protection' but more in terms of a lord's duty to his vassals than the other way around.

As Beowulf is the most ancient verse known in English literature, the story line, including of course character development, must be historically and culturally decoded for an appropriate appraisal. The same goes for the values and code of conduct embraced. As a teacher, I find the aspect of the heroic boast the most interesting element of the story.

As to the second part of your question, the fact that in the end Beowulf dies takes some of the hot air out of the exaggerated proportion ('bigger-than-life') typical of the epic hero stereotype. In the same breath, his death makes him more human, and therefore easier to identify with.

Can someone help me with a third point concerning the "significance of sleep and the lack of sleep within the play of 'Macbeth'"?When writing an...

With Macbeth, conscience does seem to enter into the equation.  For, just as Brutus sees the ghost of Caesar in "Julius Caesar," after having assassinated the ruler, so, too, does Macbeth see the ghost of Banquo.  Yet, while Hamlet observes,

conscience doth make cowards of us all,/And thus the native hue of resolution/Is sicklied l'er with the pale cast of thought

Macbeth seeks to silence any tinge of conscience in anger and more murderous action--perhaps, to silence his conscience from making him a coward.  He shouts at the "spirit of Banquo, Down! (IV,i,112), and asks the "filthy hags" why they show him the apparitions, declaring,

I'll see no more,/And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass/Which shows me many more.../For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me, (IV,i,1118-123)

However, in Shakespeare's plays, ghosts often return to haunt a murderer, to act as his conscience.  That Macbeth may still possess some conscience seems plausible in light of his earlier remarks of Act II in his "Is this a dagger which I see before me" soliloquy.  In this speech, Macbeth reflects that

wicked dreams abuse/The curtained sleep;....and withered murder...Moves like a ghost. (II,i,50-56)

Then, after Macbeth commits the "deed," he tells Lady Macbeth that he has heard voices cry "Murder!" (II,ii,23), and that he believes that he has heard a voice cry

'Sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleep'--the innocent sleep (II,ii,34-35)

So, Macbeth's problems with sleep may, indeed, stem from tinges of conscience as they do for Lady Macbeth, who despite having "unsexed" herself in Act I and having orchestrated Duncan's murder becomes more human in her insanity, for this insanity has been brought on by her conscience.  Her madness is, indeed, guilt-ridden; and it deprives her of sleep:

Hell is murky...What, will these hands ne'er be clean?...Here's the smell of the blood still.  All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand....What's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed! [she cannot sleep](V,i,36-71)

How does the poet create atmosphere using suspense and drama?

The mere opening of the poem creates a sense of suspenseful drama as the speaker comes across a home with no one there.  The opening words of "Is anybody there?" implies a great deal.  The reader is left to ask if the speaker is new there or has the speaker been there before.  Is this a visit or a return?  The details add to this atmosphere of intrigue.  The "moonlit door", the forest's silence, the "ferny floor" underneath the horse's hooves, as well as the bird flying out of the turret help to establish a mood that underlies drama or suspense.  The lack of response and the description of the traveler as "lonely" helps add to this, implying that while the speaker is without anyone else, something else is there.  The speaker is not alone.  Punctuating the growing silence would be the closing words of "Tell them I came" and "I kept my word."  These lines add to the drama of the moment. The reader is left to ask what was the promise the speaker fulfilled and who is "they"- the individuals that were supposed to be there waiting for him?  As the speaker and horse leave, such questions plague the reader, and contribute significantly to the suspense and drama atmosphere of the poem.

How is the current economic crisis comparable to the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression?

Deflation, inflation and mass unemployment, with all the attendant social dislocation, and the whole thing spreading from country to country and affecting the entire world-  yeah, it sure looks familiar.  There are a great many similarities, most notably the general philosophy which led to these two crises.

An unbridled capitalist philosophy centered on the ideas that profit is the most important thing and that any business practice that makes money is okay is what has led us into the current problem.  Overinflated corporate stock values, bank and stock fraud, protectionist legislation aimed at protecting specific companies rather than industries as a whole, and the whole "get-rich-at-any-cost" mentality were and are the problems.  The lack of scruples by government and business (including the massive war profiteering by American and multi-national corporations) simply encourages irresponsible behavior by companies large and small, and by individuals who would ordinarily work and save instead of invest in the stock market.  The idea that stocks are not gambles is untrue.  The "playing" of the futures market by large financial companies drives up prices.  The same methods criminals use to launder illegal money are the same used by many of the world's wealthy to hide their income from the tax authorities, resulting in capital flight, shell companies, inflated prices paid for worthless companies, kickbacks, and all the scams developed over the last hundred years.  All these things lead to deflation, inflation and mass unemployment.  These were the problems of the Great Depression, and they're just worse now.

Will this turn out to be as bad or worse than the Depression?  Maybe not, the financial systems of many countries are better equipped to handle these stresses today.  In some respects the modern world economy is stronger, through banking regulations and the interconnectedness of national economies.  On the other hand, the world's economy is still led largely by America, and ours is not as able to stand the strain it once was.  What eventually pulled us out of the Great Depression was the industrial capability of the US, and that industrial capability largely no longer exists.  The jobs upon which American workers depend have gone overseas.  What manufacturing jobs remain here are ineptly run, like the auto industry.  Information and financial jobs simply won't take up the slack of employing the mass of Americans.

The US government has mostly tried to repair problems with the credit system.  This will not fix the economy.  We may prop up the financial institutions enought to get people even deeper in debt, but without jobs to pay those debts back Americans will still be in economic trouble, and without the American economy being fixed the world's economy will not be fixed, either.

There are differences between now and 1929, and some of them are in our favor.  But if the debt crisis of American citizens is not dealt with, nothing else is going to work.  Even if the world economy settles down and things get "back to normal," the global debt crisis of every country on earth being in massive debt to international banks will cripple the world's economy in the near future without major changes in the way things are run.  Capital flight and all the attendant illegal (and borderline legal but dishonest) banking and business practices have to be somehow brought under control.

In the opening scene of All Quiet on the Western Front, why does Paul's company have extra food to eat?

Paul explains that the extra food and provisions which his company is enjoying in the opening scene is a result of "a miscalculation".  He says that fourteen days ago they had been assigned "to go up and relieve the front line".  It had been "fairly quiet" on their sector, so the quartermaster, who had not accompanied the group to the front, had requisitioned "the usual quantity of rations and provided for the full company of one hundred and fifty men".  On the last day of their deployment, however, they were hit by "an astonishing number of English heavies (which) opened up on (them) with high-explosive, drumming ceaselessly on (their) position".  Under the heavy bombardment, the company suffered a huge number of casualties, and "came back only eighty strong".  The group has lost almost half of their fighting men, so there is a great surplus of food and goods available to those who have survived.

This opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the narrative.  Although Paul and his comrades are sensitive and fearful when they first arrive on the battlefield, years of unmitigated horror have hardened them to the vagaries of war.  Delighted with the extra rations of food and cigarettes, the men are described as "satisfied and at peace".  No mention is made of the awful fact that their windfall has been realized because almost half their number are no longer there to share it, having died bloodily on the field of battle (Chapter 1).

What are the actual steps one takes to vote on election day (when, where, how)?

In India the voting is organised and conducted by a department of government called Election Commission.

Election Commission has established election offices in every election constituency - that is the complete area from which one representative or candidate is to be elected by its people.Every local election office maintains a list of eligible voters living in the constituency. This list is updated from time to to time by two methods - a door-to-door survey by employees of the election office, and application by the eligible voter. The voters list keeps changing for several reasons like children attaining age of voting (18 years), death, and people migrating from one place to another.

People on the voting list issued a voter registration card. In India the process of issue of voter registration card is not complete, therefore people all allowed to vote without this card also.

When voting is scheduled, the date of voting is announced by the Election Commission in public media. On the appointed day of voting, arrangements are made to set up a number of voting booths. Each voting booth serve the need of voting for a smaller area within the constituency so that people do not have to travel long for casting their vote. This booth is managed by an officer appointed by Election Commission, In addition each candidate contesting the election can place a representative at the booth to check that there are no malpractices in voting.

People who wish to cast their vote come to their appointed booth and identify themselves and give their residential address. Based on this workers operating the booth locate their name on the voters list and give them a slip containing reference to their serial number on the voting list.

The voter then proceeds with this slip for actual voting. Before the voter is actually allowed to cast the vote an entry is made on a voter list to indicate that person has come to vote, another entry is made in a different list giving serial list of all the persons who have voted and signature of the person is obtained against the entry, the identity of the voter is checked base on voter registration card or some other identification, and a mark with indelible ink is made on the left hand middle finger nail. Purpose of this mark is to prevent one person casting vote more than once.

The voter than proceeds to cast vote. This is done by one of two means depending on facility available. First is a paper ballot containing a list of all the candidates contesting the election. The voter indicates his or her choice by placing a mark against the selected candidate. This ballot is then inserted in a sealed ballot box with a small slit for inserting the ballot paper. The second method is electron inc voting. In this method the voter indicates his or her preference by pressing an appropriate button on a voting machine having different buttons for different voters.

