What do the other characters say about Macbeth?

Initially in "Macbeth" the nobleman, Macbeth, receives praise and recognition for his defeat of the King of Norway.  Ross, another nobleman, says of Macbeth:

The King hath happily received, Macbeth,/The news of thy success, and when he reads/Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight,/His wonders and his praises do contend/Which should be thine or his. (I,iii,89-93)

The king reiterates this praise as he awards Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor for his valor:

Only I have left to say,/More is thy due than more than all can pay.(I,iv,20-21)

Of course, that Lady Macbeth doubts her husband's manliness and resolve is evident in her words:

Was the hope drunk/Wherein you dressed yourself?  Hath it slept since?/And wakes it now, to look so green and pale/At what it did so freely?  From this time/Such I account thy love.  Art thou afeard/to be the same in own act and valor/As thou art in desire? (I,vii, 35-41)

Lady Macbeth also tells her husband "I shame/To wear a heart so white" (63-65). After this, she unsexes herself and takes the dominant role in orchestrating Macbeth's rise to power. 

Then, as the play progresses, others come to feel utter antipathy for Macbeth because of his evil deeds. In Act IV, Scene 3, Malcolm and Macduff speak of Macbeth.  Malcolm refers to Macbeth as "black Macbeth" (IV,iii, 52) and Macduff calls him "a devil more damned/In evils" (IV,iii,55-56),to which Malcolm responds,

I grant him bloody,/Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceiful,/Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin/That has a name (IV,iii,57-60).

In Act V when Macduff encounters his enemy, he calls him "Tyrant" and tells him,

Thn yield thee, coward,/And live to the show and gaze o'th'time:/We'll have thee, as our rarer monsters are,/Painted upon a pole, and underwrit,/'Here may you see the tyrant.' (V,viii,23-27)

Certainly, Macbeth has gone from the zenith of praise in Act I to the nadir of vilification in Act V of Shakespeare's "Macbeth."

What is the tone in the poem " In Reference to Her Children"?

There is no one word to describe the poem's tone because Bradstreet uses tonal shift to advance her theme.  In the beginning of the poem, the mother bird speaks of each of her brood (children) and how many of them have flown the nest to make lives for themselves.  For this part of the poem, a good tonal word is "nostalgic" and "possessive."  While the mother bird is proud of her children and their accomplishments, she misses the time when she was in control of them and they were dependent upon her.  She does also come across as being rather possessive.  As some of her children leave the nest, she yearns for their return and finally gets them to come closer to home.  She, like most humans, is experiencing "empty nest" syndrome.  For most of her life, she has been busy at being a mother, but now she doesn't feel needed as she was when her children were young.

In the middle of the poem, as Bradstreet begins to list the lessons that the mother tried to instill in her children, especially about the dangers of their environment, she demonstrates a proud and concerned tone.  She worries whether her children will heed her warnings, but she is also proud of all that she did for them and hopes that they realize what she has endured for them.  She says,

Great was my pain when I you bred,
Great was my care when I you fed.
Long did I keep you soft and warm
And with my wings kept off all harm.

Finally, in the last lines of the poem, the speaker actually shifts from a narrative style to a sermonic one.  Instead of telling an unknown audience of her children and her life as their mother, she directly addresses her children.  At this point, her tone is didactic--she hopes to impart one more lesson to her children.  Even though much of the rest of the poem comes across as a mother longing for former days, the speaker's lesson is hopeful and positive.  She mentions where she will go when she passes from this earth and then tells her children,

Farewell, my birds, farewell, adieu,
I happy am, if well with you. 

She wants her children to know that she is satisfied with her life and that she will be happy as long as they are safe and healthy.

Why does Montresor end his story with the latin phrase meaning "May he rest in peace"?"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe

Montresor concludes with "In pace requiescat" in order to put the "period," so to speak, at the end of his tale of revenge. His is the wine connosieur's vendetta:

At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled--but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk.  I must not only punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser.  It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

This last line underscores the intentions of Montesor to avenge himself against Fortunato.  Cleverly, Montresor plans out his revenge step by step until its fruition.  In fact, he enjoys himself in his revenge, delighting in the details of placing the flambeaux in certain positions to create shadows, etc.  He toys with Fortunato's ego, telling him, "We Will go back; you will be ill, and cannot be responsible."

With the mason's trowel, Montesor has more fun with mind tricks, making puns on the word mason. So, when he finally walls in Fortunato, he feels that he has accomplished his artistic plan of revenge and takes pride in his accomplishing this crime without retribution for fifty years, punctuating his tale with the Latin phrase that signals his pride in his revenge.

What is "third degree price discrimination" in managerial economics?

In economics first, second and third degrees of discrimination refers to the different ways in which different customers may be charged different prices for an identical product. These terms were first coined and defined by Arthur Cecil Pigou (1877-1959).

In first degree discrimination, each customer is charged a price which is exactly equal to the the value of the product for that customer. IN this type of pricing the seller gets maximum revenue, while the purchaser benefit is exactly equal to the price paid. Thus there is no surplus benefit to the customers. This type of pricing is only a theoretical concept. It does not exist in reality because of difficulty and cost of ascertaining the value of the product for each customer. Also the customer has no incentive to buy the product in absence of any surplus benefit.

Second degree price discrimination involves charging different prices to different customer or at different times depending upon the consideration of sellers costs and ability. The most common form of second degree price discrimination is the quantity discount. A company's cost on bulk sale are lower than those for sale in smaller quantities,. therefore most of the companies offer lower prices or a discount for purchase in larger quantities.

Other common second degree price discrimination include very low  prices charged by airlines for tickets sold just a short time before departure of flights. This is because airline incur no significant extra cost on those passenger, and if they are not able to get passengers at full price, they are still better off selling tickets at heavily subsidized rates. Other common example of this type of pricing is different rated charged by hotels at different times of the year, and happy hour discounts offered in restaurants during lean period of the day.

Third degree discrimination involves charging different prices to different segments of customers. This method of price discrimination is really an imperfect variation of the perfect type represented by first degree price discrimination. In this methods different segments of customers are identified and each segment is charged price base on what price is most profitable for the company in each segment. The most common way of segmentation for this type of price discrimination is by geographic location. A very prominent example of this type price discrimination in charges for operations by surgeons. For the same type of operations surgeons and hospitals charge different fees depending on the type of hospital room and other facilities that the patient chooses during hospitalization for operation. Other common form of such price discrimination include discounts such as those for students or senior citizens.

What are the rising action, climax and resolution of "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty?

taylorlynn609,

Phoenix, the protagonist of “A Worn Path,” is a poor, aging black woman who is experiencing the onset of the afflictions of age (loss of memory, inflexible and arthritic joints, imaginings) while maintaining an indomitable spirit in the face of the hopeless nature of her own plight and that of her grandson. The story becomes more dramatically focused upon her because she is seen objectively and dramatically (and distantly?) by the attendants in the doctor's office.

As a narrative, the story is interesting because exposition takes place from the beginning almost until the very end (paragraph 94). The rising action takes place from paragraph 95 to the end.

The complication is developing almost coincidentally, for the difficulties Phoenix experiences are also a part of the monumentally difficult conditions of her life. The disclosure about her grandson (paragraphs 78–92) is an additional complication, which is always on Phoenix’s mind, but which we do not learn until the attendants bring up the topic. The story’s climax is the speech by Phoenix in paragraph 94, in which her recognition and determination are revealed.

The conclusion and resolution is marked by a continued focus upon her as she retreats down the stairs with the intention of buying a toy before returning home.

After reading Macbeth, choose 11 facts that illustrate differences between life in Elizabethan England and life today. Please, I need a fast...

This is truly one of my favorite things to discuss with my students (because there's such a shock-factor involved)!  Here are my responses (although there are many more differences than these):

1. Today every theater is required to have a bathroom, while in Elizabethan England the theater was a very unsanitary place indeed (with no bathrooms to be found).


2. Today women are, of course, able to participate in any theatrical productions, while in Elizabethan England no woman was allowed to perform (and men played the women's roles in drag).


3. Today we don't have to worry about the plague, while in Elizabethan England someone dying from the plague was not uncommon.


4. Today society rewards both women and men for being thin, while in Elizabethan England society rewarded both women and men for being chunky (because it meant you were wealthy and always had enough to eat).


5. Today anyone can wear purple whenever they want, while in Elizabethan England only a count or a countess could wear that color because the expensive dye was made by crushing thousands of sea snails. 


6. Today a writer may use his or her computer to write virtually for free, while in Elizabethan England a writer's biggest expense would have been paper and candles.


7. Today women are considered equals, while in Elizabethan England they had very low status with no legal rights (and weren't even able to act on the stage)!


8. Today we pay big-bucks to go to a production of a Shakespearean play, while in Elizabethan England a groundling could watch one of Shakespeare's plays at the Globe for only a penny.


9. Today rich people wear clothes by fancy designers or designer brands, while in Elizabethan England wearing certain kinds of fabric (like silk, satin, or velvet) showed your status.


10. Today our theaters have standard lighting that allow us to see shows at night, while in Elizabethan Enlgand productions had to be held during the day because they needed to be lit by the sun.


11. Today we have toilets that take our waste away both in a quick and hidden way, while in Elizabethan England people's waste ran in the true gutter right down the side of the road.


12. Today theater productions are encouraged in order to promote tourism and the like, while in Elizabethan England the city officials hated the theater because it took people away from their jobs as well as encouraged pickpocketing and prostitution.

Who attended Gatsby's parties in The Great Gatsby?In The Great Gatsby, I believe there is a list of who came to the parties. I need to know...

