Justify the title of the story The Portrait of a Lady.

This book, which has to be one of my favourite books, centres on the life of Isabel Archer and the choices that she makes. In particular, it focuses on the tension between an individual and society. It is clear from the very first that Isabel is an independent spirit - her desire to explore the world and her refusal of Lord Warburton's offer of marriage make it clear that she is a stubborn, free-thinking lady.

However, when she marries Gilbert Osmond and enters an unhappy marriage, she must choose between satisfying her independence and feeling this marriage or meeting the demands of society by staying with her husband.

The novel bears the title A Portrait of a Lady because that is precisely what it is. The main purpose of the novel is to present, explain and explore her character and the decisions she makes. James is famous for his combination of psychology with literature and in this novel he uses his powers to present a plausible character to explore the tension between an individual and society.

Compare and contrast Heathcliff and Lockwood. Does Lockwood’s impression of Heathcliff change by the time he leaves Wuthering Heights?

The two characters Heathcliff and Lockwood are definitely set against each other in Wuthering Heights, and, at first glance, do have some compelling comparisons. Both are outsiders to the bleak world of the moors and both appear to like the solitude and want to reject human contact. This is the first impression that Lockwood has of Heathcliff - this impression is so strong, in fact, that it compels Lockwood to get to know Heathcliff more, in spite of his inhospitality:

A perfect misanthropist's Heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. A capital fellow!

However, after this, the comparisons run dry, and we begin to realise how truly different these two characters are. First of all, it is hard to ignore that Lockwood is an unreliable narrator - in the first chapter he constantly misreads a number of situations, most laugably in trying to work out the position of the younger Catherine in Wuthering Heights. He is from the South and a stranger to the ways of the Yorkshire moors. He definitely does not understand the distinct culture of this area of Britain. Whilst Heathcliff is an outsider, he has grown up in the moors and therefore knows the culture and customs. And of course, Lockwood changes his mind very quickly about the "capital fellow", Heathcliff, when he sees how he responds to Lockwood's second visit.

This is a narrative technique used by Bronte to distance us from the action - a very Gothic technique that serves to make the narrative unreliable and vague.

Did Macbeth lose himself in his conquest for power?Who and what motivated him?Did he lose/ignore his conscience? People cannot put aside their...

Very broad question you have here - I am only going to touch on what, to me, is one of the central issues in Macbeth. You need to decide whether Macbeth was an evil character with ambitions to kill Duncan before meeting the witches or whether it is the interference of the witches that prompts Macbeth to take the path he chooses.

Examining Act I we are presented with many different impressions of Macbeth. He is presented as a loyal and brave soldier, full of valour and having accomplished great deeds on the battlefield. At the same time, these deeds are presented as violent, and we are left to question whether this violence hints at something slightly perverse.

Also, Lady Macbeth describes her husband as being "too full o'the milk of human-kindness", which is a negative aspect in her eyes. This is something that she sees as a weakness, and perceives that she must overrule her husband's weaker side by her force of will. We see as well that when Macbeth does have second thoughts it is his wife that cajoles him on and forces him to continue with their plan.

Yet at the same time Macbeth is very open and honest about the role that his ambition plays, and wary of its dangers:

            I have no spur

To prick the sides of my intent, but only

Vaulting ambitoin, which o'earleaps itself

And falls on th'other -

Macbeth is well aware of the dangers of giving in to ambition, but once he has set himself on this path, he cannot turn back - blood begets blood, and his conscience tortures Macbeth with his actions.

Why does Tituba get locked up in jail with & why does she go crazy?

In Act I, Tituba is accused of being a witch by Abigail.  When blame falls on Abigail, she is quick to blame Tituba for everything that happens in the forest.  Tituba is then questioned while she is about to be beaten to death and admits to practicing witchcraft.  Salem's mentality did not make sense in that the people who admitted to practicing witchcraft went to jail while those who refused to admit to it were hanged.  Therefore, this is the reason that Tituba was locked up.  It is really unclear why she goes crazy at the start of Act III.  There are three possible explanations.  One is that Miller is using comic relief at the beginning of the act because of the tenseness that comes at the end of the act; the second is that being lock up for such a long time in those conditions drove her crazy; a third explanation is that she is pretending to be crazed by the devil's touch in order to keep up her act of being a witch.

What is the theme of Mulk Raj Anand's Untouchable?

Mulk Raj Anand's celebrated novel Untouchable deals with the social curse of untouchability in Pre-Independence India. It narrates the sufferings and humiliations of an 18-year-old boy, Bakha, born in a low-caste and serving as a toilet-sweeper. Operating at different levels of the society and causing wide-spread unease, Bakha exposes as well as critiques the hypocritical status quo in the Indian society.

Sam Westing turns out to be a man with many different identities. What five different names and identities does he use?

Sam Westing was born with the name Windy Windkloppel.  He changed it, presumably, to further his career as a paper tycoon.  That accounts for two of his names; during the Westing Game Sam assumes three other identities, all in order to move the game along and give him access to the heirs during the game.  The other identities are Sandy McSouthers, the (fake) Scottish doorman of Sunset Towers, Barney Northrup, the slightly shady real estate agent who leases the the apartments in Sunset Towers to the heirs, and the final alias, under which Sam Westing lives out his days as a distinguished retired man of business, Julian Eastman. 

Since Sam began his days with a name like Windy, it stands to reason that he chose his points-of-the-compass aliases as a nod to his "windy" past.  His four other names -- like the four winds -- all contain cardinal directions.  Turtle Wexler eventually figures this out, and is shocked that she hadn't seen it before.  She had been friends with Sandy, for example, for several weeks without once making the connection.  Once the secret of the compass-points names was out, it was easy to figure out who everyone was.  But Turtle kept Sam's (now Julian's) secret, and never told the other heirs.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what qualities make Atticus so outstanding as a father and as an employer?

Atticus feels a deep responsibility for his children, for keeping them safe, making sure they are well educated, and rearing them so that they are strong in character as well as in body. Atticus teaches them by example. He is honest and fair, teaching them the value of those qualities. He treats others with compassion and respect, and makes sure that Jem and Scout know how important it is to do so. At one point toward the conclusion of the novel, Atticus makes it clear to the children how he scorns any man who would take advantage of others. Atticus teaches his children courage by taking Tom Robinson's case. He explains to them that he could not respect himself or worship God if he did not try to help Tom. On numerous occasions, such as the time he breaks up the children's Radley "play," Atticus emphasizes Boo's right to privacy and respect. Atticus is somewhat reserved in displaying affection, but there is no doubt about the depth of his love for Jem and Scout. At the end of the novel after Bob Ewell's horrible attack on his children, Atticus tucks Scout in, then goes to Jem's room where Scout knows he will sit with Jem all night until he wakes up in the morning to find his father with him.  

As an employer, it says everything about Atticus that he does not consider Calpurnia to be an employee. According to Atticus, Cal is part of the family, and he treats her as one of their family. On one occasion, Alexandra tells Atticus there are certain things he should not say at the dinner table in front of Calpurnia. He dismisses this idea. On another occasion, Alexandra pushes Atticus to dismiss Calpurnia, saying they don't need her anymore. Furthermore, Alexandra does not think Calpurnia is a fit person to raise the children. Atticus strongly objects and refuses to let Cal go. He knows, and says, that she is important to him and the children and that they could not get by one day without her. Furthermore, Atticus says Cal's "lights" are good, meaning her values, insights, and judgment are sound in guiding Jem and Scout.  

In A Separate Peace, to what extent is Gene indeed "Phineas-filled," possessed of simplicity, harmony, and unity of character?

One of the novel's complexities is its shifting point of view. Sometimes we are listening to Gene the seventeen-year-old Devon student; sometimes we hear the narrative and interpretation of events from Gene as the thirty-two-year-old who returns to Devon. The novel's flashback structure suggests that Gene's personal growth and insight did not end when he left school; for whatever reason, he was still dealing with the events that had occurred at Devon and felt compelled to return to the campus one dreary winter afternoon.

By the time Gene left school, he had changed a great deal. He notes the most significant change in himself in the novel's ending:

. . . I could feel now the gathering, glowing sense of sureness in the face of [military regimentation]. I was ready for the war, now that I no longer had any hatred to contribute to it. My fury was gone, I felt it gone, dried up at the source, withered and lifeless. Phineas had absorbed it and taken it with him, and I was rid of it forever.

When Gene leaves Devon to go to World War II, he does so feeling "Phineas-filled." He believes that he has adopted Finny's way of dealing with reality:

. . . Phineas created an atmosphere in which I continued now to live, a way of sizing up the world with erratic and entirely personal reservations, letting its rocklike facts sift through and be accepted only a little at a time, only as much as he could assimilate without a sense of chaos and loss.

Gene may have achieved some simplicity and harmony in himself by the time he left school, but apparently his character was not entirely unified until he returns to face the past. In doing so, he found that he had escaped from the fear within which he had lived all his days at Devon. He feels "changed" as he stands before the tree, suggesting that his journey toward psychological wholeness has been completed.

In Lord of the Flies, what is Simon's intial reaction to, and vision of the beast? (Reference p113)I realize later on that Simon believes the beast...

Since I'm using a different version of the text, I'm not sure of which encounter you're speaking. If this is in reference to Samneric's beast, Simon feels a sense of incredulity, finding it difficult to believe the beast was something immsense with razor-sharp claws who failed to catch the twins.

However, if you're discussing the first appearance of the Lord of the Flies, following the brutal killing scene, Simon does begin to understand the nature of the beast. He looks directly into its face, and it reveals the truth of their existence on the island, and the course of events that will follow. Although his conversation is imagined and comes from within himself, that is where the beast resides, because the beast is in everyone. In the end of the chapter he falls into the mouth of the beast as he slips into his seizure, just as the violence that will later consume him and the others emerges from within themselves. When the beast tells him he is part of him, Simon understands that it is real. And this revelation leads the beast to reveal that because he is a part of them, that is why they have not been able to accomplish anything on the island. Their characters are too flawed.

In A Separate Peace what changes occur between the summer and fall sessions at Devon School?

