In "The Crucible", why is the issue of Parris's salary raised?

The issue of Parris’ salary is raised in Act I when he is having a conversation with John Proctor and Giles Corey in which Proctor and Corey are expressing his distaste for Parris.  Parris makes a comment to Giles in which he says,

“Mr. Cory, you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year!"

The three men continue to argue about how much money Parris gets versus how much he should get.  Parris thinks that he should get that salary, plus own the house that the village provided him with, and get free fire wood to warm his house.  Both Proctor and Corey disagree with this and think that his salary of 60 pounds a year is more than enough.  Additionally, Proctor makes a point of telling Parris that they never had a reverend who demanded as much as Parris has demanded from Salem village.

In "A Separate Peace", why is Brinker described as part of "winter session" effiency?

Brinker deals with the "business" of the school. He's involved in school politics and debate. He focuses on the in and outs of the school happenings. He sees it as his job to keep everyone is his place and focused on the correct goals. Brinker is the one who pushes Gene toward a decision about signing up for service. When Gene says this about Brinker, it is his reponse to coming off the carefree summer with Finny. Finny was about rule-breaking and enjoying being a boy. Even the summer classes that Gene takes are optional. When Finny is gone along with the summer, it's back to "business" with Brinker and the serious winter session. Gene falls under Brinker's serious spell, just like he fell under Finny's fun-loving one.

When Jonas asked what made the Giver suffer, what memory did the Giver transmit to explain it in the book The Giver?

When Jonas asks the Giver what makes him suffer, the Giver responds by instructing him to recall the memory of the hill, and the sled.  Jonas does as he is told, and notices that the scene in his mind is slightly different; the hill is steeper, it is colder, and "the snow beneath the sled (is) not thick and solft as it had been before, but hard, and coated with bluish ice".  As the sled begins its downward plunge, the runners cannot slice through the snow as they did before.  Instead, they "(skitter) sideways and the sled gather(s) speed".  Jonas tries to steer but finds he is "at the mercy of the wild acceleration downward over the ice".  Out of control, the sled hits a bump and Jonas is "jarred loose and thrown violently into the air".  He lands with his leg twisted under him, and he hears the crack of bone.

Jonas gasps when the first wave of pain hits him.  In agony, he tries to move but cannot; he screams, but there is no answer.  Mercifully, he suddenly finds himself in the Annex room again.  His leg, straight and unbroken, still aches horribly, but when he begs the Giver for "relief-of-pain", the Giver reluctantly refuses; it is against the rules for Jonas to receive pain-relief for anything connected to his training.

The Giver does not want to give the painful memories to Jonas, but he knows he must because it is the job of the Receiver of Memory to hold these memories for the people, so that they themselves do not have to suffer.  The Giver teaches Jonas that it is because they hold these memories that they have wisdom that the people do not have because they have chosen to insulate themselves from ever feeling pain.  That night, when, with his leg throbbing, he goes home, Jonas realizes that his family, like the rest of the Community members, has never known pain, and the realization makes him feel "desperately lonely" (Chapter 14).

In Great Expectations, of all the losses Pip has faced, what loss does he regret most?

Pip's greatest mistake was with Joe.  Pip realizes how good Joe was to him all through his life, even when he was ashamed of Joe.  Joe cared for Pip when he needed someone to help him get his health back.  Joe even paid for all of Pip's debts.  Although Pip would pay him back, he would always regret how he treated Joe.  Joe was never educated, and never needed to be.  Pip became aloof and distant once he realized he was upper class and educated. 

Although he doesn't lose Joe's friendship, he lost the innocent and wonderful relationship they had.  He'll never quite have that back, but the two of them do keep in touch and Joe and Biddy name their child after Pip.  So it does end happily in that aspect.

Who did Grayson strike out in his last at bat in the minors?

In chapter 25 of "Maniac Magee," Maniac has been staying with Grayson who was a Minor League baseball pitcher.  He is constantly telling Manaic stories about his days as a player.  on page 94 we read Grayson told"

"Funny stories. Happy stories. Sad stories. Just plain baseball stories.  The happiest story being the one in the Minor Leagues, before he went up to the New York Giants and immoratality.  Well, it was ol' Grayson himself who had the last crack at Willie Mays, in the ninth inning of a game with Indianapolis - and what did Grayson do?  All he did was set the Say Hey Kid down swinging - on three straight curveballs."

So Grayson had the happy memory of striking out Willie Mays right before Mays was called up to the Major Leagues.

W.E.B. Duboius attended Fisk University in Tennesee. In what way did the Fisk Jubilee Singers have a far-reaching affect on the world?