That is a vast list from both East Egg, West Egg, and beyond!  Let me begin with the most important in regards to the novel itself:  Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Nick Carraway.  However, as Nick relates at the beginning of Chapter 4:

Once I wrote down on the empty spaces of a timetable the names of those who came to Gatsby's house that summer. (61)

The list of names, then, is contained within that same chapter.  Those who came to Gatsby's parties from East Egg are as follows:  the Chester Beckers, the Leeches, Bunsen, Doctor Wbster Civet, the Hornbeams, the Willie Voltaires, the Blackbucks, the Ismays, the Chrysties, Edgar Beaver, Clarence Endive, the Cheadles, teh Schraeders, the Abrams, the Fishguards, the Snells, the Dancies, S. B. Whitebait, Maurice Flink, the Hammerheads as well as Beluga (and his girls).  Those who came to Gatsby's parties from West Egg are as follows:  the Poles, the Mulreadys, Cecil Roebuck, Cicil Schoen, Gulick, Newton Orchid, Eckhaust, Clyde Choen, Don Schwartze, Arthur McCarty, the Catlips, the Bembergs, Muldoon, Da Fontano, Ed Legros, James Ferre3t, the De Jongs, Earnest Lilly, Klipspringer, Gus Waize, Horace O'Donavan, Lester Myer, George Duckweed, and Francis Bull.  There was also a clan that came from New York and elsewhere:  the Chromes, the Backhyssons, the Dennickers, Russel Betty, the Corrigans, the Kellehers, the Dewars, the Scullys, Belcher, the Smirkes, the Quinns, Henry Palmetto, Benny McClenahan (and his girls), Faustina O'Brien, Ms. Baedeker, Brewer, Albrucksburger, Miss Haag, Ardita Fitz-Peters, Mr. Jewett, and Miss Claudia Hip.

Further details can be found about many of these people in the confines of Chapter 4.  For example, the people from East Egg (who are known to be "old money") are most often referred to by family while the people from West Egg (who are known to be "new money") are referred to by specific name.  No matter what, one can admit that Nick was quite observant!

Can you give me a summary of "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare?i want a full summary not just the begining and end!

Summaries of Shakespeare's plays are very easy to find. The play starts with three witches planning mischief, particularly with Macbeth.  Macbeth is a highly placed officer in the Scottish military under King Duncan.  Macbeth is a good soldier and fights valiantly which causes the king to give Macbeth a new title, Thane of Cawdor, a title belonging to one who, ironically, proved to be a traitor.  On the way home from battle, Macbeth and Banquo come upon the witches who tell Macbeth that he will be named Thane of Cawdor (he doesn't know yet that he's been given this new title) and that he will be named king.  When he hears that he has indeed been given the new title of Thane of Cawdor, he begins to think seriously about becoming king.  He tells his wife in a letter about what happened and she determines that he will do whatever it takes to become king.  When Duncan decides to pay the Macbeths a visit, Lady Macbeth plans Duncan's murder and Macbeth carries it out.  Duncan's sons, Malcolm, the crown prince, and Donalbain fear for their lives then and flee the country.  Macbeth does indeed become king but he doesn't feel secure because he thinks that Banquo might suspect him of Duncan's murder.  Macbeth has hired thugs kill Banquo, but Banquo's son, Fleance, escaped.  The murderers were supposed to kill him, too, because Macbeth doesn't want Banquo's heirs to become kings as the witches also predicted.  Then Macbeth decides, after he sees Banquo's ghost at a banquet, to visit the witches again.  This time, they give him visions that say Macbeth should beware of Macduff, that Macbeth need fear no man born of woman, and that Macbeth won't be vanquished until Birnam Wood advances to Dunsinane Hill (site of Macbeth's castle).  This makes Macbeth feel secure but it also makes Macbeth determined to strike out against Macduff who is currently out of the country.  Because he can't get to Macduff, Macbeth has Macduff's wife and children killed. Macduff, who is in England to rally Malcolm and the English to overthrow Macbeth, finds out about the attack and vows to kill Macbeth.  In England, Malcolm tests Macduff's loyalty to Scotland and determines that Macduff is, indeed, loyal to the country and not just a sycophant.  Malcolm, Macduff, and the English invade Scotland and begin to advance on Macbeth's castle.  Lady Macbeth dies, presumably by suicide. Malcolm orders his men to disguise their numbers with tree branches from Birnam Woods.  Macbeth is beginning to get the idea that the witches tricked him.  Macduff and Macbeth meet up and Macbeth doesn't want to fight Macduff, he says, because he leads a charmed life and can't be killed by any man born of woman.  Macduff tells Macbeth that he was born by C-section and therefore, "not of woman born".  Macduff cuts off Macbeth's head and presents it to the new king, Malcolm.

How is Mildred an example of how Montag’s society controls its citizens, and yet how the citizens are deeply unhappy about their situation?

Mildred seems to be totally controlled by the television screens in her home. Her one desire is to have one more gigantic screen so she can be surrounded by what she calls "her family". Yet, she also tries to commit suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. Obviously, "her family" is not bringing her the satisfaction nor support that she really needs. Mildred also feels threatened when Montag takes an interest in illegal books. In fact, Montag realizes that Mildred is only happy when he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. He is not able to express ideas contrary to what society has taught them, even in his own house.

Can anyone explain the meaning of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil"?

I have always read this story as part of Hawthorne's continuing exploration of a theme he expressed directly in The Scarlet Letter.

And be the stern and sad truth

spoken, that the breach which guilt has once made into the human

soul is never, in this mortal state, repaired. It may be watched

and guarded, so that the enemy shall not force his way again

into the citadel, and might even in his subsequent assaults,

select some other avenue, in preference to that where he had

formerly succeeded. But there is still the ruined wall, and near

it the stealthy tread of the foe that would win over again his

unforgotten triumph.

Parson Hooper has committed some sin, the exact nature of which is never reveals, although there are hints that it had something to do with the young woman in the coffin, especially since the veil and the funeral are tied together.  He elects to display knowledge of his guilt to the community, although he never tells them what he has done, just as their "secret sin" remains unknown to him.  Ironically, he, as Dimmesdale, become a better minister through his personal suffering.

His new appearance, and that is all that has changed, just his appearance, frightening the congregation, perhaps because he is now a mirror to them of things they would rather not face.  Hooper could easily have taken off the veil, much as Hester could have taken off the Scarlet Letter when she return to the colonies ... but the taking off would not heal the breach, so they both elect to acknowledge their failing, one specified, the other not, until death.

It's difficult for us, inhabitants of a world that almost denies sin, to understand their position, but for older generations sin was as real as psychosis is to us in the era of Freud.  When you sinned, you created a breach that was never really healed in this life.  This story, like many others of Hawthorne, explore this breach and its implications.

Why is the evening in Tom's New York apartment hazy and dim? Contrast this with the evening setting at Tom and Daisy's mansion in The Great Gatsby.

In this scene, as throughout the novel, the weather reflects the relationships between the characters. In the apartment, Nick comments on the over-large furniture, the smoky air, & the difficulty in moving about. These are physical representations of Myrtle's clumsy attempts to move into Tom's social realm.

The society to which Tom & Daisy belong (the "old money"), although as immoral and hypocritical as any other, is given a sense of near cleanliness in the novel, often associated with the color white, and a feeling of fluidity. Thus the evening at their house is clear, with a candlelit dinner in the yard.

The lower social strata are often associated with dim or drab colors (Myrtle's brown dress in New York, the valley of ashes) and a feeling of claustrophobia. The haze adds to Nick's sense of unknowing and confusion. Those on the bottom of the ladder will be forever lost, unable to make their way to the top (although Gatsby tries).

How does "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" depend on visualization and the use of color imagery to intensify its effects?

The entire story hinges on the incredible descriptions the speaker gives us and the story that he tells.  We can't help but imagine and picture the scene as a movie behind our eyelids as he tells it.  As part of the movie, the mariner does mention color quite often, and it brings the narrative to life in certain spots--a little like The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens the door and her black and white world is suddenly infused with brilliant color.

The examples of this which spring to mind are the differences in which the mariner notices the sea snakes--go back and take a look at how he looks at them the first time, right after he has killed the albatross, and then how he describes them the second time, when he is able to "bless them unaware" and the albatross falls from his neck.  There are grand descriptions the second time with lots of colors mentioned.  The use of color on the second description gives the reader the understanding that the mariner is really seeing them and appreciating their beauty as creations whereas the first time he only saw "slimy things".  This underlines the mariner's progress as a character and his growth as a person who respects all nature.

In addition, I seem to recall the colors used when he describes Death and Life in Death when they come on the scene.  The color here...or maybe even the lack of color...help the reader/listener understand more clearly their purpose.

Lastly, it's worth taking another look at the color and description of the ship's condition when the mariner finally returns home.  This description is undeniably important as we also study the hermit's reaction to it.

I'm sure there are other places...go back and skim the poem once again for the use of color in the descriptions and ask yourself how the color helps the reader "see" the picture more clearly.

Good Luck!

What are the advantages of line and staff in an organization?

Having line and staff within one's structure usually represents savings on personnel costs in an organization, in addition to the advantages described in the previous responses.  This is because the staffing functions often comprise more highly paid employees, employees who can then serve all functional departments, rather than having to staff each functional department with its own "experts" in the areas that typically make up staff functions.  For example, a legal department or an information technology department usually consists of highly educated and/or trained employees who command higher salaries than many of those in the line functions.  If production, marketing, research and development, and distribution divisions had to maintain their own legal and information technology experts, this would add substantially to personnel costs, with no additional benefit to the company, since many of the staff functions would not be full-time work for a particular line department, but just right as they are allocated over all line functions. 

In the long Wilks episode in "Huck Finn", what is Twain satirizing? In Huck's description of the Grangerfords house and family, what are the...

