What was life like for a soldier in World War I?I need to write a letter and here are the instructions: Pretend you are a soldier in the World War...

A prevalent feeling among both the citizenry and the military was disillusionment.  For, they had believed that the war begun in August, 1914, would be concluded by Christmas of that year. Instead, the war turned into a stalemate as neither the Germans nor the French could dislodge each other from the trenches.

Battlefields were hellish landscapes of barbed wire, shell holes,mud, and injured and dying men.  One British writer described them in this manner:

I wish those people who write so glibly about this being a holy war could see a case of mustard gas...could see the poor things burnt and blistered all over with great mustard-coloured suppurating [pus-forming] blisters with blind eyes all sticky...and stuck together, and always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that their throats are closing and they know they will choke.

The knowledge that neither side was going to drive out the other led to a malaise among the soldiers who spent dreary, lice-ridden days in muddy or dusty trenches.  They developed a "live and let live" system based on this realization of a stalement.  Such a system allowed no shelling of latrines and no attacking at breakfast time or on holidays. And, in an effort to relieve the malaise of long, empty and fearful days, troops often produced humor magazines to help pass the time and to provide laughter as a relief from the horrible conditions of this trench fighting in which multitudes lost their lives.

What are some quotes that show Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's greed for the throne?'Greed is the ultimate sin' is my essay question.

I will give you a few and then leave you to find the rest - the best way to get a good mark is to read the play after all! These should give you a few starting points though.

Although we can identify greed in Macbeth, the word doesn't actually appear in this play. Rather, ambition (which is after all a kind of greed) is much more prevalent. We know that Macbeth has "black and deep desires" from his first soliloquy and it is clear that Lady Macbeth, his "partner in greatness" has high ambitions for her husband too.

Consider Macbeth's response to Malcolm being made Prince of Cumberland:

The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.

Another key quote has to be Lady Macbeth speaking to her husband and dangling future possibilities in front of him:

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised.

In addition, Macbeth states: "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other." It is this greed or ambition that drives the play and results in such a high body count.

In "The Cask of Amontillado" is the narrator reliable or unreliable and why?

The narrator in this story is a bit of a crazed, jealous, spiteful man who ends up bricking his friend behind a wall in order to ensure his death, and, he does it all with panache and enjoyment.  So, I wouldn't rely too heavily on him-he's not necessarily trustworthy.  The story is told from his point of view, so it is first-person, and, because of the things I listed above, he isn't a reliable narrator.  He might be relied on to have told the events of the actual story accurately as he can, but before the story occurs, we don't really get an objective picture.  For example, why is he so angry with Fortunado, and did poor Fortunado really deserve such cruelty?  The only clues that we get to these questions are Montresor's words himself.  He states,

"THE THOUSAND INJURIES of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge."

So, we can't say with any certainty that the narrator's reasons for revenge are justified.  We don't know the details, and can't make a judgment call for ourselves.  Hence, the narrator is a bit unreliable, since his entire mission is based around something that he deems worthy of revenge, without telling us what it is.  I hope that those thoughts help; for your other questions, I suggest submitting them separately, since the format of the website allows one question a day.  Good luck!

In Things Fall Apart, how is Ibo society to blame for Umuofia's collapse?

This is an odd question about Things Fall Apart. There seems to be nothing in Achebe's text that would indicate he intends any blame to be attributed to Ibo society itself. In addition, by his own statements, Achebe wrote the novel to show the non-African world that tribal Africa didn't have a long history of ravaging savagery as Western ideology interpreted African tribal life to have been.

The blame that the text assigns for the "collapse" of Umuofia is attributed to the British missionaries and government officials who--without knowing, understanding, or respecting anything of the deep and perhaps to Western eyes hidden moral and spiritual Ibo laws--disregarded the ways and laws of the Igbo's land and superimposed on Umuofia their ways, motives, and laws bred from ideological and philosophical precepts and propositions diametrically opposed to those of the Ibo society.

Achebe spends all of Part I and Part II drawing a detailed and authentic picture of Ibo life, thought, spirituality, and moral and spiritual laws. Then in Part III he dashes this vivid picture of Ibo life up against the brick wall of British colonization that has divided a previously unified society and bred enmity and animosity. In Chapter 20 of Part III, Achebe makes it clear that the only option, which was resistance, would end up in total devastation and Umuofia would be wiped out the way Abame was already wiped out.

If any blame within the society Umuofia can be found within the text of the novel, it is that the Ibo converts to Christianity abandoned the Ibo moral principles of unity and of bringing the other person forward to advantage while you yourself gain advantages. Ironically, it is also painfully true that in abandoning such Ibo principles, they also violated (as the missionaries themselves were doing) the highest Christian laws of love and of putting others before yourself, Christian laws kindred with Ibo laws.

In what month did "Romeo and Juliet" take place? I know the year is 1303 but I don't know if a month was specified.

According to Juliet's mother it is a fortnight and a few odd days before Lammastide, which is the same as Lammas Eve. Lammas Eve is on July 31st. The Nurse, a tenderhearted and devoted servant but a nonstop talker, tells her:

Even or odd, of all days in the year,
Come Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen.
Susan and she (God rest all Christian souls!)
Were of an age. Well, Susan is with God;
She was too good for me. But, as I said,
On Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen;
That shall she, marry;        Act 1, Scene 3

Evidently the Nurse became Juliet's wet nurse and surrogate mother because her own daughter Susan died the night Juliet was born, thus enabling the nurse to breast-feed Juliet

So the play is set in the middle of July, and Juliet will turn fourteen on the last day of July. It seems likely that the girl was given the name Juliet because she was born in the month of July. This helps to explain why the young people are staying up so late. The weather is balmy and the sun does not go down until eight or nine o'clock. The air is full of the intoxicating blended perfumes of flowers. It is the season for young love to flourish. Shakespeare evidently intended to establish that the season was mid-summer, because the play might have been performed in England at any other time. The season of the year is important because it invites young men to stay outdoors, where they can fall in love, get into sword fights, crash parties, talk nonsense, and sleep late the next day. They own the nights because their elders are all snoring away in their beds.

What are specific examples (quotes) of poetic justice, destiny versus free will, and gender roles and nature "out of order" in Macbeth?I really...

Quote 1, Lady Macbeth "

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be

What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature;

It is too full o' the milk of human kindness

To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;

Art not without ambition, but without

The illness should attend it"

This quote shows of Lady Macbeth questioning the manly and brave qualities of MacBeth by telling him that she is more brave and manly than him, which is an insult to his sexuality.

Quote 2,

 Lady Macbeth "Come, you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,

And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full

Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood,"

This Quote is related to gender because Lady Macbeth wishes to "Unsex" herself. "Unsex" in this context, refers to Lady Macbeth ridding herself of feminie qualities such as being able to carry and nurture a child and to change her breast "milk" for poison, and become more of a emotionless cruel person. Again, she says this to insult him and make him more manly.

Quote 3, Banquo  "You should be women,

And yet your beards forbid me to interpret

That you are so,"

Banquo is confused as to the gender of the witches and says that the witches are too masculine to be women. In Banquo's time, the ideal women was quiet, beautiful and submissive, all of which the witches were not.

Quote 4 Lady MacBeth "

LADY MACBETH “I have given suck and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me-  I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums. And dash'd the brains out had I so sworn as you Have done to this.”

Lady Macbeth browbeats his husband by creating cruel and violent imagery to make Macbeth more cruel.

Quote 5 Quote 5 MacDuff "He has no children. All my pretty ones?

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

What, all my pretty chickens and their dam

At one fell swoop?

MALCOLM

Dispute it like a man.

MACDUFF

I shall do so,

But I must also feel it as a man.

I cannot but remember such things were

That were most precious to me."

After MacDuff finds out that his family has been slaughtered, Malcolm says that he should fight and stand up for himself like a man should, or in other words he insists him to kill Macbeth.

What kind of motion did the younger monk perform in The Things They Carried?

The younger monk makes a washing motion with his hands.

The men in the Company first notice the peculiar motion the younger monk makes when they are digging their foxholes in the yard of the "almost abandoned" pagoda and shrine.  The monks speak "almost no English", and although the soldiers do not feel right about establishing their camp on sacred grounds, the monks do not seem particularly displeased.  Each morning the monks bring the Company buckets of fresh water with which to bathe.  On one occasion, they present the men with ripe watermelons from their garden, and when the soldiers have finished enjoying them, the younger monk again makes the strange washing motion with his hands. 

The men never do figure out what the washing motion means, but since it appears to be a polite gesture, one of them, Henry Dobbins, performs the motion in return.  The men discuss their feelings on religion and the church and being kind to one another, and conclude that, for a reason that is not clear to them but which they all feel, it is wrong to set up their camp at a church, just as it is right to establish good relations and nurture what they have in common with the gentle monks, to "be nice...treat them decent, you know?" ("Church").

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what is a "caste system," and why does Scout tell the reader about Alexandra's view of heredity?

A caste system is a strict social structure in which people are assigned a level of social status, from the lowest to the highest, based on the circumstances of their birth. No matter how good they are or how much they achieve, persons of a lower social class can never move into a higher social class; conversely, no matter how disreputable, lazy, or corrupt persons with high social standing might be, they will never lose their position in society. 

In her views of others, Alexandra exemplifies the caste system as it existed in the Old South. In her value system, those white citizens who could trace their heritage back the farthest enjoyed the highest level in Southern society. They were the descendents of the oldest and best (meaning wealthiest and land-owning) families, and therefore superior to others who were not born of those circumstances. In the caste system Alexandra observes, along with many other characters in the novel, families like the Finches have the highest social standing, whereas poor white families like the Cunninghams and the Ewells occupy a much lower rung on the social ladder. (Alexandra makes no distinction between the decency of Walter Cunningham and the contemptible nature of Bob Ewell.) Tom Robinson is superior to Bob Ewell in every way as a human being, but he ranks lowest in the Southern caste system because he is not a white man.