After the close of voting time all the ballot boxes and electronic voting machines are take to a central location for the complete constituency, and there votes cast in favour of each voter are ascertained, counted and compiled. Based on this the candidate with maximum votes is declared as elected from the constituency.

What was the song in "Animal Farm" and in which chapter of the book?

The song you are referring to is called "Beasts of England" it was taught to the animals by Old Major in Chapter 1 of the book.

"I will sing you that song now, comrades. I am old and my voice is hoarse, but when I have taught you the tune, you can sing it better for yourselves. It is called 'Beasts of England'." (Orwell)

When Old Major speaks to the animals, he inspires them with his vision that he saw in a dream, then he tells them that they must never falter in their belief in the cause or equality for all animals.  He gives them a song to sing to inspire and support the rebellion.

"Old Major’s dream is of a world without man. He teaches them the revolutionary song Beasts of England."

What is the difference between 14 karat and 24 karat gold?

The purity of gold is measured in Karats, with 24 Karat representing 100% purity. The karats are defined as

K = 24 (Mp/Mt)

where, Mp is the mass of pure metal and Mt is the mass of total alloy.

Hence 24 Karat gold will have 24 parts of pure metal and 0 parts of other metals, making up the alloy.

14 Karat gold will refer to 14 parts of pure gold and remaining 10 parts (=24 parts-14 parts) other metals. In other words, 14 karat gold is 

(14/24) x 100 % = 58.3% pure.

In comparison, 24 karat gold is 100% pure.

Note that 100% pure gold is very soft and as such can not be used in jewelry and other applications. Addition of other metals provide these properties and as such, people buy 22 karat or 20 karat or 18 karat jewelry.

Macbeth essay (Just two paragraphs, please follow the structure exactly and do it, i need this as sample and follow this to write a new one,...

Macbeth Act 1 Scene 4:

[Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

Having just won praise and new honours from the king for his fight against the invading forces of Norway Macbeth is told the news that The Prince of Cumberland title (next in line to the throne) is to be awarded to Malcolm, son of Duncan. At this point comes the stirrings of evil within Macbeth. previously he has been thrilled to find that chance has made him Thane of Cawdor, if that is the case then chance may well make him king as well if he does nothing. But now with this news his chances are slimmed down, it presents him with a major obsticle.

Perhaps at this point Macbeth secretly begins to contemplate an act that will bring the witches prophesy true, he certainly begins to look toward hiding his true desires and covering his thoughts.

Lady Macbeth also shows the intent of her greed in the next scene: Act 1 Scene 5:

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be
What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it...

The illness that she refers to is the illness of ambition, greed and the desire to do everything necessary to make things happen.

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," what is seen from the 4 views from the windows upstairs, and what is the emotional quality of those views?

Since the narrator is cooped up in this room for most of her day and all night, the views out the window are one of the few things that she has to look at.  Other than the wallpaper, which eventually becomes her entire focus, of course.  One of the reasons that her husband, John, put her in that room in the first place is because downstairs "there was only one window," and upstairs, there are four, so he feels it will do her better, because there will be more views and sunlight.

In the story, the narrator indicates that out of one window she can see the

"garden, those mysterious deepshaded arbors, the riotous old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees."

If you look at the way that she describes this scene, you can feel the emotional undertones of frustration, feeling out-of-control of her life, and depression.  The garden is "mysterious and deepshaded," reflecting her depression.  The flowers are "riotous," tying in with how she feels her life is riotous, and not in her control.  And, the trees are "gnarly," symbolic of her own frustrated confusion.

Then, out of another window, she gets a view of of the water, with a wharf, and lanes leading up to it.  It is right after this that she ties it in, by saying,

"I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors."

Here, we see her emotional desire for socializing, her need to be active and amongst people, whereas she is sitting up in her room, all by herself.  Her husband even chastises her for such "fanciful" imagninings, thinking it is unhealthy.  But, she just wants to be with people, out doing normal things.

The last two windows have a view of the road, leading away from the house and through the countryside, and then one that just looks out over the land surrounding the house.  She says that it is "a lovely country, full of great elms and velvet meadows."  The road winding away could represent her desire to leave the place, and the countryside her desire again, to be outside, enjoying where they are, instead of imprisoned in the horrid room.

The views, all different, each reflect her conflicted and stifled emotional state; she feels shunned, ostracized, confused, and longs for a normal life again, filled with beauty, freedom and normal activities.  I hope that those thoughts helped a bit; good luck!

Is there a movie for Rain of Gold?

shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth and Witches to revea THE POWER WOMEN HAD OVER MEN, a typical relationship between husband and wife. its lady Macbeth's idea to kill the king Duncan and seize the throne ,

" unsex me here .......come to my woman's breasts

and take my milk for gall "

lady Macbeth is masculinized while Macbeth is feminized.

In many instances, gender is out of its traditional order. Shakespeare explores the relationship between gender and power, portraying male characters as strong willed and courageous, but at the same time assigning a female character – Lady Macbeth a ruthless, power-hungry personality which is usually associated with masculinity. In this sense, Shakespeare’s portrayal of gender roles are addressed and manipulated throughout the play.

Elizabethan men were supposed to be brave and chivalrous, but most importantly, loyal to his country.  Macbeth shows all of these qualities in the battle fought between Norway and Scotland. Macbeth’s fighting is reported to King Duncan by a Scottish sergeant who says: “For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name/Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel/Which smoked with bloody execution/Like valour’s minion… Macbeth valiantly fought his way through the Norwegian army until he reached the Thane of Cawdor, who betrayed his country by allying with Norway.  Macbeth “ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him/ Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chops. Macbeth’s ruthlessness in battle is praised by King Duncan and he is soonafter promoted to Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is the epitome of the Elizabethan man.

One example of gender roles being manipulated is Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy early in the play. After receiving the letter from Macbeth, she learns that he may become king, but she knows that Duncan must be killed in order for him to reach the throne. She cries, “Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top full / Of direst cruelty” (I.5.38-41). Lady Macbeth defies her gender role as an Elizabethan woman. She asks the spirits to give her masculine qualities and make her stronger so she can kill Duncan. She realizes that Macbeth is “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness, and adopts the dominant role in the relationship.

in the beginning of the play, Macbeth is shown to be brave, courageous, honorable, strong-willed, and in control. Macbeth quickly loses these strongly masculine characteristics when he realizes what must be done for the witches’ prophecies to come true. After planning Duncan’s murder with his wife, he begins to have second thoughts. Duncan has done so much good to Macbeth and his wife, he begins to feel remorseful.  Ridden with guilt, Macbeth reminds himself of all the reasons why he should not commit the murder. He tells Lady Macbeth:

We will proceed no further in this business.
Lady Macbeth quickly retaliates by saying “What beast was’t, then/ That made you break this enterprise to me? / When you durst do it, then you were a man.  By challenging Macbeth’s masculinity and his honor, Lady Macbeth takes the upper hand in the dispute.  Macbeth regains his masculine qualities by becoming brave and aggressive enough to commit the murder

What is the central conflict in "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"?

The central conflict in the short story revolves around the outcasts, who are escorted to the edge of town and warned not to return.  The town has decided to purify itself of undesirables, people who are a prostitute, the Duchess, a gambler, John Oakhurst, Mother Shipton who is a madam, the woman who is in charge of the prostitutes, and Uncle Billy a drunk.

After these four are expelled from Poker Flat, they encounter on the road out of town two innocent young people, Tom Simson and Piney Woods, the two young people are running away to elope.

The combination of the four undesirables and the two innocents makes for an interesting story.  The dynamic that develops with the addition of the two young people to the group of four changes the outcasts into people of character.

These four people were thrown out of town because they were considered unworthy by the townspeople, because of their habits or occupations, after they meet Tom and Piney, they redeem themselves through their sacrifices on behalf of others.

Except, maybe Uncle Billy, who steals a mule.  But Mother Shipton gives up her food share to help keep Piney nourished, John Oakhurst, sacrifices himself, but before he does, he collects firewood to help keep the women in the cabin warm.  After Mother Shipton dies from lack of food, the Duchess takes on the motherly role, protecting Piney, huddling with her to try to keep her warm.  In fact when the rescue party arrives, they find the two women huddled together, frozen to death.

In "Tuck Everlasting", when Mr. Tuck takes Winnie rowing, what does he talk about?How does he feel about living forever and how does Winnie think...

Mr. Tuck explains to Winnie about the cycles of life being like a wheel. He talks about everything having a beginning and an end and that life moves naturally, in these cycles. He tells Winnie that the Tucks are stuck. They are not part of this wheel anymore. They are like a rock on the side of the road. He does not think living forever is natural. He feels like it is a mistake. He does not want to live forever. Winnie does not want to die. She wants to be like the Tucks, but Tuck tells her everything must happen in time, the way it was meant and that if others find the spring it will cause so many problems. He really wants Winnie to understand this before she tries to drink from the spring.

What do we know about the man and the girl's past life, and what has happened to the quality of their relationship?

