Is there going to be a fifth book in the Twilight series?

Yes, there is going to be a 5th book in the Twilight Saga. As mentioned in the previous post, Stephanie Meyer began working on book five in the series which is to be called "Midnight Sun", however she stopped work on the book after portions of it was leaked without her permission.

But, have no fear, as of June 2008, she has decided to continue working on the project. Due to the overwhelming number of calls and emails from fans, Meyers decided that she would in fact release the book. According to her website, there is no specific release date. If her past works are any indication of how great the next book will be, I am sure that the wait for "Midnight Sun" is going to be well worth the wait.

Can you identify one sentence about themes/morals that relates to Tillie Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironin"?

And when is there time to remember, to sift, to weigh, to estimate, to total?  I will start and there will be an interruption and I will have to gather it all together again.  Or I will become engulfed with all I did or did not do, with what should have been and cannot be helped.

In her monologue, the mother indicates the sense of incompleteness in herself and in her daughter.  Their relationship has never been able to develop and flourish because the mother's financial situation prevents her from keeping the daughter except sporadically.  When she is able to keep the daughter, Emily spends time in "the kinds of nurseries that are only parking places for children" because the mother must work.  Even so, the mother tells the listener, 

Now suddenly she was Somebody, and as imprisoned in her difference as she had been in anonymity.

But, the mother continues, "Let her be...Only help her to know--help make it so there is cause for her to know--that she is more than this dress on the ironing board, helpless before the iron.  So, although there are some limitations, there are also opportunities.

In what way does Lady Macbeth's reaction to the murder differ from Macbeth's?lady macbeth in act 2 scene 2

After the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth continues much as she did before the murder. She appears cold and uncompassionate, while Macbeth is stunned, nearly in shock from what he has done. When Macbeth comments on what a "sorry sight" Duncan is, she says that this is "a foolish thought." She then goes on to tell him to "consider it not so deeply"; in other words, not to give it too much thought. Otherwise, she fears, "it will make [them] mad."

She then encourages Macbeth to return to the scene of the crime to leave the grooms' daggers and smear their faces with Duncan's blood so that they will appear guilty. Macbeth refuses, claiming that he can't look again at what he has done. Lady Macbeth then does this herself, showing how completely she is ignoring her pangs of conscience. That her conscience is, in fact, punishing her is made clear by the way that she psychologically unravels later in the play.

The final ironic divide between Lady Macbeth's attitude and that of her husband occurs later in the scene, lines 59-62, where Macbeth claims that the blood on his hand can never be cleaned off, rather, it would turn the entire ocean red. After he says this, Lady Macbeth enters and begins to wash her hands, announcing that "a little water clears us of this deed." She has completely ignored her humanity to accomplish her goal.

After Robert tells Roger how he can prevent him from coming up the ladder in Chapter 10, how does Roger characterize Jack?

Here, Roger is returning to camp & meets Robert, the sentry. This is after Jack's faction has split from the rest of the boys. As Roger comes up the ladder, Robert forces him to identify himself before he can continue.

Roger peered up.
“You couldn’t stop me coming if I wanted.”
“Couldn’t I? Climb up and see.”
Roger clambered up the ladder-like cliff.
“Look at this.”
A log had been jammed under the topmost rock and another lever under that. Robert leaned lightly on the lever and the rock groaned. A full effort would send the rock thundering down to the neck of land. Roger admired.
“He’s a proper chief, isn’t he?”

So Jack has arranged their defenses, only allowing those who are "friendly" to his tribe to come up the ladder. this appeals to Roger's violent, dangerous nature. He is the one boy who may truly be described as sadistic, the one who actually enjoys inflicting pain on others. Of course, this idea of Jack's may have inspired Roger's choice of weapon in Piggy's death as well. It's clear that Roger admires Jack's mode of governing, & his controlling authority.

In chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies how and why does Jack keep the fear of the beast in the boys?Jack tries to keep the fear of the beast in the boys...

You have identified what is decidedly odd about Jack's behaviour - he starts of by agreeing with Ralph that there is no beast and then later on says that there is a beast. It is key to note that Jack only changes his mind after fear begins to run rampant through the group. He is obviously trying to manipulate and play on the fear of the boys to weaken Ralph's leadership and gain more power himself. His supposed belief in the existence of the beast is designed to encourage the rest of the boys to put their trust in Jack and his group of hunters, who are able to hunt it down and kill it. You can appreciate Jack's cunning here - if the boys need his protection they will be more accepting of his acts of savagery as they need the protection that Jack and his hunters can provide. Of course, the other side of this is that by putting their safety in Jack's hands, they are allowing the power of the beast (and the instinct of human savagery that it represents) to be expressed in their own lives. Jack very cleverly exploits the beast to gain power and to give further reign to savagery.

In Act II of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", what is Oberon and Titania's relationship?

Oberon and Titania are a married couple, the king and the queen of all the fairies.  At the beginning of Act II, the two are in an argument, which causes all of Nature to be disrupted.  The royal couple have such dominion over the whims of nature that their discord causes the world to be in turmoil while they are not reconciled.  It is this domestic argument which provides the impetus for much of the action of the play.

Oberon and Titania are at such odds that when they meet Oberon says to her "Ill met by moonlight" (II.i.62)  Titania acuses Oberon of having a mistress, and he calls her proud.  All this rancor has caused serious havoc within the natural world:

As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea(90)
Contagious fogs; which, falling in the land,
Hath every pelting river made so proud
That they have overborne their continents.
The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain,
The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn(95)
Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard;
The fold stands empty in the drowned field,
And crows are fatted with the murrion flock;
The nine men's morrisis fill'd up with mud,
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green,(100)
For lack of tread, are undistinguishable.
The human mortals want their winter here;
No night is now with hymn or carol blest;
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,(105)
That rheumatic diseases do abound.
And thorough this distemperature we see
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts
Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose;
And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown(110)
An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds
Is, as in mockery, set. The spring, the summer,
The childing autumn, angry winter, change
Their wonted liveries; and the mazed world,
By their increase, now knows not which is which.(115)
And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
We are their parents and original.
 (Act II Scene i)

The source of this argument is a boy, whom Oberon wants to have as his attendant.  The boy is the son of a priestess of Titania.  The priestess died in childbirth, and Titania has brought the child up in memory of her dead friend.  Titania, for love of the dead priestess and the boy, will not give the child up to Oberon.

This fairy argument is meant to show the caprices of nature, and how the disruption of nature (and Shakespeare, of course, uses the argument of the fairy royalty as a metaphor) can cause incredible suffering to mankind.  This cosmic disturbance must be resolved by the end of the play; the introduction of it so early in the play shows us that this argument will have bearing on everything that happens to the characters in the play.

What are some examples of figurative language in Book VI of the Odyssey by Homer?

Right at the beginning of Book VI Homer uses figurative language (as he does throughout this epic poem, in varied forms.)  Metaphor first makes it appearance describing Athena

She went straight to the beautifully decorated bedroom in which there slept a girl who was as lovely as a goddess, Nausicaa, daughter to King Alcinous. Two maid servants were sleeping near her, both very pretty, one on either side of the doorway, which was closed with well made folding doors. Athena took the form of the famous sea captain Dymas' daughter, who was a bosom friend of Nausicaa and just her own age; then, coming up to the girl's bedside like a breath of wind, she hovered over her head and said: (Book VI)

Imagery and metaphor give this passage life and meaning to the reader; the picture of the lovely, sleeping girls, in a well-appointed apartment is enchanting, and the silent, delicate approach of Athena in the guise of another girl is an arresting image, indeed.  This last part is a simile (which is a type of metaphor) -- Athena's coming is "like a breath of wind".  Swift, silent, and yet at the same time gentle is how her approach is described, and in these few words we feel the supernatural power of the goddess.

Earlier in this episode Athena uses hyperbole in order to make her point to Nausicaa.  She calls her a "lazy girl" in order to incite her to take the washing out to the seashore, and says she will be married "almost immediately".  Well, it is not true that Nausicaa is at all lazy, so this is an exaggeration for effect (hyperbole), and "almost immediately" is untrue, also, for a suitor for Nausicaa has not even been chosen for her.  This was all used to spur Nausicaa in her dream to an undeniable urge to go to the seashore -- it is an example of hyperbole used in conversation, for emphasis.

An extended simile is used to describe the naked, shipwrecked, tempest-tossed Odysseus creeping up on the maidens by their washing.

As he said this he crept from under his bush, and broke off a bough covered with thick leaves to hide his nakedness. He looked like some lion of the wilderness that stalks about exulting in his strength and defying both wind and rain; his eyes glare as he prowls in quest of oxen, sheep, or deer, for he is famished, and will dare break even into a well fenced homestead, trying to get at the sheep—even such did Odysseus seem to the young women, as he drew near to them all naked as he was, for he was in great want.

Again, Homer's simile puts in a few words a whole idea regarding a description.  The simile of the lion makes not only Odysseus' appearance and attitude discernible to the reader, but does the double duty of giving the reader the impression of what the girls would be feeling when they saw him.  This is a masterful example of the simile.

Depending on the translation, more examples of poetic figurative language do exist in Book VI -- but it must be remembered that an English translation of this poem from the Ancient Greek does not always convey alliteration, assonance, and onomatopeia, which are usually language-specific.  But Homer's writing, no matter what the translation, is particularly metaphor- and simile-rich, with a wealth of descriptive epithets (such as "daughter of Aegis-bearing Zeus" to describe Athena, among others) which add greatly to the imagery.  These devices create effects for readers, without telling them exactly what to think, and Homer uses them masterfully.

Criticism of love and romance in "The Prisoner of Zenda" by Anthony Hope.