In the Wilks' episode, Twain is again satirizing hypocrisy in the characters of the duke and the dauphin. The fact that they can step into a family and pretend to be relatives speaks to the ignorance of common society. Those who are professionals (the doctor, the lawyer) are ridiculed for not believing the con artists' story. The emphasis on physical beauty in women, rather than intellectual strength is also emphasized. Huck refers to one sister as "hare-lip", and she is forced to do chores and serve the others. Yet she is the only sister who suspects Huck's story and grills him mercilessly to get the truth.

Huck’s lengthy description of the Grangerford house, decorated with gaudy furnishings and the pen and crayon drawings of Emmeline Grangerford, is a satire against morbid art and poor taste in decorating. Twain’s satire is punctuated at the end of the chapter with an example of Emmeline’s repulsive, sentimental poetry. Buck does not need to convince us that Emmeline seldom thought about her verse but would, instead, just “slap down a line,” then scratch it if it didn’t rhyme and “slap down another one.” In Huck’s description of Colonel Grangerford, Twain satirizes aristocratic gentlemen for being well-born, and “that’s worth as much in a man as it is in a horse.” The 30-year-old feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons is further criticism of aristocratic pretensions of respectability. This is particularly true when the feuding families sit in church together, their guns “between their knees,” listening to a sermon on brotherly love and agreeing later that it was, indeed, a good sermon. Ironically, there is a controlled sense of respectability in Colonel Grangerford’s gentle reprimand to Buck for “shooting from behind a bush,” rather than bravely stepping out into the road to defend the family honor. The colonel’s expectations for a 13-year-old boy make his values seem even more incongruous. Twain also brings out the ridiculousness of the feud when he has Buck describe it in the clear, straightforward language of a 13-year-old boy who doesn’t even know why they are feuding.

Why does Napoleon seem to feel threatened by Boxer in "Animal Farm"?

Boxer is the hard working cart horse who is very adaptable to the new philosophy the Napoleon institutes.  In fact, Boxer comes up with a maxim to accept Napoleon's rule, Napoleon is always right, and I will work harder. Like the sincere members of society who believed in the the ideology of socialism, were probably the most annoying to the establishment.

"In the end, once Boxer's health fails and he is no longer able to work, Napoleon sends him to the horse slaughterer. In Orwell's tale, he represents the common working class who unwittingly accept their base existence, because they believe by hard work they will get ahead and that their leaders will protect them. Boxer's lung trouble seems to refer to Orwell's own bouts with tuberculosis."

Boxer is a true believer, he works so hard that he becomes old before his time, thereby becoming useless to Napoleon. The fact that he must get rid of him poses a serious problem for Napoleon, because he does not like the idea of drawing attention to the fact that he must send him to the slaughterhouse.

This flies in the face of the ideology that Animal Farm was built on that all the animals will enjoy a peaceful, relaxing retirement in the grazing field. Napoleon shows the animals, very early on, that retirement for any animal who outlives his usefulness is not going to happen.

Napoleon likes to keep his real purposes veiled, secret, so getting rid of Boxer poses a problem, which highlights Napoleon's real intentions and this must be covered up immediately by Squealer, the chief propagandist.

Where were the movements successful and where did they fail?The Women's Suffrage Movement of the 19th Century and the battle for equality in the...

In answering this question, I think I can offer some broad strokes and you might have to go back and plug in the exact dates and events that create a broad picture of women resistance in American History.  One of the greatest successes for women's movements in the 19th century was its ability to raise the issue of women's rights.  As renegades of change during the age of reform, thinkers like Stanton, Anthony, Mott, and Truth began to raise American consciousness about the issue of women's rights.  Anthony and Stanton collaborated on "The Declaration of Sentiments," a document that rewrote Jefferson's Declaration of Independence from the American woman's point of view.  The cries of "No Taxation without Representation" were heard again, but this time they were raised from the woman's point of reference.   If there was a failing in this movement, it was that the movement was geared on a social level of consciousness and little, if any, political measures were reached on a national level. The movement was also stilted a bit because of the abolitionist cause as well as the growing economic  and social divide between North and South, leading to the Civil War.  At the time the women's rights movement at this time might have been caught up in the whirlwind of these events.

This is probably where the second women's movement resumed their fight.  Arising from the Progressivist school o thought, they drove in a strong manner for the 19th amendment and also spurned the fight for prohibition.  The fact that they were able to get a Constitutional Amendment passed would mark success.  Women having the right to vote is something that Stanton and Anthony could have only envisioned in their deepest of slumbers.  I think that if there was a shortcoming in this particular movement, it was that it sought to establish political enfranchisement for women, but struggled to articulate this vision in a social context.  The women's rights movement in the 20th century was challenged in how it would appropriate women from other cultures, as immigration to the United States was at an unprecedented level in the early 1900s.  The second women's movement struggled to understand the issue of "being a woman" transcending one's own cultural background and heritage.  Whereas the battle was waged and won on a political level, the notion of the social misconceptions of "being a woman" still lingered and the leaders of said movement had a difficult time articulating this vision into early 20th century America.  I might also posit here that the major distinction emerging in America at this time period was one of economic class, as opposed to race and gender, which were present, but not as looming.  The social demarcation of economic class spoke loudly in America as the line between workers and owners was becoming more distinct and people saw themsselves as economic beings more than any other distinction.  The movement that predicated distinction based on gender did not speak to the worker family, recently emigrated from Eastern Europe, who were all receiving poor compensation and horrific working conditions from a wealthy boss.  This setting did not lend itself to defining itself in gender based terms, as much as the language of material gain and economic distinction.

What form of government did Aristotle favor?

Aristotle did not really clearly favor any one form over another. If you consider the 3 available types, monarchy, oligarchy and polity, he probably favored the last type. That is the polity which  was made up of the largest group of individuals and had the least chance to do real harm to the state. While the oligarchy made up of the aristocracy and the monarchy made up of one ruler, had the greater chance for harm because action could be initiated by fewer individuals. Aristotle almost always favored a middle (mean) position to one of the extremes.

Why has the author chosen to use a first person point of view (Scout) and how is it effective?

While Harper Lee's choice of a child narrator is not original--Dickens often relied on child narrators, and Twain's most famous one is a precocious boy (Huck Finn)--it is certainly a brilliant decision because it perfectly fits Lee's purpose for writing the novel.  Her first person narrative, especially her use of Scout as the narrator, accomplishes several key goals for Lee.

1.  Lee is discussing issues--racism, prejudice, social class strife--that were inflamatory during the time that Mockingbird was published.  She knows that by setting the book in the Deep South, which in 1960 was rife with racial tension, that she is going to stir up controversy. However, by choosing an innocent, intelligent, and likable girl to discuss these "grown-up" issues, Lee widens her audience.  If a child such as Scout can see the horrible effects of racism, some adults might be forced to look at their beliefs in a different way.  Likewise, the child narrator, with all her precociousness, makes thinking about the issue and our country's mistakes a tad more palatable.  Lee's choice, in this sense, is very close to Twain's reasoning for choosing Huck as his narrator.  Readers, at first, did not like a smart-mouthed boy voicing adult opinions about their social views--but the character of Huck is what makes the book still enjoyable and powerful today.  The same can be said of Scout.

2. Secondly, Lee's novel contains autobiographical elements, and I think that she sees herself as Scout.  Lee grew up with her lawyer father and had a very close relationship with him. By all accounts, she was a forward-thinking child--like Scout--and idolized her father.  She even followed in his footsteps and went to law school.  Her choice of Scout as the narrator gives Lee an opportunity to comment on many aspects of her Deep Southern, small-town background and questions that she had as a child or reflections that she started to experience as an adult.  Scout's view of her town is most likely very similar to Lee's view of her town (Monroe, Alabama).

3.  Finally, by using a child who matures through the course of the novel, Lee demonstrates what mature views are on the important issues of her day.  Lee can have a child discuss issues like racial language, hypocritical teachers, and gross injustice because a child has a right to be innocent about these elements and his/her maturation process would include a character forming an opinion about why these struggles exist and what the solution is to them.  Mockingbird is a Bildungsroman, a work that shows the development or maturation of an individual, usually a child, so Lee hopes that her choice of structure and narrator will cause her audience to mature alongside Scout.

Name and explain three objectives of promotional strategy.

Promotion or, more correctly, sales promotion refers to different types of actions that sellers or marketers take to increase sale of a particular product for a short term.

This should not be confused with the term promotion used in the classic concept of "P's of Marketing Mix" - which include Product, Price, Promotion and Place. As one of the component of marketing mix, promotion refers to all the communication from a company directed towards is customers including advertising and selling. However, the term promotion is rarely used in this sense except in context of marketing mix.

Sales promotion include a wide variety of programs such as distribution of samples and free trials, special reduced prices or extra quantity for same price, free gifts, prizes based on draws or lottery, patronage awards, and point of purchase displays and demonstrations and extra incentives to sales personnel.

A promotion program may be designed to achieve one or more of the following objectives.

• Induce customer to try out a new product not used by them. This can result in customers switching their brands.


• Attracting switchers from competing brands.


• To increase repurchase rate of existing customers.


• Encouraging off season buying and reducing surplus inventories.


• Encouraging purchase of larger-sized units.


• Building brand loyalty


• Persuading retailers to carry additional items and higher stocks.


• Consolidate long term relationship with retail outlets by, for example, providing Free advisory services or free display material and equipments to be used at point of purchase.


• Encouraging sales-persons to put in extra efforts for selling of specific products.

Evaluate the impact of Krogstad, Mrs Linde and Dr Rank on the development of Nora's understanding throughout the play A Doll's House.

Krogstand opened the doors to the real world to Nora. All this time she had been a "doll to be played with" and her naivete about the world was such that when she realized that this man was blackmailing her and threatening to break her fantasies forever, she did a huge jump into the reality of how obscure some people can be, and that nothing happens without consequence.

Nora understood very little about consequences, and about evil before she made the "business transaction" with Krogstad. Even as he continued to threaten her, she was in denial. In all, he was the first taste of reality she had in her adult life.

