Write a critical appreciation of the poem "La Belle Dame Sans Merci."

In the Romantic Age there was a renewed interest in the ballad form which was sparked off by Percy's "Reliques" and Wolrdsworth and Coleridge's "Lyrical Ballads." Keats was influenced by the Ballad Revival and his  literary ballad "La belle Dame sans Merci" (the beautiful pitiless lady) deals with the plight of a "knight-at-arms" who has been seduced by "a full beautifull faery's child" only to be deceived and enslaved by her.

The poem begins with the narrator asking the knight why he is wandering all alone on the bleak countryside at this odd time of the year. The pale and haggard knight replies that he met a beautiful, ethereal lady with whom he fell in love with straightaway. She reciprocated his offerings of love tokens and soon immediately took  him to her home, where they consummated their love.

Soon she charmed him to sleep and vanished. While asleep he had a horrifying dream in which mighty kings and warriors-the former victims of this beautiful maiden-declared that the beautiful pitiless maiden had enslaved him forever. Frightened, he awakens from his nightmare to find himself wandering all alone on this deserted stretch of the countryside hoping that death would soon put him out of his misery.

Keats wrote this poem when he was suffering from T.B. He knew that he would die soon, so he was depressed. The overall mood of the poem reflects this disconsolate state. The expression "pale and haggard" describes the physical state of a person suffering from T.B.

The literary ballad epitomizes the following characteristics of the Romantic Age:love for nature, loneliness, love, the supernatural, mystery and mysticism.

Who is the narrator for most of House of the Spirits? Alba?

It's always interesting to discuss the point of view in regards to House of the Spirits!  The majority of the narration is truly third person omniscient (called thus because this narrator knows everything and tells the reader).  This narrator is always using the terms he or she to refer to people (which is the reason why "third person" is in its description) and always relates what they think and feel. 

However, there are a couple of other narrators that are really important to mention.  The first time a character speaks in the first person (in other words, using the pronoun I) the reader will realize that the character remains unnamed; however, it becomes clear by the end of the novel that this unnamed first person narrator is Alba herself.  There is also another elusive first person narrator in this story:  Esteban Trueba.  The main reason for the introduction of this new point of view is to voice the character's great pain or anger that he doesn't express in front of others.  Without this insight, the reader would certainly misjudge Esteban.  The other reason for Esteban's voice is to reiterate the idea that this is a collection of ideas from written and oral family history.

In "Macbeth,"what are some main quotes from act 3 scene 1 and what do those quotes mean?

Act III of "Macbeth" opens with Banquo in soliloquy:  He reflects that he has acquired what the weird sisters predicted. He wishes that the prophecy of the witches about his sons also becoming kings will be fulfilled.  But, upon the approach of Macbeth, he quiets himself, for he does not trust Macbeth.

Thous hast it now:  King, Cawdor, glamis, all/As the weird women promised, and I fear/Thou play'ds most foully for 't.  Yet it was said/It should not stand in thy posterity,/But that myself should be the root and father/Of many kings.  If there come truth from them--/As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine-/Why, by the verities on thee made good,/May they not be my oracles as well/And set me up in hope?  But hush, no more! (III,i,1-10)

After Banquo departs, Macbeth then speaks a soliloquy:

To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus--/Our fears in Banquo stick deep,/And in his royalty of nature reigns that/Which would be feared.  'Tis much he dares;/And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,/He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor/To act in safety.  There is none but he Whose being I do fear:  and under him/My genius is rebuked, as it is said/Mark Antony's was by Caesar.(III,i,48-57)

Now Macbeth is worried about Banquo, fearing both the wisdom and progeny of Banquo. He ponders that his murder of Duncan may have been "For Banquo's issue" and not for himself and his sons.  So in order to elimate any obstacles, Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son.  He tells these murderers that he cannot be connected to this murder as he must remain friends with some who also like Banquo.  They agree to do the deed.  Macbeth says,

It is concluded:  Banquo, thy soul's flight,/If it find heaven, must find it out tonight. (III,ii,141-142)

These words of Banquo and, especially, Macbeth indicate that the friendship between the two men has been dissolved by the influence of the spiritual world and by the ambition in both men's hearts.

In A Tale of Two Cities, why do you think Darney decide to return to France, and why is he drawn to the danger even though he knows the risks?

In The Tale of Two Cities, Charles Darnay is a native of France who is now happily living in London.  When he was last in France he denounced his claim to his aristocratic title and home. The Revolution had not yet begun, and he did what he felt was right to absolve himself of his home and heritage--everything but make it official, that is.  Things changed after he left.

Charles must go back. What he doesn't understand is how things have changed and the thirst for aristocratic blood in France since he was last there.  If he had known, he still would have gone; however, it's likely he would have gone about it differently.

What is the summary of Shakespeare's sonnet 130?

In the sixteenth century, a form of poetry called the blazon was briefly popular. “Blazon” is a technical term usually used to describe heraldry. It always involved a detailed summary of all of the main features and colors of an illustration and also described the position and relation of one picture to another. This method of depiction was translated into poetry and was used to portray the features of the human, usually female, body. A typical blazon would start with the hair and work downward, focusing on eyes, ears, lips, neck, breasts and so on. Sometimes, it would start at the feet and work its way up. (One famous example of the blazon is English poet Edmund Spenser’s description of Belphoebe in book two of his poem The Faerie Queene.) This form was well suited to the style of courtly love poetry that was flourishing at this time, as it allowed writers to project an idea of an idealized and distant woman whose features they could admire from afar.

Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130” is interesting because it works by inverting the traditions of the blazon form and the conventions of Petrarchan love poetry which idealized the description  of the female body.

All the twelve lines do not praise or idealize the beauty of the physical features of his lover, but on the contrary criticize her physical features by revealing the shortcomings in them by contrasting her physical features with their respective  idealised poetic versions:

Her eyes are not as bright as the sun, her lips are not as red as the coral, her complexion is not fair as snow and her hair is not blonde. Her cheeks are not like roses, her breath is not sweet smelling and her voice is not musical and pleasant to hear.  She is certainly not a heavenly beauty, there is not divine or angelic about her. BUT still she is unique and  the poet values her for her uniqueness by concluding that there is none like her.

Shakespeare is criticising the Petrachan modes of praising and glorifying the beauty of the female form by a love struck youth. These poetic terms by repeated use had lost their freshness of appeal and had become mere cliches. Hence Shakespeare's sonnet 130.

What's ironic about Calpurnia saying she'll be warmer at her own house rather than at the Finches and what type of irony is it?

Calpurnia is black, and presumably she lives near the other black residents of Maycomb in "the Quarters". This part of town consists of rather neat, tidy, but very small cabins out past the city dump.

The Finch home, the reader can presume, is very nicely furnished, larger, more lavish and far more luxurious than all the cabins put together!

It is ironic that an upper-middle class home would not be able to be heated well enough to provide maximum comfort, whereas the small, snug cabins are just the perfect side to allow warmth and heat to spread throughout.

One would expect that the nicer homes in town would be the most comfortable, but in this case, it is the small cabins that are the warmest place to be on a cold evening.

In Anthem, what are some of Equality 7-2521's characteristics (with examples)?

I think the most important characteristic of Equality 7-2521 is curiosity. The entire story is driven by his curiosity and it is what saves him from the World Society at the end of the book. I also think that his curiosity is what will eventually save the rest of the population from the society. If one person can escape as easily as Equality 7-2521 did, then others may figure out that they need more in their lives and be able to escape as well.

Equality 7-2521's curiosity is illustrated at first by his discovery of the tunnel with International 4-8818. However, once the discovery is made, he continues to go to the tunnel in an effort to learn more and more about what is down there. Eventually, his curiosity gets him temporarily into trouble when he loses track of time and neglects to come back to the Home of the Street Sweepers by his curfew.

Importantly, Equality 7-2521 is unable to stop being curious. He is driven to learn as much as he can and he sees it as a gift, as illustrated at the end of the book. He has found books to read and he is elated:

It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house that I saw the word "I."... I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I understood why the best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt for my sins.

Equality 7-2521's sins and transgressions all stemmed from his curiosity. They were his curiosities. Having realized this, he is able to freely explore his curiosities for the good of mankind.

Explain the role of "Positioning" in services marketing.

Positioning is a process that companies use in business marketing to create an image in the mind of the consumer.  With all of the media and the mass marketing we have in today’s society, everyone is over powered with advertising messages.  We have advertisements on the Internet, television, stores and even before a movie at the theater.  With the correct positioning a company can bring its product to the front of the consumers mind and make their product a stand out brand.  

Jack Trout and Al Ries are two men who brought the positioning process to the forefront of the marketing world in the early 1970’s. They said that the idea of positioning

”was to occupy a unique position in the consumer’s mind to cut through all of the confusion caused by brand proliferation and advertising clutter.”

This "positioning" is part of an over-all marketing strategy in which the marketing specialists choose who they want to target for their product and then "position" their product to that market.  There are many different types of strategies for this style of advertising.  “There are broad, price segment, usage segment, geographical segments, psychological segments and channel distribution marketing strategies.”

In "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote, what does Buddy's face look like?

