My new doctor said that Diphenhydramine interferes with Zrytex. Is this true or was he trying to scare me as I have an evolving allergy condition?...

According to the web site drugs.com, diphenhydramine is on the list of drugs that interact with Zyrtec. Diphenhydramine is a central nervous system depressor, and use of it with Zyrtec could cause drowsiness. Here is the warning statement that drugs.com has posted:

In the event that they are used together, patients should be counseled to avoid hazardous activities requiring complete mental alertness and motor coordination until they know how these agents affect them, and to notify their physician if they experience excessive or prolonged CNS effects that interfere with their normal activities.

Another web site, allergies.emedtv.com, has a more detailed warning:

Combining Zyrtec with other medications that cause drowsiness could increase the risk of serious problems, such as confusion, memory loss, or difficulty breathing. Serious reactions could also occur.

Webmd.com also cautions against using Zyrtec and any other antihistamine together because both cause drowsiness. The fear is that when used together, these drugs might cause your central nervous system to shut down.

I would take your advice seriously. I, too, have a lot of allergies and have to be careful about drug interactions. You might try seeing a doctor who specializes in treating allergies.

I hope this helps you. Good luck!

In "A Rose for Emily", who is dead in the bed at the end when it says, "The man himself lays in the bed". Who is it?

The dead body is that of Homer Baron, the fiance, that the townspeople thought had abandoned Miss Emily. She poisoned him with the arsenic that she bought from the pharmacist, and then she kept his body in the house. That would be the smell that the town's fathers dealt with when they snuck around in the dark sprinkling lime around the house. The presence of a long, gray hair indicated that Miss Emily had slept, for quite some time at least, with the body of her dead fiance.

What is Holden's point about the difference between men owning a car and men owning a horse?

The discussion Holden has about the difference between men owning a car or a horse occurs when he is out with Sally Hayes and he is opening up to her and explaining about all the things that he finds wrong with society.  He is trying to explain to Sally that people are never satisfied with their material possessions, this makes his point that the world is full of phony people.

"Take most people, they're crazy about cars.  They worry if they get a little scratch on them, and they're always talking about how many miles they get to a gallon, and if they get a brand new car already they start thinking about trading it in for one that's even newer.  I'd rather have a goddamn horse.  A horse is at least human, for God's sake." (Salinger (p.131)

Holden is trying to convince Sally of just how difficult it has been for him at Pencey Prep with all the phonies that he had to deal with, and how there is no sincerity in the world at all, except for her.

"When they take a break from skating, he pours out to her the depression he feels about the meaninglessness of his life. His impulsive solution is that they run off together to Massachusetts and Vermont. Sally is the first person with whom he has shared these personal thoughts, yet he knows that she is incapable of understanding what he is talking about. Finding no empathy, he becomes angry and insults her. Holden really is beginning to sound like a “madman.”

He uses the example of how little people value their cars to try to make the point about the character of the boys that he went to school with, he says:

"You ought to go to a boy's school sometime.  Try it sometime, It's full of phonies and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddamn Cadillac some day." (Salinger)

Sally does not accept his logic or line of thinking and insists that people go to school for more reasons than that.  But Holden is not really listening, he has already made up his mind.  He gets a crazy idea in his head about leaving the civilized world behind and living a rustic life in a log cabin in the country.  He wants to separate himself from all the demands that society makes on him, he believes that if he keeps running away from his responsibilities that he will truly find happiness.

Sally does not like the idea of running away and she rejects him saying that he is crazy, this causes Holden to get very angry at her and he insults her, she wants nothing more to do with him and leaves by herself to go home.

What is the tone of the essay "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin?

The tone of the titular essay "Notes of a Native Son" in Balwin's collection is incredibly tense. In this essay, Baldwin is dealing with his near hatred for his father even as he simultaneously struggles with American white supremacy. The story he relates about the diner encapsulates the mood of this essay as the hatred that has boiled up within him in response to racist policies and attitudes errupts in an explosive display of violence. It is this violence that bubbles just under the surface for many African Americans that Baldwin is seeking to understand. Such tension is also manifest when he relates his father's funeral, which takes place on Baldwin's birthday as well as the birth of his newest sibling. Death and life clash in this scene in a way that doesn't quite have a resolution, though Baldwin does reach an understanding of his father that abates the hatred--a development that speaks of tentative hope for the violence of life in racist America.

It is important to note that this essay is not one written out of anger, but one that tries to understand anger and its role in daily life. The tense tone of the essay is consequently not the result of bitterness, but the result of Baldwin's nuanced study of himself and his complex motivations and reactions.

How is "The Rocking-Horse Winner" an allegory? I'm having trouble understanding this.

An allegory is often a tale that has figurative representations within it that symbolize greater things, stories, or morals.  So, in "The Rocking-Horse Winner," consider the whispers of the house, and the small rocking-horse itself.  These objects and events symbolize greed, and how people are fixated with obtaining it, and yet how the getting of it is futile.  No matter how much money Paul wins, the house still whispers for more money.  Greed is an ever-hungry demon that needs constant feeding and is never satisfied.  Paul seeks to obtain money on a rocking-horse; this symbolizes the futility of his search.  A rocking-horse never goes anywhere; it just is a semblence of reality, of the real thing.  This is the same as money--people think that money will bring them happiness.  In fact, they feel it IS happiness.  However, like the rocking-horse, it is just a facade, a semblence of true happiness.  Real happiness does not come through money.  It comes through love, family relationships, and self-worth.  That is what Paul truly seeks--his mother's love, and a sense of self worth.  Seeking money to find it never works.

In these senses, objects and events within the story itself are symbolic of a greater theme and message, and that is what makes it allegorical.  I hope that those thoughts help; good luck!

Why did Antonio go to Shylock and borrow money from him?

Shylock the moneylender and merchant is known as someone who doesn't charge unreasonable interest for lending money. Antonio goes to him despite his personal dislike for Shylock. But Antonio wants to help Bassanip, who has asked Antonio for a loan because his own financial hardships have drained his accounts. Bassanio wants the money so that he can woo Portia, a wealthy noblewoman who is allowing suitors to try their hand at guessing from among three caskets for the chance to win her hand in marriage. Antonio cares deeply for Bassanio (it is hinted that he may harbor romantic feelings for him or at least jealousy of Bassanio's interest in Portia) and so does what he can to help by borrowing the money from Shylock.

In "Life of Pi," what is Yann Martel saying about basic human needs? What are some quotes to support this?

In "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, the main need that he is asserting that human beings need is the need for imagination and storytelling.  The entire story itself was an incredibly imaginative sequence of events that created a highly engaging and interesting story.  This theme of storytelling, and of humans enjoying a good story is prevalent throughout the book.  In the first section, little Pi is drawn to 3 different religions, because each one of those religions had such great stories behind them.  The stories appealed to him, so he accepted all religions.  Then, at the end of the book when his Japanese inquisitors ask him which story was the real story, the one with animals or the one without, Pi only asks, simply,

"Which is the better story, the story with animals of the story without animals?"

The men both agree, "The story with the animals."  Pi seems to be saying here that if that is the best story, go with it.  Let it be.  And, that storytelling is an amazing source of strength, escape and relief to people.

I hope that helps a bit; that is just one lesson that can be found in this book, and the quote that goes with it.  Good luck!

What is the the theme of the novel Coolie by Mulk Raj Anand?

