"He shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. I thought I picked out the word 'overreaction'." This is in Chapter 24 ("An Impasse"),...

At this point in "Twilight," Bella is in the hospital because of her encounter with James at the dance studio.  Edward saves her, but her body is broken and bruised.  Edward and Bella are discussing her mother's offer, to Bella, of moving to Florida.  Edward tells Bella he is surprised that she declined and still wants to return to Forks.  Bella says she wouldn't live in Florida, because Edward wouldn't be able to go outside until the night time.  It is always sunny in Florida, and his skin would keep him from going outside.  Edward responds to her that he wouldn't move to Florida.  He would remain in Forks or somewhere similar to Forks.  He explained, "Someplace where I couldn't hurt you anymore."

At this statement Bella begins to freak out.  Her heart rate jumps, and she feels emotional pain that is stronger than any of the pain caused from her injuries.  The nurse comes in, assumes that Bella's pain is from her injuries and tries to give her more pain medication.  Bella refuses.  The nurse leaves the room, and Edward immediately tries to calm Bella down.  She begins to beg him not to leave her and makes him swear that he will remain with her. 

After Edward promises to say as long as she needs him she begins to calm down. 

"'Better?' He asks."

"'Yes,' I said cautiously."

"He shook his head and muttered something unintelligible.  I thought I picked our the word ' overreaction."

"Why did you say that?' I whispered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. Are you tired of having to save me all the time? Do you want me to go away?'"

The "overreaction" that Edward was probably commenting on was the way Bella's physical reaction to his statement of not moving to Florida and not hurting her anymore affected her.  Edward is constantly amazed at the things that upset Bella and the things that don't.  He may have said something on the lines of "Why is she always overreacting?"

Bella and Edward have a complicated relationship and often Edward makes remarks that seem out of place to her, because he comes from a different period in time.  He is so Victorian in his moral stance and his value system that this often causes confusion.

Hope this helps.

According to Haemon, what "report spreads through the darkness?"

According to Haemon, the reports that spread through the darkness are the people's belief that Antigone committed no crime when she buried her brother Polyneices.  Haemon is trying to tell his father that the people disagree with his ruling to put her to death.  His message should carry more weight with Creon, because he claims to be punishing Antigone so as not to allow chaos to erupt in the city.  Since Polyneices was declared a traitor, Creon believes that he has the right to punish him even after he is dead.

"When Creon orders Polyneices left unburied, Antigone felt she was acting according to the "unwritten laws" of Zeus by burying him. To her, all dead should have the honor of burial, no matter what they did in life, and she felt she was justified in fulfilling this custom and obeying the law of Zeus."

He pleads with his father to understand that Antigone is only doing what is natural and normal and required by the gods.  She is following the traditions of their religious beliefs.

In decreeing that Polyneices shall remain unburied, Creon takes too much authority, he is being arrogant and prideful in his declaration of absolute power over not only the living but the dead.  He wants to damn the man's soul, and he has no authority to do this, and Antigone knows it.

"For the dread of thy frown forbids the citizen to speak such words as would offend thine ear; but can hear these murmurs in the dark, these moanings of the city for this maiden; 'no woman,' they say, 'ever merited her doom less,-none ever was to die so shamefully for deeds so glorious as hers; who, when her own brother had fallen in bloody strife, would not leave him unburied, to be devoured by carrion dogs, or by any bird:-deserves not she the meed of golden honour?'" (Sophocles)

In "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest," what does McMurphy see Nurse Ratched transform into? What is unusual about McMurphy?

Are you asking in a figurative or literal sense?

The end sees the dreaded Nurse Ratched brought down. Her new uniform shows off her large breasts and her power (namely, her terror and authority over the inmates) taken away.

What is unusual about McMurphy? Several things, the chief being is that he may not actually be crazy. He is not like the other inmates in that he goes against the rules whenever he can. He fights and undermines the nurse at every turn, but he does not actually see Ratched's final transformation, as that happens after his lobotomy and death. He does strike several blows against her authority throughout the course of the novel.

In chapter one of "The Great Gatsby," Nick asks Daisy about her daughter. What does Daisy say?

Nick has shared dinner with Daisy and Tom.  Jordan Baker is also at the dinner.  Tom has had a call from his "mistress" and this has upset Daisy.  While walking into the house Nick attempts to ask a question that will calm things down.  He inquires about Daisy's little girl and Daisy responds,

"It'll show you how I've gotten to fee about - things.  Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was god knows where.  I woke up of of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl.  She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl.  and I hope she'll be a fool -  that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautifu little fool." (pg 21)

How does Chick Benetto change from the beginning to the end of the story For One More Day by Mitch Albom?

At the beginning of the story For One More Day, Chick Benetto is so filled with self-loathing and despair that he wants nothing more than to kill himself.  Tormented all his life by an absent father who forced him to choose between being "mama's boy or daddy's boy", Chick, desperate for his father's love, made all the wrong choices, alientating family and friends and hurting over and over the mother who loved him without conditions.  At the beginning of the book, Chick has reached the lowest point in his life.  His only daughter has gotten married and has informed him of the wedding after the fact.  She had not invited him to this important event in her life; ashamed of his drunkenness and instability, she had not wanted him there.

By the end of the story, Chick has discovered the insight and the courage to forgive himself for his shortcomings.  He has tried to kill himself twice, first jumping from a water tower and then driving his car at a high speed in the wrong direction on the freeway, and has failed both times.  While he lies injured after crashing his car, Chick has an inexplicable, perhaps supernatural experience.  He is allowed to spend one more day with his mother, who reveals to him secrets she never shared with him during her lifetime.

During the time he spends with his mother, Chick relives all the times she stood up for him, as well as all the times he did not stand up for her.  He faces the source of his guilt head-on, and begins to understand the influence his father had on his decisions.  Chick's behavior especially towards his mother was consistently unfeeling and cruel during her life, and for that he takes responsibility, but his mother helps him understand his motivations by finally sharing with him the fact that his father was a bigamist who lived a lie and essentially hurt everyone who loved him in his life.  Through the experience of his mother's unconditional love for one more day, Chick is able to forgive his father and himself and let go of his guilt.  He spends the remaining years of his life reestablishing broken relationships, trying as best he can "to make things right again with those (he) love(s)".

Discuss:"The scene is memory and is therefore non-realistic". But "memory is seated predominantly in the heart". How does it relate to the characters?

In his "Production Notes" to the play "The Glass Menagerie" Tennessee Williams states that his play is a "memory play" and that it "can be presented with unusual freedom of convention." This is because, the entire play is actually a flashback of past events in the life of Tom the son of Amanda and the brother of Laura, who in the closing lines of the play remarks, "Oh Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be!"meaning that however much he tried to forget her after he had run away from home he couldn't. In fact, the entire play could be understood as an attempt by Tom to exorcise the unpleasant memories of his domineering mother and discontented domestic life in the Wingfield Apartments.

In the same "Production Notes" Tennessee Williams expresses his dissatisfaction with "the straight realistic play" and emphasizes "the unimportance of the photographic in art." He asserts that "expressionism and all other unconventional techniques" are more appropriate means of "attempting to find a closer approach, a more penetrating  and vivid expression of things as they are."

These remarks of Tennessee Williams help us to understand the importance of the stage directions at the beginning of Scene 1, :"the scene is memory .......dim and poetic." A person cannot remember every minute detail of his past. He can only remember what affected him deeply and intensely and that too only in a random manner. "The emotional value" that a person's memory attaches to the several incidents in his or her life determines how it will be remembered and for how long it will be remembered by that person. Tom hates his mother and so he is able to dramatise very vividly the scenes in which he quarrels with her. Similarly, his affection for Laura prevents him from being able to forget her completely. That is why Tennessee Williams says, "memory is seated predominantly in the heart."

Who is Mr Wickham?

mimine1996,

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is one of the most often read novels in English high school classes. The novel offers timeless themes and subjects, and reveals a very static society fixed in social class, gender identity, and familial relationships.

The character of George Wickham is an old acquaintance of Mr. Darcy, and an officer in the army unit stationed near Meryton. A topically charming person, he forms a friendship with Elizabeth Bennet, prompting many to remark upon his suitability as a potential husband.

Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself; and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on its being a wet night, and on the probability of a rainy season, made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker. (Chapter 16)

He spreads numerous tales about the wrongs Mr. Darcy has done to him, obscuring the popular perception of the other man in local society; it is eventually revealed that these tales are distortions.

She perfectly remembered every thing that had passed in conversation between Wickham and herself in their first evening at Mr. Philips's. Many of his expressions were still fresh in her memory. She was now struck with the impropriety of such communications to a stranger, and wondered it had escaped her before. She saw the indelicacy of putting himself forward as he had done, and the inconsistency of his professions with his conduct. She remembered that he had boasted of having no fear of seeing Mr. Darcy -- that Mr. Darcy might leave the country, but that heshould standhis ground; yet he had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week. She remembered also, that till the Netherfield family had quitted the country, he had told his story to no one but herself; but that after their removal, it had been every where discussed; that he had then no reserves, no scruples in sinking Mr. Darcy's character, though he had assured her that respect for the father would always prevent his exposing the son. (Chapter 36)

And, Mr. Darcy was the more wronged man in their acquaintance. Mr. Wickham had fled from debts further impuning his reputation.

With respect to Wickham, the travellers soon found that hewas not held there in much estimation; for though the chief of his concerns with the son of his patron were imperfectly understood, it was yet a well known fact that on his quitting Derbyshirehe had left many debts behind him, which Mr. Darcy afterwards discharged. (Chapter 44)

The character is a main character in Austen's work.  It is probably used as a foil to better highlight the characters of others.

What are the implications for instruction if effective writing requires planning?