In "A Christmas Memory" "nostalgia fiction" by Truman Capote. He writes of the old woman:

We are each other's best friend.  She calls me Buddy, in memory of a boy whos formerly her best friend.  The other Buddy died in the 1880s, when she was still a child.  She is still a child.

So, Buddy is the child Truman Capote. At the time of the story he is seven. To find he he looked like, you merely need to locate a biography of Capote on a search engine or in a bookstore or library. Capote was short, with a short neck and rather rounded face that had wide-set. thoughtful eyes, a  short, straight nose. From his name and origin of birth (New Orleans), Capote was probably French.  (Of course, Capote is characterized in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" in which Dill is described as rather chubby and unathletic.

In Act 2 of The Crucible, why does Marry Warren continue to accuse people?

Mary Warren continues to accuse others of witchcraft for several reasons, but the primary motivation is fear.  Abigail is very charismatic and has threatened the girls if they turn against her.  Mary has witnessed firsthand what happens to those whom Abigail views as threats--they are accused.  If Mary separates herself from the girls, she knows that they will accuse her of witchcraft and that she will end up in jail or sentenced to death.

A lesser motivation for Mary's accusations is the attention that she and the other accusers have received.  Keeping in mind that Puritan girls had few rights and little attention, the trials would have been the most exciting event for many of these girls.  Instead of performing tedious tasks around the Proctor home all day, Mary gets to go to town, sit in court, and, in essence, hold a position of power.

Finally, she is flexing her independence.  As a servant to the Proctors, Mary is not her own person.  She must do as they command.  In going to town, she disobeys the Proctors, and there is little they can do to stop her.

What happened to the duchess in Browning's "My Last Duchess"?

"My Last Duchess" a subtly patterned poem in pentameter that steps into the next line is the dramatic monologue of the Duke Ferrara as he negotiates a new marriage with the emissary for another wealthy family.  As the Duke passes the portrait of the young Duchess who has died, he mentions her with less than regret to his guest that the painter Fra Pandolf made "by design when he portrayed "that picured countenance."  Continuing his narrative, the Duke tells the emissary that Fra Pandolf

chanced to say, 'Her mantle laps/Over my lady's wrist too much,'or, 'Paint/Must never hope to reproduce the faint /Half-flush that dies along her throat.'

As the Duke's monlogue about the painting continues, it becomes apparent that the young woman's "looks went everywhere."  When the Duchess

thanked men--good! but thanked/Somehow--I know not how--as if she ranked/My gifft of a nine-hundred-years-old name/With anybody's gift

the Duke is too insulted to excuse her and chooses "Never to stoop.  He gives his wife "commands," but she ignores them.  So, "all smiles stopped together."  And, in the same breath, the duke nonchalantly says, "There she stands/As if alive" and continues his business of a new marriage without missing a beat of the pentameter.  The Duke dismissed her life just as he has dismissed the painting.  And, since this poem's setting is the Renaissance, the assumption by the reader must be that the Duchess has been killed since divorce in Renaissance Italy was nonexistent.

Explain the line "The trumpet of prophecy" from "Ode to the West Wind".

The "trumpet of prophecy" is a critical component of Shelley's closing in "Ode to the West Wind."  He seeks to link the natural phenomena of storms and the natural changing of the seasons to the his own hopes of achieving poetic immortality from obscurity.  Essentially, through a natural experience, Shelley seeks to link it to his own evolution as both thinker and artist.  Shelley sees the power of the winds, as it scatters leaves and hopes that it will "drive my dead thoughts over the universe," an allusion to the fact that while he might not be appreciated now, Shelley hopes to achieve poetic immortality over time.  As "ashes and sparks" are scattered, his hopes are that his worlds will follow accordingly.  He closes the poem with the idea that the "trumpet of a prophecy" is the wind, and its signal for change, for growth, for evolution.  As the seasons change, from winter to spring, his hopes are that his measure as a poet and thinker will also evolve, and the trumpet is the natural evolution from destruction to creation.  The prophecy aspect makes this as something known and understood, what he seeks for both his words and stature as a poet.

Does the symbol in "The Glass Menagerie" mean the same thing throughout the play or does it change?

For the most part, the meaning of the symbols in The Glass Menagerie don't change they consistently reflect the conditions in which the characters live, such as Laura's fragile nature which is symbolically illustrated through the glass menagerie. The only element of this symbol that changes is the unicorn.

The glass unicorn is a symbol for Laura, who is not like the other horses in her collection because the horn on his head makes him a little bit different.  Like Laura, who is not like other girls, because she has a slight limp.  But after Laura's romantic interlude with Jim O'Connor, and while dancing, they accidentally knock the unicorn off the table and the horn breaks off, Laura is changed into a regular girl at the same time that the unicorn is changed into a regular horse.

The only changing symbol in the play is the unicorn.

The need for true escape from the torment and confinement that exists within the walls of the apartment as symbolically represented in the fire escape, and Mr. Wingfield's picture that hangs in the apartment remain constant.  Tom longs for escape, resenting and admiring his father at the same time, one for getting out of the relationship with his mother and two for abandoning him.

Tom steps out onto the fire escape frequently foreshadowing his future escape from the frustrations that exist in the apartment and his following in his father's footsteps.

Amanda's most powerful symbol in the play is her past, her memory of her girlhood in the Blue Mountains where she was so popular that 17 gentleman callers arrived one Sunday afternoon.  Amanda's memories will remain with her and there is no way for the reader to know if they are true or exaggerated.

One of the most powerful themes in the play is illusion versus reality, it is hard to establish what is real within the Wingfield's world other than the obvious.

In which layer of earth are gold and metals are present?

Of the more than 100 elements of the periodic table, the majority are metals. So, metals are found in all layers of Earth's structure.

The eight most common elements in Earth's crust (by mass) are:

Oxygen (O) 46%
Silicon (Si) 28%
Aluminum (Al) 8%
Iron (Fe) 5%
Calcium (Ca) 3.6%
Sodium (Na) 2.8%
Potassium (K) 2.6%
Magnesium (Mg) 2%

Together, oxygen and silicon make silicon dioxide, the building block of silicates (a very large class of minerals). The rest of the elements listed are metals. As you can see, precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum are not abundant. Currently, South Africa is estimated to be the world's largest producer of gold. The U.S. and Brazil also have large gold resources.

In a 2006 issue of the highly-respected science journal Nature, Professor Bernard Wood of Australia presented calculations that show that 99% of Earth's gold is located in the core. This occurred during Earth's formation, when it was entirely molten and heavy elements such as iron sank to the center of Earth, leaving light elements such as oxygen and silicon to "float" on the surface and eventually solidify into the crust and mantle.

The mantle, the thickest layer of Earth, is made of essentially the same elements as the crust but with higher percentages of heavy elements such as iron and magnesium.

The outer and inner cores are both made of mostly iron with a little bit of nickel (Ni), but the outer core is "liquid" and the inner core is solid.

For Great Expectations I have to give an example of connotation. I don't get the definition. What are some examples of connotation?

Words have both denotations and connotations; this multidimensional quality enhances both prose and poetry.  While the denotation of a word is the literal meaning that can be found in a dictionary entry, the connotation of a word are all the meanings that a word suggests, its overtones of meaning.  A word acquires these connotations from its past history and associations, from the way and the circumstances in which it has been used.  For instance, the word home means literally (denotation) a place where one lives, but by connotation is suggest security, love, comfort, family, warmth.  The words childish and childlike both mean characteristic of a child; however, their connotations differ.  Childish has a negative connotation:  it suggests pettiness, capricious behavior, temper tantrums.  But, childlike has a more positive connotation, suggesting innocence, naivete, wonder, meekness.  Laura, a shy young woman in "The Glass Menagerie," for instance, is childlike, but certainly not childish. So, it is important to select words by both their denotation and connotation.

In "Great Expectations" Dickens ironically uses the word "Tickler" for the stick that Mrs. Joe beats Pip with so unmercifully.  The word tickle has a denotation of "to be affected with a tingling or itching sensaiton, as from light touches or strokes.  But, in this novel, "Tickler" suggests anything but light strokes!

Look for simpler words that have different meanings in the context of the novel.  For instance, when Magwitch calls upon Pip in London in the middle of the night, he explains why he has visited Pip. Revealing that he is Pip's benefactor, he excitedly relates how he has saved for Pip and planned to make him a gentleman.  Pip narrates,

In his heat and triumph, and hin his knowledge that I had been nearly fainting, he did not remark on my reception of all this.

Ask yourself what is the difference between the literal meaning of heat and what is suggested in this passage?  The difference is connotation.

Good luck!

Can someone summarize "The Shakespeare Stealer"?

robsssssssss,

In Elizabethan England, Widge is a 14 year-old orphan who has a talent for “swift writing,” writing things down in shorthand. He was taught this by a priest to steal other priests’ speeches.  Widge then works for a man who wants Widge to swift write William Shakespeare’s Hamlet before it is printed.

Widge is given an over-seer named Falconer, who is very bad. Widge, in the middle of copying is so caught up in the play that he forgets to copy things down. His notebook is eventually stolen with his notes. He tries to transcribe it again, impersonating one of the players, but he ends up being accepted by them.