Just to place it in a historical perspective, the Civil War ended in 1865, the Fisk Jubilee singers were founded or rose to prominence in 1871, and W.E.B. Du Bois enrolled at Fisk University in 1885 on a scholarship after having graduated as valedictorian in his high school class.

Many of the Jubilee singers were former slaves. Today, the choir has mostly commercial appeal and stands as a symbol of black history in particular and American history in general. During the years of its existence, however, it raised several interesting issues. The first has to do with the content of songs. The Jubilee Singers sing spirituals, or Black Spirituals in particular. This type of singing has its origins in the western Judeo-Christian tradition, and within the US is based on the King James Bible. Since slaves appropriated white songs, their singing was often considered subversive of slavery, and for many years scholars looked for encoded messages in the spirituals such as references to the underground railroad, passages to freedom, and other ways to circumvent white dominance. Published research today seems to be refuting this notion of subversive content, but does so primarily because of a lack of primary sources.Personally, I think the argument can be made either way, and the tradition of speaking in code is certainly reflected in African-American literature ( Frances Harper Lee's Iola Leroy written in 1892 has characters speaking about the Civil war in terms of what is going on at the market e.g.).  

The second issue has to do with its choice of songs and its appropriateness. Mark Twain was a big fan of the choir early on and liked the way it reflected the old ways, but later on the Fisk Jubilee Singers were charged with selling out but such famous figures as Zora Neale Hurston for instance. The issue at stake is simply whether they should forever sing traditional songs the old way as sort of reminder about African American history, tradition, and identity, or if they can go with the  Zeitgeist ( the spirit of the times) and modernize their repertoire with contemporary beats and rhythms. You decide.

Finally then, and that is proabably their single most important role, they can be considered guardians of history and tradition within the realm of a number of historically Black Unversities.

In Macbeth, which modern methods might Macbeth rely on if he were a leader today?Consider the methods present-day politicians use to gauge public...

The primary method today's politicians use to determine public sentiment is taking a public opinion poll. If Macbeth had taken such a poll before murdering King Duncan, he would have found that Duncan was well loved and his assassination would be roundly condemned. However, Macbeth didn't need to take a poll to understand this. He knew quite well that murdering Duncan was an especially abominble act because Duncan was a good man and a just monarch. Macbeth knew that the grief over Duncan's death would be so great that "tears shall drown the wind."

A poll of the people after Macbeth gained power would have made clear early on what becomes increasingly clear to Macbeth as the play continues: The people of Scotland despise him. By the end of Macbeth's reign, before he is overthrown, the only Scots who fight for him are those soldiers who are forced to do so. Scotland suffers under Macbeth.

Had he been made aware of this earlier, Macbeth might have altered his policies, perhaps. In addition to focusing his power and attention on destroying his political enemies and maintaining the throne, he might have taken measures to win the people's approval. He could have shared some of his great wealth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland to make the people's lives easier. In short, he could have at least tried to buy them off by making their daily lives easier.

He could have employed Lady Macbeth in a public relations campaign to improve his image. She certainly could perform as a convincing liar, one who could pretend very effectively to be a warm, sincere, and caring person. (Duncan was taken in, unfortunately.) If Lady Macbeth traveled from village to village, for instance, distributing food and blankets while sympathizing with the plight of the commoners, she might have won some hearts and minds. In some of Shakespeare's other plays, specifically in Julius Caesar, commoners are portrayed as being very easy to manipulate; perhaps Macbeth's disgruntled subjects could have been manipulated, as well.

Macbeth would have had one huge public relations problem, however, in trying to overcome his slaughtering Macduff's entire household. That would have been impossible to explain or rationalize.

How does "The Devil and Tom Walker" demonstrate the theme that social institutions often encourage uncontrolled greed?

Irving's satirical view of early American life through "The Devil and Tom Walker" uses the Walkers and townspeople to discuss greed's all-encompassing effects.  If you consider marriage a social institution, then you could certainly argue that Tom and his termagant wife's marriage portrays greed.  Each "partner" is more concerned about getting what he/she deserves; there is no willingness on either one's part to work together within their marriage to make it what it should be.  The premise of your question is that the social institution itself encourages this type of behavior between Tom and his wife.  While I don't agree with that--I think that Mr. and Mrs. Walker were most likely greedy individuals before they entered into marriage--you can certainly prove through the story that marriage caused them to strive even more for individual possessions rather than shared ones. Tom's wife wants him to sell his soul to the devil so that she can prosper; she doesn't care that she would lose her husband.  Likewise, when Tom's wife disappears, he is more worried about the material possessions that also disappeared than he is about his own spouse.

Irving also satirizes religious societies and their hypocrisy.  If Tom's townspeople were not greedy, wanting to spend more than they possessed, there would be no need for Tom's usury services.  The whole idea of usury--lending money at high rates of interest--encourages greed in a twofold manner.  Tom does not care if he ruins the lives of his fellow church members by charging such high interest, he simply wants to make as much money as possible.  Moreover, his greedy customers want more money than they are able to make.

