Compare and constrast the way Banquo and Macbeth understand and react to the witches' prophecies?What is the difference between Banquo and Macbeth...

Although the Witches wanted to meet Macbeth 'upon the heath', Banquo, accompanying Macbeth, chanced to see them first. Banquo was puzzled at their 'wither'd' looks and 'wild' attire; he doubted if they were 'the inhabitants o' the earth'; he alluded to their wizened appearance and their female sexual identity being contradicted by their 'beards'. As Macbeth asked them to speak, the three Witches made their proclamations.Banquo noticed Macbeth's immediate reaction--'..why do you start, and seem to fear/Things that do sound so fair?' He could also see Macbeth 'rapt withal'. Since the Witches welcomed Macbeth with 'present grace and great prediction/Of noble having and of royal hope', Banquo demanded his share of 'supernatural soliciting'. The Witches then greeted Banquo with prophecies, but in a language of paradox--'Lesser than Macbeth, and greater', 'Not so happy, yet much happier' & 'Thou shalt get kings, though be none'. Macbeth then charged the Witches for more, but they vanished into the air.

What followed in this scene--act1 sc.3--revealed the difference between Macbeth and Banquo in their attitudes to the Witches and their prophecies. While Macbeth took the Witches' predictions very seriously, especially that of kingship of Scotland, Banquo showed his scepticism and indifference. While Macbeth was so keen to have more, Banquo was incredulous of what he had just heard. Banquo advised Macbeth to be on guard against such uncalled-for well-wishing:'And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/Win us with honest trfles...'. The immediate fulfilment of one of the predictions effects a change in both, but still Banquo differs from Macbeth, and expresses his suspicion--'What! can the devil speak true?' However, it is not correct to say that Banquo was fully immune to temptation, for these lines suggest how Banquo fought within himself to smother his unscrupulous thoughts--'Merciful powers,/ Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature / Gives way in repose'.

How did the new world of the Congo affect each character in "The Poisonwood Bible", and how did they react to it?

Nathan Price:  he goes to the Congo to convert the people there, and to bend everyone and everything to his viewpoint, to his world perspective.  It doesn't work.  Take for example his attempts to plant beans.  He plants them like he would back home, and ignores the advice given by the people there, to make mounds.  His beans fail because he refuses to change.  His refusal to change in the end undoes him, because Africa is a force that won't be changed.  The more he tries, the more he fails.  This eventually drives him mad; at the end, it is rumored that he was a wandering madman before dying.

Adah Price:  Africa gives her the strength that she needs to overcome her weakness.  In Africa, she is not deemed crippled; many of the children there are crippled.  She is the only one that makes it out of there with her mother, walking on her two feet.  Her symbolic healing occurs in Africa, with the literal healing later.  Africa gives her the strength to make herself "whole".

Leah Price:  She becomes completely a part of Africa's plight.  She connects with the people there, becomes a part of the struggle for everyday food, and fights the battles that the people there fight.  The Congo converts her to itself, keeping here there; it stays in her blood and wins her.  She puts down roots and family in Africa, and continues its story through her children.

Rachel Price:  She becomes symbolic of the white man that comes in and manipulates the circumstances of colonization for their own good.  In the end, she doesn't leave, but she takes over a hotel and gleans profit from the white men that come to visit and control the nation.  The Congo doesn't change her, it just gives her opportunities to fill a role that she is comfortable with.

Ruth Price:  She is symbolic of the sacrifices that the Congo requires of anyone coming there.  Her father comes to change the Congo, which is impossible; Ruth is the sacrifice of trying to do that.

Orleanna Price:  She is forever scarred by what Africa asked of her.  She went, she struggled, she was exhausted and drained, she tried to make the best of it.  She was an unwitting victim in her husband's quest, and it took her heart and soul when Ruth died.  She was never the same again; the Congo haunted her for the rest of her life.

Those are the differing impacts that the Congo had on the characters.  I hope those help, and good luck!

What is the difference beteen a sea and a gulf?

The primary difference between the two terms is one of encasing.  A "sea" is "The continuous body of salt water covering most of the earth's surface, especially this body regarded as a geophysical entity distinct from earth and sky." In its virtue of being continuous, it is not easily encased, as it   For example, the Arabian Sea feeds into the Indian Ocean, and while it is bordered by India, the Coast of Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, it is wide and feeds outward to the larger body of the Indian Ocean.  Contrast this with the definition of a gulf, which is "A large area of a sea or ocean partially enclosed by land, especially a long landlocked portion of sea opening through a strait."  In this understanding, the gulf feeds into a sea or ocean, primarily because it is encased by lands in a close proximity.  For example, the Persian Gulf is narrowly fit in between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.  At the same time, it feeds into the Arabian Sea.  The difference between the two is that the narrow and encased gulf feeds into the wide sea.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" what dishes does Calpurnia cook throughout the novel?

What an interesting question!  And, a tough one, because there aren't very many mentions, and when they are mentioned, it is very brief.  I found a couple.  The first is in chapter 2 when Scout is saying that Calpurnia is to blame for her being able to read and write.  She would sit Scout down and force her to write something well, and if she did, Scout was awarded with "an open-faced sandwich of bread and butter and sugar."  There is also, later, a mention of crackle-bread that Calpurnia makes for Scout, in a moment of kindness.  During the trial they go home for supper, and in chapter 21 it mentions Cal serving "potato salad and ham."  She was the one that did most of the cooking in the household, so there are a lot of mentions of them eating, or her getting supper or lunch ready, and those dishes mentioned above are a few of the specific ones named.  I hope that helps!

What is the signifigance of the man in the Norfolk suit and straw hat at the start of the novella?

When von Aschenbach sees the strange, young, foreign-looking man, there is a change that comes over him which makes him want to travel.  This was not Aschenbach's normal custom, for he usually only left Munich for his health, not for pleasure.  The decision proved to be a fatal one, for it leads to Aschenbach's death.

He was brought back to reality by the sight of a man standing in the portico, above the two apocalyptic beasts that guarded the staircase, and something not quite usual in this man's appearance gave his thoughts a fresh turn.

...  He was of medium height, thin, beardless, and strikingly snub-nosed; he belonged to the red-haired type and possessed its milky, freckled skin.  He was obviously not Bavarian; and the broad, straight-brimmed straw hat he had on even made him look distinctly exotic.  True, he had the indigenous rucksack buckled on his back, wore a belted suit of yellowish woolen stuff, apparently frieze, and carried a grey mackintosh cape across his left forearm, which was propped against his waist. In his right hand, slantwise to the ground, he held an iron-shod stick, and braced himself against its crook, with his legs crossed.  .... At any rate, standing there as though at survey, the man had a bold and domineering, even ruthless air, and his lips completed the picture by seeing to curl back, either by reason of some deformity or else because he grimaced, being blinded by the sun in his face; they laid bare the long, white, glistening teeth to the gums.

Aschenbach's gaze, though unawares, had very likely been inquisitive and tactless; for he became suddenly conscious that the stranger was returning it, and indeed so directly, with such hostility, such plain intent to force the withdrawal of the other's eyes, that Aschenbach felt an unpleasant twinge and, turning his back, began to walk along the hedge, hastily resolving to give the man no further heed.  He had forgotten him the next minute.  Yet whether the pilgrim air the stranger wore kindled his fantasy or whether some other physical or psychical influence came in play, he could not tell; but he felt the most surprising consciousness o a widening of inward barriers, a kind of vaulting unrest, a youthfully ardent thirst for distant scenes -- a feeling so lively and so new, or at least so long ago outgrown and forgot, that he stood there rooted to the spot, his eyes on the ground and his hands clasped behind him, exploring these sentiments of his, their bearing and scope.

True, what he felt was not more than a longing to travel; yet coming upon him with such suddenness and passion as to resemble a seizure, almost a hallucination.  (4-5)

The slightly hostile air of the stranger can be seen in different ways; the youth, regarded by this old man, does not want this attention and makes that plain.  This could be a prefiguring of the lack of interest Tadzio will have in Aschenbach later in the book.  The foreign look of the red-haired man, too, is ominous.  While the "pilgrim air" is at first intriguing, the pulled-back lips and the hostile attitude of the young man can be seen as a warning to Aschenbach to not leave home, with its familiar things and people.  Aschenbach, a solitary man, spends a great deal of time thinking about himself.  He becomes ruled by his whims, which causes his downfall.

Source: Mann, Thomas, Death in Venice and Seven Other Stories.  H.T. Lowe-Porter, trans.  New York: Vintage, 1963.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" why does Bob Ewell feel he has to "get back" at the judge and the Finches?

Well, Bob officially "won" the court case, but everyone in that courtroom, if they were thinking straight, knew that he was a lousy scumbag that beat up his own daughter and blamed an innocent black man of raping her to cover it up.  Atticus, through his questioning of Mayella and Tom, made it pretty clear that Tom was innocent, and that Bob was the no-good child abuser that was responsible for Mayella's injuries and Tom's arrest.  So, even though the verdict was what Bob Ewell wanted, he felt that his reputation was ruined.  His pride was injured.  He felt exposed for the fraud that he was, and the way that a lot of people react to that is defensively.  Bob blamed Atticus and the Judge (who wasn't very nice to him either) for making people in the town think poorly of him.  It is easier to blame Atticus for framing him, and to try to pass his behavior off that way, than to accept the blame for what he did.  So, he reacts by unleashing his revenge for having been so poorly mistreated by Atticus and the judge.  He wants to vindicate his "honor".  He is mad that they made him look so bad.  And, he does; he sneaks about, spits on Atticus, and in the end, makes the very awful attack that is the dramatic end of the novel.

What is the irony in the story of "The Ransom of Red Chief" By O. Henry?

Anyone who has ever been around a mischievous or hard-to-discipline child can appreciate the irony in this story.  The two bumbling kidnappers, Bill Driscoll and the narrator, are going to try to get $2000 in ransom for a fraud scheme up in Illinois.  They select the son of a well-to-do mortgage broker, who they expect will pay every dime of the $2000 that they need.  Their first hint that this might not go well should have been when they pick up the kid while he's throwing rocks at a kitten in the street, after which he gets Bill in the eye with a piece of brick.  What follows is one headache after another trying to manage this hard to manage kid--until finally, in the ultimate humourous irony, Driscoll and the narrator give up.  The kid's father not only won't pay them ransom, but helpfully offers to take him off their hands only if THEY pay HIM $250, which they do at once, as they absolutely cannot take another minute with the little thug. 