Although the main plot does not focus here, within the story line the leit motif of self-sacrifice and unrequitted love does indeed appear. True to life (more times than not), there is no easy 'boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl' scenario since from the start Rudolf knows very well that he is simply an imposter, even if his motives are pure.  The problem is that when he steps into the shoes of the king of Ruritania (also named 'Rudolf'), he manages to fool everyone except the queen. She quickly picks up on the difference since the present king is much more attentive and caring than the real one! Their pseudo romance is short-lived, as the kingdom is restored to the rightful 'Rudolf' as quickly as possible.

Although cast in a fairytale-like setting, 'The Prisoner of Zenda'  has no predictable 'happy ending.' A secondary love triangle among minor characters leads to a sword fight and murder. As for Rudolf Rassendyll, he respects the chivalric code of conduct and as a result loses everything.  Even though he gains the queen's heart, he cannot claim to be her legitimate husband, nor does he even meet with her covertly as a lover. Honour and duty come before sentiment, only the king is never aware of his wife's true feelings for Rassendyll. Order is restored and life simply resumes its course, the only difference being the unspoken attachment between the Rassendyll and Queen Flavia.  The red rose delivered to Rassendyll without fail every year is her only outward demonstration of sentiment.

If these elements are to be translated into a theme, it might read something like this: "The best choices in life are rarely the easiest to make, but a noble heart will act in the best interest of everyone concerned."

Why does Arthur Miller open Act IV of The Crucible with a scene of madness?

By opening Act IV with its chilling, yet pitiful scene of madness among the prisoners, as seen especially in Tituba's ravings, Miller powerfully conveys the depth of the misery, suffering, and insanity wrought by the witchcraft trials. This scene also creates a dark atmosphere and a somber tone for the tragic final events that are about to unfold. 

The witches' prophecies were accompanied by apparitions. What makes visual representation more effective? Which apparition is the most effective?

Visual representation is more effective than the witches merely telling Macbeth the prophecies because the visual representations are more daunting and longer lasting.

Think about the last movie you saw.  You may remember quips and snappy one-liners every now and then, but when you talk to your friends about it, you're not telling them about the brilliant dialogue (normally, anyway).  Most of us spend time talking about the awesome car chase that ended in this huge pile up where this poor yellow Ferrari flipped over the pile and exploded in midair spraying expensive Italian car parts a half a mile in all directions down the road.

In Macbeth, like anything made to be viewed (as that was Shakespeare's intent), we're given visual stimuli to create and maintain intrigue, suspense, and a connection between action and audience.  The witches could easily have told Macbeth that no man born of a woman will harm him, but why not show him a ghost-like bloody child on top of it?  It's reinforced for him in that way.  It'll have a greater affect on Macbeth, and it'll be even more lasting with the revelation that is to come later in the play when Macduff reveals that he was "untimely ripped" from his mother's womb.  Then, the image of the bloody child makes perfect sense!  We have this connection between the two aspects of the play, and it evokes an emotional response from the audience towards Macbeth.

As for which of these apparitions is the most effective, I would say that it's a toss-up between the bloody child and the small crowned child with the tree in his hand.  In the end, I'd probably have to go with the crowned child and the tree because it's more obscure, thereby making it more effective (which could be contradictory, but stay with me).  Personally, I think that the prophecy itself is more vague with the whole Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane Hill bit, and the image used to coincide with it isn't as literal as the others, so you have to think more about it, assuming that's how you choose to define "effective" (something that makes the audeicne take ownership of the action, in this example).  If you're considering "effective" as the image that most directly relates to its prophecy, then the armored head, albeit boring, would probably be most effective.

Of course, to play devil's advocate, you could argue that, while stimulating and pleasing for the crowd, none of the images are actually effective because Macbeth doesn't understand or heed any of the warnings, despite their truth.  Then again, if you're one of the witches, they're ALL completely effective, because they all accomplish the goal of the witches, which is to confuse Macbeth and further drive him into despair.

It's your choice in the end, though.  Just be able to defend your choice with examples from the play, and you'll make your teacher proud.  I've given you a couple of links to check out that you might find useful, too.

What is the point of view from either the story of the chair or the old man's heart in "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

If one is to retell the story from the point of view of the old man's heart, then one may wish to examine the passage in which Poe's narrator mentions that his thumb slips as he is about to open the lantern to look in on the old man (sixth paragraph):

...and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out, 'Who's there?'  I kept quite still and said nothing.  For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down.  He was still sitting up in the bed listening--just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror.  It was not a groan of pain or of grief.  Oh, no!  It was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe.  I knew the sound well.  Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me...

Poe's narrator goes on to explain that the "mournful influence of the unperceived shadow" causes the old man to "feel the presence of my head within the room."

It seems, therefore, if one is to change the point of view to the heart of the old man, that one may go from the perspective of feeling/sensing what the narrator is doing.  For, Poe suggests that there is a duality to the narrator and his victim, does he not?

What does Natural Theology have to say about the idea of Morality?

Natural Theology is the branch of theology concerned with deriving the nature and attributes of God from the facts of the natural universe, without the assistance of revelation. It must thus reconcile the (presumed) morality and goodness of God with many details of nature that appear to indicate amorality and cruelty.

Natural theology was quite popular among early scientists, who assumed that the orderly function of the natural world reflected, and indeed entailed, a divine moral order. The most famous example of such arguments is the "Watchmaker analogy" developed in William Paley's Natural Theology, or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity collected from the Appearances of Nature (1802). Several decades later, this attempt was continued in a more systematic way by the eight Bridgewater Treatises (1833-1840), which took up such topics as the design of the human hand and the "function of digestion."

When it came time to move from design to moral purpose, however, natural theology ran into major problems. Nature, after all, is "red in tooth and claw," and the seemingly  innocent often suffer gruesome ends. Natural theologians grappled with this problem in various ways. One was to say that individual instances of misery in the natural world were means to the greater good. William Buckland, author of one of the Bridgewater Treatises, wrote

The appointment of death by the agency of carnivora as the ordinary termination of animal existence, appears therefore in its main results to be a dispensation of benevolence; it deducts much from the aggregate amount of the pain of universal death; it abridges...the misery of disease, and accidental injuries, and lingering decay; and impose such salutary restraint upon excessive increase of numbers, that the supply of food maintains perpetually a due ratio to the demand. (from Gould op. cit.)

Thus, predation was "good" because of its final effect, a doctrine with obvious dangers.

The whole problem was created because Natural Theology assumed the morality of a good God is exemplified and supported by the workings of nature. This assumption creates a trap that it is difficult to evade. It is possible, as above, to say that morality is still upheld in the mass, though cruelty is manifest in individual cases. Another approach is selective -- gruesome examples where predators ate prey alive are extolled as examples of mother love on the part of the predator, or even the intelligent use of resources by the parasite. A third extrapolates from the racist assumption that "primitive" people suffer less to assume that animals can not suffer at all. None of these approaches proved satisfactory, and they backfired, producing arguments that the cruelty of the universe creates a natural morality in our rejection of such cruelty (Julian Huxley) or even that immoral, self-serving behavior is "natural" and thus "moral" (so-called "social Darwinism") because it results in the "survival of the fittest."

As Stephen Jay Gould points out, all these problems stem from the basic error of natural theology, the attempt to derive the nature of God and morality from the details of the natural world. Thus, what natural theology had to say about morality was that human morality is fully reflected in and supported by the natural order ordained by God, but this is no longer a convincing argument.

In "A Rose for Emily," why did Emily Grierson want freedom?

Emily Grierson wanted freedom in the same way any young woman would want to leave her parents' home and live an independent life of her own. Because of the time period in which she came of age, having a life of her own for Emily meant marriage and family, establishing a home of her own. However, for his own reasons, her father thwarted her at every turn. He drove away any young man who came to call, effectively keeping Emily at home with him.

After his death, Emily obviously still longed for a loving relationship with a man of her own, perhaps still seeking to marry and have a life other than the daughter of the Griersons, continuing to live in the family home. Her need was strong enough that she took up with Homer Barron, a Northerner and construction worker, who was considered by those of Jefferson, as well as Emily's few living relations, to be a shockingly unsuitable match for her. Emily's last bid for personal freedom fails, and her relationship with Homer ends in a very macabre manner indeed.

Who do you think was the murderer in "In a Grove"? Why do you think so?

As you answer this question, you need to remember that there is no right or wrong answer.  The story is not written to solve a murder mystery.  The author's purpose is to demonstrate that everyone has his or her own reality and sees the world through the lens of that reality. In fact, eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable for this reason.

There is evidence to support that the wife or the bandit murdered the victim or that he killed himself.  A close reading of the story will allow you to find details that support any one of the three possibilities.  Choose one of the three, and look at the evidence. What was the person's motive? Was there opportunity to commit the murder (or suicide)?  What was the weapon?  Did the person have the physical capability to do this? These are the questions you must answer to establish an argument for one of the possible killers.

What is the theme of Walt Whitman's poem "I Hear America Singing"?

This poem is a joyous reflection of the many working people in America, and how they are going about their day, strong, happy, healthy, and good at their jobs.  The theme is productivity, or happiness in one's station in life.  He describes all sorts of people on their jobs-mechanics, carpenters, masons, boatmen, shoemaker, woodcutter, and even mothers, wives, and young men.  Each picture he presents of these people is their "blithe" and happy nature in their station of life.  He uses such optimistic and joyous words to describe them going about their days:  "blithe", "carols", "strong", "delicious", "robust", "friendly".  The entire poem is a celebration of life, a celebration of the many different types of people that make up what America is, and how they find joy and happiness in their every day.

I hope that helps a bit; it's a great poem!  Good luck!

Does productivity improvement lead to reduction in cost of production? Explain your views.It is a question from the subject"PRINCIPLES OF...

Productivity of an organization is defined as the ratio of outputs produced by the organization and the resources consumed in the process.