For me, there is no "if."  Effective writing does involve planning, and the implications for instruction are many.  When we teach writing, we teach it as a process, not simply as a product. Most instructors explain writing as a series of stages, and recursive stages at that.  In order to get to effective writing, the stages create a kind of scaffolding process. Traditionally, most teachers required students to create outlines before they proceeded to write, but today we know that there is even more to the process than that. We can look at some of the specific implications in the classroom.

Freewriting is a legitimate activity for the classroom, a warming up exercise, an activity from which meaning might emerge from chaos. Students need not plan at this stage, but this is a valuable way to get students going.

From freewriting and/or brainstorming, ideas will emerge, at least I hope so! This is the stage at which some planning must occur.  Does the idea need to be limited or expanded?  What can the student say to support the idea?  Is research necessary?  What kind of research? This all involves making some plans.

Once an idea is refined, the student needs to be able to articulate what points he or she wishes to make to explain, support, categorize, compare and contrast, or persuade.  At this stage of planning, an outline is a handy tool, but since many students have "outlinephobia," I often talk about making lists of points.  The outline is not a sacred tool.

A draft comes next, of course, based upon the plans that the student has made.  At this point, writing becomes a strongly recursive process, since a draft might result in going back to the drawing board, doing research, pursuing what appeared to be a byway originally, and so on.

From the draft stage on, an emphasis on revision is central to instruction.  There is a wonderful chapter in Anne Lamont's book, Bird by Bird, which is entitled "Shitty First Drafts."  I have shared bits and pieces of that chapter with my students, as well as providing them with examples of famous writers' drafts.

Even the best and the brightest of us cannot write effectively without planning, and it is up to the instructor to model and facilitate this process.  I frequently assign myself a paper and share my planning with my students, hoping they will see that even the teacher needs to brainstorm, plan, and revise.

In "Contents of a Dead Mans Pocket" what is the theme?

The author of "Contents of the Dead Man's Pockets" noted how materialism grew in the 1950's after World War II, and he became disturbed by how much the drive for material success and for possessions was absorbing people. Consequently, Finney's protagonists find themselves trapped in the modern, technological world and return to their families and a more natural and simpler life.

In his rather long story, Finney illustrates how Tom Benecke loses sight of what really matters in his life as he stresses his advancement in business to the exclusion of his wife and their married life. Tom is so obsessed with gaining a promotion that when all his data which he has collected for weeks wafts out his eleventh story window, he steps out onto the ledge of the apartment building and risks death in order to retrieve it. Unfortunately, while he is out there, the window he has opened slams shut. 

It would be four hours before she could possibly be home, and he tried to picture himself kneeling out her, fingertips hooked to these narrow strippings....

Tom knows he cannot wait until Tom's wife Clare returns home. It will be too late. When he realizes that he could die out there, Tom thinks about his "wasted life." Finally, he is able to break the window and enter his apartment. Tom knows now that "the most important things in life are not things." This theme is at the heart of the story. The material object has no value unless you give it to someone. This is truly a theme.

In The Pearl, what the writer mean by the phrases "hissed at her like a snake" and "like a sheep before the butcher"?What is Kino's state of mind...

The writer is using similes to describe the interaction between Kino and his wife Juana in this scene.  Kino, consumed by rage, has just struck and kicked Juana, and as she lies on the sand, he makes a threatening noise at her that is like the "hissing" of a snake.  He is actually like a snake at this moment, deadly.  Juana, on her part, does not fight back.  She stares at her husband as he stands over her "with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before the butcher".  Having done her part to try and rid them of the evil she sees threatening them, she is completely submissive, and will accept whatever punishment Kino gives her without protest (Chapter 5).

Juana recognizes that the pearl that Kino has found will only bring them trouble in their lives.  She had told him earlier, "this pearl is evil.  Let us destroy it before it destroys us" (Chapter 4).  Kino, however, is determined to secure the riches he envisions by selling the pearl, and feels that he is up to facing whatever obstacles might come in his way.  Already possessed by the sins of pride and greed, his eyes glow "fiercely and his muscles (harden)...his will harden(s)", and he declares, "no one shall take our good fortune from us".  His face grows "crafty" as he insists, "I am a man", believing that that fact in itself will be enough to protect him from what is to come.

Juana, in her wisdom, is still afraid.  She knows that being "a man" may not be enough; Kino is not indestructible, and might well be killed.  Juana makes one attempt to to save them from the forces she believes will be their undoing; in the dead of night, she takes the pearl and attempts to throw it back into the sea.  Kino stops her however, and she submits meekly to the punishment he metes out.  The pearl is already exerting its evil influence.  Kino in his rage becomes like a beast, threatening and deadly like a snake, while Juana awaits like a sacrificial lamb that he would destroy in order to achieve material wealth (Chapter 5).

How does Austen use irony to shape the main theme of appearance versus reality in Pride and Prejudice?

Irony in literature can be situational, dramatic or verbal. Irony is the occurrence of a statement or situation that opposes what is expected. For instance, Elizabeth Bennet visiting Pemberley when Darcy rides up is situational irony.  Jane Austen saying that it is well known that wealthy bachelors are in need of wives is verbal irony.  If the reader knew the truth about Wickham before Elizabeth did (we of course do not), this would be dramatic irony in which the reader knows more than the characters.

The main theme of Pride and Prejudice is denoted by the title and is...pride and prejudice. These are internal states of being, attitudes and beliefs. Pride and prejudice are related to appearance and reality, however appearances and reality are external elements to be observed and perceived and are not internal states, beliefs or attitudes. Opposition between appearance and reality can be created by many different states of being, attitudes and beliefs.

Having said this, Austen uses irony to shape the adjacent theme of appearance versus reality through narratorial comment, character perception and ironic situations. Austen uses narratorial comment for stating verbal ironies that point out the idea of appearances being in opposition to reality. For instance, her opening line indicates that society in small towns sees newly introduced bachelors as fitting suitors for unwed daughters, whereas in reality said bachelors may have rather different objectives in mind altogether.

Austen uses character perception to build the theme of appearance versus reality. A prime example is Elizabeth's belief in the appearance of Wickham's veracity, whereas time reveals a shockingly different reality relating to Wickham. Austen employs ironic situations for building this theme as in the situation in which Mr. Bennet permits Lydia to go to Brighton convinced that she will be kept safe and that the trip will rid her of some of her immaturity. Of course, the opposite of Mr. Bennet's expectations occurs.

Discuss the relevance of "The Playboy of the Western World" today.

One way of approaching this is by considering the modern cult of celebrity and fame. Although the setting is a small rural community, when Christy arrives in it he becomes a figure of intense interest and attraction for the locals. He in turn is seduced by his 'fame' and learns how to exploit it through his stories and language. Of course it is all based on perception rather than reality and in the community's desperate desire to believe in the narrative of this special one who has arrived among them. There is even a fan base among the women characters and competition for Christy's attention, so it's not stretching things, in my opinion, to see a very modern parable in the play because reality, as usual, comes crashing through in the end.

How do you unblock all websites at school?

The safest way to unblock a website at school is to go to your system technology administrator and have them request the website be unblocked for you.

There are so many blocked websites that what students are able to access via the web is very limited.

I personally would not try to go around the block on my own because that might create problems for you regarding your employment.  Two teachers in my school district have been fired over Internet use.  I think it is crazy to fire one teacher when there are students, janitors, and administrators who have passwords to the computers.  Just don't leave yourself open to any possible problems.

What are the detailed steps for a muscle contraction?in as much detail

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(a)Muscle contraction is starting from central nervous system, by brain or spinal cord.

(b)A motor neuron in the spinal cord is activated, and an action potential passes outward in a ventral root of the spinal cord.

(c)The axon branches to supply a number of muscle fibers called a motor unit, and the action potential is conveyed to a motor end plate on each muscle fiber.

(d) At the motor end plate, the action potential causes the release of packets or quanta of acetylcholine into the synaptic clefts on the surface of the muscle fiber.

(e) Acetylcholine causes the electrical resting potential under the motor end plate to change, and this then initiates an action potential which passes in both directions along the surface of the muscle fiber.

(f)At the opening of each transverse tubule onto the muscle fiber surface, the action potential spreads inside the muscle fiber.

(g)At each point where a transverse tubule touches part of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, it causes the sarcoplasmic reticulum to release Ca++ ions.

(h)The calcium ions result in movement of troponin and tropomyosin on their thin filaments, and this enables the myosin molecule heads to "grab and swivel" their way along the thin filament. This is the driving force of muscle contraction.

what is the compare and contrast of the transformation of alfred doolittle into a gentleman with eliza's transfromation into a lady?

Through her transformation, Eliza becomes much more than a lady.  When she makes a stand against Higgins's intolerable behavior, she is transformed into an independent woman that Higgins can admire.  In contrast, when Alfred Doolittle transforms into a gentleman, he becomes a victim of the "middle-class morality" that he is so detests.  He is miserable with his riches because he must adhere to a social creed that he doesn't believe in.  His transformation traps in an undesirable life; Eliza's transformation frees her from her previously undesirable life as a flower girl.

Why did Willy expect Biff to amount to so much more than he has?

Willy based his expectations of Biff on Biff's "personal attractiveness."  In Willy's view of the world, personality is the key to success, and Biff's early success in life as an athlete and a leader on his sports team show Willy that Biff has what it takes to succeed, no matter what he knows.

The antithesis to Biff is Bernard.  Bernard has no personal attractiveness, but he does work hard and turns out to be a great success, arguing a case before the Supreme Court.  Willie predicted that Bernard would never amount to anything because he didn't have the "personal attractiveness" that Biff had.