Mrs. Linde was the second instance of reality: This time, it was the reality of a woman who is not married to money, and who has to earn her living. Nora herself says how sorry she felt for Ms. Linde and clearly showed how shallow and superficial her own life had been as she compared herself with Ms. Linde, who has experienced deception, death, loneliness, and sadness. Mrs. Linde is a dramatically contrasting character, and shows how clueless Nora was of how other people lived their lives. She lived, literally in a bubble until then.

Dr. Rank showed Nora the reality of death, and limits. At the same time, he showed her love. He declared to be in love with her, making her perhaps question her role in her marriage since her husband never really saw her in the light of a lover like Dr. Rank.  When Rank received his prognosis, she was devastated and realized that things, every single thing, comes to an end. Just like her fantasy was about to come to an end as well. It is with his departure, coincidentally, that most of the story begins to wrap up and the end is imminent.

In Chapter 7 of Great Expectations, how do the references to the bramble bush and figures as thieves contribute to the book's imagery?Pip describes...

The author ties the images of Pip's efforts to become educated with the scenes already established concerning his experiences in the marshes with the convicts.  When Pip describes "struggl(ing) through the alphabet as if it had been a bramble-bush", the image connects directly to his earlier recounting of hurrying through the marshes to follow the convict's directive to bring him food and a file.  In both cases, Pip feels as if he is running desperately through a morass which is unfriendly, forbidding, and confusing, a landscape which, fraught with "bramble(s)", causes pain.  Pip goes on to say that his study of ciphering feels to him like "(falling) among...thieves".  He has in fact fallen among thieves when he had encountered the two convicts in the cemetery and on the marshes, so he knows what that experience is like first hand.  This time, though, instead of being flesh-and-blood criminals, the "thieves" among which he falls are "the nine figures", the numbers one through nine.  Trying to learn these numbers and their functions is as confusing and unpleasant to Pip as it has been to fall into the rough and frightenin hands of the convicts (Chapter 7).

The images of Pip struggling through the alphabet "as if it had been a bramble-bush" and falling "among thieves, the nine figures" carry through thematically later in the book.  After Pip comes into his "expectations" and becomes a learned individual, he enters into a state of moral confusion in which he loses his way spiritually, becoming proud and haughty and treating those who love him in a rude and belittling manner.  Pip then, having become rich and educated, has metaphoircally mastered the alphabet and numbers, but his accomplishments have thrown his heretofore upright character into a confused state, akin to having tumbled into "a bramble-bush" or having "(fallen) among thieves".

Who is the senator who comes to town in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?

The Senator who comes to town is "Mr. Benton, an actual United States senator".  Thomas Hart Benton is indeed an historical figure, the first United States Senator from the state of Missouri.

Senator Benton is briefly mentioned in Chapter 22, which recounts the boredom of a long summer for Tom.  Abandoned by Becky Thatcher, who is spending the season at her Constantinople home with her parents, and tormented by "the dreadful secret of the murder" he has witnessed, Tom is in a miserable funk.  He looks for diversion in the normal events of town life, but nothing keeps his interest for very long.  A "Negro minstrel show" comes to town and (makes) a sensation", but the thrill of it wears off after only two days.  Even the "Glorious Fourth" lacks luster, for it is raining, and the arrival of "the greatest man in the world - as Tom suppose(s) -Mr. Benton, an actual United States senator, prove(s) an overwhelming disappointment - for he (is) not twenty-five feet high, nor even anywhere in the neighborhood of it".  Tom has built up the prestige of the famous statesman to such an extent in his mind that the reality of the man cannot help but be a letdown.  The arrival of a traveling "phrenologist and a mesmerizer" are no more stimulating, and the final ignominy comes for Tom when he catches the measles (Chapter 22).

What is Piggy's contribution and his insight in Golding's "Lord of the Flies"?

In a moment of introspection in Chapter 5, Ralph reflects that "Piggy could think.  He could go step by step inside that fat head of his....Piggy had brains."  Ralph realizes that it is Piggy who is the rational element, the "specialist," of their little society on the island. Piggy is an antithesis of Roger "who carried death in his hands" and other boys who, in their disloyalty to Ralph as the leader, become hunters, giving blind allegiance to the more powerful.

In William Golding's allegorical examination of the inherent nature of man in "Lord of the Flies," certain characters represent qualities of human nature.  When Piggy first appears in the novel, he looks more adult than the other boys:  His hair is thinning, he needs glasses, he is heavy, he has medical problems. One of his first remarks is an astonished, "Aren't there any grownups at all?"  For, Piggy realizes that the adult world represents order.  He, then, seeks to bring this order by stressing the importance of building shelters and maintaining the rescue fire, and by summoning the boys to meetings with the blowing of a conch.  In Chapter 5 when the little boys express their fears of the "beast," Piggy replies, "We know what goes on and if there's something wrong, there's someone to put it right." And, in Chapter 8 when the boys are frightened by the beast on the mountain and Ralph feels "beaten" because they can no longer tend the signal fire without encountering this beast, Piggy wisely suggests the obvious:  They can build a fire right where they are on the beach.  He also perceives that Jack is a problem.

However, as the boys remain on the island with no adult supervision, Piggy becomes "in this context...an irrelevance," and other forces, those more savage and brutal (Jack's), supercede the rational.  When Roger, whose sadistic tendencies have no controls of law, releases the rock that splits the head of Piggy, all control and reason is destroyed.  Isolated from the others and fearing his life, Ralph

wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.

How did people communicate back in the 1990's?I am doing a report about the 1990s and I need an answer as soon as posible.

During the twentieth century people communicated much the same way as they do today.  There are advancements in the technology but we used mobile phones, land-line phones, e-mail, snail-mail and other types of communication.  Believe it or not we had electricity and everything way back in the 1990's.

"Between 1990 and 1997 the number of households that owned computers increased from 15 percent to 35 percent, and the amount spent by the average household on computers and associated hardware more than tripled."

"By 1999 more than three-quarters of the U.S. population was "plugged in" to the new digital society, and most Americans felt that technological advances were improving their quality of life."

Even with all of the new technology and faster communication, one of the things that the communities of the 1990's had that many today lack is verbal communication.  We talked to each other.  We didn't text everything we thought and blogs were not yet common.  We didn't Twitter, and we didn't have Facebook or Myspace.  When we were together at a party, ballgame, or public event we actually took the time to "unplug" and speak to each other.

Describe Ichabod Crane's characterization in both "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Burton's 1999 film.

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"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving is an American classic. Many adults had grown up with it. But the importance of Irving's work goes beyond nostalgia. This short story speaks about an early American Republic, of the unpleasantness that came with a shift from English colony to independent country.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" reveals something of the malaise the author felt about the bustling, industrious society that America was becoming. In the classic showdown between Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones, Irving sketched an American crossroads, a choice between the goblin-haunted, past-driven schoolteacher and the brash, up-and-coming, muscular realist—which one will win the girl?

Sleepy Hollow itself is presented as a sort of refuge from the bustling America, a haven where "romance" is still possible.
Ichabod Crane, the famous schoolteacher, functions as artist in Irving's scheme. Crane is shown in unflattering colors—as a grotesque figure, ravenous in his hunger for material success.
Yet he is also characterized as "our man of letters," as "traveling gazette" for Sleepy Hollow, which unmistakably casts him as a writer, even as an intellectual.

Ichabod, on the otherhand, is also a storyteller, but of the Cotton Mather school; i.e., of the past stories of witches and demons. This marks him as backwards-looking. Ichabod's challenge, as Irving articulates it in "Wild West" fashion, is: Can he establish himself? Marry Katrina? Defeat his rival?

Brom Bones, Ichabod's rival, has a cultural interest of his own, given the dynamics of early American culture. Rowdy, strong, brash, and fearless, Brom Bones personifies a figure who will challenge all manners and religious rigor. Bones is also the man who fights phantoms and boasts of encountering the infamous, legendary Headless Horseman.

In Irving's showdown, the two males battle it out by replaying a scene of legend. But Bones is able to best Ichabod by taking charge of the event, by scripting it so perfectly that he becomes the artist, impersonates the Horseman, substitutes a pumpkin for a head, and routs his rival. A new era is at hand, and we see the classic exchange: Ichabod Crane disappears from the scene, but the legend of his encounter with the "ghost" is born.

In the bunkhouse in "Of Mice and Men", Lennie wants to know when they can "get that little place." List some details George gives.This time when...

In the third section of "Of Mice and Men," after Curley leaves the bunkhouse, Lennie asks George "how long's it gonna be till we get that little place an' live on the fatta the lan'--an'rabbits?  George replies,

'I don' know...We gotta get a big stake together.  I know a little place we can get cheap, but they ain't givin'it away.

This place is ten acres with a windmill and a little shack and a chicken run on it.  There is a kitchen, too.  On the land there is a field for planting alfalfa with plenty of water "to flood it."  In addition there is an orchard with cherries, apples, peaches, aprictos, nuts, and some berry bushes.  When Lennie asks if there are rabbits, George says there is no place now, but he could build some hutches and they could be fed the alfalfa.

George's hand stopped working with the cards.  His voice was growing warmer. 'An' we could have a few pigs.  I could build a smoke house like the one gran'pa had, an' when we kill a pig we can smoke the bacon and the hams, and make sausage an' all like that.  An' when the salmon run up river we could catch a hundred of 'em an' salt 'em down or smoke 'em...When the gruit come in we could can it--and tomatoes...Ever'Sunday we'd kill a chicken or a rabbit.  Maybe we'd have a cow or a goat, and the cream is so...thick you got to cut it with a knife...

Here George carries the dream into his own mind and warms in his heart as he actually considers it as a possibility.  Lennie eyes grow larger as he listens and old Candy watches George.  He, too, is sold on the dream and offers to put in $300.00.