In Chapter 6 of the novel, Gene discusses the changes at Devon.  He begins by stating, "Peace had deserted Devon" (72). The lackadaisical feel of Devon's first summer school is gone, and the staunch tradition of the old professors has returned with them from their summer leave. Gene's reference to peace possesses two meanings--the school has upped its tempo toward preparing boys for war instead of for peacetime, and the peace that many of the boys felt from the carefree days of summer disappeared with Finny.

As Gene sits in the immutable opening of the fall semester, he thinks in reference to the summer,

"The traditions had been broken, the standards let down, all rules forgotten" (73).

He realizes that life at Devon can never return to Finny's summer world that he created for all of them--a world without boundaries and with all the promise of youth. The school's return to tradition and stifled activity mirrors the conflict inside of Gene.

Who was the narrator of "Rip Van Wrinkle" by Washington Irving?

The plot of Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is framed before and after by material that does not advance the plot. The purpose of the material which frames the plot is to create the illusion that the story is fact and not fiction.

Washington Iriving with tongue in cheek irony attests in the opening section of the frame by means of the quotation in verse:

By Woden, God of Saxons,

From whence comes Wensday, that is Wodensday,

Truth is a thing that ever I will keep

Unto thylke day in which I creep into

My sepulchre CARTWRIGHT.

and a note explaining where the story came from to the veracity of the story.Irving reiterates the claims to the truth of the story after the story has been narrated, by means of the narrator attesting to the truth of the story and by quoting from the letter of Knickerbocker stating that the story is true "beyond the possibility of doubt."

The only one who knows what Rip saw on that mountain is Rip himself. He has told the story frequently, but he is not the narrator of Rip Van Winkle. In the note at the end of the story, Knickerbocker claims to have heard the story from Rip's own mouth and Knickerbocker gives it his full belief. But it is not Knickerbocker, either, who tells the story, but a different narrator. Readers of the entire The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. know that the narrator is Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (for gentleman), the purported author of the book. Crayon claims to have found the manuscript of Rip Van Winkle among papers left behind by Knickerbocker after his death, and Crayon appears to revere Knickerbocker for his unquestionable authority.

The frame creates, then, several layers of doubt. Crayon, of questionable judgment, has the story from the unreliable Knickerbocker (if he is telling the truth about the manuscript), who has it from Rip, who in the beginning used to vary on some points every time he told it.

So, it is impossible to identify and deconstruct the exact identity of the narrator of "Rip Van Winkle." The irony being that everytime Irving insists on the truth of the story he is actually denying it.

I am given 2 columns of different numbers. How do I find the "mathmatical relationship" between the two. For...

Rearrange the data as follows:

x values   y values      xdiff      ydiff           slope=ydif/xdiff

x1=612     2052 =y1

x2=693     2779=y2     81          727               8.9753

x3=721     2170=y3     28         -609            -12.7747

It is possible to fit (i) a line of best fit of the form y=mx+c , but here as the y difference/xdifference is too much diffrent the slope is not constant and so the linear relationship is not suitable. (ii) a prarabola of 2nd degree of the form y=ax^2+bx+c between x and y.So, I chose the second form to fit here that establish the relation between x and y.

Since there are 3 pairs of entries we can find a solution of the form y=ax^2+bx+c. Then we get 3 equations if we substitute x=xi and y=yi for i=1,2 and 3 and i  is  a suffix to x or y.

axi^2+bxi+ c = yi  for i =1,2 and 3

Solve the 3 simultaneous equations and determine the values of a,b and c. Substituting the values for xi's and yi's we get:

a(612)^2+b(612)+c=2052         (1)

a(693)^2+b(693)+c= 2779        (2)

a(727)^2+b(727)+c=2170         (3)

(2)-(1) eliminates c and (3)-(2) also eliminates c. We get 2 equation with 2 unkwons in a,b to be determined.:

a{693^2-612^2)+b(693-612)=2779-2052

a(721^2-693^2)+b(721-693)=2170-2779

Equations  reduces to after dividing the former by (693-612) and the latter by (721-693):

1305a+b=8.97508642           (4)

1414a+b=-21.75                    (5)

(5)-(4) eliminates b , giving an equation with only a to be determined:

109a=30.72508642

a=-0.281881526

Substiture a=-0.281881526  in equation (5) to get b and

b=-21.75-1414(-0.281881526)=376.83047789

Having known a and b ,substitute the values of them in any of the original equations flagged at (1 ) or (2) or (3), to obtain c. So you will get the requred relation once you know all a,b and c  determined:

From equatio (1)

c= 2052-(a*612^2+b(612)

=2052-{-0.281881526*612^2+376.83047789*612}

=-122991.2181

Therefore the relation required is:

y=(-0.281881526)x^2+(376.83047789)x-122991.2181.

Hope this helps.

I need quotes from Romeo & Juliet that show deception. Please give the quotes and explain the deception involved.

Just for fun, let's focus on deception in the character of Juliet (because she isn't someone one would usually guess).  Most of Juliet's deception stems from her desperation, but it doesn't quite begin that way. 

The first time I can see deception is, ironically, in Juliet's "What's in a name" speech.  Why deception?  Because she is letting no one close to her know her thoughts, she is concealing them and deceiving everyone as a result.  In short, she has become a traitor to the family through her love of Romeo when she admits that if Romeo "be but sworn my love, / And I'll no longer be a Capulet" (2.2.37-38).  It's funny that Romeo is also deceiving Juliet at the same time by spying on her!

Juliet's deception becomes volatile only when her relationship with Romeo is threatened.  After openly disagreeing with her parents on their decision for her to marry Paris, Juliet feigns obedience in order to calm them down (just enough for her to drink the poison):

I met the youthful lord at Lawrence's cell / And gave him what becomed love I might, / Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty. (4.2.27-29)

Juliet's ultimate deception (that unfortunately doesn't work out) involves a physical deception as well.  This deception is evident in the largest part when Juliet drinks the poison that will make her only seem dead.  Her words reveal her desired deception as she bids her mother farewell for the last time with "God knows when we shall meet again" (4.3.15).

What is most interesting to me is that we tend to think of deception as a very negative quality; however, there is no doubt that audience members are rooting for Juliet to succeed in her deception by the end of the play.  What a shame, huh?  Then again, that's why it's a tragedy.

What does the Secretary of State do?

The designation of "Secretary of State" is most commonly used for the most important member of the Cabinet of the President of USA. There is no fixed portfolio for the secretary of state as per constitution. The President decides on many of the duties to be performed by the secretary of state from time to time. The main function of the secretary of state, among others, may include the following:

• Principal adviser to the president on foreign affairs.


• Negotiating with foreign representatives.


• Instructing U.S. embassies abroad.


• Custody and use of Great Seal of the United States.


• Performing White House protocol functions.

Curley's wife puts Crook soundly in his place by threatening what?"Of Mice and Men"

Here's the relevant part:

"Listen, Nigger," she said.  "You know what I can do if you open your trap?

Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself.

She closed on him.  "You know what I could do?"

Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. "Yas, ma'am."

"well, you keep your place then, Nigger.  I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny."

Steinbeck does not spell out for the reader how Curley's wife could get Crooks "strung up on a tree" -- that is, hanged.  However, if you consider who the two people are -- a white woman and a black man -- you can probably imagine what she could say that would get him lynched and killed.  What she says wouldn't need to be true; people would have believed her over him because she's white and he's black.

In Act 4 of The Crucible, how effective is Hale in the last act, particularly in the closing moments?

In the last act of the play, Rev. Hale is not effective in accomplishing what he has returned to do in terms of saving the innocent lives of the condemned, but his reappearance in the play's conclusion is extremely effective in developing Miller's themes and in emphasizing the tragic elements of the drama. Also, Hale as he is presented in Act IV provides a stark contrast to the deeply flawed characters of Parris and Danforth.

When Hale returns to Salem in Act IV, he is a far different man from the confident minister who first arrived in the community, as well as from the disillusioned one who quit the court in anger and frustration. When he comes to the jail to counsel with the accused, he is broken in body and spirit and filled with despair. His guilt is enormous, for he accepts the role he played in destroying others. The fact that he had acted in good faith at the time does not comfort him. He seeks redemption by returning to Salem to save lives by begging the accused to confess, even though lying is a grave sin.

Through Hale's character in the final act, Miller emphasizes the terrible, senseless human tragedy that has played out in Salem. Hale's final scene with Abigail Proctor is filled with raw pain, both his and hers, as he struggles desperately to convince her to save John's life by securing his false confession. So deep is his anguish that it matches her own as her husband is about to die.

Hale also stands as another character who affirms the idea that a person of conscience must stand against forces of injustice. Proctor, among others, stands against the court; Hale stands against both the court and his church. His rebellion is powerful indeed, for he chooses to risk his very soul rather than remain silent in the face of great injustice. His example of moral courage reinforces the play's theme, and surely calls to mind those during the McCarthy era who would not stand up for justice.

In his personal despair and unselfishness, Hale also provides a stark contrast to and condemnation of Parris and Danforth. These characters have destroyed lives and, for whatever personal reasons, have continued to do so, refusing to see the truth of their actions.

Hale's presence in Salem at the play's conclusion very effectively pulls together the various threads of the drama and serves to bring the play to its heartbreaking conclusion.

In "Native Son", Bigger's dream is to fly planes. Is Wright using this dream in a symbolic way? Explain.

Good question. The act of flying has been used for centuries as a symbol for freedom. Since humans cannot fly under their own power, the symbolism of flight is associated with superheros, angelic beings and other methods of overcoming the physical laws of the universe. One of the most memorable stories of flying dates back to Greek times in the tale of Daedalus and Icarus. Daedalus invented wings to help he and his son escape from a tyrant, only to be sent into grief and remorse when Icaraus, his son, flies too close to the sun. In "Native Son" Bigger is prevented from even learning how to fly because he is African-American. As he watches a plane fly over Chicago, he is reminded this is just another thing he cannot do simply because of the color of his skin. Bigger cannot be a pilot and lead people into the sky in the same way he cannot escape the ghettos of Chicago. His dreams of flying and freedom are denied him because of his race. Like Daedalus, his attempt at flight will only lead to grief and remorse.