In having Scout explain her aunt's social views, Harper Lee develops Alexandra's character, develops Scout's character by showing her reaction to Alexandra's views, and develops the social setting of the novel.

What news does Michael Cassio bring when he enters?

Cassio comes to find Othello to tell him that the Duke and the Venetian senate needs to speak with him. He says that the Duke has received several messages from Cyprus (presumably about the invading Turks). This becomes important to the play because of the situation with Desdemona and Brabantio. Brabantio complains to the senate that Othello has stolen his daughter, but whereas they might have cared under other circumstances, they are more concerned about Othello defending Cyprus than about Othello's elopement.

What are the main conflicts in the story and how are they resolved?

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is a novel fraught with conflict from the beginning, even from the first line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single manin possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Austen's tone here is ironic, indicating cultural conflicts between prudential marriage (arranged marriages to preserve estates and bloodlines) and companionate marriages (for love and personal fulfillment). This is an abstract conflict, and is only partially resolved in the novel. When Darcy eventually weds Elizabeth Bennet, he does so for love, but she is not truly outside the realm of a socially appropriate mate. (She notes, in a conversation to Lady de Bourgh, that Darcy is a gentleman and she a gentleman's daughter.) Austen gently pushes people's ideas of a suitable mate without being truly radical about it.

More concrete examples of conflict are between Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy when they disagree about behavior in general on several separate occasions. This is eventually resolved when Darcy admits to his shortcomings and changed behavior as he proposes (again) to Elizabeth.

Also, Elizabeth Bennet has conflict with her father about appropriate behavior regarding parenting and childrearing when they discuss the possibility of Lydia away to Brighton with the regiment. This is badly resolved when Lydia does wind up acting entirely inappropriately by running away with Wickham to London. Darcy has to resolve the situation by forcing Wickham into marriage with Lydia.

Elizabeth Bennet has direct conflict with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt, when Lady Catherine comes to visit Elizabeth and demands she promise to never marry Darcy. This is never really resolved, but does serve as an important plot device: when Elizabeth won't make the promise to Lady Catherine, and Catherine complains to Darcy about it, he has knew hope and proposes to Elizabeth the second time.

The conflicts that exist in the text are generally addressing social behaviors. The tension between tradition and progress, vulgarity and refinement, and duty to one's community/family vs. personal fulfillment is seen in the conflict.

Is Othello a tragedy?

Othello is a tragedy because it meets the definition of tragedy in such standard authorities as Aristotle. Aristotle defined tragedy as a story about something that is "serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude" that uses drama to tell of the fall of someone highly placed. This fall occurs because of external or internal forces, especially the chief character's own "error or frailty," his or her "tragic flaw," and the drama ends with the attainment of understanding and a resolution of the fear and pity that it induces.
Othello fully satisfies this definition. Othello himself is a high, admirable character whose downfall arouses pity and fear. He and the other characters in the play are true to life, consistent, and behave logically according to the information they are supposed to have. Their characteristics support the plot -- Othello is jealous (his "tragic flaw") and trusting, Desdemona loving and faithful, Iago evil and devious, plotting the ruin of his supposed master Othello. Othello is brought down due to an external force (the hatred of Iago) working in harmony with his own jealousy, his tragic flaw, to end in his destruction and that of his wife, an equally admirable character. The incidents of the plot arouse pity and fear in the viewers; the situtuation (betrayal by a trusted associate) is universal, and so viewers can envisage themselves tricked in the way Othello is tricked. Finally, the play ends with a katharsis or "purging," a resolution of the pity and fear we feel at seeing Othello tricked into murdering his wife, as Iago is discovered and condemned and Othello fully understands what has been done to him and commits suicide.

What was the complete inversion of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's character during the play?Was Macbeth a tragic hero?

These are two questions, and their answers are largely independent of each other.

First, while Macbeth appears to be a tragic hero, his claim to the title is deeply flawed. Like a tragic hero, he is a high, admirable character at the beginning of the narrative, who seems to suffer from a single character defect -- his excessive ambition. He is brought down by the action of external forces (the prediction of the witches) exploiting this "tragic flaw," and is thus ruined. His weakness to ambition is something many share and can appreciate, and so his career and failure can arouse pity and fear in the audience. However, Macbeth lacks one key component of the tragic hero -- the final realization of the true situation and acceptance of his own responsibility in bringing it about (the Greek term is anagnorisis). Failure does not bring him new knowledge. It merely turns him into a species of nihilist, questioning the value of life in general. In the end, he dies blaming the witches, not himself:

And be these juggling fiends no more believed,
That palter with us in a double sense;
That keep the word of promise to our ear,
And break it to our hope. (Act V, Scene 8)

What this means is that his story lacks the essential conclusion to a true tragedy, the katharsis or "purging" that fully resolves the pity and fear the audience feels. Macbeth's problem is simply removed, not resolved, and so the play is not properly considered a tragedy in the classic sense.

The inversion of the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth comes about through their changing attitudes towards the actions needed to take and keep power. At the beginning, it is Lady Macbeth who is all for murdering Duncan. She even turns the willingness to do the deed into a proof of how Macbeth feels about their relationship:

Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. (Act I, Scene 7)

Macbeth himself is worried, not so much about divine judgment, but about the precedent he will set by murdering a superior (Act I, Scene 7). He hesitates repeatedly, to the point that Lady Macbeth fears he has failed to do the deed:

The attempt and not the deed
Confounds us. Hark! I laid their daggers ready;
He could not miss 'em. Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done't. (Act II, Scene 2)

The last line here indicates, though, that Lady Macbeth is not as strong as she pretends to be. After the murder, Macbeth himself becomes steadily sterner, while she begins to fall apart from suppressed remorse. When Macbeth has Banquo murdered, he does not tell her beforehand (Act III, Scene 2), and in fact she is already falling into a depression:

Nought's had, all's spent,
Where our desire is got without content:
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. (Act III, Scene 2)

We see little of her after the banquet scene until her guilt-filled sleepwalking and the final news of her suicide, but neither are surprising developments. The steady and relentless accumulation of crimes has overcome her:

The thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? --
What, will these hands ne'er be clean? (Act V, Scene 1)

Her character has collapsed under the tension, while Macbeth's has hardened. He goes down fighting; she kills herself.

Explain the first line of Pride and Prejudice that starts, "It is a truth universally acknowledged..."

The first line of “Pride and Prejudice” is a brilliant satire, that sets the mood of the novel and is kind of a prelude hinting to the tone and style of the narrative mode Jane Austen is going to adopt. It has the pompous tone of a Johnsonian essayist, remarking on such universal truths or knowledge that are often quoted but rarely ratified by general following. As in here, “acknowledged” truth is not that wealthy single men are intent on marriage, but rather, as will be borne out by the story too, that the young spinsters and their mothers are intent on assuming the marriage motives of such young men.

As a satirical statement this leads on to several doubts in the mind of the reader about the notoriety and contrariness of the sentence. Gradually, the plot discloses that this is far from the case in the neighborhood of Meryton, particularly, with Mrs. Bennet who exuberantly impresses on her children and suitors alike, that a ‘not so rich girl’ must bear successfully upon such “single men” the necessity of getting into the matrimonial contract. So, in actuality it is less the ‘want’ of a man of fortune and more the ‘want’ of a girl, with no dowry. The irony extends further hinting that the Mrs. Bennets of Meryton and such small towns, may be well aware and pretending to ‘acknowledge’ this want of the rich men, and thus conniving only to hide the reality that women may be mere commodity and not otherwise, as hinted in the opening statement.

The opening sentence sounds like a proverb or a saying, Similar moralistic sayings are uttered later also in the novel, by Mary when her sister Lydia elopes with Wickham- such as “her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful”. But the story later proves even such didactic exclamations wrong as Lydia and Wickham come off quite nicely in the end. This humorous epigrammatic opening sentence is also a critical retort of Jane Austen to the ‘epigrammatic’ abstract and philosophical writings as compared to simple and joyful writings by women on life and mundane living.

What are the political aspects of The Sound of Waves?

One of the most striking political aspects of the text is how Mishima constructs purity and corruptibility.  For Mishima, the rural condition is where purity and hope lie.  The urban setting is one where condemnation and moral depravity are evident.  Characters like Shinji are rural, but they possess honor and a sense of dignity to them.  These traits guide their actions, similar to Shinji's mother whose professional talents do not obscure the duty she bears to her children. Hatsue is depicted as pure and virtuous.  The rural setting is one where there is hope in so far as honor exists and guides actions.  In contrast to this, the corruption seen in the characterizations of Chiyoko and Yasuo is reflective of how the urban setting corrupts.  The political implications are evident in that Mishima sees hope in the rural condition and the urban predicament is where moral decay is evident. Considering that he is writing at a time when the urbanization in Japan began to take hold as representative of emerging Japanese power and autonomy after World War II, Mishima is making a direct political statement about the moral character and fiber of the new Japan.

Comment on the character of Ravi in "Games at Twilight."

Ravi is a typical little boy, who likes to play games with his friends, and dreams of coming out triumphant in a game of hide 'n' seek.  He displays a lot of typical little boy attributes:  he loves playing games, he is excited, he braves the scary and dark garage in order to show his bravery and increase his odds of winning, he has a good nose-picking while hiding and thinking, and also gets distracted with daydreaming, like many little boys do.  Then, at the end, when he realizes that they have all moved on with their games and completely forgotten him, he shows a very dramatic reaction:

"He felt his heart go heavy and ache inside him unbearably. He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance."

This reaction has traits of typical childlike behavior:  it is dramatic, a bit overly emotional, and centered on a limited perspective based on their ideas of the world.  However, Ravi displays an unusual sensitivity and introversion here.  Instead of lashing out and bragging about his potential conquest in the garage, he quietly lies down and lets the weight of his own insignificance crush him.  He bears the brunt alone, mourning quietly, on his own.  He turns the pain inward, and abandons himself to it completely.  So, Ravi is also a very inward and sensitive boy, with a tendency to feel emotions heavily and fully.  I hope that those thoughts help a bit; good luck!