What are some elements of Victorian Literature?I am confused about whether alienation/dislocation, struggle/strife, Christianity, and...

Great question! You may get several different answers but I am sure they all will coincide in many points.

alienation/dislocation: Yes. Victorian literature, especially Gaskell, Dickens, and Elliot explore a society which is far from the idealized fantastic and classical world that constitutes early Victorian Literature. They explore the alienation of the poor classes, the East End, the slum districts, and the dislocation of any rights and benefits for least affluent groups.

Later on, the likes of Shaw and Wilde for instance further explore alienation in terms of social classes: the division between aristocracy, the middle class and the upper classes, and the shunning from "polite society" (dislocation) of whoever does not follow the hypocritical and snobby ways of the rich. 

Struggle/strife- Again, Victorian lit does intertwine the two in terms of who you are when standing in society. Dickens sclearly show the struggles of the lower and destitute classes, and Austen shows the strife of lower social classes to obtain recognition, money, class, and to measure their worth under the scope of the upper classes.

Christianity: Definitely an element. Queen Victoria was basically the monarch which gave England the idealistic view of the wholesome, church-going family and Christianity was an aspect that was enforced. It was a particularly poignant theme because of mortality rates of children, and the state of minds of Victorians towards death and mourning. Also, it was a symbol of status, as the church was often the networking gossip center of the town. Again, mid to late Victorian writers criticize this and mock the role of religion and Christianity altogether.

Imperialism/Colonization: I would say on this one that imperialism is what drove Victorian society and basically shaped up the social classes. Colonization was also going on, as Victoria was Empress of India and other colonies of the United Kingdom. Certainly these themes were commonplace in literature, if anything in reform-literature. At this point in Victorian society we must not forget that Darwin had just proposed his theories of evolution and the world became in some form "globalized" into the idea that the expansion of the English empire would give place to further exploration in science and history.

In all, all the topics are represented in different ways and at different stages of Victorian literature. I hope that helps.

What is meant by Hardy's pharse "ache of modernism" that Hardy uses in "Tess of the d'Urbervilles”? What were the affects of modernism on Tess...

This phrase occurs  in "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" when Angel remarks that Tess has the "ache of modernism" which seems to refer to Hardy's dislike, as Marcelle Clements writes in the introduction, for "the repercussions of the industrial revolution, the extinction of rural life, the implacable roles of caste, gender, and morality in Victorian England" as well as the laws of Social Darwinism. 

 In the novel, Angel Clare, of the upper class and son of a vicar, upon arriving at the dairy farm of the Talbothays, is surprised that there are no "Hodges" at this farm.  ("Hodge" was the personification of the conventional farm-folk as portrayed in newspapers of the time.)  Instead, Angel discovers in the educated Tess one who feels, as he does, the "ache of modernism."  For Angel and Tess and others of their age, the God of their childhood is no longer able to answer their questions about life.  Social Darwinism has put an end to the pat answers of their religion.  Instead, Angel puts his faith in "intellectual liberty" and greatly influences Tess with his ideas.

After her abandonment by Angel after their marriage and because of the position into which Tess is fated she is, as she tells her brother Abraham on the night that their horse dies, "a blighted star."  With the instillation of railroads, farms such as that of the Talbothay's is able to ship milk and produce in larger quantitites.  With this expansion of dairy farms as well as the Flintcomb Ash farm with its thrashing machine--a product of the Industrial Revolution--the farmers hire people whom they do not know or care about.  They feel no connection with the people living on their farms as they had heretofore.  For this reason, not renewing the leasing of the resident farmer becomes a matter of economics, nothing more, and the Durbeyvilles, who have long lived in their cottage, are thrown out after the father dies.  Also, Tess has no individuality at the Flintcomb Ash farm; so, when the season ends, she must return to her family which also is being uprooted. 

Equally repressed by the Victorian age, Tess is constantly made to feel that she is inferior because of her "sin." Constantly reminded of her immorality by men who recognize her, Tess feels she must hide from society. So, in a desperate effort to provide for her family uprooted by modernism, the fated Tess resigns herself to going with Alec d'Urberville, who has returned to take her.

It is these fateful burdens of modernism that have poisoned the thinking of Angel.  And, when he finally realizes that he has unreasonably condemned his beautiful, undefinable wife, he returns; however, it is, tragically, too late.  With the greatest ache of all in her heart as she recognizes that if Alec had not returned, she would have been free to go with Angel, Tess retaliates against her "blighted star," and murders Alec, the cause of all her misery.

In what way does Hawthorne move the story foward in chapters 9 through 15? How effective is his technique?"The Scarlet Letter"

Hailed frequently as the greatest American novel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" has its emotional, psychological drama revolve around Hester Prynne. Chapters IX through XV move the plot by presenting the characters who are involved with Hester.

• Chapter IX-The reader learns about the dangerous relationship between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale.


• Chapter X-Chillingworth becomes fiercely obsessed by his search into the heart of Dimmesdale.  His diabolical determination to learn the secret of the Reverend's heart makes Chillingworth as much as victim of his own scheme as Dimmesdale is.


• Chapter XI-Chillingworth begins his torture of the heart of Dimmesdale after pulling open the shirt of the sleeping minister and learning his secret.  However, the physician becomes a "poor, forlorn creature" in his evil doings.


• Chapter XII-Exactly the middle of the novel, the second of the "scaffold" scenes occurs.  Dimmesdale stands alone one night on the scaffold.  Here is Hawthorne's realism:  the sudden changes in mood in the tired mind of the minister, the self-condemnation, cowardice, the nearly insane scream, and his impulse to speak to Mr. Wilson are all presented.  In Gothic detail a spectacular strange light appears, "doubtless caused by one of those meteors,..."  The A appears in the sky.--There are many  symbols in this chapter.


• Chapter XIII-A drastic change has occurred in Hester's physical appearance.  No longer fulfilling a woman's role, Hester has lost her passion and beauty.  She appears drab and severe.  Her once glorious hair is contained in a grey cap.  But, her emotional energy is directed toward the miserable Mr. Dimmesdale.


• Chapter XIV-Hester confronts Chillingworth though shocked by his devilish appearance.  She tells her husband that she regrets not having divulged his identity.  Chillingworth tells her that fate has made them all what they are, but Hester protests that they are all guilty.  Chillingworth tells her that she may reveal his identity if she wishes.


• Chapter XV-Hester feels hatred for Chillingworth as she leaves and is not repentant for her sin. She finds Pearl who has been playing with things of Nature.  She responds to Hester's questions and tells her mother that she knows that the A has the same meaning as Dimmesdale's holding his hand over his heart. Hester considers confiding in her child, but, instead,  she tells Pearl that she wears the letter "for the sake of its gold thread."  This is the first time Hester has been "false to the symbol."

The revolvement of the characters around Hester keeps the focus upon her sin, a sin to which the other two men are attached, albeit differently.  This focus is upon the Scarlet Letter and all its import.  This symbol is the title of the novel and the driving force of the plot.

How does the setting of the novel contribute to or detract from the overall effectiveness of the story?Please describe how the story could or could...

The Baskerville estate is on the moors in the west of England.  While this location may not seem particularly evocative in itself, to the people living in England in Conan Doyle's time it meant that the Baskervilles lived in a remote and, frankly, somewhat spooky place.  Parts of the west of England during the Victorian and Edwardian eras were woefully underserved by education for the common people, and prejudice against western (read: Welsh) or Cornish ways and people persisted.  The accent of the natives of these places, especially the moors, was considered coarse and impenetrable, and the customs of those of the western ethnicity seemed strange and superstitious to people from London or the south of England.  It might be likened, in a stretch, to "hillbilly country" or some other prejudiced and pejorative usuage that Americans might use to set a story in remote, strange, and mysterious place.

Aside from the perceived strangeness of the inhabitants, the remoteness of the place is an even more important element to Conan Doyle's story, and it would have been difficult to set the story, exactly as it is, in any other locale.  Significantly, the story is set on the "moors".  What are moors?  It is a British term describing undulating countryside which is unsuitable, in several ways, for farming.  The soil is usually peat, which is inimical to most crops, and overgrown with high grass and thick brush. In addition, throughout moorland are areas of bog or swamp, some of which are very treacherous (such as the Grimpen Mire, in which Stapleton meets his end!)

 If the earth told a true story, then Stapleton never reached that island of refuge towards which he struggled through the fog upon that last night. Somewhere in the heart of the great Grimpen Mire, down in the foul slime of the huge morass which had sucked him in, this cold and cruel-hearted man is for ever buried. (Chapter 14)

The peculiar geography of the moorland enabled the legend of the Hound in the 17th century, and just as easily the legend was have been perpetuated and faked by the villain of the story in the 19th century.  This description, of the original band of brigands who saw the hound with the first Baskerville, Hugo, shows the difficulties of the moors:

Riding slowly in this fashion they came at last upon the hounds. These, though known for their valour and their breed, were whimpering in a cluster at the head of a deep dip or goyal, as we call it, upon the moor, some slinking away and some, with starting hackles and staring eyes, gazing down the narrow valley before them. (Chapter 2)

England had not had, since the late Middle Ages, any large tracts of forest left; consequently, the only landscape which was not urbanized, farmed, or extensively used for animal husbandry was the low-visibility moorland.  The uneven terrain, the relatively low population, the hidden caves (which Sherlock Holmes and the escaped convict both use to their advantage), and the prevalence of fogs and mists all create a setting in which it is much easier to hide a hound, or a man, than in most of the other rural terrains of England.  In short, the difficulty, remoteness, and low visibility of the terrain of the moor, coupled with its mysterious reputation, are integral to the story.

How does the poet create an uncanny atmosphere using devotion to details in "The Listeners"?