How does conflict of upper class versus lower class shape the theme of appearance versus reality in Pride and Prejudice?

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen doesn't include references to the lower class. The closest she comes to including a lower class character is Georgiana's former governess, however a governess to an aristocratic young lady would certainly not be drawn from the lower class, as can be seen in her other work, Emma. Domestic servants, coachmen and footmen would more probably come from the lower class, but these characters don't readily enter into the storyline or plot of Pride and Prejudice. One can only infer interactions between the upper and lower class from Lady De Bourgh's conversation and from the few comments made about Darcy's care of the Pemberley estate.

Lady De Brough talks about her practice of knowing the family situation of those who live on her estate. These families and individuals would be the lower class laborers who farm Rosings estate and do other manual labor on the estate, such as caring for the horses and livestock. It is said of Darcy, and the former Darcy senior that they take meticulous care as benefactors of the lower class people living on the Pemberley estate.

Lady De Bourgh's and Caroline Bingley's behavior toward Elizabeth, Jane and Charlotte and their disparaging attitude toward Mrs. Bingley (not without sound reason...) shows a conflict between appearance and reality pertaining to upper class and middle class. Lady De Bourgh presumes to believe that these middle class individuals aren't worthy of respect due to upper class persons and thus interrogates Elizabeth. She also presumes that such middle class persons can't make sound decisions and therefore habitually instructs Charlotte on the management of her household. These attitudes and interferences cause theme-shaping conflict caused by being antagonizing and insulting due to perceived appearances contradicting reality, thus furthering entrenched pride and prejudice.

Does anybody know any good quotes that explores the theme of grief? Or any quotes which show Susie's, or her familys, acceptance of the...

The only cure for grief is action. ~George Henry Lewes~ Waste not fresh tears over old grief. ~Euripides~ While grief is fresh, every attempt to divert only irritates. You must wait until it is digested, and then amusement will dissipate the remains of it. ~Samuel Johnson~ Grief teaches the steadiest of minds to waver. ~Sophocles~ There is no feeling except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music. ~Charles Kingsley~ Hold no man responsible for what he says in grief. ~Talmud~ No one feels another's grief, no one understands another's joy. People imagine they can reach one another. In reality they only pass each other by. ~Franz Schubert~ Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward. ~Henry Ford~

What was the significance of the 3rd ghost in "A Christmas Carol"?the character of the 3 ghost in christmas carol

In A Christmas Carol, the three ghosts are sent to Mr. Scrooge by his dead partner Jacob Marley who attempts to save his friend's immortal soul from the torment that he is experiencing.  Mr. Marley is desperate to prevent Scrooge from sharing his afterlife of helpless wandering.  He tells Scrooge that he must see the error of his ways and change before it is too late.  The ghosts give Scrooge an opportunity to look at his life, past, present and future against the backdrop of what Christmas means to different people.

Since Mr. Scrooge is a man who has lost touch with his humanity, and is totally devoted to the pursuit of money, the ghosts serve to confront him with raw human experiences and emotions, in some cases reminding him of what he once felt, in others allowing him to view the celebrations of family that others share.

The Ghost of Christmas brings Scrooge back to his childhood, highlighting the fact that his own father was cruel and indifferent to him because his mother died giving birth to him.  It also allows the reader a chance to see why Mr. Scrooge is so bitter and lonely.  He looks at his past self, his sister, and remembers that he once loved someone very much.

The Ghost of Christmas Present offers Scrooge a chance to see what he is missing by showing him Fred's celebration with his wife and friends, and he also brings him into the humble home of Bob Crachit, his clerk who earns very little money yet supports his large family with an exuberant love that he shares with his wife and children.

Scrooge gets a chance to see, first hand, the struggle of Tiny Tim, Crachit's little son, who is destined to die at a young age. The sight of the young boy with the crutch moves Scrooge's heart.

The Ghost of Christmas yet to come is a frightening, shrouded figure who is mysterious, just as the future is.  This specter shows Scrooge what his material wealth will amount to once he is gone from this earth, and without saying a single word, brings him to his knees with an understanding that the isolation he craves while he is alive will insure a lonely unnoticed death.

The spirits show Scrooge what an empty life he is living; they show him that his money will not protect him from death, nor will his money insure that he will be respected.  The only way to live a full life is to surround oneself with people, family, friends, etc.

The spirits provide Mr. Scrooge with a path to redemption.  He is saved at the end, Mr. Marley succeeds in saving his friend's soul, and his life.  Mr. Scrooge becomes a generous, loving man, sharing his wealth with the needy, embracing his nephew Fred and his wife, and helping Bob Crachit with his large family.

Why are Beowulf and Antigone both considered heroes? What makes them heroic?

Beowulf and Antigone are indeed both heroic characters. Beowulf is heroic in the tradition of myth and legend. As a young warrior, he is strong, courageous, and fierce in battle; he is also a doer of noble deeds:

[Beowulf was] the strongest of the Geats--greater

And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world--

[Beowulf] heard how Grendel filled nights with horror

And quickly commanded a boat fitted out,

Proclaiming that he'd go to the famous king.

Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar,

Now when help was needed.

Once he faces Grendel, who can smash the bodies of thirty men at one time and carry them away, Beowulf tears off the monster's arm, then follows him to the bottom of the sea to kill him. The epic poem is filled with acts of heroism such as these and concludes as an aged King Beowulf is mortally wounded when he battles a dragon.

Antigone's heroism is of a quieter nature, but just as impressive. She remains true to her moral principles by defying King Creon's order against burying the body of her brother. Antigone buries her brother's body, even though she knows the punishment for her crime is death. When confronted with her crime, she stands up to Creon's wrath, refusing to apologize or beg for her own life:

Creon, what more do you want than my death . . . . Then I beg you: kill me.

This talking is a great weariness: your words

Are distasteful to me, and I am sure that mine

Seem so to you. And yet they should not seem so:

I should have praise and honor for what I have done.

Antigone does not fear death; when she is entombed by Creon, buried alive, she takes her own life by hanging herself. The heroism in Antigone is that she chooses to die rather than live without honor and integrity:

This death of mine

Is of no importance; but if I had left my brother

Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered.

Now I do not.

Beowulf and Antigone both live and die with courage.

How did Tom get Ben to paint the fence in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"?

In this part of the story Aunt Polly has attributed Tom the task of whitewashing her fence. Of course Tom would rather be out fishing, swimming or just hanging out with his pals, but he has been 'conscripted.' One boy has already come by (on his way to the swimming hole), so when Ben shows up, Tom has already worked on a plan. He first ignores Ben's teasing him, then looks up finally to say he hadn't even noticed him. When Ben asks if it's not "work" that he's doing, Tom hesitates and then states that maybe for some it is but whitewashing suits him just fine. Then when Ben wants to have a go at it just to see what he's missing, Tom refuses but finally "mellows." He gets so convincing about all the fun he is having that before the afternoon is over, he has bartered turns at whitewashing with all the boys that come along in exchange for "boy stuff" that any kid his age would covet:

Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while the late steamer Big Missouri worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by, dangled his legs munched his apple, and planned the slaughter of more innocents. There was no lack of material; boys happened along every little while; they came to jeer, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was fagged out, Tom had traded the next chance to Billy fisher for a kite in good repair; and when he played out, Johnny Miller bought in for a dead rat and a string to sing it with - and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor poverty-stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling wealth. He had, besides the things before mentioned, twelve marbles, part of a jew’s-harp, a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through, a spoon cannon, a key that wouldn’t unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, a kitten with only one eye, a brass door-knob, a dog-collar-but no dog - the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange-peel, and a dilapidated window-sash.
He had had a nice, good, idle time all the while - plenty of company - and the fence had three coats of whitewash on it! If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, he would have bankrupted every boy in the village.

Tom learns an important lesson in negotiation through this experience -  a pinch of reverse psychology mixed with the sway of the group over the individual can go a long way. Aunt Polly's whitewashing job as punishment turns out to be the most "profitable" day of Tom's whole summer.

What is the meaning/form/rhyme etc of "Aspens" by Edward Thomas"?I cannot find anything anywhere on this poem and I need information and notes...

"Aspens" by Edward Thomas is a poem that, at its most simple level, is about aspen trees and how they constantly blow in the wind, no matter who is near or what is going on in the world.  The meaning is that aspens are an eternal part of this world, and as everything else changes, dies or fades away, the aspens will still be there

"at the cross-roads talk[ing] together/Of rain, until their last leaves fall from the top."

Edwards strikes a rather ominious tone in the poem when he declares that

"The whisper of the aspens is not drowned,.../No ceasing, calls their ghosts from their abode."

Here he is saying that the whispering of the aspen leaves is never stopped, and it always calls ghosts out from hiding.  That is an interesting and creepy thought.  Edwards thinks that their noise is like "grieving", and that no matter who or what is near, the aspens will continue to grieve forever.

Edwards uses a rhyming scheme of ABAB, which means that the first and third lines, the A lines, rhyme, and the 2nd and 4th lines, the B lines rhyme.  He uses personification to give the trees human-like traits.  They "whisper" and "grieve".  He uses imagery (the five senses) to make the aspens seem more alive, and the atmosphere more mysterious.  He describes the "bare moonlight" and "thick-furred gloom," of the nighttime, the "lightless pane" of abandoned houses, the "empty lane" of deserted streets.  Using imagery like that creates a more lonely and mysterious mood.

I hope that those thoughts can help to get you started on the path towards understanding the poem more fully.  Good luck!

What are two things the old man does to stay healthy? When did he begin talking to himself?

The old man prepared himself for the fishing season by eating turtle eggs through the spring and by a daily cup of shark liver oil.

The old man couldn't remember when he began talking to himself. He recalled singing by himself "in the old days" and and night, but was unsure when he began talking out loud. Most likely he began "when the boy had left," but he couldn't say for sure.

How do you find the principal without time or rate when calculating compounding interest?

The cost of the money  per unit amount of money for a fixed period (normally one year) is the the rate of interest (r) . If a Principal amount P is invested at the rate of interest r  compounding period every year,for a period T, then the amount A we get  after the period T is given by the formula:

A= P(1+r)^T. (1)

The nominal rate of interest may have to be converted proportionally to the periodicity of compounding.