Here the output refers to the quantity of and services produced by the company, and inputs refers to the quantities of resources such as labor, material, physical facilities, and energy consumed for producing the same.

Productivity is used to assess the extent to which we can produce goods and services from a given quantity of inputs. We can measure productivity for a single input resource such as manpower used, or for multiple resources. There can be many different types of productivity measurement depending on the type of resources considered. Some of the most common types of productivity measurements include labor productivity, machine or capital productivity, material productivity, machine productivity.

We can also measure combined productivity of all the inputs used for production. This is best done by measuring productivity as production per dollar of money spent on inputs used for production. For example, we can measure productivity of as steel produced per ton of iron ore consumed, per person employed for production, or per dollar of total production cost.

Higher productivity implies that we are using less resources for producing the same quantity of production. Alternative, it means that we are getting more outputs per unit of inputs used.  This in turn means that we are spending less money per unit of production.

However in using this logic, for just one of the many inputs of production, we should be careful to ascertain that reduction in cost of one type of inputs does not result in more than matching increase in cost of other inputs. For example, it may be possible to reduce labor cost by increasing the pace of production, but this may in turn lead to higher material wastage, and thus higher total cost.

Write a short note on potential sources of stress.

This question is relevant to business relationships both with co-workers, superiors and customers.

Stress is a result of outside pressure that builds up within an individual.  Very often, in business, individuals work in a diverse environment where there are many different styles of communication, worth ethics and perceptions.  Not understanding your defined role in the workplace can cause a great deal of stress.  If you can't figure out what your superiors expect from you, it can be very exhausting trying to figure it out.  All of these examples are related to communication.

Communication is the exchange of messages, ideas and information between senders and receivers.  But each individual has a different field of experience through which messages are filtered and understood.  Miscommunications often cause stress, because there is a barrier between the sender and the receiver.  Your self-esteem also has alot to do with how well you receive messages, do your job and handle stress.

Postive self-esteem translates into a confident approach by the individual, this communicates competency to your superiors, co-workers and customers, making your job experience more satisfying and less stressful. 

In a corporate environment, for example, a customer may present a challenging assignment, one that your company has a different perception on how to solve than the customer.  Especially, let's say in marketing, it can be very frustrating when a customer wants to guide the process of advertising when the advertising agency, hired for its expertise, sees solving the problem in a different way.

Other sources of stress in business include meeting deadlines, working overtime, and failure.  Uncertainty of job security, sometimes the physical environment can cause an individual stress.  For example, if the work conditions require you to work in very close quarters to many others, with little privacy, or if the environment is too hot, too cold or has ineffective ventilation, these can cause stress.

Check out the document listed below for more details.

What would some key quotes be during Act IV of The Crucible while John Proctor is confessing?

One of the key quotes you will have to talk about is when John Proctor says:

Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!

This quote occurs after John Proctor has agreed, after much pressure, to save his life by admitting to the crime of witchcraft. The problem comes when he signs his name and he is told that his confession will be posted publicly so everyone can see it. Partly, this protest of his reflects his guilt - he would not be able to live with himself if he signed his name whilst others, like Rebecca Nurse, far worthier than him, died. Also, it reflects the importance of having a good name to belong in the society of Salem. Earlier in the play John Proctor refused to testify against Abigail to protect his name, now we see he comes to a maturer understanding of what having a good name means - he cannot lie to save himself, and is willing to go to the gallows to preserve his good name.

What does this quote mean and symbolize in Macbeth? Is this a dagger which I see before me . . . . To feeling as to sight . . . .

The passage reads as follows:

Is this a dagger which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.

Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible

To feeling as to sight . . . .

Macbeth witnesses this dagger, floating in the air before him, shortly before he goes into King Duncan's chamber to murder him while he sleeps. When Macbeth sees the dagger, he speaks to it directly and tries to grab it, but cannot because it is not a physical reality. This astounds him; he can't touch it, but he continues to see it. He speaks directly to the dagger again, addressing it as "fatal vision," trying to determine what exactly it is, if it is something he can touch as well as see, or if it is something else. The passage continues with Macbeth's wondering if the dagger is only "a false creation" of his disturbed mind. 

The appearance of the dagger, which turns bloody before Macbeth's eyes as he continues to watch it, adds another eerie supernatural element to the play. Symbolically, it represents Macbeth's inner turmoil and feelings of horror about the murder he is about to commit, just as the appearance of Banquo's ghost in Act III shows Macbeth's fear and guilt for the most recent murder he has committed at that point in the plot.

Describe a detailed summary of the poem "The Lamb."

"The Lamb" is one of the simplest poems of Blake, both as regards the subject and the style. But it has a significant position in the "Songs of Innocence".

In the first stanza, the child  is  speaking to the lamb and it gives a  brief description of the little animal as he sees it. The lamb has been blessed with a life to feed by the stream and over the meadow. The lamb has also been endowed with bright and soft wool which serves as its clothing. Its tender voice fills the valley with joy. Thus we see a true portrait of a lamb.

In the second stanza, the poet identifies  the lamb, Christ and the child. Lamb is one of the names of Christ. Christ is as meek and mild as a lamb. Christ was also a child when He first appeared on this earth as the son of God.

He became a little child,

I a child, and thou a lamb,

We are called by His name.

The child in this poem speaks to the lamb as if it was another child. The child was extremely joyous in the company of the lamb. Because it was meek and mild like him.

Can you give me a good declamation piece about the present day, God, family or justice? Any of these would be nice.

A declamation is an oratorical speech in the first person "I" that inveighs (protests) against something the speaker or writer of the declamation has strong feelings about. The Romans are the originators of the declamation and are the most celebrated in the rhetorical art of declamation. In Rome, Seneca the Elder was the most most closely associated with declamation, which is a form that gives great authority to the author of the declamatory speech.

Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr. is famous for certain declamatory speeches he delivered. One is his 1884 Memorial Day Speech In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire. Another of his famous declamations is his 1895 The Soldier's Faith speech.

Here is an excerpt from In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire.

In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 1884

When it was felt so deeply as it was on both sides that a man ought to take part in the war unless some conscientious scruple or strong practical reason made it impossible, was that feeling simply the requirement of a local majority that their neighbors should agree with them? I think not: I think the feeling was right-in the South as in the North. I think that, as life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time at peril of being judged not to have lived.

If this be so, the use of this day is obvious. It is true that I cannot argue a man into a desire. If he says to me, Why should I seek to know the secrets of philosophy? Why seek to decipher the hidden laws of creation that are graven upon the tablets of the rocks, or to unravel the history of civilization that is woven in the tissue of our jurisprudence, or to do any great work, either of speculation or of practical affairs? I cannot answer him; or at least my answer is as little worth making for any effect it will have upon his wishes if he asked why I should eat this, or drink that. You must begin by wanting to. But although desire cannot be imparted by argument, it can be by contagion. Feeling begets feeling, and great feeling begets great feeling. We can hardly share the emotions that make this day to us the most sacred day of the year, and embody them in ceremonial pomp, without in some degree imparting them to those who come after us. I believe from the bottom of my heart that our memorial halls and statues and tablets, the tattered flags of our regiments gathered in the Statehouses, are worth more to our young men by way of chastening and inspiration than the monuments of another hundred years of peaceful life could be.

But even if I am wrong, even if those who come after us are to forget all that we hold dear, and the future is to teach and kindle its children in ways as yet unrevealed, it is enough for us that this day is dear and sacred.

[Read the full speech In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire]

What was Karl Marx's theory of surplus value, class war and revolution?What did he suggest etc. My book explains it in a complicated matter.

Karl Marx defined history through economic class struggle. He argued that society was divided between the bourgeoisie (middle class, business owners, and capitalists) and the proletariat (wage workers). His belief was that the bourgeoisie grew wealthier and wealthier by exploiting the proletariat. Marx theorized that a time would come where by the proletariat would rise up and overthrow the capitalists thus creating a classless society. Marx believed that wage workers were always paid less than the true value of their work. He defined the difference between the value of the wage and the value of the goods produced as surplus value.

Over time the frustration over exploitation would result in class war between the proletariat who believed the surplus value belonged to them and the bourgeoisie who were not willing to give up their profits.

In the end revolution was the inevitable result brought on by the endless exploitation of the workers by the capitalists.

How did life become more complicated for the children who learned with Michael in The Chrysalids?

The difficulty the telepaths have in learning with Michael is that they know more than they should, and people would wonder why.

Michael is one of the few people in the community with an education, because his parents were not satisfied with the “sketchy” farm education. He is sent to a more advanced society in Kentak.

There, he began to learn a lot of things our old ladies had never thought of. It was natural for him to want the rest of us to know about them, too. (ch 8)

Michael wants the other telepaths—the children who can talk to each other in “thought-shapes”—to learn from him so they can protect themselves from the backward paranoia of their community.  If they are found out to be deviant, they will be expelled or killed.

When Michael is in school, he can communicate what he is learning with the other telepaths.  As a result, they learn what he learns.

 [He] was able to hand on to the rest of us pretty nearly everything he was being taught -- even some of the things he did not understand properly himself became clearer when we all thought about them… (ch 8)

As a result, the telepaths become the most educated people in the community.  Their ability to help each other and share communal thoughts gives them greater intelligence.  Therein lies the problem.

Quite quickly it became difficult always to remember how much one was supposed to know. (ch 8)

The children have to be careful not to give away what they know.  They have to do things as they have always done them, even though they know a better way.

The situation of the telepaths is foreshadowing of the larger issue facing society.  Their community is stuck in the past, but they are more advanced.  Their community holds them back and this advancement is a danger, but in the end they are rescued by a more advanced society—Sealand.

I want the analysis of the character Henry in "The Californian Tale" by Mark Twain.