Because this poem is so short, the author picks his words very, very carefully to enhance the uncanny atmosphere through details that count.  The first detail that creates the uncanny atmosphere is the fact that the author chose to have the visitor arrive at the house at night.  This is a bit strange--who is out at night, travelling?  But, this traveller is, and that is a detail that the author deliberately chose.  It is dark, the moon is out, and that sets up for a creepy and scary scene.

The next detail is that the traveller receives no answer to his knock.  Having no one answer enhances the eerie mood; one wonders what is going on, and why it is so quiet.  As he waits, a bird startles and flies over his head.  Imagine being there alone, in the dark, and having a random bird fly over your head--that would scare anyone.  That detail also enhances the tense mood.  Then, the author describes "a host of phantom listeners" that "throng" the hallway.  Instead of having just one ghost or phantom, he has a lot of them, so many that they are thronging and filling the house.  That's pretty creepy.  The author also emphasizes the emptiness of the house, its silence, and that there is no one really there, besides the listeners.  That makes it even more strange.

Through all of these carefully picked details, the author succeeds in creating a very uncanny and eerie atmosphere in "The Listeners."  I hope that helped; good luck!

In Fahrenheit 451, what is the Phoenix's story, its symbolism, and what does it foreshadow?

The Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth, such as rising out of the ashes of a cast off life, to live again, renewed, reborn.  It is a symbol for the future of the resistance or the book people that Montag joins at the end of the story.  It foreshadows a rebirth of the society, providing a sense of hope that the current society, with its fascination for burning books and eliminating diversity of opinion, will be cleansed through the use of fire.

"By ending the book in a fire storm of bombs, there is the sense that this old society of conformity will die and a new one will be born out of the ashes, like the mythical phoenix to which Granger refers. "A time to break down, and a time to build up. Yes. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak," Montag thinks as the book people move up the river at the end of the story."

And, as the Phoenix rises out of the ashes, symbolically representing a new life, cleansed of the past, to live once more, so too is the hope of the rebels who have secretly memorized books to keep them alive.

The Phoenix is a symbol of change and transformation and this is particularly true for Guy Montag, who experiences his own transformation in the book.  So through Guy Montag, and the rebels, the Phoenix represents the cycles in nature, meaning that out of the current society, the events of the moment, a new cycle of life will emerge, that is history, all societies go through cycles.

In "Romeo and Juliet" how is the marriage of Juliet arranged, and why does she have a wet nurse?Setting of 14th century Verona

During the Renaissance, the setting of "Romeo and Juliet," marriages were arranged by the fathers of the young couples.  In Act I, Paris, a kinsman of the Prince, has spoken to Lord Capulet about marrying Juliet, but Capulet hesitates since

My child is yet a stranger in the world--/She hath not seen the change of fourteen years./Let two more sumers wither in their pride/Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride (I,ii,7-10)

That Capulet changes his mind about Paris's waiting later in the play may be evidence of the aristocrats' having such arranged marriages:  They wish to assure that their children made the proper choice of person.  That is, they desire that their children marry within their class.  Also, financial considerations play a big part: dowries, properties, political alignments, etc., were all factors.  Thus, Capulet may have changed his mind about Juliet's marrying so young as he realizes that she is enamored of his mortal enemy's son, Romeo.

Regarding nurses, often improverished women of noble families would be allowed to live with their affluent relatives and act as nurses to their nieces and nephews. The Nurse's being a relative is probable since she is even afforded a servant of her own  Such is probably the case with the nurse in "Romeo and Juliet" since she speaks in such familiar ways to Juliet, advises her, and dotes on her as an overly fond relative.  Also, because she is a relative, she is not dismissed from the household when Juliet is no longer in real need of her.

What is the summary of "La Belle Dame Sans Merci"?

According to the speaker, everything looks more dreary now that it is autumn and the harvest is complete.  The speaker describes the knight as pale and tired, almost to the point of being physically sick from the "fever" of "anguish."  Suddenly, the knight speaks, revealing that he has met a beautiful "fairy child" and made adornments for her to wear.  The speaker sits the "fairy child" on his horse while she sings fairy songs all day.  The it is the fairy child's turn to give in return.  She gives him "roots," "honey," and "manna" before professing her love.  The "fairy child" took the knight to her "elfin grot," or her home, and cried while the knight tried to dry her tears with his kisses.  She lulls the knight to sleep while the knight dreams of rulers as pale as death who warn him with their cry: "La Belle Dame Sans Merci / Hath thee in thrall."  In other words, the lovely lady without pity or mercy has the knight in her grasp.  The knight ends by repeating that this is why he is here on the cold hillside telling us this story.  Thus, the poem comes full-circle.

In "The Lottery," what are some examples of metaphors, and what do they add to the story?

The whole story is allegorical; so it relies heavily on symbols and metaphors.  The black box is a metaphor for tradition.  No one really knows why it's black or its true origin--there are rumors that it was made from pieces from the precedingbox, but no one seems to no for sure. Tradition is the same; most people do not know why they do something from year to year but continue to practice whatever the tradition might have been because that's the way is always been.  For most traditions, there are a variety of stories toldabout their origin, but nobody seems to be sure which story is the most factual.  And most significantly, when someone suggests changing or updating tradition, his or her suggestion is usually shot down (just like the one to update the black box).

Another metaphor is the color black. It represents death and "sin." The box is black; Mr. Summers who proctors thelottery works for the coal company, and the mark on the slip nobody wants is black.  Everything that is negatively associated with the lottery is black. Those who do not draw the marked slip, seem to be redeemed of their "sins," as their clean slips swirl around in the wind.

One can also argue that Tessie is a metaphor for a scapegoat.  She has done nothing wrong, and yet the townspeople willingly stone herbecause they always stone the person who pulls the marked slip. Their clear slips are allowed to float away in the breeze (similar to their "sins"), while Tessie must be "punished" for the entire town.

As a whole, Jackson relies upon metaphors to demonstrate the power of tradition, the force of a mob, and the idea of a scapegoat.

How does the Party control the citizens of Oceania in 1984?References to the book or specific examples would be great.

In a word, fear.  The Party uses the Two Minute Hate to work up the citizens against their "enemies" and then they go home to families that aren't based on love, but convenience.  They marry an arranged partner and give birth to children who are taught to spy on them.  Case in point, the Parsons who live in the same apartment building with Winston.

The Party also uses the element of instability to keep the public on its toes.  One day the ration of chocolate is lower than the next, and they're praising on the news channel the amount of chocolate they are allowed.  They're never at war with the same country, but people are not encouraged to notice these changes...they are trained to just accept them as the beaten-down "worker bees" that they are.  This is how a socialized country is...the ones with the power and the voice have all the say and everyone else in the society follows suit.

Everything is sterile in Winston's world, also.  There are no emotions since people are afraid of the cameras on the street and the telescreens in their homes.  The Thoughtpolice are everywhere...don't you dare have a thought or a moment of disagreement with the establshment.  The government in Oceania is always right...and fear (and the Ministry of Love, of course) keeps the citizens in line.

This is why your freedom of speech is so important, and why a democratic society is best.  We may not always agree with one another, but we have the opportunity to discuss, argue, compromise, and come to an agreement when all parties are able to voice their views.  A socialized government is never a good idea for anyone but those in control.

What is the motif of the stockings in Death of a Salesman?

The stocking motif emphasizes Willy's adultery with the secretary of one of his buyers. When he pursues an affair with "The Woman" in Boston, Willy gives her sheer stockings. In one of his mental lapses as he relives the past, she thanks him for the stockings and adds, "I love a lot of stockings." Coming out of his reverie, Willy finds himself back in reality with Linda, who sits mending her own worn stockings because "They're so expensive--" Willy responds with anger born of guilt:

I won't have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out!

Toward the end of the play, Willy relives the trauma of Biff's finding him in the hotel room in Boston with The Woman. As Willy pushes her out of the room to get rid of her hoping that Biff won't understand why she is there. she demands her stockings. Willy denies he has any. She persists:

You had two boxes of size nine sheers for me, and I want them!

Willy gives them to her. Biff overhears the argument and watches as she comes back into the room to get her clothes, holding the box of stockings. Despite his father's denials, Biff does understand the woman's presence. When Willy finally admits the truth, Biff breaks into tears: "You--you gave her Mama's stockings." His pain and disillusionment are so great that his relationship with his father is altered for the remainder of their lives. The stocking motif develops the theme of Willy's guilt over his betrayal of both his wife and his son.

What to do when you don't get customers no matter how many times you put an advertisement, new or old?

There are several options facing businesses who are challenged with the need to develop new customer bases.  One action that businesses undertake is the hiring of a consultant or consulting agency.  These individuals examine the business and develop different approaches to generating revenue or attracting more clients.  A fee is charged for such services, but the advantage in receiving assistance from outside the company allows a "fresh set of eyes" to examine ways to generate client interest and develop new streams of revenue.  Another approach would be to develop a website or webpage that is linked to internet traffic within the organization.  This is not merely advertising, but an attempt to create "buzz" or interest within the industry, but creates a forum where the business is in the midst of activity, and can develop new paths to client interest.  Building off of this could be flexible pricing schemes and incentives offered that are designed to lure first time customers, in particular.   Finally, an approach to attracting more clients may lie in rexamination of company goals and its targeted audience.  Perhaps one reason why a strong client base is not being developed is because the audience and business services are not aligned properly.  Reevaluation might develop a stronger sense of connection between business servies and client needs.

How do props make a play more interesting?

Props make a play more interesting in many ways.  Without props, a play seems less life-like.  Very rarely does a person walk around and not interact with anything around him or her.  People touch things, hold things, gesture to things.  Without props, actors would have nothing to interact with, nothing to make them seem more genuine. 

What prices would you be willing to pay them?The benefit are the achievement of community, identity and stability, if you prize them as the...

This is a tough question, primarily because the concept of benefit is so vague. We say that "absence of war, poverty, disease and social unrest" are valuable because they give us benefit. But what is this benefit. What is it that we really want, and for which we are ready to strive for and pay a price. What is it that we seek in life. What is it that motivates.

A good answer to these questions can be found in Maslow's Theory of Need Hierarchy. As per these theory there are five different kinds of needs arranged in a hierarchical sequence, that motivate people to make efforts when these needs are met they derive pleasure and satisfaction. These needs identified by Maslow are

1. Physiological need: the need to meet the basic physiological requirements of the body like hunger, thirst, shelter, etc.