Mulk Raj Anand's 1936 novel Coolie is about a 14-year-old boy, Munoo, who represents the lowest part of India's socioeconomic spectrum, a position identified by various names, including Dalit and, more commonly, "the untouchables." They are destined to remain at the bottom of this extraordinarily rigid caste system.  By presenting as his protagonist a servant in the home of a member of the upper caste, the desperately poor Munoo, Anand has indicted the entire class system that dominates Indian culture.  Furthermore, by vividly contrasting the opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum through the eyes of his perceptive protagonist, the author has illuminated the fundamental injustices inherent in the system imposed by an alien power, Great Britain, while also placing the blame for this unfortunate situation squarely in the hands of those Indians on the higher levels of the socioeconomic spectrum (one cannot use the phrase "socioeconomic ladder," as that would denote the possibility of upward mobility). The latter have benefited from this system while ignoring its long-term ramifications.  In one passage in Coolie that presents this stark contrast between the hopes and expectations with which the individual is raised in Indian society, Anang describes the young boy's thoughts:

"It did not occur to him to ask himself what he was apart from being a servant, and why he was a servant and Babu Rathoo Ram his master.  His identity he took for granted, and the relationship between Babu Rathoo Ram, who wore black boots, and himself, Munoo, who went about barefoot, was to him like sunshine and sunset, inevitable and unquestionable."

The theme of Coolie, therefore, is the hopelessness and despair to which millions of Indians are condemned by virtue of an antiquated and inherently unjust economic and social structure.

What is the difference between archaebacteria and eubacteria?They both are prokaryotes... but what is the difference?

Archaea are very primitive prokaryotic cells that live in extreme habitats such as hot springs, extremely salty areas, etc. However, they have a much broader range of habitats than previously believed and play a role in the carbon and nitrogen cycles. They have no nucleus or membrane bound organelles. They reproduce asexually, but do not produce spores as seen in eubacteria. Eubacteria or "true bacteria" evolved independently from Archaea from an ancient common ancestor. They are involved in processes such as decompositon, the nitrogen cycle, make up a huge amount of biomass on Earth, allow for fermentation of foods like cheese and wine, cause diseases and live in and on other organisms. They have no nucleus and very rarely have membrane bound organelles.

In what way do Mary Rowlandson's writings depict life as an American?Are her writings a response to the world and those around her? Is it exemplary...

Mary Rowlandson was a Puritan pastor's wife captured by native American Indians during King Philip's War (1765) in Pennsylvania. She was held hostage in late winter until early spring and later published an account of her experiences.

Mary Rowlandson quite naturally discusses the hostilities existing between the indigenous Indian populations and the white settlers, but she also explains the jeopardy in which these native people lived. For example, during one displacement, she recounts that had it not been for the  hazelnut trees growing wild in the forest, they all would have starved to death.

Her diary falls in the category of the genre 'captive narrative.' Rowlandson's deep religious convictions as a Puritan come through; ironically, it never would have occurred to her that perhaps the Indians were victims of the white man's ingerence, and even appropriation, of their land.

Below you will find information on the New England conflict and subsequent war ('King Philip' was actually the name attributed to the warring chieftan) , Rowlandson's journal on line, and a bibliography concerning this and other captive narratives. These journals were literally snatched up by the public, eager for first-hand accounts of such misadventures.

Summarize what happens during the outcast's second day in camp.

When John Oakhurst woke on the second day at the hastily set up camp, the snow had started.  Uncle Billy was gone and along with him the mules and supplies that Tom Simson and Piney Woods had brought with them.  They evaluate the supplies that are left and realize they have less than 10 days' worth, but Tom Simson and Piney are hopeful that the snow will melt before then so they can move on so the rest of the group puts on a positive front.  To keep busy, the Duchess and Piney rearrange the interior of their makeshift cabin while Tom tries to make a roof for the topless cabin from thatch.  Tom had an accordion that Piney played while he kept rhythm with a pair of bone castanets, and they sang hymns.  By midnight the snow storm let up.

What quotes show Macbeth is a tragic hero?

In order for a character to be considered a tragic hero, some basic criteria need to be met. First, he must come from a noble background. This is true of Macbeth, who distinguishes himself in battle before he even makes his first appearance on stage. Macbeth's valor causes King Duncan to exclaim of him: "O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!" (1.2.26).

Second, a tragic hero must suffer a tragic flaw. Macbeth's is his ambition. This is exemplified in Act I, scene 4, when Macbeth contemplates murdering King Duncan: "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires."

Finally, a tragic hero must undergo a tragedy. Macbeth certainly does; he suffers the loss of his wife, his ill gotten kingdom, and his life. The totality of his downfall is clear in his last words, found in Act V, scene 8:

I will not yield,
To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,
And to be baited with the rabble's curse.
Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane,
And thou opposed, being of no woman born,
Yet I will try the last. Before my body
I throw my warlike shield! Lay on, Macduff,
And damn'd be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”

What is trade openness and what is the effect of trade openness on economic/financial development?

Trade openness refers to the outward or inward orientation of a given country's economy. Outward orientation refers to economies that take significant advantage of the opportunities to trade with other countries. Inward orientation refers to economies that overlook taking or are unable to take advantage of the opportunities to trade with other countries. Some of the trade policy decisions made by countries that empower outward or inward orientation are trade barriers, import-export, infrastructure, technologies, scale economies and market competitiveness.

The degree of global trade openness existing in countries is measured on a number of economic issues and tracked in the Open Markets Index (OMI). The OMI grades four central categories of economic issues:

• Trade openness (including trade to GDP ratio and real growth of imports)


• Trade policy regime (including applied tariffs, tariff profile, border efficiency)


• Openness to foreign direct investment (FDI) (including FDI inflow to GDP and ease of business establishment)


• Infrastructure open for trade (including logistics performance, communications infrastructure, telephone lines, Internet)

Economic Effect of Trade Openness

Economic research has focused on the economic effect of openness to trade over the last decade, and there is no firm consensus on the economic effect of trade openness. Theories of economics held that open economies would experience increased economic growth while closed economies, those with restrictive tariffs and not open to trade, would experience no economic growth. Many studies have been performed wherein the theory of openness-to-growth correlation has been upheld.

An example is the early economy of Ghana. In a span of time covering the 1960s through the 1980s, when Ghana had restrictive economic policies inhibiting trade openness, their economy struggled and did not grow. Efforts to reshape economic policy so that it favored openness resulted in increasing economic growth. Measures Ghana took included:

• assistance from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in the way of loans and aid.

• improvement of infrastructure for logistics and various communications.
  stabilization of currency in the foreign exchange market (FX).
  removing of distortions in trade restrictions (reconfiguring trade tariff policy). 

• correcting imbalances between economic structure and macro-economic factors, some of which are GDP, output, investments, savings, and international trade.

Ghana set an 8 percent economic growth target for 2020 (later amended to 2015). The 8 percent growth target, in 2005, had not been approached, with growth at only 5.1 percent. With this slow growth--after the initial resuscitating economic growth of the 1980s--economic policy makers in Ghana are now divided on the role of trade openness.

Notwithstanding, the theory still holds sway in academic discussion that (1) non-restrictive tariff policy, (2) active involvement of the World Bank and the IMF, and (3) openness and accessibility of infrastructure and communications affect an increase in economic growth, such as was seen in the 1980s in Ghana (where growth leveled out thereafter).

In "Water for Elephants" should Marlena have stayed with August? Was it wrong of Marlena and Jacob to have sex while she was still married?

The answer to this is purely a matter of opinion on your part.  It helps to look at the facts surrounding the situation, and your own personal feelings in regards to the moral implications involved as you form that opinion.

August, a lively and dynamic character, in fact, is a violent schizophrenic.  His drastic mood shifts come without warning, abruptly, and his wife Marlena is usually the unfortunate victim, along with some helpless animals that end up in his path.  When he is in a good mood, he is irrisistably charming, kind, and loving; these traits are what has kept Marlena with him for so long.  However, when his mood shifts, it is extreme and frightening.  Marlena, unaware of these things when she married him, realized quickly that she had gotten more than she bargained for.