The girl called "Jig" is clearly a fairly young lady, as she refers to the liquor she is drinking as tasting like licorice.  Her conversation with the older American man she is traveling with seems fairly routine and unmeaningful at first, but gradually drifts to the topic of an "operation" the man wishes her to have, and it becomes apparent this operation is an abortion.  He wants her to have one and she is resisting.  The fact that he calls her "Jig" is indicative of the lack of respect he apparently has for the young woman; her name is never given, and a "jig" can be a whiskey measurer, a fishing lure, or Irish dance.  At one time, it was a slang term for sex.   "That's all we do isn't it--look at things and try new drinks," Jig says at one point, suggesting that she's not particularly enjoying this nomadic lifestyle much anymore, but eventually she agrees to the operation, announces that she's fine, and the story ends.

How is Hemingway's love for sports represented in The Sun Also Rises?

"The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway is replete with scenes of bull fights.  Hemingway absolutely loved bullfighting, perceiving it as a true test of manhood.  He boasted of having seen fifteen hundred bulls killed on the field; he read over two thousand pamphlets in Spanish on the contest of man and bull, and he published a book entitled "Death in the Afternoon" on this very subject.

Of his attraction to the "sport" of bullfighting Hemingway wrote,

The only place where you could see life and death, i.e. violent death now that the wars were over, was the bull ring, and I wanted very much to go to Spain where I could study it.  I was trying to learn to write, commencing with the simplest things, and one of the simplest things, and most fundamental is violent death.

This representation of bullfighting and its pitting of man against a force of death is basic to the existential themes of Ernest Hemingway.  Because life has no meaning (his philosophy of nihilism), but that which man makes of it, the life/death struggles clarify otherwise ambiguous situations in which man finds himself.

How does an individual's biases influence the group and what dynamics come into play?

The majority of the plot of Twelve Angry Men focuses around the biases that cause the men to vote the way they do.  It seems that Juror #8 is the only one to put his biases aside to look at the case objectively.

For instance, Juror #10 is racist.  He believes that "those people" (the racial, ethnic, sexual or political group that the young boy belongs to) have no value for human life, are always killing and up to no good.  He lets this pre-judgement color the facts of the trial for him.

Juror #3 lets his personal relationship with his son color his votes about the boy's guilt or innocence.  Juror #3 has unresolved issues with his own son, and is therefore determined that his boy will pay for the hurt his own son caused him.

Juror #9 allows his bias toward the eldery (and himself) to allow Juror #8 to continue on.  Juror #9 feels he understands the old man (being old himself) and allows himself to empathize with the old man.  Juror #5, being from the slums himself, is also able to empathize with the boy on trial.

What happens in Chapters 7-10 in My Brother Sam is Dead?

In the fall of 1776, Mr. Meeker must plan his usual trip to Verplancks Point to trade cattle in exchange for supplies needed by the family.  Because "there's no one else to do it", Tim will accompany him.  Along the way they are accosted by "cow-boys", Rebels purportedly intent on seeing that the cattle do not fall into Loyalist hands.  A group of riders comes to Tim and his father's rescue, and escorts them safely to their relatives' home in North Salem (Chapter 7).

The riders who rescued Tim and his father are from the "Committee of Safety", which struggles to maintain order between the Rebels and Tories who "live almost in open warfare" in Westchester County.  With the help of their relatives and the Committee escort, Tim and his father get safely to Verplancks Point, do their trading, and return to North Salem (Chapter 8).

Mr. Meeker and Tim must go the rest of the way home alone.  Mr. Meeker rides on ahead to check for danger, while Tim drives the wagon.  On one of his scouting forays, Mr. Meeker is captured by the "cow-boys".  Tim is terrified when, later, he too is again accosted by the bandits, but he manages to convince them that the escort is arriving, and scares them off.  Mr. Meeker does not return, and Tim, not knowing what to do, goes home alone (Chapter 9).

Now that both Mr. Meeker and Sam are gone, Tim and his mother must do all the work on the farm and at the tavern alone.  Tim tries to reach Sam, but is unsuccessful.  Since he has come home by himself with the wagon, Tim "(hasn't) felt like a boy anymore...(he has) changed...(is) acting more like a grownup".  In the spring of 1777, British troops come to town, and skirmish with the Rebels in the area.  Witnessing the brutality of the "Redcoats", Tim, who had definitely sympathized with the Loyalists after coming back from Verplancks, finds he "doesn't "feel much like being a Tory anymore" (Chapter 10).

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", describe Scout’s feelings about the Radley place and Boo Radley.

The very idea of meeting Boo gives Scout the creeps, but she is attracted, as kids are, to the goosebumps feeling she gets whenever the subject of him or the Radley place comes up. Unlike Dill and Jem, however, she does not want to take any unnecessary chances and is half-hearted in following them when they trespass onto the Radley property. They end up getting shot at in the process, but when Jem's lost pants get mended and folded over the fence, the children know who did it.

With this along with other signs of his good intentions, Boo gradually wins the children's confidence, and in an odd way, they do indeed become friends.  Like an imaginary playmate, Boo is invisible but "right there" when the children need him.  This is especially true of the Halloween night when he comes to Jem and Scout's rescue and fights off Bob Ewell with a knife. Ewell is killed, but the children escape with their lives, and Atticuls does not forget to thank him for it in no uncertain terms.

At the end of the story, Scout is able to see the world from Boo's point of view and even states that just standing on the Radley porch is as subjective as she wants to get.  Boo falls back into oblivion, but the children's appreciation of and respect for him remain.

What are the basic themes in the poetry of John Ashbery?

The importance of imagination as it determines how we live and who we are in the world is another recurrent and strong theme in Ashbery's poetry. For Ashbery, the imagination has a role not only in our dreaming and make-believe but in the interpretations we put on our own histories and on our sense of what is possible (both in terms of the possibilities of doing and the possibilities of being).

The imagination is, in a way, our power to determine our own meaning. 

In order for meaning to be brought to bear on any given instance, some creativity must be applied. Lacking imagination, facts remain inert. This thematic conceit is expressed almost directly in "Summer."

There is a sound like the wind

Forgetting in the branches that means something

Nobody can translate. And there is a sobering "later on," 

When you consider what a thing meant, and put it down.

Many of Ashbery's poems are reflective and retrospective, written in the past tense and in the form of a reverie or reminiscence. In this context, we can take note of the wildness that often characterizes the scenes Ashbery depicts. The past is not static. Rather, the past is a canvas that is painted retrospectively in the poem -- by the speaker of the poem. 

We might pose this technique as one related to questions of meaning and how meaning is constructed. Doing so would help to connect Ashbery to post-modernist writers concerned with the instability and fluidity of knowledge (which includes knowledge of the self). 

Another important aspect of the retrospective style in Ashbery's poetry is the implicit comment that this formula makes on identity. Using a collective "we" repeatedly in his poetry, Ashbery generates a sense that the poems speak both of and to specific groups of people and the poems lend insight into the meaning of what these groups did in the past, also offering added context by dint of the fact that these past episodes are being discussed in the present. 

Again, there is idea here that imagination must be applied to facts in order to for the facts to gain meaning. Ashbery's recollections of past episodes are not mere re-tellings of facts. They are creations and inquiries, often literally posing questions. 

[...] We must first trick the idea

Into being, then dismantle it, 

Scattering the pieces on the wind, 

So that the old joy, modest as cake, as wine and friendship

Will stay with us at the last, backed by the night

Whose ruse gave it our final meaning. 

(From "Flowering Death")

Looking at Ashbery's poetry with an eye to the role that imagination plays in the construction of meaning and in memory presents one compelling way to interpret many of his poems. Thematically aligned with post-modernism, this recurrent concept also speaks to the power of his poetry to evoke the familiar and complex romance of nostalgic identity (or the overlap of nostalgia and identity). 

Furthermore, the premise of the conceit that puts imagination at the center of meaning carries overtones that suggest a profound uncertainty or contingency of meaning and knowledge. If we must apply creativity in order to determine our own meaning (i.e., the meaning of our lives or the nature of our identity), then aren't we making ourselves up -- imagining ourselves? 

In what way has Mary Warren changed and what changed her?This pertains to Act 2

In Act 1, Mary Warren seems to be one of the more soft-spoken girls.  She is much quieter than Abigail or Mercy Lewis but, at the same time, is not as shy and afraid as Betty.  In Act 2, John Proctor is discussing Mary Warren with Elizabeth.  Elizabeth brings up the fact that Mary has been in the courts and John says that he “forbid her to go”.   The way in which Proctor says this, leads the reader to believe that Mary is a very naïve, subservient girl who will do what she is told, but she is now beginning to change.  John forbids her to go, yet she goes anyway.  This proves that Mary is becoming more like Abigail in that she is disobedient, disrespectful, and feels that she has become powerful.  In Act 2, there is evidence that Mary does fear Proctor.  When she returns from court, John tells her to go to bed.  Mary’s response is that she is seventeen and she will go to bed when she wants.  John responds by telling her that he will beat her and she quickly goes to bed.  At this point, it seems that Mary is feeling everything out and trying to see just how far she can go with her power-trip. But, by the end of Act 3, Mary has become a completely different girl and no longer fears Proctor as she does in Act 2. 