Henry was a rough veteran gold miner who, like many others, went to California in search of a better life. He married young to a nineteen year old woman who followed him to the West for the golden dream. 

In appearance, he is described as the typical rogue, thick, simpleton of a man who is also humble and loving.  We know he is madly in love with his wife, and we also know that he has been a widower for nineteen years. She died as a result of an ambush from the Indians months after being married to him but his bereavement has left him insane, and he thinks that she is still with him.  He carries around the one letter she sent shortly before she died, and he reads it to the fellow gold miners every time the anniversary of the death comes by. In turn, the miners pretend to prepare a party for her return from "visitin her folks", drug him up right as he waits for his wife, and put him to sleep until the next day, when times goes by and the same thing happens every year.

Throughout Twain's description of Henry the elements of love  are ever present- the devotion of this man for his wife, a way of codepending on her company, the insanity that came about because of her loss, the joy he experiences of seeing her picture, the childish nature of his behavior when he cows down at the narrator's loss of temper. All this describes a grieving man with a low intelect but with an extremely high capacity for hospitality and love that sets him above anybody else.

Why were John and Lorraine arrested in Pigman?

John and Lorraine are not actually arrested, because Mr. Pignati declines to press charges.  When the police arrive at the party, however, everyone else had run away except for Lorraine and John, and after talking to Mr. Pignati, the officers take the two remaining teenagers home.  John is passed out from drinking so much, and Lorraine had been caught at the house because she had stayed behind trying to get him up off the floor.  One of the policemen helps Lorraine get the insensible John into the patrol car, "roller skates and all".

In the patrol car, the policemen tell Lorraine that they are lucky Mr. Pignati did not want to press charges.  The last they had seen of him, he had gone upstairs crying, his wife's ripped dress over his arm.  The policemen wonder what kind of parents Lorraine and John have to let them run wild like this; Lorraine says her mother will beat her when she gets home, but the policemen are unsympathetic.  Lorraine's mother does indeed slap her around when she gets home, but after an emotional scene, seems only to be concerned that Mr. Pignati might have tried something "sexually" with her daughter.  Lorraine tiredly accepts the fact that her mother will never understand.  John's parents react with much more reserve.  His father decides that John needs to see a psychiatrist.

Neither Lorraine's nor John's parents are concerned about Mr. Pignati.  Worse yet, neither really cares to listen to what their children have to say (Chapter 14). 

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," what are the main events?

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is not structured in a traditional manner with the events occurring in chronological order. The story is divided into three parts, with Part II being a flashback; the events in Part II occurred before those in Parts I and III. Arranging the events in the order they occurred, then, becomes the reader's responsibility. Bierce further complicates the structure of the story by including those events that happened in real time and those that happened only in Peyton's mind.

That said, here are the events that make up the plot of the story.

1. At his home, Peyton speaks to a Union spy, believing that the soldier is a member of the Confederate army. From this conversation, Peyton gains information about the location of the Union forces  and the condition of the Owl Creek Bridge. The spy implies that burning the bridge would be an easy task.

2. Peyton attempts to burn the bridge and is captured. (This event is not detailed in the story; it is implied because Peyton is about to be hanged in the story by Northern soldiers at the bridge.)

3. Peyton is hanged from the bridge, his execution being carried out in a formal military manner.

4. During his execution, Peyton's mind protects him from the horror of his impending death. He imagines hitting the water, freeing his hands, dodging bullets, and making his escape to return to his home. Peyton's reverie ends with his wife reaching out for him--just as he hits the end of the rope, breaking his neck. These are events in the story, but they happen only in Peyton's mind.

The events in the story that actually occur in reality are minimal: Peyton talks to the wrong soldier and is hanged from Owl Creek bridge.

What final question does Clarisse ask Montag in Fahrenheit 451, and why is it important to the plot?

Clarisse asks Montag, "Are you happy?" It becomes especially important in the context of his life. Witnessing an old lady choose to burn with her books and finding his wife's body after she has attempted suicide both leave him shaken. Clarisse's question spurs him to begin to think for himself and to examine the life he is living and the society in which he is living it. He has been so numbed by the old woman's death that he cannot report for work the next day. Watching the technicians revive his wife makes him aware of their automatic, well practiced procedures, ones they have perfected in bring back others who no longer wanted to live in Montag's society. Montag reaches the conclusion that he, as well as those around him, are not happy, but live instead in a kind of spiritual misery that is glossed over by the superficial pleasures offered them by the state. Montag has begun to think for himself which places him in direct and dire conflict with his repressive, authoritarian government. The path and the results of his rebellion comprise the remainder of the novel.

What does Puck have to do at the end of Act 3 in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?

In ActIII sc2. because of Puck mistakenly pouring the love juice in Lysander's eyes and then in order to correct his mistake pouring it in Demetrius' eyes both the men are now in love with Helena. When Hermia joins them Lysander to her shock tells her that he is now in love with Helena. Helena thinks that the three of them-Lysander, Demetrius, and Hermia-have joined together to mock at her. Soon Helena and Hermia begin to quarrel and Helena runs away to save her life. Meanwhile Demetrius and Lysander begin to quarrel and decide to fight a duel to determine who loves Helena the more and Lysander challenges Demetrius:

"Now follow, if thou darest,to try whose right,

Of thine or mine, is most in Helena."

Oberon who observes this misunderstanding realises that Puck is responsible for all this confusion and after chiding him, he orders Puck to cover the entire night and the starry sky with a thick black fog so that Demetrius and Lysander cannot see anything. Oberon then orders Puck to deliberately mimic the voices of Lysander and Demetrius and mislead them in different directions and make them completely exhausted. Oberon tells Puck that once both of them are completely tired and fall asleep he must apply the antidote of the "love in idleness flower" to the eyes of Lysander so that when he wakes up he is cured of his infatuation for Helena so that he will be once again true and faithful to Hermia:

"Then crush this into Lysander's eye

Whose liquour hath this virtuous property

To take from thence all error with his might

And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight."

In "The Soldier's Home," why Krebs is so lacking in energy for wooing girls or even enjoying himself?

When Harold comes home from the war, he finds that he cannot simply pick up his life where he left off. He has been changed in a very profound way by his experiences; he now feels like an outsider in the family home and in his hometown. No one wants to hear what really happened to him, and the strain of pretending to be someone he is not--or someone he used to be--saps his energy and causes him great internal conflict. Harold has come home, but home isn't home anymore because he is not the same young man who went away. In his absence, Harold's friends and the girls he once knew have grown up and moved on with their lives:

. . . the young girls had grown up. But they lived in such a complicated world of already defined alliances and shifting feuds that Krebs did not feel the energy or the courage to break into it.

Harold likes looking at the girls, who are quite pretty, and he would like to have a girl of his own, but not enough to deal with the complications of a relationship:

He would have liked to have a girl but he did not want to have to spend a long time getting her. He did not want to get into the intrigue and the politics. He did not want to have to do any courting. He did not want to tell any more lies. It wasn't worth it . . . He did not want any consequences. He did not want any consequences ever again. He wanted to live alone without consequences.

Isolation and wounding are common themes in Hemingway's work, and they are present in this story. Harold's experiences as a soldier have left him wounded emotionally and have isolated him from the mainstream of life. 

What are the two signs in "The Odyssey" sent from Olympus to indicate the gods' approval of Odysseus?just as the epic reaches its climax

I'm not quite sure where you're identifying the epic's climax, but here are some likely events.

In Book 20 when Odysseus asks Zeus to show him a sign, "a good omen voiced by someone awake indoors,/another sign, outside, from Zeus himself," Zeus immediately sends a clap of thunder out of a clear blue sky. A woman who has been grinding wheat interprets the thunder as a sign from Zeus, and she prays that the day may be the suitors' last.

In Book 21 after the Odysseus disguised as the old beggar has successfully strung the mighty bow, "Zeus cracked the sky with a bolt, his blazing sign," and Odysseus lets fly an arrow that shoots straight through all twelve axe-heads, thus completing the test of the bow.

In Book 22 during the battle with the suitors, twice Athena sends signs. Once when Agelaus commands six men to throw their spears at Odysseus at the same time, she sends all of the shots "wide of the mark"; nothing hits Odysseus. All of the spears land harmlessly. Then later Athena takes the form of her aegis, or shield, high in the rafters of the great hall and terrorizes the suitors who stampede like wild cattle in their panic until the floors run red with blood.

Lord of the Flies Chapter 1: How did Ralph call the first meeting?

The conch is a type of shell that Ralph spots lying in the lagoon. He recognises that it is a shell, but it is Piggy who identifies it as a conch. Piggy tells Ralph that the are very valuable shells and that you can also blow in them to make a sound. It is Piggy who comes up with the idea of using the conch to summon the other boys on the island, and instructs Ralph in how to use it to make a sound.

Of course, the conch becomes deeply symbolic in the rest of the novel as a symbol of civilisation. It is used as a method of keeping order in the meetings, as the only person who can speak is the person holding the conch, during which the rest of the boys have to be silent and listen. Of course, this is an order that is short-lived, as Jack and his hunters deliberately defy these rules, symbolising the descent into disorder and chaos that characterises the rest of the novel.

What does Mansfield want us to learn from Miss Brill's false perception of reality?