Another character besides the Walkers, Tom's clients, and Old Scratch who demonstrates greed is a wealthy man of the county, Crowninshield.  When Tom first meets the devil in the forest, Crowninshield's tree has just been cut down (symbolizing his death), and Irving describes him in the following manner:

The [tree] on which he had been seated, and which had evidently just been hewn down, bore the name of Crowninshield; and he recollected a mighty rich man of that name, who made a vulgar display of wealth, which it was whispered he had acquired by buccaneering.

Irving implies that because Crowninshield's wealth was a result of greed he eventually loses his soul to the devil. Additionally, Tom sees Deacon Peabody's (a religious community member) name on one of the trees and argues with the devil about Peabody owning the trees.  The fact that Peabody's name is on the tree, that the tree is scored by the devil, and that he has established such a reputation that people think that the forest is his, illustrates that Peobody will meet the same fate as Crowninshield because of his greed.

From this story, it would be difficult to argue that the church itself encourages greed, but you could infer that the superstitions and religious beliefs that many early Americans possessed encouraged them to be greedy.  For example, because of Tom's superstitions, he carries around his Bible and buries his horse upside down so that he can hopefully escape before everything can be taken from him. Also, the churchgoers have become so caught up in obtaining more possessions that they judge one another while sinking deeper into greed themselves.

How do ducks represents isolation for Holden apart from his thinking about them while talking to Mr. Spencer?

Holden's obsession with the ducks in Central Park, especially where they go in the winter, he is very curious to discover the habits of the ducks and how they disappear and then reappear when the weather gets warm, acts as a way for him to focus on questions that are difficult to answer, like why young people die.

Holden asks this question over and over again, failing to get a satisfactory answer.  To me, this question about the disappearing ducks was always his way of asking about the isolation and transformation of death.  Since, in my view, he is stuck in a cycle of grief over the loss of his little brother, he can't make sense of his death and cannot find his way back to participation in society without getting some answers.

Holden longs to understand the cycle that the ducks follow, he somehow equates it with a sense of eternity, where life is renewed each and every spring.  It is comforting to think that there is life after death, especially thinking about Allie who will forever be a child.

Holden's desire to see the ducks again would provide him with comfort, they are familiar, they remind him of when he was a child.  So in a sense even though Holden sits by the frozen pond and contemplates his own death, the ducks really provide something for Holden to live for, waiting for them to return gives him a sense of purpose.

Even though, he can't get a satisfactory answer to where the ducks go in the winter and how they know to come back, in his isolation of never receiving an answer, he is comforted by the question, a mystery of nature, one that provides clarity to other mysteries that cannot be explained, like death.   

Mama tells Walter that something is eating him up, something that has to do with more than just money. What do you think it is?

Walter is caught in a world where he has a job, a wife and child and still lives with his mother who considers herself the head of the family. He believes that neither Ruth, his wife, nor Mama, considers him trustworthy and "grown-up enough" to handle responsibility. Neither one on them really listens to his dreams so he feels that he has no real control of his life. That is why he so desperately wants to invest the insurance money in the liquor store. Walter feels that having his own business will at least give him some control over his life. Mama finally realizes that also when she gives him the money that is left after she buys a house. Walter does end up losing the money, but he gains his self respect when he refuses Linder's offer. To Mama, and to Lorraine Hansberry, self respect is even more important that money.

Explain Amir and Hassan's friendship in The Kite Runner.

As boys, Amir and Hassan were separated by social class, but they were united by the fact that they were young and the only two children in Baba's house. They played as children play, exploring their surroundings and sharing adventures. Hassan loves Amir without limits or conditions. Amir, however, is inconsistent in his treatment of Hassan; sometimes he treats Hassan as his friend, but frequently he abuses Hassan, lording over him his superior social class, education, and position as Baba's son. Hassan is, after all, a Hazara and a servant in the house. Hassan suffers the brunt of Amir's insecurities without complaint. The more Amir mistreats him, the greater Hassan's love and loyalty. It is Hassan, very small in stature and armed only with a slingshot, who saves Amir from the neighborhood bullies, led by the cruel Assef.

Their relationship in Kabul ends when Amir betrays Hassan; first he stands by to watch Assef and his gang assault and rape Hassan; then, because he cannot stand his guilt,  he frames Hassan to make it appear he is a thief, forcing him out of Baba's home. These acts of cowardice haunt Amir for the rest of his life, until he atones for them years later. Despite Amir's betrayal, however, Hassan's love for his friend never wavers. It is his letter, years after their parting, that puts Amir on the road to redemption and self-respect. Thus, Hassan saves Amir twice, once as a boy and years later, even after his own death.