He is accepted into the Lord Chamberlain's Men and they make him feel welcome. Widge has to ponder his loyalty to his master, or his new found friends. He ends up choosing the right course of action.

Why is the mob important in Julius Caesar?How do they fluctuate from one extreme to another?

The mob is important in Julius Caesar because of their power. Anyone who can command the allegiance of the mob can control the city of Rome itself, and anyone controlling the city of Rome is more than half-way towards total control of the Roman empire.

All of the major players in Julius Caesar recognize the power of the mob. However, some of them understand what moves the people more accurately than others, and are so rewarded with greater success.

The conspirators are uneasily aware of Caesar's popularity with the common people as they are plotting his assassination, and it is probably no coincidence that Casca, who gives a half-contemputous account of how well the people love Caesar (Act I, Scene 2), is also the first to urge Brutus to take the podium to justify Caesar's murder (Act III, Scene 1). A bit further on in the same scene, Brutus says to Mark Antony,

Only be patient till we have appeased
The multitude, beside themselves with fear,

Thus, the conspirators understand the power of the mob and the need to get the common people on their side. However, Brutus goes about this in an intellectual rather than an emotional way, and is so swept away by notions of fairness and justice that he allow Mark Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral service. Cassius is horrified by this, realizing what Antony might be able to do by appealing to the mob:

You know not what you do. Do not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral.
Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter? (Act III, Scene 1)

Brutus ignores this advice, with the result that his own justifications are forgotten by the popular masses when they hear Antony's passionate appeal to their sentiments, and the conspirators are run out of town (Act III, Scene 2) by a lynch mob so furious that it even murders one man for merely having the same name as one of the conspirators (Act III, Scene 3).

Thus, the mob is important in Julius Caesar because they hold the key to power in the city of Rome, capital of the Roman Empire. The conspirators' failure to win them over highlights their lack of understanding of the political and military situation, and foreshadows their defeat and death.

What does this sentence mean, and how does it apply to people like Andy and Red? In the book "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" on page...

The sentence about "taking" life refers to prison life, the life of an institutionalized person who is trapped within walls.  The idea of "taking life" derives from the idea that hope is taken away when one has a life sentence in prison.  This hope can take many forms:  Hope of a better life, hope of making better choices, hope of seeing something else, hope of absorbing a different narrative, or even hope of writing a new and different chapter in one's life.  It is this breaking of the human spirit, of taking life, that is being addressed in this portion of the book's description of prison life.  It does not merely have to be prison which is the subject of that sentence.  Any form of life that removes the ability to dream, to envision new frontiers, and that deadens the sensibilities that allow us to see something that might be from what is represents a force that "gives you life and that's what they take."  Essentially, this is another type of prison, one of mentality and of internal psyche.  Part of what makes the statement so powerful is that it likens prison to not merely being a physicality or something that is tangible, but rather something that can also be mental and internal.  Some would argue that this conception of prison- the one where "they take life- all of it that counts anyway"- is even more horrifying than an actual and physical prison because of its dehumanizing effect.  The person whose life- "the part of it that matters- is taken is one who is reduced to a shell of a human being, one that has been robbed of dignity, the ability to dream, and the ability to transform.  This represents what the statement is addressing and how this vision of prison impacts the characters on both spiritual and physical levels.

What is significant in the doctor's remark about "facing things" in Chapter 5 of A Separate Peace?

The doctor's remark about "facing things" is significant because, in the story, it has to do with so much more than just the fact that Finny will no longer be able to play sports.  Not only will Finny not be able to do the things at which he had always naturally been the best - sports - but he will also have to come to terms with the realizations that his best friend might have hurt him on purpose, and that he will not be able to participate in the defining event of his generation, the war.

Dr. Stanpole tells Gene about Finny that

"Sports are finished.  As a friend you ought to help him face that and accept it.  The sooner he does the better off he'll be".

When Gene hears this, he

"burst(s) out crying into (his) hands...(crying) for Phineas and for (him)self and for this doctor who believe(s) in facing things".

Gene understands that the doctor has no idea of the magnitude of the difficulties that Finny will have to face.  Gene is tormented by the guilt of the realization that he had purposely jostled the branch and made Finny fall, Finny, who had just a few days earlier courageously declared that Gene was his "best pal".  Finny will not only have to face the fact that he can no longer participate in the sports that he loves, but that the reason for this tragedy is a betrayal by his self-proclaimed best friend.  Also, although Gene does not yet realize the full implications of this, Finny will have to also face the reality that while all of the others will be swept away into the tide of war, the defining event of the day, he, who has always been a leader, will alone be left behind (Chapter 5).

What lines characterize Mrs. Hale's reaction to the men behavior? What lines characterize Mrs. Peter to the men early in the play?what lines show...

Mrs. Hale believes the men are looking for evidence to support a quick conviction.  They don't see that Mr. Wright may not have been a innocent victim.  Mrs. Hale reacts strongly to the county attorney when he attacks Mrs. Wright as a housewife.

COUNTY ATTORNEY  I shouldn't say she had the homemaking instinct.

MRS. HALE. Well, I don't know as Wright had, either.

COUNTY ATTORNEY. You mean that they didn't get on very well?

MRS. HALE. No, I don't mean anything. But I don't think a place'd be any cheerfuller for John Wright's being in it.

Here she's saying that the man of the house was not an easy person to live with.  She also reacts strongly when the men scorn her remarks about the quilt. 

MRS. HALE. I wonder if she was goin' to quilt or just knot it? (Footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs. The Sheriff enters, followed by Hale and the County Attorney.)

SHERIFF. They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it. (The men laugh, the women look abashed.) ...

MRS. HALE (resentfully). I don't know as there's anything so strange, our takin' up our time with little things while we're waiting for them to get the evidence. (She sits down at the big table, smoothing out a block with decision.) I don't see as it's anything to laugh about.

What they don't realize is that she has discovered an important piece of evidence but because it is 'a trifle' they don't concern themselves with it.

Mrs. Peters is a true sheriff's wife.  She defends their actions when Mrs. Hale comments about the men critiquing her homemaking skills

MRS. PETERS. Of course it's no more than their duty.

and trying to turn Mrs. Wright's house against her

MRS. PETERS. But, Mrs. Hale, the law is the law.

She is the epitome of a dutiful wife.

That changes however with the discovery of the birdcage and the dead bird.  For Mrs. Peters, this brings back not only childhood memories but also memories from early on in her marriage.  These memories, along with Mrs. Hale's memroies of Mrs. Wright before she was married, begin to pull the two women into an unspoken agreement about the evidence they have found.  As the women begin to empathize more with Mrs. Wright's situation, they realize she could be responsible but that she may have already served her punishment, something the men would not understand.

Why did Mr. Singh use the metaphor of a sea voyage in The View from Saturday? Why did Mr. Singh use the metaphor of a sea voyage to describe the...

The description of a sea voyage is an apt metaphor to describe the experiences of the four children and of Mrs. Olinski, and it is one with which Mr. Singh is completely familiar.  Mrs. Olinski, Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian have all returned from journeys of self-discovery, and since their "travels" have all had a beginning and an end and involved experiences in uncharted "waters", their journeys can very well be compared with sea voyages.  Noah had journeyed to Century Village, adjusting to life and learning to appreciate the older residents there.  Nadia had also gone to Century Village and had discovered both how to adjust to her parents' divorce and how she could make a difference in the world by helping the turtles return to the Sargasso Sea.  Ethan had taken a short but significant journey on the schoolbus, where he found that he had within himself the ability to overlook the detriment to his own social standing and extend himself to someone else in need, and Julian, after long years of moving from place to place, had found a place to belong at Sillington House, with the Souls.  And finally, Mrs. Olinski had been on a journey to reclaim her old life, returning to teaching after having suffered a terrible accident.

Until he had come to Sillington House, Mr. Singh had made his living working as a cook on cruise ships with his wife, who was a singer.  Their son Julian traveled with them until he was of school age, after which he attended boarding school and continued to travel with his parents during the summer.  The metaphor of a sea voyage would come naturally to Mr. Singh because of his own family's experiences, and, in describing journeys, it makes complete sense that he compares them to traveling at sea.

Describe the violent act Tom committed against Myrtle in "The Great Gatsby". What does this reveal about him?Just in chapter 2.

At a party in their apartment, Myrtle keeps saying the name "Daisy" over and over. Tom hits Myrtle across the face, breaking her nose. This is the second time that Tom's penchant for hurting women is very real. When Nick first meet Daisy, she is complaining that Tom is a "brute" and he hurt her little finger. However, the incident was only alluded to by Daisy. In Chapter Two, Tom's explosive anger is actually revealed as Nick and the others in the apartment see him hit Myrtle in order to stop her taunting.

What is the main theme of the poem "The Silken Tent"?

Naturally, with any poem, different interpretations and reads can be present.  I think that the main theme of Frost's "The Silken Tent" is that there is a strength and individuality within the soul of women.  Traditionally poetic conceptions of women depict them in different lights, but Frost's theme emphasizes the austerity and distinctively independent quality within women. 