2. Security need: the need to protect what you have including your life and property.


3. Social needs: the need for association wit other people, the need for belonging to and feel a part of groups.


4. Ego Needs: the need to fell important. The need to feel that you are better than others.


5. Self actualization need: the need to achieve your potential, the need to be feel that you have done or achieved something Worthwhile.

The hierarchical nature of these needs means that a person will first try to achieve the most basic needs at the lower level, i.e. physiological need, not bothering about higher level needs. But when the lower level need is satisfied, a person will move towards achievement of the next higher level needs. Thus the most dominant need of person will shift along the hierarchy to higher level need till it reaches the highest level - the self actualization need.

Satisfaction of the self actualization need gives a person the highest possible level of pleasure and satisfaction. Such great is the pleasure derived from the satisfaction of this need that a person who has once developed a taste for self actualization does not care for any of the four lower level needs.

If we think about the people in BNW, we see that they are able to satisfy their lower four level needs in varying quantities, but when it comes to self actualization need they have no opportunity to satisfy it. On the contrary, people are discouraged from having tendencies to seek such satisfaction.

So this is the price one has to pay for what BNW has to offer - the chances of ever tasting that highest level of pleasure, the pleasure of self actualization.

Whether or not a person is willing to pay that price is a personal decision. But, most certainly, I am not willing to pay that price.

Describe Cassie's reaction when she learned that the books her school received were discarded by the state in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Cassie is justifiably angry and hurt when she discovers that the books her school received were discarded by the state, but, unlike Little Man, who reacts with an incoherent rage, she tries to be reasonable and explain the situation to Miss Crocker, their teacher.  When she reads the line that indicates that the book, which is in "Very Poor" condition, would only now be issued to "nigra(s)", "a knot of anger swell(s) in (her) throat and (holds) there", but Cassie consciously "put(s) aside (her) anger and jumps up" to talk to Miss Crocker.  As Miss Crocker is getting ready to whip Little Man for his behavior, Cassie tries to tell her why her brother is so upset about the books.  Holding up the book to the teacher, Cassie says, "...see what it says...they give us these ole books when they (don't) want 'em no more".  She further tries to make Miss Crocker understand by pointing out specifically "what they called us", but Miss Crocker is unimpressed.  She tells Cassie coldly that a "nigra" is what she is, and proceeds to punish Little Man.

Seeing that her case is falling upon deaf ears, Cassie refuses to take her book as well, in solidarity with her brother.  She too is punished, whipped before the class with a hickory stick.

Later, figuring that "punishment is always less severe when (she) pour(s) out the whole truth to Mama on (her) own before she (has) heard anything from anyone else", Cassie seeks out her mother to tell her about the incident in class.  When she finds her, Cassie witnesses a confrontation between her mother and Miss Crocker, who has gotten to Mrs. Logan first despite Cassie's efforts.  Cassie is surprised when she sees her mother stand up with quiet dignity to Miss Crocker, and decides to wait until evening to talk to her about what happened in class.  Cassie knows, from overhearing Mrs. Logan's conversation with her teacher, that although she may discipline her and Little Man for their disobedience, her mother understands (Chapter 1).

What is a sad moment in Shark Tale?I can't find any!

I sure hope you are talking about the animated movie.  If this is the case, I am not sure you will find any overwhelming moments of "sadness."  There are some moments where one does feel slightly dejected at the condition of the characters.  Oscar starts off as a very pathetic kind of fish.  When he wagers the money on a long shot horse only to see it trip over its own feet at the finish line, there is a certain level of sadness felt with Oscar having come so close, yet be denied his moment of victory.  I supposed another sad moment is that the only way Oscar can get any hint of respectability is by pretending that he killed Lenny.  Self deception is always sad to witness and his ability to achieve social popularity and enjoy the benefits of having a girl friend, Lola, because he was simply near a body after a freak accident is slightly sad.  I guess that one other sad moment is that Angie, who really loves Oscar, is sort of discarded as a result of his surge of popularity.  While these are mere moments of sadness in the film, I would say that a film like "Finding Nemo" probably has better and more compelling moments of sadness.

What is ironic about Willy Lomans comment "I'm tired to the death" ?I am aware of the fact that this quotation shows an ironic extent of...

This can be ironic in that Willy actually dies shortly after making this statement, by killing himself in an automobile collision.  Willy hasn't been well mentally for some time, as evidenced by the fact that he has been using a hose to breathe toxic fumes from the gas heater in the basement.  He also has increasingly been experiencing hallucinations, in addition to flashbacks, and is unable to distinguish fantasy from reality at times, such as his brother Ben affirming his decision to kill himself.

Willy cannot deal with the pressure life has put upon him.  On top of losing his job as a salesman, his son cannot find and keep a job, and he is unable to keep up with paying all of his bills.  When he says he is tired to the death, he is expressing his sense of physical fatigue, but also, and more importantly, his sense of being finished with living.  He is tired of his life that offers nothing but disappointment. 

What happened at the institution where Annie grew up that she says made her strong? 2nd question is in Act 3, Scene 3

Annie endured unspeakable atrocities at the state almshouse:  a similar type of asylum to the one where the Kellers were going to send Helen.  Annie tells the Kellers about her past as she requests "complete charge" of Helen and asks for permission to live with Helen in the hunting house nearby.  Captain Keller threatens to say "no," so Annie reveals "what Helen will find there, not on visiting days" (77).  There is no better language than Annie's in regards to these atrocities:

One ward was full of the--old women, crippled, blind, most of them dying, but even if what they had was catching there was nowhere else to move them, and that's where they put us.  There were younger ones across the hall, prostitutes mostly, with T.B., and epileptic fits, and a couple of the kind who--keep after other girls, especially young ones, and some insane.  Some just had the D.T.'s.  The youngest were in another ward to have babies they didn't want, they started at thirteen, fourteen.  They'd leave afterwards, but the babies stayed and we played with them, too, though a lot of them had--sores all over from diseases you're not supposed to talk about, but not many of them lived  The first year we had eighty, seventy died.  The room Jimmie and I played in was the deadhouse, where they kept the bodies till they could dig the graves. (77-78)

Can one think of a bigger nightmare?  The very worst of the gravely ill, both young and old shared the same living space with Annie.  Incredibly infectious diseases swarmed around her in addition to the absolute worst in secular morality and the worst mortality rate in the history of the world!  And, of course, it is after this soliloquy that Annie says, "No, it made me strong."  In reality, Annie is literally forcing Captain Keller to agree to her demands in regards to Helen.  Who would consider sending their child to such a place after Annie reveals the truth?

Compare and Contrast the characters of Frado in "Our Nig" with that of Jake Brown in "Home to Harlem".Does either have direction and aim in life?...

In terms of the textual evidence, you will have to find that on your own, but I will help draw a sketch of both.  Frado, in Our Nig, has many similarities with Jake, in Home to Harlem.  In my mind, the most overwhelming similarity is that they both end up leaving their private hells, or arenas of discomfort.  Jake decides to take his love to Chicago, escaping the nature of Harlem in the hopes of a new life.  Frado ends up leaving Mrs. B and marries, having a child who is born free.  Both have a vision of freedom, an ideal notion that contrasts with their difficult lives.  Jake believes that Chicago is the answer, getting away from New York is critical.  Frado's child is free, but poses as a slave to deliver abolitionist lectures, providing inspiration to Frado.  The accomplishment of these visions becomes their goal in life.  Naturally, their last similarity is the silent inferno of cruelty brought on by race that they had to endure. An obvious difference is gender.   I think that Jake had an "easier" (That term really is not applicable in either case) time in being a man than Frado as a woman.  Being a woman, she was fighting the battle of being Black and the conflict of being a woman, which was also predicated on living in silence.  In terms of how each has control over their lives, I think that a claim can be that they do exert autonomy in whatever manner they can.  It is not like they are silent and passive, nor do they use social conditions as a reason to quit fighting.  The authors are both concerned with providing a vision where resilency and active voice are present.   The characters do take active steps- Jake in leaving and finding his love, Frado in marrying and leaving Mrs. B.  I think you can also find examples where they do exert autonomy.  The fact that they each have their visions of an ideal life which they pursue- call it their own sense of "pursuits of happiness"- does indicate that they are not passive.

How does Shakespeare portray love in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?

As Lysander says, "The course of true love never did run smooth."  Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream is portrayed as complicated and difficult, yet Shakespeare does it in a way that is humorous and lighthearted.  In this play love often brings out the worst in people, yet in the end it's what brings everyone back together.  Love has the ability to spellbind people as Shakespeare represents symbolically through Puck's actions, and we see how intensely complicated it can be when it nearly tears apart Hermia's family and causes argument between the four main human characters.  Love permeates all aspects of life in this play and we see the awesome power it has over human emotion, psychology, and behavior.  Of course, no matter what happens, love prevails in the end validating Lysander's quotation at the beginning of the play.

What are the environmental factors that affect the automobile industry?

Environmental factors for a company or an industry refer to variables and conditions around that company and industry that affect its working and performance, but which cannot be controlled. For example, the weather conditions in a city may affect the sale of Ice cream in a city, but the company selling or manufacturing ice creams has Little control over the weather.

We can differentiate environmental factors from the internal variables of factors, that are under reasonable control of a company or industry. A company cannot change or influence the environmental factors, but it does have fair amount of control over impact of environmental factors on its performance. This control is achieved by, understanding, anticipating, and responding wisely to environmental factors by management of internal factors. For example, a company cannot change the weather condition, but it can manage its production and stocks of ice cream in a way that minimizes the ill effect of uncertainty and fluctuations created by changing weather condition.

To understand, analyze and deal with environmental factors, we can use the "PESTEL" framework that classifies all environmental faators in the following six groups.

1. Political


2. Economical


3. Sociocultural


4. Technological


5. (Physical/Geographic) Environmental


6. Legal.

Some of the major environmental factors affecting automobile industry in each of these group are described below.

Political

• Political climate in a different countries producing an buying automobiles regarding policies on import, export and manufacture of automobiles and automobile components. This will also include policies on allowing setting up of manufacturing plants by foreign companies.