The theme of appearances and reality is of critical importance in "Miss Brill."  One thing that Mansfield seeks to create in the mind of the reader is the ability to perceive oneself and one's place in reality without a sense of deception.  Miss Brill is a character who engages in some level of self deception in her belief that the individuals in the park fit into some type of drama and that others represent a sense of dull banality.  She believes herself to be opposite of this, when in reality, she is a part of this monotony and embodies an existence that is replete with an inflated notion of self.  At some point, the reader is left imploring Miss Brill to actively interact with some aspect of her existence.  Human emotions and interaction cannot substitute for self delusion and the notion of self that is separated from an existence, regardless of how "boring" or "odd" that existence might be.  The fact that the conclusion of the story seems to have Miss Brill almost "blame" the stole for her condition indicates that she still might not have grasped the importance of authentically interacting with her environment.  Miss Brill's only interaction with this setting is to serve as the target of the couple who sit at the end of the bench.  It seems ironic that her only real connection to this world is one of scorn, ridicule, and rejection.  If there is a lesson in the short story, it would be that human connection is the only way one can effectively gauge their level of understanding of self and prevent a sense of appearance which is divergent from reality.

What is the exact quote that Zaroff says about the weak and the strong in "The Most Dangerous Game"?I can't find my book and I need the question...

“Life is for the strong, and, if need be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure… I hunt the scum of the earth-...”

Zaroff is sadistic and arrogant. He believes that it is morally ok to hunt all living creatures, even humans. He works to gain their trust, but then forces them to play his "game."

Why do Cassius, Cinna,and Casca want Brutus to join their cause? What does this reveal about what they think of their cause?Its in ACT1 Scene3

The other conspirators (Cassius, Cinna, and Casca) want Brutus to join their cause because they feel he would add credability to their cause.  People care about Brutus and respect him, as he has a good reputation.  However, Cassius, Cinna, and Casca are not as well known.  In fact, some would question their motives, as most of Rome is currently on the side of Caesar, as evidenced by the large crowds hailing him and begging him to be their king.

This shows that the conspirators do not have confidence in their cause, or that they feel they do not have support of the masses.  In order to have a successful government takeover, they must have the people's support.  By enlisting the help of Brutus, they feel they will gain more respect and credability in the eyes of the people.

What is the significance of Simon's death in Lord of the Flies?

This chapter symbolises the end of any vestiges of civilisation on the island and in the community of the boys. At this stage Jack and his hunters are nothing but inhuman savages filled with bloodlust and able to commit heinous crimes with a clear conscience. Ralph's followers at this stage become depressed and consider joining Jack and his gang, and all are involved in the ritual dance around the fire following the murder. In a highly significant piece of pathetic fallacy, the storm that rages over the island after Simon's death symbolises the chaos and anarchy that have overtaken the island and the boys and also reminds us of the catastrophe of the murder and what it represents.

In a sense, after Simon's confrontation with the Lord of the Flies, where the Lord of the Flies promises that he will have some "fun" with Simon and Simon realises that the beast is actually within us all, it was clear that Simon would need to confront the beast in the other boys. The Christ-like parallels between Simon and Jesus are maintained here (though not completely), for Jesus and Simon are both killed for the truth they possess. However, unlike Christ, Simon is not given a chance to share his truth. Also, of course, the function of the deaths are very different: Jesus died to save mankind, whereas Simon's death only serves to highlight the moral degeneracy at the heart of man and ushers in even further oppression and darkness in the novel.

In Chapter 3 of Night, what was Bela Katz forced to do once he was chosen for his strength?

Because of his great strength, Bela Katz was forced to be a part of the Sonder-Kommando, the Jewish unit that worked in the crematories.  One of his first jobs had been to put his own father's body into the crematory oven.

In Chapter 3, Elie and his father have just survived the selections upon arriving at Birkenau.  For the present, they are alive, but as some SS officers move around their barracks looking for "strong men", they debate within their own minds the best means of ensuring their further survival.  Elie wonders if, since the officers are so interested in strong individuals, it might be best to "pass oneself off as sturdy", but his father does not agree.  Elie's father believes that above all, it is better not to draw atention to oneself. 

Later on, Elie learns that his father's inclination was correct.  Bela Katz, the son of a tradesman from Sighet, had arrived at the camp a week previously, on the first transport.  His strength had been quickly noticed, and he had been forced into the most odious of jobs, carrying the dead into the crematories.

What are some specific examples in the novel of how Atticus Finch teaches Jem and Scout about courage/ strength?

There are several examples to choose from. One example comes from chapter 11 when Atticus makes Jem read to Mrs. Dubose as punishment for destroying her camelia bushes after she insulted Atticus. This example of courage is important because it sets up what courage really is for the rest of the novel.

In a fit of anger, Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose's camelia bushes after she insults Atticus. As his punishment, he is to read every afternoon to her six days a week for a month. Jem is horrified that he has to sit and read while Mrs. Dubose drools and says terrible things to him about his father. At first Jem is relieved when Mrs. Dubose falls asleep before his two hours are up and he is allowed to leave. However, as time progresses, Mrs. Dubose stays conscious longer and longer and eventually extends Jem punishment for another week. Finally, Mrs. Dubose dismisses Jem.

One evening as Atticus is reading to Jem and Scout, he is called to go to Mrs. Dubose. He returns with news that Mrs. Dubose has died. She sends a box for Jem with a camelia in it. He responds by calling her a "hell-devil" and wonders why she can't leave him alone even after her death. Atticus then explains to Jem that

I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her...I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of gettng the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.

This lesson of courage is important because it serves a double purpose. Atticus is preparing Jem and Scout for the battle that he and they will face when he defends Tom Robinson. Atticus knows it is a battle he can't win, and he wants the kids to know that it is a battle worth fighting for. Also, the hurtful things Mrs. Dubose says to Jem prepares him for the comments the rest of the town will say. This teaches Jem to hold his temper and not take the comments personally.

Who are the characters from "The Cay?"

In the novel "The Cay," there are several characters but the only characters that we get to know very well are Phillip Enright Jr, an eleven year-old boy.  The other main character is Timothy, a elderly black man who helps Phillip when their ship is sunk by the German's.  They land on the cay (island) and Timothy teaches Phillip how to survive. 

The story also mentions Phillips mother, father and one of Phillips friends.  These characters are not fully developed although we do get a sense of Phillips father being brave and patriotic.  His mother is a negative frightened woman who complains constantly.

Identify the major theme, character, and settings of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown".

Perhaps because his Puritan uncle, a magistrate who ordered the public whippings of a Quaker woman and his son John, a judge who presided over a witchcraft trial were both sanctimonious hypocrites themselves, and Nathaniel Hawthorne was so disturbed by the heinous sins of his relatives, this self-righteous character emerges throughout the works of Hawthorne.  In "Young Goodman Brown" Brown himself is such a character. 

He is so certain that he is one of the Puritan "elect" that he dares to go into the dark, sinister forest with the devil himself.  The social contextof Goodman's encounters with Goody Cloyse and Deacon Gurkin--real persons who participated in the involved in Devil's worship--is significant.  The time period is more significant than the place.  For, the time of the Puritans is pivotal to the development of character and theme. This outer reality is pivotal to the development of character in "Young Goodman Brown."

Theme, the central and unifying idea about human experience that grows out of all the other elements of the story, also develops because of the setting.  In "Young Goodman Brown," after his experience in the forest, Goodman concludes that all human beings are hopelessly corrupt, totally damned, and must, therefore, be rejected.  He remains a sanctimonious hypocrite because he rejects others when he himself "lost his Faith" figuratively, rather than literally as he interpreted the incidents.

__________________________________________________

If the reader interprets "Young Goodman Brown" as an allegory, the Goodman represents a type of Everyman-- "Goodman" was a title beneath "gentleman"--who must test his faith.  His wife Faith represents Goodman's devotion; he tells others that "Faith has kept me back a while," but he plunges into the forest one night.  The dark primeval forest represents the environment in which Goodman explores his doubt as he pursues the Black Mass which symbolizes his descent into Hell where like a dream, he awakens and knows that he has lost his Faith.

In The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, how does John Steinbeck see the humble Man?

The characters in both novels, those who are both poor and homeless yet not hopeless, were treated with great sympathy and respect by Steinbeck. These were his portrayals of those in American life who live on the fringe of society--powerless, exploited, and unacknowledged. In them, however, Steinbeck found courage, compassion, endurance, selflessness, and dignity. The dramatic--and some would say shocking--conclusion of each of these novels speaks to these qualities. Steinbeck's homeless are humble people of humble means, but they embody the best aspects of the human spirit. 

What emotions does Mr. Hooper evoke in his congregation that he never did?& what do you attribute mr. hooper's new found ability to affect listeners?

By donning the veil, Mr. Hooper of "The Minister's Black Veil" creates an ambiguity that thereby leads to interpretation of motive by each member of the congregation. 

Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened brest, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought.  Many spread their clasped hands on their bosoms....An unsought pathos came hand in hand with awe.

 This interpretation of the minister's motives for wearing the black crepe separates him from his congregation since each person's heart holds different secrets.  To some, the minister wishes to hide his face because he himself has committed a transgression.  To others, discomfiture comes as they wonder if the minister can see inside their hearts and wishes to bar himself from their sins.

At any rate, the wearing of the veil by Mr. Hooper makes his congregation more uncomfortable than ever before. 

At the close of the services, the people hurried out with indecorous confusion, eager to communicate their pent-up amazement, and conscious of lighter spirits, the moment they lost sight of the black veil.

Do you have examples of questions to ask for a status report on group work?I am a teacher who uses group work. I am trying to create a list of...

Reading these two statements together, it looks as though you want to ask questions to be sure groups are on task and you also want to feedback from each student on his or her experience within the group. 

I do not know if you assign "roles" in groups, for example, the researcher, the scrivener, etc., but I would be inclined to make one student responsible for accumulating information for a status report.  If you have deadlines built in, then between three and five days before a deadline, one sheet of paper listing the tasks to be accomplished for each person could be circulated by the responsible group member.  This is probably sufficient time to get a group back on task again.