He does this in several ways.  In the opening line, the woman is personified as "a silken tent" in the middle of a field.  The "central cedar pole" is a deliberate reference to a type of wood that distinguishes itself from all others, having both natural and religious significance.  The "sureness of the soul" reflects confidence and clarity in voice and vision. 

The setting of the poem casts the tent alone in the center of a field, indicating that the confidence and austerity of a woman's character stands out.  The repeated idea, or theme, in this poem is a testimony to the independent and strong spirit of women.

What is a short summary of Freak the Mighty?Just about 2 paragraphs or so, thanks!

Max is a very big boy who is a slow learner, and Kevin is a brilliant little boy who has Morquio Syndrome, a dangerous form of dwarfism.  The two develop a close friendship, and spend time together with Kevin riding up on Max's shoulders.  With Kevin guiding, Max carries his small friend all over town, and the two go on imaginary quests, pretending they are knights looking for "dragons".  When school starts, Kevin's mother and Max's grandparents arrange for them to be in the same special education class.  Max helps Kevin get around, and Kevin helps Max learn to read.

Max's father is a notorious criminal who is serving time in prison.  On the day Max learns his dad, Kenny, will be released on parole, Kevin has a seizure in the school cafeteria, but recovers after a short hospital stay.  On Christmas Eve, Kenny kidnaps Max from his home.  He ties Max up and leaves him in an abandoned building while he looks for a car.  A woman named Loretta tries to help Max escape, but Kenny, who killed Max's mother many years ago, returns, and begins choking both Loretta and then Max.  Suddenly Kevin shows up with a squirt gun which he claims is filled with acid.  The solution is not really acid, but it is caustic; Max is able to escape, and Kenny is arrested and sent back to prison.

Kevin has another seizure on his birthday, goes to the hospital, and eventually dies.  Max is distraught and withdraws from the world for a time, but after about a year, he is inspired by a dictionary Kevin had made for him to write the story about their adventures and friendship.  That story is this book, Freak the Mighty.

You can find a much more comprehensive summary of the book at the link referenced below.

Why does Hawthorne include Mistress Hibbins in "The Scarlet Letter"?Mistress Hibbins is described as being a witch and many of the scenes with her...

Mistress Hibbins was an actual historical figure, a woman convicted and hung of being a witch.  Hawthorne includes her for two reasons.  One, as the sister of the governor, she helps to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the society.  Two, she presents a foil to Hester, allowing us to understand Hester better.

Hibbins could be the other side of Hester, the bad side.  Hester could easily go over to that bad side. Having been alienated from the community, as Hibbins has been, she could become evil, angry, and a servant of the devil.  All the things that Mistress Hibbins is.  The town pushes Hester to the edge of town - Hibbins domain is the forest, so Hester is almost there.  Hibbins actually tries to tempt Hester into that forest, so sign her name with the "Black Man."

Hibbins is offering Hester frienship, connection - Hester refuses.  This character allows us to see how devout Hester is as a Christian.  She will not, despite her rough times, turn to the dark side of society and herself.

In Chapter 9 of The Lord of the Flies, what does the action of the tide carrying Simon's body out to sea suggest about him?

Simon has discovered that the 'beast' - which fills the boys with a kind of mythological fear - is nothing more than the corpse of the paratrooper. But, in a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Simon bears this revelation to the boys just as they are engaged on the beach in a ritual slaying of the beast. Unable to be heard, he becomes the sacrificial victim the boys had long sought. Shortly after this climactic moment, the storm wind picks up the body of the paratrooper and carries it out to sea. The boys scatter, leaving Simon's body on the beach where later the tide comes in to bear it away. Both bodies 'accepted' by the sea suggest a kind of transference. The tribe of boys have become the very 'beast' they feared and worshipped. Its simulacrum in the dead paratrooper is no longer necessary. Simon has become a kind of prophet who dies for the truth, which had it been spoken, might have prevented the transformation of a boys choir into a bloodthirsty tribe.

In Chapter 22 of Kite Runner, name three "full circle" endings that occur as we reach the climax, or turning point, of the plot.

The first "full-circle" ending that is reached occurs with Amir's return to Afghanistan - he has returned home.  Details reminding him of the way it used to be here bombard him from all directions.  When Amir rings the bell of the big house in Wazir Akbar Khan", he hears no buzz; there is "still no electricity" in the area, just like it was in the old days.  Amir passes an old hand-pump water well in the yard, just like the one he remembers at Kaka Homayoun's house in Jalalabad, where as a child he used to throw pebbles in to "listen for the plink".  Once he is in the house, he sees a coffee table by the sofa, "the base...X-shaped, walnut-sized brass balls studding the ring where the metallic legs crossed".  Amir recalls that he had seen a table exactly like that at a crowded tea shop in Peshawar, many years ago.

Another "full-circle" event occurs when Amir recognizes that the degenerate, sadistic man he has come to see is none other than his old nemesis, Assef.  Assef had been a bully of epic proportions as a youth, leading a gang against the Hazara Hassan and sodomizing him in an alley as Amir, undetected, looked on helplessly.  As an adult, Assef's evil nature has reached fruition, as he has joined the Taliban and taken the lead in outright mass murder in the name of ethnic cleansing.  Now Amir is given a second chance to stand up to Assef, and although his steps are tentative, he is firm in declaring his intention not to abandon Hassan again, through Hassan's son, Sohrab.

A third storyline comes "full-circle" when Amir finally finds Sohrab, Hassan's son.  The reunion with his old friend through the little boy is almost tangible, as when Amir takes Sohrab's hand and the child's fingers "(lace) themselves with (his)...(Amir sees) Sohrab in (the) Polaroid again, the way his arm (is) wrapped around Hassan's leg, his head resting against his father's hip".  When Amir finds Sohrab, he receives a second chance to do right by his old friend.  Amir did not have the courage to defend Hassan as a child, but as an adult he has the opportunity to redeem himself by saving the son (Chapter 22).

Can you name at least two themes for "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin?

This very short story tells of one hour lived in the life of Louise Mallard, who has just been told that her husband had died.  Instead of being overwhelmed with grief, Louise has an ironic reaction:  she feels free and happy.  Chopin describes Louise as feeling "Free!  Body and soul, free!"  Louise did feel sad that her husband died--he had been kind and she "had loved him, sometimes," but felt marriage to be stifling and repressing, so looked forward to the years ahead that "would be hers and hers alone."

There are a couple possible themes to this story.  One is repression in marriage.  In Chopin's time period, women were born and bred to be married, and it was supposed to be the ultimate form of happiness.  That was what life was for.  But, in this story,  Chopin is asserting that it can repress women and stifle their individuality, and that not all women are happy in marriage.  Another potential theme is that of irony, or, the message that we shouldn't assume things.  Just because her husband had died, we shouldn't assume it was all bad for Louise.  Just because she was shocked and died at the end, of what the doctors concluded was "joy that kills," doesn't mean that she died for joy when her husband walked in.  Appearances and stereotypes can be deceiving, so, don't assume things.

I hope those thoughts help a bit; I provided a link below to some other possible themes that might work also.  Good luck!

In what poem does Langston Hughes use the theme of freeing African-Americans?

One good candidate among several for an answer to this question would be Langston Hughes' poem "Let America be America Again." Hughes begins this poem with three stanzas of what might be called boilerplate patriotic verse, attaching to each an ominous coda that signals the way the poem will develop:

(America never was America to me.)
....
(It never was America to me.)
....
(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

It is clear that what Hughes is referring to here is discrimination against him as a Black person, but he generalizes the issue into a broader picture of the American underclass in all its variety:

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek....

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.

However, the failure of the "dream" is due not to it being intrinsically faulty, but to it remaining unfulfilled. For its Black population, and more broadly for all of its citizens, America has never existed, since it has never fulfilled its ideals. This means that rather than call America a failure, Hughes declares that it remains to be created:

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Given the ideals on which it is founded, Hughes is saying, nothing with a right to be called "America" will ever exist until both its Black population and all other disadvantaged groups and classes are made free and equal with everyone else. As Hughes wrote in 1943,

And we know it is within our power to help in its further change toward a finer and better democracy....The American Negro believes in democracy. We want to make it real, complete, workable, not only for ourselves--the fifteen million dark ones--but for all Americans all over the land.

In Crispin: The Cross of Lead, is Asta's son named Crispin or is the cross of lead named Crispin?

Asta's son's name is Crispin. Crispin is the hero of the story and the companion of Bear. The title is written as it is, with a colon after "Crispin," to indicate a subtitle to the story.

The title may have been more clearly and correctly written "Crispin and the Cross of Lead." This is because a colon indicates a very close relationship between what comes in front of and what come after the colon, indicating that what follows is an expansion on what came before, not an addition to it. So technically, by the rules of puntuation, the colon does indicate that "Crispin" and "The Cross of Lead" refer to the same entity or concept, which is true metaphorically and symbolically but not actually.

Crispin is a name of Latin origin and means "curly-haired." In the third century, Saint Crispin became the patron saint of shoemakers. While this may seem a strange association for a name for a hero of a Medieval adventure drama, bear in mind that Bear (no pun intended) teaches Crispin about social and political structure in England as they walk the roads while covering many, many miles. So perhaps the humorously ironic association of our boy hero Crispin with Saint Crispin, guardian of shoemakers, makes sense after all.