What is the fourth vision that the witches show Macbeth? How does it confirm Macbeth's worst fears?

After the witches show Macbeth the three partially reassuring apparitions, he asks what is apparently foremost in his mind.

Yet my heart
Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
Can tell so much, shall Banquo's issue ever
Reign in this kingdom?   (4.1)

They reluctantly show him a montage or panorama described in the stage directions as:

A show of eight Kings, and Banquo last with a glass in his hand.

Macbeth is horrified because his worst fears are confirmed. He has murdered a king whom he revered and who had treated him with the utmost kindness, and he has sold his soul to the devil, all for the benefit of Banquo and his descendants. As Macbeth says in a soliloquy before he has Banquo ambushed:

then prophet-like
They hail'd him father to a line of kings:
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown
And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding. If't be so,
For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind,
For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered,
Put rancors in the vessel of my peace
Only for them, and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man,
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!  (3.1)

After Macbeth sees the fourth apparition he is never the same man again. He is disillusioned and depressed. His life seems pointless. He has to force himself to keep up appearances as a ruler, but the title seems meaningless to him. He is on a downhill path after this revelation of the future he feared and anticipated. He has been beaten by Banquo in spite of the fact that he had Banquo murdered. Macbeth was driven by his and his wife's powerful ambition, but he has seen that it was nothing but a vain illusion. They have achieved nothing. His wife says the same thing earlier. 

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.  (3.2)

What will happen to the boys when they return home?What sort of explanation do you think they will have to come up with to describe their...

Very interesting question. We obviously don't know very much about what will happen to them. We do know that the novel is set during war time, that there has been an atom bomb that in the first chapter Piggy says has killed a lot of people and destroyed large parts of their country. We also can see at the end of the novel that Ralph does not hide what they have done - he confesses to the officer that two of the boys have been killed openly. However, the officers response in saying that this was "not a very good show" and confirming that they are all from Britain immediately reveals his complete inability to comprehend the "end of innocence" that the boys have had revealed to them by their experiences on the island. He stands in sharp contrast to what the boys have been through: he is civilised, comes from a civilised nation where the pull and power of civilisation over his life is still strong. The boys, on the other hand, as we have had abundant evidence to show, have been reduced to blood-lusting savages, able to perpertrate even the most terrible crimes on each other.

I think, given this, the most likely outcome is that the naval officer will completely blank or ignore the deaths - he is evidently unable to understand them and it would be very difficult to identify any one or two individuals who were guilty alone of the murders. The likelihood is that the boys would re-enter their old lives and civilised ways, sadder at the deeper knowledge they possess about how inherently fragile civilisation is when compared to the deep evil and savagery that they have discovered first hand lies at their core.

What general attitude about sex, love, and marriage does Kate Chopin imply in "The Storm" and what is evidence in the story to support it?I have...

Chopin, as in many of her other stories, is implying that marriage is not necessarily happiness and bliss for all women.  In Chopin's time period, women were born and bred to be married. That was the end goal, and the supposed end to all woes and misery.  Marriage was the "happily ever after" of fairy tales.  In Chopin's time, to express dissatisfaction with marriage was rare, looked down upon, and any sort of independence--especially sexual independence--was highly taboo.  But, in "The Storm," we see a woman who not only strays outside the boudaries of accepted morals in marriage, but finds supreme joy and satisfaction in doing so.

In the story, Calixta is painted as a woman who does not have much love or concern for her husband and son, and who is a bit irritable and tempermental around them.  Right at the beginning it states that she "felt no uneasiness for their safety," referring to her husband and son, who were caught in the middle of an awful rainstorm.  And, when they come home, they very carefully remove the mud from their shoes for fear of "meeting with an over-scrupulous housewife," worried about Calixta's wrath at them having gotten mud all over the house.  So, Calixta seems only to notice her family when she is annoyed with them.  With this, Chopin seems to indicate that Calixta does not find happiness, bliss and total fulfillment with marriage and family, like she is "supposed" to.

Then, look at the descriptions of her with Alcee after their tryst.  It states that "she lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud," filled with joy and happiness.  And, she is so happy after her affair that she doesn't even get mad at her son and husband for getting mud in the house.  They were all so happy that "they laughed so much and so loud" that anyone peeking in might think they were the perfectly contented family.

It isn't until after her affair that Calixta is happy, relaxed, and at home.  Chopin seems to be indicating that women need to have sexual liberties, and in fact, it would help them to feel more fulfilled.  I hope that these thoughts help a bit; good luc!

Comment critically on "Oh, I kept the first for another day!" Do you think the poet will ever return to the road on another day?