Why is Norton so curious about Mr. Pignati in the book The Pigman? How does John react to Norton's questions? Why?

Norton is curious about Mr. Pignati because he wants to exploit the old man.  He wonders if the Pigman "has...got anything worth stealing", and is excited when John tries to divert his interest by telling him that all the old man's got "are some tools and stuff".  Norton associates with "this lunatic man on Richmond Avenue who makes believe he's the leader of organized crime on Staten Island", who will give Norton money for stolen goods.  Norton wants to know more about what Mr. Pignati has because "there's a big market for electronics".

John reacts to Norton's questions with annoyance.  At first he tries to be evasive, hoping that Norton will get the idea that there would be nothing to gain by harassing the old man.  When that doesn't work, and Norton insists on knowing why he and Lorraine, whom he calls a "screech owl", go over to Mr. Pignati's place so much, John changes the subject, getting angry and challenging his lowlife friend for calling Lorraine by that derogatory name.  John and Norton exchange words, and the confrontation ends with Norton threatening to "pay (the Pigman) as visit real soon".

John reacts as he does because he doesn't want Norton to hurt the Pigman.  Norton has a long history of getting in trouble, and John recognizes that "he's the type of guy who could grow up to be a killer".  John really likes Mr. Pignati; the Pigman treats him with a love and respect that he has never experienced before, "and always with a big smile so you (know) he mean(s) it".  The Pigman has become a dear and important person in his life, and John is protective of him.  He knows "(he'd) kill Norton if he tried to hurt the old man" (Chapter 9).

What is the theme of this poetry?What is the theme of this poem?

lovelydeer,

The theme of Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonley as a Cloud" is that an experience of seeing flowers was weaker than the actual remembering of the flowers. People might have a sense of experience as the opposite, that in remembering is not as powerful as the original experience. But in this case, Wordsworth proves how powerful memory can be.

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

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

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

There are allusions to the four elements in the poem: fire, earth, air, and water. The four stanzas are complete; it is a natural completeness in remembering an action performed by nature.

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

In Chapter five of "The Great Gatsby", why is Gatsby dressed in a gold tie and silver shirt?

Jay Gatsby’s clothes symbolize his need to be ostentatious and show off what he has to impress the love of his life.  In chapter 5, Gatsby is going to be reunited with his lost love Daisy for the first time in five years.  He knows that she will be impressed by his money, however they are meeting at Nick’s house, not Gatsby’s house.  Gatsby has to find a way to show off how wealthy he has become so that Daisy will be impressed by his money and, therefore, fall in love with him.  Gatsby’s need to show off and be pretentious is also evident throughout the novel in other sections; for example when his car is described – he has a green Rolls Royce – and when Daisy goes to look at his house and she sees all of the different color shirts that he owns.  The need for Gatsby to wear clothes that will make him stand out coincides for the need that he feels to impress Daisy in order to get her to fall in love with him.

How does Lear lose his power and how unconventional is this in Shakespeare's play, King Lear?

Usually in Shakespeare's dramas, a king loses his throne, and therefore his power, through military defeat or acts of political betrayal. For example, King Duncan is murdered by Macbeth, Macbeth as King of Scotland is defeated in the war waged against him, and King Hamlet is murdered by Claudius. King Lear, however, loses his power in a different way.

In his old age, Lear decides to divide his kingdom among his daughters, with the understanding that he will retain his power. He intends to give up his responsibilities as Sovereign, while still enjoying the advantages of the position. After banishing Cordelia when she refuses to flatter him, Lear divides his kingdom between his two remaining daughters, Goneril and Regan, trusting them to honor him and care for him for the remainder of his life. Once Lear has acted to effectively divest himself of his throne, however, Goneril and Regan betray him. Lear finds himself completely powerless, without a home or place of refuge, and sinks into madness.

What is the worst year for the Creightons in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt?

Jethro says that "the saddest and most cruel April" of the five years of the Civil War was the last, in 1865.  In that April, the end of the war had finally been announced with the terms of peace having been signed "by two tired men somewhere in Virginia at a place called Appomattox Court House".  A few short weeks later, however, the beloved President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.  Jethro had long admired Lincoln for his honesty and steadfastness, and had written to him personally and received a response.  He could not believe that fate had so cruelly "held out an almost unbelievable joy (the end of the war) and had then struck out in fury (with the death of the President) at those whose hands were outstretched".

I realize that your question asks what the worst year was for the Creightons, not the worst April.  In looking at what happened to the family between 1861-1865, I would argue that, although all the years of the war were tremendously difficult ones, 1862 was most probably the worst for them. In that year, Matt Creighton was taken ill, Jethro was attacked on the way home from town and the family barn was burned by some who were angry that Bill Creighton had chosen to fight for the South, and Tom was killed at the Battle of Pittsburg Landing.

What are some figures of speech in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"?

In the first line Wordsworth uses personification and simile: 'I wandered lonely as a cloud'. A cloud can obviously not wander or feel lonely - these are human attributes or actions. The comparison effectively reflects the Romantic ideal of finding expression for the human condition in nature and establishes the link between man and nature. Furthermore, the line also expresses the idea of the poet or artist finding inspiration when he/she is isolated from the rest of mankind and is at one with nature - another Romanticist aspiration.

'Crowd' (line 3) and 'fluttering and dancing' (line 5) extend the personification. A large number of the daffodils seem to be dancing, celebrating their freedom and being in nature (natural).

The infinite beauty of the flowers and their link with what is natural is emphasized in the second stanza through the simile: 'Continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way'. 'Tossing their heads in sprightly dance' is once again, personification, again emphasising the joy of nature.

Stanza three further extends the personification with the waves also dancing, but the daffodils joyously outdances them. Wordsworth says that their company is 'jocund' - they are full of joy and life. The metaphor emphasizes the joy nature can bring, for the speaker declares that he 'little thought what wealth the show to me had brought'. He was enriched by the experience without even realising it at the time.

The value of the experience lies within the speaker's memory. So charmed was he by witnessing these beautiful daffodils that 'my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils', whenever he is in deep thought and recalls the experience.

In hapter 7 of "Animal Farm", how were the humans tricked into thinking conditions on Animal Farm were better than they really were?please help...

When Mr. Whymper made his weekly visits to the farm, the animals intentionally made things appear better than they were.  For example, "a few selected animals, mostly sheep, were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased" (p. 68).  In another deception, the animals would fill the bins of food with sand, then put food only on the very top of the bin.  This way, the bins would appear to be full of food to last the winter.  For a while, this worked; "he was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm" (p. 68).

How is Frankenstein a gothic novel?

This is obviously a big topic, but here are a few pointers to get you started.

1. One characteristic of gothic novels is that they have multiple levels of narration. They do this by using a framing device. We see this in Frankenstein when the story of Frankenstein and his creation is "framed" by the story of Walton. So, we hear Frankenstein's story told to Walton who is telling us the story. At times, the narration is even further removed, such as when the Monster tells Frankenstein his story.

2. Another aspect of gothic literature are the lonely, frightening settings. Gothic literature is "on the margin" of both human psychology, but also geography. The Arctic of course was the literal limit of man's geographical knowledge at the time, but Shelley uses these isolated settings to highlight the loneliness and alienation of the monster, who says:

The desert mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge. I have wandered here many days; the caves of ice, which I only do not fear, are a dwelling to me, and the only one which man does not grudge.

This shows how he has been rejected by man and labelled as a "monster" - a term which is ironic because it is man through his actions towards the monster that is shown to be acting like a monster.

3. A third aspect of gothic literature is the search for illicit truth and magical mysteries. Frankenstein of course engages in a quest to push the realms of science to their limits and even to go beyond that by his creation of the monster. He sacrifices a "normal" life in his quest and even though he has a wonderful, loving family, goes through periods where he is so focused on his research that he has no contact with them whatsoever. His use of dead bodies adds a gothic feel to his research, and quotes such as: "I entered the diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life…" make it very clear that he is trying to play God - something that the subtitle of A Modern Prometheus underscores.

Who sings the song when Edward is sucking the venom out of Bella?who is singing in the background when edward is sucking the venom out of...

When Edward is sucking the venom out of Bella, in Chapter 23, there are only two other people present, Alice and Carlyle. As Bella drifts in her "poisoned" state, she says she heard "the happiest sound my mind could conjure up..."(452). She refers to this sound as "an angel calling my name..."(452). But as this section continues, it seems that the angel is Edward calling to Bella.  There is no mention in the chapter, at least none I could find, to anyone "singing" to Bella as Edward saves her.  Both Alice and Carlyle have some dialogue in the chapter, but there is no singing.

To what extent, if at all, was the First World War different from previous conflicts?

World War 1 was the first industrialized war in history. The war began as a war of movement, typical of 19th century warfare,  cavalry skirmishes, open order infantry fighting, generals searching for the open flank. The war began its second phase in France with positional warfare. Armies dug into the earth resembled siege warfare on a large scale. The Western Front resembled the last years of the American Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War in the use of entrenchments.

The machinegun domuinated the battlefield and combined with heavy artillery shoots. This led to the reintroduction of body armor, tanks to break the trenches and support the infantry; aircraft used as a scouting platform, gradually became a tactical weapon with machinguns and bombs to isolate the battlfield.

Submarine raiders came into wide spread use to blockade England and Germany. This in turn led to the creation of sound detectors to track a submarine under the waters.

The last element that had no precedent in previous wars was the introduction of chemical warfare. Defenses against gas spurred research into more lethal means to dispense chemicals and ended with mustard gas, a blistering agent that attacked the enitre body, not just the lungs.