After some discussion, George and Lennie look at each other, amazed: 

This thing they had never really believed in was coming true.  George said reverently, 'Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her.'

The dream begins to have possibility with the inclusion of another man.  This passage underscores Steinbeck's theme of the fraternity of men being a necessity to man's happiness and survivial.

How do Dill, Jem, and Scout plan to communicate with Boo Radley?

In "To Kill a Mockingbird,"  Boo Radley, who has been a recluse for the last fifteen years, captures the imagination of the children. In Chapter 5, Jem and Dill attempt to send a message to Boo by tying it to a fishing pole, then casting it toward his window.  However, Atticus catches them and they are forbidden to go to the Radley place without being invited. But, in Chapter 6, on a dare Jem and Dill decide to peep into the Raley's house window.  When a shot rings out, Jem hastens to safety so quickly that he catches his pants upon the fence and must remove them.  Later, he bravely returns for his pants, which Boo has mended.  This episode alters Jem's perception of Boo Radley as the kindness of the bizarre captive of fifteen years touches Jem.

These episodes further the theme of maturation in Harper Lee's novel.  The Radley place affords the children a chance to prove their bravery.  And, when Atticus scolds them, they display character by not talking back to him.  Also, they begin to become concerned with people's feelings who are outside their immediate circle.

What is the "bargain" in "The Devil and Tom Walker"?

The "bargain" is what many call a Faustian pact. This takes its name from several version of the story of Faust, a man who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for riches in this life. The story line is similar to Christopher Marlow's "Dr. Faustus" to Goethe's "Faust". It can also be seen in many other stories, from Stephen Vincent Benet's "The Devil and Daniel Webster" to the musical "Damned Yankees" and even to Darth Vader's decision to embrace the "dark side." In "The Devil and Tom Walker", Walker refuses the devil's first "bargain" because he doesn't want to share his money with his wife. However, after his wife is killed, Tom makes a deal with the devil and earns great wealth. However, as in most Faustian stories, Tom eventually regrets his "bargain" and tries to get out of it, but to no avail.

What characteristics of the hawk are shown in the poem "Hawk Roosting" by Ted Hughes?

Ted Hughes's poem "Hawk Roosting"  provides an excellent basis for analysis of poetic voice and persona. The poem is a dramatic monologue spoken by a non-human voice—a powerful antidote to anyone who believes all poems are direct autobiographical statements from the author’s life.

A lesser poet might have settled merely for the basic situation of the poem—the world seen from the hawk’s perspective. Hughes explores the deeper implications of his subject. Using human language, he tries to articulate how alien the hawk’s worldview is to our own. The effect is quietly astonishing.

When writers treat animals as their subjects, they often become sentimental. They project human emotions and values—often childish ones—on the animals and overly dramatize these situations, especially the vulnerability of creatures in nature. The resulting stories are often compelling stories, but tell us more about the author than the animals because they completely humanize their subjects. Hughes instead emphasizes how differently a hawk might view existence. “Hawk Roosting” reveals a predator’s perspective—merciless, efficient, and utterly self-assured.

The hawk sits “in the top of the wood” both literally and metaphorically. It rests on the top of the food chain: “I kill where I please because it is all mine.” Perfectly adapted to its ecological niche, it also sees the world finely suited to its own needs, “The convenience of the high trees!”

The poem disturbs senses not only for its celebration of predation but also suggests how many of our own assumptions about the world depend upon our own view from a human standpoint.

Please explain how "toadies and humbugs" applies to the Pockets.Chapter 11 of "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

With typical Dickensian humor the Pockets are described by Pip:

Before I had been standing at the window five minutes, they somehow conveyed to me that they were all toadies and humbugs, but that each of them pretended not to know that the others were toadies and humbugs:  because the admission that she or he did know it, would have made him or her out to be a today or a humbug.

A toady, being a British word for a flatterer, the Pockets discuss Tom's wife, who has died without leaving "the trimmings" to the children, and Matthew who is not present, but is much like Tom.  Raymond continues the disparagement of Matthew.  These impostors then move to the next room where Miss Havisham moves around the table holding the moldy wedding cake of her youth.

A humbug, or impostor who hopes to deceive for ulterior reasons, Miss Sarah Pocket, tells Miss Havisham how well she looks.  "I do not," retorts Miss Havisham.  "I am yellow skin and bone."  Camilla is thrilled by Miss Havisham's rebuff and tell Miss Havisham that she has been so anxious about her that she herself has been ill:  "Oh, it is a weakness to be so affectionate, but I can't help it."  After much histrionics in which she feigns such love and concern for Miss Havisham, Camilla, then, attempts disparagement of Matthew Pocket who does not visit his rich relative.  But, Miss Havisham declares that he will take his place at the head of the table when she dies; she, then, points to all the toadies' stations.

As the impostors depart, "Sarah Pocket and Georgiana contended upon who should remain last" in the vain hope of becoming memorable to Miss Havisham when she makes her will.  They vie for the position and move around each other with Sarah winning and saying, "Bless you, Miss Havisham, dear!"  The false obsequiousness endures to the last, proving the Pockets "toadies and humbugs."

How did Jess get across the creek the first time in Bridge to Terabithia?

The first time Jess crosses the creek bed, it is early autumn, and the bed is dry.  He and Leslie have discovered an old rope hanging from a crab apple tree on the bank of the creek bed, and are taking turns swinging across the gully on it, leaning back and drinking in "the rich, clear color of the sky".  After awhile, Leslie comes up with the idea of creating a special place for the two of them, a secret country of which they would be the rulers, modeled after Narnia, the magic land described in the books by C.S. Lewis. Leslie decides that "the only way you can get in (to their secret land) is by swinging across on the "enchanted rope", so the first time Jess crosses the creek to get to Terabithia, he does it in this manner (Chapter 4).

It is early spring when Jess and Leslie first cross the creek to Terabithia when the creek is filled with water.  It has been raining steadily for days, and the creek is "an awesome sight...a roaring eight-foot-wide sea, sweeping before it great branches of trees, logs, and trash, swirling them about".  Jess is afraid and suggests that maybe they "ought to forget it" that day, but Leslie is insistent.  Leslie goes first, carrying P.T. in her jacket, then Jess jumps to grab the rope, and, "shutting his mind to the sound and sight of the water...(runs) back and then speed(s) forward".  With "the cold stream lapp(ing) his bare heels momentarily...he (swings) into the air above it and fall(s) awkwardly and land(s) on his bottom", safely within the boundaries of Terabithia (Chapter 9).

The first time Jess crosses the creek after Leslie dies, he hauls a large branch which has washed up during the storm and lays it bank to bank at the narrowest point of the gully.  The rope on which he and Leslie used to swing is gone, having broken when Leslie fell to her death.  Jess steps out on the branch, and finding it firm, he crosses it, "foot over foot, to the other side, grabbing the smaller branches which (grow) our from the main one toward the opposite bank to keep his balance".  It is the first time he has entered Terabithia without swinging into it over the creek, and he wonders momentarily if the magic of the land will still exist if he enters it in this alternate manner (Chapter 13).

What is the summary of The Hero and the Crown?

The summary of The Hero and the Crown begins in Damar with the heroine Aerin. She is the Kings daughter and her mother is said to have been a witch-woman from the North. But Damar is a land where magic is appreciated. Aerin discovers an ointment that gives har protection from the injuries caused by dragon fire and proceeds to rid the village and countryside of the small dragons that are causing trouble for the villagers and peasants. Her deeds earn her praise and respect, although it may be reluctantly given because she has an appearance that is uncharacteristic to Damar and she is slow in manifesting the Gift of psychic powers that is the hallmark of Damar's royalty.

Aerin's courage with the small dragons releases the return of the fierce Black Dragon called Maur. Aerin conquers Maur but is badly injured by dragon fire and in a dream is directed to seek out the healing wizard Luthe in a land beyond Damar. Luthe heals her and teaches about her family, her Gift and her powers. After giving her the sword of Gonthuran, he sends her strong and able back to Damar to win the raging battle against her ambitious uncle, the wizard Agsded, who is the cause of all the dragon and other trouble in Damar. Aerin conquers Agsded and, while she's at it, her fear of love, then takes the throne as the Queen of Damar with her husband Tor at her side.

Critical analysis of the poem "The Poplar Field" by William Cowper

The structure of this poem is in five stanzas, of four lines each.  The rhyme scheme is A-A-B-B, where each line rhymes with its successive line.  For example, “shade” and “colonnade” (lines 1 and 2) rhyme with one another, while “before” and “more” match (lines 11 and 12) with each other. 

The surface meaning of the poem is about the speaker who notices that a certain set of trees (Poplar, as the title suggests) has shed its leaves.  This triggers a flurry of reflection about the meaning of change, seasonal and personal.  The speaker discusses how the shedding of leaves impacts a “farewell to the shade,” and a lack of song “in the leaves” that are no longer. 

This moves into a personal realm when the speaker realizes that, like the tree, he, too is becoming older: “My fugitive years are all hasting away.”  This culminates in the last stanza when the speaker connects the experience of maturation in the natural world to the personal domain:  “To muse on the perishing pleasures of man.”   The symbolic meaning of the poem is that age and maturation are experiences that cannot be overlooked or evaded.  Just as seasons change, and plants wither, and animals die, so shall we. 

There is a reflective melancholic tone struck in the poem, as the speaker realizes that growing old is a part of both natural and human life:  “With a turn of my breast and a stone at my head/ Ere another such grove shall arise in its stead.”  The theme of the poem is that the speaker, and by extension, we, as human beings, must embrace that natural growth and change of things, while ensuring that the time spent is one worthy of our fleeting condition:  “Short- lived as we are, our enjoyments, I see,/ Have a still shorts date, and die sooner than we.”