How does camellia symbolize trust in To Kill A Mockingbird? And what other things does the flower symbolize?

okay first of all, the old lady is not all bad.

the readings(jem's punishment) were for old lady's "sucessfull" battle against her addiction.

and altough she represent all the bad thing in maycomb:she is unforgivably racist, raining curses on the children and denigrating Atticus for representing a black man.

the readings helped her slought off her mortal persona, one that is racist and irritable

and who told jem to read to the old lady? yes, atticus finch, his pure soul that is attributed to everyone is represented by the "white" of the flower.(attiucus's "purity" is attributed by his "real courage")

and trust, i think it represents trust bc jem doesnt know what "true courage is"  (atticus knows what it is, and he attributes it to the old lady, by the chosen punishment)  and even jem doesnt accept the flower, because he's not thinking how "u" are right now, he still maturing, he's got  no glue; and the flower has no meaning for him. but the old lady trust's in him to be "brave" and "determined" to accept thier is good and bad within everyone even in the old lady(Mrs. Dubose).

oh and the fact that it is a flower from her soposedly"detroyed bush" means nothing can detroy what it represents.

Why is "Kubla Khan" called a fragment?

Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan is called a 'fragment' primarily bacause the poet himself chose to call it a fragment of a fuller composition in a state of dream, an account of which was supplied in a prefatory note to the piece on its publication in 1816, some nineteen years after its so-called mysterious genesis. The issue has been strongly debated ever since, and though the poem shows some elements of dream and a somewhat abrupt end, it is still simplistic to call it a fragment for it does not show any incoherence of construction or illogicality of thought. The centrality of the image of Kubla's 'pleasure-dome' through all the three stanzas of the poem holding the thought-process metaphorically together, Coleridge's natural-supernatural imagery, the thematic link between the two sections inspite of the geographical switch from Kubla's earthly paradise in section 1 to the song of the Abyssinian maid, & the poem culminating into a dicourse on the ontology of poetry rather suggest that by calling Kubla Khan a 'vision in a dream, a fragment', Coleridge palyed into the hands of critics.

Why did James bite Bella at the end of the movie?It's like he bit her to make it burn.

At the end of the book (and the movie as well) the vampire bites Bella, meaning to kill her and lure the Cullens into fighting him. However, Edward arrives in time to prevent James from killing Bella; instead he just manages to bite her hand. According to the book, when a vampire bites but does not drink all of a person's blood, then the venom from their bite spreads throughout the victim's body and turns them into a vampire. This is a painful process, and it burns like fire through the person's veins. When James bites her, this process begins to happen to Bella. In order to make it stop, Edward must suck the venom from James' bite out, and yet stop in time before he drinks too much of Bella's blood which would kill her. Somehow Edward finds the strength to stop, and Bella survives and remains human. 

Is "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" a psychological case study and therefore not true fiction, or does the story use psychology?

wensypalma20,

Bierce's "An Occurrence at owl Creek Bridge" has a very clear and important theme: We can think about an entire lifetime of thoughts in our mind while in reality only a fraction of a second has gone by. This is the central idea played out through the backdrop of the Civil War.

Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" contrasts the real passage of time with our human perception of time. It is centered in the consciousness of the central character,  Payton Farquhar, except for the dramatically rendered section beginning with paragraph 8. Also, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a wonderful suspense story, because as the narrator moves into Farquhar’s mind the reader is led to believe, at least temporarily, in the details of the escape. The story is therefore a virtuoso piece in the use of point of view.

The story takes place in northern Alabama during the Civil War. Union forces are in control and martial law prevails. There are no civil rights for enemies of the Union, and no trials beyond those of a military court. From Section II, we infer that Farquhar, almost literally the only character, was lured or even entrapped into an attempt to blow up Owl Creek Bridge. We assume that he had tried to overcome the guard and then had been arrested, summarily tried, and condemned to death by hanging from the bridge which he had tried to destroy.

In addition, the present tense makes the situation of his escape dramatic (in mere seconds of his mind), thereby making his death both more brutal and more poignant.

Haven't you sat down next to someone who you thought was good-looking and then daydream what it would be like dating, then marriage, then a family, with the other person only to realize that you dreamed all that in only one or two bus stops?

What do Faber, Clarisse and Granger have in common in "Fahrenheit 451"?

Faber, Clarisse, and Granger are non-conformists. They read books, have read books or are books themselves. They disagree with the social-engineering and mind-numbing effects of the society that cannot or will not read. These three represent free thought and freedom.

The most profound "wake-up" was when Clarisse asked Montag if he was happy.  This simple question caused Montag's mind to respond especially after his wife Millie had overdosed on sleeping tablets.  Obviously, things were not as they seemed on the surface of the "happy society" in which they lived.

Faber, a former college professor, helps Montag in his quest to destroy the firemen, rebel, and get away. Faber also helps Montag learn better how to read.

Granger the most compliant non-conformist of all explains to Montag that the people in his community "are" the books.  They memorize the works and wait until such a time as the current society is overthrown and wisdom and knowledge are put back in their proper place.  They break no laws simply because they have no books.  But, they have the knowledge that is contained in books stored up in their minds.

What is the cultural significance of environment in the United States and Great Britain?

This is a very broad question, but some general influences are easy to perceive.

Great Britain is an island nation with an established population that has not been successfully invaded for nearly a thousand years. This setting gives its inhabitants a feeling of security and uniqueness, but also encapsulation. British security and sea power gave Britain the idea that it had the right to rule large parts of the world, but there was never any impulse to make these part of Britain itself. Because it is an island, Britain has difficulty feeling itself part of Europe, and tends towards insularity. One consequence is that British culture has by and large been relatively uninfluenced by Continental trends; British people are very poor at learning foreign languages and customs and reluctant to assimilate immigrants. They have a sense of divine appointment and innate superiority, like most major cultures, but it is not expansive in the sense of expanding the territory of Britain itself, which is seen as a bounded and limited "fortress" guarded by the sea:

This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands
(Richard II, Act II, Scene 1)

The United States, on the other hand, is the home of the Great Frontier. It is an immigrant nation whose vastness and relatively undeveloped state appears to offer an infinity of advantages to anyone who will come to exploit them. The much greater environmental scope of the United States, when compared with Britain, gave rise to the concept of "Manifest Destiny," the physical expansion of the American state to cover the entire North American continent, and its influence to encompass the world. The initial emptiness of the land, and the need to populate it, led to the feeling that America was a work in progress, a "melting pot" which could accept many (though by no means all) different ingredients and make them "American."

Thus, different environmental conditions led to British culture thinking of itself as a finished product, a "precious stone set in the silver sea," while American culture sees itself as an enterprise that is constantly expanding and developing, shaping a national character rather than guarding over one inherited from the past.

Why is the last line of the novel, Of Mice and Men, a fitting one?

The last line of the novel is Curly's response to George as he and walks away, with Slim consoling him after Lennie dies. Curly says, “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?” This line is fitting because it contrasts Curly's lack of commitment to anyone with the devotion that George shared with Lennie. George and Lennie's friendship was stronger even than Curly's relationship with his wife. It is significant because it shows that self-absorbed people usually don't commit themselves to others or have strong relationships because they are too wrapped up in themselves. He is so inconsiderate that he can't understand why someone will mourn the loss of Lennie because Lennie didn't have anything that appealed to Curly. The line is also fitting because it was the way most of the world viewed Lennie. He was different, so most people thought he couldn't contribute anything, when in reality, he made a huge impact on George and eventually Slim.

Do you think there is a place for eyewitness in making a case for guilt or innocence?Or have advances in science eliminated the need for a witnesses?

One of the most corrupted legal systems that ever existed was in the mid 1850's London courts. It was there where some of the most absurd eyewitness accounts occurred and where most innocent people went to jail for crimes against morality, because someone "had seen them", even in an era where modern optometry was not available, half the town was possibly near or far sighted, and the effects of syphillis on the eyesight of many were rife.

The problem I have with eyewitness accounts is that our brains have become less able to focus on detail and, being that our society has granted us so many instances of instant gratification and quicker, faster, and more available information, I fear that we do not take the time anymore to really look at individual characteristics of people. Also, we live in a very hyped society where everyone has to be extra sensitive to not be a victim of crime. Could that hypersensitivity, that lack of focus, and the overload of TV episodes that deal with crime be affecting our natural ability to discern what we see from what we think we see?

If Columbus had failed to complete the voyage, who or what country would have done it and under what circumstances?

If Columbus had failed to failed to reach America in 1492, it is quite likely that other explorers from western countries like Spain and Portugal would have again tried to find a sea route to India by sailing West and found America.

At that time there was great interest among explorers to find a sea route to India. Also the concept of a world that was spherical rather than flat, was also gaining ground among many enlightened people of that time.

It is all a matter of guesswork - we cannot be sure of anything in mattrers like these - but I see no reason why, Vasco de Gama, who found a route to India going around the the Cape of Good Hope, would not have tried the Western route, if Columbus had not found America blocking that route.

However once the sea route to India round the Cape of Good Hope was found out, the chances of people trying to find out another route through West would have definitely reduced. Still I believe that other explores would have definitely tried to explore the spherical world further and found out America before end of sixteenth century.

It is interesting to note that Vikings had reached the American continent much before Columbus. A Viking, Leif Ericson established a base on a part of North America in year 1000, which is now a part of Canadian Province of Newfoundland. Vikings abandoned this post in 1014.

[4.3.201-240] How does Macduff react to the news of his family's death? Did he really love his family? [see 4.2.6-14] Why was Malcolm encouraged...

Macduff loved his family very much and is absolutely devastated by the news of their deaths. At first, he cannot comprehend that his entire family has been slaughtered:

All my pretty ones?

Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?

What, all my pretty chickens and their dam

At one fell swoop?