Now look at the formula at one. You want to get the the principal P.Then we can  modify the  above formula under the rules of equation  to obtain P as below:

P=A*(1+r)^(-T)  or  P=A/(1+r)^T.       (2)

Therefore, to get P on the left, you must know, A ,r and T on the right side. Otherwise, it remains only an algebraic formula as to how to get P from the symbols A,r andT.

O shall I say the above formula  at (2) itself is an answer, as you have not given any information about period , rate of interest and amount.

What does Jonas dream about in Chapter 10?

Chapter 10 is where Jonas first meets the Giver and begins his training as the Receiver of Memories. He does not dream in this chapter, however, the dream you may be referring to is the sexual dream Jonas has about Fiona in Chapter 5. He dreams that he is trying to convince Fiona to get undressed and get in the tub at the house of the old so he could bathe her. When he reports this dream to his family, as everyone in the community must do after they dream, his parents tell him that he had "the Stirrings" and they give him a pill so that he would no longer have any sexual feelings. No one in the community has sexual relations, procreation is controlled and there are assigned women who have the role of "Birthmother." 

The other dream Jonas has is in Chapter 12, where he replays the memory of sledding in the snow. This dream is a foreshadowing of the end of the book -- he dreams he is heading towards a destination in the snow, and he needs to reach that place, that it is a significant place.

In Wuthering Heights, when does Isabella write a letter to Nelly and why?

Isabella writes a letter to Nelly after she has eloped with Heathcliff and gone with him to Wuthering Heights.  She is appalled by the conditions she finds there, and horrified at the diabolic change in her new husband.  She writes to Nelly to tell her about her miserable life not four miles away from Thrushcross Grange, and begs her to visit soon.  She also asks two questions of Nelly - first, "how did (Nelly) contrive to preserve the common sympathies of human nature when (she) resided (at Wuthering Heights)", and second, and more chillingly, if "Mr. Heathcliff (is) a man...if so, is he mad?  And if not, is he a devil?"

Isabella had become infatuated with Heathcliff, and had precipitously married him.  Unbeknownst to Isabella, Heathcliff had never loved her, and had married her for her inheritance.  As soon as Isabella marries Heathcliff, he becomes abusive to her.  He brings her to Wuthering Heights that first night, takes her to the kitchen, then disappears, leaving her with his rude servant Joseph, who, after squinting at her "malignantly", ignores her and leaves her to her own devices.  Isabella tries to make friends with "a ruffianly child", Hareton, who stands by the fire, but Hareton responds with an oath and a threat to set the bulldog, Throttler, on her if she does not leave him alone.  Isabella is disgusted to see that the slovenly Joseph stirs the porridge with his dirty hand, and unnerved to notice that all the doors are kept locked in the forbidding dwelling.  Horrified and appalled by the conditions at Wuthering Heights and the depravity of the people living there, and especially of her new husband Heathcliff, Isabella writes to Nelly, begging her to come visit.  Isabella knows that she has condemned herself by committing herself to Heathcliff, and she tells Nelly helplessly, "I do hate him - I am wretched - I have been a fool!" (Chapter 13).

What is the period of Jacobean to Restoration age? Who were the writers of this period and their literary works?

Jacobean to Restoration Age /(1603-1700) /The longest period nearly hundred years in the  history of England.This period is divided into following 3 historical periods.

1. The Jacobean Age.(1603-1625).In this period after Queen Elizabeth ,James 1 ascended the throne.

2. The Caroline Age or The Age of Charles 1(1625-1649)

3. The Interim period of Commonwealth (1649-1660) :

    Commonwealth Period extended from the end of the Civil War and the excursion Charles I in 1649 to the restoration of the Stuart monarchy under Charles II in 1600. Dramas disappeared for almost eighteen years after the puritans closed the public theaters in September 1642, not only on moral and religious grounds, but also to prevent public gatherings and assemblies that might create civil disorder. It was the age of Milton's political pamphlets, of Hobbes's political treatise Leviathan (1651) of the prose writers like Sir Thomas Browne, Abraham Cowley and Andrew Marwell.

4.The period of Restoration of Charles 2.(1660-1685)

5. James 2 (1685-1688).

6..The Socio-Cultural Aftermath of the Restoration (upto 1700)

 After the glorious and glamorous period of Queen Elizabeth,the reign of James ! showed a sharp decline in every field of national life.The spirit of Renaissance,the craze for learning,the spirit for daring voyages for the discovery of new lands,and the solidarity of England which had all touched the high water mark during the Elizabethan Age started declining like spent up forces.Several kinds of dissipating forces,specially in the domain of religion,had started emerging and weakening the nation.

Major authors and poets of this period are John Donne,John Milton,John Dryden,Samuel Butler,

Caroline poets-Andrew Marwell,Richard Lovelace,Sir John Suckling,Francis Quaries,Thomas Carew,Robert Herrick.

 The restoration period marked an influx of theater where William Wycherley and George Etherege developed a genre of Comedy of manners. The Country Wife, William Wycherley's  play centered around the nuances of bawdy language and semi-aristocratic flavor that delivered the eccentricities of characters with their names suggesting their counter characters, thus the play is allegorical with a completeness of its own. The Augustus age novelist and journalist Daniel Defoe and Lady Mary Wortley wrote poems of wit, candor and conviction.

How does Abigail turn the court against Mary Warren in "The Crucible"?

In Act 3, Mary Warren is forced by John Proctor to come back to the court to tell the judges that the girls are lying and always have been and that everything that they are claiming has taken place never really happened.  When Mary comes back to tell the judges this, they invite Abigail and the other girls into the courtroom.  At this point, Abigail pretends to see a yellow bird on one of the rafters in the room.  The other girls then pretend to see it as well.  Abigail talks to the bird and asks it why it has come, begs it to leave her alone, and calls it "Mary" -- Abigail is trying to incriminate Mary Warren by making the judges think that she is sending out her spirit on Abigail and the girls in the form of a yellow bird that is trying to attack them.  Unfortunately, the court does believe that there is an invisible bird and instead of getting herself in trouble, she sides with Abigail and calls John Proctor a witch.

How do specific instance in the plot aid or harm the main character in "Fahrenheit 451"?

In the end, most of the instances that occur in the plot aid in helping Montag to have the courage to shed his old, meaningless life, and the conviction to start anew.  All of these instances, stacked together, even if they seem to be sad events at the time, are the building blocks for Montag's transformation.  I'll provide some examples below.

1.  He meets Clarisse.  Her refreshing personality and different take on things gets him thinking about his own life, and how unhappy he is.  He feels the urge to find answers.

2.  He discovers his wife's suicide attempt.  This confirms his suspicions that they are unhappy, and makes him actively desire changes in his life.

3.  Mrs. Blake's fire.  Mrs. Blake chooses to die with her books rather than give in.  Her conviction moves him, and he starts tying things together:  maybe the changes he is looking for are in books.

4.  Beatty gives the history lesson, and "gives permission" to Montag to read, so, he does.  But he ends up frustrated with it.  So, that leads him to

5.  Seek out Faber.  Here is a key plot addition.  With Faber, who explains why books are important, Montag finally steps over the line into active plans for rebellion.

And, so on and so forth.  Each step taken in the book can be tied to Montag's final destination, as a rebuilder of society, a society with books, thinking, and meaning.  I hope that these thoughts help; good luck!

Examples of text with the following types of comedy: old, new, manner, ideas, situational, satire, intrigue, farce, festivity and marrionete?I will...

In Voltaire's Candide, satire of the philosophy of optimism put forth by Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz.  This philosophy states that since God created the world and God is perfect, then everything in the world is ultimately perfect.

The character Candide undergoes numerous terrible experiences.  While in Lisbon, he is chosen to be a human sacrifice, but before he can be burned, Candide is saved by an old woman.  This woman relates her tragic life story:  She has been a slave, she has lost one buttock, been beaten, and has had to constantly labor and travel.  But, she tells Candide,

I've wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but I still love life.  That ridiculous weakness [optimism] is perhaps one of our most pernicious inclinations. What could be more stupid than to persist in carrying a burden that we constantly want to cast off, to hold our existence in horror, yet cling to it nonetheless, to fondle the serpent tht devours us, until it has eaten our heart?

Another Frenchman, Moliere--the French love satire and farce!--wrote many a farce.  One such farce is Tartuffe which parodies the religious zealot.  Tartuffe, a Puritanical character who feigns self-sacrifice in order to win favor with a wealthy man, is actually a hypocrite bent upon winning the fortune of the man.  When the gentleman's wife informs him that Tartuffe has made advances toward her, he refuses to believe her.  So, she tells him to hide under a table while she entices Tartuffe into the room.  When Tartuffe comes and makes sexual advances upon her, the scene turns farcical with its physical action, and coarse wit over characterization. 

Tartuffe:  There is a science, lately formulated,/Whereby one's conscience may be liberated,/And any wrongful act you care to mention/May be redeemed by purity of intention..../Meanwhile, just place on me your full reliance./Assuage my keen desires, and feel no dread:  The sin, if any , shall be on my head.

Elmire (the lady) coughs loudly so that her husband will emerge from under the table and save her.  But he does not.  Tartuffe remarks that she has a bad cough.  Still no response.

Elmire continues to cough, but no help comes.  So, she says,

If this is sinful, if I'm wrong to do it,/So much the worse for him who drove me to it./The fault can surely not be charged to me.

She entreats Tartuffe to go to the door and make sure her husband is not out there.  As he does so, Elmire leans down to Orgon, her husband, who finally emerges from under the table.  She ridicules him,

What, coming out so soon?  How premature!  Get back in hiding, and wait until you're sure.  Stay till the ned, and be convince completely;  We mustn't stop till things are proved concretely.

What are the first words Daisy speaks in the novel? In what different ways could this comment be interpreted?

Daisy's first words are "I'm p-paralyzed with happiness."