The parting of the ways that the poet is faced with symbolizes a choice, but what the poet fails to realize at the time is that once a decision is made one way or the other, it will be irrevocable. "Oh, I kept the first for another day!" is his excuse to himself for not thinking the situation over more deeply and taking the other path, since it is clear from the ending of the poem that the poet regrets the way he has chosen to go.

In the literal case of a fork in the road, we can of course retrace our steps and take the other path if we choose. However, even then,

....knowing how way leads on to way,   
I doubted if I should ever come back.

One thing leads on to another, and retracing our steps is at best difficult. When the road is used as a metaphor for life, as it is being used here, the retracing is not just difficult but impossible, since the poet cannot go back in time. His regret at what has proven to be a bad decision will go on forever:

I shall be telling this with a sigh    
Somewhere ages and ages hence

He will not return because he cannot, no matter how much he may wish to.

Can you give an appreciation of Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"?

Perhaps the most salient motif of Thomas is the idea of the Latin phrase that Thomas Gray evokes, momento mori; that is, "Remember that you must die."  As Gray ponders this sentiment, observing the modest graves in the "neglected spot," he concludes that in death there is no difference between the renowned and the common people.

In fact, as the poet continues his contemplation of the unknown people in this churchyard, he reflects that

Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid/Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;/Hands, that the rod of empire might have swayed/or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.

But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page/Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll;/Chill Penury repressed their noble rage,/And froze the genial current of the soul.

In other words, beneath these graves there may lie souls far nobler than those of the renowed graves.  Only lack of wealth and opportunity prevented their development.  And, yet, Gray continues, they may be all the nobler for not having reached fame since they lived purer and more honest lives:

Far from the madding crowd's* ignoble strife/Their sober wishes never learned to stray;/Along the cool, sequestered vale of life/They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

In their nobility of soul, then, the common people buried in the graveyard are the equal, if not superior to others. This motif is an inspiring one that the reader can appreciate. At any rate, death, the great equalizer, has come to all.

-----------------------------------------------------------

*(note)"Far from the madding crowd" is the title of a Thomas Hardy novel. 

Who is the most important elder?

The answer to this question comes in Chapter 7, which narrates the Ceremony of the Twelve where Jonas and his friends are given their assignments. The community meets in the auditorium all together and each group sits together - not families together, but year groups together. We are not given that much information about the chief elder, except that she is female and it is her job to give the introductory speech at this important ceremony. The Chief Elder obviously has the role of being key in making the decisions about assignments, and therefore knows each of the new twelves very well. Note for example, the introduction she gives to Asher before he receives his assignment:

"When the committe began to consider Ahser's Assignment," she went on, "there were some possibilities that were immediately discarded. Some that would clearly not have been right for Asher."

She goes on to narrate amusing stories about Asher and his past misdemeanours before finally announcing his Assignment. Therefore the chief of the elders is a very important person in this society and has knowledge of every person in it.

What is the meaning of Ezra Pound´s poem "A Girl"?

Ezra Pound, an American poet, is known for his controversial life.  Celebrated as one of the leading poets of the 20th Century, Pound's poetry comes from the imagist movement in modern poetry.  In this type of poem,  the poet wishes to paint a picture for the reader using his descriptions and word choice.

Pound's poem "A Girl" is  short with only ten lines divided into two stanzas.  Written in free verse, it is eloquent in its simplicity. The narration is first person point of view.  The word choice is elemental, and yet the poet employs figures of speech to dramatize his meaning.  This poem is deceptively simple; however, it is ambiguous in its  interpretation.

Over the course of the first stanza, the narrator figuratively becomes the tree.  The reader is fascinated as to how things will progress.  The mossy tree seems to envelope slowly but irretrievably the narrator, absorbing his life force and  even letting the sap fill his veins.

There is a union between the tree and the poet.  Symbolically, the poet may be someone that he loves and  becomes one with the narrator.  The poet may actually be holding the metaphoric person/tree in his hands as it sways toward him, allowing its essence to invade him.  The tree grows downward into his heart and outward so that its branches can encapsulate whatever or whomever he  loves.  Metaphorically, the poem's imagery is easy yet passionate, living yet inanimate, tender yet strong, and soft yet seething.

The tree has grown into my breast.

Downward,

The branches grown out of me likearms.

In the second stanza, the poet speaks to the tree whom he refers to as a child.  The tree is tall and young yet covered with moss. Violets, so fragrant in the wind, grow round the tree.  To the world, this playful talk is nothing but foolishness.  The world does not understand.  It is easy for a child to let her imagination fly high. Often, this simple joy is lost to the adult, but here it spreads to the narrator.

A child-so high-you are

And all this is folly to the world.