Macduff blames himself for their deaths; he was not there to protect them, and they were murdered only because he had aligned himself with the forces working to bring down Macbeth. He also agonizes thinking about the terror-filled final moments of their lives: "Did heaven look on, / And would not take their part?" Macduff implores that "[h]eaven rest them now!" Filled with grief, he then turns his attention to Macbeth, the cause of his family's destruction:

. . . front to front

Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself;

Within my sword's length set him. If he 'scape,

Heaven forgive him too!

Macduff intends to make sure that Macbeth will not escape retribution for his abominable acts.

In "Fahrenheit 451" instead of water, what does the fire hose spray?

Kerosene.  The firemen need an accelerant to spread the fire, so they hose kerosene all over the house, then light a match.  The second sentence of the book states of the firehose that it is a "great python spitting its venomous kerosene".  And, kerosene really smells; Clarisse knew Montag was coming down the street even before she saw him because the smell on Montag is so strong.  Montag says, "you never wash it off completely," in acknowledgment that that smell of kerosene always stays on him, no matter what he does.

I hope that helps!

What is Plato's view on "poetry" and the poet?Do you agree with his view? Give reasons for your answers.

Very interesting question and the answer is rather long and complex, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

Plato saw Philosophy to be opposed to Poetry and Rhetoric. In fact, he alludes to the "ancient quarrel" between these two sides, as he saw them. One of the ironies concerning Plato is that despite his unremitting hostility towards poetry and rhetoric, he is famous for his own poems and rhetoric. Go figure!

Plato, in his work, Republic, attacks viciously the poetry of Homer and those who support it. He addresses his remarks at the "praisers of Homer who say that this poet educated Greece, and that in the management and education of human affairs it is worthwhile to take him up for study and for living, by arranging one's whole life according to this poet”. Plato seems to be setting himself up against the entire worldview that Homer and his followers have created and sustained. He argues that the influence of poetry is pervasive and often damaging, and that the ideas it presents about nature and the divine are often mistaken.

Although Plato acknowledges the usefulness of poetry, in education, in civil celebrations etc, he regards it at all times with suspicion. Although he recognises poetry is a vital and necessary part of human society, he sees it as a mark of humanity's fallen state. Of course, his remarks must be read within the cultural framework of Plato's time, where the dissemination and spread of poetry was very different.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" how does Maycomb react to the news of Tom's death?

How Maycomb as a whole reacted was much different than how Atticus and his family reacted.  Atticus was devastated; Aunt Alexandra even said that "it tears him to pieces."  Near the end of chapter 25, it describes Maycomb's reaction.  Maycomb as a whole "was interested by the news of Tom's death for perhaps two days" which was long enough for the news "to spread through the county."  So, they took it as in interesting and new piece of gossip to prattle about for a couple days, and then they promptly forgot about it.  It was just fodder for juicy gossip sessions, and a chance for people to air their opinions about the entire thing.  But, they weren't personally impacted by his death, so they moved on with their lives and didn't think twice.

What are some typical responses, by critics, to Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find"? How did O'Connor herself interpret...

Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” can seem a very puzzling and even bizarre story on first reading, but the story makes much more sense once a reader understands that O’Connor is writing from an explicitly Christian perspective.  Fortunately, O’Connor makes this fact repeatedly clear, and the story makes perfect sense if read from a Christian point of view.  Here are some insights you may wish to consider:

• The title, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” is a common cliché. O’Connor loves to write about clichés because clichés often imply shallow and unoriginal thinking. O’Connor wants to disturb and undermine shallow and unoriginal thinking. In this story, she shows how difficult it indeed is to discover true goodness in people, and she also suggests how people mistake superficial goodness for deep, genuine goodness of the kind that Christ manifested and taught.


• Essentially, the grandmother is O’Connor’s version of a superficial Christian who merely talks about virtue without ever deeply practicing it.  Consider, for example, the following moment in the story:

“In my time,” said the grandmother, folding her thin veined fingers, “children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else. People did right then.  Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!” she said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack.

Here, the grandmother claims that people “did right” when she was growing up, and then she makes a racist comment, not realizing the irony of the juxtaposition. Throughout the story, people like to think of themselves as good without ever treating each other with true Christian love and kindness. Another good example is Red Sammy, who explicitly agrees that he is a “good man” even while treating his wife as a mere servant (to say the least).

• Ironically, the character in the story who best seems to fit the standard, shallow definition of what it means to be a “good man” is The Misfit, the killer who has escaped from prison. In his dealings with the terrified family whose car has wrecked, he is exceptionally polite and courteous.  However, just as prim, proper, lady-like clothes do not make the grandmother a truly good woman, so The Misfit’s superficial courtesy does not make him a “good man.”


• Ironically, it is only when the grandmother reaches out to touch The Misfit in kindness and love that she becomes the truly good woman she could have been all along.  In the last split seconds of her life, without even quite realizing what she is doing, she responds with compassion and Christian love to the last person one would have expected her of reaching out to in a spirit of genuine love. In her last moments, she actually lives the Christian faith she has been prattling about throughout the story.


• The Misfit himself sums up the main meaning of the tale when he says (after killing the grandmother), “She would of been a good woman . . . if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” In other words, we are most likely to lead the kinds of lives Christ wants us to lead (Christ-like lives) if we are constantly aware that our lives could end at any minute.

For whatever it's worth, I hated this story when I first read it as a student, but now it's one of my favorites becasue of the way it mixes great humor with deep moral seriousness.

Macbeth kills all of the following except?a. lady macduff and her son b. king duncan c. fleance d. Banquo

To be exact, Macbeth only kills Duncan with his own hands.  He has 3 murderers kill Banquo for him and the entire Macduff family (except for Macduff himself) are murdered in their castle in Act IV.  However, for the sake of your question, the answer would be "C."  Fleance is the only one of those answers who gets away. 

What were two results for Hinton after publishing "The Outsiders?"What research did Hinton do for The Outsiders?

Susan E. Hinton, S.E. Hinton was 16 when she wrote "The Outsiders."  She did not do "research" as we think of it.  She simply wrote about her life in Tulsa,OK.  She admired the "Greasers" and wrote from the perspective of a 15 year-old teenager.  One thing that was accomplished by the publication of her book was a new type of teen literature.  According to Hinton, up until this novel no one had ever written a realistic book about teens.

"Susan Eloise shortened her name to S.E. Hinton so that boys would not know the author was female. (Her publishers did not think boys would read a story written by a woman.) It was published to critical acclaim, won several awards, and became a cult classic among teen readers."

Hinton was able to attend college because of the money she made by writing "The Outsiders," but she went through four long years of a writer's block.  Her future husband told her she had to write two pages a day or he wouldn't go out with her.  She eventually finished her second book, "That Was Then, This Is Now."

What is/are the main conflict(s) in Oliver Twist?

In Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, the classical theme of Good vs. Evil undergirds the main conflict of Oliver's quest for identity and a place in the world: the boy against the world.  The good is most significantly represented by Oliver and Oliver's pitiable mother who struggles to the workhouse to give birth to the unfortunate Oliver.  Mr. Brownlow and Rose Maylie also represent the good and rescue Oliver permanently from the criminal life he has been forced to live. 

Exploited by the callous beadle, Mr. Bumble, Oliver runs away from his indenture master after being starved and beaten. He succeeds in getting the 75 miles to London only to become exploited by a more terrible force of evil, Fagin.  But, in the end, Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney, who ignore the humanity of the children in the workhouse, are implicated by their greed in a crime because valuables belonging to Agnes Fleming, Oliver's mother, were long ago stolen.

The evil forces are defeated as information on Fagin's whereabouts are given to Mr. Brownlow who sets in motion the "wheels of justice."  The criminals are all punished, Rose Maylie's name is cleared, and Oliver goes to live with Mr. Brownlow.

Concomitant to this conflict of boy against the world of evil characters is the conflict of good versus evil forces in the society that Dickens exposes in Oliver Twist.  Greatly concerned that society, in a metaphorical sense, was a jail, Dickens shows that the characters Oliver and the thieves are victims of England's Poor Laws and the social institutions that support the Laws while keeping the children alive only to discouraged them and isolate them.  Dickens exposes workhouse children as equally deprived of food, of warmth, and of decent living conditions.  Society, represented by the likes of corrupt Mr. Bumble, is confounded by mistaken beliefs in its attempts to control and improve the twin problem of the poor and the orphans. 

Was the 1883 Krakatoa explosion the loudest sound ever heard by humans on earth?I read that the sound was heard over 2000 miles away.

As far as we know, yes, it was the loudest noise heard on earth in the historic period, ie in the past six to seven thousand years.  The fourth explosion on 27 August, 1883 was recorded on barographs around the world for five days, the sound wave circling the globe seven times.  It was heard as far away as the Island of Rodrigues, near Mauritius some 3,000 miles away.  The final explosion was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT, some 13 times larger than the Hiroshima bomb.  The largest nuclear device ever detonated was the Tsar Bomba, of some 50 megatons.  It is estimated that atmospheric effects occured over 70% of the earth, and colorful sunsets and moonrises caused by atmospheric dust lasted nearly a decade.  Tsunamis and pyroclastic flows caused approximately 36,417 deaths.

Krakatau has rebuilt itself and exploded repeatedly throughout history, in 1680, 416 and several other times.  Krakatau has been the most dangerous volcano throughout human history, and some vulcanologists believe it was once the site of the greatest volcanic eruption the earth has seen.

What is the central idea of the poem "Fear" by Gabriela Mistral?

Central to the poem "Fear" by Gabriela Mistral is a mother's anxiety about losing her child.  This is, in part, a selfish apprehension as the mother worries that the child will become like a swallow and metaphorically "fly off" to be with others--teachers, classmates, friends, and not her.  That the mother is a poor person rooted to one place is evidenced in this metaphor that depicts the child like a bird escaping her sight.  Also the mother worries that the child will leave her little "straw bed" and become "a princess." (lines 9-10), for if she becomes a princess, then the metaphorical "they" may make her a queen; with their royal obligations, the princess and queen will not be able to be together.  Here, then, is also the expression of fear for the daughter as life's obligations and pitfalls meet her.