There can be several interpretations of this. The first is that Daisy is merely saying what fashionable ladies say when they see relatives for the first time in years. She is attempting to make a casual, yet refined first impression. Simply, these words are empty, meaningless.

These words can also be interpreted ironically. She certainly seems paralyzed (remaining on the couch during the scene) but she is trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who carries on affairs while brutalizing her. She is also trapped in her personality, with no chance to grow or become anything more. In this way, her happiness (or at least contentment) could actually be holding her back. She sees no reason to try and change anything, and it foreshadows her doomed love with Gatsby.

Identify one anti-war argument made by protesters of the Vietnam War, and one pro-war argument made by supporters of the war.

In July of 1966 Lyndon B. Johnson said,

We are not trying to wipe out North Vietnam.  We are not trying to change their government.  We are not trying to establish permanent bases in South Vietnam...We are there because we are trying to make the Communists of North Vietname stop shooting at their neighbors..to demonstrate that guerilla warfare, inspired by one nation against another nation can never succeed....We must keep on until the Communists in North Vietnam realize the price of agression is too high--and either agree to a peaceful settlement or to stop their fighting.

This was Johnson's argument for entering Vietnam as he played upon the Americans' fears that Communism was a universal threat. 

In August of 1964 Johnson said the North Vietnamese forces had twice attacked American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.  Known today as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, this led to the open involvement of the U.S. in the Vietnam Conflict.

Before his death, Robert S. McNamara, former Secretary of Defense under President Johnson, admitted that the Gulf of Tonkin Incident was completely orchestrated in order to persuade Congress to agree to war.  After this criminal admission, McNamara begged forgiveness for the senseless deaths of 50,000+ American soldiers, not to mention the countless disabled and mentally damaged soldiers.

Besides the false pretenses given as justification for entering Vietnam, a very strong argument against the Vietnam Conflict--interestingly, it was never named "a war" while it was going on--was the fact that this was really a civil war within the country of Vietnam, and by this fact, there was no reason for the involvement of the United States.  

This interference of the United States into the civil war of Vietnam initiated the perception of many countries of America as an imperialistic interference.

On what simple ironical reversal is the plot of "The Most Dangerous Game" based?

The title of "The Most Dangerous Game" refers to the "game" that General Zaroff has created.  I put the game in quotations because it really isn't a game - it is a savage hunting of a human being.  But as Rainsford himself says, Zaroff is "like all his race, a bit of a savage".  The "game" is the most dangerous because it usually ends in death for the "hunted" player - games themselves are not usually fatal.

However, the title shifts direction in the end, and this is the ironic reversal of the plot.  While Zaroff has set up Rainsford to be the hunted, and therefore the one in danger, he underestimates his prey.  Rainsford is able to elude Zaroff, mostly because of Zaroff's arrogance.  Zaroff is able to catch up to Rainsford, but because Zaroff is too into his "game", he lets Rainsford get away so that the chase can continue:

Rainsford's second thought was even more terrible. It sent a shudder of cold horror through his whole being. Why had the general smiled? Why had he turned back?

Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth was as evident as the sun that had by now pushed through the morning mists. The general was playing with him! The general was saving him for another day's sport! The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.

Unfortunately, this is Zaroff's mistake and leads to the reversal.  Rainsford does get away, back tracks, and is able to find Zaroff in his own bedroom and kill him.  Thus, the "game" has become the most dangerous for Zaroff himself, the supposed hunter.

In "The Scarlet Letter, how does Hester see her position in the town after the discovery of her crime?plz in simple terms ....thnx

She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast, that it sent forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real.  Yes!--these were her realities--all else had vanished!

Hester views herself as a social pariah after she is made to stand on the scaffold. When Roger Chillingworth visits her at the prison, she is worried that he will harm her baby.  She is so nervous and depressed that a watch is kept over her.  After she is released in Chapter V, Hawthorne writes that she

could no longer borrow from the future to help her through the present grief.  Tomorrow would bring its own trial with it; so would the next day, and so would the next; each its own trial, and yet the very same that was now so unutterable grievous to be borne.

Hester does not know how she will bear the day-to-day living that wearing the stigma of the scarlet letter will bring to her. Yet, she stays in her community when she can run into the forest and live as Chillingworth has done with the Indians, or she can return to England.  But, Hester remains because

there is a fatality, a feeling so irresistible and inevitable that it has the force of doom, which almost invariably compels human beings to linger around and haunt, ghost-like, the spot where some great and marked even has given the colour to their lifetime....

Here is the key to understanding Hester.  She consents to the punishment of her culture; as a result, she loses her individuality, her passion, her very essence.  She wears dull colors, her hair loses its luster.  She works for others in the community, sewing and tending the ill.  She serves, and Pearl is her reminder of her sin.

How is the symbolism of the whispers in "The Rocking Horse Winner" such an essential part of the story, especially the constant murmuring?

The whispers in the house, and the constant murmuring symbolizes greed and materialism's insatiable appetite, and how gaining love through money doesn't work.  Note how even after Paul wins his mother five-thousand pounds, the house's whisperings intensified; they

"simply trilled and screamed in a sort of ecstasy: 'There must be more money ! Oh-h-h; there must be more money.  Oh, now, now-w ! Now-w-w --- there must be more money ! --- more than ever ! More than ever !'"

So, even when Paul got more money, which is what the voices were wanting, it was never enough.  This is true of any person seeking love, affirmation, or closeness through money.  It doesn't work.  It is never enough, because it is like filling a sieve with water; the substance runs through, leaving the vessel empty once more.  Paul thinks that earning money will earn him his mother's love.  It is an obsession, which is why the voices, which are symbolic of his quest, murmur constantly

"behind the sprays of mimosa and almond blossom, and from under the piles of iridescent cushions,"

everywhere.  It is behind all of his motivations, ever-present.  Until Paul realizes that he will not win his mother's love through "luck" or money, the voices will always be there.  I hope that those thoughts help; I also provided links below to further discussions of theme in the story.  Good luck!

What words does the poet repeat and what does it emphasize the differences between?

The repetition featured in Blake's poem relates to the process of repressing and holding in anger, as opposed to "coming clean" with one feels.  There are two parts to it:  When Blake speaks of confronting his friend and the anger with his enemy.  The latter is where most of the poem lies and where most of the repetition is featured. Naturally, as with all poetry, you are able to interpret the uses of repetition in any way you wish that links to the theme of the poem.  The poet uses repetition of words like "and" to emphasize the difference and complexity between confronting one's friend with anger and one's adversary with anger.  In the case of the former, it is a fairly direct process because of the relationship.  In the case of the latter, it is more complex because of the awkwardness of the situation and the repression involved.  In repressing our anger for sake of conventional notions of "politeness", we embark on a multipronged process of psychological damage and bitterness.  Intricate and manifold in its advancement of stages, the poet repeats the term "And" to highlight such development.

What are the differences between Montresor from "The Cask of Amontillado" and General Zaroff from "The Most Dangerous game"?Poe's "The Cask of...

The protagonists of "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Most Dangerous Game" are both men who follow their own designs.  But, their greatest difference lies in their reason for killing. For, while Montresor's killing of Fortunato is a personal vendetta, General Zaroff feels nothing personal toward Rainsford; the man is merely used as an interesting and challenging prey for this most-jaded of men. And, as this "beast of prey"--as even Rainsford calls himself--the possible victim is keenly cognizant of his position; on the other hand, in Poe's story, Fortunato is unaware of his position as victim.  Deluded by his own ego and by the flattery and manipulation of his professional jealousy of Luchesi by Montesor, Fortunato is unwittingly led to his capture by shackles in the catacombs and his death by being walled in.

Nonethless, it is true that Montesor does afford Fortunato some inkling that his intentions may be ulterior during the scene in which the word mason is punned and as Montesor suggests often that they turn back because of the niter and cold. Still, Montesor has never overtly made it known to Fortunato that he is the object of revenge as General Zaroff has made it known to Rainsford that he is prey for him.  Montesor offers his victim no chance once he is confronted by death. However, Rainsford has the chance to confront his victimizer and slay him.

How was the community in "The Giver" by Lois Lowry created?

This is an interesting question. As previously stated, the community is an intentional utopian community. It seems that the idea of family is one that is preserved from the past, but the idea of childbearing is one that is frowned upon as somehow lower class.

Everything is segregated into age groups. People wear a type of uniform that is related to their age when they are young or to their job when they are older. They take pills that remove their sex drive as well as their ability to see in color. They have gone to "sameness" meaning that there is a cookie-cutter idea of what people should be and do.

They have a 1:1 ratio of death to birth, and if twins are born, then the "better" one lives, and the "less able" one is "released".  Jonas witnesses his father releasing a twin by injecting a solution into the infant's heart. Jonas is mortified by what he sees, but his father simply accepts this as "normal". The word death is not used, but the word release is substituted for death. People determine when they will die and basically attend their own funeral prior to walking into the releasing room.

This community was created based on avoiding desires and cravings and by making sure that everyone is the same in every way possible. There is no pain, no discomfort, only sameness.  Career and work are valued, but having babies is seen as something that animals do.

Are the witches entirely responsible for the downfall of Macbeth?

In Macbeth, the presence of the witches provides the main character, Macbeth, with incentive, or motivation, which awakens in him, his deeply held desire to be king.  The witches are not responsible for Macbeth's downfall, he chooses to kill the king because he suffers from unchecked ambition, which is at the heart of his decision.

However, I would agree that Lady Macbeth had more to do with Macbeth's decision than the witches.  She becomes inspired with the idea to kill the king, once she receives the news from her husband about his elevation to Thane of Cawdor.

The witches conspire to influence Macbeth, in Act I, they make a decision.

"First Witch. Where the place?
Sec. Witch. Upon the heath.
Third Witch. There to meet with Macbeth.
First Witch. I come, Graymalkin! 
Sec. Witch. Paddock calls.
Third Witch. Anon.
All. Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air. [Exeunt." (Shakespeare)

After Banquo and Macbeth encounter the witches and the prophecy is given to both of them, Macbeth does not really believe what the three witches have told him.  But then he receives news the shocking news that he will be made Thane of Cawdor, just as the witches said.