So, does that justify adultery?  Were there better courses of action that she could have taken and still achieved the same ends?  Could she have gotten a divorce?  Would August have granted her one safely, without threatening harm?  Did their society condone divorce or separation?  And, what role did Jacob play in the situation--should he have stayed away from Marlena?  What accountability does he have?  Did he tempt her unduly, or disrespect her wishes in any way?

I hope that all of these thoughts help you to start forming an opinion on the matter.  It's a tricky situation, filled with gray areas that can be argued either way, so, good luck!

What went through Romeo's mind when he died? Juliet's when she found him? Do you think that if she had lived she would have fell in love again?

Romeo was raging with many different emotions when he drank the poison. He laments the death of Tybalt, & questions why Juliet looks so alive still. Of course, it's because she is alive, but Romeo doesn't know that, & instead speculates that Death (in personified form) has kept her as his mistress. In fear of this, Romeo vows to stay with Juliet, and continues:

"Eyes, look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death!(115)
Come, bitter conduct; come, unsavoury guide!
Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on
The dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark!
Here's to my love! Drinks. O true apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."

In his last moment, he fills his senses, and steels himself against death. The fact that he dies "with a kiss" also suggests that he's still thinking of Juliet.

Juliet is thinking much along the same lines. She frets that Romoe has not left enough poison on his lips, & when she hears the watchmen approaching, she takes his dagger and stabs herself, saying "This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die." Thus both think of each other as they die.

I'd like to think that Juliet would love again if she had lived. After all, she was only 13, and it would be difficult to believe that, being so incredibly young, she would not have found love again. Even Romeo loved before Juliet; it's quite feasible she could have loved after him. Of course, she may have found her life full of hardships, as her father had already disowned her  and she would have to answer for her actions. So perhaps she would have entered a nunnery, or been forced to flee.

In "The Soldier's Home," why can't Krebs pray, and how does his war experience connect to his inability to pray?

When Harold Krebs comes home from the war, he is a far different person from the boy who went away to fight. We can only imagine the horrors he must have seen because his experiences have affected him deeply. He finds it difficult to hear those in his small hometown glorify the war, showing their lack of understanding of its real nature as Harold has known it. Harold has come home, but home is a place where he no longer belongs. He spends a great deal of time in his room, alone. He shows no interest in the pretty girls he observes, and he cannot think of his future.

Harold's parents continue to treat him as the boy he had been, desiring no knowledge of where he had been and what he had lived through during his absence. He tolerates their behavior. When he no longer can ignore his feelings, however, Harold's bitterness erupts in the dramatic confrontation with his mother.

Harold can't pray because he no longer accepts his mother's values, beliefs, or way of life. He can't pray because he feels totally alone, cut off from everything and everyone, including a divine power. Harold's inability to pray emphasizes his emotional and spiritual isolation, the direct result of having experienced war. After the confrontation with his mother, during which Harold lives a false life for a few moments to placate her, he knows he must leave home. He will go to Kansas City. He will still be alone there, because he will be alone everywhere from now on, but he will be free to live without pretense and hypocrisy.

How did Claudius die in Hamlet?

Claudius in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, is a "smiling villain," charming and courteous, but nonetheless amoral and unscrupulous. He is Hamlet's uncle, being the brother of Hamlet's father.

At the opening of the play, Claudius has married Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. The ghost of Hamlet's father informs Hamlet that Claudius actually murdered Hamlet's father. Hamlet acknowledges the ghost's point that he has a duty to avenge the murder of his father. The main plot of the play consists of Hamlet trying to ascertain solid evidence of Claudius' misdeeds, deciding to kill him, and figuring out how that murder might be accomplished. 

At the end of the play, Claudius puts poison in Hamlet's drink. Gertrude, Hamlet's mother drinks some of it by mistake and dies. Meanwhile, Laertes wounds Hamlet with a poisoned sword, but Hamlet by accident ends up with the poisoned sword and stabs Laertes with it. When Hamlet discovers that the sword has been poisoned, he stabs Claudius with it, saying:

The point!--envenom'd too!

Then, venom, to thy work.

Hamlet then forces Claudius to drink the remainder of the poisoned drink, saying:

Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane,

Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?

Follow my mother.

What is the conflict of the novel The Chrysalids?

The conflict of The Chrysalids is very similar to the central conflict of many "post-apocalyptic" or futuristic works--man versus society.  David, more than any other characters, represents this conflict.  He knows that he is supposed to abide by the very strict rules of his society and live in fear of judgemental God exacting another tribulation about his people.  However, his innate curiosity makes it difficult to do either.  He befriends Sophie, who is not "normal" and who hides the fact that she has six toes.  Anything considered abnormal to David's society deserves a banishment of sorts.

With a central conflict such as Chrysalids, a lone hero is normally forced to make a choice between all that he has known and been encouraged to believe/do and what his conscience, brain, or desire tell him to do.  Other examples of this specific type of conflict include, Huck Finn, The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and Fahrenheit 451.  The conflict seems to be applied most often to religious societies.

Who is the main character in the novel? In other words, whose story is this?Be sure to consider which character occupies the central position in...

While the seemingly obvious answer is Hester Prynne, as you so aptly have put, one must consider who is involved primarily in the climax and whose secret sin is the worst.  So, it is both Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth whose hearts carry secret sin.  But, because Chillingworth has violated "the sanctity of the human soul"  his is the most heinous sin.  In Chapter XIV Hester tells him,

You burrow and rankle his [Dimmesdale's] heart!  Your clutch is on his life, and cause him to die daily a living death; and still he knows you not.

  Thus, he should be awarded the Scarlet Letter of main characters.  That is, although Dimmesdale plays the major role in the climax, Chillingworth is the main character who fulfills the theme of "The Scarlet Letter."  And, he is the one who loses the most, for his soul is lost in his unrepentant hatred.

After all, there is redemption for both Hester and Dimmesdale who admit to their sins, but Chillingworth retains his sin in his black heart.  Hawthorne's exhortation at the conclusion of the novel confirms this view as he expresses the "moral...from the poor minister's miserable experience":

Be true!  Be true!  be true!  Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trai whereby the worst may be inferred

With Hawthorne's theme of the greatest sin being hypocrisy, Roger Chillingworth has clearly proven himself the greatest hypocrite throughout the entire narrative.  He disguises his identity, he lives with Dimmesdale under the pretense of being a physician to heal the minister, and he never confesses his sins.  Instead, after rejoicing in the discovery of the letter on Dimmesdale's chest and pursuing his goal of torturing the spirit of the minister--"he will be mine"--he tells Hester that he has willingly signed on with the devil as he admits to being a fiend:

A mortal man, with once a human heart, has become a fiend for his especial torment!

And, like the Devil himself, Chillingworth, unrepentant, at the final scaffold scene,

knelt down beside him [Dimmesdale], with a blank, dull countenance, out of which the life seemed to have departed. 'Thous hast escaped me!' he repeated more thatn once 'Thou has escaped me!'

"May God forgive thee!" says the minister.  "Thou, too, hast deeply sinned!"

Does anybody know how to classify M.G.Lewis' The Monk historically (in literary terms)?I am writing an essay about the "school of horror" with...

The Monk is a fully developed example of a Gothic novel. The Gothic genre depends on a combination of terror and pleasure, created by situating a complex plot that usually involved elements of the supernatural in dark, terrifying surroundings (the connection with Gothic architecture is obvious). Elements often used to create the required atmosphere include religion (especially its more ominous or exotic manifestations, such as the Spanish Inquisition), dark ruins, dungeons, torture chambers, decay and death, hereditary curses and secrets, perverse expressions of sexuality such as rape and incest, and demonic manifestations, up to and including the Devil himself. Realism and narrative economy take a distinctly secondary place to the creation of a ghastly and gloomy ambiance that the reader can contemplate with pleasure from a safe distance of space and time (there is also a frequent vein of self-parody in Gothic that adds to the spectator's amusement).