Through the use of metaphor and repetition, the mother expresses her fear of her daughter's growing up and leaving her and encountering potential harm. She combs the girl's hair and does other physical things that she may keep the child close as long as she can.

In "Harrison Bergeron," do men and woman remain fundamentally the same no matter what technology surrounds them??

Yes, they do. Their government cannot change them through technology; the government can only attempt to control them. The story makes a strong case for the human spirit and makes it clear that a tyrannical government must control it if absolute power is to be preserved. Despite his most severe handicaps, Harrison Bergeron's spirit was not broken by the state. He defied the government, escaped from prison, took control of the television studio, and expressed his humanity for a few beautiful and sublime moments with the ballerina. Since the government could not control Harrison or let the example of his rebellious spirit take root in the populace, they killed him and his dancing partner. Harrison was most dangerous because his actions might remind others of their own humanity. Harrison's mother watches her son's death on television. She can't remember what she has seen, but she cries. The government, with all its technology, has not changed her heart and soul at all.

What are some advantages and disadvantages of internet use for children and adults?

Advantages and disadvantages of internet use amongst children and adults can be viewed from various angles - objectively, or subjectively. If a person is in favor of technology, then he/she might find more advantages than disadvantages for its use. However, if a person believes in manual work and that technology may one day be used to replace human work, then the he/she may view internet use to be more damaging than good.  In responding to this question, it is my hope to be neutral and state the disadvantages and advantages as matter-of-fact. So here goes...

Internet use has several advantages, of which a few are included below, among children and adults. They are:

1.  It provides access to a wealth of referenced sources and information, as well as, common information from around the globe.

2.  It allows people (i.e. family members, different races and cultures, different economic and social backgrounds, etc.) to connect and exchange ideas, personal and professional experiences, as well as, historical and up-to-date events and activities.

3. It facilitates classroom enrichment activities, opportunities for learning and work, as well as immediate transmittal of critical, or time-based, documents.

Internet use has several disadvantages, of which a few are included below, among children and adults. They are:

1. It can serve as an avenue for predators to find victims.

2. It is available only to families and businesses that have the resources to subscribe to its services, or have access through other locations.

3.  It may cause people to lose track of time and even become severely attached, or addicted, to its use.

What to do after B.Sc. physics, honours?do m tech or m.sc. and how to proceed after b.sc. physics hohours??

The decision on pursuing any particular course is very much a matter of personal preference and situation. You can find highly successful as well as not so successful people among people with all kinds of educational background including people with M.Sc. and M.Tech. qualifications.Thus it would not be right to say that any one of these choices is inherently better than the other. Each one of these courses will be the best for some, but not very good for others.

Rather than suggesting that you should follow this or that course of studies, I am giving below some guidelines that will help you in making the correct choice yourself will help you to make a choice that suits you best.

• Choose a course that interest you most. This is perhaps the most important factor. If you are interested in a particular subject, it is most likely that you will have aptitude for that subject. This means you will be able to learn better and produce better results with same degree of efforts. Further, when you like some work, it is easier to devote more time and effort doing this. However you must be careful to understand your own likes and dislikes. Sometimes people take fancy for a subject lured by success of others with similar qualifications. This is not genuine liking. When you really like a subject, you are likely to find it enjoyable and easy to learn. This will not happen when you are attracted to a subject just only by the prospects of better career.


• Unfortunately, it is not always practical or easy to follow just your interest. You must also think in terms of facilities available for different courses. For example,  you may find M.Sc. most interesting but there is no good college for that course, whereas a top class college may exist for M.Tech. Course. In such instances you may you may choose a course which is less interesting to you. But be careful not to choose a line for which you have absolutely no interest. Do not loose heart. With efforts you can find other alternatives that are good enough for you.


• Take your resources into consideration. The time taken to complete a course and the expenses involved may differ considerably from course to course. You have to be sure that can arrange adequate resources to pursue studies of your choice. If you are short of resources, you may consider alternative approaches like learn while you earn, or differing your studies for some time.


• Do speak to some people from all the fields to get a better idea of what is involved in these studies, and other information like the best colleges and considerations for choosing from different subject within each course.

According to the porter, how is drink an equivocator? (2.3.30) How does this relate to Macbeth's situation?

Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes;
it provokes the desire, but it takes
away the performance: therefore, much drink
may be said to be an equivocator with lechery:
it makes him, and it mars him; it sets
him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him,
and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and
not stand to; in conclusion, equivocates him
in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

In the porter's view, drink is an equivocator because it both causes one to desire a situation and at the same time it hinders one's ability to function in that same situation. The porter uses lechery (sexual function) as a classic example.

Discuss the role of Big Brother in Oceania and in Winston's life. Does the phrase "Big Brother is Watching You" have an application in today's society

Big Brother is many things in their world.  The most important thing he is is the provider of all good things to the citizens of Oceania.  Of course, he might not even exist, but that is not important.  In a world where war is a fact of every day life, the citizens need protection.  Big Brothers is the opposite of Goldstein.  The people are taught that he is the enemy, that he is the threat that they are most to fear.  After the two minutes hate, the appearance of BB sooths the people.  Ironically, he is also the symbol of the surveillance and total control of their lives throught the workings of the Thought Police and the Inner Party which we know are real.

Does Big Brother exist today?  I guess that's a matter of opinion, but I think so; in fact I think "he" becomes more and more a part of our life every day.  Think back to the days prior to our having a social security number.  The government didn't have a means of "tracking" us as it does today.  Today it's possible for anyone to gather/steal a great deal of information about us.  There is also the issue of cameras everywhere.  How about tracking and keeping a record of all our phone calls?  What about the possibility of computerized health records?  Do we really want that information out there for whomever?  The more technology that's available, the more information can be gathered about us, the more our freedom is/may be in jeopardy.

Right now, because we trust our leadership, none of this may seem a problem.  But what if that leadership/system should change?  The information would remain ... what then might be done with it ... ?  Is it really a good idea to put out all the information we do on social networks?

Things to consider.

In "Macbeth", what are 4 personality traits that Banquo possesses, supported with quotes?

Instead of thinking first about the qualities of Banquo it would be well worth your while to think a bit wider in terms of Banquo's overall function in the play, and from that point go back and pick out his characteristics.

In this play one of the main purposes of Banquo's character is to act as a contrast to the character of Macbeth. Banquo is brave and noble - characteristics that Macbeth arguably doesn't possess. Interestingly, like Macbeth, Banquo is ambitious, but signficantly, unlike Macbeth, Banquo does not act on those ambitious thoughts to convert them into action. Indeed, Banquo has the presence of mind or the ability to question the weird sisters and their prophecies: "oftentimes, to win us to their harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray us." This ability to reflect on the prophecies is a quality that Macbeth definitely does not possess.

If you think about this comparison a bit further it is clear that Banquo's character stands in the play for a path that Macbeth did not take, and acts as a reminder that ambition by itself does not necessarily have to be translated into treachery and assassination. We can see therefore why it is Banquo's ghost (and not the ghost of Duncan) that haunts Macbeth and why this haunting is so powerful. The ghost interestingly reminds Macbeth that Banquo did not copy Macbeth's response to the witches' prophecy.

In Act III, Scene 5 of "Romeo and Juliet", Juliet seeks comfort from the Nurse. What is the Nurse's advice?

In Act 3 Scene 5, Juliet is ordered to marry Paris, though she secretly loves Romeo, an enemy of her family. Her father is enraged by Juliet's protests, and her mother forsakes her. Distraught and desperate, Juliet turns to her nurse for her advice, but Nurse has only this to say: 

    Faith, here it is.
    Romeo is banish'd; and all the world to nothing,
    That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you;
    Or, if he do, it needs must be by stealth.
    Then, since the case so stands as now it doth,
    I think it best you married with the county.
    O, he's a lovely gentleman!
    Romeo's a dishclout to him: an eagle, madam,
    Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye
    As Paris hath. Beshrew my very heart,
    I think you are happy in this second match,
    For it excels your first: or if it did not,
    Your first is dead; or 'twere as good he were,
    As living here and you no use of him.

In this passage, Nurse advises Juliet to forget about Romeo, who is banished and cannot meet Juliet except in secret. She advises Juliet to marry Paris. Nurse compares Romeo and Paris, declaring that Romeo is only a "dishclout" in comparison to Paris. Furthermore, Romeo is as good as dead. Nurse advises Juliet to find happiness with Paris.  

From Crane's "The Open Boat," describe a character's quote that has significance relating to the theme of Humanity versus Nature.

One of the most arresting quotes regarding the theme of Humanity versus Nature is the correspondents simple remark, which is important for its very subtlety: "Wish I had known you were awake."

He had been manning the oar at night while others slept. It chanced that Nature happened to present itself anew in the form of a prowling shark. The correspondent was fearful and ill at ease the whole night because of it. When he looked round the open boat, he saw all his comrades asleep from exhaustion. So he faced the dark, shark dominated night alone.

In the morning, he and the captain have this exchange:

"Did you see that shark playing around?"

"Yes, I saw him. He was a big fellow, all right."

"Wish I had known you were awake."

Pertaining to the theme, this remark indicates two important ideas. The first is that when facing Nature's dangerous side, one ultimately always faces it alone--you may have help, but ultimately your random survival or demise is your own. The second is that regardless of the solitary quality of humanity's confrontation with Nature, what is yearned for is companionship and togetherness.

Explain Poe's use of the point of view and the role of the narrator in The Fall of the House of Usher.