• Stability of governments. This may affect the future conditions in a country.


• Taxation policies.

Economical

• The population figures and automobile buying capacity of people.


• Level of economic activity that affects need for commercial use of automobiles

Sociocultural

• Lifestyle and preferences of people, that impact their choice of types of automobiles.


• Social norms that impact the decision to own and use automobiles versus other means of transport.

Technological

• Technology relating to automobile designs


• Technology of automobile manufacture


• Technological developments that may increase or decrease use of automobiles. For example, Internet increase number of people working from home and thus reduce automobile use for commuting?

(Physical/Geographic) Environmental

• Physical conditions effecting ability to use automobiles of different types. This will also include state infrastructure such as roads for driving vehicles.

Legal

• Legal provision relating to environmental population by automobiles.


• Legal provisions relating to safety measures.

For more information on environmental factors refer to:

Johnson, G. and Scholes,2002,  K., Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases, Prentice Hall, U.K.

In the novel To Sir With Love, what were some of the conflicts and how were they resolved?

Rick Braithwaite faces a number of conflicts in the book To Sir With Love. One of the foremost is his inability to secure employment after being demobilized from the RAF.  Braithwaite is an experienced engineer, and he leaves the Air Force believing that he will have no trouble getting a job as a civilian.  Unfortunately, in the social fabric of post World War II Britain, a thinly disguised but virulent attitude of racism prevails.  Braithwaite applies for a long series of positions, but is hired for none of them because of his race.

Braithwaite takes the advice of a random old gentleman he meets at a park, to look for employment in a completely different field.   The kindly man suggests teaching, and Braithwaite is indeed able to get a job as an instructor at Greenslade School.

As a teacher, Braithwaite must resolve many conflicts concerning his students.  Early on during his tenure, his authority is challenged by one student in particular, Denham.  Denham goads Braithwaite into facing him in a boxing match.  Braithwaite manages to beat Denham fairly, without actually harming him, earning Denham's respect from that day forward.

Pamela Dare, a student who has developed a crush on Braithwaite, returns after a holiday distracted and subdued.  A short time later, Pamela's mother seeks out Braithwaite and asks him for help in dealing with her daughter.  Although Braithwaite is not at all comfortable with the situation, he sits down with both Pamela and her mother and helps them reestablish channels of communication.

Braithwaite also finds himself embroiled in a conflict between Potter and another teacher, Bell.  Bell has an abrasive personality, and because he forces a student to do an exercise which the student does not feel up to doing, that student is in an accident and is hurt.  One of Braithwaite's students, Potter, attacks Bell in anger, and Braithwaite finds himself in the position of having to defuse the situation.  To Potter's surprise, Braithwaite reprimands him for his behavior, even while admitting that Bell was out of line.  The lesson which Braithwaite wants to instill in Potter is that, even in the face of injustice, a mature adult is accountable for how he responds.  Potter does eventually see the wisdom in what Braithwaite is trying to teach him, and reluctantly but nobly takes the high road and apologizes to the errant teacher.

The biggest conflict Braithwaite has to face, though, is in regards to racism as it affects him in his own life.  It is a constant struggle for him, but with patience and perseverance, he is, as he tells Gillian Blanchard, "learning how to mind and still live...gradually...learning what it means to live with dignity inside (his) black skin" (Chapter 18).

Why is it that a person can lie down on a bed of nails unharmed?

A bed of several nails are more comfortable than one single nail.Ask the person to stand one or two or just not more than 3 pins to make show!

Pressure is the weight force  divided  by the area on which the body rests. The more the area of the weight force is spread over , you feel more comfotable.

Pressure per unit area reduces if the weight force is distributed over a larger area, larger number of pins.

On the other hand you consider the reaction, you get an equal reaction from  the area on which the weight force acts by Newton's 3rd law..

The reaction or is extremely high if the man is  made to lie or stand on a single one or  two sharp nails. If the average man wieighs 70 kg , his weight force of 700 Newtons shall be reacted back from from one or two nails or needles , he will be thoroughly punctured from one side to through the body to the other side.

That is the reason a number of nails do not make pain.

In The Great Gatsby, how was Dan Cody involved in Gatsby's destiny?

Dan Cody was an enormously wealthy old man, a millionaire many times over, who had earned his fortune mining silver. Gatsby met him when Gatsby was seventeen--a runaway with no money and no prospects. When he saw Dan Cody's yacht drop anchor at a dangerous point in Lake Superior, Gatsby saw an opportunity to leave his old life behind and took it:

It was James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green jersey and a pair of canvas pants, but it was already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a row-boat, pulled out to the Tuolomee and informed Cody that a wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour.

Cody found Gatsby to be smart and ambitious and hired him. Cody fitted him out with a nautical wardrobe, and the Tuolomee set sail for the West Indies and the Barbary Coast with Gatsby aboard. For five years, Gatsby worked as Cody's personal assistant, of sorts, as a "steward, mate, skipper, secretary and even jailor [sic]." (Gatsby "jailed" Cody when he was drunk and needed to be restrained.) Together they sailed around the continent three times.

During the time he travelled with Cody, Gatsby experienced a glamorous life far removed from his North Dakota upbringing. He attended parties with the wealthy where women were known to "rub champagne into his hair." He acquired a certain amount of polish and sophistication. Most of all, during his time with Cody, Jay Gatsby left Jimmy Gatz behind: "[T]he vague contour of Jay Gatsby had filled out to the substantiality of a man."

In chapter 1: What is a ghetto?

A ghetto is an area of a city where minority members of the population gather together and live. Often these citizens are low-income, perhaps immigrants, and marginalized by the majority culture. In contemporary times, you may be familiar with the term "ghetto" used to describe people or items in a negative way, such as, "This school is so ghetto. Our books are ten years out of date."

In Elie Wiesel's time, Jews were segregated in separate areas of cities. This forcible segregation of Jews was not new during World War II. It had occurred for centuries in many countries. In fact, the term "ghetto" is Italian.

Where in "The Open Boat," by Stephen Crane, is it shown that the correspondent is the initiate?kplh

The concept in literary criticism of the initiation story is still a contentious one with many divergent ideas of what an initiation is or is not. Applying the critical label 'initiation story" to "The Open Boat" points out the contentiousness of the debate.

Initiation criticism originated with the anthropological classification of ritualized puberty rite of initiation passages from the childs' world into the adults' world. This passage is achieved though indoctrination, maiming and induced epiphany. The initiation story is said to have the same or similar elements as anthropological initiation rites. This sort of rite of passage story is traditionally called Bildungsroman or a coming of age story.

The difference between the the traditional Bildungsroman label and the newer critical initiation story label is that some critics include adult experiences of personal, social or cultural passage from one plane of understanding to a more encompassing and complex plane in the initiation story classification.

Having said this, the correspondent's experience in "The Open Boat" can, by some critical views, be analyzed as an initiation story: he is initiated into the life and death survival for existence of the sailor who must continually battle and try to befriend an impersonal and monstrous sea, as monstrous as the shark with glistening blue fin, body and tail.

There was a long, loud swishing astern of the boat, and a gleaming trail of phosphorescence, like blue flame, was furrowed on the black waters. It might have been made by a monstrous knife.

Two textual clues indicate through inference (indirectly, not directly) that the correspondent is the initiate (i.e., person receiving initiation) in this story. The first is where we expect such foundational information to be, in the exposition of the story. We are introduced to the cook of a ship, the oiler (overseer of fuel) of a ship, the injured captain of a ship and to a correspondent, evidently a passenger on the ship. It's a matter for induction as on intelligence tests: "Which one in this group does not belong?" Answer: D, the correspondent; he is the initiate.

The cook, oiler and captain are well initiated into the workings and threats of the fierce sea that is no respecter of persons: they know the sea and have battled against it before, though not like at present. The correspondent is from outside this initiated group; he is along as a guest upon the sea; he expects it to be friendly and accommodating to his goals. When the ship goes down, he changes from an uninitiated guest to the initiate in a fearsome rite of passage.

The second textual clue is later on when the correspondent wonders "why he was there." The narrator describes the initiated fraternity of the sea. All through the story, the oiler and correspondent bravely and good-naturedly exhaust themselves at the oar, rowing together or alternately: "the oiler and the correspondent rowed. And also they rowed." Now, the correspondent is described as one with the oiler, cook and captain in the initiated fraternity. In other words, he has succeeded in his indoctrination and torture and has become a man of the sea. This confirms that he is the initiate as there is no other way he might have become one with the other three.

They were a captain, an oiler, a cook, and a correspondent, and they were friends, ... [and] the correspondent, ... knew even at the time was the best experience of his life.

[Mordecai Marcus. "What Is an Initiation Story?" The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism Vol. 19, No. 2 (Winter, 1960), pp. 221-228. Wiley Publishing.]

What is the central theme in the poem "What Are Years?" written by Marianne Moore?I would like to know the central theme, setting, symbolism,...

A Modernist who delights in language and precise, heartfelt expression, Marianne Moore has been compared to Picasso in his Cubist period.  For, her poems do not often adhere to any strict poetic form; she composed poetry in syllabics and "zigzag logic," (Ryan) moving swiftly from image to image.

An example of Moore's use of "zigzag logic" and swift movement from image to image, is her poem "What Are Years?"  As Kay Ryan in The Yale Review writes, "[Her] poems are glass-cased and filled with sliding doors that we open."

Therefore, to assign a central theme, the reader must follow the inner debate of Moore's poem in which there are apparent paradoxes.  For instance, one wonders how  

death, encourages others/and in its defeat, stirs/the soul to be strong?

Perhaps the answer is that the person who "accedes," or gives consent, to mortality and

in his imprisonment rises/upon himself as/the sea in a chasm, struggling to be/free and unable to be,/in its surrendering/finds its continuing

These lines recall the message of Paul Dunbar's poem "Sympathy" in which the "caged bird sings."  The bird continues to sing as he would in freedom because to not do so would surely be the end of its existence.  So, too, does the sea, locked in a chasm, find its existence in hitting the rocks. (The sea can be symbolic of a person's soul.)