The Monk is a classic Gothic production. It has a convoluted plot that aims more at creating an atmosphere than logical development. The monk who is the central character is corrupted and ruined by a demon in the form of a woman who tempts him to sexual transgressions that involve rape and murder -- as an added fillip, it is revealed that the woman he has raped is in fact his own sister. Another woman is tortured by sadistic nuns, and the protagonist sells his soul to the Devil to escape a death penalty from the Inquisition, after which he dies in torment following a final attempt to double-cross Satan. The emphasis on sadistic and murderous clerics and the total corruption of the Catholic Church were relatively novel for Gothic literature at that time, but due to the influence of The Monk they were to become standard features of later Gothic works.

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, when do they decide to change the name to Animal Farm?

chr1zch0n,

George Orwell's classic dystpian novel "Animal farm" is a wonderful allegory of revolution. While it ma be compared to the Russian Revolution in a few instances, that might be a too narrow mindset for a book that is richly detailed and easy to read.

In Chapter 2, after the pigs had secretly taught themselves to read from a "spelling book" for three months that was discarded by Mrs. Jones 's children, Napoleon ordered black and white paint to be found to change the name of the farm from "Manor Farm" to "Animal Farm."

Then Snowball (for it was Snowball who was best at writing) took a brush between the two knuckles of his trotter, painted out MANOR FARM from the top bar of the gate and in its place painted ANIMAL FARM.  This was to be the name of the farm from now onwards. (Chapter 2)

In Chapter 10, the name of Animal Farm was ironically changed back to to Manor Farm by Napoleon:

He had only one criticism, he said, to make of Mr. Pilkington's excellent and neighbourly speech. Mr. Pilkington had referred throughout to "Animal Farm." He could not of course know-for he, Napoleon, was only now for the first time announcing it-that the name "Animal Farm" had been abolished. Henceforward the farm was to be known as "The Manor Farm"-which, he believed, was its correct and original name. (Chapter 10)

The pigs had certainly converted to the actions of man.

What is the first tenth book "The Outsiders" about.I need this, like, urgently. I am taking a test and I need this. Yes, I read the book,...

The book opens with Ponyboy beginning his story.  Ponyboy is coming home from the movies and he is stopped by a group of Socs.  Before they hurt him too badly his gang comes along to run them off.  It is here that we meet the main members of the "greasers."  We meet Ponyboy's older brothers, Darry and Sodapop.  We also meet Johnny, Two-Bit, Steve, and Dally. 

After things get settled down some of the boys make plans to meet at the Drive-In that night.  At the Drive-In we get to meet Cherry Valance and Marcia.  We also learn a little more about Ponyboy.  Dally is harassing the girls and Johnny speaks up to tell him to stop.  Dally gets angry and goes for a Coke and Pony and Johnny move up to talk to the girls.  After the movie the boys are going to drive the girls home but their "boyfriends" drive up and make the girls go with them.  The Socs all leave in the Mustang and Johnny and Ponyboy go to the empty lot.

Ponyboy and Johnny fall asleep and wake up late.  When Ponyboy walks into the house late Darry jumps on him and finally smacks Pony in the face.  Pony runs out and goes to find Johnny in the empty lot.  They walk to the park and just before they decide to head home the Socs drive up and jump them. 

Hope this helps.  There are complete summaries and study questions located at the links below.

In The Crucible, why did John Proctor stop going to weekly church meeting?

John Proctor was very much an individual, his own man and an independent thinker. He detested Rev. Parris and viewed him with complete contempt. John recognized Parris's vanity, greediness, and selfish nature. It grated on John, a hard working farmer, that Parris seemed most interested in wringing every penny he could get from his congregation--including the deed to the minister's house and golden candle sticks for the church. When John's religious habits were questioned, especially in regard to his youngest son's not having been baptized, John said that he saw no "light of God" in Parris and did not want the minister's hand on his baby. Instead of going to church, John spent his Sundays working his farm for the good of his family.

We might also infer, perhaps, that John avoided church because of his guilt over his adultery with Abigail Williams. Until the very end of the play, he saw himself as a terrible sinner, a man with little goodness in him. Going to church under these circumstances would have made him feel very hypocritical, no doubt.

Why is Theseus anxious for the rising of the new moon? What does he tell Philostrate to do? Why do you suppose Egeus prefers Demetrius to Lysander?

All three of your questions stem from Act 1, sc. 1.  Simply put, Theseus is anxious for the new moon because that is when he and Hippolyta will get married.  This is explained in the first 6 lines of the play.  It also appears that Theseus is more anxious to get married than is Hippolyta, but considering that Theseus defeated Hippolyta in battle, that's not that surprising.  In lines 12-16, Theseus tells Philostrate to get people in Athens stirred up, or excited, about the upcoming wedding.  He wants there to be a joyous and excitement-filled atmosphere; a holiday-like attitude among the people of Athens.  As to why Egeus prefers Demetrius to Lysander, there is less clarity.  It is probably because Egeus chose Demetrius and he didn't choose Lysander.  Clearly, Egeus is old-school in that he feels that he, as a parent, knows best who is a suitable mate for his daughter.  Lysander has wooed and charmed Hermia with singing at her window, small gifts and treats, and poetry (lines 29-35) which is new-school.  This alone is enough to turn Egeus against Lysander because he, Egeus, wants to choose his daughter's husband. We are told that Demetrius and Lysander come from the same social strata so that is not a reason. I think the choice of Demetrius initially was just chance and little more. 

What is effective research?

sweet107,

There are 8 steps for effective research.

1) Select and identify your topic

This will help you narrow down your research to something that interests you, and something you will find exciting and useful to other people. After you have selected a topic, identify the keywords or terms which describe your topic. A helpful way to do this is to state your topic in the form of a question. This leads right into the next step.

2. Sate a thesis or hypothesis

Once you decide on a topic, clearly think of the central question you are looking for or the thesis that you think needs proving or disproving. This will concentrate your research into one particular aspect and help you narrow down information that can be organized into different subheadings.

3. Decide on the type of data you need and how you will collect it.

Do you need live subjects, survey questions answered, control and experimental groups, or is it a historical query?

4. Collect date using blind or double blind procedures or effective methods to ensure accuracy, viability, and truthfulness of data.

5. Analyze data using subjective or objective techniques. Ensure that your data analysis fits the kind of research question you want answered.

6. Interpret the data results effectively. Does the data answer the central question that you are looking for?

7. Evaluate your findings and decide on what conclusions can be drawn form it.

8) Present your research in a clear and understandable format using any number of approved methods such as APA, MLA, etc., and ensure that you follow all procedures from citations to a Works Cited Page.

I hope your research is successful

Where can I find the themes of alienation and urbanization in "The Love Song of of J.Alfred Prufrock" and how can I explain theme?

Theme is a main message that tends to come through in a piece of writing.  It is the underlying point, meaning, or focus of the entire poem.  So, that is how you can explain what theme is; I also provided a link to a discussion of the themes in this poem. That should be helpful.   The theme of alienation is especially present, as the main character, Prufrock, feels totally alienated from the crowds that he finds himself with at these tea parties that he goes to.  He even feels himself alienated from the woman with whom he wants to have a serious discussion with.  There are too many instances of alienation in the poem to include them all, but think about these passages.  Consider the passage where he compares himself to a crab:

"I should have been a pair of ragged claws/Scuttling across the floors of silent seas."