World War I gave a glimmer of implements of warfare taken for granted in 21st century warfare. Air support, mechanized warfare, submarines, radar contributed to the Allied victory in 1918. German officers refined the processes of these lessons and in 1939 unleashed the finished product that World War I began.

What is the plot in the book "The Separate Peace"?Plot Structure First is the Conflict: A problem Then Rising Action: The suspense or thrill that...

I agree with the first responder that reading the book is necessary for you to understand how these elements of plot contribute to the story. Having said that, I will offer a few more ideas on this particular story, and then talk about how these terms apply to a story you probably are familiar with, so you have a better understanding of the terms. 

In my opinion, the climax of the story occurs with Finney's death.  Everything that has happened thus far in the book results in what happens to him.  The falling action is everything from the death of Finney to the end of the novel, and oddly enough, to the beginning of the novel, too.  Since the novel begins in the present and then moves back, the falling off of the action is really part of the beginning.

I am not convinced there is a resolution to this story insofar as plot is concerned.  As a reader, I am able to resolve the story through my interpretation of Gene's character.  But as the narrator coming back to think again about the events at the school, I do not think Gene is able to resolve anything for himself because of his essential inability to have sufficient insight into his thoughts and feelings. 

If you look at the story of "Cinderella," perhaps it will be easier for you to see what these terms mean.  In this story, what is Cinderella's problem?  She is ill-treated by her step-mother and step-sisters.  She longs for romance and a social life!  What is the rising action in the story?  The rising action is the period from the introduction of her problem to her attendance at the ball.  At that point, there is a kind of min-climax, in which Cinderella is a complete success.  Then a new problem is introduced: How are Cinderella and the Prince every going to get together?  From that point on, we have more rising actions, which culminates in the shoe fitting Cinderella.  This is also, of course, part of the resolution of the problem, and in some versions, Cinderella not only marries the Prince and lives happily ever after, but also she finds mates for her sisters and a position for her step-mother in the court, thus resolving the problems of even the minor characters. 

I have a few quotes from The Kite Runner that I need explained! I need to know their significance in the story.1. "You can't love a person who...

In the first quote, Amir is talking about his father, trying to understand their troubled relationship.  Baba is larger than life, strong, influential, with the ability to "(mold) the world to his liking".  The problem with a person who has this much confidence and power is that "he (sees) the world in black and white... and (gets) to decide what (is) black and what (is) white".  Amir, who, under the best of conditions feels inadequate, lives in awe and fear of his father, who consistently attempts to impose his will on his son.  Amir resents his father for his extreme dominance and for the way he makes his son feel even more insignificant.  Sometimes Amir feels these things so strongly, he hates his father (Chapter 4).

In the second quote, Amir continues his exploration of the relationship between himself and his father.  Amir has just written a story of which he is very proud, but when he shows it to Baba, the older man is uninterested, and shows no inclination to read it.  A family friend, Rahim Khan, "rescues" Amir, reaching for the story with an interest that is genuine.  Looking relieved, Baba hands the unexamined writing to Rahim Khan and leaves the room.  Amir is so hurt and angry that his father cares so little about his accomplishments that in that moment, he wishes that he wasn't even related to Baba (Chapter 4).

In the third quote, Amir reflects on his own reaction when Hassan gives him the kite he has retrieved for him.  While he had been running after the kite, Hassan had been accosted by bullies, and been beaten and sodomized by one of them.  Amir had, undetected, witnessed the attack, but had done nothing, having lacked the courage to step forward in defense of the Hazara boy.  When Amir meets up with Hassan again, Hassan, apparently unaware that Amir had seen what had happened, gives the kite to him, and to his great shame, Amir remembers that he had looked to see that the kite was undamaged.  Despite the secret knowledge of what Hassan had gone through to get it, Amir's main concern had selfishly been the condition of the kite.  The realization of his own cowardice and unbelievable self-centeredness produces a sense of self-loathing and guilt within Amir that he will carry with him for perhaps the rest of his life (Chapter 7).

In "Animal Farm", how does Napoleon influence the others animal in their decision making?In Orwell's allegory 'Animal Farm.'

Napoleon first uses repetition of slogans in public chants or incantations to brainswash the animals, particularly the sheep. Here a type of "group hysteria" and "bandwagon" technique gets the animals go 'go with the flow' in the direction he desires.  You see this particularly in the change of the chant "Four legs good, two legs bad" into "Four legs good, two legs better" where the animals don't even seem to recognize the difference. Unlike Snowball's attempts to educate the animals through his multiple social programs and committees, Napoleon rather exploits the animals by keeping them in their ignorance.

Just as important is Squealer's role as middle man, public spokesman and propaganda expert. Napoleon is not particularly gifted at public speaking, but at least he has enough sense to confer this role to somebody else more influential and persuasive. Aptly stated was the observation that Squealer could turn white into black and black into white. His help is crucial in establishing Napoleon's influence over the other farm animals.

Napoleon also uses reward and punishment to condition the animals' responses.  They are given extra portions of food (rarely but sometimes) after battles or during celebrations. The old crow Moses' tales of Sugarcandy Mountain in the hereafter and the more immediate prospect of the benefits of the windmill to make life easier on the farm use the "carrot before the nose" tactic of promise of a better day forthcoming. Here both religion and philosophy are truly "the opiate of the people" (or "animals," as this is an allegory). On the other hand, the  animals are severely punished for any form of resistance or insurrection, such as the hens' rebellion over having their eggs confiscated. With the help of his secret police (Bluebell's puppies, trained to kill and now adult), he extorts forced confessions and even has a couple of animals executed in consequence of their "crimes."

By living in the house with the pigs, Napoleon creates a physical division and elitist privileged class whose members are at his beck and call to curry any favour they can. The establishment of such an oligarchy is indipensible in Napoleon's keeping everything under control,  for without the help of these privileged few, Napoleon would be powerless.

Napoleon also eliminates Snowball as his rival by having him chased away from the farm and then keeps him away through propaganda, having stories circulated about how he was a spy. He even blows up the windmill, blaming this sabatoge on Snowball. (Over time, the animals seem to even forget that the idea of the windmill was Snowball's in the first place!). He also uses the threat of 'Jones coming back' to coerce the animals into subjection.

The answer to your question stops here, but note that Napoleon doesn't rely simply on the animals' decisions to stay in power. He subtly seeks allies and alliances from the outside, such as the trading arrangements made with the neighbouring farms and a "middle man" to deliver whiskey. (Note that Orwell was implying England and Germany by neighbouring farmers Pilkington and Frederick.)

Finally, his subversive change in laws with no control by "checks and balances" is apparent throughout the story.  Laws are written and rewritten to suit the fancy of the moment, and such changes escape all sanction whatsoever.  In such a way the Seven Commandments are completely distorted from what they meant in the beginning. What was law becomes a simple game of semantics. Napoleon's ultimate sacrilege is when he has Squealer modify "All animals are equal" to "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

What does mass entertainment generally mean?

Mass entertainment refers to entertainment programs and  facilities that are available to large sections of people including the ordinary people a contrasted to that available only to rich and wealthy. For example in the past only the rich attended event dramas art exhibition because these were very expensive. In comparison, movies developed as a an inexpensive means of entertainment which can be used by all sections of society.

This does not mean that there were no means of mass entertainment in the past. For example Circus Maximus built in Rome in 46 BC with its seating capacity of more than 60,000 people was the venue of many mass entertainment events.

Means of mass entertainment include many things like TV entertainment programs, movies, amusement parks, exhibitions, and sporting events.

What is the meaning of the following quote from "To Kill a Mockingbird"?"Taking the one man who's done you and this town a great service an'...

Arthur Radley, known as "Boo" Radley, is a recluse who prefers to be left alone. Rumors about what he does and his violent ways are spread throughout the town.

Boo Radley is a timid shy creature. He never makes physical contact with the children in the novel until the very end of the book. Boo has done acts of kindness all through the book by leaving small presents for the children in an old tree. All along, the children are caught up in the "intolerant" game of spying on Boo Radley, play-acting about Boo Radley, etc...

At the most terrifying part of the book, it is Boo Radley who becomes the hero by saving the Finch children from being killed. Because of his kindness toward the children, they come to realize that Boo Radley symbolizes the innocence and virtue that have seemed to vanish from the town during the trial.

Pushing Arthur "Boo" Radley out into the limelight as the town hero would expose his oddities and strangeness to public ridicule. During this period of intolerance when "sameness" was preferred in society, it would not have been a kindness to Boo Radley to name him as a public hero. It would have crushed him to be exposed to the public.

What are the laws Governing Waknuk in The Chrysalids, if there are any?

Waknuk is governed by two main texts: the bible and Nicholson's Repentances.

Only Nicholson's Repentances had come out of the wilderness of barbarism, and that only because it had lain for, perhaps, several centuries sealed in a stone coffer before it was discovered. And only the Bible had survived from the time of the Old People themselves.

Rules for the image of man:

'And God created man in His own image. And God decreed that man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs: that each arm should be jointed in two places and end in one hand: that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb: that each finger should bear a flat finger-nail. . .'

Rules an Offence or a Blasphemy:

The occurrence of an Offence was sometimes quite an impressive occasion. Usually the first sign that one had happened was that my father came into the house in a bad temper. Then, in the evening, he would call us all together, including everyone who worked on the farm. We would all kneel while he proclaimed our repentance and led prayers for forgiveness. The next morning we would all be up before daylight and gather in the yard. As the sun rose we would sing a hymn while my father ceremonially slaughtered the two-headed calf, four-legged chicken, or whatever other kind of Offence it happened to be. Sometimes it would be a much queerer thing than those. . . .

Nor were Offences limited to the livestock. Sometimes there would be some stalks of corn, or some vegetables, that my father produced and cast on the kitchen table in anger and shame. If it were merely a matter of a few rows of vegetables, they just came out and were destroyed. But if a whole field had gone wrong we would wait for good weather, and then set fire to it, singing hymns while it burnt. I used to find that a very fine sight.