Poe uses in The Fall of The House of Usher, what can be called a First Person Point of View. The narrator is one of Roderick's old friends who comes back to his house to attend to him in his days of melancholia and his sister Madeline's fatal illness. So, in a way he is one of the three major characters in the story, but there is a curious distance that is maintained between him and the brother-sister which makes him resemble a Third Person perspective in a way. The method of narration is panoramic and despite the strong posychological interest of the narrative perspective, the mental worlds of the Ushers remain a structure closed down and thus inaccessible to him.

The narrator in the story is one who questions. He is a rationalist as opposed to the irrational bents in the Ushers. He doubts it all, especially the supernatural possibilities. But at another level, the role of the narrator is to realize his own otherness through a horrific identification with the paranoid Ushers. Above all, I think, the narrator's role in the story is to make the story of the Ushers survive. He is the only surviver. He has to live on for the strange tale to be told.

Which is more effective? Communism, capitalism or socialism in its ideal form? and why?please explain why one of them is the most effective thank you!

There is a general assumption in America that capitalism is a perfect 'American' ideal with no down sides. The way some people talk about Capitalism, you would think it was invented by God specifically for America with his special blessing. This strong American belief in capitalism is partly the product of generations of anti-communist propaganda during the cold war and partly due to the fact that certain sections of American have benefited massively from capitalism.

Remember that every society is ruled by the people who benefit most from it. So in a religious state, for example, the people who hold all the power are religious people and their success convinces them that their system is right. Non-religious people do not rise to the top, their voice is not powerful, they lose out and remain unrepresented. But religious people can enjoy all the benefits of a theocracy and will feel society works for them.

Similarly In a communist state, all the leaders are communists and convinced communism is brilliant. In a military dictatorship, all the leaders are generals and they think their system is the only workable one. The people at the top of every society like the way society is arranged because they have power, priviledge and social status from it.

In any society, the positions of power are given to people who conform and approve of that society's ideological system. These people benefit from the system and so maintain it. The people who disagree with the system are not given positions of power, instead, they are rejected and pushed to the edges of society. So, basically, America is run by capitalists. They like capitalism, they benefit from capitalism and they will resist any attempt to move away from capitalism.

Capitalists talk very often about 'a level playing field'. They use this phrase to suggest that it is acceptable for members of society to compete for limited resources as long as everyone gets they same chance to compete. This is complete garbage because in a capitalist society, the advantages are constantly in favour of the people who have capital (aka money). In a capitalist society, rich people get all the advantages.

Think of this, George Bush Snr become president and then, ten years later, his son became president. Bill Clinton was president and then his wife nearly was. The Kennedy families constant occupy the jobs in high office. Generations of the same families using their capital to maintain and protect their advantageous position in society.

Capitalism appeals to the natural selfish instincts of the human animal. It is based on exploitation. America is the richest country in the world, yet there are 36 million people in America who live in total poverty. Some people have too much while others have nothing. Nobody can morally justify this.

And remember that America's wealth is not made in America. For American capitalists to be rich, they exploit the poor workers in the third world to make everything cheaply for them. For American capitalists to be rich there are hundreds of millions of third world workers living lives of slavish misery.

What does Ray Brower and his dead body symbolize in the novel "The Body" by Stephen King?include some quotes if you can.?

When the boys find the body of Ray Brower, it marks the end of innocence.  The boys undertook this journey to find the body out of innocence- a pure and joyful expression of their state of being.  They enjoy themselves and each other's company, tell stories, and revel in being kids.  When they see the body, all of this is cast in a different light.  For quotes, pay attention to how King describes the description of the body in terms of the actual description of the body and the boys' reaction to it.  Gone is the moment of Davey Hogan stories.  Those days are not going to return, and in its place is awareness of the frailty of life and the fact that life is going to end.  Gordie sees in the body his own experiences with the death of his brother and the death of the emotional connection to his parents.  The other boys see someone their own age, like themselves.  Another symbolic meaning of the body is that it represents a "death" of their previous conceptions of friendship.  From the moment they find the body, their attitudes change, their perceptions change as maturation begins to take hold and the loss of childhood innocence is a casualty.

Why did the initial enthusiasm for WWI quickly wear off? Whom to blame for the horrors of the war?

No single individual was responsible for the First World War. The peace that had been maintained since Napoleon's time became increasingly difficult to manage due to the ever increasingly Entangled Alliances.  Throughout the 1800's, there had been minor wars in European colonies, which resolved some of the political issues between the competing European Nation-States; rarely did the major powers directly confront one another militarily within Europe.  The enthusiasm initially felt in August 1914 may have come from the erroneous belief that long standing diplomatic conflicts between the countries would finally be resolved in a general military offensive; however, the horrors of modern warfare arose as military and political leaders attempted to conduct battles according to 19th century standards when the weaponry had advanced into the 20th. Learn more at the link:

Why does Mrs. Shimerda resent the Burdens at times in My Antonia?

Mrs. Shimerda resents the Burdens at times because they are well-off enough to live comfortably, and she and her family have nothing.  As Grandmother kindly explains to Jim,

"a body never knows what traits poverty might bring out in 'em.  It makes a woman grasping to see her children want for things" (Book 1, Chapter 13).

Although Jim's grandmother takes a tolerant attitude towards Mrs. Shimerda's often rude behavior, her evaluation of the family's situation is only partly right.  Mrs. Shimerda is a shrewd woman who was the driving force in the decision to bring the family to America.  Although the Shimerdas enjoyed a good life in Bohemia, living comfortably and even saving some money, Mrs. Shimerda wanted more, especially for her son Ambrosh.  As Antonia explains,

"All the time she say: 'America big country; much money, much land for my boys, much husband for my girls'.  My papa, he cry for leave his old friends...but my mama, she want Ambrosch for be rich with many cattle" (Book 1, Chapter 13).

It must indeed hurt Mrs. Shimerda greatly to see her family suffer so, living in a hovel with almost nothing to eat.  But she is by nature selfish and acquisitive; as exemplified by the facts that she has pressured her husband to leave the homeland that he loves even though it eventually destroys him, and she takes the only "nice bed" in the hovel, "with pillows from (the family's) own geese in Bohemie" while her daughters huddle in caves at the back of the dwelling like burrowing badgers (Book 1, Chapter 10).  Mrs. Shimerda is essentially jealous of the Burdens.  Although she does show some gratitude for the generous help given her family by Jim and his grandparents, she is bitter that they who appear to have so much do not do more to help their struggling neighbors.  Antonia expresses the thought behind her mother's behavior, demanding of Jim angrily,

"Your grandfather is rich...why he not help my papa?" (Book 1, Chapter 13).

Mrs. Shimerda is frustrated and bitter that even the constant help and hospitality extended to the Shimerdas by the Burdens is not enough to get her and her family to where they want to be.

In Trifles by Susan Glaspell what is each woman's inner conflict?

There are three women in Glaspell's Trifles.

Minnie Wright--while the audience never sees or hears Minnie speak through the whole play, she is a central character as the murderess.  Through Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale's discoveries and dialogue about Minnie, the audience envisions Minnie's inner conflict. A once lovely, joyful woman who enjoyed singing, Minnie became a timid, isolated housewife under her husband's coldness. Her inner conflict is her decision finally to stand up for the part of herself that she feels her husband has suffocated.  She obviously does not kill her husband in haste because she takes the time to murder him in a similar manner to how her husband killed her bird.

Mrs. Hale--a neighbor of Minnie Wright, Mrs. Hale possesses a take charge personality.  She does not like the way that the county attorney treats her and his obvious condescension toward all females. She finds most of the evidence and pieces together the motive of the crime. Her inner conflict is over doing what is considered right and legal--turning over her discoveries to the attorney and sheriff--and doing what she wants to do out sympathy and a sense of sisterhood for Minnie Wright.  In the end, she decides that Minnie was justified in killing her husband and settles her inner conflict by hiding the evidence from the men.

Mrs. Peters--of the three women, Mrs. Peters plays the most minor role even though she literally speaks more than Minnie Wright.  She is the quiet wife of the sheriff and at first does not seem to want to go along with Mrs. Hale's more outspoken sympathy for Minnie Wright. Even though she plays a more minor role than the other women, Mrs. Peters' conflict is probably the most inward of all of the characters.  As she and Mrs. Hale discover more evidence that makes Minnie's situation clear to them, Mrs. Peters begin to relate events from earlier in her life when the innocent and weak were abused.  Because of these memories and perhaps even some personal abuses that she does not reveal, Mrs. Peters struggles between protecting another defenseless victim (Minnie) and her duty to her husband as the town's sheriff.  Just like the other women, her end to inner conflict occurs when she decides to side with the "dominated" characters in the play.

In Romeo and Juliet, what are some literary devices in Act II, Scene 2, Lines 90-110?

Along with the literary devices of a play on words in lines 100 and 101, involving several meanings of the word "strange," and a personification in line 109 involving the "inconstant moon" in "her circled orb," there are also two metaphors and an allusion. All of these literary devices are of the category of literary technique and are up to the writers choice and preference. The other category of literary device is a literary element, which are elements that are common to all fiction and not optional or left to the writers choice (of course, how literary elements are implemented is up to the writer, e.g., postmodernists fragmenting character description and time).

Juliet says the "mask of night" is on her face, and this is a metaphor. A metaphor compares things that are quite unlike each other to make the nature of one of them more vividly understood or vividly imagined. Juliet has just returned from a masque ball where the guests wore masks and she is now saying the night covers and hides her face from Romeo's vision in the same way that her mask had earlier concealed her face from his view during the ball. Her tone in this line is confiding and sincere.

Later, Romeo says the moon "tips with silver" the fruit trees in the garden, and this is also a metaphor. An important fact about metaphors--which compare unlike things to make a point--is that they are figurative speech. This means they are not written or uttered in literal speech: they mean something other than what is actually said. Therefore, Romeo isn't saying that someone has melted silver and dribbled it across the tree leaves. What he means by this metaphor is that to love struck romantic's eye, the moonlight on the leaves appears as shimmeringly lovely as if silver were tipping the leaves.