He shows his alienation here because he would feel more comfortable as a crab, scuttling across the sea floor; it is an image that he is more at ease with than actually being in a room socializing easily with people.  He feels conspicious (look to the passage where he imagines them scrutinizing his appearances as he leaves the room ), lonely (look to the passage where he compares himself to lonely men smoking their pipes), and as ugly and unlikable as a crab.  He fears being misunderstood, and having awkward conversations; he says he fears the woman sighing with irritation and stating, "That is not what I meant at all" in response to some misinterpretation of her intentions.  And, at the end, he describes the fact that he hears beautiful mermaids singing (possibly symbolic of the women he so admires) but that he does "not think that they will sing to" him.  Again, he feels alienated, that there are people out there living life, enjoying themselves, but that he isn't a part of all of that.

Because of the guidelines of the website, I suggest submitting the urbanization theme in a separate question, as one question is allowed a day.  I hope that those thoughts on alienation help a bit; good luck!

What is Willy's philosophy in "Death of a Salesman"?

Miller creates the character of Willy as the embodiment of the failure within the American Dream.  Willy is presented as a prototypical American male of the post World War II era who was taught that if he works hard, plays by the rules, and believes in the authenticity of his dreams, success will be evident.  The reality is that this is not the case in that there are obstacles that inhibit the realization of a dream where monetary and financial success represent the ultimate payoff. Willy's philosophy is to believe in his dreams and within this notion of "big dreams," he will succeed.  The reality is far different because of the matrix of inhibitions that prevent this dream from becoming a reality.  Willy's philosophy of dreams involve "making it big," which is a strictly economic notion of the good.  This challenges him to find success in a vision where the finality of money determines success or failure.   The constant denial of the realization of this conception of dreams compel him to commit suicide for a monetary payoff.  In this philosophy of life, one's value is directly tied to money.  Miller creates this in a deliberate manner in his desire to provide a more complex notion of the "American Dream" philosophy that enveloped so much of American society.

What is a theme statement in 'A Separate Peace?'

Several themes can be drawn out of the novel, but the most evident one would read something like "Sometimes one's greatest enemy is oneself." This is obviously the case with Gene, an overly-scholarly, introvert "preppie" who can only exist in terms of showing his superiority over others. In sharp contrast is Phineas, not so studious but well-liked by both students and teachers. Finny's general good will and optimism are flamboyantly shown by the pink shirt he wears along with the school tie uses as a belt. (Finny is so disarming that he even gets away with it!) Despite their deep friendship, the "monster" in Gene comes out for a split second when he intentionally bounces Phineas off-balance on the limb of the tree at the water hole, making him fall.

Several other themes focus on the subject of guilt, confession and forgiveness. Make a statement that best fits your interpretation of the message Knowles is trying to get across. Is it the idea that love can forgive all, or that some acts of violence are irrevocable and their consequences can't be undone? (Remember in the backdrop of what happens at the school between Gene and Phineas, there is a cruel war going on for which the boys are being "prepared.") Along these lines is the idea of the inevitable loss of innocence in one's coming of age.

Critics have sometimes esteemed this book as melodramatic and overly sentimental. Personally, it is one of my favourites; I think it fairly accurately depicts the nature of inner conflict and the difficulty of finding any real resolution or reconciliation with self once one has betrayed a "loved" one.

Where in the book Into the Wild does the following quote occur?So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the...

This quote comes from Chapter Six, from a letter that Chris McCandless wrote to Ron Franz. In the letter, Chris outlines some of his feelings about society and about how societal expectations play a role in defining a person's life. Chris thought that people should push back against expectations and challenge themselves instead of remaining in an unhappy life that is easier than change. The full quote reads:

So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.
(Krakauer, Into the Wild, Amazon.com)

This shows how Chris thought of the common "American Dream," in which people strive to education and employment, a family, a home, and then a dignified funeral. Instead of what he saw as commonplace desires, Chris wanted to prove himself against nature itself, and so stretch his personal horizons and boundaries. Without that challenge, he thought, he would turn out just like everyone else, fighting a society and system that worked to keep individuals confined to their societal roles.

Where does Jack think he is being followed in the jungle in Lord of the Flies by William Golding?

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is set on a tropical island, and all of the characters are young boys, roughly between the ages of six and thirteen or so. The boys have been stranded here alone, without any adults, so it is not surprising that they have all begin to have nightmares and fears about their situation. You ask where Jack thinks he is being followed in the jungle, but it is clear you know it happens while he is in the jungle; so I assume you mean either where in the book does this happen or what does Jack think is following him. 

In chapter three, Jack admits to feeling as though he is being followed sometimes, though he only admits it to Ralph in a moment of candid revelation and soon wants to deny ever having admitted something which he sees as weakness.  Ralph says they all need the shelters because they will serve as a reminder of home, and they may serve to help the boys have fewer nightmares. Jack says:

“All the same—in the forest. I mean when you’re hunting, not when you’re getting fruit, of course, but when you’re on your own—” He paused for a moment, not sure if Ralph would take him seriously.

“Go on.”

“If you’re hunting sometimes you catch yourself feeling as if—” He flushed suddenly. “There’s nothing in it of course. Just a feeling. But you can feel as if you’re not hunting, but—being hunted, as if something’s behind you all the time in the jungle.”
They were silent again: Simon intent, Ralph incredulous and faintly indignant. He sat up, rubbing one shoulder with a dirty hand. “Well, I don’t know.”
Jack leapt to his feet and spoke very quickly. “That’s how you can feel in the forest. Of course there’s nothing in it. Only—only—” He took a few rapid steps toward the beach, then came back. “Only I know how they feel. See? That’s all.”

This is one of only a few times in the novel that Jack admits to any weakness. He is one of the older boys and he has explored more of the island than anyone else as he has been hunting, so he knows there is no actual beast there. Nevertheless, he sometimes succumbs to the same fears as the other boys. Just as we have all experienced the shiver of fear thinking about something hiding under the bed (and take a flying leap to avoid getting "caught") or in the closet but know there is nothing there, so Jack feels the "creepy" fear of wondering if he is being followed by an imaginary creature. 

How do I Describe Sam's feelings about Red Chief by the end of the story? How does he change from the beginning of the story?

In O Henry's "The Ransom Of Red Chief", Sam is the "brains" (if there are any brains) of the operation.  At the beginning of the story, he reasons that given the size of a child that a child would have to do what he says.  He also wrongly assumes that "Red Chief" will be afraid of them and that the parents will gladly pay a ransom to get him back.

He is wrong.

At the end of the story, he discovers that the boy is both cunning and conniving- a trait that given his parents, the Dorsetts, stunning counter demand, he has obviously inherited. Nothing he assumed about the boy was correct.

What does the colour white symbolize in the book Fahrenheit 451?

White has significance in several cultures, many of which attach similar meanings to the color. The most popular associations include purity or cleanliness. We see this in the cultural tradition of America and other countries of a white wedding gown, symbolizing the purity of a virgin bride. Similarly, in Judeo-Christian tradition, characters thought of as pure are often represented in white robes, i.e. saints, angels, Jesus, etc.

These visual representations often lead to another association of the color, which is innocence. Again, this has religious significance, esp. in Judeo-Christian societies, but within the greater community white often involves an absence of evil, and therefore an abundance of innocence.

Finally, white can also be a symbol of death. This is the closest association in Fahrenheit 451. The idea of innocence/purity plays into this, as in death, one is cleansed  of sins. See also Whitman's "A noiseless, patient spider."

"He that troubeth his own house,..shall inherit the wind." What does this mean and how does it relate to the novel? Is there any other quotes in...

The title "Inherit the Wind" is an allusion to the Book of Proverbs 11:29 , "He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart." The allusion to this verse has several applications in the play. In Act 2, Scene 1, Reverend Brown "trouble his own house" by alienating his daughter when he gives a fiery sermon against Cates. Brady tells this proverb to Brown, indicating that the reverend indicating that once the trial is over, Brown may win the court case but he will lose his daughter in the process and thus "inherit the wind" or nothing. In Act 3, it is pointed out that when Brady told Brown his was "troubling his own house", Brady was "delivering his own obituary." Ironically, Brady also "inherits the wind" because he dies as a result of the stress brought on by the trial. Finally, the town itself "inherits the wind". They make such a fuss and turn the trial into such a circus, that the trial draws national attention and its residents are made to look both inflexible and ignorant. Their reputation is ruined even though they won the court case.