What does Undine's name mean?In relation to the theme of the novel

Though an undine, in folklore, was a water spirit, Undine Spragg was named, indirectly, for the French word ondule, meaning "to wave" or "to undulate".  The word was from the name of a patent hair curler invented by the baby Undine's grandfather around the time of her birth.  So, Undine's name is the combination of American commercialism, a mythical being, and a French word for "wave."  These many layers of meaning enlighten the reader to Undine's character. 

An undine was a water spirit who could gain a soul if married to a mortal man.  Undine, while certainly human, lacks the "soul" of many of the people around her because she is unconcerned about anyone else's feelings.  Her behavior at times becomes sociopathic, such as when she feels little to no guilt when her husband Ralph Marvell actually kills himself to save her the trouble of divorce.  Undine goes from man to man, with no thought for the well-being of her son.  Similarly, even when Undine's parents are experiencing a loss of income she presses them not to reduce her allowance; Undine's needs always come first.  But unlike the undines of fairy stories, Undine never seems to gain a soul.  At the end of the novel, when she is back with her first husband she still has no concern for him or for her child.  Undine gains nothing emotionally from being with four different men during the course of novel.

The fact that Undine, the product of a Midwestern commercial family, is named after a patent hair-product is an example of Wharton's wry humor.  For an American family like the Spraggs, something that would bring in the almighty dollar would be something fit to name a child after.  Though er beginnings were humble, Undine shows, at various times in the novel, the ability to make good financial decisions.  She is a thoroughly modern (for her time) American woman -- unlike many ladies of her social set, she was able and willing to think about money and ways to get it.  That she does it unscrupulously (by marrying successively richer men) is part of her character and the product of the strictures on her sex at this time, but it is a thoroughly American, no-nonsense way of thinking about money.

That the product for which Undine was named was for women's vanity, too, is not lost on Wharton.  Undine is allowed to charge through New York and, later, European society mostly because she is surpassingly beautiful.  Women of lesser beauty or physical charm would either not be able to perpetuate such marital frauds (as Undine does upon Ralph and Raymond) or be allowed such collosal selfishness.  Her beauty seems to give her a free pass to act as she pleases.  It is a commentary on the society of this time (the "custom of the country" of the title) that beautiful young women, who do not actually incite real scandal, are not held accountable for their actions.  Since Undine was, in her circle, by far the most beautiful woman, she was allowed a great latitude of behavior.

Finally, a wave seems a strange thing to equate with Undine's character.  It seems to be passive, and shaped by the tide, the wind, and the shape of the shore it breaks upon.  But waves are forces of nature, and they cannot be stopped.  Undine lives her life like that -- pushing on toward her own goals, and sweeping everyone in her path aside.  She has the mindless push of water and disregard of others that makes the wave metaphor apt.

Can anyone explain me nepotism with model action plan of recruitment through nepotism?Thanks for your kind information.

Nepotism means showing too much favour by people in power to their relatives. This word is particularly in relation to giving employment and related favours such as higher increments and undeserved promotions. This practice of nepotism is unethical and frequently against policies and interest of company.

Though individuals may engage in nepotism, I have not come across any instances where it is practiced as an formally approved method of recruitment. However, there is another honest recruitment practice that may be confused with nepotism. As per this practice for recruitment selection,  significant importance is given to recommendation of existing employees< and if the person recommended is a relative that is even better. In this system the person who has recommended someone for employment is expected to exercise proper judgement in recommending the right candidate. If a person recommended is found to be much below requirements, this becomes a negative mark against the person recommending.This method of recruitment may offer following advantage.

• It is an economical method of finding candidates for employment.


• Person who recommends is able to exert some influence on the employee recommended to ensure good performance and behavior.


• This fosters good relationship among employees. How ever it can also lead to development of groupism.


• This promotes loyalty among employees as they feel that company values their recommendations.


• Employing more than additional member from a family is one of the way of rewarding an employee, without incurring any extra cost.

What are the proofs of Isabella Swan's love for Edward in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight?

Initially, I think it has to be said that the best way to answer this question is to ask someone who likes the book.  In all honesty, any fan of this book would be able to give you a dissertation and then some on the topic.  It's one of those questions that if you ask someone who likes the book, you'll get more than you would ever need on the topic.

Having said all of this and not being an extraordinary fan of the work, I would say that the most compelling evidence of Bella's love for Edward is that, at the end of the novel, she wishes to be a vampire, like Edward.  This would be the ultimate proof of her love for Edward.  Being a human, and Edward being a vampire, proves that there is a natural chasm or gulf between them.  Due to her love for him, she wishes to bridge that gap and become like him.  He refuses because he understands what such a request would entail (and, unknown to Edward, sets in motion the subsequent follow ups to the work).  Another example of Bella's love for Edward is that she is not repulsed by him or repelled by him being "different."  She realizes that he is different with his demeanor, at first, and then his supernatural ability to save her, and his general presence, which she later realizes is that of a vampire.  However, she is not paralyzed by fear and distance from him.  Rather, she is entranced with him and uses their differences as  a form of mystique, causing her heart to become more entranced with him.  The overriding theme of the novel is her love/ infatuation with him.

As I said, if you know a fan of this book or even if you surf the net for the various homages to the work, I think you would gain more insight into the question.

What does Matthew Arnold hear in "the grating roar/of pebbles" in his poem "Dover Beach"? What thoughts does it bring to his mind?

Matthew Arnold begins his poem "Dover Beach" of describing a beautifully moonlit scene out his window, of the waves crashing on the beach before him.  He describes the sea as "calm," the moon as "fair," the cliffs as "glimmering," the bay "tranquil," and the air "sweet."  With all of these soothing and beautiful descriptions, one would think that Arnold is enjoying the scene, and taking in the view out his window with tranquility and peace.  However, that is not the case at all.  Instead, it makes him depressed at the state of the world.  Instead of interpreting the scene as happy and beautiful, it reminds him of the misery and unhappiness that exist in the world.

At the very end of stanza one, after describing the beautiful scene before him, he states that

"you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in."

The key telling line is the last one; he doesn't find the sound of the waves on the rocks soothing or peaceful.  Instead, he finds them "grating" and irritating, depressing, and descriptive of "eternal sadness."  It brings to his mind the sadness that exists in the world around him; he is reminded of the tragedies that were often in the plays of Sophocles.  Sophocles too lived near a sea (the "Aegean Sea") and Arnold infers that because his plays were so sad, the sea must have reminded Sophocles too of "the turbid ebb and flow of human misery."  He goes on from this point to launch into a melancholy lament at how all good things in the world have "retreated," just like the waves do, leaving people all alone with misery and ignorance, to try to make it on their own.

I hope that those thoughts help to map out Arnold's thoughts through the poem; good luck!

How many centimeter is equal to one meter?no thanks

There are 100 centimeter in 1 meter.

In the metric measurement system the basic unit of measurement used for length is meter. Larger units of lengths are arrived at by multiplying meter by 10, 100, 1000 and so on.

Units of length smaller than a meter are arrived at by dividing meter by 10, 100. 1000 and so on.

Measurements units bigger and smaller than a meter are named by adding prefixes the the main unit- the meter, that represent the multiplier and divider number applicable for the unit. Some of these prefixes and their values are:

deca = 10

hecta = 100

kilo = 100

deci = 1/10

centi = 1/100

milli = 1/1000

micro = 1/1000,000

These prefixes are also used for other units of measurement. For example the basic unit of weight is gram. Thus kilogram is equal to 1000 grams and milligram is equal to one thousandth of a gram.

What are some things that push Eliezer closer to hopelessness and death?

Most of his frustration and depression has to do with how he witnessed the unraveling of human instinct in a moment of extreme circumstance.

For example, when on the cart, he sees the man and the woman exchanging vulgar sexual messages as the fear of dying was rampant in the small space. This is convective because it shows how he, as a child at the time, saw the dark side of desperation and insanity.

This is also evident through hunger. People's hunger was so intense that it changed them into survivors. His father, for example, nearly shifted his role because he was starving for more soup and bread, and both parent and son did not want to take it from each other.

The hundreds of bad news, the people dying, the fear of being burned alive, the ovens- the entire scenario was too chaotic for a man so young. Therefore, his only choice was to try his best to not lose his sanity.

How did Columbus's "Encounter" change history and affect the world?

The voyages of Christopher Columbus changed history because he led Europe west.  In 1492 he landed in the Carribean and made contact with the new world.  However, he did not realize this was a new world he thought he was in Asia.  He made four voyages in all. 

Soon many other nations of Europe began to send ships west.  This started what we call in history the Columbian Exchange.  The Columbian Exchange is when Europeans brought plants, animals, ideas, disease and other goods that were not in America before.  And they took back to Europe the plants, animals that were only in the new world before. 

The people of the new world and the people of Europe, Asia and Africa would never be the same.  Either would the people of the new world, soon European nations would be fighting over the right to colonize in the new world.  The native people of the new world would be devastated and the culture would struggle to survive.

In "Philosophical," Chapter VIII of Book Three in "Hard Times," how does Sleary cleverly arrange to rescue Tom?