Lead is a metal that is of little ornamental value of itself, very unlike gold, silver, or platinum. However lead was important in Medieval times because of its association with the art of alchemy and with astrology. First, in astrology, lead is the symbol of the planet Saturn, which represents duty, self-control, and relationships with fathers. This correlates with the themes of the story and with the source of Crispin's adventures and character development.

Second, in the ancient art of alchemy, the base metal lead is changed, or transmuted, by the properties of the Philosopher's Stone and fire into pure gold. So even though Crispin's lead cross has no name, it has a powerful symbolic importance in association with Crispin's journey in life as he is transformed from a fearful boy into a strong and independent, compassionate young man.

Why was "Wuthering Heights" so named?

Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" (1837) takes its name from the Yorkshire manor on the moors. In the native Yorkshire dialect the word "wuthering" means turbulent weather:

Symbolically, "wuthering" would refer to the stormy romantic relationship of the elder Catherine and Heathcliff which was doomed to failure from the beginning because Heathcliff is virtually Catherine's brother by adoption. The entire novel vividly portrays their tempestuous relationship and its inherent frustrations and failure.

In The Poisonwood Bible how does Kingsolver differentiate among the Price sisters, particularly in terms of their voices?

One of the most impressive strengths of Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible is that she writes it from the actual voices of 5 different women, and does such a good job of it that you can open up to any chapter in the book and guess which character is speaking simply from the way they speak.  She uses a different voice for each girl, and gives each girl's narration style its own traits that set it apart from the others.

For example, Rachel always mispronounces and misuses words.  She does this in every chapter that she narrates, so if you open up to a section and see a rather headstrong and snobby girl that is whining and misusing words, it's bound to be Rachel.  Here's just a few of her misused words:  "executrate" (execute), "autography" (autobiography), "Morse Scold" (Morse Code), and "preciptation" (participation).  Rachel is also whiney, petulant, cynical, judgmental and sarcastic.  Kingsolver used all of those traits to set her apart.

Adah's chapters all show her fascination with palindromes, or words that spelled backwards are the same, and take on a symbolic meaning.  She also quotes poetry, and has a secret backwards code that she uses quite a bit.  She is also very dark, sardonic and cryptic.  She is self-deprecating and constantly demeaning her importance and emphasizing her crippled stature.

Leah is open, frank, sincere and intense.  She feels passionately about things, and focuses more on the issues of Africa and the injustices that she sees. She is less critical of her father, and wants to fit in with him and also with the African boys and culture around her.  Her openness is a key to her voice, as is her vigorous and intent nature.

Ruth May is easy to pick out because her narration is child-like, her phrases simple, and everything is infused with an innocent and touching naivety and child-like perspective.

Kingsolver uses voice to set apart the narration from each of the Price sisters, and gives each one of them distinct traits and quirks that make them all separate and unique.  It is quite a feat to accomplish, and one that draws the readers into the book even more.  I hope that helps a bit; good luck!

In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth has a signal to alert Macbeth when the deed is done. Explain that signal.

The signal is a bell.

Please refer to Act II, Scene 1, lines 31 and 32 in which Macbeth states the following: “Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready, she strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed.” Skip a few lines down to lines 62 – 64. “I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.”

In Ethan Frome, what are the meanings of the symbols of the town name, gravestones, shutterless windows, dead cucumber vine, cat, red scarf?

the name of the town- its pretty much the title, stark and emptiness (field)

gravestones- "I don't see's there's much difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard; 'cept that down there they're all quiet, and the women have got to hold their tongues." (the end of the book)

missing L- diminished home; lack of life in the Frome farmhouse "i saw then that the unusually forlorn and stunted look of the house was partly due to the loss of the 'L'"

shurtterless windows- (just guessing) darkness, despair; poverty

dead cucumber vine- "a dead cucumber vine dangled from the porch like the crape streamer tied to the door for a death" forshadows death

kitchen (not sure) seeking comfort; dreams

cat- Zeena's ally; ruin for Ethan + Mattie's relationship

red pickle dish- symbolizes Frome's marriage and Ethan and Mattie's loyalty to Zeena- it is ruined

red scarf and ribbon- life, happiness; and lust i think

elm tree- Ethan + Mattie's relationship- passionate yet dangerous

final sled run- coasting through life; Ethan not able to be decisive

this is the first time ive answered a question on this site haha. i hope it helps =)

Why doesn’t Ralph descend into savagery like the other boys on the island? How does he resist this?

Ralph, as a representation of the ego, is conscious of inner morality and guidelines. He has a strict idea of what should be done as far as leadership rituals, and he resists the other boys rejection of society's rules. He finds the conch in the beginning, and his natural confidence leads to the boys electing him leader. He recognizes the necessity to build shelters and a fire, and attempts to hold the other boys to those standards. He represents leadership by common sense and governmental authority.

This is in direct opposition to Jack's leadership through fear and violence. While Jack sees himself as a great ruler, one to be feared and obeyed, Ralph thinks of all orders in terms of what is good for the community. He doesn't care about others acknowledging his leadership, unless they go against what's good for everyone (such as refusing to build shelters or letting the signal fire go out). He also acknowledges his role in Simon’s death as murder, which shows that he has a conscience.

Despite all this, he feels the fenzy of “wounding” a boar. As hardship and tension increase, he loses the ability to think and succumbs to snarling and physical fighting. He eats the meat which Jack and the other hunters bring, and cannot stop them from harassing Piggy throughout the book. He even joins in the verbal taunting, proving that he can succumb to base impulses.

However, he & Piggy are the only ones who know the need for rescue. They struggle to keep a shaky peace, for the good of their fragile society. His meeting with the Lord of the Flies teaches him about the darkness in men's hearts, & he fights that understanding until the rescue.

What factors lead to the mass migration of Vietnamese "Boat People"?: a. socialb. religiousc. culturalThis question relates to the course of- WORLD...

'Boat people' was a term that was used post 1975 to label those who decided to illegally leave their countries due to their persecution by the new communist regimes in power.  Geographically these people came from all over southeast Asia, Cambodia and Vietnam among them. After the United States military withdrawal in 1975 Vietnam became a communist country. Many Vietnamese people feared that their lives were in danger because of their political opposition to the new government.  The main factor that led to their mass migration to various nations in western Europe, as well as the United States and Canada was FREEDOM. It was for social FREEDOM, religious FREEDOM, and cultural FREEDOM. The plight of these refugees was compounded by hunger, discrimination, fear, physical abuse, and death. Regardless of the dangers, these people decided that FREEDOM was worth the chance. There is only one conclusion that can be drawn from the Vietnamese boat peoples' experience...I hope you understand and respect what that is.

What is a clear and concise definition of a punctuation key?

Punctuation is defined by American Heritage Dictionary (on Dictionary.com) as "the standard marks and signs in writing and printing" that are used to clarify meaning by designating the separations of thoughts and concepts into sentences and their constituent clauses and phrases and other units of meaning.

A "key" for punctuation may be one of two things. First, a punctuation key may be the system for explaining the use and function of punctuation marks, analogous to a map key. Second, a punctuation key may be one of the many marked parts or levers depressed in operating a computer terminal or a typewriter, which is marked with one of the various symbols of "standard marks and signs" used to designate units of sentence construction and clarify meaning.

c'est quoi les relations humaines?

The human relations movement originated in the 1920s with the Hawthorne experiments. It began as a study of human behavior in groups in the workplace. It began to view the worker as to how well he fit in the workplace rather than as interchangeable parts. Human relations is an ideology of modern business which has grown with increased attention to the human factor.

Some great minds, BS Rowntree in the UK and Elton Mayo in the United States, have contributed to the increase in this ideology. It seems that a new approach in cases involving the employee is both necessary and reasonable.

Rowntree said it was good business to take care of workers and after the companies' interests. This enlightened paternalism  continued the camaraderie developed during the First World War on into the workplace. Productivity has increased, and profits increased for those at the top. The worker began to be compensated by reduction in working hours, bonuses, etc.. all in the name of increased productivity and profits.

At the National Institute of Industrial Psychology, Dr. CS Myers FRS, the director until 1931, empirical studies of industrial promotion, particularly fatigue and problems of employees in general ... After many metamorphoses, the well-being of workers of the Association (1913) was to become modern Institute of Personnel Management (IPM). (http://www.accel-team.com/human_relations/)

Chester Barnard stressed the following:

1. Natural groups, in which social aspects take precedence over functional organizational structures
2. Upwards communication, by which communication is two way, from worker to chief executive, as well as vice versa.
3. Cohesive and good leadership is needed to communicate goals and to ensure effective and coherent decision making

(Wilson & Rosenfeld, Managing Organizations, McGraw Hill Book Company, London, p.9.) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_relations)

solve the following: -2 + 5 = what?is the answer a.13 b.+3 c. -7 d. +7

Experts have given their considered solutions. Please see whether my solution is of any use to you which is particularly based on group theory we study here in mathematics of around 6th to 9th grade :

To solve -2+5

-2+5= -2+(2+3) , as 5=2+3

-2+(2+3)=(-2+2)+3, by associative law.