It was because my father was a careful and pious man with a keen eye for an Offence that we used to have more slaughterings and burnings than anyone else: but any suggestion that we were more afflicted with Offences than other people hurt and angered him. He had no wish at all to throw good money away, he pointed out. If our neighbours were as conscientious as ourselves, he had no doubt that their liquidations would far outnumber ours: unfortunately there were certain persons with elastic principles.

So I learnt quite early to know what Offences were. They were things which did not look right -- that is to say, did not look like their parents, or parent-plants. Usually there was only some small thing wrong, but however much or little was wrong it was an Offence, and if it happened among people it was a Blasphemy -- at least, that was the technical term, though commonly both kinds were called Deviations.

In Act I, in "the battle" who does Macbeth fight against? Does the Thane of Cawdor side with the King of Norway or Macdonwald?

In Act I, scene 2 of Macbeth, both Macdonwald and the thane of Cawdor are traitors against Scotland, while Macbeth is a hero fighting for Scotland. The reader learns that "The merciless Macdonwald-- Worthy to be a rebel" was fighting against Macbeth, who defeated him. Therefore, Macdonwald was a traitor to Scotland. As the sergeant says, "but all's too weak:/ For brave Macbeth." Macbeth, the Scottish hero, treats his rebellious enemy, who has deserted the Scottish side, with no pity. Instead, "he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,/ And fix'd his head upon our battlements." In other words, Macbeth sliced off the head of the the rebel Macdonwald and placed it on the top of the wall. For his bravery in battle, Duncan, the king, rewards Macbeth with the title thane of Cawdor at the end of this scene.

Ross appears to tell the king that the thane of Cawdor has, like Macdonwald, been a traitor in the battle between Scotland and Norway: "Norway himself,/ With terrible numbers,/ Assisted by that most disloyal traitor/The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict." For this reason, Duncan tells Ross to have the thane of Cawdor killed. Duncan says, "No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive/ Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death,/ And with his former title greet Macbeth." In other words, the thane of Cawdor will be killed for being a traitor, and his title will pass to Macbeth. This is the honor that Macbeth receives at the beginning of the play, and it makes him hungry for more power. 

Is Ellie or Brenda older in Bridge to Terabithia?

Interestingly enough, I do not believe it is ever stated directly in the book which sister is older, but I think it is clear that Ellie is older than Brenda.  The two, who both attend "the consolidated high school" (Chapter 6), are obviously very close in age, but Ellie is by far the smarter and more dominant one.  Ellie and Brenda always appear together in the story, and most often, Ellie's name is listed first.  Also, upon close examination of their dialogue, it is evident that Ellie is the instigator who drives most of their conversation, with Brenda most often chiming in only as a whining echo.  Ellie acts like the older of the two, and in looking at the manner in which they are introduced, there is no reason to assume that Brenda might be older.

Ellie is the more overtly manipulative of the two older sisters.  It is Ellie who orchestrates the shopping trip with the Timmonses for herself and Brenda, and effectively wheedles their mother into letting them go.  She also sweet-talks their mother into giving them money for the trip, her "voice...sweeter than a melted Mars Bar".  Ellie corrects Brenda's grammar when she complains that their mother doesn't "want (them) to have no fun at all", then flatly ignores her sister when she protests at being corrected.  She imperiously tells Brenda that it is her turn to wash the dishes, and jabs her with a spoon when she protestingly complies (Chapter 1).

What literary devices were used in "Whoso List to Hunt" by Sir Thomas Wyatt?

This is an example of a Petarchan sonnet--one octet and a sestet, fourteen lines.  The problem or issue is the woman the speaker loves is enticing and irresistable, but unattainable since she belongs to the King. 

The metaphor is used (the woman is compared to the deer [hind] which run freely in the King's forest lands and are illegal to hunt--punishable by death to those who are caught) to show the thrill of the hunt or pursuit of the woman.  The speaker tells others that they can go ahead with the chase as he is tired of the hunt--she is not as tame as she appears. 

The author also uses the classical allusion.  The "deer" is probably Anne Boleyn, and Wyatt also alludes to Caesar's deer--meaning the woman belongs to the all-powerful King of England, Henry VIII (Caesar).

Irony is also used in lines 13-14 of the poem since the deer so completely belonged to him that she is later beheaded for trumped up charges of infidelity.

In The Scarlet Letter, what shocking news does the commander of the Bristol ship bring Hester?Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"

The captain of the ship arrives on Election Day, accompanied by Roger Chillingworth.  This commander stops to talk with Hester and informs her that Roger Chillingworth--who smiles at her significantly--will be traveling on the ship that she has hoped would take her and Reverend Dimmesdale away from the tribulations of their past.  But, no! The most evil presence of all is to accompany them on their flight to England.

This news dashes all hopes that Hester Prynne has entertained that their lives may be renewed and their souls lifted as they move from Puritan New England to another land where they may live freely as a family. 

Prior to this devastating news, Hester has made every effort to save Dimmesdale from the dark man "who would own him," the man who has violated "the sanctity of the human heart."  When she meets Dimmesdale in the woods, she warns him about Chillingworth, that he lives with the minister "to disorganize and corrupt his spiritual being."  Begging his forgiveness, Hester also tells her lover that Chillingworth is her husband; Dimmesdale reacts strongly:

Woman, woman, thou art accountable for this! I cannot forgive thee! 

But, Hester cries, "Thou shalt forgive me!"  With each other they are "true"; and, as such, find some happiness.  When Dimmesdale asks her if there is "not shade enough in all this boundless forest to hide [their] hearts from the gaze from Roger Chillingworth?"  Hester suggests that they board the ship for England and leave behind their unforgiven past:  Thou shalt not go alone!"

But with the news that their nemesis now is to be on board and will follow them to England, all hope of erasing their past crumbles into despair. This news is just one of the many barbs that Hester endures in Chapter XXII.  She hears the comments and sees the stares of others as she stands by the scaffold, Mistress Higgins taunts her with her prying questions and prophesies, and, worst of all, Dimmesdale's aloofness as he passes her in the procession.  Hearing him speak, Hester knows she has lost Arthur Dimmesdale forever. 

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, what do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern say about why the king should be protected in Act 3, Scene 3?

In short, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern say that the king should be protected because there are so many who depend on him (and so many that would be affected if he were to die).  Claudius has just announced his fear that Hamlet may do the king harm; therefore, he plans to send Hamlet (along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) to England.  They are both willing to go.  First, let's examine the specifics of what Guildenstern says:

Most holy and religious fear it is / To keep those many many bodies safe / That live and feed upon your Majesty. (3.3.8-10)

In other words, it is quite a feat to keep all of a king's subjects safe by attending to a king's well-being.  That would have been enough.  Rosencrantz could have consented with his simple agreement; however, instead Rosencrantz has something similar to say:

The single and peculiar life is bound / With all the strength and armor of the mind /  To keep itself from noyance, but much more / That spirit upon whose weal depends and rests / The lives of many. (3.3.11-15)

In other words, every human is bound to keep himself from injury, but it's even more important to keep someone (the king) safe, upon whom so many depend.  Then Rosencrantz goes further:

The cess of a majesty / Dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw / What's near with it; or it is a massy wheel / Fixed on the summit of the highest mount, / To whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things / Are mortised and adjoined, which when it falls, / Each small annexment, petty consequence, / Attends the boist'rous ruin. (3.3.15-22)

Here Rosencrantz uses two similes to describe the importance of a King, saying in essence that a king never dies alone.  First, he compares a king to a whirlpool, pulling everything into it.  Second, he compares a king to the center of a wheel, with the spokes reaching everyone around.  When a king is ruined, everyone is ruined.  And finally, Rosencrantz admits that "Never alone / Did the King sigh, but with a general groan" (3.3.22-23).

Thus, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have managed to say the exact same thing five times.  Repetition again and again and again and again and again.  No wonder Claudius wants them in England "to stand it safe with us."  Ha!

How does the world of Sir Thomas More's Utopia compare to the world today?

Though Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia almost five hundred years ago, its relevance for the modern world remains as meaningful as it did for More's own society.  While it is true that the world today has war, famine, inequality, and injustice - all regrettable realities of More's own time as well - the source of the text's importance for today's world lay in its method of addressing social concerns such as the aforesaid.  Concerning the question of injustice, particularly political injustice, More proposes a system founded on socialism.  Rather than political power rested in the hands of one individual, such power is shared in turns.  As such, every member of society can make a contribution to the government of society.  Today, a citizen's right to vote embodies very much the same idea.  The process of voting extends a measure of control to the voter.  With his/her vote, the voter contributes to the decision concerning who will govern them.

Concerning the question of famine - and by extension poverty - More's socialist society proposes that every member of society have a set and fixed role within society.  By fulfilling their roles, the members of the population share in the benefits of society.  If society profits, the individual profits.  The health of crops becomes a social concern, since the health society involves everyone.  More's system, more than anything, acknowledges how the population is interrelated, and how no one can say "that has nothing to do with me."

The society More proposes in his text is a reaction to the realities More saw in his own time.  As such, they propose solutions to what More sees as real problems.  Poverty, social injustice, and the like are not confined to us. 

How does the rebellion take place in Animal Farm?

The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, depicts a rebellion by farm animals for their freedom from human tyranny. The rebellion is composed of three distinct stages: the secret meeting at the barn, the ostracization of farmer Jones, and the battle of the barn. Through each of these stages, the rebellion develops, and "officially" ends when Napolean says that the rebellion is over.

The meeting at the barn in the midst of night is the first step of the rebellion. The animals exchange thoughts and first  congregate. Officially, the rebellion begins when Old Major initiates it by sowing the seeds of freedom with his speech about his dream and unifying them through the song, "The Beasts of England."

A rebellion is not a true rebellion without an action to overthrow an old idea or person. In the case of Animal Farm, the first "shot" is heard when the farm animals revolt because of farmer Jone's malnourishment and disinterest. The animals, bite, kick, peck, and otherwise tackle farmer Jones, and take the farm to themselves.