Juliet says that at "lover's perjuries, / ...Jove laughs...." This reference to the Greek god Jove, who was chief among gods, is a literary technique called Classical allusion. In this technique, a reference is made to a person, place, object or event from classical Greek, Roman, Byzantine, etc. history or mythology. The assumption of the writer is that the reader or audience is well acquainted with the object alluded to, in this case the god Jove.

In earlier eras, most readers were familiar with Classical references and therefore could readily grasp the larger point being made with few words in Classical allusions. The objective of an allusion--whether Classical, movie, Biblical or otherwise--is to tell a great deal about something in very few words. This is accomplished by alluding to--or referencing--something very well known. For instance, if we were to say someone was the Batman type, most readers would have a very vivid mental image of just what a Batman type of man is. When Juliet invokes Jove's name when talking about Romeo's faithfulness, she is expressing her knowledge that people who are in love today are out of love tomorrow, and the gods take no notice of these sins, laughing at them. It's much quicker to say "Jove laughs."

In Lolita, what are some ethical issues besides if having sex with a 12 year old is right?

Nabokov's work does contain some fairly strong issues of ethical conduct even outside of Humbert's desires.  Quilty's relationship with Lolita, even outside the sexual context, is something that challenges ethical conceptions of teacher and student.  I think that there are some ethical challenges in Humbert's self conception of artist.  When he describes himself as "an artist and a madman" in articulating how he was able to coerce Lollita into the compromising positions he sought, I think that there should be some ethical line towed that suggests artists not enter such a realm.  The manipulation of another human being cannot be considered art, in my mind.  The mere invocation of a self described "artist" in this realm poses ethical challenges for me.  I think that it is a stretch for Humbert to describe him as a "poet" in this regard, as I cannot see this as art.  The exploration of what constitutes cruelty and the forcing open of the reader's moral and ethical imagination is probably what makes Nabokov's work so powerful to behold.

Who was Julius Caesar?

Julius Caesar was a military and political leader in Rome in the last century before Christ.  He became well known because of his part in changing over Rome from a republic to an empire.  Here is a brief overview:

Caesar was a successful military man.  This earned him a name in Rome and allowed him to garner some power.  With that power, he was able to gain more power and more of an army.  He used this army to conquer lands in the name of Rome, particularly in the Gallic War.  He was also successful in carrying the Roman army onto the island of Britain and helping to establish Roman settlements there. 

His success in these areas made him very popular with the troops and with much of the public of Rome.  However, he was often at odds with the Senate, who felt that Caesar had too much power.  When the Senate asked Caesar to give up the post he held as Proconsul, Caesar refused (for various reasons).  Instead, he brought his army, crossed the Rubicon, and entered Rome in Civil War.  He fought armies of the leader Pompey and won, and got himself appointed dictator.  He resigned this post, but was repeatedly elected to the post of consul.  His multiple terms, and his popularity amongst the people, made others nervous.  There was a feeling that he would again be made, or make himself, a dictator.

He actually was made dictator two more times, and was given the title of Father of the Fatherland.  Although each of his "dictatorships" were still set by term limits, his power and control was largely at odds with purpose of the Senate overall.  In 44 BC, a group of senators - the most famous being Brutus - conspired and assassinated Caesar.  The effect was not what they hoped.  Rather than returning Rome to a full republic, the assassination enraged the public and brought about the downfall of the Senate and the installment of Caesar's nephew as Emperor - and Rome moved from republic to empire.

In Macbeth, what are the exact quotes of all plant imagery?I know there are a few references to seeds, flowers, and roots but I know there's more....

You are right in identifying planting as a recurrent image throughout the play. There are many examples of where this image appears, but I will focus on three of the main occurrences.

Act I scene 4, lines 28-29:

I have begun to plant thee, and will labour

To make thee full of growing.

Act IV scene 1, lines 58-61:

                  ...though the treasure

Of nature's germens tumble all together,

Even till destruction sicken...

Act V, scene 8, lines 64-69:

              ....What's more to do,

Which would be planted newly with the time -

As calling home our exiled friends abroad

That fled the snares of watchful tyranny,

Producing forth the cruel ministers

Of this dead butcher and his fiendlike queen.

What you will want to do is examine how all instances of such imagery tie in to a central theme of the play: order vs. disorder. The first quote is from Duncan when he is talking how he will reward both Macbeth and Banquo for their loyalty and courage in battle. Under the system of "order", a king's duty was to reward faithful subjects to allow them to "flourish", which we see in his giving Macbeth a new title and other honours besides. However, in the second quote, we see Macbeth completely rejecting the natural "order" of things, wishing destruction upon his kingdom in order to gain knowledge from the witches. Lastly, Malcolm, having defeated Macbeth, re-establishes order in Scotland, and talks of calling back the exiles who have fled Macbeth's tyranny.

Therefore, the image of planting in the play is one that is used to help us examine the state of Scotland and is a kind of mirror that reflects the true nature of its leaders - obviously finding its nadir in the despotism of Macbeth.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," by what act does Goodman Brown break the evil spell?

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” though written in 1835, takes place in a Puritan society, recalling his New England past. One day, Goodman Brown tells his wife, Faith, that he is going into the forest on an errand. While on his errand in the forest, Brown encounters a man who resembles him in his appearance and in his social status. Carrying a crooked staff, the man clearly represents the devil, though Goodman Brown fails to recognize this.

During the course of his day in the forest, Goodman Brown is shown many things about the “true” nature of the Puritan society of which he is a part. The devil instructs Goodman Brown about the inherent evil in the Puritan attitudes of intolerance towards those who do not follow their way of life, asserting that the Puritans, for all of their attempts to the contrary, have served the devil the whole time. At one point, the devil and Goodman Brown come into a clearing, and Brown witnesses the performance of a dark ceremony; to his horror, he finds his wife, Faith, at the center of the proceedings. He calls out to her, but she does not respond. At last, Brown cries out to Faith to “look up to heaven and resist the wicked one.” Brown’s plea breaks the evil spell which has gripped Faith. At his utterance, the ceremony and its participants disappear, and Goodman Brown finds himself alone. He has dispelled the influence of evil. By professing a faith that is genuine (rather than a shell of faith), Brown breaks the evil spell.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what unintentionally funny answer does Scout give when asked by her aunt where her britches are today?

Scout unintentionally causes everyone to laugh when she replies to the question with, "Under my dress" (229).  Actually, it is Miss Maudie who asks the question of Scout in Chapter 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird.  It may help to see the comment within its context:

Miss Maudie's gold bridgework twinkled.  "You're mighty dressed up, Miss Jean Louise," she said.  "Where are your britches today?"

"Under my dress."

I hadn't meant to be funny, but the ladies laughed.  My cheeks grew hot as I realized my mistake, but Miss Maudie looked gravely down at me.  She never laughed at me unless I meant to be funny.  (229)

The basis of the joke revolves around the term "britches" which can mean "jeans" or "pants" or "underwear."  Miss Maudie, of course, is surprised to see Scout wearing a dress instead of her usual "britches" or pants that she usually wears (being a tomboy and all).  This is the basis for Miss Maudie's comment.  Scout, of course, talks without thinking here, . . . assuming that Miss Maudie is referring to her underwear and forgetting that she is in the company of the high class ladies of Maycomb.  Miss Maudie's modest response shows what great respect she has for the Finch children.

Describe the biological changes in the adolescence stage.psychology

Adolescence refers to a transitional stage: transition from boyhood/girlhood to manhood/womanhood. This stage brings in a number of changes--physiological & psychological.

Changes in teenage girls:

a. girls attain their puberty: menstrual periods begin.

b. they grow pubic hairs, and hairs at other places.

c. growth of the mammary glands is marked.

d. they become more conscious of their own sexuality as well as of the opposite sex.

e. they show more and more curiosity about their body and mind; may tend to be a bit restless, fanciful, even somewhat over-bold and daring.

Changes in teenage boys:

a. with increasing maturity of the male organ, these adolescents may have wet dreams; they may also develope the habit of masturbation.

b. growth of hairs in the pubic and other regions.

c. signs of beard & moustache could be seen.

d. faster growth of muscles, faster growth in height.

e. increased curiosity towards younger members of the opposite sex.

f. they show a tendency to fancy and fantacise; may turn a bit restless/obstinate/distracting/daring.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", what did Scout's Uncle Learn from Scout and Atticus?is in Chapters 8-11

In chapter 9 Uncle Jack learns a little about how to talk to kids.  The first thing he learned from Scout.  When he pulled her away from her fight with Francis, he didn't listen to her side of the story. Scout says,

"Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it--you just lit right into me.  When Jem an' I fuss Atticus doesn't ever just listen to Jem's side of it, he hears mine too."

So he learns that he can't jump to conclusions with kids.  He needs to hear both sides of the story before acting.

Secondly, he learns how to answer the more difficult questions that kids bring up.  Scout wants to know what a "whore lady" is, since she's heard that and used it, but didn't know what she was saying.  Instead of telling her the truth, Jack goes only avoids the question and confuses her more.  Atticus told him to get to the point and tell kids the truth.

"When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness' sake.  But don't make a production of it. children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles 'em."

This is what he learned from Atticus in the same scene.

In "The Open Window," how does Framton Nuttel meet Vera?

Mr. Nuttel meets Mrs. Sappleton’s niece, Vera, when he first arrives at the Sappleton’s house. Mrs. Sappleton is busy and can not meet him immediately. To keep him company, Vera sits with him as he waits for Mrs. Sappleton. The story begins with Vera speaking to Mr. Nuttel:

"My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel," said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; "in the meantime you must try and put up with me."