The kind of questions one asks to get a reading from individual students is quite different, of course.  You need to ask yourself what you hope to learn from student responses.  I think asking questions that could elicit criticism of other group members is likely to be a mistake.  You might ask what the student has learned about group interaction or how tasks might be better allocated in a group project.  You could ask whether the scheduling was realistic. You might ask students what kinds of projects would be better as group projects in the world outside of school and what kinds of projects are best served through individual endeavor.  I would tend to focus more on the dynamics and process than on individual performance in any questionnaire of this sort. You want the student to do some critical thinking, not some destructive criticizing. 

I hope this helps! I have had totally successful groups and those who were staggeringly dysfunctional.  I wish you the former, of course. 

Who is Ojiugo in Things Fall Apart?

Ojiugo is Okonkwo's third wife and also the youngest. As it is in a patriarchal society, the wives have to respect their husbands and follow their instructions. It is also customary that the youngest (or last) wife stands at the bottom of the hierarchy. She is supposed to be dutiful and respectful towards the elder (or first) wives and has to honour their authority - there is, of course, mutual respect between the wives, although disagreements might occur from time to time. In such instances, the intervention of the elder wife is needed to settle a dispute, before the husband is consulted, if at all.

Ojiugo, being the most junior spouse, therefore has a lower rank than the elder wives. Because of her youth, she will be more inclined to neglect her duties since she is 'still learning the ropes', as it were, although she must have received guidance from her own mother, as well as the elder wives, about the duties of a good wife. It is this which leads her to have her hair braided during The Week of Peace instead of performing her wifely tasks, such as cooking. During this week, calm descends on the village and men relax, leaving their wives to complete their domestic chores.

It is forbidden for anyone in the village to indulge in any violent acts during this period, but Okonkwo, enraged by Ojiugo's actions, strikes her. This act is extremely disrespectful within the context of their culture, specifically at this time, and is one of the reasons that Okonkwo is later banished to his mother's village, Mbanta. 

In chapter 7 of Night, how did Elie again help his father when they were on the train?

The people were cold and crammed into the train car.  When daylight came the soldiers ordered people in the cars to throw out any bodies of people who had died.  Elie's father was non responsive and the men approached him to throw him out of the car.

"I threw myself on top of his body.  He was cold.  I slapped him.  I rubbed his hands, crying:  "Father! Father! Wake up.  They're trying to throw you out of the carriage.."  His body remained inert.  The two gravediggers, seized me by the collar." (66-67)

Elie continued to argue with the men and fight for the life of his father until eventually his father did open his eyes and the men wandered off looking for other bodies.

Please explain the quote, "You don't love someone because they're perfect. You love them in spite of the fact they're not".

This is a very interesting idea and one that has been stated in many different ways. I think it is fair to say that no one is perfect. It is simply a fact that people have flaws. Like anything, you have to take the good with the bad. I think, however, that this quotation has to do with the spectrum of positive to negative. If no one is perfect, then there is no possibility of loving them for that reason. Therefore, it is necessary to look at someone's qualities and decide if you love them even though they are not perfect.

I love my siblings.  There are certain things that they do that I may not agree with, but I love them enough to overlook, or at least put up with, their flaws.

The same can be said of romantic love.  If the positive qualities outweigh the negative qualities to an overwhelming extent, then there is the possibility of love.  Shakespeare speaks of this in his Sonnet 130.  He writes of his "mistress" or love interest in a very interesting way.  For example, he writes,” My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;/Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;."  This is an interesting way to speak about one's love interest.  One would expect the poet to praise his love as having eyes as bright as the sun and would expect her lips to be compared to something red and lovely like a rose or a ripe apple.  Instead, this love speaks about her eyes being "nothing like the sun" and he compares her lips to coral.  He is speaking about her flaws.  However, in spite of these shortcomings, he is still completely taken with his beloved.  Later in the poem the speaker writes, “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/As any she belied with false compare."  It's that "and yet" that makes the poem touching and true to life.  It also makes it relevant to your question.  This speaker spends the majority of the poem explaining all of the shortcomings of his lover.  However, he loves her in spite of the fact that she has these shortcomings.  It is the willingness to accept one another’s faults that truly decides if love can persist.

Why does Harper Lee put Atticus under the light bulb in front of the jail and much later in the novel under the streetlight?

I agree with the previous answer.

Atticus also represents the light of truth. He knows the truth and simply sits under the light waiting. He is stragecially situated near the newspaper office.  Atticus is in the open space in plain view.  The truth should be exposed and in plain view.  Atticus under the light is Harper Lee's symbolism of "the truth" of this story.

Harper Lee uses the light to focus the reader on the darkness of the crimes and false accusations against Tom Robinson.  If anyone were to attack Tom, he would have to go through Atticus and through the light.

It was the light that allowed Scout to recognize a familiar face.  Once that occurred, the lynch mob dispersed.  The light also allows Atticus' friend, Braxton Bragg Underwood, to cover him with a shotgun the whole time the mob is there.

From where does Koly get her strength?

Koly gets her strength from a combination of sources.  One such location is from her own sense of self.  In the opening lines of the book, we are made aware of the idea that Koly does possess an internal strength when she argues that her departure into the unknown world of marriage as a child, "will make room for everyone else."  With this quote, we get a good idea of the fact that Koly possesses an internal strength that makes her strong enough to endure what will lie ahead.

Additionally, Koly gains strength from the sanctuary in Vrindavan.  While she is abandoned there, she also gains strength from the fact that she no longer is going to be tormented by her mother in law.  Being abandoned might have been scary for her, but we see that in this wide scope of freedom, she possesses the ability to define herself and change her own sense of identity.  This requires strength, and in the process of gaining economic independence and personal independence we see that she is able to use her freedom and turn to it as a source of strength.  The final location from where Koly might derive her strength is from her own experience as a woman in the traditional realm of India.

The common perception is that traditional Indian women are subjugated, and thereby weak.  I would posit that Koly's characterization (as well as the millions of other women like her in India) challenge this assessment.  Being a child bride in the traditional cloisters of India causes Koly to grow up quickly and assume a great level of strength.  Being married under false pretenses, becoming a widow far too soon, living life under the despotic tyranny of a mother in law, all before the age of 30 (being very liberal) teaches a woman to possess a great deal of strength. It is from this reservoir where Koly draws, like water from a well, to endure difficulty and eventually triumph over it.

What is an external conflict between Abigail and Elizabeth in "The Crucible"?

Abigail worked for Elizabeth Proctor, and when Elizabeth discovered Abby and John were having an affair, she fired Abigail.  Abby was resentful of that, for a couple of reasons.  The first was that it denied her access to John, who she was very much not over.  The second is because her getting fired tainted her repuation; rumors spread, and it is alluded to the fact that she couldn't find work.  That is probably why she is livnig at her uncle's house (Reverend Parris) at the beginning of the play.  So, there is conflict between Abby and Elizabeth even before the play began, over that issue.  One other conflict that Abby has with Elizabeth is that Abby feels that John is being submissive to Elizabeth, and bowing down to her wishes and desires, when Abby wants John to forget Elizabeth and be with her.  Abby expresses this to John, saying, "I marvel how such a strong man can let such a sickly wife" have control over him.  Abby hates Elizabeth so much that we discover that she was drinking "a charm to kill Goody Proctor" at the beginning in the woods, and later framed Elizabeth for the needle stabbing with the poppet situation.  So, Abby is seriously conflicted, wants Elizabeth out of the picture, and Elizabeth is resentful towards Abby and John for the affair, and has her own issues with Abby herself.  So, the two of them aren't bff's, that's for sure.  :)  I hope that helps a bit!

How does the blue boat scene in "Philadelphia Here I come" mirror the major themes in the play?

Gar's memory of the blue boat and of his father and himself fishing when he was a child is not shared by his father, just as certain 'memories' of his father's about Gar's childhood are not shared by Madge, the housekeeper. This shows the extent to which Gar and his father have become emotionally separated from each other down the years: each of them has built his own narrative of the past, or memory, because they have not been sharing in feeling or emotion for such a long time. The episode underlines the failure of communication that is one of the play's key themes, the emotional inhibition of the Irish male, or perhaps of males generally.

What are management fads?

A management fad is a philosophy of management or set of principles for management that is current and has a sweeping embrace across business and institutions.  A management fad is usually modern, and has experienced some type of success in a domain and is immediately transferred over to the business model.  The management fad is not always a joke or something superficial.  It has its roots in philosophy and has grounding in something that has resonated with a reasonable level of success.  For example, a management fad was Total Quality Management (TQM).  This used to be the philosophy of management in Japan.  In the mid to late 1980s, when it was apparent that Japanese automobiles were providing intense competition, and eventual supplanting, of American made automobiles, the management fad was to examine what the Japanese were doing and see if it could be implemented in the United States.  TQM was the result, and it didn't merely apply in businesses.  Even education in America became suspect to TQM trends, albeit with the pedagogical modifications.  Management fads work really well when they are appropriated by people who have studied them and believe that the conditions for success can be replicated with the adoption of the philosophy.  Yet, for those who are cynical enough to seek a "new way" in order to advance their own standings, management fads can lose credibility quite often, quite quickly.  Another challenge in management fad is the notion of the word, "fad," which implies something transitory and of the moment.  I think a management fad cannot be implemented in a "Fad- like" manner.  That is to say that a management fad is a philosophy or set of principles that must be firmly embedded and established in order to be effective.  This takes time, and is not something that can be celebrated upon its arrival, and then two weeks later be discarded.  If a management fad is to be effective, it must be carefully matched to the circumstances and its situation in order to reap benefits and must have an institutional commitment to make it work.  Despite its name, such a description is far from a fad.

What promotional tools do the airlines use to get consumers who travel for pleasure and business?

Because of the poor state of the airline industry today, airlines are using many promotions to attract a pleasure and corporate customer base. Airlines are offering discounted tickets and two for one deals. Alaska airlines is offering huge bonuses of frequent flier miles for signing up for their credit card. Some airlines are providing special discounts for seniors and those with more leisure time specifically. Airlines Promotions INC (API) is offering free companion tickets on most flights. While the decrease in oil prices has helped, the airlines are offering many promotions in order to elicit business.