In Ch.8 of Book III "Philosophical," Mr.Gradgrind learns to his shock and horror that it was his own son Tom who has robbed Mr.Bounderby's bank. Currently Tom is hiding in Sleary's circus disguised as a clown. Bitzer, the clerk in Bounderby's bank catches hold of Tom and threatens to expose him and have him arrested. All the pleas of Mr.Gradgrind to Bitzer to release his guilty son yield no result. However, Sleary double crosses Bitzer who with the help of his horse and clever dog helps Tom to escape in the following manner:

"I’ll drive your thon and thith young man over to the rail, and prevent expothure here. I can’t conthent to do more, but I’ll do that.’"

Sleary's dog keeps a close watch over Bitzer by constantly barking at him while Tom escapes from his clutches and jumps onto Sleary's pony-gig which takes him to the harbour from where he boards a ship and escapes:

"It’ll be a dark night; I’ve got a horthe that’ll do anything but thpeak; I’ve got a pony that’ll go fifteen mile an hour with Childerth driving of him; I’ve got a dog that’ll keep a man to one plathe four-and-twenty hourth. Get a word with the young Thquire. Tell him, when he theeth our horthe begin to danthe, not to be afraid of being thpilt, but to look out for a pony-gig coming up. Tell him, when he theeth that gig clothe by, to jump down, and it’ll take him off at a rattling pathe. If my dog leth thith young man thtir a peg on foot, I give him leave to go. And if my horthe ever thtirth from that thpot where he beginth a danthing, till the morning — I don’t know him? — Tharp’th the word!’"

How does Salman Rushdie use allusions to convey his ideas and perspectives of 'home' to the reader in "At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers"?I've...

Rushdie's "At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers" is a continuation piece of his beliefs on "The Wizard of Oz."  There are many major allusions in both.  In my mind, the strongest one is how the notion of home is a transformative one.  Rushdie's belief on the nature of "home" is that it is a state of mind combined with physical elements that trigger this mental condition.  His suggestions of how Dorothy views the nature of home is similar to his own predicament of finding "home."  The similarities are fascinating.  Both Dorothy and Rushdie leave their own home through physical turbulence beyond their own control (Dorothy and the tornado as well as Rushdie and the chaos of Partition.)  Both characters encounter unique individuals in their setting away from their own home, and essentially, find a new setting to call "home" away from their own settings.  Additionally, a mental transformation happens in both that make the idea of "home" one that is steeped in the mind, as opposed to merely rooted in physical reality.  The other allusion that grabbed my attention is how Rushdie views "The Wizard of Oz" as one of the first "Bollywood" films, complete with fantastic images, deux et machina abounding, as well as a moral message that is simplistic on one level, but highly intricate and nuanced on another.

What is the setting of Old Yeller?

The setting of a story includes time period, location, and historical context within which the action takes place. Even the atmosphere is a part of the entire frame that encompasses the tale.

As such, Old Yeller is set in the mid 1800's, specifically in 1860. The story takes place in Salt Lick, Texas and in Abilene, Kansas. Kansas, at this time, was a popular "pit stop" and one of the few places which had a terminus (one was in Abilene and another one was in Wichita), given that Texas would not have railroads until the 1880's. This is the reason why Travis's dad, as many other ranchers and farmers, had to go to Abilene to conduct business.

Also, at this time (November), Abraham Lincoln won the Electoral College, while the popular vote denoted a huge division in the nation. When Lincoln wins the presidency of the United States on his anti-slavery platform, the pro-slavery Southern states start to rebel and the first secession from the Union occurs with South Carolina being the first state to start what will become "the confederacy" in December of 1860. This is important information to truly appreciate the atmosphere of turmoil that existed within the confines of this tender and sentimental tale.

However, as of this particular novel, Fred Gipson actually focuses more on the aspects of life in Texas within the specific region where the story takes place. This gives the narrative a stronger "flavor" of the region which helps the author focus more on this particular stamp, rather than dilute the rest of the narrative with broad, historical frameworks.

Which role does individuality play in Fahrenheit 451?

The novel makes a strong and dramatic defense of the value of individuality and the individual's right to exist in society. What most defines an individual is his or her own mind. Control a person's mind and individuality ceases to exist. In Montag's society, the government stamps out individuality through mind control. By outlawing books, burning them and punishing those who persist in owning them, the government usurps each person's right to think--to be a separate and distinct individual in society and to become whatever one chooses to become.

Montag's relationship with Clarisse reminds him of what it means to be a thinking individual and sets him on his dangerous but fulfilling path to act independently of the state. Once Montag begins to think for himself, he is free. The state no longer controls his mind, and he is his own man. When he joins with others like himself in the novel's conclusion, we can infer that a new and better society will emerge from the ruins, built by people who think for themselves, those who have courageously reclaimed their individuality and preserved human history and philosophy through the books they have memorized.

What bothers Winston in the book 1984?

In 1984, Winston is bothered by the fact that he does not have any information on the past.  Winston was fortunate enough to have been born during a time when Big Brother had not yet come into power.  He has vague memories of his life prior to the development of the Totalitarian state which Oceania has become; however, he is unable to make sense of them due to the extreme manipulation from The Party.  Winston even seeks out knowledge about the past from one of the proles at an old pub, but he is not able to recover any information that is of value to him.  He is so bothered by this lack of awareness of his past that he is willing to risk his life (the Thought Police will certainly punish him for seeking this information) to uncover the truth.

What is organizational culture? Where does it come from?

Organizational culture can be loosely described as "the way things are done in an organization. It is a system of shared characteristics that the members in the organization value, and which distinguish the organization from other organizations.

Main characteristics that the organization culture defines include the following.

1. The degree to which innovation and risk taking behavior is accepted and valued.


2. The degree to which employees are expected to pay attention to detail in performance of their work.


3. The degree to which management focuses on the results produced rather than adherence to systems and procedures.


4. Degree to which people and people aspect of any situation is taken into consideration in decision making.


5. The degree to which work is organized around teams of people rather than individuals.


6. The degree to which aggressive and competitive behavior is accepted and appreciated.


7. The relative emphasis placed on maintenance of status quo versus growth.

The current organization culture of any company is largely determined by what has been the way of working in the past and the degree of success achieved using those ways. The ultimate source of the past behavior is primarily the influence of the founders of the organization. The founders contribute to formation of early organization culture in three ways.

1. Founders only hire and keep employee of certain types who conform to their image of the persons with the right attitudes, behavior and background.


2. They mould these people to their way of thinking and behaving.


3. Employees tend to follow the behavior of the employer as a role model for their own behavior.

To Kill a Mockingbird is divided into two parts, each with its own climax. What is the climax of each part, and in what way are the parts related?

The actual two parts into which Lee divides her novel consist of the time leading up to the trial and the trial with its ensuing events.  If you need the climax of those two parts, the climax of the first is when the children begin to change their view of their father.  In Part 1, Scout and Jem see Atticus as old and boring, but a series of events helps to change their perspective. They find out that Atticus is a great shot, get their own air rifles for Christmas, and most importantly, as the events leading up to the trial heat up, they begin to see their father as the man of honor that he is.

In the literal Part 2 of the novel, the climax is when Tom Robinson is found guilty and killed soon afterward.  Everything that Atticus has worked toward and that his children had hoped for seems to be lost at that point.  Of course, this is where critics disagree over the novel's turning points because many see the book as having two unofficial parts--the story of Boo Radley and the trial of Tom Robinson.  If that is the case, then Tom's fate is the first climax, and Boo's rescuing the children is the second.

The connection between the two parts is the Tom Robinson/Bob Ewell conflict.  If Bob Ewell and Mayella had not falsely accused Tom, then the trial would have never occurred, and there would have been no need for Bob to attack the children or for Boo to save them.

You will need to decide if you want to address Harper Lee's literal two parts or the natural two parts of the novel in order to determine the climaxes.

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

In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" there are flashbacks which provide information for the reader to understand the main conflicts between the narrator and Sonny as well as the conflicts within Sonny.  However, the story opens with the traditional exposition in which the main characters are introduced and the "discriminated occasion," or problem is presented:  Sonny's addition to heroin.

However, the development of Sonny's problems does not develop in traditional fashion as it is part of the flashbacks. Likewise, the rising action of the conflict for the narrator comes in the flashback as he recalls what his mother has said to him echoes from the conversation he has had with "the boy from the shadows who tells him, "It's going to be rough on old Sonny."

The climax, or point of highest emotional intensity, comes in the conversation that the narrator and Sonny have after Sonny returns with his green notebook and has a beer with his brother.  At this point Sonny reveals his feelings:

No, there's no way not to suffer,  but you try all kinds of ways to keep from drowning in it, to keep on top of it, and to make it seem--well, like you. Like you did somehting, all right, and now you're suffering for it.  You know?

It is not until the narrator accompanies Sonny to the jazz club, meets Creole, and sits in the dark, listening to Sonny, watching Creole lead Sonny to his self-expression that he realizes the meaning of Sonny's words.  Then, in an "apprehension," or epiphany of knowledge, the narrator is aware of why his mother urged him to look out for his brother; Sonny is like his father who felt too strongly the "menace" of their world and would drown it with heroin as his father drowned it with drink.  Fortunately, for Sonny, Creole leads him to understand that music can ease some of the angst; the blues carry the message.  In the blues, "Sonny's Blues," the narrator's brother can be in communion with the others of his kind.