=0+3

=3, as 0 is the additive identity, i.e. 0+x=x+0=x, x being any number.

Second method.

-2+5= 5+(-2) , by commutative law, i.e., a+b=b+a for any two numbers a and b are commutative under addition.

5+(-2)= 5-2, as +(-a) or -(+a)=-a, by rule of sign.

5-2= (3+2)-2

(3+2)-2= 3+(2-2), by associative law.

3+(2-2)=3. As 2 and -2 are mutually additive inverse of each other.

Thanks for giving an oppotunity to express.

Hope this helps.

What does Lily do to ease the pain where her father is concerned?

Lily longs for love, and wishes that T. Ray were more understanding of her. Because of T.Ray’s harsh parenting, Lily has developed a strong imagination and has also become an excellent liar, to the point where she can almost lie to herself. Lily can imagine different situations where she pictures T. Ray showing her love, like offering to get her the charm bracelet she wants for her birthday, when in reality he dismisses her. Lily has also learned to endure punishment, like kneeling on grits, and feels as though it’s a normal occurrence to experience such things. When Lily arrives at the pink house, she lies and says that both of her parents are dead. She is covering up insecurities about herself and in a way she really is an orphan, because T. Ray doesn’t act like a father. When Lily calls T. Ray on the phone in chapter 8 and then subsequently writes him the letter that she never sends, it is evident that she still has hope that T. Ray loves her. She wants to know that T. Ray loves her and wants her. There are so many things Lily has always wanted to say to T. Ray and could not say to his face, so she writes them in the letter in order to ease the pain and make herself feel better. Eventually Lily learns to let go of T. Ray, because he is damaged and cannot offer her love. She learns to find it in other places, and make a new family for herself. 

Give examples of the plantation life as exemplified in "The Goophered Grapevine" by Charles Waddell Chesnutt.

The Goophered Grapevine” by Charles Wadell Chesnutt exemplifies the local color story.  Local colorists provide renditions of the life, manners, and environment of people in a particular region. Chesnutt, an African American writer, wrote to continue the oral tradition of the slaves. 

First, to answer the question:

His tale includes several sad tales of the cruelty of slave life on the plantation.  The former slave tells about another slave who ran away and was run down by white men with guns and dogs.  Further, he describes how one slave was sold to make money for the master.  There was no education, and slaves were forbidden to learn to read.  They entertained themselves and attempted to find power in the oral tradition of African folk tales that were repeated through the generations. This is the style of story that is told by Julius.

The story’s framework centers around grape vines. John and his wife come to  North Carolina to buy land to raise grapes and sell them to make wine.  One day, they go out to look at some property once used as a vineyard and discover the former slave Julius sitting on a bench eating grapes. 

Julius tries to  discourage John from buying the property because he said that it has been "goophered," which meant cursed.  He continues to tell the tale of the master who owned the plantation that did not trust the slaves with his grapes. The master did everything he could to keep the slaves from eating the grapes, but nothing worked.  Finally, he pays a local witch to gopher the land so that anyone who ate the grapes would die.  Julius indicates that the curse worked and two or three people did die after eating the grapes.

His story uses elements of the black folktales that were passed along between generations.  This is a story within a story.  The setting is in the same place with two distinct time periods: 1877 North Carolina during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War and the same place but pre-Civil War. 

Second, to give background:

The narration is first person with the initial narrator John, a northern businessman.  The second narrator is Julius, a former slave who speaks with a black southern dialect. He is a typical former slave of the time period: uneducated and unable to speak Standard English. In describing himself, Julius states:  

Day ain' na'er a man in dis settlement w' at won' tell you ole Julius McAdoo' uz bawn en raise on dis yer same plantation",

Southern literature often included the mystique of the lost cause. Julius's master joins the confederate Civil War effort and is immediately killed.  The plantation house and the property were allowed to ruin. Since that time, Julius has been living on the property and making use of the vineyards himself.

Despite Julius’s best efforts to talk John out of the buying the property, he does and the property becomes a successful vineyard again.  John even hires Julius as his coachman. 

The story is great fun, particularly in trying to translate the black heavy dialect.  It is almost as though he is speaking a foreign language.  Eventually, it becomes easier to understand when the reader realizes that most of all of the words are spelled as they would be sounded out. 

Julius gives is last warning to John:

En I tell yer w’at, marster, I wouldn’ vise you to buy dis yer ole vinya’d, ‘caze de goopher’s on it yit, en dey ain’ no tellin’ wh’en it’ gwine ter crap out.

What kind of a King is Claudius in Hamlet? What evidence shows the kind of monarch he is and the kind of man he is?

Claudius is a king who appears to most of his public as an able king, appointed and approved of by the counsel, who does his job efficently.  In the opening of scene 2 of Act 1, Claudius tells his audience that his marriage to Gertrude so soon after his brother's, and her husband's, death is justified and accepted.  He does not dwell on the matter, but moves on quickly to the matter of Fortinbras of Norway who wants to reclaim land lost by his father to old king Hamlet.  Claudius dispatches two representatives to talk with the current king of Norway to stave off any attack.  This makes Claudius appear to be a good king who takes care of problems.  Before the end of the first act, however, we learn from the ghost of Hamlet's father how deceitful, ambitious, and amoral Claudius really is.  If there was any doubt about Claudius' guilt in the murder of his brother, we have Claudius prayer-confession in Act 3, sc. 3.  Then, in Act 4, sc. 7, we also see the conniving quality that Claudius possesses when he talks with Laertes.  Claudius' plan to have the English kill Hamlet fell through, so he has a new plan for Hamlet and Laertes to engage in sword play just for sport, but for Laertes to have a sharpened tip so he can kill Hamlet.  Claudius seems like he doesn't want to get his hands dirty with murder, except in the case of his brother's murder.  Claudius is shown then to be cowardly and to be an overly-ambitious, and unwise leader and man.  He took the word of Fortinbras as it was given to Norway's king, that Fortinbras wouldn't attack Denmark, but Fortinbras did enter the kingdom.  It's clear that there was little if any Danish resistance because Fortinbras seems to easily walk into the kingdom and into Elsinore.

What are Gertrude's personality traits in "Hamlet"?

Gertrude's personality in Hamlet is one of the most interesting aspects of the play and Gertrude herself is one of the more complex characters in the play.  Critics of Hamlet have long debated Gertrude's personality and her feelings about her dead husband, her new husband and her son.  Throughout the play, there's a question as to how deeply involve in King Hamlet's murder Gertrude was.  While at the end of the play she appears ignorant of the crime, some critics have argued that she was, in some way, involved in the plot to kill King Hamlet.  Shakespeare never tells us this for certain, though, which gives Gertrude’s character a measure of ambiguity.

In terms of her personality, some critics feel that Gertrude is closely attached to and highly dependent upon Claudius and is at his mercy throughout the play.  A number of critics feel that she is either helpless against Claudius or simply weak willed.  Hamlet himself suggests that Gertrude is motivated by sexual desire for Claudius, a point which some critics believe to be true. 

On the other hand, some other critics view Gertrude as being a caring mother who is worried about her son's sanity and well being.  Also, her love for Claudius is seen by some critics as being deep and true and not a result of mere sexual passion.  Critics who defend Gertrude's character also point to her self-awareness, especially in act three, scene four of the play, in which she seems to admit feeling remorse for her behavior. 

Throughout the play, Gertrude seems to be stuck between Claudius and Hamlet and unable to choose which of the two to side with.  She does not abandon her husband but, also, she does not reveal her son's suspicions to her husband.

All and all, Gertrude’s personality is complicated.  On one hand she seems helpless, weak spirited and motivated by desire.  On the other hand she can also be seen as being intelligent, self-aware and motivated by love for both her son and her new husband. 

Can a transformer be used to transform direct voltage and direct current? Justify your answer.

Do you mean voltage which is effected directly, or Direct Current as distinct from Alternating Current?  Transformers "transform" voltage from one level to another by means of electromagnetic inductance, but to change from alternating current to direct one uses a device termed a rectifier.

Transformers can "step up" voltage from lower to higher power, or the other way around.  Electric circuits generate magnetic fields, and when such a field changes voltage is produced.  If voltage runs through one wire and another wire is close enough, current flows into the second wire as the field changes.  Voltage and current are not the same thing, of course.  Voltage is the pressure of electrons moving from one atom to another, current is the rate of flow of those electrons.  It's like water in a hose, the voltage would be like the pressure pushing the water, current as the rate of flow of the water.  Direct current is the flow running in one direction always.  In alternating current the flow changes back and forth, which involves a process called inductance, and introduces time concepts such as frequency and angle changes, which are not relevant to this explanation.

A transformer is a passive device consisting of a ferromagnetic core and two (or more) coils of wire called "windings." Changing the current in the primary winding creates an alternating magnetic field in that core, which multiplies the field and couples the flux (or most of it) through the secondary winding(s).  By means of this device voltage is stepped down (or up) from the input of the transformer to the output.  Outside your house on power poles transformers step down the (in the US usually) 7,200 volts in the residential lines to 220-240 volts to your house.  This is broken down into 110 to 120 in your house, all AC.