The final stanza of Moore's does offer the reader some conclusion with the word so:

So, he who strongly feels,/behaves.  The very bird,/grown taller as he sings, steels/his form straight up.  Though he is captive,/his mighty singing/says,.../how pure a thing is joy./This is mortality,/this is eternity.

The final paradox of mortality=eternity is Moore's motif.  As the reader opens the "glass-doors" of the speaker's observations that in misfortune there is courage, in death's defeat there can be strength, in imprisonment there can be freedom, in captivity there can be joy; the reader realizes there is a metaphysical eternity in "behaving" to all things, and, thus, no finiteness such as "years."

I need a complete explanation and analysis of the poem "It's Not Growing Like a Tree" by Ben Jonson.It is not growing like a treeIn bulk doth make...

The basic gist of this poem is that there are many beautiful and perfect sights, moments, experiences and memories in life, but, they are pretty short-lived.  The rest of the time, life is pretty dull and drab; however, there are those moments of beauty and perfection that we have to draw on during the down times.  Johnson compares these moments to "a lily of a day" and how it is much "fairer in May" even though it lives at other moments too, and "it fall and die at night."  While it was alive though, it was a "flower of light."  It, while it was alive and in its prime, a beautiful and inspiring lily.  This is just like our lives--he concludes with the idea that "in short measures life may perfect be," meaning, life is perfect in only short, transient moments that often fade and die.

He contrasts our lives with their temporary perfect moments to a tree that is perfect and beautiful for the duration of its life, for "three hundred year" before it falls "at last" to become an ugly log.  So, "It's Not Growing Like a Tree," refers to how our lives are not constantly beautiful, with perfect moments consistently growing, for centuries.  Rather, we are more like the lilies, who have brief but exultant lives of moments of beauty and perfection.

I hope that these thoughts help you to understand the poem a bit better; good luck!

At the church, Pony and Johnny are unable to watch the sunset.What symbolic meaning might this have?

While walking home after the movie, Ponyboy admits to Cherry that he likes to watch sunsets. He says:

"It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset."

After this realization, Ponyboy starts to think that maybe Greasers weren't such outsiders at all. They are separate but still equals. Not being able to see the sunset from the church can be symbolic of the boys being outcasts.

According to Malcolm, what are the 'graces' of a king? [4.3.91ff]. Does he possess them? [see 4.3.123-137].

In Act IV Malcolm suspects that Macduff is an agent of Macbeth and wonders why Macduff left his family unprotected by going to England.  To test his suspicions, he tells Macduff that he himself loves women, jewels, and discord among people:

...but there's no bottom, none,/In my voluptuousness: ...Your matrons and your maids, could not fill up/The cistern of my lust, and my desire...(IV, iii, 60-63)

He continues to state that he possesses no admirable qualities of rulers, no fairness, honesty, kindness, strength of character, stability, devotion, bravery, or patience:

But I have none: the king-becoming graces,/ As justice, verity, temp'rance, stableness,/Bounty, perseverance, mercy , lowliness, /Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude,/I have no relish of them, but abound/In the division of each several crime/Acting it many ways (IV, iii,91-97)

But when Macduff responds with a cry of despair and hopelessness for his country, Malcolm tells him that what he has said is a lie, the first lie he has ever told:

Macduff, this noble passion,/Child of integrity, hath from my soul/Wipe the black scruples, reconciled my thoughts/To thy good truth and honor. (IV, iii, 115-119).

Malcolm then goes on to state that he is

yet/ Unknown to woman,,,,scarcely have coveted what was mine own,/At no time broke my faith, would not betray/The devil to his fellow, and delight/No less in truth than life(IV,iii,124-128).

After Malcolm declares that he does, indeed, possess virtue, Macduff is nonplused and says that he does not know what to believe:  "Such welcome and unwelcome things at once/'Tis hard to reconcile" (IV,iii,137-138).

However, Malcolm is what he says he is.  For, he later encourages Macduff to use the sudden news of his family's slaughter as a reason to fight Macbeth.  And, he assumes the role of kingship with dignity and honor in the final act.  In his final speech, he inaugurates a new era for Scotland:

As calling home our exiled friends abroad/That fled the snares of watcful tyranny,/...We will perform in measure, time, and place:/So thanks to all at once and to each one,/Whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone (V,iii,66-75).

What does Julia mean by "talking in installments"?

Winston and Julia are living in an environment that forbids them to have a relationship.  They must sneak around to meet and when they do meet they only have a limited amount of time.  When they run into each other they can speak only briefly so they don't arouse suspicion.  Winston describes how Julia can pick up a conversation from the very point that they have left it when previously parting.  She describes this ability as "talking in installments" because they never have a chance to complete an entire conversation.  They speak briefly and then the next time they meet they add another "instalment" to the previous conversation. As we read on page 107,

"...they carried on a curious, intermittent conversation which flicked on and off like the beams of a lighthouse, suddenly nipped into silence by the approach of a Party uniform or the proximity of a telescreen, then taken up again minutes later in the middle of a sentence, then abruptly cut short as they parted at the agreed spot, then continued almost without introduction on the following day."

In "Pride and Prejudice", what qualities do Jane and Lydia posses which make them better candidates for marriage then Lizzy?

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane is described as an exquisite beauty, the prettiest of the Bennet sisters.  She would be the most attractive to potential suitors.  Jane also has an easy manner about her, not too smart as to insult a candidate who would become her husband.

Jane is a lady, she is graceful and pleasant in her manner.  It is hard to dislike Jane, she is the type of woman that men can admire from a distance and when they get up close they discover that not only is she beautiful, but sweet, kind and easy to love.

Lydia is very outgoing, has a good sense of humor and is very amiable.  Lydia is not a serious individual, all she is interested in is having fun.  This quality might be appealing to young men like herself who are also looking for fun.  Lydia seems to lack a moral core which could also be attractive to men, especially men like Wickham.  Lydia is spontaneous, she elopes with Wickham, well they are not actually married, she runs away with him and has no qualms about being alone with him.  She does not realize that she is violating her family's honor by her behavior.

On the contrary, Lizzie, although pleasant looking her demeanor is dominated by her wit, intelligence and ability to hold her own in a conversation with any man.  Lizzie Bennet is a complex woman, educated and refined, but not easily wooed.  She is not as easy to love as Jane and not  silly like Lydia.  In fact, Lizzie is somewhat unapproachable.  She is serious and steady, not given to flights of fancy like Lydia.  But also not like Jane who appeals to men and is admired so quickly and easily.

Lizzie is looking for something more in a man, a husband that will regard her intelligence as an asset and not a detriment.  She does not want to hide her education, so that man who looks to marry Lizzie will have to be very secure in his own knowledge and not feel threatened by her.  Nor can her potential husband be intimidated by her sharp wit or caustic sense of humor that is tinged with irony.

How did America become involved in Viet Nam?I'd also like for you to make a point with russians

The growth of the United States' involvement with Vietnam can be traced as far back as the 1950s, under the Administration of President Eisenhower.  In order to receive French support during post World War II challenges with the Soviets, the American government agreed to allow French resumption of the colonization of Vietnam.  Striking at the heart of his nation's autonomy, North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh initiated battles with the French to rid the imperialistic presence.  In 1954, at the battle of Dienbienphu, the French suffered massive losses and sought to leave the Vietnamese peninsula.  The French loss was precipitated by Chinese support for Ho Chi Minh.  A potential alliance between Communist China and Vietnam prompted Eisenhower to advocate the domino theory as a justification for U.S. involvement in the region:  "You have a row of dominoes set up.  You knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly."  American fears and paranoia of Communist Russia, in collusion with Communist China and North Vietnam fed the belief that United States intervention was needed in South East Asia, where the stakes for freedom was the highest in accordance with the domino theory.

The executive branch, in the form of President Eisenhower, starts to send in "advisors" whose role is to help the South Vietnamese battle Communist insurgency from the North.  President Diem is elected, in a corrupt election, as the president of the South.  The United States now conducts diplomatic relations with Diem, whom it saw as the best bet to defeat the Vietcong Communist forces of the North under its leader, Ho Chi Minh.  The euphemism of "advisors" gave way to military troops in a limited trickle, while the executive branch was able to operate under the notion of conducting foreign affairs.  As long as it was able to diplomatically work with an elected leader, it did not need Congressional consent.  While the American government knew that Diem's government was elected fradulently, and understood the rampant corruption in the South Vietnamese government, it understood that this was a necessary price to defeat the Communist Vietcong forces of the North.

With the 1960 election of Kennedy, Vice President Johnson continued the diplomacy with the South, assuring the government of American commitment to the region.  American miltary involvement also increased with both the use of Air Force and greater "advisors" into Vietnam.  In 1963, Kennedy did present a plan to his cabinet that there would be a slight increase in troops, only to have pulled out all advisors by 1965.  There is evidence to suggest that Kennedy was willing to see the struggle as a civil war in Vietnam, and not necessarily the penultimate stage in the battle against Communism.  However, this changed in 1963, with Kennedy's assassination, and Johnson's ascendancy to the President.  In 1964, as reports of hits on United States Marine Ships surface, President Johnson signs the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which essentially commits United States troops into conflict in the Vietnam region.  In the first official Congressional action, Johnson convinces the Legislative Branch of the need to have executive authorization in the discretion of troop usage in Vietnam, citing the threat to American military and economic interests.  The resolution passes by an overwhelming vote in both houses, empowering the Executive Branch.

What are the themes of Waiting for Godot?

This play is full of so many possible themes - you could have a complete field day in answering this question as an essay. But one overarching question seems to link all of these possible themes together - what is the nature of our existence as human beings?

We enter the world with no sense of identity and gradually as we grow up assume our identity from things around us - our families, our achievements etc. However, one of the major aspects of the play seems to point out that our assumed identity maybe based on illusory concepts. Beckett himself rejected the church as an "illusion" and believed that man's greatest achievements, when considered in the context of the whole universe, count for nothing, but at the same time, life without illusions of grandeur and importance would be a very sad affair.