In the last stage of the rebellion, Jones attempts to exact his revenge and retake his farm. Jones brings guns and men, but fails to take the farm. After the animal's victory over Jones, the rebellion of Jones farm succeeds and the reknowned farm is hitherto known as "Animal Farm."

List 5 ways in which Iago plants suspicions in Othello's mind.

Iago is a masterful manipulator, and Shakespeare includes more than five examples of Iago planting seeds of doubts in Othello's mind, but below are five key suspicions.

1. To accomplish his goals, Iago wants to get rid of Cassio; so he first develops a way to disqualify Cassio as Othello's right-hand man.  In Act 2, Scene 3, he uses Roderigo to get Cassio drunk and to pick a fight with him, and then when Iago has to relay what "really happened" to Othello, he tells him that Cassio attacked Montano seemingly for no other reason than because he was rash and drunk.  Othello fires Cassio on the spot.

2.  In Act 3, Scene 2, when Iago and Othello first enter the garden, Iago draws Othello's attention to Desdemona talking to Cassio, and says, "Ha! I like not that."  With those simple words he gets Othello to start questioning why it is a problem for his wife to talk to Cassio.

3.  In the same scene, Iago pushes the issue farther by reminding Othello that Cassio and Desdemona would have had plenty of time to spend together because back in Venice, Othello used Cassio as his messenger when he was courting Desdemona.

4.  Because Iago has already orchestrated a situation where Desdemona will talk to her husband about Cassio, he tells Othello, "Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio."  He knows that Othello will not be swayed with mere words; so he sets up a situation where Othello will "see" Desdemona's unfaithfulness.

5.  The most important seed of doubt is, of course, the handkerchief incident at the end of Act 3.  By planting the handkerchief with Cassio and causing Othello to notice that Desdemona does not have the handkerchief, Iago not only causes unwarranted suspicion in Othello's mind but also provides the "ocular proof" that Othello needs.

What is the meaning of this fable?

Actually, the fable is about the grasshopper and the ant. "On the Grasshopper and the Cricket" is a poem by John Keats. The first line of that poem says it all: "The poetry of earth is never dead." Keats follows that by describing the grasshopper's song, which can be heard even when the weather is too hot for birds and other animals to sing. At night, the cricket takes up the song, even on the frostiest of nights.

If it is the fable of the grasshopper and the ant that you're asking about, just look at the moral at the end: "Idleness brings want", "To work today is to eat tomorrow", "Prepare for want before it comes".

How does the story generate suspense in “How I Met My Husband”?

By presenting the story regarding a young girl's infatuation with an older man, including the conflict with the presence of his "fiancee," and giving the story its title, the reader is led to believe that Edie (our narrator) is somehow going to run off and marry Chris, the airplane pilot.

Edie is really too young to be involved with Chris, but Chris in no way discourages her.  When Chris finds out his fiancee, Alice, has arrived, he packs up quickly and only tells Edie that he's leaving.

When Alice finds out that Chris is gone and Edie knows why, she turns ugly and accuses the young girl of being a tramp.  It is only after things have gotten totally out of hand that Mrs. Peebles is able to ascertain from Edie that she has only been kissed by Chris.

However, Chris had promised to write to Edie, which he never does-- but over the countless days that she sits at the mailbox waiting, we are surprised to learn that meeting her husband is related to that waiting, but that it does not include Chris at all.  It is not until the very end that the reader's curiosity as to how she meets and marries her husband is satisfied.

Please compare and contrast Jordan Baker (Nick's girlfriend) to Nick Carraway in "The Great Gatsby".If you could focus more towards the beginning...

Nick tells the reader, from the very beginning, that he remembers words his father told him reminding him that he's had privileges others haven't had in life and therefore, Nick tends to not be judgmental.  This lack of judgment combined with being a good listener make him endearing to people and these qualities tend to make others open up to him.  Jordon, on the other hand, when we first meet her in the first chapter, is shown to be little more than a beautiful, spoiled ornament. 

She is reclining on the sofa in the Buchanan's home, completely motionless, and has her chin raised slightly.  She shows no notice of Nick when he enters the room. She is more like an object than a person.  She remains that way through most of the novel - she is shallow and ornamental. 

Later, in chapter 3, when Nick tells her she's an awful driver, her response is to say that she doesn't care; other drivers can look out for her.  She goes on to say that she doesn't like careless people which is why she likes Nick. Of course, there is much irony in those words because she is as careless as they come.  There is even rumor that she may have cheated at golf - her profession. 

 Jordan is like Daisy and Tom; a careless person who goes through her life using people to her advantage and then moving on.  She likes Nick because he pays attention to her.  Since she is used to selfish people like herself, she likes someone who is not self-centered.  She likes seeing Nick's sense of responsibility because she lacks it entirely in herself. 

Nick works for a living; Jordan participates in a recreational activity.  Nick has been to war; Jordan has been to golf matches.  Nick is appalled that Tom is cheating on Daisy and more still, that Daisy knows it and does nothing about it.  Jordan just sees this as excitement in her life.  When the two break up and meet up later in the last chapter, Jordan tells him that being dumped by someone was a new experience for her.  She says it made her "dizzy".  She brings up the conversation they had about bad drivers and carelessness.  She claims that he was the one who was careless and dishonest. 

 In reality, Nick was only dishonest in that he spent as much time with Jordan as he did.  He knew from their first meeting what kind of girl she was and that their relationship could not last.  He used her for excitement just as she used him for a different experience.  That's the only way though that Nick and Jordan are alike.

Summarizing "I have a dream" by Martin Luther King. I understand that this speech is about acceptance to black people, and civil rights...but...

Dr. King's most famous speech draws heavily on his theological education and his superior command of the art of rhetoric.  The speech was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial, not coincidentally, and King begins by alluding to Lincoln, the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery in the rebellious Southern states.  From there, he moves on to the metaphor of the "check" of freedom, and extends it by stating that the check has been returned due to insufficient funds.  He discusses the civil rights movement that has brought him, and the enormous listening crowd, to this point, and as the speech approaches its conclusion, he increasingly speaks with the fervor and intonation of the engaging preacher that he was, using the repetition of phrases such as "We will not be satisfied" and "I have a dream," and "Let freedom ring," to emphasize his ideas and create a swelling wave of emotion in the audience.   A paraphrasing of, and then direct quotation from a passage from the book of Isaiah reminds us again of King's religious training, as well as the idea that freedom is not an American dream, but a human right. 

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

King's final lines allude to a Negro spiritual as he comes back to his introductory idea, that although blacks were freed of slavery in 1865, they have not actually ever been a free people.

Within which literature genre would you classify Brave New World? Dystopian story? What are typical elements for it?

Brave New World is definitely a dytopian novel. This genre often appears within the larger science fiction genre, and features an imaginary (usually future) society which demonstrates the catastrophic outcome of some present-day trend. In this case, BNW features a society which has been completely given over to technology and pleasure. Aldous Huxley was clearly commenting on the modern trend to move away from nature towards a more artificial life dominated by sensual pleasure. He seems to have believed that our giving ourselves over to pleasure robs us of a certain spirituality, without which our lives will lose meaning and we will become the mere tools of our rulers.

Explain how Sissy values marriage in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.I need the answer for homework....hurry please!

Sissy doesn't value marriage very much.  It is a societal requirement, something that comes as a consequence of her free-spirited, highly-sexed nature, and it is also something which she can manipulate to suit her convenience. 

Sissy was first married, to a man of twenty-five, when she was fourteen.  It was not her first romance, and it occurred because the man beat up her father when challenged "instead of the other way around".  Sissy was married at City Hall, swearing that she was eighteen, not fourteen. 

Sissy's first husband was a good man, and she "demanded little from him except a lot of love-making".  By the time she was twenty, she had borne four children, all of them stillborn.  Deciding that "nothing but death grew out of their love-making", Sissy asked her husband to leave her.

Sissy was married a second time a short while later.  Because divorce "was complicated and expensive", she returned to City Hall and, "saying nothing about her previous marriage", was married again.  Sissy reasoned illogically but conveniently that since she was a Catholic, she didn't believe in divorce, and that since she had not been married in the Church in the first place, it had not been a real marriage and shouldn't stand in the way of her marrying a second time.  After giving birth to four more dead children, however, Sissy dissolved this marriage as well, telling her Protestant husband that "since the Catholic Church didn't recognize her marriage, she didn't recognize it either".  Sissy eventually married a third time, again at City Hall (Chapter 7).

Why is it significant that Don Pedro and his men are returning from a war?

It's significant for a number of reasons.

First, it sets the backdrop to a romantic comedy which is concerned with the relationships between men and women. At the start of the play, the men have been absent at war. Now they are returning, victorious, and the thoughts of both men and women turn from war to love. Thus Claudio rapidly abandons his soldierly self and falls in love with Hero. Benedick and Beatrice are able to resume the 'merry war' that has always been part of their meetings in the past.

Second, the war gives a motive for Don John's hatred and jealousy of his half-brother, Don Pedro, and of Claudio. Don John, being illegitimate, could never achieve the status or power of Don Pedro, and used the war as a pretext for staging a rebellion against him. He failed, and the two were reconciled - though Don John is merely biding his time to make trouble.

Third, war is used in the play as a way of reflecting on relationships. Benedick is disgusted by the way that Claudio loses his masculinity, as he sees it, by losing interest in soldierly things  ('a good armour', 'the drum and the fife'), and becoming a lover. The fact that Benedick is so convinced that this will never happen to him of course makes it all the more funny and delicious when it does!

Finally, Don Pedro offers to help Claudio win Hero's hand in marriage by undertaking what's called a 'proxy wooing' - that is, he courts Hero in Claudio's name. In setting up his plan, Shakespeare has Don Pedro speak in noticeably military terms: he will 'take her hearing prisoner with the force/ And strong encounter of my amorous tale.'