"Macb. [Aside.] If chance will have me king, why,
chance may crown me, 
Without my stir.
Ban. New honours come upon him, 
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their
mould 
But with the aid of use.
Macb. [Aside.] Come what come may, 
Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.
Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your 
leisure." (Shakespeare)

In this exhange, Banquo and Macbeth discuss the fact that the prophecy, at least part of it has come true.  Macbeth states that if he is to be king, it would happen without him doing anything at all.  Banquo believes that Macbeth is receiving the benefit of hard work, that he is worthy. So at this point, Macbeth does not see any reason to kill the king.

Later in the play, when Macbeth tells his wife of his new honor and that the King is coming to their home for dinner, she can't believe her good fortune.  It is her idea to kill the king.

"Lady M. Give him tending;
He brings great news—[Exit Messenger.] The
raven himself is hoarse 
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan 
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits 
That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here, 
And fill me from the crown to the toe top full 
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, 
Stop up the access and passage to remorse," (Shakespeare)

In this speech, Lady Macbeth longs to be made a man so that she can carry out the deed of killing the king. She comes up with the plot to murder Duncan, the only reason she does not do the killing herself is because when she enters the king's bed chamber, she says that the sleeping king looks too much like her father.

Macbeth is influenced more by his wife than the witches, it is Lady Macbeth who, along with Macbeth, himself, who bear the most responsibility for the death of the king and Macbeth's ultimate downfall.

"Some critics maintain that responsibility for the deaths of Duncan and Banquo rests solely with Macbeth, whose own ambition and nature are the cause of his deeds."

"Others cite Macbeth's reluctance prior to Duncan's murder and argue that Lady Macbeth goads her husband into the action. Lady Macbeth does, however, set the time and the place of Duncan's murder, claims that she would kill a baby at her breast to honor a vow, and argues that when Macbeth first conceived of killing Duncan, then he was a man."

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" why is Tom's plan actually cruel in helping Jim escape and what chapter states this?

In chapters 34-40, we see Tom and Huck setting up an elaborate escape plan for Jim, and making him do all sorts of things because that is how the prisoners in the books do it.  Tom, who has an overactive imagination from reading too many adventure novels, has specific ideas about what a prisoner's life should be like, and what a daring escape should be like.  In reality, Jim is being held in a little shack that is being guarded by a slave.  They could have easily distracted the slave, lifted up the bed that was holding the chain to Jim's leg, taken the chain off, and left without anyone being the wiser.  However, this isn't romantic, daring, or adventurous enough for Tom.

So, instead, they make a full grown man have snakes, rats and spiders for pets, cut himself so that he can keep a journal, send help messages, and create a coat of arms in his own blood (keep in mind Jim can't even read or write), give him a rope ladder in a pie (for a single-level shanty), and even devise ominous letters of warning that alert the entire neighborhood to the fact that they are escaping at a certain day and time-just to name a few of the things that Jim has to suffer through.  All of these things are cruel.  Jim, a grown man, who is actually a free man (Tom reveals this at the end; he knew Jim had been freed the entire time), is kept in a sweltering shanty as a prisoner, forced to bleed himself, and live with critters, all for the amusement of one little boy. Jim becomes nothing more than a plaything for Tom to act out his adventure fantasies.  Huck protests the entire way, proposing more logical solutions at every turn, but doesn't ever insist, and so Jim, in the end, gets caught.  The entire plan is cruel, and points out even more clearly the absurd notion that white people back in that time period certainly did think that black people were no more than property, to be done with as they pleased.  Twain satirized that point the entire novel, but really brought it home in these chapters.

How does an endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes assist each other by working together?

The ribosomes manufacture proteins for the cell and the organism. This process is called protein synthesis. Basically the DNA sends mRNA to the ribosomes to "tell" the ribosomes what protein to make. The proteins are then sent to the rest of the cell via the endoplasmic reticulum or stored there until needed. The ribosomes need the endoplasmic reticulum to transport the proteins to their designated places. If not, the proteins would just be floating about in the cell.

What details, or lack of details, does the author provide to develop the central characters in "The Monkey's Paw"?

The author leaves out detail concerning the actual wishes that Sergeant Major Morris made on the monkey's paw.  The reader has no information about what happened to his three wishes, the Sergeant Major only informs us that the first owner of the monkey's paw third wish was for death.

"Well, why don't you have three, sir?" said Herbert White cleverly.   The soldier regarded him in the way that middle age is wont to regard presumptuous youth. "I have," he said quietly, and his blotchy face whitened.  "And did you really have the three wishes granted?" asked Mrs. White.   "I did," said the sergeant-major, and his glass tapped against his strong teeth.   "And has anybody else wished?" inquired the old lady.   "The first man had his three wishes, yes," was the reply. "I don't know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That's how I got the paw." (Jacobs)

The Whites don't ask Sergeant-Major Morris what he wished for, and the only real warning that he gives them is to wish for something sensible.

Another important detail that is left out occurs after Mr. White has made his first wish for two hundred pounds, and as a result, his son Herbert is killed in an accident at the factory where he works, after Mr. White makes his second wish, for Herbert to return from the grave,

"He raised his hand. "I wish my son alive again." (Jacobs)

we never know what it is that knocks at the door, because Mrs. White does not get to answer it in time before Mr. White wishes it away.   

" There was another knock, and another. The old woman with a sudden wrench broke free and ran from the room. Her husband followed to the landing, and called after her appealingly as she hurried downstairs." (Jacobs)

The reader assumes that the person knocking on the door is Herbert returned from the grave, but we never find out because Mr. White doesn't want to find out what is knocking on his door, so he silently wishes it away.

"He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish." (Jacobs)

The reader doesn't find out what the third wish actually was, whether he wished his son back to the grave or just wished away whatever was knocking on the front door.

In Chapter 9 of "Night", Discuss Eliezer's closing image of himself, as he has not looked at himself in a mirror since deportation.

The closing lines of seeing the corpse stare back from the reflection in the mirror provides an image ripe for analysis.  The literal reading is to examine how much Eliezer has changed from the boy who started at Sighet to who he is now.  Certainly, there is massive physical change and emotional maturation from that point.  The "corpse" could be the old version of his life, the life before the Nazis, before Juliek, before seeing children hung and not being able to die for 30 minutes, before people were shot for a second cup of soup, before being beaten, before Dr. Mengele, before running along side his father, before Madame Schachter and Moshe the Beadle.  Before all of this, there was a boy.  That conception of self could be "the corpse" staring back at him.  Along these lines could be that "the corpse" staring back at him is the being that used to believe in God, truth, spiritual justice, art, loyalty, and bonds of love for all of these were extinguished along with the millions of others at Auschwitz and the other camps.  All that remains is that corpse in the mirror and its physical form,  A- 7113.  I have always felt that the corpse in the mirror is his father.  I have perceived that there is an unending guilt for his father given his absolute desire to survive and to merely live.  I detected an undercurrent of guilt about why he, Eliezer was "chosen" to live, and while his father died.  When I first read the book, I interpreted the "corpse in the mirror" as the physical version of his father's voice that called out his name as his last words.  I am not sure how valid of a read that is, but it is what struck me.  In the final analysis, given the fact that Wiesel publishes the book as a way to bring up the dialogue about The Holocaust, so that the world will "never forget," the corpse that stares back at Eliezer is symbolic of the millions of lives extinguished and represents his responsibility to them as someone who did live when so many others did not.

Such a read is concurrent with the themes eloquently articulated in the book.  One such idea was that when there is no social fraternity, a lack of bonds that link others, bad things can never be far behind.  Indeed, the Nazis were the embodiment of evil.  Yet, when members of their own community target and dismiss one another without supporting them in times of need, such as Moshe the Beadle or Madame Schachter or when boys abandon fathers, it is almost like a replication of evil, a duplication of the rupturing of bonds and connections.  When he stares back at the mirror, this might be what he sees:  The link with others, the connection to a social group that confirms that solidarity and suppot for one another is the only way out of the terror and pain of "night."

Please analyze the fourth stanza of "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" and show the figures of speech?

teardrop,

William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," 1804, is incredibly rich in language and resonates on so many levels through a subject of remembering. The fourth stanza reads as follows:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

The first thing one notices is the poem is in iambic tetrameter. It is a gentle melodic rhythm that parallels flowers swaying back and forth in the "breeze." The poem begins with "solitary life" in the first line, and ends with "company or a "group life" in the end. He moves from a single entity to a member of the natural world.

The flowers "flash" parallel "glistening," "golden", and "wealth," like something economic, making a deposit in the bank of one's mind reaping the reward after the initial experience is over.  They are money in the mind's bank.

The daffodils are personified as performing an aesthetic action for him, a "show" from the third stanza. The flowers are rooted firmly in the ground.  They are performing for him in the beginning and then with him in stanza four.

Flash--a form of fire completes the allusion to the four elements in the poem, earth, air, and water. The four stanzas are complete; it is a natural completeness in remembering an action performed by nature.

The poem works on repetition and variation.  Much is repeated and reiterated. Dance or a form of it is in every stanza. Most of the power of repetition lies in that he was in the same condition in the beginning as he was in the fourth stanza: "vacant" and "pensive" as in the first stanza when he was a will-less passive cloud. The flash is indirect, not directly to him, to the "inward eye" forcing him to relive the experience.

But notice that he relives the experience, in the fourth stanza, in the present tense. Three stanzas of the poem have been in the past tense, the fourth stanza is in a continual present, recapitulating the first three but in the present time.

The poem not only recounts but also dramatizes the working of the mind. And memory was one of Wordsworth's great themes and subjects. It also makes a statement about how memory works: unwilled and independent. And it does so in the last line with a telling and delightful use of alliteration and a particular emphasis on a preposition with. The word bridges the poet and the daffodils, receiving stress as a stressed syllable would in iambic verse.

At the time he didn't know what was happening to him, that's why he could "not but be gay" at the time. But in the aftermath he is delighted and his heart "fills with pleasure," a union with the flowers in the very end.

In this poem, the experience of seeing the flowers was weaker than the actual remembering of the flowers, which was so much stronger. People might have a sense of experience as the opposite, that in remembering, it is not as powerful as the original experience. But in this case, Wordsworth proves how powerful memory can be.