Since Pound did not elaborate on the meaning of this poem, there is an alternative interpretation ascribed to it which comes from
Greek mythology.  it is the story of Daphne and Apollo. Apollo loved Daphne and Daphne detested him.  Apollo pursued relentlessly Daphne.  She begged her father to change her so that Apollo would not recognize or want her.  Her father agreed and slowly Daphne's appearance began to alter.  Her skin turned to bark, her hair became leaves, her arms were transformed into branches, and feet became rooted to the ground.  Apollo embraced the branches, but alas the branches shrank away from him.  Apollo vowed to tend Daphne as his tree.  He promised her leaves would decorate the heads of leaders.  Using  his powers of eternal youth and immortality, he rendered her tree green forever. 

It does not matter which interpretation that the reader chooses because that is the joy of poetry.  As Robert Frost said:

A poem should not mean but be. 

This is the poem "A Girl."

What were the international ramifications of the Emancipation Proclamation?

The international reaction to the Emancipation Proclamation was an interesting one.  On one hand, there was a nearly universal acceptance and congratulations about the moral opposition the United States has voiced against slavery.  Nations such as England sent their congratulations about the stance taken.  There were some, though, who felt that the Emancipation would hurt the United States' relationship with other nations who were dependent on cotton production, which was greatly facilitated through enslavement. At the same time, some European nations remained skeptical, as they had staked their own national interests based on political party allegiances in America, which could only be sorted out at the end of the war.  Yet, the overall reaction to the document was a favorable one, as the United States had begun the process of dismantling a "traditional" institution that other nations either had or would be starting soon enough.  The Dutch, for example, had refrained from printing anti- American statements in its newspapers upon the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Overall, the international reaction helped bolster the North's claim that there was a moral imperative to the war with the Emancipation Proclamation.

In Our Town, what makes the earth "too wonderful for anyone to realize you"?

In Act III of the play, Emily has died. As she takes her place among others from Grover's Corners who have died, she requests to relive just one day of her life. Mrs. Soames tries to discourage her, but she insists, promising to choose a happy day. Mrs. Gibbs replies:

No. At least choose an unimportant day. Choose the least important day in your life. It will be important enough.

Emily chooses her twelfth birthday and watches herself in life when she had been a child at home with her family. As she watches the scene before her, as her family goes about its daily life, Emily becomes more and more upset and begs to be taken back up the hill to her grave: "Oh! Oh. It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another." She breaks into sobs.

The quotation in your question is found in Emily's goodbye to the world as she prepares to leave:

But first--wait! One more look. Good-by, good-by, world. Good-by, Grover's Corners . . . Mamma and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking . . . and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths . . . and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you . . . Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?

After her death, Emily realizes that it is not the extraordinary but the very ordinary aspects of life that are in fact precious. It is these everyday wonders that escape our recognition, understanding, and appreciation because we take them all for granted as we hurry through our days. In answering Emily's question, the Stage Manager tells her that "saints and poets" perhaps realize life, at least to some extent. This scene in the play--truthful and thought provoking--is very moving indeed.

What is a literary example of a "red herring?"

A red herring is a phrase given to any attempt to send someone off on the wrong direction as they pursue some item of information. So, if you think about literary examples of red herrings, detective fiction is going to be full of red herrings, because a good author will deliberately make you think that the murderer is someone else from who it actually is. It wouldn't be a good book otherwise!

If you want a more "literary" example, you might want to think about Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and how Dickens very carefully plants a red herring in that story. When Pip discovers he has a mysterious benefactor, we and he automatically thinks that it is Miss Havisham, and we never suspect it might actually be the escaped convict Magwitch.

In Hamlet, how might the crimes committed and their motivations be interpreted?I'd like an anlysis of this topic, please.

The first and most important crime that was committed in "Hamlet" is the killing of old King Hamlet by his own brother, Claudius.  Claudius poured poison in his brother's ear while the old king slept in his garden.  Claudius tells us in Act 3, sc. 3 that he committed this crime because he wanted the crown, he wanted Gertrude, and because he was ambitious.  Those were his motivations and even he realizes that possessing them prevents him from getting salvation.  He knows he's committed a mortal sin as well as a crime that would probably result in his own death.  There is no upside to his motivation and no justification.