Do electrons tend to go to regions of high or low potential?

This is a confusing concept but if you think about it, it is not at all complicated. First, we must realize that electrons are not in some narrow orbit but occupy a general space like a cloud. Each space has a certain amount of energy for an electron to remain at that level. In, addition electron energy is measured in EV (electron volts) and it is a negative quantity.

As you can see from the reference link, the closer an electron is to the nucleus the greater it's negative energy. It must gain energy to jump to a more distant level. But like adding positive and negative numbers, as a negative gains some positive quantity, it gets closer to a zero (neutral) potential. That is why most electron transfers occur at the outer levels where the energy required for movement is less. For an electron to move from an inner energy level (potential if you will) to an outer one requires a great deal of energy, although once the first level has been overcome the next levels are closer in energy and require less input to make a jump. At the outer levels of any atom or molecule the potentials are much more even or closer together, so change happens rather frequently and is much easier at that point.

I guess the easy answer would have been one related to entropy, that all reactions in the universe tend to slow down and go to lower (not negative but zero) values of potential. But I thought you deserved a bit more.   

How does Pearl act abnormally in The Scarlet Letter?

Because Pearl is the "living A," the embodiment of her parents' sin, she cannot be normal and "pure" like the other children in Boston.  Thus, throughout the book she acts as a devilish child.  She does not fit in with other children; she is, instead, an outsider like her mother.  When the children jeer at her, she does not retreat meekly; she retaliates by throwing rocks at them, demonstrating that even though her mother might try to raise her to be sweet and "godly," her origin and her father's denial negate that possibility.

Additionally, Pearl's abnormality is evident in her precocious and constant reminders to Hester of her sin.  Not only must Hester and Dimmesdale remember their "sin" whenever they look at Pearl, the child also uses every possible opportunity to refocus her mother's attention on the literal scarlet letter--whether it be through shaping burrs in an A form or screaming until Hester reattaches her A after meeting Dimmesdale in the forest.

Finally, Pearl is more at home outside, especially in the dark forest, than she is in church.  She plays outside while her mother meets with Chillingworth and Dimmesdale but pitches a fit when she is inside the church (meeting house).

All of these seeming "abnormalities" fit Pearl's character because she cannot be "normal" until her father acknowledges his part in her "creation." So, it is only when Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold and confesses in front of others, that Pearl's symbolization as the living "A" ends, and her normal life begins.

I am temporarily baffled. What is an initiating event?

An initiating event is a literary term which refers to the first stimuli in a novel or story that triggers the conflict in the plot of a story line. The concept of an initiating event could be compared to a"patient zero" in an epidemic. One person begins a chain reaction and the disease is spread exponentially from contact with other people. The literary initiating event is somewhat the same thing. For every action there is an equal reaction. When a reader can identify the initiating event in a story which stimulates the conflict the story is much more interesting and easier to understand. After the initiating event the reader will encounter the conflict, rising action, climax and resolution of the story.

What are the similarities between Kino and the Doctor in the book The Pearl?

Without question, the differences between Kino and the Doctor in the book are far greater than the similarities.  The Doctor belongs to the class of oppressors, while Kino is the oppressed; this fact in itself places the Doctor and Kino at opposite ends of the spectrum in the village of La Paz.  Interestingly, however, there are definite similarities in the characters and situations of the Doctor and Kino.  Both characters have a dream, and both are susceptible to the ravages of greed in order to achieve their dreams.

The Doctor longs to return to Europe, but lacks the funds to achieve his desire.  He lives in constant dissatisfaction, exploiting the village people, serving only those whom he thinks can pay him.  The first time Kino seeks his help, the Doctor rudely turns him away because he does not have money, but when the Doctor hears that Kino has found the great pearl, he suddenly goes to his humble home, hypocritically promising to save Coyotito with his medical expertise.  The Doctor will go to great lengths in his unscrupulous pursuit of wealth so that he can make his dreams come true.

Kino's situation is of course not the same as the Doctor's.  Kino lives a poor, simple life, while the Doctor lives in luxury.  Although it can be argued that Kino's dream of a better life for his son is more legitimate than the Doctor's to return to Europe, the depth to which Kino must sink in pursuit of his dream is strikingly similar to that to which the Doctor descends.  Kino becomes consumed with the desire to become rich through the sale of his pearl.  In his furious quest to attain what he feels he rightfully deserves, he becomes a violent man, beating his wife when she tries to deter him from his objective, and finally, killing a man.  Reflecting the inherent tendency of man never to be satisfied with what he has, Kino soon discovers that "the pearl has become (his) soul...if (he) give(s) it up (he) shall lose (his) soul" (Chapter 5).  Both the Doctor and Kino want more than they have been given, and are corrupted by the destructive forces of greed.

In "Tartuffe" what elements of romance exist in the play? How would you characterize its prevailing tone?

The romantic subplot of Mariane and Valere in "Tartuffe" contains the traditional difficulties of the father in a patariarchal society who demands that his daughter marry another man, and a lovers' quarrel.  The scenes of Mariane and Valere having their quarrel are farcical as the lovers feign uncaring attitudes, yet after storming out, Valere returns time and time again to say that he is leaving.  This scene is one that Moliere lifted from his play Le Depit Amoreaux in order to lighten the tone of the more serious "Tartuffe" with its biting satire against religious hypocrisy and patariarchal authority.

The romantic subplot works itself into the main plot of Orgon's autocratic demands that everyone serve the imposter Tartuffe who has been made a permanent guest in Orgon's home.  In Act II, Scene 2 when Orgon speaks to his daughter and demands that she marry Tartuffe, the servant Dorine eavesdrops and offers her ironic humor to the conversation.  When Orgon states that he intends to help Tartuffe

get out of his present straits/And help him to recover his estates

Dorinee wrily retorts, 

Yes, so he tells us; and, Sir, it seems to me/Such pride goes very ill with piety...It's hard to be a faithful wife, in short,/To certain husbands of a certain sort,....

She continues telling Orgon outright that Mariane will make Tartuffe "a cuckold" if forced to marry him, for she cannot remain faithful to a man who repulses her.  When Orgon argues that Tartuffe is "a man of destiny" she ironically counters,

Oh, he's a man of destiny,/He's made for horns, and what the stars demand/Your daughter's virtue surely can't withstand.

Then, when the enraged Orgon orders Dorine to leave, she stays and makes her comments in asides, instead, until she has to intervene in the ridiculously funny lovers' quarrel of Valere and Mariane in Scene 4.

In the last paragraph O.Henry describes the magi, but why do you think he makes the allusion to the Magi in his story of Jim and Della?"The Gift...

According to the paragraph:

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

The Magi, or three wisemen, are connected with being the first givers of gifts upon the birth of Jesus. Their gifts were "wise" because each symbolized something unique to the recipient. The Gold is the symbol of kings, Gapar gave him Incense, which is the an allusion to divinity, and Balthasar gave Mirrh, which in an allusion that the Son of Man will eventually have to die.

Regardless of this, in the story, the two protagonists likewise give each other utterly symbolic gifts that represent something unique to them.

In the end, however, O.Henry refers to them as silly- but this is just a way of showing the things one does for love, and the sacrifices one must endure for others. In doing this sacrifice, they became "the wise men"- or persons of equal quality of nature, above a world much less humbled by circumstances.

Can you find any examples of figurative language in "The Necklace"?