What is a summary of the poem "Ode to Autumn" by John Keats?

In stanza 1, the poet designates autumn as 'a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' which matures all fruits to their core with the friendly help of the sun. Typically sensuous Keatsian images of vine-creepers loaded with ripeness, the swelling goards & hazel nuts chracterise the season. The bees go on collecting more honey that overflows the hives.

In stanza 2, Autumn is personified as a winnower, a reaper, a gleaner & a cyder-presser as the seemingly unending ripening process of the season continues.

Stanza 3 deals with the sights & sounds of autumn. Keats's gift of pictorial imagery presents the magical beauty of an autumnal twilight. Autumn should not regret for the superiority of the vernal music, for the autumnal orchestration of the buzz of gnats, the bleating of lambs, the song of the grass-hoppers, of the robin redbreasts, and the twittering of the swallows has its own distinctiveness.

In "The Reader" why did Michael not tell the truth to the judge? And what did his father tell Michael concerning the matter?

Michael, after guessing about Hannah's secret, thought quite a bit about telling the judge.  At some level though, he wanted to respect Hanna's wishes.  For whatever illogical reason that Hannah wasn't telling, he didn't want to violate her decision to not tell.  The power to tell was in Hannah's hands, and she wasn't, so who was he to step in and take that power away from her? Ultimately, he put off telling the judge because he wanted to respect Hannah's wishes.  However, I feel that is a bit of a cover-up for him just being outright scared.  He was a bit of a coward, and ultimately just chickened out.

Michael's father advised him to talk to Hanna, to see if she wanted help, if he might be able to try to tell what was going on to someone.  He put it this way:

"One has to leave him the last word, but one must talk to him, to him and not to someone else behind his back."

Michael's father believed that you couldn't put what you thought best above what someone else thought best.  So, he advised talking to Hanna and seeing if he couldn't convince her that talking to the judge was best.  And, Michael tried to do that also, but chickened out.  So, Michael not only chickened out on telling the judge or someone else, but also on actually speaking to Hanna.  Part of the reason he was reticent to do so was because he didn't want to expose his relationship; in fact, he didn't give all of the details when he spoke with his father.  So, even in speaking to his father, he didn't give the full truth.  He was worried about what people might say or think of him--and Hanna--if their relationship was unveiled.  People would know that Hannah had been in a a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, and then his father would have known how he had lied so often during that time period.

So, there are lots of reasons that he justified his decision to not help:  fear of being exposed for his relationship with her, fear the exposure of the relationship would hurt rather than help her, and wanting to respect Hanna's wishes concerning the matter.  I hope that helps a bit; good luck!

Why does the Wedding-Guest fear the Ancient Mariner in Rime of the Ancient Mariner?

The Wedding-Guest fears the Ancient Mariner in Samuel Coleridges poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner for three reasons. The first is that (1) the Mariner grabbs the Wedding-Guest--a perfect strange--with his skinny hand and starts talking about "There was a ship." This is pretty spooky all by itself. The Wedding-Guest becomes really frightened when (2) the Mariner fixes him with a look from his "glittering eye."

The Mariner's "glittering eye" and correlated look are so awful that the Wedding-Guest stands stock still, unable to move. Finally, he is frightened because, even though he dearly wants to be at his relation's wedding and can plainly hear the bassoon begin to play the bridal march, (3) the Mariner "hath his will" and he is unable to move.

How is deep love between Jim and Deila portrayed in the story "The Gift of the Magi"?

O. Henry never goes into elaborate, flowery, romatic details on their emotions for one another.  There is nothing super cheesy or dramatic.  There are statements, simply put, here and there, that relay the depth of their emotions, but they are never overdone.  For example, O. Henry writes of Della's affections for Jim, that "Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him."  So, the time that she spent planning on getting him something, was a happy time; she loved him so much that her sacrifice for him was happiness.  Henry goes on, stating that Della wants to get  "something...worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim."  She feels Jim a very wonderful person, and to be owned by him is an honor.  So, those statements relay her depth of emotion.

For the most part however, O. Henry lets the actions of the characters portray the depth of their love for one another, rather than words.  Della is willing, with barely any hesitation, to sacrifice her most prized possession-her hair-to get something nice for Jim.  And Jim, is likewise willing to sacrifice his precious watch for her.  It is not that they want to show off how wealthy they are, but that they want to give a token of the depth of their love.  So, O. Henry shows the depth of their emotion through the great sacrifice that the two characters make.  They show their love in action and selflessness.

In chapters 32 to 33 of "Great Expectations," what happens when Pip and Estella drive by the prison?What are their reactions? And why are they...

Having parents who were sent to debtors' prison and having spent time there himself, Dickens often writes into his narratives scenes that express his repulsion for them.  Also, since he perceived society as a type of prison and deplored many of the conditions existant in Victorian England, Charles Dickens wished to expose these conditions to his readers.

In addition, the prison/criminal motif runs throughout "Great Expectations."  On the marshes as a child, Pip often heard the canon of the Hulk; of course, he encounters prisoners there on the marshes and helps one rid himself of the leg irons with a file. At Mr. Jaggers's residence he meets Molly who serves the young gentlemen their dinners. Thus, Pip's visit to this prison carries the motif through the narrative as well as foreshadowing more encounters of Pip with criminals.

In Chapter 32 Pip arrives in London in order to pick up Estella at the coach, for she is arriving in order to be in Richmond where she will live with a wealthy woman.  When Pip stops to visit Wemmick, Mr. Jaggers's clerk informs him that he is on his way to the infamous Newgate prison where Mr. Jaggers has been hired by a robber.  When Pip asks if the man is guilty, Wemmick replies, "Bless your soul and body, no....But he is accused of it."  Here Dickens suggests again the injustice of the legal system in England, a common motif of his. 

As Pip and Wemmick traverse the dusty, grimy prison, Pip likens Wemmick's walking among the inmates as a gardener in a conservatory walking up and down, tending plants and removing those that are dying--like the Colonel sentenced to die on Monday.  Once out of the prison, Pip feels contaminated and wishes he had not gone as he thinks of the beautiful Estella whom he soon will meet:

So contaminated did I feel, remembering who was coming, that the coach came quickly after all, and I was not yet free from the soiling consciousness of Mr. Wemmick's conservatory when I saw her face at the coach window and her hand waving to me.

Then, in great situational irony, Pip remarks,

What was the nameless shadow which again in that one instant had passed?

Of course, the irony is that Pip believes Estella to be above reproach in name and reputation when, in actuality, she is the child of two criminals herself, and, thus, no true lady.  But, in the opening lines of the next chapter, to Pip, Estella seems more delicately beautiful than ever before with an even more winning manner.  After they dine, Pip and Estella near Newgate. When Estella asks what place this is and Pip replies, she shudders and remarks, "Wretches."  Yet, as they near a sudden glare from a gaslight, Pip has that inexplicable feeing that he experienced in Chapter 32.  However, he shakes it off as he takes her to Richmond and bids good-bye.

What foreshadowing is shown in the LAST chapters of The Scarlet Letter?Mainly on characters: Pearl, Mistress Hibbins, And Dimmesdale

The last chapters of the novel foreshadow how the novel will end. In Chapter 20, Dimmesdale is confronted by Mistress Hibbins, then Chillingworth. Mistress Hibbins lets him know his decision to run away from his sin will cost him his soul. “But at midnight, and in the forest, we shall have other talk together. “ Later, when he is talking to Chillingworth, Dimmesdale says, “I hardly think to tarry with my flock through the fitting seasons of another year,” foreshadowing his death at the end of the novel. In Chapter 22, Hester watches Dimmesdale take in the procession. As she watches, she feels “…a dreary influence come over her.” This foreshadows the unhappy ending of the novel.

Mistress Hibbins is also an example of foreshadowing. People view her as a “witch;” therefore they avoid her at all costs. She speaks to Hester, asking her questions about her time in the forest with Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester is taken aback because she thought no one saw her with the Reverend in the forest. Mistress Hibbins says, “…he (the Black Man) hath a way of ordering matters so that the mark shall be disclosed in open daylight to all the world.” This foreshadows Dimmesdale’s revelation of his sin on the scaffold in front of the entire community.

In Chapter 21, the author is describing Hester and Pearl as they attend the holiday. Pearl is, of course, wearing finery sewn by her mother. However, Pearl shows that she is aware today is not just any day. “On this eventful day, there was a singular inquietude and excitement in her mood.” Pearl foreshadows the dark end of the novel in Chapter 22 when she sees the minister and asks, “Else I would have run to him, and bid him kiss me now, before all the people…” Pearl’s words show the reader that in the end, Dimmesdale must accept her openly and admit his sin.

Miss Maudie and Atticus seem to know each other very well and act very jokingly around one another. What is the significance of this?

I agree with sreule's answer. Miss Maudie characterizes the truth for the reader when the lines between truth and gossip get fuzzy. In the movie version of this book, the relationship between Miss Maudie and Atticus takes on a "romantic" twist, but the book never reveals this type of relationship to the reader. At times Miss Maudie's dialogue provides a humorous break in the story.  Maudie is a wit and a dramatic foil in the book. Without her, the story would be heavier and perhaps harder to take as the story progresses.   When tragedy strikes Miss Maudie in the house-fire, she does not become bitter, but she looks forward to a new, smaller house and a bigger yard for her flowers.

I believe that the relationship between Miss Maudie and Atticus is one of complete trust and friendship that grows over a long time.  At one time, maybe in high school, Atticus and Maudie may have been sweethearts, but that time has long past, and they are revealed as good friends.  The level of "knowing" between Maudie and Atticus goes beyond words.

Miss Maudie is "different" and like Atticus very smart and intellectual. She can be counted on to stand in for Atticus regarding his children. And, it may be because of the children that we don't know more about their relationship. If there were a romantic liason between the two of them, we don't know because Atticus believed in protecting his children from unnecessary hurts and in discression.