If we were to examine this theme in a positive light, it would be akin to ensuring that we make the best of what we have and what we do, for mortality is but a temporary condition.  If we were to examine this theme in an opposite light, it would be that revel as we might in our accomplishments, they are fleeting and temporary.  Simply put, our greatness is fleeting, like the leaves on the poplar tree.  This might be where the appreciation statements of this poem lie, depending on how one chooses to read it.

Which character is more sympathetic--Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman or Ethan Frome from Ethan Frome?

Both works develop themes of determinism, suggesting that their characters' lives are shaped by forces and/or circumstances beyond their control, leading them both to tragic outcomes. Significant differences, however, are found in the personalities of Willy Loman and Ethan Frome. Based on those differences, my sympathy lies with Ethan.

Willy worked hard, and at the end of his life, he regretted not having much of anything to show for his labor or to leave to his family. However, even in these final regrets, Willy's focus is on himself. It is always on himself. As a result, the entire family functions, to their detriment, in terms of their relationship to Willy. Willy can't see beyond his own needs, feelings, and frustrations. He never questions his own actions, instead blaming and lashing out at those who, he feels, have wronged him, betrayed him, or disappointed him. Biff takes the brunt of his father's criticism and scorn; in blaming Biff, of course, Willy does not have to deal with his own betrayal of his wife. When Willy's career falters and then fails, his fear, fury, and resentment are unleashed on Howard. It is true that Willy was experiencing a psychological meltdown at that time, but blaming others was his fallback position. He was argumentative and combative by nature. Willy's self-centered nature is finally seen in his suicide, but not in the sense that suicide itself is a selfish act; he was, after all, very ill emotionally. No, Willy's obsession with himself is found in one particular feeling he experienced before taking his own life. He hesitates momentarily in planning to commit suicide because others might think him a coward. The idea that his death will devastate Linda never enters his mind.

Ethan, in contrast to Willy, doesn't whine, complain or blame others for the circumstances of his life--not as a young man, nor as a tired, defeated old man of fifty-two. Ethan lives his life each day, taking what little comes to him, and bears it with strength and endurance. He asks for little and expects less. He simply does what he thinks he should do. When he dreams of a different life with Mattie, Ethan struggles to find a way to leave Zeena without leaving her destitute. Although feelings of sudden and intense hatred for Zeena flare in Ethan at one particular moment, born of his desperate frustration, he does not blame even her for destroying his life. Unlike Willy, Ethan does not plan his suicide attempt; he simply breaks, unable to endure the resumption of life without Mattie. Ethan emerges a more sympathetic figure than Willy Loman because of Ethan's basic decency.

How do I explain Polonius's spirit of worldliness in it's worst aspects?IN regard to Polonius's reference to the play

Let's look at his advice to his son, Laertes:

Yet here, Laertes! aboard, aboard, for shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stay'd for. There; my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy memory
See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell: my blessing season this in thee!

This is probably the most practical, worldly advice that a father could give his on, advising him on keeping his mouth shut, watching what he wears, being careful not to attach himself to easily to new friends, wearing the "right" clothes, and not lending money to anyone for the damage that it also does to itself and friendship.  This is a recipe for creating the "front" that leads to success in this world.

After all this counsel to present a false, or at least concocted, appearce to the world, he ends with his most famous line:

This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Given all that Polonius has just said, this advice is loaded with irony, but does confirm that Polonius really knows what has to be done to get ahead.  He gets an "A" for worldliness, although he gets a much poorer grade for integrity, and this is demonstrated clearly when he is killed sneaking around, hiding in the Queen's room.

Does Macbeth deserve our sympathy in Shakespeare's "Macbeth"?At the end of the play, Macbeth loses his wife,realizes that he had been deceived by...

Macbeth deserves no sympathy.  Again, the old moral that one is ultimately responsible for one's actions comes into play.  With Macbeth's unconscionable acts, the reader is reminded of the story of Doctor Faustus, who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for supernatural powers.  So, too, has Macbeth sold his soul to the supernatural powers and must pay the price.

While Macbeth may be somewhat seduced by the three sisters, he still has the free will to choose what course his life will take.  In Act I after the "three sisters" pronounce their prediction, Banquo warns Macbeth of the danger of placing faith in what the preternatural powers tell him; he cautions Macbeth that witches' words are often tricky and incomplete:

That, trusted home,/Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,/Besides the Thane of Cawdor.  But 'tis strange:/And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/Win us with honest trifles, to betray 's/In deepest consequence. (I,iii,120-127)

Despite this warning, in his cupidity Macbeth ignores his premonitions that "This supernatural soliciting/Cannot be ill, cannot be good" (I,iii,130-131), and considers still that "If chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me without my stir" (I,iii,144).

So, while Macbeth hopes that Fate will take care of things, Lady Macbeth's ("Leave all the rest to me" (I,v,72) and his own ambitions effect their tragic mistakes as they take Fate into their own bloody hands.  For, it is not "chance" that kills Duncan; it is not "chance" that murders Macduff and his family. It is the hand of Macbeth. For, in his overwhelming desire for power, Macbeth sells his very soul and commits evil, causing the tragedy known as "Macbeth."

What is the history of alternative medicine ginger?

The ginger plant is not found in the wild, and therefore it is difficult to determine the place of its origin. However it is very clear that Ginger was used in India for cooking and medical purposes more than 2500 years back. Ginger is an important ingredient in many medical preparations as per the old Indian system of medicine called Ayurveda. These preparation have been documented in different texts of Ayurveda some of which are more than 2000 years old. Mention of Ginger is also found in Mahabharata, written much before birth of Gautama Buddha about 2500 years back.

Ginger was exported to Roman empire nearly 2000 years back where it was uses as ingredient for medicines. Ginger along with black pepper was the most commonly exported spice from India in thirteenth and fourteenth century.

Ginger spread to other parts of world from India. In fifth century AD, or even earlier, potted ginger plants were carried in ships operating on routes in Indian Ocean and South China Sea, and is now grown in many countries along that route. In sixteenth century ginger was also taken to Africa and Caribbean and is widely cultivated there.

Ginger is used widely in India as an ingredient for food, home remedies, and for making ayurvedic medicines.

What is the basic hierarchy of the Greek Gods?

well he was wrong in the beginning there was gaea (earth) and uranus(sky) they gave birth to the 12 titans ,cyclopses and more........... the titans were     oceanus,chronus,rhea,tethys,hyperion,theia,coeus,phobe,chronus,mnesmyne,thems,laeptis, and crius they were huge and perfect in every way

well after they had the cyclopses uranus was disquesded so he locke them in tartaurus (hell)

gaea said to the titans kill ur dad all said no but the yougest (and strongest) chronus gaea says take this (a sythe) and end ur dads cruelty

he killed him

chronus ruled the world his mom said a child of yours will overthrow you

so every time his wife and sister (eww) rhea had a kid he ate him or her

all untill the youngest zeus was born rhea got pissed and hid zeus in  a cave to be tended to by naids

wen chronus asked for zeus she gave him a rock in baby clothes he ate it noth thinking twice

wen zeus grew stronger he gave cronus a sick potion and he spit up he siblings

a war between olympians and titans happened olympians won

heighrarchy

zeus posiedon hades at the top all other siblings below them and children below them

Can you give me a one-sentence summary capturing the main points and message of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?Ursula LeGuin's "The Ones Who...

This story is quite unconventional in terms of its narrative structure. The setting is established and the action of the plot begins, but the plot is never developed. Instead, the author focuses on the nature of Omelas and its culture, revealing the shocking truth upon which the unlimited happiness of its citizens is based. An innocent child is locked away somewhere below the surface of the town, tormented and abused and isolated from human compassion or aide. To comfort or save this single child would destroy happiness for all the others in Omelas.

In the exposition, Le Guin then reveals an amazing fact. Sometimes when the young in Omelas first view the child and sometimes, years later, there are those in Omelas who simply walk away from the town where they can live in complete happiness. They simply leave, even though they do not know where they will go or what they will encounter in the outside world. They are the ones who leave Omelas, and in their action, the theme of the story is realized.

It can be stated in many ways, but the heart of the writer's truth lies in this idea. To be truly human, a person cannot accept happiness that results from the immoral and cruel victimization and suffering of others; in order to preserve one's humanity, a moral choice must be made when confronted with such an evil in his society, regardless of the personal consequences.

4x + 4 = 2x - 6

To solve 4x+4=2x-6.

This is a simple equation in one  unknown (or variable x). We have to find the value of  the unknown x.

We employ a technic of shifting all the unknowns, i.e. x's to the left and all the knowns or the numbers to the right, by simple operations like adding equals to both sides, or subtracting equals from both sides , or multiply by equals both sides , or dividing by equals both sides,(except dividing by zero) .

Subract 2x from both sides.

4x+4-2x= 2x-6-2x

Simplify by collecting the like terms, 4x and -2x on the left which gives 2x. On the right 2x and -2x  are the like terms and they get cancelled.

2x+4=-6

Subtrat 4 from both sides:

2x+4-4=-6-4.

Simplify both sides:

2x=-10.

Divide both sides by 2

2x/2=-10/2.

Simplify both sides.

x=-5.

Verification: Substititute the solution x=-5 in the given equation and see whether both sides become equal in value:

Left side : 4x+4= 4*(-5)+4=-20+4=-16

Right side:2x-6=2*(-5)-6 = -10-6=-16.

What is the formula for photosynthesis? What are the two steps? Give a brief description of each.Where does this process occur? be specific..don't...

To answer your last question first, photosynthesis is the way in which a plant feeds itself by producing  energy from sunlight.  If photosynthesis could be artificially reproduced, a lot of our current problems with energy and food shortage would be at least partially resolved.