Quote 4 examples of imagery in Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" and explain their significance.

1. "The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups": George Orwell served in Burma as Assistant Superintendent in the British Imperial Police from 1922 to 1927. He describes the plight of the wretched Burmese prisoners locked up in the jails in the police stations. The prisoners were treated like animals and were kept confined in small cramped rooms in the most inhumane conditions. The phrase "the stinking cages" is a striking metaphor which vividly describes the  jails of imperialist Burma during Orwell's time.

2."The evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible": The Burmese who were oppressed by the British showed their hatred by harrassing Orwell at the slightest opportunity. The metaphor, "the evil-spirited little beasts" describes aptly Orwell's chagrin at being mocked at and harrassed by the local Burmese.

3."The friction of the great beast's foot had stripped the skin from his back: This simile, "as neatly as one skins a rabbit" describes very accurately the gruesome manner in which the elephant had mauled the body of the Indian coolie whom it had trampled to death.

4."It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant – it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery": The phrase, "a huge and costly piece of machinery" describes in a telling manner the utilitarian value and economic imoprtance of an elephant to the local Burmese in the timber business. The elephants were the only means of hauling the logs of wood in Orwell's time .

Maya Angelou's I know why the Caged Bird Sings traces Maya's life from the time that she was three and sent to live with her grandmotherAnnie...

There are some strong level of similarities between both Maya Johnson and Frado.  The first level of similarity is that both women possess a great deal of unique individuality that cannot be fully repressed by social conditions.  Frado is subjected to a great deal of pain and humiliation, but that does not cause her to completely lose her voice of and sense of self.  Maya is insightful and intuitive enough to be able to assert her own sense of self, even when conditions, such as being a maid in the white family, might dictate otherwise.  Both use this keen sense of their own identity to carve out a life for themselves that addresses the social conditions that immerse them, but does not become victimized to it.  Both characters experience loss of adult figures in their childhood, as Frado is abandoned, and Maya grows up through experience, as opposed to constant and traditionally present structures.  Both characters also accept the reality and promises of motherhood.  They are both essentially single mothers who have to deal with the lack of paternal responsibility.  However, they both embrace this accountability and seek to impart in their children a setting that they might not have fully experienced.

Naturally, there are some differences in their predicaments, as well.  Frado endures far worse treatment than Maya does, which is not to minimize the difficulty of the latter but rather highlight the historical condition of the former.  In some respects, Maya can be seen as the evolution of Frado, as the condition of African- Americans changed from the 19th to the 20th century.  Another difference would be that there are more economic opportunities for Maya, indicating the change in time and historical disposition.  This is not to say that fairness and complete equality of opportunity was present, but it certainly stood better in the 20th century than its previous counterpart.

What is revealed as each boy assumes that the attention he attracts is meant for the other one?

Very interesting question, though be careful of readings that might be too deep on this one! This section comes in Chapter 3 as you specify, when Finny has pretty much dragged Gene off to the beach for the day and they are walking on the beach along the Boardwalk. Both boys, seemingly simultaneously, remark that the other is drawing the attention of the people they pass:

I noticed that people were looking fixedly at him, so I took a look at myself to see why. His skin radiated a reddish copper glow of tan, his brown hair had been a little bleached by the sun, and I noticed that the tan made his eyes shine with a cool blue-green fire.

"Everybody's staring at you," he suddenly said to me. "It's because of that movie-star tan you picked up this afternoon... showing off again."

Notice that nothing more is said about this - either by Gene commenting internally on what he thinks or by Finny. It is as if both boys are embarrassed to continue the discussion. Some critics argue that this dialogue reflects an unspoken homoerotic tension between Gene and Finny that because of their youth and innocence they are not aware of. If this sounds particularly far-fetched, remember that the entire book is about boys interacting with boys, and the intensity of the relationship of Gene and Finny does suggest there might be more to it than a simple friendship. The above example does suggest that there is a deeply physical element to their relationship which intensifies the strength of their bond together. 

How can we summarize the poem "Kubla Khan" in about 200 words?

Stanza 1 alludes to the Mongol monarch's 'pleasure-dome' decreed to be built in a plot of fertile land in his summer capital, Xanadu. It was Kubla's earthly paradise, an enclosure made secure by walls & towers, with a 'sacred river', Alph, meandering through light & shade to dissolve into a 'sunless sea' underground.

Stanza 2 dwells on the ever-green hills around where the river originates in the form of 'a mighty fountain' from the womb of 'a deep romantic chasm'. Coming overground, the river runs five miles in 'a mazy motion' to merge into the 'lifeless ocean' through 'caverns measureless to man'. The river, a symbol of life itself, has great commotion at both ends--birth & death. Kubla's dome stands high as 'a miracle of rare device', reconciling the warmth of the sun on the exterior, and the coldness of ice in its exterior.

Stanza 3 shows a geographical switch as the poet refers to the 'Abyssinian maid' who sang a song about Mount Abora--a natural paradise on earth--in his vision. If the poet could revive the vision, the maiden's song could have inspired him to build a dome 'in air'. The poet, in his divine frenzy, could have been, a spontaneous maker of a dome in the realm of art.

In "Fahrenheit 451" why does Montag want to read books?

Montag's desire to read books is a slow process that gradually builds to the actual act of reading one.  At the beginning of the story, he already has a book hid in his house, because as he walks into the house the first time we meet him,

"he stood looking up at the ventilator grille in the hall and suddenly remembered that something lay hidden behind the grille."

He only looks up there after he pondered Clarisse's question of, "Are you happy?"  So here, Bradbury seems to be alluding to the fact that Montag was not happy, and his unhappiness has led him to books; perhaps he feels that they hold the answer.  His desire to read books is there even before the novel begins.  However, Clarisse sparks his interest more, along with Mildred's suicided attempt.  He realizes, through these two events, that he indeed is not happy, and neither is his wife, or most people that he knows, for that matter.  But Clarisse is; she's happy, and perhaps books are the reason why.

While all of this is mulling around in  his head, he is called to burn Mrs. Blake's house.  Mrs. Blake, rather than leaving her books, chooses to be burnt alive with them.  This really gets to Montag; he thinks that if someone is willing to die for books, then there HAS to be something in them, there just has to be.  So, this adds to his interest.  Then is the visit from Beatty, where he explains the entire history of firemen, and how books became unpopular.  Then at the end of his lecture, he basically gives Montag permission to read:  "We let the fireman keep the book twenty-four hours."  Montag takes full advantage of that time-frame, and tries to read with Mildred.  He lists all of the things wrong in the world, and tells Millie, "An hour, a day, two hours, with these books, and maybe..." thinking that somehow they hold the answer to life's miseries.  It is a pretty futile process though, as Mildred complains the entire time and is upset that he isn't going to work.  Frustrated with her and her friends, he seeks out Faber, who confirms everything he has been suspecting about books.  From there on out, he has made his decision; books are worth fighting for, and he takes that conviction to the end of the book.

So, through a slow, gradual process, Montag goes from secretly hiding a book but never reading it, to wanting to read it, to openly reading it, to planning subterfuge in order to bring books back, then open rebellion in the name of books.

Which Europeans discovered America before Columbus?I have to write a report on the European discovery of America before Christopher Columbus. I...

There's a group of people that formed a culture known as
the "Maritime Archaic" that traveled throughout New England
and Northern Europe about 9000 years ago, "island hopping"
back and forth to trade with each other. So certainly
early "Europeans" were in the New World in prehistoric times.

Within the era of recorded history, however, others before
Chris have been here, as this old poem illustrates: (Enjoy!)

A MISLAID CONTINENT
(from Whiffs from Wild Meadows, Sam Walter Foss, circa 1880)

Now let us run the list over,
Of men preceding Christopher,
Who came before Columbus came, that laggard
dull and slow ;

The early Buddhist missionaries,
Those rapt religious visionaries,
Who thirteen hundred years ago discovered
Mexico.

An Irishman named Brendin
(The list is never ending)
He crossed the Sea of Darkness, crossed the wild,
untravelled main.

He thought that he would try a land
Some miles away from Ireland;
So he, twelve hundred years ago, discovered us
again.

Leif Ericson, the Norseman,
A regular old sea-horseman,

Who rode the waves like stallions, and couldn t
endure the shore,
Five hundred years thereafter
Said to his wife in laughter,

" It s time to go and find, my dear, America once
more."

And so he went and found it,
With the ocean all around it,
And just where Brendin left it five hundred years before ;

And then he cried, " Eureka !
I m a most successful seeker!"
And then went off and lost it, could not find
it any more.

They fought the sea, and crossed it,
And found a world and lost it ;
Those pre-Columbian voyagers were absent-minded men.

Their minds were so preoccupied,
That when a continent they espied,
They absently mislaid it, and it couldn t be found
again.

But Columbus when he found us
Somehow kept his arm around us,
For he knew he must be careful when he found
a hemisphere ;

And he knew just how to use it,
And he didn t misplace and lose it,
And mislay it in a corner where it couldn t be
found next year.

Like a pretty worthless locket
He didn t put it in his pocket,
And drop the New World through a hole that he d
forgot to mend ;

But he kept his eye upon it,
And he kept his finger on it,
And he kept his grip upon it, and held on it to
the end.

What effects does the declaration of war have on Montag's escape? Did Beatty really wish to die as Montag claimed? Why?