The next important crime is the killing of Polonius at Hamlet's hand in Act 3, sc. 4.  Hamlet is highly incensed in this scene after the interrupted play.  He has been called to his mother's room filled with the knowledge that his uncle, his mother's husband, killed his father.  He does not understand why his mother married Claudius and now he is probably afraid that she might have had something to do with the death of her husband or at least, she should have been suspicious.  Hamlet hears a noise behind the tapestry on the wall and stabs at it with his sword.  As soon as Polonius's body falls to the ground, Hamlet asks, "Is it the king?" which seems to indicate that Hamlet thinks it was Claudius spying on them (never mind the fact that Hamlet has just left Claudius praying in the chapel).  If Hamlet truly thought that the person behind the arras was Claudius, then his motivation was revenge.  More likely, Hamlet didn't think before he stabbed the arras, he merely reacted - though this is in contrast to the slow acting and over-thinking character we see in the rest of the play.  The justification, if there is one, is that Hamlet is distraught.  He knows Claudius is a murderer and he knows he is supposed to get vengeance for his father and that he hasn't done as asked yet. 

The final crimes all come out in the last scene of Act 5.  Claudius and Laertes have planned to kill Hamlet with a poisoned and sharpened tip sword in a supposed friendly sword fighting match.  Claudius lets Gertrude drink the poisoned wine with only a feeble attempt to stop her.  His motivation is that he doesn't want to get caught trying to poison Hamlet and stopping Gertrude would expose what he's done.  Laertes's motivation in wanting Hamlet dead is that he blames Hamlet not only for the death of his father, but also for Ophelia's death.  Laertes has some justification for his motivation, but Claudius does not.  Finally, there are the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  Hamlet unsealed the orders Claudius sent with R and G and Hamlet on their thwarted trip to England.  He found out the orders to the English were to put Hamlet to death.  Hamlet rewrote the orders indicating the English were to put R and G to death. Hamlet justified this action by telling Horatio that R and G aligned themselves with Claudius, thus making them enemies of his.

Who is to blame for Koly's misfortunes?Koly ends up in a series of unfortunate situations. Who can be blamed for her misfortune Her parents? The...

It's a challenge for me to criticize anyone who is compelled to become a child bride.  I think the tone of this statement probably tells you where I think the blame lies for Koly's predicament.  I think social conditions play a large role in her fate, as it is cultural conditions that dictate the payment of dowry for brides as well as allowing child marriage to take place.  Koly's parents were overwhelmed with finances, causing them to broker the marriage.  Yet, they have to accept some blame for prioritizing economics over nurturing their child.  To a certain extent, one can empathize with their plight, yet it still does not absolve them from some level of responsibility.  Her mother in law deserves a great deal of blame for abusing Koly and then abandoning her (which turned out to be a good thing).  This, too, is custom Indian tradition which dictates that a daughter in law is at the behest of her in laws, often setting the stage for unlimited abuse and cruelty.  It is difficult to identify one particular agent for Koly's misfortune, as social elements converge with human misdeeds.

In terms of her good fortune, Koly is the benefactor of chances and positive human interaction with people who defy social convention.  Her father in law who taught her how to read and bearing emotional pain for his own son's death as well as his daughter's marriage, was depicted as a good man.  Raji defies Indian convention with his desire to love Koly for who she is.  He works and strives to be acknowledged by her love and does not take her for granted nor treats her in a dismissive manner.  Both of these characters have profound impact on her as men who defy culturally dictated notions of gender identity.  One can argue that the fact she is abandoned and yet thrives in good fortune in Vrindavan, a sacred city, might have symbolic signficance for the good turn her life takes.

How do you write a critical appreciation of the Shakespearean drama As You Like It?

A detailed critical appreciation of As You Like It includes discussion of structure, plot development based around the conflict, conflict and resolution, character analysis, literary devices of elements and techniques, and literary tropes and conventions.

One critical comment, and that on structure, is that Shakespeare liberally combines prose and poetry in As You Like It, with the whole first scene of Act I between Orlando and Oliver delivered in prose, which may underscore Orlando's complaint that his education in academics and gentlemanly arts has been utterly neglected: He doesn't know enough to speak in verse. The first poetry is Duke Frederick's speech toward the end of Act I, Scene II, in which Celia and Rosalind earlier also converse in prose so as to perhaps establish a parallel of affinity between hero and heroine: Duke Frederick:

I would thou hadst been son to some man else:
The world esteem'd thy father honourable,
But I did find him still mine enemy:
Thou shouldst have better pleased me with this deed,
Hadst thou descended from another house.
But fare thee well; thou art a gallant youth:
I would thou hadst told me of another father.

Poetry is distinguished from prose in Shakespeare by the capital letter that begins each poetic line, as opposed to prose lines that begin with uncapitalized letters. Compare the Duke's speech above to Orlando's speech is Scene I:

Ay, better than him I am before knows me. I know
you are my eldest brother; and, in the gentle
condition of blood, you should so know me. The
courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that
you are the first-born; but the same tradition
takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers
betwixt us: I have as much of my father in me as
you; albeit, I confess, your coming before me is
nearer to his reverence.

To protect his sweetheart, Becky, from punishment in school, what does Tom lie about in Adventures of Tom Sawyer?