In relation to this, you need to ask yourself what kind of world it is that Vladimir and Estragon live in. They don't have the normal securities that we do in our lives - nothing is certain, violence can appear be inflicted upon them at any time, and there are no concepts such as justice or securities of any afterlife. Even simple tasks are made out to be major achievements. The human condition is therefore depicted to be incredibly insecure, but perhaps the one redeeming feature is our search for meaning and significance.

Against this relentless nihilism of the play, another redeeming aspect is the friendship of Vladimir and Estragon, and it is worth the pain to examine their relationship based in the context of the whole play. What does their friendship say about hope in an otherwise hopeless environment? What hope does it offer to us as human beings as we struggle to make sense of who we are?

In Act 5, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet what is Romeo's emotional state at the beginning & what is the effect of his final speech (84-120)?

Although I'm sure others could offer different alternatives, I would say that Romeo is experiencing a bit of happiness in his despair throughout Act 5, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet.  Why a bit of happiness?  Romeo gives his own explanation in lines 88-90:

How oft when men are at the point of death / Have they been merry! which their keepers call / A lightning before death.  O, how may I / Call this a lightning? (5.3.88-90)

In other words, even in Romeo's despair, he feels "merry" because he is with his love.  At least they will end their lives together and that, in itself, is a blessing.  Even further, Romeo actually jokes with the dead Juliet, further showing his love for her:

Ah, dear Juiet, / Why art thou yet so fair?  Shall I believe / That unsubstantial Death is amorous, / And that the lean abhorred monster keeps / Thee here in dark to be his paramour? (5.3.101-105)

In other words, Juliet still looks so beautiful that Romeo is asking of the monster of Death is keeping Juliet there to be its own lover.  Only the reader knows that Juliet is, in fact, not dead. 

However, anyone about to take his own life or anyone simply in the presence of a dead lover is going to be in a state of despair, and Romeo is no exception.  He states, "Here, here will I remain / With worms that are thy chambermaids" (5.3.108-9).  What a gruesome image!  It isn't long before Romeo is speaking of "everlasting rest" and "world-wearied flesh," two common images of the despairing heart.  Romeo even uses his lips to "seal with a righteous kiss / a dateless bargain to engrossing death!" (5.3.114-115).  Therefore, despite all of the honor and joy Romeo might feel in finding final rest near his love, the fact remains that Romeo and Juliet can never again experience their love among the living.

In what ways is "To Kill a Mockingbird" a story of love of childhood, love of parenthood and love of humanity?Harper Lee called her novel "a love...

To kill a mockingbird is a novel written from the ponit of view of Scout who is a precocious 6 or 7 year-old. She is smart, cute, funny, and different from most girls in her age group.  She likes to "play with the boys", read with her father, and wear overalls. Her brother "puts up with her", but basically wants her to stay away from him while they are at school.

This story is about childhood innocence in full blossom. We see Jem, Dill, and Scout playing imaginary games about "Boo" Radley.  They were stopped by Atticus (scout's father) because the games were unkind toward their neighbor.  We see Jem being punished in a most peculiar manner by having to read to an elderly woman who almost always falls asleep during the reading session. We see Scout scolded for learning to read with her father who isn't a teacher.

At the children's appearance during the trial of Tom Robinson, we see that childhood innocence vanish. It may have had a deeper effect on Jem, but Scout's eyes are fully opened to the workings of the town, prejudice, and violent behavior.

Even though Scout loved her father in the beginning of the novel, her respect and admiration for her father grow as the trial progresses. Scout proves herself courageous when she confronts the lynch mob outside of the town jail where her father was keeping vigil.

Jem begins to see his father as a type of hero after he shoots a rabid dog with just one shot.  Jem previously thought of his father as something of a cowardly man who would run from a fight.  However, Jem learns that his father once was a crack shot with a pistol but chose to live a life as free from violence as possible.  As a result, Jem gains greater respect for his father.

Since the children did not have a "mother", Calpurnia fills in nicely.  She influences the children in a positive manner, dotes on them, brings them to church and shows them off to her "family".  During a time when the town was basically rejecting the Finch family, throwing rocks at them, and calling them names, Calpurnia shows kindness, love and tenderness toward the children. It is through Calpurnia that the children are surrounded by the black community at the trial where they snuck in and sat in the black section because the "white section" was full.

At the very end of the story, they are no longer children. They were visciously attacked by Bob Ewell on their way home from a school festival.  The Finch children were saved by "Boo" who ended up stabbing Bob Ewell, and carrying Scout home to her father.

From that point in the story, the children are no longer innocent.  They are wise beyond their years when Scout says that to bring the public eye onto Arthur Radley would be like killing a mockingbird.  They see the town and it's "ways" with grown-up sensitivities. Before the trial, the children knew the social strata well, but hot how and why things were the way they were.  During and after the trial, they learned about prejudice, sexual violence, inter-racial relationships, revenge, and a myriad of other prejudicial flaws in our society.

I think that Scout learned from her father that there is a time and place to "rise up" out of what you "accept as normal" in order to do what is right.

What do you think will happen when Malcom and Macduff confront Macbeth?The predictions of the three witches The motives of all three men Macduff's...

What will happen when the three men meet face to face, or force to force, is what does happen when they meet - Macduff kills Macbeth. When Macduff first hears about what Macbeth did to his family, he is grief-stricken.  Malcolm tells him to turn his anger toward Macbeth and sharpen that anger. He tells Macduff not to let grief make him weak; grief should make him stronger and more determined.  That is exactly what happens.  When Macduff and Macbeth meet in the last scene of Act 5, Macbeth still thinks he is invulnerable because "no man born of woman" can harm him.  He doesn't want to fight Macduff because he feels he's caused enough bloodshed in Macduff's family already.  Macduff tells Macbeth that he will fight and that he was not born in the traditional way, therefore is outside the category "born of woman".  Macbeth and Malcolm do not meet up face to face, but Malcolm's forces meet up with Macbeth's forces and Malcolm's troops defeat Macbeth's.  At this point, Macbeth has become despondent - his wife is dead, his men are defeated, his country does not want him as its king.  It is very possible that he is not fighting to his full abilities whereas Malcolm and Macduff are fighting with full effort because they have revenge driving them.

I need help with this story problem:suppose one of your ansestors invested $500 in 1800 in an account paying 4% interst compound annually. Find the...

raely's answer tells you how to calculate simple interest.  This problem calls for compound interest.

With simple interest, you figure out what the amount of interest is in the first year -- here it would be $500 x .04 = $20.  You would get that same $20 added every year, so all you would have to do is figure out how many years' worth of $20s you are adding to the original principal amount.

Calculating compound interest is more difficult.  In this case, each year you calculate the amount of interest for that year based on the principal + interest from the past.  So, with this problem, in year 1 you get $20 interest.  In year 2, the interest is reinvested and becomes part of the principal.  So, year 2's interest is 4% of $520, or almost $21.  The principal plus reinvested interest will keep growing every year, and so the amount of interest received each year will also continue growing.

Here's the formula for figuring it out:

FB is the final balance in the account at the end.

P is the principal you started with, in this case $500.

i is the interest rate (use a small i so it doesn't get confused with a 1)

n is the number of years the money is invested.

The formula:  FB = P (1 + i)^n  [^n means to the nth power]

So, plugging in what we know for this problem, the final balance in the year 2000 will be:

FB = 500 (1 + .04)^200

This isn't a very easy problem to calculate, because you have to figure out 1.04 x 1.04 x 1.04 . . . 200 times!!

There are compound interest calculators on the web that can do this for you!  Here's a link to one.  Be sure to read carefully what numbers you need to plug in where!!!

How is the woman's opinion of 'constancy' best reflected in Jane'a Austen "Persuasion?"

The central theme of "Persuasion" is, ofcourse, constancy in love. Although, it is eight years since the match between Anne and Wentworth has broken off, both of them did not marry someone else although there were opportunities to do so. Anne was solicited by Charles Musgrove who on being refused by her married her younger sister Mary.  Wentworth came close to marrying Louisa Musgrove who after her  accident at Lyme Regis fell in love with Benwick and got married to him.

This issue is debated very comprehensively by Jane Austen in Ch.23. The incident takes place in the room of the inn 'The White Hart'  in Bath where the Musgroves have been lodged. They have come to buy wedding clothes for Henrietta. Captain Harville and Wentworth are also present in the same room.

Captain Harville is the brother of Fanny Harville who was expected to marry Benwick, but unfortunately she died before that. Benwick went into deep mourning and every one expected him to remain single for the rest of his life; but after Louisa Musgrove fell down and hurt herself she was looked after by Benwick.  The intimacy that developed then quickly  blossomed into love and Benwick decides to marry Louisa. When Benwick was in love with Fanny Harville he had a painting made of himself and gifted it to her. But now Captain Harville has been asked by Benwick to frame the same picture so that it can be presented to Louisa. Captain Harville is very depressed and disconsolate and tells Anne: "Poor Fanny, she would not have forgotten him so soon." Anne supports him and remarks, "it would not have been in the nature of any woman who truly loved."

Then both of them debate as to who is more constant in love, man or woman. Anne ofcourse strongly supports her own sex by saying, "we certainly do not forget you, as soon asyou forget us." Captain Harville quotes examples from history and literature to prove his point. Anne rejects his arguments by remarking, "men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story....The pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove any thing."

Later in the course of this argument, Captain Harville says that he spoke only on behalf "of such men as have hearts!" Immediately Anne corrects herself and remarks, "I should deserve utter contempt if I dared to suppose that true attachment and constancy were known only by woman. No, I believe you capable of every thing great and good in your married lives."

Captain Wemtworth who had been listening intently to this discussion is prompted by this last remark of hers to propose to her the second time in a letter, which he manages to pass on to Anne. This time Anne has no hesitation in accepting his proposal.

In "Romeo and Juliet" Act 2, Scene 5, why is Juliet increasingly frustrated by the Nurse's irrelevant replies?

In Act 2, scene 5, Juliet is awaiting the Nurse's arrival with news from Romeo of whether or not he will marry her and, if he will, where and when the wedding will take place.  By nature, Juliet, as well as Romeo, is extremely impatient and impetuous.  Neither one of them waits to think about anything before he or she actually does it.  This is one of the reasons Juliet is so impatient in this scene -- because it is a part of the characterization that Shakespeare has created for her.  This scene actually shows how Juliet and the Nurse are foils of each other -- through the Nurse's patience and Juliet's impatience.  A second, more easily accessible reason for her impatience is that she is waiting to find out if and when she will be married to the boy of her dreams. 