In "1984", how does Julia's position on party doctrine contrast with Winston's views?

Whereas Winston has faint memories of the past, Julia has been born and raised during the reign of Big Brother.  Therefore, Julia doesn't know anything better or different that the life she has always led.  Winston, although it is foggy, lived during a time when people had freedoms that can only be dreamed of in modern day Oceania.

As a result, Julia is resigned to living the best she can under the heavy restraints of the party.  She lives for the here and the now and immediate gratification.  Hence her appetites for black market food and sex.  Although Winston enjoys these things as well, he as an eye on the future generations of human beings.  Since Winston has seen life differently, he can imagine changing the future.  He realizes that this will not happen in his lifetime, but he has hope.  Julia is simply concerned with living under the rules that are already in place and getting away with as much as she can before she is, inevitably, vaporized.

In 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' what are some rumours and information about Arthur 'Boo' Radley?For example: "when people's azaleas froze in a cold...

Apart from such rumours that "Boo" ate raw squirrels and peeped into people's windows at night, he is ironically first depicted as a typical teenage boy: perhaps running around with the wrong gang and giving into peer pressure, but "normal" just the same. One has the impression that the more extravagent rumours came after his father's sanction for Boo's joy-riding in a "borrowed" car and locking up a school official in an outhouse. Social isolation stigmatizes Boo more than any prank or even crime he could have done; he  becomes a pariah and a byword in the Maycomb community.

Instead of lashing out in rebellion (a normal reaction under the circumstances) as most boys would have done, Boo retreated into a world of his own, complying with the family rules to keep him "out of sight, out of mind." This is not only an unjust and demeasured punishment; it is a denegation of his right to even exist. Moreover, his invisible "presence" and the abnormality of his father's arrangement with local officials feed the rumours circulating about him.  The other boys in his gang who went to a vocational school as part of their "rehabilitation" got on with their lives whereas Boo's life stopped in its tracks the day he disappeared into the Radley house as a permanent recluse.

Is Friar Lawrence a sympathetic or unsympathetic character in "Romeo and Juliet". Why?Friar Laurence is quite involved in the events of this play....

Friar Lawrence is a troubling figure in the play. The friar is the adviser who advises a particular course of action in order to engineer a particular consequence: "so happy prove/ To turn your household's rancor to pure love" (II.3.91-92)  Is Friar Lawrence attempting to "get in good" with the Prince by ending the feud between the Montagues and Capulets? It appears that Friar Lawrence is a schemer of some sort. But to what end?

Friar Lawrence has some lengthy recapitulations of the events of the drama. his narratives look back over the events of the play while the characters themselves look forward into the play. The play itself is full of premonitory warning.

Friar Lawrence is also knowledgable of the "mystical properties" of some plants and makes a sleeping potion for Juliet. How does the "good friar" come by this alchemical knowledge?  It seems out of place for the catholic priest to be dabbling in mystical properties of herbs.

He seems to be well-intentioned toward the plight of the lovers, Romeo and Juliet. His advice seems well intentioned to them as well, but it is through his advice and course of action that the worst of the tragedies develops.

Describe what Pearl's actions upon Dimmesdale were and what do you think it means?

The only time Pearl's actions really affect Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter is right at the end when Arthur dies.  I assume that's the event to which you're referring.  Pearl intuitively knows she has a connection to this man.  Each time they meet, there is a moment of drama.  She kisses his hand at the Governor's mansion, and she throws thistles at him from the cemetery below his window.  In the forest, she washes his kiss from her forehead and the last time they were on the scaffold together she refused to kiss him.  This time, things are different.

She understands he has finally claimed her as his own, and she willingly kisses him before he dies.  The text says it was if a spell had been broken,  We know she goes on to be a loving wife, mother, and daughter.  Apparently this moment truly does have a dramatic impact on both of them--he has died with her forgiveness, and she will have a chance to be whole and normal in her relationships with others.

In Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," what foreshadows Goodman Brown's meeting with his fellow traveler?How does the reader know Brown is keeping...

As Hawthorne’s story opens, the reader sees Goodman Brown departing his home to go into the forest on his errand. The conversation that Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith, have merely expresses her regret that he has to leave when he does. It is not until Goodman Brown, having departed his home and heading through town, looks back at his wife still standing in their doorway. Seeing her standing there, Goodman Brown reflects on their conversation and surmises a sense of foreboding in her face; she thinks there will be trouble that night. Fearing this, she tries to convince him to delay his departure until the following morning.

Young Goodman Brown’s interpretation of his wife’s words does not foreshadow the particular nature of what will come to pass but simply foreshadows that something will happen. Goodman Brown already knows that his errand serves an evil purpose. Brown takes “a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest,” which serves to emphasize the evil purpose of his adventure. As he sees the forest around the path close in behind him, Brown makes a rather prophetic statement: “What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!” This statement clearly foreshadows his meeting with the devil, for immediately after uttering this phrase Brown walks around the crook on the path and sees the figure before him. The figure greets him as if he had been expecting him.

While the words of Faith and those of Goodman Brown himself clearly foreshadow the nature of his meeting with the mysterious figure in the forest, very little evidence suggests the supernatural nature of the figure. The figure himself does not give Brown cause to wonder whether he is supernatural; however, the staff the figure carries with him is another story. Brown notices something interesting about the staff. Its shape and construction make it almost appear that it could be wrought from a black serpent. When the figure and Goodman Brown begin reasoning, both characters make allusions to the unnatural age of the mysterious figure, suggesting that he is old enough to have helped Brown’s grandfather whip a Quaker woman and set fire to an Indian village during King Philip’s War, all while the figure appears to only be about fifty years in age. Evidence for the figure’s supernatural nature lies not in his overt acts of trickery or sorcery but in his words, in the allusions he makes to religious practices, and to allusions he makes as to his unnatural age.

In "A Separate Peace," what does it symbolize when Finny opens the carnival by burning the copy of Iliad?

In Chapter 9 of "A Separate Peace, there may be several symbolic meanings attached to the burning of the copy of the Iliad in order to begin the games of "The Devon Winter Carnival."  Being set in the time of World War II, Gene, the narrator, remarks that Phineas

drew me increasingly away from the Butt Room crowd, away from Brinker and Chet and all other friends, into a world inhabited by just himself and me, where there was no war at all.

So on Carnival day, "this day of high illegal competitiveness," Phineas pulls Gene away from reality, its wars, and rules.  Thus, the burning of the Iliad symbolizes Phineas's desire to diminish the importance of war to Gene.

Another meaning of the Iliad's burning may be that this classic Greek novel, reflective of both the people who instituted the Olympic games and the chronicling of the Trojan War, is destroyed to symbolize the boys' rebellion against the War.

Finally, Phineas may wish to symbolize his liberation from the setting of his life.  The book's burning and the winter carnival symbolize escape from reality:

his own inner joy at life for a moment a it should be, as it was meant to be in his nature.  Phineas recaptured that magic gift for existing primarily in space, ....It was his wildes demonstration of himself, of himself in the kind of worl he loved; it was his choreography of peace.

Gene, too says that he feels exhilirated, with "a separate peace":

It wasn't the cider which made me surpass myself, it was this libertion we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of mementary, illusory, special and separate peace.

How did World War II begin?

The crucial word in your question is 'begin' because it does not ask for anything specific, which is why it is such a great question.  It can be argued that World War I set the stage for World War II, simply based upon the Treaty of Versailles.  For all intensive purposes, a treaty is defined as an agreement between hostile nations. However, the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I was not so much an agreement among nations as it was to be a lesson in punishment for Germany. The Treaty of Versailles held Germany responsible for the war, ordered it to pay reparations, and denied them the right to a military. Combine these mandates with the 1929 stock market crash which was felt just as great in Europe, and the result mired between appeasement and Hilter's march across Europe. The fact was that Germany could never pay the reparations to the nations stated in the Treaty of Versailles. As a result, Germany was left politically and economically fractured. This left the nation vulnerable to those who would use that vulnerability to their own advantage, namely Adolf Hitler. Any nation in turmoil could be blinded by a false the sense of security, disguised in the name of nationalism. WWII began essentially due to the reaction of a nation struggling to make sense of the WWI treaty.  The Treaty of Versailles made the German people feel as if they were 'standing naked on a hill'. Despite WWI and the treaty many Germans felt that Hitler had the capacity, to regain Germany's proper place in world affairs. However, September 1, 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and many of the German people began to question their aliegence to Hitler, keeping those thoughts to themselves for fear of death.

WWII began because it was assumed by the powers that be (after WWI)  that a politically and economically weakened nation would never challenge their power simply because they held (or thought they held) the power.

Please solve:1+sinA/cosA = cosA/1-sinA

Please solve:
1+sinA/cosA = cosA/1-sinA

There is a difference between 1+sinA/cosA = cosA/1-sinA and (1+sinA)/cosA =cosA/(1-sinA).