Early in the story, the narrator tells us that Madame Loisel dreams of grand and elegant surroundings, including "tapestries peopling the walls" (an example of personification, when one gives a human characteristic to a non-human object.  When Madame Loisel goes to the party in the expensive dress her husband bought her, and the borrowed pearls, the narrator describes her as being "drunk with pleasure."  As the story progresses and the necklace is lost, there is a reference to the toll this financial distress is taking on her husband, who is described as "have aged five years" (an example of hyperbole, or extreme exaggeration). 

What happened that changed Mitch's life and how did it change?This is from chapter 3.

In chapter 3, called "The Student" Mitch tells of his encounter with death.  He writes about his favorite uncle dying at an early age of pancreatic cancer.  This was the uncle that Mitch had wanted to be like when he grew up.  This was the uncle that had taught him to drive, to play the music he loved so much, and taught him about girls.  He spent the last year of his uncle's life living in an apartment below his uncle and his family.  After his uncle died Mitch writes that he felt that time was suddenly precious and he couldn't get enough done fast enough.  He enrolled in school and got his Master's degree in Journalism.  His career took off and he worked hard and long to use the time before time could use him. 

Where can you find a scene where you can see very obviously Bernard's character?"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

While Bernard of "Brave New World" professes independence of thought in his desire to be alone and with Lenina as he suggests they stop and look at the sky on their date, later the reader gains more insight into his true character.  For, in Chapter IX Bernard displays his less than noble nature when he makes a phone call to Mustapha Mond from the Reservation to have persmission to bring the Savage and his mother Linda back to the New World as he returns.  This act is a self-serving one as Bernard hopes to gain favor with Mond as well as wreak some revenge upon John the Savage's father, the Director.  That Bernard is pretentious is also evident in his tone of voice when he speaks to the Warden of the Reservation:

'I know,'s aid Bernard, interrupting him. 'I was talking to his fordship on the phone a moment ago.' His bored tone implied that he ws in the habit of talking to his fordship every day of the week....'If you'll kindly take all the necessary steps as soon as possible...'he emphatically repeated.  He was thoroughly enjoying himself.

When Bernard returns to the New World in Chapter X, he enters the Hatchery, "A veneer of jaunty self-confidence thinly concealed his nervousness."  He speaks too loudly, then reduces his voice to a "squeak."  Rather than being a leader, Bernard is obsequious, a sycophant who wishes to raise himself in favor with the leaders of his society.  Of course, he hopes rise by humiliating the Director as he introduces John, his son, and Linda, his former lover, to him there before the others.

In his observations of John and his mother Bernard fails to understand the love between them.  He notes the "interesting example" of the way early conditioning must work.  Later on, Bernard escorts John to Eaton School where he tries to impress others by his importance.  Then, when the Savage refuses to be exploited again and does not appear at a large gathering Bernard has organized, Bernard's

happy self-confidence was leaking from a thousand wounds...the crowning moment of Bernard's whoe career had turned out to be the moment of his greatest humiliation.

After this incident, Bernard's petty nature continues to reveal itself.  He

continued perversely to nourish...a secret grievance against the Savage, to meditate a campaign of small revenges to be wreaked upon him.

When he goes to Hemholtz and

asked once more for the friendship which, in his prosperity, he had not thought it worth his while to preserve...Helmholtz gave it; and gave it without a reproach....

Instead of gratitude, Bernard feels "humiliated by this magnanimity" and is "resentful."  He further proves himself small when Mond, in Chapter XVI mentions the sentence of being sent to an island:

'You can't send me.  I haven't done anything.  It was the others.  I swear it was the others.'  He pointed accusingly to Helmholtz and the Savage.....And in a paroxysm of abjection he trew himself on his knees before the Controller.  Mustapha Mond tried to make him get up; but Bernard persisted in his grovelling; the stream of words poured out inexhaustibly.  In the end the Controller had to ring for his fourth secretary

who brings a soma vaporization to calm Bernard.

Rather than being better than the others of his world, Bernard proves himself petty and weak.

In "Lord of the Flies", what does change when Ralph loses his advisor, Piggy?

Ralph, Piggy, and Simon are all allegorical characters.  They represent something to the meaning of the story beyond themselves, and when they are targeted and killed, one by one, it is essentially as if these human traits are murdered as well, leaving the boys in complete and utter darkness as far a civilization goes.

Ralph represents reason and logic.  He is the original leader, chosen by the boys as a whole.  He is the one who orchestrates the collecting of water, the building of shelters, the collecting of food, and the watching of the signal fire.

Piggy, his friend, represent intelligence and insight.  Piggy is the advisor of Ralph, the one who keeps him on track and helps him prioritize what is important until the rescue. HIs glasses are also a symbol of that insight.  He sees well with them, but is blinded without them.  With them, the boys are able to create fire which is the source of heat and warmth, and gives them the ability to cook food for health. When Piggy is murdered, that insight is gone.  Ralph no longer has that intelligence to lean upon, and the glasses have become the spoils of war just as the meat from the pigs they've hunted seals their victory over the island wildlife.  "Piggy" has become just another member of the hunted wild pigs on the island.

Simon was the first to be killed.  He represented innocence.  The boys' innocence disappears first as they battle the unknown of the island and of life itself with no adult supervision.  The outbreak of war, the beast on the island and the death of Simon, which they all took part in as part of a frenzied attack on something fearful which they perceived as a threat, has forced them to grow beyond the stage of innocence they had before they were shipped off to safety.

Hope this helps!

In Into the Wild, what was Chris McCandless's biggest challenge?

Chris McCandless faces several conflicts in the story.  The first, and arguably largest is person vs. self.  Chris is on a journey of self-discovery throughout the novel.  He is constantly searching for what will bring him happiness and fulfillment in life, ultimately giving his life in the process.

But it can also be argued that Chris faces the challenge of person vs. society.  It is clear from the back story Krakauer provides that Chris has had trouble fitting into his world since he was young.  His sister, Carine remembers him spending much time alone as a child.  He doesn't act in a way that would be considered average, in social terms.  From spending his Friday nights feeding the homeless, to taking long solo journey's across country Chris struggled to find his place in society, and learn what it meant to be a part of a family for better or worse.

Lastly, and most obviously, Chris faced the conflict of man vs. nature.  In the most literal sense Chris struggled to survive in Alaska (as well as the ocean and desert) by foraging, finding shelter, and hunting game.  Ultimately this is the conflict that beat him.

Aside from personal glory, what two benefits to mankind does Walton hope to achieve in Frankenstein?

Robert Walton, the sailor we meet in the letters at the beginning of the book and to whom we return at the end of the book, is looking for a passage through the North Pole.  In fact, he says in a letter to his sister,

"I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man" (page 26 in the Bedford St. Martin edition).

So, he does hope to gain personal glory, but through some sea passage through the North Pole that ships can pass through instead of having to go around saving time, money and resources.  He also hopes to put his "imprint" on lands that have never before been seen or touched by humankind.  Perhaps to discover some other thing--an animal, a continent, some object that will make him famous for having discovered it.

Little does he know that his greatest contribution will be after he meets Victor and they converse, thus "teaching" readers of the journal he publishes how to act and what not to do.

What special qualities did Athena have?

Not of woman born but rather having sprung from the head of Zeus (what a headache!), Athena was attributed the title of "goddess of wisdom and craftsmanship." Prankish and tomboyish by nature, she grew up excelling in 1)military arts, including warfare strategy. Ironically, she was also known for her skills as 2)a negotiator and was often called upon for help in diplomacy. She also was 3)gifted in diverse manual arts. 4) Having brought forth an olive branch from a rock, Athena is also considered the "goddess of 4) cultivation."

It was not until Arachne challenged her skills in weaving that Athena lost her even temper and let her pride get the best of her. This led to the contest between Arachne and Athena in which each was to outdo the other by depicting a scene of the gods. Although Athena's tapestry was sublime, Arachne portrayed the gods in a comical way and her work was evidently superior. Arachne paid dearly for her audacious parody; Athena was declared the winner instead.