What types of conflict are in "The Tell-Tale Heart" and how are they resolved?

The main conflict is internal - the narrator vs. his own deteriorating mind. The fact that he does commit the murder, based on nothing but an adverse opinion of the man's eye, and that he then hears the beating of the heart coming through the floor creates the rising action and suspense. The conflict is resolved in the final scene, when the narrator confesses to his actions, and ends the horrific sound of the beating heart.

In chapter 12, what is the significance of Sam's statement "Roger sharpened a stick at both ends"?In chapter 12, Sam tells ralph "Roger sharpened a...

In chapter 8, when Jack and his group savagely kill the sow, Jack decides to offer a sacrifice to appease the beast, even though he is reluctant to openly admit there is a beast.  He orders the boys to sharpen a stick at both ends.  On one end, he plunges the sow's head and then he sticks the other end of the stick into the ground.  When, in chapter 12, Sam tells Ralph that Roger sharpened a stick at both ends, he is inferring that Ralph's head, once Ralph is caught will be plunged onto a stick and that stick will be put in the ground to display Ralph's head in the same way that the sow's head was displayed.  Ralph can't quite grasp the meaning of this because he still believes in civility and he is having a difficult time believing that the other boys want to hunt and kill him as if he were an animal.  He hasn't truly learned yet what the Lord of the Flies told Simon - that the evil is within each one of the them.

What is the conflict that the framework narrator faces and how is it resolved?

In "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", the framework narrator is looking for Rev. Leonidas Smiley and he is told by a friend of his that he should ask a man named Simon Wheeler about him.  THe problem is that once he finds Simon Wheeler, Wheeler tells him a story about a man named Jim Smiley and proceeds to tell him a boring and monotonous story about him.  Therefore, the conflict is that he is being told a story about a man that he never asked about and can not get out of the situation that he is in -- he's stuck listening to Wheeler's story.  The conflict is resolved at the end of the framework story when another person who is in the bar calls Simon Wheeler from across the room.  Wheeler goes to speak to the person and the framework narrator is then free to get up and leave.

I need some examples of dramatic irony in Act 1 and Act 2 of Hamlet.Who are the characters involved in the irony? Is it sympathy or antipathy?

In the final scene of Act I, the Ghost appears to Hamlet and tells him that his uncle, Claudius, murdered Hamlet's father. Because the audience knows this, and no other character other than Hamlet knows it, this dramatic irony creates suspense and conflict.

In Act II, scene 1, Ophelia tells her father that Hamlet came to see her and acted very strangely. The audience knows from the previous scene that Hamlet is pretending to be insane, but Ophelia is unaware. This is another example of dramatic irony.

Sympathy and antipathy are opposite emotions. An audience that feels sympathy for a character likes him or her. When the character elicits feelings of antipathy in the audience, they dislike the character.

I need 5 ways in which Puck’s interference affects what happens in A Midsummer Night's Dream.I need as many ideas as possible.

Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream is an agent of change, but it is important to remember that he is directed to make these changes by his master, Oberon, and although therefore he could be played as a micheivous individual (and indeed his gleeful recounting of all the tricks he plays on people in Act II Scene 1 seem to reflect this side of his personality) he is only doing the bidding of his master, Oberon, the "director" of the play that ensues in the woods - close parallels with Shakespeare as the writer of the play there. Oberon does accuse Puck of willfully complicating the situation, but this is an accusation that he denies. Puck has either been played as a mischeivous prankster or quite a sinister force in the play, but he is definitely a commentator on the action and of course an actor in it too. He enjoys watching the chaos he creates, and one of the most famous lines of the play is "Lord, what fools these mortals be!", which reflects the stupid things we get up to when we are under the "spell" of love!

So, specifics: Puck affects the action of the play in the following ways:

1. He annoints Lysander's eyes with the love flower instead of the eyes of Demetrius.

2. He scares off the players during their rehearsal by giving Bottom the head of an ass and then lets him wake up Titania so she falls in love with him.

3. He then annoints the eyes of Demetrius so he wakes up and sees Helena.

4. After the ensuing fight and argument between the four lovers he leads Demetrius and Lysander off in opposite directions so they don't fight for the love of Helena.

5. Finally, he breaks the spell, so that Lysander is in love with Hermia again, Demetrius stays in love with Helena and Bottom looses his head of an ass. Lots of work!

In "Lamb to the Slaughter" how is Mary Maloney's life and why is she the way she is?

Mary Maloney is a happy, contented woman who feels secure and confident in her life.  Roald Dahl describes,

"There was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did."

She has a husband that she loves, a routine that she can trust and count on, and joy in the coming baby.  She feels this way because as long as she has been married, the routine has been the same, and she takes comfort in it.  She figures that if that routine exists, all must be well.  She takes the routine as evidence of her happy life and marriage.  So, imagine that you were perfectly content, and confident in the happy life that you lead, and the person you love and worship most in the world, drops a bomb on you by saying they don't love you anymore and are leaving you.  Leaving you, and the baby, to be abandoned and dejected.  This would be totally unexpected, and a complete shock.  So shocking in fact, that it might jar you right out of your normal personality, and bring forth your survival instincts.  Mary reacts without thinking, from the shock, and ends up with a dead husband on her hands.  She realizes what she has done, and is willing to accept the consequences, but, she worries about the child:

"As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be.  That was fine.  It made no difference to her.  In fact, it would be a relief.  On the other hand, what about the child? "

So, she uses what she has learned from being a detective's wife, and sets up the perfect escape from the crime.  She, in defense of her child, does what she has to do.  So, she changes from a rather passive, contented woman to an active woman who takes charge to protect her own, and the circumstances are what prompted that change.  I hope those thoughts help; good luck!

What can be predicted about the outcome of The Great Gatsby after reading the first four chapters?

Based on Nick's introduction to the story in Chapter I and the development of the characters so far, certain predictions would seem logical.

Daisy and Gatsby will meet again and resume their relationship. Gatsby has spent the last five years dreaming of this, and Daisy had missed Gatsby terribly when he left for the war. She had wanted to go to New York to see Gatsby before he went overseas. She got drunk before her wedding to Tom and cried, a letter from Gatsby in her hands. Also, Tom and Daisy's marriage has never been a strong and loving one; Tom's infidelities show this.

Tom won't take Daisy and Gatsby's relationship well. Tom is very arrogant and possessive. He is used to having his way. He won't give up Daisy easily. She is one of his possessions.

Gatsby's dreams will not turn out well. Whatever happens, based on what is known in the first four chapters, will be serious enough that it makes Nick go back home where he continues to think about Gatsby long after the summer of 1922. Gatsby will somehow be hurt or even destroyed by getting involved with Tom and Daisy. Nick says in Chapter I that something "preyed" on Gatsby and that "foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams." 

In Breaking Dawn, why does Edward decide to PRACTICE with Bella when he knows that if she gets pregnant she will die?

If you mean why does he sleep with her, the answer is because he didn't know she could get pregnant.  The incidences of vampires impregnating humans are rare, and kept mostly in secret; so Edward has no idea that pregnancy is an issue for the two of them.  He and Bella consumate their marriage because that's what married people do.  Later, he feels guilty for accidentally hurting her, and it takes him a while to feel comfortable sleeping with her again.  But throughout the whole thing, he never imagines that pregnancy is an option.  When Bella figures out that her nausea and strange dreams might be the result of pregnancy, they are both shocked; no one had considered the possibility.  Without having prior knowledge of the possibility of pregnancy, neither of them would have considered the danger to Bella.

How long does it take for Petechial Hemorrhages of the eyes to go away?

Petechial hemorrhages are pinpoint blood spots that occur when capillaries rupture.  In the eye they are seen in the whites of the eye (bulbar petechiae) and in the mucosal linings (undersides) of the eyelids (conjunctival petechiae).

Petechiae tend to occur whenever there is a combination of increased backpressure in the capillaries and deficient blood oxygen (hypoxia).  Such a combination occurs during manual (bare hands) strangulation.  Neck compression impedes venous return to the heart from the face and head.  Airway compromise causes hypoxia.  The combination of these events causes ocular capillaries to rupture, forming petechiae.  When hypoxia and pressure is extreme, the petechiae become numerous and large, and merge together to form so called confluent petechiae and hemorrhages.

Ocular petechiae are seen in other forms of asphyxia as well.  Asphyxia is the condition of insufficient supply of oxygen to the tissues.  Asphyxia can be mechanical (such as strangulation and smothering), traumatic (from crushing chest compression, or trapping of the body under a heavy weight) or chemical, such as occurs with carbon monoxide exposure, which impedes the chemical ability of the hemoglobin in the blood to carry oxygen.  Of these types of asphyxia, traumatic asphyxia would produce the most severe petechiae.

Other causes of ocular petechiae and hemorrhages would include bleeding disorders, unintended overuse of blood thinners, leukemia, platelet disorders and many others listed in the reference.

In forensic autopsies, ocular petechiae are seen as a red flag that may indicate strangulation or suffocation.  That being said, the most common cause of ocular petechiae seen in medical examiner/coroner death cases is heart attack.  The patient experiences increased intravascular pressure in the head and neck region due to grunting and the Valsalva maneuver (straining down on the respiratory muscles and contraction of the diaphragm) during the cardiac event, coupled with the hypoxia that occurs as a result of the loss of cardiac output.

As to the rate of disappearance of ocular petechiae I would cite a recent exchange of Emails by a group of fellow forensic pathologists on this subject.  The consensus was that ocular petechiae in living subjects such as survivors of attempted strangulation last for several days, getting gradually less prominent, and then slowly fade over time.  If petechiae are extensive, confluent and involve larger areas of hemorrhage, then complete resolution of the hemorrhages could take weeks.

In chapter 3 of "Lord of the Flies", why does Simon go to his bower?