Not all plants can do this; some plants live as parasites on a "host" plant, filching off its energy reserve. However, most plants (the green ones) can synthesize energy from sunlight "captured" by their leaves. There sugar is produced when the leaves take in carbon dioxide (yes, all those car fumes are their delight!) whereas a plant gets most of its water supply from its roots. In the process, a plant gives off oxygen, a fair exchange between the needs of the plant and animal kingdom.

The chemical process of photosynthesis could be written as the following:

6H2O + 6CO2 ----------> C6H12O6+ 6O2

which could be "translated" as

'six molecules of water plus six molecules of carbon dioxide produce one molecule of sugar plus six molecules of oxygen.'

There are two complementary steps of photosynthesis (light dependent and light independent), as under normal conditions a plant has a day and night cycle. The light reactions occur in the grana; the dark reactions, in the stoma of the chloroplasts (leaf cells). (Note that one dark process enzyme is triggered into action by light, so that its name 'dark process' is not entirely correct.) The first process is where the carbon from carbon dioxide is "fixed" into the plant; the second (much more complicated) is when the sugar is made.

Two video clips can be viewed at the following site:

http://video.google.ch/videosearch?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:fr:official&channel=s&hl=fr&q=photosynthesis&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=J1Z1StPoNZPd-Qax0JXMBw&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=8#

Check out the following references for more information about these complementary functions.

What does the poem "Justice Denied in Massachusetts" mean?

Edna St. Vincent Millay writes this poem in response to the Sacco- Vanzetti Trial in 1927.  Millay was concerned with the face that the two Italian immigrants did not receive a fair trial, and were caught up in the national preoccupation with rooting out Communists and Anarchists, known as the "Red Scare."  Sacco and Vanzetti were working class immigrants, accused of robbery and murder.  The trial was quickly undertaken, and there was a scant level of evidence, rather convicting them on the basis of their Anarchist beliefs and their immigrant status.  Millay writes a poem that laments the fate of the two convicted individuals, but also the lack of opposition which spoke out to help Sacco and Vanzetti.  Millay writes of a retreating public. This is not the America asserted voice in "We hold these truths to be self evident," but rather has become an America that says, "Let us abandon then our gardens and go home."  In Millay's mind, the desire to remain withdrawn and disengaged in the affairs of the state caused the miscarriage of justice in the trials of Sacco and Vanzetti.

In what ways is Scene 7 both moving and thought-provoking? Consider the problems facing Tom, Amanda and Laura in Scene 7.

Scene 7 is the last scene of the play and is very significant with regard to the character of Laura. Jim the gentleman caller arrives and is entertained and taken good care of by Amanda.

The entire scene is charged with romance,"the air outside becomes pale and luminous as the moon breaks out." and Jim remarks,"candlelight is my favorite kind of light" to which Amanda adds,"that shows you are romantic."

Next Amanda leaves Jim and Laura alone in the parlor in candlelight. This scene "is the climax of her secret life."The secret being she had a crush on him while at high school. In this scene, Jim helps Laura overcome her shyness  and cures her of her inferiority complex and helps her to forget that she is a cripple: "being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is something else "Jim's smile lights Laura with a warmth and charm which lights her inwardly with altar candles." Finally he dances with her and kisses her on the lips.

But the very next instant he tells her that he is engaged to Betty. For a moment it seems that Laura is going to have another of her  nervous breakdowns but she quickly recovers and confidently presents him with the glass unicorn which he broke when dancing with her. It is a symbolic gesture which proves that Laura has been cured of her inferiority complex.' The scene ends with Amanda comforting Laura and Laura blowing out the candles.

Tom might have deserted his family, but Laura is now confident that she can face life all alone without relying on her "glass menagerie."

Amanda of course is shattered and gives vent to her anger and frustration in the following words to Tom:

"That's right, now that you've (Tom) had us make such fools of ourselves. The effort, the preparations, all the expense! The new floor lamp, the rug, the clothes for Laura! All for what? To entertain some other girl's fiance! Go to the movies, go! Don't think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister who's crippled and has no job! Don't let anything interfere with your selfish pleasure! Just go, go, go-to the movies!"

Tom, however, fails to understand the gravity of his mistake in first not ascertaining whether Jim was already engaged or not before considering him as a suitable match for his sister Laura. This of course is so typical of Tom who has also been careless in not paying the electricity bill on time. Tom the "selfish dreamer"  unable to bear the insults of his mother angrily smashes his glass on the floor and walks out of his home forever.

In the last part of the scene, Tom the narrator informs us what happened to him after he left home and he poignantly ends his account by stating that he has never been able to forget Laura and is constantly "pursued" by memories of her: "Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intend to be!"

To what did Wiesel compare the world in Night?

The world represents a strong motif in Night with many occurrences. An early metaphor--which is a comparison between two unlike things--describes the world as a "hermetically sealed cattle car." A hermetic seal is one that is airtight. A cattle car, of course, is a train car that is used to haul cattle. The metaphor incorporates a paradox and an irony.

The world had become a hermetically sealed cattle car.

It is ironic that a cattle car would be airtight because the point of shipping cattle in a special freight car is to make sure they have plenty of air so they arrive at their destination alive and only a little the worse for the trip. The paradox is that train freight cars for keeping cargo alive might be sealed and crammed full for letting humans die.

The idea of a hermetic seal becomes a silent theme that runs through the continuing motif of the world. The hermetic seal provides the unspoken answer to the questions asked about the world: each of the following questions may very well be answered with "because the world too is hermetically sealed and kept away from truth ....":

How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and that the world kept silent? No. All this could not be real ....

The world would never tolerate such crimes. "The world? The world is not interested in us. Today, everything is possible ...."

Those whose numbers had been noted were standing apart, abandoned by the whole world. Some were silently weeping.

How does Hamlet treat the idea of suicide considering the “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt” soliloquy (I.ii.129–158) and the...

That Hamlet suffers greatly from depression is apparent.  His statement in Act I wishing that his "solid flesh would melt" is typical of severely depressed people.  For, melancholy causes its victim to become passive.  So, in their wishes to eschew their troubles, they think that it may be the best thing if they did not wake from sleep; thus, Nature would take the active part and remove the worry from them of what to do with their lives: 

To die, to sleep--/No more; and by a sleep to say we end/The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks/That flesh is heir to:  'tis a consummation /Devoutly to be wished.(60-64) 

However, there's a "rub" to the comfort of "sleep." If one induces it oneself, he is guilty of committing suicide, which is a sin, punishable in the life after death:

To die, to sleep--/To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there's the rub/For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/When we have shuffled off this mortal coil/Must give us pause.(64-67) 

As Hamlet's depression increases and he spends more and more anxious moments contemplating the revenge his father's ghost requests, Hamlet realizes that regicide is a very serious act, an act for which he can be punished by death as one who has committed treason.  Also, suicide condemns one to hell. This is why Hamlet "gives pause."  Hamlet reflects that in this pause, one tolerates

The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,/The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,/The insolence of office, and the purns/That patient merit of th'unworthy takes(III,i,71-74)

The dread of what lies beyond the grave deters the melancholic Hamlet. However, all his inaction and self-debate proves self-defeating to Hamlet as "conscience...make(s) a coward of [him]."

After the soliloquy in which Hamlet contemplates suicide, he is riddled by inaction and moments of irrationality and ridiculous humor.  Timothy Bright writes in his "Treatise of Melancholy":

Sometime it falleth out that melancholy men are found very witty, and quickly discern, either because the humor of melancholy with some like sort with their spirits...are instruments of such sharpness. To this, other reasons may be added,as : exercise of their wits, wherein they be indefatigable, which maketh them seem to have that of a natural readiness which custom of exercise, and use hath found in them.  Moreover,...melancholy breedeth a jealousy of doubt in that they take in delibertation...Their resolution riseth of long deliberation, because of doubt and distrust which...disturbeth the sleep of melancholy persons.

As the plot "Hamlet" progresses, the reader perceives this procrastination in Hamlet and continual debate with death.  Finally after talking with Fortinbras who is willing to sacrifice himself and his army for a cause, Hamlet, in his final soliloquy, resolves to act for a cause much stronger than that of Fortinbras and is, thus, shaken from his melancholy and thoughts of suicide:

How stand I then,/That have a father killed, a mother stained,Excitement of my reason and my blood,/And let all sleep, while to my shame I see/The imminent death of twenty thousand me/That for a fantasy and trick of fame/Go to their graves like beds....Oh, from this time forth,/My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (IV,iv,56-66)

Is it possible to create a counter-terrorism team from around the world like in "Rainbow Six"?

An international team of counter-terrorists is a great idea, but likely to remain a fiction.  Tom Clancy is noted for the realistic plots and details he presents, but there are many obstacles to this kind of international cooperation.  My reasons for thinking this would be difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish are somewhat cynical, and someone else might have a more optimistic take on this question. 

It has always been difficult to achieve international cooperation to accomplish anything, but in recent years, in my opinion, the United States has squandered its credibility in many ways, first by Bush's worldview of good and evil, with no shades in-between, and with a war begun on a premise that proved to be a lie.  You may have noticed that very few countries are any longer interested in committing their resources to causes that the United States advocates for.

Another reason I think such a force would be difficult is that the attitude of the United States is generally that we must be in charge of everything.  If such a counter-terrorism group were begun, we would want to take charge of it.  But in today's world, where the United States is not necessarily the leader economically, politically, or morally, there are not many nations that would endure this attitude.  Consequently, there would be problems with such a group.

Another issue that arises is that the United States in recent years has acquired a reputation for sanctioning behavior that most civilized countries consider to be torture.  There is evidence to suggest that we have violated international law in our torture methods.  What rules would an international group of counter-terrorists play by? 

There are some entities that are, on paper at least, examples of international cooperation, the United Nations, for example, Interpol, and the international tribunal, the World Court at the Hague.  But each of these institutions has problems, for the above-stated reasons and many more.