I take the second case  first and show that it is an identity.Hence it holds for all values of x .

(1+sinA)/cosA=cosA/(1-sinA)

Take the right side:cosA/(1-sinA).

Multiply numerator and denominator by 1+sinA which does not alter the expression value and simplify and show whether it is equal to the left side expression. If it is equal, then it ia an identity.

cosA(1+sinA)/{1-sinA)(1+sinA)}

=cosA(1+sinA)/{1-(sinA)^2},   as (cosA)^2+(sinA)^2=1

=cosA(1+sinA)/(cosA)^2

=(1+sinA)/cosA = left left side.

Threfore , (1+sinA)/cosA = cosA/(1-sinA) is an identity and so, holds good for all values of A.

Part (ii):

Now let us take your actual problem:

Solve:  1+sinA/cosA=cosA/1-sinA . Now  we solve this equation .  This is not an identity. So , the equation can be solved for A. Since this is not an identity, the solution may be for a particular value/s of for which only the equation holds good.

The given equation  is  exactly equivalent to  (by the  PEDMA order of priority) :  1+(sinA/cosA) = (cosA/1) - sinA and you cannot mean or interpret otherwise.

Substitute   tanA=x, then sinA =x/sqrt(1+x^2) , and cosA=1/sqrt(1+x^2).The given equation , therefore, becomes:

1+x=1/sqrt(1+x^2) + x/sqrt(1+x^2)

Multiply both sides by sqrt(1+x^2) :

sqrt(1+x^2)(1+x)=1-x

square both sides and simplify :

(1+x^2)(1+x)^2=(1-x)^2

(1+x^2)(1+2x+x^2)=1-2x+x^2

1+2x+2x^2+2x^3+x^4=1-2x+x^2.

4x+x^2+2x^3+x^4=0

x(4+x+2x^2+x^3)=0

Therefore x=0,   or

4+x+2x^2+x^3=0, which is cubic equation with one real value , x=-2.314596213 , by iteration in exel.Therefore, tanA = 0 or tan A= -2.314596213

Threfore A = tan inverse (0)   or

A =Tan inverse (-2.314596213)

A=0 degree. or A=-66.63368553 deg   or A = 113.3663145 degree.

Therefore, the solution for A :  A=0  or A =113.3663145. The other solution is an extraneous solution.

Tally :

When A=0,  equation (1) gives:

1+tan0=cos0-sin0: LHS=1+0=1 and RHS=1-0=1.

When A=113.3663145

LHS:1+tan(113.3663145)= -1.314596212.....

RHS:cos(113.3663145)-sin(113.3663145)=-1.314596212..

Hope this helps.

What would the main theme of the poem The Road Not Taken?

The main theme of the poem, "The Road Not Taken," is that human beings are confronted with and defined by the choices they make.  The main idea of the poem is that the speaker is confronted with this fork in the road and must make a choice as to which road to take.  The speaker can only choose one path, and must abide by that choice.  The theme of the poem is that human beings are defined by the choices they face and the choices they make.  While we might wish to avoid these choices, the speaker (and, the poet, for that matter) tells us that we are unable to avoid the agonizing element of choice.  There can be little to alleviate this burden from us; we face the fork in the road and must choose.  In the final analysis, the poem indicates to us that the main theme of our choices must also be that we are content with them.  The last line of the poem indicates this, in terms of the speaker realizing that the choices he made "have made all the difference."  It seems to me that this read on the end indicates that regardless of what our choices are and our decisions, they are ours and we must take ownership of that fact.

Can you help me prepare a speech for my closing remarks?Essence of a training workshop

A good set of closing remarks will accomplish several principles.  The first of these would be a brief summary of what has already been discussed.  Making sure you address relevant and concise essential points from your workshop is critical.  Essentially, in your closing remarks, ask yourself, "What must leave with knowing?"  This will help bring a closing meaning to your remarks.  I think that it is always important to thank your audience for their (hopeful) participation and avail yourself to them for any further questions or clarification.  This will create the opening for expanded dialogue.  Finally, I think the best workshops end with some type of motivation or reflective sentiment.  The purpose of your training has been for them to acquire relevant or essential skills.  I think a good closing would be for you to discuss with them as to why they are empowered as a result of these skills.  There is a certain motivational aspect present here and it's a challenging element to accomplish.  Yet, if you can inject some level of this intensity to close out your workshop, your participants leave energized and supercharged in carrying out the skills on which you have instructed them.  If this does not work, perhaps spending some time reemphasizing to them how valuable their work, their efforts, and their work with these skills are to the organization as an entity would be an effective closing note to strike.

How does Eliza's reaction to her bath relate her to the Pygmalion myth?

The Pygmalion myth includes the story of Pygmalion, a gifted sculptor from Cyprus, who had no interest in the local women as he found them immoral and frivolous.  Instead of wooing women like his friends, Pygmalion concentrated on his art.  One day, he discovered a large, flawless piece of ivory and decided to carve a beautiful woman from it.  Once the statue was complete, Pygmalion found it so lovely and the image of his ideal woman that he clothed the figure and  decorated her in jewels. He named her Galatea, which means "sleeping love".  He was so obsessed with Galatea that he visited temple of Aphrodite to ask forgiveness for all the years he had shunned her and beg for a wife who would be as perfect as his statue which the goddess did.  The couple spent their lives together and never failed to credit Aphrodite for their happiness bringing gifts to the temple on a regular basis.

Now, understanding the myth as we do, Eliza's bath scene is similar since Eliza is a little like the male Pygmalion.  Although she is beautiful, she does not see it.  She knows she is a good person, hard working, honest, full of integrity, and dedicated to her art of flower sales.  She is not frivolous or wasteful. Rather than spend the money for heat in her little apartment, she sleeps in her clothes and under any extra clothing she may have.  She would not in her old life "waste" so much good, hot water on something so frivolous as a bath.  Even more, she would never disrobe in front of others--this is where the repeated exclamations of "I'm a good girl, I am!" come from during this scene. Also, like Pygmalion with his lovely statue, Eliza is about to be "awakened" to a side of life she has never known before...and both of them are unable to return to the life they knew before after this experience.  Pygmalion falls in love and begs the goddess of love for a wife; Eliza is about to take a similar plunge, and she is unaware of the consequences in full but seems to be aware of the unknown as shown in the bath scene.

What does Jem learn when he runs up to the Radleys' house and touches it?

Jem thinks he hears someone laughing inside the house when he is dared to touch it.  There is no indication that the laughter is sadistic - in fact, whoever is laughing seems to be amused. Jem doesn't seem scared when he reports this incident to Scout and Dill. Assuming that Boo Radley laughs, it  makes sense that Boo,who has been watching the kids for some time, finds them entertaining.  If Boo did not like the kids, there would not have been multiple presents, and later, the saving of their lives.

In which way does Simon's death represent the death of innocence in the island?

Simon represents the mystic and the thinker on the island.  He does not take sides among the boys and he tries to think things out, preferring to go off by himself to do his thinking. He does not succumb to the evil on the island like the others do.  In this sense, he is also representative of innocence.  Even Piggy and Ralph are present at and do not stop the killing of Simon which shows that they have fallen prey, to a small extent, to the savagery and evil on the island.  Chapter 8 gives the clearest example of Simon as the innocent thinker and the mystic.  This is the chapter in which he "talks" with the Lord of the Flies and then, by himself, discovers the truth of the dead parachutist.  When he tries to clear up, with the others, the fact that the dead parachutist is just that and not a beast, he is killed in a frenzy by the boys. His death kills off the only innocent person on the island.

What is the exposition of "The Last Leaf"?

Exposition refers to the "set up" of information in a story.  This includes the setting, the introduction of the characters, and the establishment of the conflict.

In "The Last Leaf", we learn that the story takes place in New York City, particularly Greenwich Village.  Sue and Johnsy are the main characters, roommates who have come to the city from other locales with an interest in art, suggesting they are both of a creative turn of mind.  Other characters include the doctor and Mr. Behrman, an old man and painter who lives on the ground floor of the building.

The story begins in November, and O. Henry personifies Pneumonia as if the condition is an unwelcome visitor to town.  This is the conflict - Johnsy has pneumonia, and has little chance of surviving.  The conflict is an internal one.  Johnsy is convinced she will die when the last leaf of the season falls off the ivy tree.  It isn't the disease that is dooming her - it is her own perception.

The rest of the story shows how true the effect of perception can be, as we see Johnsy get better from the influence of a trick being played upon her.  The end of the story is an exercise in irony, as the one to play the trick - Mr. Behrman - succumbs to the illness that was trying to take Johnsy.

Why was Montag's capture depicted on the television even though he had escaped?

Montag's capture was farce performed by the government so they could retain supreme control over all civilians. They considered him an enemy of the state, & treated his chase as such. In order for a government to maintain totalitarianism, the citizens must be united against a common enemy. In this case, Montag. During times of war, it is important for enemies to be captured, as proof of the government's competence, power, and righteousness. This works even in democracies-think of the furor surrounding the capture of Saddam Hussein, & imagine the celebration in the United States at the capture of Osama Bin Laden.