After the moral posturing of Ralph and Jack, who "walked along, two continents of experience and feeing, unable to communicate, Simon slips off and walks into the forest "with an air of purpose."  Like Thoreau in Walden, Simon wishes "to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see what [Nature] has to teach."  Simon enters his secluded spot so that he can be alone to think.  In a spot where the others do not go, Simon can understand the workings of the island and develop the perception that will aid him in understanding later what it is that the boys fear, what it is that is the "beast."

Holding his breath, he cocked a critical ear at the sounds of the island....With the fading of the light, the riotous colors died and the heat and urgency cooled away.  The candle buds stirred.  Their green sepals drew back a little and the white tips of the flowers rose delicately to meet the open air.

Now the sunlight had lifted clear of the open space and withdrawn from the sky.  Darkness poured out...The candle-buds opened their wide white flowers glimmering under the light that pricked down from the first stars.  Their scent spilled out into the air and took possession of the island.

Simon sees a pristine, poetic view of the island. This observance of Nature teaches him much.  His later transcendental insight into the nature of man is presaged in this Chapter as Simon communicates with Nature and learns "what it has to teach" as Thoreau so wisely observed. Like the candle-buds, Simon, too, blossoms.

Macbeth: What themes does Act 5 Scene 3 have? And how does the scene develop those themes?Mainly from when macbeth is boasting about having to fear...

(5.3) mostly develops the themes of fearlessness, nihilism, and  psychological afflictions. MacBeth takes it literally that "no man that's born of woman / shall e'er have power upon" him-and forgets that women can deliver by Cesarean.

MacBeth is sick at heart, and feels he has "liv'd long enough" so he tends to approach everything now from a nihilist's perspective. This is true especially in his "tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" soliloquy.

Finally, the theme of psychological affliction  appears as MacBeth tells the doctor that he cannot "cure her of that" and cannot "minister to a mind diseased" or "pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow" or "raze out the written troubles of the brain."

How did the Queen fool her husband in "The Lute Player"? Should she have fooled him, and should she have taken him back?

When the King was captured in battle, he sent word to his Queen to sell all they owned and use the money to pay a ransom for his freedom. Realizing there was no safe way for her to do that, she devises a clever plan to free him. By disguising herself as a minstrel and playing the lute beautifully, she makes her way to the foreign land where her King has been imprisoned, charms the lord who holds him, and wins the King's freedom. However, even after he has been released and they have made their way safely home, she does not reveal her identity to him, slipping back into the castle and dressing as herself. This leads to the story's conclusion when the King meets the Queen again, thinking that she had made no effort to save him. He rejects her bitterly until she assumes her minstrel disguise and plays for him; she then drops the disguise, after declaring her love for him. They are reunited to celebrate his rescue and her wisdom.

Why exactly she keeps up her disguise even after the King has been freed and she is safe to reveal her identity is not made clear in the story, but without this deception, the story's theme could not have been developed. Even though her husband treated her bitterly, the Queen does not blame him. He believed that by not ransoming him, she had shown that she loved money more than his life. He never considered any other possibility. He was wrong to have lost faith in her, as he soon discovers. Her love for him was strong enough, however, to forgive him, even though he had doubted her love. The stronger love, the story seems to say, is unconditional, remaining faithful in the face of adversity.

In Act I, Scene 3. the audience meets Macbeth for the first time. He refers to the murder using euphemisms. His soliloquy reveals his troubled...

Macbeth and Banquo come upon the weird sisters, the three witches, who offer predictions for both men. They greet Macbeth as thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, and "king hereafter." Macbeth is surprised. He knows that he is already thane of Glamis, but the thane of Cawdor and the king are both still alive. He cannot fathom how he, then, could attain either title:

By Sinel's death I know I am thane of Glamis;
But how of Cawdor? the thane of Cawdor lives,
A prosperous gentleman; and to be king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor.

Shortly thereafter, Ross and Angus arrive and announce that the king is going to give Macbeth the title of thane of Cawdor. At this point, Macbeth begins speaking to the audience in a series of asides (although not, technically, a soliloquy, where the speaker would be alone on stage, the aside allows the speaker to state his thoughts out loud to the audience while other character onstage remain unaware).

In his asides, Macbeth reveals that he is beginning to believe the prophecy of the three witches, because he is already thane of Glamis and now is thane of Cawdor, so the kingship may not be far out of reach: "Glamis, and thane of Cawdor!/The greatest is behind."

Macbeth goes on to intimate that the only way he could become king would be to murder the present king and take the throne by force. He cautions himself that he is only imagining murder, not actually planning to commit it:

Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings:
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man that function
Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is
But what is not.

Macbeth dismisses his own concerns by pointing out that he has become thane of Cawdor by chance, so perhaps he will attain the kingship by chance as well.

In "Everyday Use", do any of the characters change from the beginning to end of the story?

While none of the three women in "Everyday Use" change, as you say, from beginning to end, the mother reaches a realization near the end of the story, and, thus, she is the only character who may be termed dynamic. 

In this humorous story, Dee, who thinks she has gone back to her African roots by changing her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, arrives from at the home of her youth where she hopes to pick up heirlooms that she can put on display upon her return to the city where she now dwells.  She claims items in the house that she wants, even the quilts which Mama has promised to her meek sister, Maggie.  Having been conditioned to not get what she wants, Maggie acquiesces and tells Dee that she may have the quilts.  It is at this point that the mother finally sees the girls clearly.  For, she realizes that Maggie understands that heirlooms are meant to be used out of respect for them, and she will use the quilts.  Dee, on the other hand, will merely display them as artifacts.  As such, the quilts and all that Dee takes will be reduced to some museum piece without life and meaning. 

Quickly snatching the quilts from Dee, Mama hands them to Maggie.  Maggie, like her mother, sees history in their possessions.  She and her mother see the work of hands that belonged to family members, work that should stay alive with "everyday use."  Dee does not see this; to her history is merely in appearances.  Clearly, the desire of Dee to make the quilts mere items of appearance has given Mama an insight into Maggie, who has respect for the items which she has used all her life.  As a result, her maternal sympathies have changed toward Maggie, indicating also where Alice Walker's sympathies lie.

Miss Walker, who also suffered as injury as does Maggie, joined the Civil Rights Movement as does Dee.  But, Miss Walker staunchly defends the oral tradition of her people.  And, this story attests to this belief as the quilts must remain functional, not merely historical hangings.

What suspicion of Macduff does Malcolm voice in Act 4, Scene 3 of Macbeth?

Malcolm wonders whether Macduff is a paid agent of Macbeth: "You may [deserve] of him through me, and wisdom to offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb t'appease an angry god (lines 17-20)."

He also questions why Macduff suddenly left his family unprotected to come to England:"Why in that rawness left you wife and child, those precious motives, those strong knots of love, without leave-taking?(lines 33-35).

To test Macduff, Malcolm says he is far worse than Macbeth and that it is Macbeth who will be revealed as the innocent lamb. Macduff states in response that it is Macbeth who is the truly evil character, thus securing Malcolm's trust.

Note: all line numbers are taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library edition of the text.

In World War II, how was Hitler able to get away with his antisemitic policies?Weren't the people of Germany outraged by Hitler's policies?

It is important to understand that Hitler did not invent antisemitism in Europe.  There is a long history of antisemitism in Europe, dating back hundreds, if not a thousand years. Spain and  Portugal expelled Jews in the 1400's, and other countries did, too, from time to time, both before and after the 1400's. Russia has a history of antisemitism, as does France.

When Hitler came to power, there were serious economic problems in Germany, a depression, high unemployment, and inflation so severe that it was said that it took a bushel basket of money to buy a loaf of bread.  Some of Germany's economic woes were part of a general, world-wide slump, but an additional problem for Germany was the incredible  debt it had to pay the winners of World War I, the United States, England, and the other allies in that war.

So, the people of Germany were suffering and when Hitler came along with a "solution" that placed the blame on Jewish people, he was drawing on a long history of antisemitism, not a new idea. History tells us that not everyone along with the program, but many people were desperate and likely to be antisemitic anyhow.

Another factor was the gradualism of Hitler's campaign to rid the country of Jews. First Jewish people lost jobs, then they had to wear yellow stars to identify themselves, and so on.  Before anyone had a chance to really assess what was happening, Jews were going to concentration camps and dying.

While I have never seen a newsreel with Hitler speaking, I have read that he was a mesmerizing speaker, and that people were eaily persuaded by him.  This also might have been a factor in the ease with which he did what he did.

I should also mention that antisemitism still exists, in Europe, in the United States, and in other countries as well.  Could this happen again? I would like to think it could not, but there certainly are no guarantees.

In Chapter V of The Great Gatsby what arouses Nick's suspicions about Gatsby's past? What suspicion does this apparent lie reinforce?

By the time the reader reaches Chapter V in Gatsby, he or she realizes that Nick doubts the veracity of many of Gatsby's statements.  For example, the whole time that Gatsby tells Nick about his background, he keeps looking over to the side at Nick to see if he is "buying" his story.  Gatsby also just happens to have his war medal and photo of his time at Oxford with him to provide proof to Nick that he is telling the truth. 

Thus, in Chapter 5 when Gatsby tells Nick that it took him "just three years to earn the money that bought" his immense house, Nick is ready to challenge Gatsby.  He says to Gatsby:

I thought you inherited your money.

Gatsby is quick on his feet and tells Nick that he lost most of his money in the "panic" and then almost makes Nick feel guilty for questioning him.  He must convince Nick that he was not lying about inheriting his money for two reasons.  First, he wants Nick to believe and trust him.  Secondly, Gatsby wants so badly to fit in with the "Old Money" crowd, and he will not be able to do so if people know that he earned his money, especially through illegal means.

In answer to your second question, the lie reinforces Nick's general disbelief in Gatsby's history.  It is not that he dislikes Gatsby--he actually wants to believe the millionaire, but as an objective narrator, Nick simply cannot overlook Gatsby's lies because he likes him.