What images and figures of speech might have helped Edward's listeners to feel the peril of thier sinful condition?Edwards was directing his sermon...

The primary image that Edwards seems to be railing against is a social order that has lost sight of a Christian or Divine notion of life.  At the time of the composition of his sermon, the Colonies were moving towards the qualities of a secular, or not as heavily religious form of existence.  Literacy had been increasing throughout the colonies and with it was the growth of industry and commerce.  Colonists were sensing that pursuing material acquisition had become  a part of existence that was previously unknown.  For Edwards, this move translated, in his mind, to a rejection of the almighty.  His notion of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" helped to reflect this idea of a move of lifestyle which displeased God.  The concept of being "reborn" for Edwards was one where this conception of materialism had become replaced with spirituality of a zealous and denominational nature.

In the play "Romeo and Juliet," what are some quotes about violence, prejudice, and/or moral decisions?

Things that leap out at me whenever I read that play, which I must say I like less and less out of all Shakespeare's very fine work (but he never asks us to like his characters) are these:

At one point, Juliet says of Romeo- after learning he killed Tybalt -"O, serpent heart/hid 'neath a flowering face..." then,even when declaring remaining love for the (in my opinion) immature fellow, she talks of "cutting him up to be little stars" which I find to be a rather violent depiction of love.

And of course there is Mercutio, who like many of the Bard's characters is named as he is, mercurial, at one moment funny and the next enraged. He was wrong to challenge Tybalt over Romeo's protest; too temperamental, and he died for it.

Then again, when Romeo finds Paris swooning over the supposedly dead Juliet at the tomb, Romeo is enraged, and tragically and needlessly kills both Paris (for just being there) and himself, because he thinks Juliet is dead. Hellooo! Can't a man wait and grieve a bit first; be a man?

Then Jule immediately decides she would also rather be "cut up" (though that isn't said here) and kills herself too. What a mess! Friar Laurence and Benevolio (sp. Think it was him, waiting-) are nearly charged with stabbing all three.

Much ado about nothing = the setup of a family feud between Montagues and Capulets, et cetera, but done so that Shakespeare, I learned it right here, could change the normal course of such goings-on and compress the action into about a week; also to let it occur with young 'nobodies' instead of a king and queen over months and even years.

Morality is a slim thing here, from the moment Romeo immediately forgets what was supposed to be undying love for Rosaline, Act One, Scene One. Seems to me no one but the Prince behaves at all, though even he has to say something he couldn't possibly know at the very end- "For never was a love so/like that of Juliet and her Romeo."

I sigh with relief 'til I look for a specific quote again.

What is the theme of the book "Slam" by Walter Dean Myers?

Your question isn't really fair because of the large number of themes in this coming-of-age story:  basketball, drugs, friendship, family, education, attitude, etc.  However, if I had to choose a MAIN theme, I would say, by FAR, the main theme is as follows:  TEAMWORK.

If you look at all the minor themes of this bildungsroman, you will see teamwork is involved in ALL of them.  One cannot play a team sport like basketball without teamwork.  One cannot be involved in a business (even an illegitimate business like drug dealing) without teamwork. One cannot be in a healthy friendship or a healthy family without teamwork.  (I had to laugh at that last one because I did have to insert the word "healthy.")  One cannot receive an education from teachers/mentors/professors without teamwork.  And, finally, you cannot achieve ANY teamwork without the proper attitude of respect for all.

Of course, all of this teamwork has to do with the main character of Greg:  a fantastic, young, teen basketball star who wants to eventually make it into the NBA.  The conflict of talent vs. reality is real here.  Hard work is paramount especially within the setting of urban experience.  All of this involves teamwork on the part of Greg, his friends, and his family.  Greg has to spend a lot of time balancing his "want" of attitude with his "need" for teamwork and, in that, success.  You can see this struggle in the quote below:

I'm six four, and I got the moves, the eye and the heart. You can take my game to the bank and wait around for the interest.

In the end, of course, Greg learns that "moves" and height and even talent are not enough for the success and happiness that he years for.  THAT kind of happiness only results from teamwork in an atmosphere of respect.

What are the main points in the prologue? As well as the departure?It was hard to understand. i am confused

In the early stages of the prologue, one becomes introduced to the idea that there is a universal sharing of experience and mythmaking, allowing different versions of the hero archetype; the hero with a 1000 faces.  It seems to me that Campell uses the prologue to establish this sense of universality.  If he cannot link different traditions together with universal application, then the premise of the monomyth is not as valid.  This monomyth is the similar structure that all heroic myths, regardless of culture and time, share.   With this in mind, Campbell uses the prologue to establish a perceptible pattern of different cultural expressions of the "sameness."  Some of the ideas he posits in favor of this position is his notion of tragedy and comedy, namely that the former is inescapable in all life and it is punctuated with moments of the latter.  He continues this line of logic with the notion of "the world navel," from whence all stories originate.  Campbell is trying to make the argument that there are some fundamental elements that all cultures in establishing their mythology share.  To better understand these elements allows for a more profound and deeper appreciation of the trials of the hero and the cultural expressions of mythology.

In The Prince and the Pauper for Chapters 23-24, what does Edward find strange as they walk to the jail?I just want the question answered!

As Edward walks to the jail with Miles Hendon in Chapter 24, he finds that the people on the street greet the spectacle of his impending incarceration with "marvelous indifference".  No one seems to care that the king is there, let alone that he is going to jail, and Edward finds that very strange.

Of course, the people on the street have no idea that Edward is the king, which is why, when he is led away, they pay no attention.  Edward is used to pomp and circumstance following him wherever he goes, but the streets are virtually deserted at this moment, and the few people who are out are interested in their own affairs,

"anxious to accomplish their errands as quickly as possible and then snugly house themselves from the rising wind and the gathering twilight.  They (look) neither to the right nor to the left; they (pay) no attention to (the king's) party, they (do) not even seem to see them".

From all outward appearances, Edward is just another ragged urchin in the big city, but in his heart he is still a king.  It is hard for him to get used to the idea that others do not see him as he sees himself, and do not treat him with the respect that he feels he deserves (Chapter 24).

"Pygmalion is a blend of romance and reality." Discuss.

You will need to explore the play to find support for your reasons why you think it is a blend of romance and reality.  In this way, you will assure your 400-500 word limit proposed by your professor.  For starters, though, take a look at the story itself.  We have a poor girl who works hard but is getting nowhere fast selling flowers.  She happens to be very beautiful (would the story have happened just this way if the girl had been homely?  This is a valid question to pose in your essay), and in the process of the "experiment" she and Higgins fall in love.  This is part of the romance, but the reality is that if Higgins rejects her, she is still in a not-so-good place.  She can't return to her prior life since she has now known a better more sophisticated life and she no longer speaks like the people from where she came.  She has no financial means to live like she's become accustomed in the Higgins' household.  She could always just marry Freddy, but chances are she wouldn't be happy since her heart is with Higgins.

Eliza is much more grounded and common sense than Higgins. She's lived hard and worked hard, and he has lived a life of privilege his whole life.  She is a realist hoping for the best, but expecting to be kicked in the teeth.

There is also the part regarding Eliza's father to consider.  He is a bum, drunk most of the time, and he tries to get money from Higgins for "taking" his daughter.  Later, he shows up all dressed to the nines with a "I'm getting married to a rich chick" story.  Not at all realistic...much more romantic, and it also tends to kick Eliza when she's down since she has done the work of self-improvement and is still not likely to get what she wants (Higgins' love) while her father has done none of this to get his happily ever after.

Take these ideas for what they are worth, and look for support and additional reasons to help you prove that the play is a blend of romance and reality.  Good Luck!