How does George Orwell portray that humans are destructive by nature in "Animal Farm"?

The destructive nature of the humans is depicted in Animal Farm through their indifferent treatment of the animals, particularly when Farmer Jones forgets to feed the animals for a whole day due to his slovenly behavior and his drinking, and with regard to their attitude in slaughtering animals no longer able to work on the farm.

The catalyst of the revolt comes as a result of the animals barging into the store house to feed themselves, only to be caught by the farmer and his men who begin to whip the animals.  The violence of the humans leads the animals to charge at them, spontaneously launching the revolution. 

Also relevant to this topic is one of the animal's chief complaints against the humans that when an animal becomes too old to be useful on the farm, is no longer fit to work, immediately, the farmer, Mr. Jones and other farmers, takes that animal to the slaughter house. The animals in the story want to be able to retire to a field on the farm, once they are too old to work.  This is particularly true for Boxer, the cart horse who works harder than any of the other animals.

The humans, in general in the story, are depicted as lazy, inefficient and apt to spend more time at the tavern, drinking than doing work on the farm.  The animals make it very clear that man does not produce a single thing on the farm, unlike the animals who produce eggs, wool, milk and who work in the fields, man only takes from the farm, while contributing nothing.

I would like to know the different expressions of fear stated in "The Pit and the Pendulum".I´m writing a term paper about the pit and the...

If you are looking for expressions of fear, you need to look for any synonyms of fear, and any other physiological reactions that the narrator has when he is afraid.  To do this, it requires a close reading of the text.  Try to have a hardcopy of the text, a paper version that you can write on.  Then get a highlighter, and go through and highlight any phrases he uses when he is afraid or fearful. 

As I looked through the text, I found quite a few phrases, just in the opening scene.  I'll list some below, to get you started, and hopefully that will provide a launching point for you to scan the rest of the story.  As he receives his sentence of death at the beginning, he is scared and a bit out of it; he describes how

"I saw them fashion the syllables of my name; and I shuddered because no sound succeeded"

Here he is so scared that he is shuddering.  This is followed up by "a few moments of delirious horror," and then, a "deadly nausea...and I felt every fibre in my frame thrill".  So, he feels horror, and also is so scared that his entire body feels like it is coursing with an electric current, which also makes him nauseous.  2 paragraphs later, he is describing the small tidbits he can remember after he passed out, and he describes the "hideous dizziness" he felt as he descended into his prison; again, nausea is a symptom of his fear.  He also remembers

" vague horror at my heart, on account of that heart's unnatural stillness,"

so, his heart was so terrified and filled with horror that it felt unnaturally still, like it has stopped beating.

So just in the first few paragraphs, there are quite a few descriptions of fear that work well.  I hope that this helps you to get started, and good luck!

Is there any conflict in "The Ransom of Red Chief" and how does it influence the development of the main character?

Conflict is the driving force behind any good story, so if "The Ransom of Red Chief" didn't have conflict, it wouldn't be a very good story at all.  In this story, the main conflict comes from the little Johnny that Bill and Sam kidnap.  He turns out to be much more of a hassle than they had anticipated.  So, what was supposed to be a quick, easy, standard kidnap and ransom situation, turned into pure torture as Johnny, or "Red Chief" torments and  humiliates Bill.  Bill is forced to be Johnny's playmate, which means being a victim in all sorts of pretend games.  For a grown man, this is completely embarrassing, and painful in many ways.  The kid is a handful, a bully, highly annoying, and full of never-ending energy.  He creates the conflict because Bill wants to cut the entire scheme off just to get rid of the kid, whereas Sam wants to follow through on it, so begs Bill to hang in there a bit longer.  The conflict in the story helps us to see Bill develop from a strong, assured, confident criminal to a dejected, broken, humiliated play-toy of a little boy.  His pride is trampled on, and he hates it.

I hope that those thoughts get you started; if you haven't read the story yet, I highly recommend it.  It is hilarious, and an easy read.  I provided a link below to further commentary and analysis that will be useful also.  Good luck!

How has warfare changed over the last 100 years?This is for an essay and I have to write to pages and I need info asap!

The essential goals of warfare have not changed, but the way wars are waged certainly have.  A hundred years ago, men marched to battle, lined up against one another, easily identifiable in their uniforms, and used weapons that, for the most part, would only work "up close and personal."  While there were some longer-range weapons, the cannon, for example, they were not very long range, and people who killed one another were in close proximity.  As time went on, longer-range weapons emerged, and people began to be able to kill one another from greater and greater distances. Today, the United States has the capability of decimating towns without having to have a person within a thousand miles.  When people can kill one another without seeing one another, this is an essential change in the nature of warfare.

In more recent years, we have seen the advent of more "guerilla" warfare, in which the enemy is not easily identifiable because there are no uniforms and no "front lines." Vietnam might have been the first such "modern" war.  Today, the war in Afghanistan is a good example.

Another difference, a more recent one, is the inability to identify an enemy because the enemy is not a national entity.  This is the essence of terrorism, I think.  When we are at war against another country, there are international conventions that all must at least theoretically adhere to.  There can be negotiation for peace, treaties over land.  But when the enemy comprises people from multiple countries, this is not the case, and this is a major difference that is recent.

I have to write a long essay about the theme of empathy in "Cathedral" and "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Empathy implies that you understand and relate to what a person is going through, because you have gone through it yourself.  In "Cathedral", the main narrator finally is able to develop empathy for the blind man, Robert, because he closes his eyes and experiences something as the blind man would.  Before this incident, he is a rather callous, bitter, unhappy and insensitive man. But then, the bllnd Robert has him close his eyes and attempt to draw a cathedral.  The experience is completely profound for the narrator; he finally understands something from someone else's shoes, and therefore has empathy.  It is so moving for him that he says of it, "It was like nothing else in my life up to now."  For the rather understated narrator, that statement says a lot.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," empathy is found in many, many different characters, and is just an overall theme.  Harper Lee writes a story that helps us to feel for a black man's hopeless situation, and to feel for an anti-social man who is misunderstood in society.    We even can feel a little bit for the controversial Mayella Ewell, as we get a closer glimpse of her pretty depressing home life.  Even old, surly Mrs. Dubose is seen in a kinder light as we discover her attempts to overcome addiction before her death.  Harper Lee likes to take what seem to be, on the surface, unlikable people or characters, and help us to develop a bit of empathy for them as we see their human sides.

I hope that those thoughts help to get you started; good luck on the essay!

What is the conflict in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?For example Man v. Man, Man v. Society, Man v. Supernatural, things like that.

The primary conflict in the novel is the individual versus society, which is played out in Tom's childish rebellions against Aunt Polly, school, and local approval. The novel tells the story of Tom's efforts to live out his individual dreams and preferences regardless of what Aunt Polly and the rest of polite society have to say about it.

What does the title of My Darling, My Hamburger have to say about the couple's relationship?

The title is a reference to a teacher’s advice on what to do when a guy wants to have sex with you.  This is the situation Liz is in.  The advice does not work.

The title comes from the fact that the book is split into two sections, “My Darling” and “My Hamburger.”  The first section focuses on feelings of love between a couple, and the second one focuses on sex and the consequences.  The second half of the book’s title is ironic, because the hamburger advice does not work.

“What advice did she give for stopping a guy on the make?”

…”You mean about what to do when things get out of control?... Miss Fanzulli’s advice was that you’re supposed to suggest going to get a hamburger.” (ch 1, p. 7)

This advice does not work.  When Liz wants to rebuff her boyfriend Sean’s sexual advances, she suggests that they get a hamburger.  However, they are still in love.  After a particularly bad fight that lasted for weeks because Sean did not get her letter, Liz and Sean do have sex.  She gets pregnant, and ends up having to have an abortion that almost kills her.

The moral of the story is that emotions are more complicated than fast food.  Just avoiding a situation or attempting to diffuse it does not work.  The tension is still there, and so is the passion.  The couple has to learn that you have to have real conversations, not avoidance.  Avoidance results in disaster.

Compare and contrast between the two kinds of marriage in "Pride and Prejudice"

Members of the social class of the Bennet sisters, and particularly in Jane Austen's time, women married for financial security, to have a home of their own, to secure their future beyond their father's home. In the case of the Bennet sisters, they will have no home once their father dies, they have no brothers, so the home will pass to the next male heir in the family, Mr. Collins.  That is why Lizzie's rejection of Mr. Collins is so profound, she will not sacrifice herself to protect the family home.

The two types of marriage that are depicted in Pride and Prejudice are marriages made for long-term security, and marraiges made for love.   An example of a marriage of security is that of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins.  A marriage made between a woman with no prospects who accepts a proposal because she needs financial security and a home of her own. 

Charlotte does not marry Mr. Collins because she loves him, it appears to be just the opposite, she does not love him, but she does respect him.

Both the Bennet sisters want to marry for love, and they both do in the end.  However, they are also given the added bonus of becoming financially wealthy as well.

Jane Bennet, at first, appears to be making a good match with Mr. Bingley for both love and financial security.  This works out in the end, but for a time it appears that Jane will not be so lucky as to be able to marry for love, with the bonus factor being that she will also be very rich.

Lizzie Bennet does not want to marry for security, she wants to marry for love.  Both Lizzie and Jane are lucky in Pride and Prejudice to be able to marry for both love and money. Jane Austen was in love with a young man and ultimately had to give him up because he was not permitted to marry her because of her social class.  The young man ended up marrying a girl who was wealthy and Jane Austen remained unmarried.  But she had brothers who protected her and her sister while they lived in the family home looking after their mother.

Lydia's marriage falls into another category.  She is a silly girl who makes spontaneous decisions without thinking.  She ends up married to Wickham because of Darcy, it is a necessity that they be married in order to save the Bennet family reputation.