Inside most electrical devices, such as a stereo or whatever, the 110 volts (or so) is stepped down with a transformer and then rectified into direct current at 12 volts.  Transformers are used to transform the level of alternating current voltage, not current. Modern rectifiers tend to consist of diodes and resistors, although tubes used to be used and still are in some applications.  A rectifier shuttles half of the AC power signal to ground and passes the other half on as DC, which is then conditioned by other components called capacitors.

What does the following quote from Romeo and Juliet mean? "This day's black fate on more days doth depend, This but begins the woe others must end."

In Romeo and Juliet the Capulets (Juliet's family) and the Montagues (Romeo's family) hate each other so much that it seems there can be no compromise. Romeo and Juliet have decided that their love can reach well beyond the feud and have secretly married. Therefore, Romeo knows that he cannot accept Tybalt's challenge as Tybalt is Juliet's cousin and so he tries to tell Tybalt in Act III, scene i that he loves him "better than thou canst devise" (67) because now they are related but Romeo cannot share this information freely.

Mercutio thinks that Romeo's actions are "dishonorable" (71) because he does not know that Romeo has married Juliet and Mercutio dies at Tybalt's hand as he accepts what should have been Romeo's fight. Significantly, Mercutio curses "both your houses" (89). Romeo cannot believe what has happened and blames this terrible event on his love for Juliet which he claims has made him "effeminate" (111) and he knows what he has to do. 

When Romeo says in lines in lines 116 to 117, "This day's black fate on more days doth depend; this but begins the woe others must end" he suggests that he is not in control of his own fate and he recognizes that there can be no acceptable outcome. His words foreshadow what will follow. Even though Romeo tried to avoid fighting with Tybalt, he is now suggesting that fate will ultimately control the day's events and everything that ensues. He feels powerless and says that Mercutio's death has effectively sparked even more distress but others will have to resolve the matter. His fighting with Tybalt will only start something else. Whenever one issue is settled, it starts another. 

In A Lesson Before Dying, why is Grant Wiggins initially reluctant to help Jefferson?

Wiggins is not sure he can improve Jefferson's life in the short time before Jefferson is executed. However, Jefferson's godmother, Emma Glenn is a close friend of Grant's aunt. Grant lives with his aunt and persuades Wiggins to visit Jefferson. Ironically, he finds Jefferson just about as reluctant to talk to him as he was to talk to Jefferson.

In "The Catcher in the Rye", how does Holden describe his mother? What is their relationship?

Holden is emotionally distant from his mother.  The loss of her younger son has locked Mrs. Caulfield in a state of nervous exhaustion that is characterized by constant headaches and anxiety which causes her to lose sleep and chain smoke.

Holden knows that his mother has not gotten over the death of her youngest son, so she is still grieving, which leads the reader to understand that she is sad.

In Chapter 7, Holden describes how his mother will react when she finds out that he has been kicked out of another school. He wants to arrive home after his parents have received the letter from Pencey Prep indicating that Holden has been expelled.

"I didn't want to go home or anything till they got it and thoroughly digested it and all.  I didn't want to be around when they first got it.  My mother gets very hysterical.  She's not too bad after she gets something thoroughly digested, though." (Salinger)  

In Chapter 21, when Holden sneaks into his apartment, he talks about his mother again.  Holden tells the reader that his mother is a light sleeper, she can hear a pin drop a mile away.

"You can hit my father over the head with a chair and he won't take up, but my mother, all you have to do to my mother is cough somewhere in Siberia and she'll hear you.  She's nervous as hell.  Half the time she's up all night smoking cigarettes. (Salinger) 

Holden doesn't have a very good relationship with either of his parents.  He can't confide in them.  He has not opened up to anyone about his grief over his brother.  He sneaks into his apartment and listens to his mother scold Phoebe, while he hides in the closet, he can't even confront her, he doesn't trust her.

Holden believes that his mother is in a fragile state, suffering from a nervous condition with constant headaches is how he describes her in Chapter 23.  Holden's mother is so grief stricken over the death of her son, Allie, that Holden feels really guilty about being such a burden to her, that is why he doesn't go home right away and that is why he chooses to hide while in NYC rather than go home, even after he has no where else to stay.

The only person in the book that Holden has a genuine relationship with that is based on trust and real love is his little sister Phoebe.

How does Lady Macbeth try to calm down her husband after he murders Duncan?

In Shakespeare's "Macbeth," when her husband informs her that he has "done the deed," and is upset, Lady Macbeth simply tells him to "Consider it not so deeply" (II,ii,28) as thinking about it "will make us mad" II,ii,34).  Her sang froid has already been established in her earlier speeches; however, the dramatic irony of her comment that thinking about the murder will make them mad cannot be lost upon the reader/viewer.

When Macbeth continues she scolds her murderous husband as "Infirm of purpose" (II,ii,52), instructing him,

A little water clears us of this....Be not lost/So poorly in your thoughts."

She then tells Macbeth to dress for bed and "Be not lost/So poorly in your thoughts. (II,ii,72)

But, it appears at this point that Lady Macbeth is the only one without a conscience as Macbeth cannot clear his mind. He ruefully replies,

To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself./Wake Duncan with thy knocking!  I would thou couldst! (II,ii,73-74)

What is the conflict in "Thank You, M'am"?

There are several different conflicts present in this story. The first and most pronounced is the human v. human conflict between Ms. Washington and Roger. He tries to steal her purse and she drags him home to feed him. Roger is worried throughout the story if she is going to hurt him!

Also there is human v. self in the sense that Roger struggles with the decision of whether to stay in the small apartment or make a run for it. Also, Ms. Washington is also struggling to come to terms with her own past--she too was a troublemaker when she was Roger's age.

What is the theme of "The Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury?

A Sound of Thunder is a time travel story that conveys a theme of the importance of all events and actions.  The story focuses on a single event that occurs on the time travel safari that is run by the Time Safari Company and how a small mishap, the killing of a butterfly, changed the course of evolution.

Bradbury points out in this story how the careless behavior of one of the travellers causes a shift in the course of evolution. The story also focuses on a the fact that the group who takes the time traveling trips is a group of rich businessmen and Bradbury is saying that the fact that this type of company exists, and that people have nothing else to do with their money, is vulgar and obscene.

Bradbury, like other Science Fiction writers, such as H.G. Wells, writes about the fear of technology going too far.  In this story, I think Bradbury is commenting on how technology has been misused.  The technology that has allowed these time travelers to take a trip with Time Safari is clearly an expression of materialism and over consumption on the highest level.

For their personal pleasure, these people, rich people who have nothing else to do, alter the course of human evolution and nearly destroy human existence.

Therefore, the theme that Bradbury is trying to convey has to do with the Butterfly Effect and Chaos theory, which states that a small difference can have an enormous impact on future events.

"The butterfly effect is a theorem of chaos theory that small variations in the initial conditions of a dynamical system can produce large variations in the results. A Sound of Thunder. In that story, a time traveller accidentally steps on a butterfly in the distant past, causing broad changes in the present."

What are some quotes that show the family dynamics in The Grapes of Wrath?

Throughout "The Grapes of Wrath," Ma holds the family together. After the men return from selling everything they can, the family

met at the most important place, near the truck.  The house was dead, and the fields were dead; but this truck was the active think, the living principle.

As the men squat near it, the women stand with their hands on their hips behind them.  Steinbeck writes that Grampa "was still the titular head, but he no longer ruled....His position was honorary."  As the men debate about feeding an "extra mouth" in Jim Casy, the preacher, a determined Ma says that they will not turn him away, for no Joad has been that mean:

As far as 'kin,' we can't do nothin', not go to Clifornia or nothin'; but as far as 'will,' why, we'll do what we will.

The group waits for Ma whenever she goes somewhere, "for Ma was powerful in the group." As the family travels down Route 66, Sharon tells her mother that she and Connie, her husband, do not want to work in the fields.  Upset, Ma tells Sharon, "It ain't good for folks to break up."  Then, when the Wilson's vehicle breaks down, Mr. Wilson tells Pa that he and his wife will stay behind.  However, Ma stoutly states,

I ain't a-gonna go....On'y way you gonna get me to go is whup me...All we got is the family unbroke.

This insistence upon keeping the family together, this insistence on the importance of community is what unifies all the workers; it expresses Steinbeck's belief in socialism, the community of man.  Underscoring this concept, Steinbeck has Ma promising the father of the girl that her son Al has been "walking with" each night:  "We'll try an' see that we don't put no shame on you."  And, in the final chapter, Ma urges Rose of Sharon to share her breast milk with a starving man who has sacrificed his food so his son can eat. "I knowed you would!  I knowed!" Ma says to her daughter.

When Tom must run from the police after the sacrificial death of Jim Casy, knowing Ma's insistence upon family and the belief in the community of man, he returns to his mother and tells her,

I'll be around in the dark; I'll be ever'where--wherever you look.  Wherever they's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there.  Wherever they's a cop, I'll be there....And when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build--why I'll be there.

What books did McCandless bring on his journey?