It would certainly be wonderful to have such a group.  If we can learn to follow the rules that people are supposed to learn in kindergarten and learn to cooperate and play fair, perhaps terrorism can be conquered! 

How does Wordsworth's poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" start with solitude and end with company?

The poem starts off describing a cloud that is wandering all alone.  The words that Wordsworth picks to describe it emphasize his loneliness, alienation, and how he feels no connection with anyone around him.  He starts by saying, "I wandered lonely as a cloud," which is significant; note that he didn't say "as happy as a cloud" or "as beautiful as a cloud."  Also, he "wandered."  That indicates that he didn't have a destination or purpose--he was just wandering about, almost as if in search of a friend.  Then, he states that he "floats on high o'er vales and hills."  Note that he is far above the hills and vales, not connected to them whatsoever.  He is apart and separate, and not included.

However, as the poem progresses, Wordsworth slowly changes the lonely tone to one of inclusion and happiness.  The first clue is that he is pulled from his solitude to notice "a host of golden daffodils" that are beautifully dancing in a field below.  The sight is so cheerful, happy, optimistic and beautiful, that he is moved.  He states that "a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company," showing that the flowers have definitely made him very, very happy.  And, that happy sight stays with him long after he has seen it.  He states that later, when "on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood," he thinks of those flowers and his heart "with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils."  He has gone from a lonely person, wandering aimlessly, to someone who uses a beautiful sight to comfort himself when lonely.  When lonely, he imagines himself dancing amongst the daffodils, being with them, in their company, and happy.

I hope that those thoughts help; good luck.

What is the setting in Frederico Lorca's play Blood Wedding?

You should be safe saying that it takes place probably in Seville, in the 1930's, during the heat of the Spanish Civil War. I say Seville, because most of the action during that time took place from Seville to Extremadura and throughout the provinces that extended both "kingdoms" of Castille and Aragon.

In the book "Animal Farm" where did Snowball get his ideas for their battle strategies?

Snowball studied Napoleon's successful battles to learn some strategy for fending off the farmers who rallied to Jones to help him retake the farm.

He used tactics of both diversion and surprise to win. He even lured the farmers to "chase" the animals to get them into their most vulnerable position before finishing off the counterattack.

The strategy worked, and the farmers were indeed chased away.

What is Juliet's tragic flaw? Also, are things in the book that some of the characters are powerless to prevent the bad things from...

By definition, a tragic flaw is that which leads to the protagonist’s downfall. With Juliet, there are a few traits and characteristics that could potentially be said to cause her tragic and untimely end.

You can make a case that her loyalty to Romeo is the flaw that leads to her ultimate demise, as she eventually stabs herself rather than face the future without Romeo. This loyalty to Romeo has Juliet openly defying her parents in time when girls and women were expected to readily obey and accept the commands and wishes of their father, or later their husband. Whether or not they agreed to the decisions made for them were of no consequence. Juliet refuses to accept her father's domination and sets about choosing her own course in life. Her loyalty to Romeo causes Juliet much grief and anguish upon hearing of her cousin Tybalt's death at Romeo's hands. She ultimately decides to grieve only for Romeo, and even berates herself for initially doubting the nobility and honor of Romeo when first she heard of Tybalt's death. Her loyalty to Romeo leads her to also sever all ties with her family and friends. At the end of Act 3, Scene 5, upon hearing the Nurse advise her to forget Romeo and marry County Paris, Juliet responds with "Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain."

Another trait that can be considered Juliet's tragic flaw is her impetuosity. Do not forget that it is Juliet her first professes her love for Romeo. Granted, she was not aware of Romeo's audience, but once she is, she does not take it back. It is Juliet who first broaches the topic of marriage and proposes to Romeo at the end of Act 2, Scene 2. Upon hearing that her father has betrothed her to Paris, Juliet immediately flies into a rage, defying her father. She is so distraught after, she rushes to Friar Laurence to beg his help. She does not even give the friar time to fully explain his plan before grasping the potion that will imitate death. It is obvious at that point that she is not considering the possible outcomes. Even later, when she does voice concern over the various possibilities before drinking the draught, she merely voices the concerns, she does not dwell on them. And finally, after waking to discover that Romeo is dead, she does not hesitate to snatch up his dagger and end her own life.

Most of Shakespeare's plays follow a general formula. Something has happened in the society of the characters to cause some turmoil or a major upheaval. In order for things to get back to normal, something has to happen to "shift" the world back. In Shakespeare's comedies, this is accomplished with a marriage or some type of reunion. In the tragedies, the shift depends upon the death of the protagonist. Romeo and Juliet is no different.  But, what has the world off-kilter in the first place? It could be the feuding and fighting in public, it could the ill-fated love between the two lovers. Or, it could be that Juliet is a woman who dares to stand against the societal norms of her time, and of Shakespeare's time as well. Juilet represents a strong woman who makes her own choices and decisions. She dares to choose her own husband. She dares to stand up to her parents for what she wants. She dares to take her life into her own hands and live it, or end it, on her terms. A case could be made that Juliet is the reason her world or society is not quite right. And that would mean her death is the necessary sacrifice to put things back into their normal order.

What are the main themes in Macbeth, and why?

These are some of the main themes in Macbeth:

a) ambition: Macbeth refers to his 'vaulting ambition' in his soliloquy in act1 sc.7. His ambition to become the king of Scotland is exteriorised by the witches' prophecies in act1 sc.3. Lady Macbeth's more selfless ambition goads Macbeth to the path of crime.

b) battle between fair and foul: this battle is primarily fought out in the soul of Macbeth, and in the Malcolm-led offensive that ends the reign of terror.

c) kingship: We have four kings and their rule(s)--good old Duncan killed by Macbeth who becomes the usurping king unleashing a reign of terror, the absentee king of England who is a great healer of his people, and the new king, Malcolm, ushering a new era of justice and sympathy.

Besides these, we may also look for such other themes like murder & bloodshed, madness, treachery, appearance & reality, fear etc...

What are the major physical features of North America?

I will go into more detail about some of the more prominent physical features mentioned in the previous post.

The western edge of North America coincides with the plate tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The results are several physical features: the San Andreas Fault, the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Cascade mountain range (which includes Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, both in Washington State), and the Aleutian trench and Aleutian islands.

In the north, the oldest part of the continent is the Canadian Shield, a vast horseshoe-shaped area of land around Hudson Bay.

The Appalachian mountains stretch from Alabama to Maine. They are the result of a continental-continental plate collision and millions of years of weathering and erosion. Much of the materials has been washed down to the Mississippi River, which has the third largest drainage basin in the world. The river ends in the Gulf Coast, characterized by low hills and deltas of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Colorado Plateau is characterized by ancient volcanic moutnains, broad plateaus, and canyons, including the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.

The Basin and Range region, between the Colorado Plateau/Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast, is characterized by mostly north-south valleys and mountains. Large lakes often form (the best known of which is the Great Salt Lake in Utah).

The sedimentary environments of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains have made them prime sources of oil and gas formation.

What is the simile in "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost?

I think that you hit on a strong point in the poem.  If I may offer one note of clarification, it would be that the poem is rooted in comparative language.  I believe that it is a metaphor being used, and not a simile.  The metaphor used in the poem is the divergent road, and the idea that the speaker must choose one of the two paths.  The metaphor of the fork in the road is a compelling one because it highlights the power and the agony of choice.  The speaker is poised between two equally desirable, but ultimately incompatible courses of action and a choice must be made.  There is little negotiation in this paradigm, and the metaphor of the fork in the road highlights this.  The metaphor compares the two paths to the many different chocies one faces in life.  The paths chosen in both the speaker's predicaments, and in our own, "make all the difference" in identity formation.  The metaphor hopes to highlight this.

In The Prisoner of Second Avenue by Neil Simon, what does Mel want?

Neil Simon, the premiere comedic playwright, writes about life in New York City.  In his play The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Simon presents an unforgettable couple---Edna and Mel Edison--- who after many successful years as New Yorkers discover that life has many twists and turns. 

Mel has been a high powered advertising executive for many years. In middle age, he seems no longer effective in his job---at least, that is what his boss believes.  He is fired from his job and appears to be caught in the web of “what terrible thing is going to happen next.” Mel’s position was his identity.  Now, what is he going to do with his life?

What does Mel want from life? He would really like to return to his life before being fired.  His life becomes completely intolerable for him.  Edna has to go back to work…leaving Mel to do the household chores.  He wants to be the breadwinner and also to be the hero in Edna’s eyes. Mel wants to be in charge of his life again.

After he loses his job, Mel begins to see all of the problems that he faces---noisy neighbors, the stench of garbage, unbearable heat, rampant crime---and he begins to believe that he is prisoner in his own apartment.  

The walls in the apartment are thin and his neighbors really annoy him.  He has a run-in with them. After yelling at neighbors about their activities, they pour water on him on his balcony. New York is having a garbage strike and a terrific heat wave.  None of these things help Mel’s mental state. 

Probably, the worst thing that happens to the couple is that they are robbed in broad daylight.  The criminals take everything of value including Mel’s suits.  Mel’s precarious mental state sends him into a tail spin ending in a nervous breakdown.

Mel:

You don't know what it is to be in my place... You've never stood in line for two hours waiting for an unemployment check with a shirt and tie...You never walked into your own building and had a ninety-one-year-old doorman with no teeth, asthma, and beer on his breath giggle at you because he's working. You've never been on your own terrace and gotten hit with a bucket of ice-cold ice water. They can get your clothes, Edna…your Valium, your television, your Red Label Whisky, your job, they can get everything. But they can't get your brains. That's my secret weapon. That and the snow.

With the help of his loving wife and his brother Harry.  His sisters are also important as support for their baby brother.  The play speaks to triumphing over adversity and paranoia.  Although initially the couple are prisoners of their attitudes and circumstances, Mel and Edna do rise again.