In "The Importance of Being Earnest", what does Jack have written on his calling card?what does jack have written on his card

"Mr Ernest Worthing, B.4 The Albany, W." is written on his cards.  Not only does Algy have one of them in the first act, he produces it to the Cecily's Merriman when he first arrives in the country.  He wants Cecily to think that he is the crazy and out of control brother of Jack.  So in Act I Algy reads it aloud, and in Act II Cecily reads it aloud.

How did Montressor prove his membership in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

One curious thing about this episode is the fact that Montresor happens to have a trowel under his cloak. Was he expecting to meet Fortunato that evening? If so, why? Or did he always carry the trowel under his cloak in case he should meet Fortunato and be able to lure him back to his palazzo?

Montresor had the building materials prepared in front of the niche where he planned to wall up Fortunato, but evidently he didn't want to leave the trowel with the stones and mortar because, as he repeatedly pointed out to Fortunato, it was extremely damp down there. They were actually under a river, and water kept dripping down on the bones that were piled over the stones and mortar. This was necessary for the plot because the water kept the mortar fresh. Otherwise it would have turned into something as hard as cement. Poe wanted to expedite the action and not have to make Montresor mix mortar. He couldn't leave the trowel with the building materials because it would have rusted. Poe didn't want to have him leave it in his house because there would have been an awkward time lag while he went to get his trowel.

The wall is constructed with surprising quickness. Poe interrupts the building process to describe Fortunato's actions inside the niche, his screams, his pleas, etc., in order to avoid a long, dull description of building a stone wall--which in reality should take a couple of hours, especially since Montresor could not be an experienced stone mason.

What is Nick's response to what he learns at lunch about Gatsby in the fourth chapter of The Great Gatsby?Please use quotes from the novel.

Hmmmmm, I would say that Nick learns a lot more about Gatsby in the car ride to lunch as opposed to the actual lunch itself.  In fact, the only things Nick learns at lunch is that Wolfsheim also knows that Gatsby was educated at "Oggsford" and that Gatsby is close enough to Wolfsheim to know that he fixed the 1919 World Series. 

The meat of the learning happens on the way to lunch while Gatsby and Nick are driving to town.  Gatsby begins to reveal "God's truth" of his story (65).  He was born to wealthy parents in San Francisco (which Gatsby calls the Middle West).  Gatsby confirms that his parents have passed on, that he was educated at Oxford, and inherited his family's wealth.  Nick's reaction here is interesting:

He looked at me sideways--and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying.  He hurried the phrase "educated at Oxford," or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before.  And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces, and I wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him, after all. (65)

In other words, Nick doesn't really believe a word that Gatsby is saying here.  As readers, we already know that Gatsby lives in West Egg (not in East Egg), therefore he couldn't have "inherited" his money.  We also know that San Francisco is never considered the Midwest.  Other than these few facts, we have to simply observe Nick and decide for ourselves who we believe.

Now, when Gatsby explains further that he has "come into a great deal of money," Nick says that he "suspected that Gatsby was pulling my leg, but a glance at him convinced me otherwise" (66).  Perhaps Gatsby is better at body language than wording.  (However "come into" money does not necessarily mean "inherited" it, you know.) 

Nick learns that Gatsby has lived in many of the cities of Europe, participating in extravagant activities such as ruby collecting and painting.  Here, again, Nick's reaction is interesting:

With an effort I managed to restrain my incredulous laughter.  The very phrases were worn so threadbare that they evoked no image except that of a turbaned "character" leaking sawdust at every pore as he pursued a tiger through Bois de Boulogne. (66)

Again, Nick realizes that this is all staged and doesn't believe a word of it.  Gatsby, it seems, isn't a very good liar.

Despite all of this, Gatsby was hoping to die in World War I because of a sad experience he was hoping to forget.  Gatsby later reveals that this "experience" through Jordan as the loss of Daisy.  Gatsby fought bravely and was decorated for valor.  With Gatsby's aggrandisement of "little Montenegro," Nick has a tiny change in feeling:

My incredulity was submerged in fascination now; it was like skimming hastily through a dozen magazines. (67)

What is important here is that when the proof becomes physical, Nick begins to believe Gatsby.  For example, when Gatsby shows Nick his medal, Nick says "to my astonishment, the thing had an authentic look" (67).  Further, Nick is totally taken in when he is given an Oxford photo of Gatsby holding a cricket bat.  Nick says, "Then it was all true."  Thus, Gatsby has gained a true believer all because of a medal and a photograph!

In fact, it is precisely this car ride and conversation where we, as readers, have to decide whether Nick is a reliable narrator or not.  (Ironically, readers can prove that either way.)

(3+5)2

In order to find the answer to this problem, you need to understand what we call the order of operations.  When you are presented with different operations, you must know what order in which to do them.  If people solved math problems by doing different operations in different orders, they would all get different answers, not a good result. 

The order of operations is as follows:

Parentheses

Exponents

Multiplication

Division

Addition

Subtraction

This means that when presented with these choices, you do the operations in exactly that order.  We have a sentence that helps us to remember the order of operations:

      Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

This sentence has words with begin with the same letters as the operations, in just the right order.  That is called a mnemonic device, which helps us to keep the information in our minds. 

Now, your problem has parentheses in it, and whatever is in parentheses must be done first.   All you need to do is add the numbers in parentheses and then multiply the result times two.  You will then have done your problem in the correct order of operations. 

Ray must go pick up J.D. Salinger and "ease his pain." Why does this seem impossible, and what are the problems Ray must overcome to get Salinger?

The premise of having to "ease Salinger's pain" is challenging, to say the least.  One reason why this is so difficult is that the message is so very vague.  At the time, Ray only assumes that it is Salinger's pain and has very little evidence with which to work.  He knows of Salinger's love of baseball and the impact the closing of Polo Grounds had on him, but there is little other substantial evidence to indicate that Salinger is in pain. This is enhanced when Salinger claims to not have any pain.  In fact, little seems to suggest that Salinger is in much pain other than his desire to no longer write.  We perceive, like Ray, that something agonizes him, but it is hard to "ease his pain," when it cannot be clearly identified.  The magical realist style of the work prevents any clear delineation of this.  In terms of the challenges Ray has to face in bringing Salinger into his fold, the fake kidnapping, travelling across country, and convincing Salinger of the authenticity of his beliefs are the major challenges Ray has in this realm.  In a larger sense, the notion of "ease his pain," is a theme that can actually apply to many others in the novel.  Obviously, Shoeless Joe and the banished White Sox players, Moonlight Graham, as well as Richard and John, and the notion of Cubs fans in general can be but a few of the sources whose pain need to be eased along with, if applicable, Salinger's.  It is interesting to note that Kinsella identified Chicago sports teams as ones who pain needs to be eased.  Only at 2005, when the White Sox won the World Series, was their pain healed.  As for the Cubs, Kinsella knows that their pain is still yearning to be healed.

In chapter 11, who or what is the tortoise? What is the purpose of this story?

The story of the tortoise is a fable, one of two traditional Nigerian stories presented by Achebe in the novel (the other being the story of the mosquito). On the surface, it fulfills a standard role of the fable, explaining a natural phenomenon. In this case, it explains why the tortoise has a cracked shell. In the fable, the tortoise is a great speaker who convinces the birds to take him along. He tells every one to take a new name for the feast, choosing the name “All of you” for himself. The men in the sky declared they had prepared the feast for “all of you” (meaning all of the birds). But since that was the name Tortoise had chosen, he ate the best portions of food and drank two pots of palm wine. The birds only got the leftovers. They were very angry and left Tortoise in the sky without wings to fly. Tortoise sent a message with Parrot asking his wife to put soft things around his home so he could fall and land safely. However, Parrot  told Tortoise’s wife to put hard things around their home. When Tortoise jumped from the sky, he crashed. He did not die, but his shell broke into pieces and a great medicine man had to mend his shell.

However, the story may also be read as an allegory of resistance. Tortoise may be seen as an invading country, and the birds the colonized people. While Tortoise uses language to deceive the birds, Parrot uses language to deceive Tortoise. This is similar to the conversations between the missionaries and the villagers of Umuofia. Both use language to entrap the other. The conflict in the fable is resolved when Tortoise falls upon his own weapons. Achebe may be indicating that both language and war are necessary for oppressed people to resist domination.

Describe the idea of the American Dream in "A Raisin in the Sun". How does that dream differ from Beneatha to Walter to Mama? Why?

Good question. When the play opens, The American Dream differs for each member of the Younger family because each one has different dreams forged from their life experiences.However, by the end of the play, all three characters see the American Dream as keeping the family together and having the self-respect to stand up for one another.

For Mama, success means keeping the family together and having a safe place to live. Mama, of course, is older than her children, and has experienced more losses in his life--the death of a baby, the inability to move up the social ladder because of race, and finally, the death of "Big Walter". She has come to realize that the only real success in life can come from her family. She has also come to believe that her ways are the best ways. Because of this, she has kept control of the family. She expresses this control when Beneatha says "There is no God" and Mama forces her to recant. She also is unwilling to invest in a liquor store, even though she knows it will fulfill her son's dream. When threatened with the loss of her family, she gives control of the remaining money and the family's future to Walter. Although Walter stumbles at first, he finally becomes the type of man she wants him to be.

One the other hand, Walter's dreams have been forged largely because he sees himself as a failure. He is married and has a child, yet he still lives with his mother and sister. He sees his mother and his wife ignoring his pleas to try to become independent. However, after losing the money for the liquor store, he learns how to really be independent when he turns down Mr. Linder's offer. He discovers that the American dream also revolves around self-respect and family.

Beneatha's dreams at first seem rather lofty and admirable. She wants to be a doctor, something rare for an African American woman of her time. However, at the beginning of the play, she is so wrapped up in her own dreams that she fails to see the needs of others. When Ruth announces she is pregnant, Beneatha's only question is "Where will he[ the baby] sleep?" She is filled with self-pity after Walter loses the money for her education. It takes an outsider, Joseph Asagai, to remind her that the money was never hers to begin with. With that reminder, and with Asagai's proposal, Beneatha begins to realize that her success may not depend upon some kind of outward achievement but with her future with Asagai. Like Mama and Walter, she, too, begins to see the value of family and the importance of keeping her family together.