Christopher McCandles carried several books when he set off on his journey. These include;

• Education of a wandering man by Louis L'Amour

• Walden by Henry David Thoreau

• Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

• Terminal Man by Michael Crichton

• O Jerusalem! By Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins

• Taras Bulba by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

• The Call of the Wild by Jack London

• Family Happiness and The Death of Ivan IIych by Leo Tolstov, an author who detested wealth and advocated for simple living. His works greatly inspired McCandles ideals and encouraged him to take up his path

• Tanaina Plantore/ Dena’ina K’et’una: An Ethnobotany of the Dena’ina Indians of Southcentral Alaska by Priscilla Russel Kari – Christopher while flipping through pages of this edible plant guide found out that he had been consuming poisonous seeds which are connected to his eventual starvation and death

Does Sophie's Choice tell us that it's easier to deceive others more than yourself? Or vica versa? Discuss.

I think that you have sketched out some very good points here.  Indeed, self deception is a powerfully resonant theme in Styron's work.  Sophie's character has been built on deception in order to survive.  In Auschwitz, she attempts to use guile and deception to garner favors in the camp with Hoss, as well as the attempt to put her son in the Lebensborn program.  Her pathology of self- deception ends up sustaining her faith that her son will wind up surviving.  Additionally, she deceives herself in the understanding of her father, which in her mind is not one of contempt, but rather represents a misunderstood force who was caught up in the wave of Nazism.  Naturally, her post Auschwitz life is one of deception.  She deceives those around her in suggesting her father was a great man, as well as her faith in Nathan.  She obviously knows that he is abusive and unstable, but her own sensibilities have been so damaged through her experiences that she deceives herself in believing that she can change him or that he is capable of changing.  In a larger sense, one can also see her self deception extending to her attitudes towards Jewish individuals and minorities after the war, and her stand on evil, in general.  Some would argue that she deceives herself in the notion of the choice she had. Indeed, having to choose which child was to live and die was not a real choice.  Both were condemned to die, along with the mllions of others at Auschwitz.  However, the blurring of the lines in deception of others and deception of oneself became so brutal for her that Sophie ends up internalizing the guilt of the decision, seeing herself as simultaneous victim and aggressor and not knowing which classification is closer to "the truth."

Indeed, Sophie does find it easier to deceive others.  Yet, in the final analysis, the psychology of deceit, in terms of deceiving others and deceiving herself, proves to grab hold of her psyche, and plays the decisive role in entering into her suicide pact with Nathan.  In this act might lie the only shard of truth in an existence predicated upon deceit.  Sophie does find it easier to deceive others as well as herself, yet it is the latter whose unavoidable presence does the greatest of harm to her.

What is a scene-by-scene summary of Act II of As You Like It?

A summary of Act II of As You Like It, which covers each scene, is as follows.

Act II,
Scene I
An introduced to Duke Senior in the Forest of Arden, who is Rosalind's father.

Scene II
Duke Frederick is in an uproar that Celia has gone with Rosalind.

Scene III
Adam tells Orlando of Oliver's foul intentions and bids him flee to the Forest of Arden.

Scene IV
Rosalind and Celia and Touchstone reach the Forest of Arden and are exhausted. They encounter Corin and Silvius, a young and an old shepherd, respectively, in conversation about their perspectives on the nature of love. Celia and Rosalind converse about Rosalind's aching love for Orlando and talk with Corin.

Scene V
A scene between Amiens the minstrel and Jaques the melancholy forest exile that introduces a primary theme of As You Like in the song Amiens, and then Jaques, sings. The theme is the virtue of a pastoral life with birds' songs and food freshly gathered versus the "gross fools" who abandon the comforts of civilization for the forest.

Scene VI
Orlando and his faithful old servant Adam reach the Forest of Arden at the end of their flight from Oliver. Adam is weak, tired and hungry and apparently at death's door. Orlando takes him to shelter and swears to bring him food if there is anything alive in the forest (which explains why he barges into Duke Senior's camp later with an invitation to battle on his lips instead of with polite supplications--he needs food for Adam)

Scene VII
Jaques has just met Touchstone in the forest and he is now determined to become a courtier's fool in motley clothes so he can say whatever he wants to others with the intent of improving them, for fools have the privilege of speaking candidly in humorous witticisms without gaining the hearer's wrath at his direct remarks. Orlando charges into the Duke's camp with his sword drawn and demands food. He is offered food but states he sill not touch a drop until Adam has been fed. While the Duke's camp awaits the return of Orlando with Adam, Jaques delivers one on Shakespeare's most famous speeches explaining the stages of life in a conceit comparing life to the theatrical stage:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

Amiens sings another thematic song employing a weather conceit that says that betrayal and friendship forgotten are worse than the foul winter weather.

"All revolutions are doomed to be betrayed by their leaders." Critically discuss with reference to "Animal Farm".answer should b of 500 words..

In Animal Farm, the idea of the revolution comes from Old Major, a 12 year old prize white boar who has a vision in a dream about the way the animals should be living.  He comes up with a set of rules for the animals to follow, which include that man is evil and an enemy to all animals.  He also tells them that all animals are equal.

"In Animal Farm the animals begin by proclaiming the equality of all animals. The classless society soon becomes divided as preferential treatment is given to the pigs. First, they alone are allowed to consume the milk and the apples which Squealer claims they do not really want to take, but must to preserve their strength."

Once the animals stage the revolution, confronting Farmer Jones and his men and successfully chase them off the farm, they are very happy believing that now they will control their own lives and that they will have better lives than when Farmer Jones ran the farm.

As with any revolution, there is a power vacuum once the old authority is removed, and inevitably, some members of the revolution will assume that they are the best suited to be the new leaders.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely, the saying applies to Animal Farm, because as Napoleon and Snowball start to access the farm's operation without the farmer, and Snowball starts to make all kinds of plans to improve efficiencies, Snowball is a symbol for Trotsky in the Russian revolution, Napoleon, a symbol for Stalin, has other ideas, namely to be in complete control of the animals and the farm for his own gain.

"Although the novel is written in direct response to his bitter disappointment that the Russian Revolution, instead of establishing a people's republic, established an essentially totalitarian state, its continued relevance is possible because his criticism stands against any and all totalitarian regimes." 

The ideas of the revolution that are supposed to provide greater freedom for the animals, end up imprisoning them in a world governed by the tyrant Napoleon who exploits, starves and punishes the animals with greater severity than Farmer Jones ever imagined.

"He, like many critics have since, pointed out the similarity between conclusions drawn from Orwell's text and the famous aphorism of British historian Lord Acton who wrote, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." 

How does the author, Jack London, begin building suspense in the short story "To Build A Fire"?

In this story, a man makes a journey across the frozen landscape of the Yukon territory, to meet his friends.  As a stubborn, know-it-all newcomer, the man does not take the advice of more experienced travelers and makes the journey alone except for the company of a dog.  It is so desolate and cold, that the man and the dog appear lost before they begin.

The author builds suspense, first, through the setting, the Yukon territory is frigid, cold, cold, cold, 50 below Fahrenheit kind of cold.  This creates an edgy feeling for the reader, it is a wonder how anyone can breathe in weather that cold, let alone make a journey and expect to survive.  Being lost in this wasteland of snow and ice is similar to being lost at sea, the man is drowning in snow and ice. There is danger everywhere, even though he can't see it, pitfalls are everywhere.

" He knew that the coldest snaps never froze these springs, and he knew likewise their danger. They were traps. They hid pools of water under the snow that might be three inches deep, or three feet." (London)

So suspense is built through the reader wondering if the man and the dog will make it to the camp. The story is very repetitious regarding the cold, which acts as the antagonist in this story.

The author uses the third person narrator to build suspense by repeating the warning of the old-timer.

"The old-timer’s advice against traveling alone is frequently repeated, adding a sense of foreboding to the story. Even more ominous is the use of the phrase ‘‘it happened’’ to introduce the two disasters— first when the man breaks through the ice, and next when his fire is extinguished."

The man's lack of willingness to listen to reason from the old-timer and the dog's behavior, he does not like the man, indicate that the man is heading for a serious fall in this story.

The stupidity of the man is highlighted by the author, who allows the narrator to express the dog's thoughts, the dog is smarter than the man.

Why does the narrator repeat in the story "on a tarnished gilt easel before the fireplace stood a crayon portrait of Miss Emily's father"?

The image of Emily's father behind her in crayon on "a tarnished gilt easel" suggests the patriarchal society in which Emily has lived; it is an antiquainted one, at that, signified by the tarnish on the gilt.  The word gilt also suggests wealth as in "The Gilded Age" at the turn of the 20th century.  That the portrait is done in crayon, a word that suggests childhood, indicates that the portrait has long been hanging in the house of Emily's father; and, even though Emily's father is dead, he still wields his power over her.  Clearly, this portrait is a symbol, and, as such, it is repeated in order to signify that the father and the genteel Southern life yet influences Miss Emily.

Along with the theme of the Old South, the theme of death is as prevalent as the mention of the portrait.  As Emly stands before the portrait of the father who is dead, Emily herself appears death-like: 

She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water.

Her house, long closed with the "only sign of life about the place" being the old "Negro man," retains the portrait still hanging.  Perhaps Emily's standing before the painting is symbolic of her "clinging to that which had robbed her," all the young men who had called upon her.