In the book however, the government cannot afford to be wrong. In order to keep the citizens content and unthinking, those in power must be right every time. Thus, they fake Montag's capture, keeping the populace happy and unified. They can say that no enemy ever escapes, and no one will question that fact. Even though Montag is truly free, the power lies with everyone thinking he is gone. The government sees no harm in having him escape, because they feel he can do no damage. Plus, their reputation remains intact.

How does the story tie into the title, To Kill A Mockingbird?

One of the major themes of the novel very closely ties in with the title. In Chapter 10, Atticus tells Jem and Scout, “remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” As Miss Maudie later explains to Scout,

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Two characters are symbolic of the mockingbird: Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

In Tom’s case, we see him unjustly convicted of a crime that he did not commit. He is a kind, generous person, who, as Atticus puts it, “had the unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry’ for a white woman,” and he ultimately pays the price for this feeling with his life. Though his only intention is to help Mayella, he is treated cruelly for his kindness.

In Boo’s case, he is spared being the 'killed mockingbird' as Heck Tate protects him from being subjected to the Maycomb community after he saves Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. After being shut up for so long, Boo does not want to be part of the community, and he will be pulled into the limelight if his actions are revealed.

“To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight – to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head. If it was any other man it’d be different. But not this man, Mr. Finch.”

Therefore, Mr. Tate will state that Bob Ewell fell on his knife during the struggle to protect Boo.  At the end of the novel, even Scout has come to the realization that revealing the details of their struggle in the woods would put Boo into the public eye, and “it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”

Throughout the experiences of the novel, Scout has learned of the inherent innocence both Tom and Boo have and has become able to determine that they are not deserving of the treatment they are given by the society around them.

What is the meaning of "If there is hope, it lies in the poles"?Specific quotes or references to the book would be great. Thanks!

At this point early in the book, Winston realizes that no member of the Party can ever revolt. Between the heavy propaganda, the Thought Police, and the absolute willingness to spy on everyone's behalf, there is privacy, and no possible way to stage a revolt among Party members. That is why Winston says "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” He knows that under this system, if the Party says 2+2=5, it will be accepted as truth.

In this society, the Proles (short for proletariats, the working class) are the only section of society with any form of freedom. They can say whatever they want, marry whomever they want, own whatever they want, etc. that is why Winston believes that they are the only hope of breaking the cycle of the Party's control. However, after visiting the proles' community, Winston realizes he is wrong. The world of Oceania is trapped in a paradox: the proles are the only people capable of revolt, yet they have no reason to do so. they are not bound by the rules of the Party, and they have desire to overthrow the ruling class. Thus the cycle continues.

What is the significance of the two poker games in A Streetcar Named Desire?

Two aspects come to mind:

1) The aspect of luck, fortune and destiny: One underlying theme of "A Streetcar Named Desire" is that people are sometimes arbitrarily subjected to hardship, such as when Blanche and Stella's family lose their home "Belle Reve." Hand-in-hand with this idea, though, is counter statement that people can take charge of their lives and are not necessarily at the mercy of fate (as Blanche often supposes).

2)The leit motif of deception and appearance versus reality: Blanche puts a lot of emphasis on putting forth a good image and making things seem better than they really are. This is certainly a mechanism of defence, but it keeps her from dealing with her problems. Instead she puts on "a poker face" until she talks more honestly with Mitch in the end.

In A Separate Peace, what is Leper's description of the accident, and why is his story so upsetting to Finny?

These answers can be found on the last two pages of chapter 11, if you are interested in finding the actual quotes.  Leper actually describes the event very poetically, when he is assembled before the "council" that Brinker has gathered together.  Leper starts off by describing Gene and Finny's positions on the tree.  He states that "one of them was next to the trunk, holding" on to the tree, and the other one was "a little farther out on the limb."  Then, Leper uses a simile to describe what happens next.  He said that they both moved "like an engine" and went on to clarify that he is speaking of the piston of an engine and how "one piston sinks, and then the next one sinks", indicating that whoever was close to the trunk, holding on, caused the limb to sink down, which knocked the other one off balance, causing him to fall off.  When Brinker asks him to clarify who was the one that was next to the tree, Leper refuses, but Finny knows, and has a pretty violent reaction.  For one of the only times in the book, Finny curses, and is really angry.  He curses at Brinker, telling him to collect all of the facts himself if he is so interested, and rushes out, then falling down the large staircase.

So, Leper's description confirms what Gene had tried to tell Finny in the past, but now, Finny finally believes it:  that Gene had knocked him off of the tree, with full intent.  This news is so angering that he storms off in a rage, and ends up falling down the stairs.

What is meant by job card and route card used in production planning function?

Cards are a method of production control, making it easier to track and plan throughout the process. There are a variety of cards, the functions of which sometimes overlap depending upon the production and the preferences of the company producing it. Most of us are familiar with the idea of time cards or library slips; these are a decent analogy, but they tend to contain less detail than a job or route card. Cards do not necessarily have to be physical either.

Route cards are more like guides. They detail the sequence of events and necessary materials for a production, and are more useful for planning than for tracking. A route card does not necessarily mean a particular physical path or direction of travel; we might better describe them as "sequence" cards. They are essentially handed down from someone who has knowledge of the process to someone who is going to actually execute it. 

Job cards are a means of tracking what actually takes place in the production process. The job card is created for a single production, and the work and time that goes into that production is then recorded on the card. We might consider the job card to be a demonstration of one or more steps detailed in the route card. This is then used for bookkeeping, payroll, and so forth.

In Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach," what do the following lines mean? "Retreating, to the breath Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear...

In his poem "Dover Beach," Matthew Arnold relates the feeling that he has that all beauty, faith and love is retreating from the world, leaving behind only misery, sadness, struggle and war.  In the first stanza, he describes the beautiful scene from the window--the moon, the night air, the beach, the waves.  But then, he describes the sound of the waves as showing "sadness" and "misery."  In the third stanza, he describes how a "sea of faith," meaning, a world that is filled with faith, beauty and love, used to be the world that we lived in.  But, that world is "retreating, to the breath of the night-wind."  This is simply saying, poetically, that he feels that faith, love and beauty are retreating, or going away.  The night-wind part of it just indicates that darkness is coming in its place, and beauty goes away as dark night comes in (it's just a poetic reference, tying nighttime to the dying of faith.)  The next phrase, "down the vast edges drear" is Arnold attempting to paint a cold, distant, lonely image of the world.  Faith is leaving the world, and departing from the vast edges of the world (large and distant), edges that are drear.  Drear means that the world is dreary and miserable.  Then, "the naked shingles of the world" is Arnold using a metaphor to describe how exposed, alone, and vulnerable the world is now that faith has left it.  When love and faith disappear, it leaves the world naked, exposed to all of the elements of evil and misery, just like shingles are naked, exposed to the stormy sky.

I hope that those thoughts help; it's a beautifully written poem that uses great imagery and poetic techniques to convey a sense of loss, despair, and at the end, hope.  Good luck!

How does Poe use tone, diction, etc. to create an overall effect upon the reader in "The Fall of the House of Usher"?

Poe does that by adopting the elements of Gothic literature which are a) descriptive language that target specific feelings of horror, coldness, fear, and nostalgia (especially nostalgia) in the reader,  b) the inclusion of the supernatural in the narrative,  c) the use of nature as a form of creating atmosphere (cold climate, overcast, shadowy, dark, wet, humid), d) the debate of normalcy (usually Gothic literature would exaggerate a character, or a situation to stimulate anxiety in the reader, for instance, the man Usher, his sister's disease, the house),   e) and the inclusion of death as the last resort.

The diction and combination of words are also a mechanism in Gothic literature as it appeals to the nostalgia from the reader, the use of proper, old English, the over-formation of words, etc. All those are typical mechanics of Gothic lit and House of Usher is a prime example of it.

Which was the first and the last comedy of Shakespeare?

"The Two Gentlemen of Verona" which is believed to have been written in the early 1590s is considered by Shakespearean scholars to be Shakespeare's first comedy, in fact his first play for the stage. However, it was not published till 1623 in the first folio.

"The Tempest" is considered by Shakespearean scholars to have been his last comedy. It was most probably written between 1610-1611. It was first performed most probably on the stage in 1611. It was published however, only in 1623 in the first folio.

Comment on the dramatic irony in each scene: The omens of tragedy even in the romantic language of act 2 scene 2.I do not understand this question,...

From the question asked, it seems that your teacher is looking for examples of foreshadowing in the text.  An omen of tragedy would be anything that the characters say that foreshadows the tragic end of the play of which they are unaware.  Some examples from Act 2 Scene 2 would include:

When Romeo says:

"I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight;
And but thou love me, let them find me here:
My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love."

Stating that Juliet's kinsmen would kill him if was found but that he would rather be killed as a result of their hate than want for her love.

When Juliet says:

"Sweet, so would I:
Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.
Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow."

Here she is stating that she would keep Romeo close but with that desire would kill him.

So, as you are reading, you are looking for times when the characters foreshadow what happens at the end.  I hope this helps!