In Walden, what is Thoreau's attitude toward individuality and conformity?

Thoreau goes to Walden for solitude.  That is the overall summation of what he believes and what he represents.  He feels that we don't really need any holy men to teach us, and we don't need institutions to know God.  If we are "true to ourselves" then we will know God. 

Along with that, one of Thoreau's most famous quotes is

‘‘If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.’’

This shows that he does not believe in conformity.  We should all be individuals and independent.  He shows this theme of individuality in the very fact that he leaves society to spend time alone in nature.  He needs to be, think, and live alone for awhile to understand nature as deeply as he can.

In Act III, Scene 5, why does Lord Capulet want Juliet to get married quickly? What is his mood?

While I totally agree with the above answer, I would add two more reasons why Lord and Lady Capulet want Juliet to marry Paris.

First, he is physically very attractive. The Nurse says he is "a man of wax" and Lady Capulet says, "Verona's summer hath not such a flower." Lady Capulet goes on to further describe Paris's attractiveness in Act I, Scene 3:

Read o’er the volume of young Paris’ face,
And find delight writ there with beauty’s pen.
Examine every married lineament
And see how one another lends content,
And what obscured in this fair volume lies
Find written in the margent of his eyes.

For Lady Capulet and especially for the Nurse, physical charms are very important in choosing a mate. The Nurse is equally impressed by Romeo and says in Act II, Scene 5:

Though his face be better than any man’s, yet his leg
excels all men’s, and for a hand and a foot and a
body, though they be not to be talked on, yet they
are past compare.

Secondly, the match between Count Paris and Juliet can be seen as socially and politically expedient. The fact he is a Count obviously means he is quite wealthy. Juliet's family too is very rich, as indicated by the Nurse's words to Romeo in Act I, Scene 5:

I tell you, he that can lay hold of her
Shall have the chinks.

The marriage would also be beneficial to Lord Capulet politically since Count Paris is a relative of the Prince who rules Verona. In reality, a marriage between Juliet and Paris makes perfect sense. They are of the same class and close in age, although Paris's age is never specified. Romeo would also be a good match socially and financially if it were not for the bitter feud (definitely part of Friar Laurence's thought process in marrying the doomed youngsters).

In "The Outsiders", how did S.E. Hinton foreshadow that the church would catch fire?(There were two ways.)

S.E. Hinton uses a lot of foreshadowing throughout the novel "The Outsiders". In chapter 3, Ponyboy decides to run away from home after Darry slaps him. Ponyboy flees the house and runs to the vacant lot where he has left Johnny a short time before. The two share a cigarette and talk. Ponyboy briefly mentions that he:

"wonderd what it would be like to be inside of a burning ember."

This is an odd statement, but the reader must keep in mind that Hinton is giving us a peek into what is to come later on in the story.

The second example of foreshadowing comes in Chapter 4 when the boys first arrive at the church on, Ponyboy states that even though churches usually are calming places, this particular church gave him an eerie feeling. He flashes back to the last few times he had gone to church and actually enjoyed the services. Still, this church makes Ponyboy uneasy from the very beginning.

This type of foreshadowing by Hinton makes it easy for readers to infer that this church is going to play a big role in the progression of this story.

Why is Amanda obsessed with finding a suitor for Laura?

As an aging mother, Amanda realizes that she needs to have her children in stable positions so that they may be able to provide for her.  Her conflicts with Tom indicate that she does not trust him to provide for her--she has also seen his application to the Merchant Marine. In addition, she may worry that he may follow the path of escape that her husband, whose smiling portrait lurks over the family. 

With the play's setting in the 1930s, Amanda certainly is aware of the limited opportunities for young woman.  This is why she has encouraged Amanda to enroll in Rubicam's Business College.  Then, when she discovers that Laura has dropped out of the school, Amanda sees a "gentleman caller" as the last savior for Laura.  This savior image is suggested by Tennessee Williams's production notes that the news from Tom that a man is coming is referred to as the "Annunciation" and the candles are Laura's "altar."

If Laura marries, Laura will be provided for, and Amanda gains some comfort from knowing that she has two people who can care for her in her old age.  Therefore, to Amanda, Laura's marriage is a solution to the family's problems.

Explore how Hosseini presents and develops the character of Baba in The Kite Runner.You have to consider language choices and narrative viewpoint.

In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini develops his Baba character as one who is almost bigger than life. He has wrestled a bear "with his bare hands" and survived. He has socialized with an Afghan king, and he has become one of the wealthiest men in Kabul. He is also a philanthropist and he prides himself in helping his people, both rich and poor. When his wife dies, he never remarries, choosing to surround himself with men, and he hosts parties regularly. Outgoing and decisive, he discovers that his son has few of his own qualities, and Amir becomes the greatest disappointment of his life. Things change dramtatically, however, when Russia invades Afghanistan. Baba and Amir are forced to flee the country, and the great man leaves everything behind when he relocates to California.

In America, the place that Baba so admires, he can never find his true calling. He winds up working in a gas station, and he is reduced to setting up in flea markets to make ends meet. He isn't a total failure, however. He pinches his pennies and is able to send Amir to college. Amir and Baba become closer than ever, and the two men seem to thoroughly enjoy each other's company. In the end, Baba suffers a terrible fall financially and socially. The cancer that wracks his body is one enemy he cannot defeat nor which he can control. However, he is not a broken man, for he faces death realistically and rejoices in the fact that his son has developed into a successful and, seemingly, happy man who marries into a proper and respected Afghani family. Hosseini's character always maintains his strong will and beliefs, but Baba is also a character with many sides. The author's hidden secrets about Baba that are not revealed until after his death also create another layer to this complex character.

How do I view "Young Goodman Brown" from a Freudian point?

Freudian analysis is based on the conflict between the Id, the Ego, and the Superego.  The Id represents our savage and hedonistic tendencies.  The Superego represents our conscience and pride (morality).  The Ego, or reason, balances between both our tendencies to be devils (id) and angels (superego).  Young Goodman Brown travels in a dream into the forest following a devil (his id).  Faith, his wife, begs him not to go.  Along the way he finds many people who he esteems in the forest participating in satanic rituals.  He even finds his wife, Faith in the forest participating in a "black mass."  Faith represents all of the ideals that Goodman Brown's superego values--fidelity to God and morality.  Immediately before his and Faith's initiation into the Satanic cult, he begs Faith to look heavenward.  He wakes from this dream trip unsure of the reality of what he has experienced and most importantly, unsure of Faith's success in looking heavenward.  Thus he begins to mistrust Faith and indeed everyone who he ever had any faith in.  His ego is unable to reconcile the conflict between his id and his superego.  Thus, Goodman Brown ends up bitter and mistrustful from then on.

What are three supernatural elements in The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving?

The first supernatural element in the story would be the devil, himself.  His image cannot be explained with any scientific accounts, and his presence conjures up the image of "the other side."  Another supernatural element in the story is the climax.  When Tom speaks to God, begging him to be spared, it is almost as if God was listening and his response was the devil's presence at the door.  When Tom was picked up by the devil, it was in the dark knight, away from the perceptive eyes of others.  This is supernatural, in that it retains a sense of mystery and the unknown.  The ending of the story, when Tom's house is burned and his financial record are cinders also retains some element of the supernatural, something that cannot be explained or justified through rational thought.  The element of the unexplained pervades the story.

In chapter 7 how does Dickens satirize public education?"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Throughout "Great Expectations" Charles Dickens comments on Victorian society, and in Chapter 7, Dickens ridicules the evening school of Mr. Wopsle's great-aunt.  The students are charged twopence per week, but the great-aunt falls asleep instead of teaching.  No one tests the children on their lessons, either.  Pip states,

There was a fiction that Mr. Wopsle "examined" the scholars once a quarter.  What he did on those occasions was to turn up his cuffs, stick up his hair, and give us Mark Antony's oration over the body of Caesar.

In addition to the "educational institution" Mr. Wopsle's great-aunt keeps a small general shop in the same room where Biddy, the orphan, keeps a record of all that is sold.  It is Biddy, too, who teaches Pip to read, write, and do arithmetic.

In this chapter, therefore, Dickens satirizes the institution of education, which like other institutions such as the workhouse of "Oliver Twist," is not concerned with the care of the children therein, but, instead is occupied simply with the profit that comes from housing these children. If any care is given to the children, it is by the other children themselves, not by the adults who are supposedly in charge of the children's care.

Please provide a summary of the Lewis model in Haiti.Before Jean-Claude Duvalier succeeded his father

Sir William Arthur Lewis (1915-1990) wrote that the economies of less-developed nations contained two sectors of the economy, which he termed a "traditional" and a "modern" part.  The traditional sector is labor intensive, and does not require vast capital, while the modern sector is capital intensive but small.  Very little capital accumulates in the traditional sector, while there is an excess of laborers.  Wages are higher in the modern sector, to encourage movement of labor to that group.  He set forth this model in his 1954 article, Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labor.

According to Lewis more capital in the modern sector would increase production, thereby raising the total productivity of the economy.  This would not have the same effect in the traditional sector, so this model was intended to increase total productivity and modernize the economy of a less developed nation without damaging the traditional sector.  There are complex mathematical formulas for determining wages and labor product.  Theoretically, at some point the increasing wage (and wage inequality) reaches a point where productivity in the modern sector equals the traditional, and then the two integrate and the country becomes a more developed nation.

There is a Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the University of the West Indies, in Barbados, but the Lewis model has been largely abandoned by economists.  The main problem is that the model does not address institutional problems in Third World countries which tend to prevent investment, such as governmental corruption and overgrown bureaucracies, which were definite problems in Haiti under the Duvalier regimes.  Foreign aid tended to line the pockets of the Duvaliers and their cronies instead of being used to promote economic growth.  The security concerns of the regime also created high tax rates to support an expanding military and secret police.  Therefore the foreign aid and foreign investment actually restrained economic growth in Haiti, instead of stimulating it.