The declaration of war helps Montag escape because it provides a bit of a diversion. His escape was made slightly easier because of it.  Right before the declaration of war, Montag turns his flame thrower on Beatty and kills him when they are at Montag's house because Mildred turned in her husband for having books.  Beatty kept badgering Montag, calling him an idiot and a fool and telling him that he couldn't get away.  When Montag turned the flame thrower on Beatty, Beatty didn't move to get out of the way, he didn't do anything.  The bigger question is why did Beatty wish to die? Beatty was obviously a well read man; he knew a great deal about books and could quote from many works.  It would have been hard for him to remain unenlightened with all the reading he did.  His job and all his training taught him that books were bad and that books should be banned.  Earlier in the story, when Beatty is at Guy's house the day Guy doesn't go to work. Beatty says that books make people unhappy because they show people what might be, they allow people to compare themselves to others and possibly find themselves wanting.  Beatty is probably talking about himself here.  He tells Montag that the smart kid in school who could answer all the questions was usually the one bullied at recess and after school.  Beatty was likely that child.  Beatty has learned a lot from books, but rather than let that learning direct him in a more positive direction, that learning has made him depressed.  Perhaps, too, Beatty has seen what their world has become and knows that annihilation is imminent.  Maybe Beatty would rather die now than risk dying in the upcoming war.

What does Frankenstein tell Walton that Walton should learn from Frankenstein instead?

In Walton's opening letters, Shelley characterizes the adventurer as one who is willing to risk all for his quest.  He even states that a man's life or death are worth sacrificing.  Frankenstein, of course is appalled by Walton's statement because he has experienced the consequences of an insatiable thirst for knowledge.  He cries out to Walton:

Unhappy man! Do you share my madness? Have you drank also of the intoxicating draught? Hear me--let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips!

Victor's desire is that Walton will realize before it is too late that his obsession with knowledge can lead only to destruction.

Where does "Everyday Use" take place?

The story takes place in a rural area of Georgia where Maggie and her mother have continued to live in their impoverished home. Dee had left home to go to college in Augusta, Georgia, with the financial help of her hard-working mother and their church. It is Dee's coming home for a visit that provides the inciting incident for the narrative. Dee's assuming a new African name and her enthusiasm for embracing her African heritage suggests the time period to be that of the late 1960s or early 1970s. The story was published in 1973.

Describe Tituba, Abigail, and Betty Parris from The Crucible.

The three were part of the group of girls/women who were dancing in the forest at the beginning of the play, setting off the action. 

Tituba, Parris' slave from Barbados, is accused of talking to the Devil himself. In Puritan society, the forest was seen as a place where evil regularly takes place. (Realize at this point, there was little exploration beyond the Massachusetts Bay Colony in that area of the country, so the forest was a mysterious place) When the girls realize they were caught dancing, and perhaps calling up dead souls, they blame Tituba for leading them. 

Abigail is one of the main characters in the play. She is Reverend Parris' niece. After being fired as a servant at John and Elizabeth Proctors' home for having an affair with John, Parris takes her in. Her desire to be with John leads her to begin the accusations, and the more accusations are made, the more she looks respectable, because Puritan society felt that accusing others was a patriotic and holy duty. She begins to doubt her Puritan upbringing after her affair with John.

Betty is one of the first girls afflicted by "witchcraft". It is implied that her fear from being caught dancing in the woods leads to her "illness", but for the most part her role in the play is as a catalyst to direct the action. She spends much of her time laying in bed, probably to avoid being punished by her strict father, Reverend Parris. 

Give a detailed note on the use of wit and irony in Pride and Prejudice.

You can hardly read Pride and Prejudice and ignore the narrator's delight in making ironic, witty comments about her chararcters. Frequently these come through the mouthpiece of Lizzy Bennet, but they also are common occurences from the omniscient narrator. To give just one example, Lizzy Bennet employs a rather cruel form of irony to describe Miss De Bourgh on her first meeting:

"I like her appearance. She looks sickly and cross. Yes, she will do very well for him."

In this example of irony we need to possess knowledge about matters exterior to the context in order to detect and fully appreciate the irony. Here, obviously Lizzy does not like the appearance of Miss De Bourgh - her "liking" is only based on her dislike of Mr Darcy and his and Miss De Bourgh's intended union. Such use of verbal irony, or saying the opposite of what is really meant, is used throughout this novel, but the reader must be aware of the wider context in order to detect and enjoy the uses of irony.

Irony definitely extends beyond the verbal in this novel however. It is highly ironic that Mr. Darcy, having just persuaded Mr. Bingley to abandon his pursuit of Jane Bennet, then goes on to propose to Lizzie Bennet, in spite of exactly all of the same objections standing against such a union. Likewise, Lady Catherine's visit to Lizzie Bennet to try and prevent the union of Darcy and Elizabeth, unknowingly and highly ironically, is a key event that brings her nephew and Lizzie Bennet together.

That is enough to get you started - you might also want to think about the kind of irony employed by various characters, and indeed, the narrator herself. Linked to this you will want to examine the characters irony is used against and their awareness - or not - of the irony that is employed against them.

What's a summary of The Cleric's tale in Canterbury Tales?What happens in this story?

The tale begins with a description of a region of Italy called Saluzzo. The Cleric describes a marquis of this region called Walter. Walter was so fixated on seeking instant pleasure that he forsook all other long term duties, including marrying. Eventually, his people beg him to take a wife so he can have children and secure his dynasty. Walter agrees, but on one condition: he can choose anyone he wants and his wife will be treated with the respect she deserves as his wife. The people agree and Walter sets a date for his wedding.

In a nearby village, a poor man, Janincula, lived, with his daughter Griselde. You've guessed it - Griselde was beautiful and also virtuous. Walter had caught sight of her during a hunting trip and decided Griselde would be his wife. He prepared beautiful clothes in Griselde's size and asks Janincula for her hand in marriage. He then asks Griselde for her permission, saying he will marry her if she agrees to do whatever he says without resenting him. Griselde agrees and they get married and Griselde has a girl as a firstborn, even though she would have preferred to have a boy.

Soon after this Walter decides to test his wife. The narrator says he can't understand why Walter would do this and says it is evil to do so. Walter says to his wife that she was not accepted by the rest of the nobility and therefore her daughter must be put to death. Griselde accepts this steadfastly, even though secretly Walter puts their daughter with a family member to be brought up and never mentions their daughter again.

Years passed, and Griselde had a boy. Walter does exactly the same thing with the boy, and the boy is taken away. Griselde accepts this. Walter then devises another "test" - he organises a counterfeit order from Rome ordering him to divorce Griselde, in spite of the fact that his people now hate him as they think he has killed his children. Meantime, he orders that his children be brought back to his city with great pomp and circumstance, but without revealing who they were. In fact, he let it be known that he would marry his daughter to continue this disguise.

Walter tells Griselde about the "divorce" and returns her dowry and sends her back to her father's house. Griselde accepts this without suffering, saying she will never repent loving Walter, and asking to go back in a simple smock. The people follow her as she returns, mourning her loss.

Walter's children arrive and Walter asks Griselde to plan his new wedding - to their daughter. Griselde does this patiently but at the wedding feast asks Walter to treat his new bride better than he has treated her. Walter then kisses her and reveals the deception, and they all live happily ever after.

The Cleric says the point of his tale is that we should all be faithful and steadfast against times of trial. He also says that women with the character of Griselde are very rare nowadays.

What type of stanza does Robert Burns use in "To a Mouse"; standard Habbie, ballad stanza, ottava rima, or Italian stanza?

This poem is in the standard Habbie stanza, a six-line stanza which rhymes aaabab, which is to say that the first three lines end-rhyme, then there is a new rhyme for the fourth line, then the rhyme of the first three lines is repeated, and the last line rhymes with the fourth.  This form was not invented by Robert Burns, though it has come to be known as the "Burns Stanza". 

In addition to the rhyme scheme there is a set pattern for the number of stresses per line.  The first three lines (the "a" rhymes) are four syllables.  The fourth line (the first "b" rhyme) is two syllables.  The fifth line (another "a") is four syllables again, and the last line (a "b") is two syllables.  The number of unstressed syllables between the stressed syllables can vary.  Also, it is sometimes possible to read the lines with less or more than the exact prescribed number of syllables, for regional variations in dialect (and changes in language over time) can produce differences in what syllables sound stressed or unstressed.  It is safe to say, however, that most people would read Burns' first stanza something like this:

Wee, sleeket, cowrin, tim'rous  beastie,
Oh, what a panic's in thy breastie!  
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi' bickerin brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

This poetic form differs from, say, the iambic pentameter of Shakespeare's sonnets.  The pattern of stresses does not have to follow an xX (unstressed-stressed) pattern, but rather the number of stresses in the line is more important than the pattern they form.  This creates variation within a regular form of verse, and gives flexibility to the poet to highlight certain words in a line for emphasis.  The first line, for example, might normally be read with the first word "Wee" being stressed, but the rhythm of the line demands the opposite.  Then the second line is almost the reverse of the first, with the first word "Oh" being stressed, conjuring up the image of the plowman exclaiming loudly in distress at upturning the poor mouse.  There is a similar stress on the first syllable of "panic", which highlights the emotion of the creature. 

The standard Habbie is technicaly a kind of podic verse, which means it lies somewhere in between accentual-syllabic verse, in which the unstressed and the stressed syllables all count (such as iambic pentameter), and strictly accentual verse in which only the stressed syllables count (such as the meter of the poem Beowulf).  This means that most of the time the unstressed syllables will follow a regular pattern, falling in a somewhat predictable pattern between the stressed syllables (such as in line 3, above), but there is an allowance for extra (or fewer) unstressed syllables to appear, or not, in a line (such as line 2).  This gives the poet wonderful flexibility, and makes the poems written in this meter song-like and memorable.  This delightful variety Burns puts to good use.

Source: Shipley, Joseph T.  Dictionary of World Literature.  Totowa, NJ: Littlefield, Adams & Co., 1968.