Tom lies about the teacher's book.  Becky had accidentally torn it, but Tom takes the blame.

Mr. Dobbins, the "master" at school, has a "mysterious book" which he keeps in his desk and takes out and reads at times during the day "when no classes (are) reciting.  Mr. Dobbins had aspired to be a doctor, but, having had no money for medical school, had ended up being "nothing higher than a village schoolmaster" instead.  The book in Mr. Dobbins' desk addresses the subject of anatomy, a subject in which the teacher would have been well-versed had he been able to pursue his true ambition.  When he has free time during the school day, he takes the opportunity to absorb himself in the study of an area that he loves.

The students in Mr. Dobbins' class have all caught glimpses of the book, but no one knows what kind of book it is.  On the day in question, Becky is alone by the teacher's desk, and notices that the key is in the lock.  Succumbing to curiosity, she opens the desk and takes the mysterious book out for examination.  As she is looking at it, Tom comes by; Becky closes the book and puts it away, tearing one of the pages.

When Mr. Dobbins discovers that his book has been damaged, he immediately confronts the class, asking the students individually if he or she is the culprit.  One by one the students deny having torn the book, but when Mr. Dobbins begins to question Becky, Tom knows that the teacher will discern her guilt by the look on her face.  Precipitously, Tom leaps to his feet and shouts, "I done it!"

Tom takes Becky's punishment, "the most merciless flaying that even Mr. Dobbins had ever administered", but to him, "the surprise, the gratitude, the adoration that (shines) upon him out of poor Becky's eyes (seem) pay enough for a hundred floggings".  In addition to being beaten, Tom is forced to "remain two hours after school should be dismissed", but he doesn't mind because he knows when "his captivity (is) done", Becky will be waiting for him outside to thank him (Chapter 20).

What does Milan Kundera mean by "the unbearable lightness of being?"themes about the novel

Kundera's title of the work reflects a passage in which he sought to distinguish between "weight" and "lightness."  When he speaks of weight, he is speaking of the weight of our experiences, our memories.  This weight defines who we are, what we do, and how we proceed.  It is brought on by our choices in these domains.  It is a part of us, but it is also crushing.  We are pinned underneath it, as he says, and it is painful at times because weight usually is.  At the opposite polarity is the notion of lightness, where we transcend our experiences and seek an "idyll where nightingales sing," (to paraphrase from another Kundera work, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.)  Lightness is a relinquishment of our weights, our experiences, our memories and is a state of beings where we are free to float for our choices no longer matter.  The problem here, though, is that when something floats and glides it has no control over where it goes, where it ascends.  This direction can only be given with weight.  This creates a dilemma:  The pain, crushing and agonizingly brutal, of weight pins us down and seeks us to covet or desire lightness.  Yet, the absolutely free and detached nature of lightness is "unbearable" because the elements that truly defined us are gone, never to return.  Hence, the unbearable lightness of being is the situation where we are no longer tethered to our identities, our sense of self, and we float without a sense of purpose or direction.  Kundera forces us to choose with his metaphor, and finds our choices to be brutal regardless.

In the book, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, he explains this situation regarding his protagonist who is involved with a woman outside his marraige.  The metaphor also has political implications with Soviet style Communist rule, and the notion of a shared community set against radical individualism.  Both realms leave something to be desired, as both suffer from weight and lightness .

What is the significance of the setting in the opening chapters?

The first five chapters are designed to set up the narrative technique Steinbeck will use during the course of the novel. He will give a large picture of masses of people who left the Dust Bowl and relocated in California This begins in the first chapter by describing the harsh dust bowl conditions in Oklahoma. The setting shows the physical problems the families face if they want to stay of the land their families have farmed for years. The "ruined corn" and the "dust covering the earth like a blanket" show how unsuitable the setting has become for human habitation. In the second chapter, Steinbeck begins to tell the personal narrative of one family caught during these terrible conditions. The scene first takes place at a truck stop where Tom tries to find a ride home. He is totally unprepared for what he finds when he gets home. His family has been forced off their property and have moved in with his Uncle John. The third chapter returns to the larger story with the story of a turtle trying to cross the road. Although this chapter may seem out of place, it serves to show how the turtle, who is a symbol for the Joad family and other like them, are able to deal with the harsh setting. Because of their "hard shells", the Joads are able to deal with the harshest environments, even with people like the truck driver, who tries to kill the turtle on the road. Chapter 4 returns to the traditional narrative as Tom sees the horrible dust covering the land and meets Jim Casy, who will play an important role later in the story. Chapter Five, which occurs at another tenant's farm, once again shows how the conditions of the land have changed so that tenant farming in no longer profitable. As one family looks on they are horrified to see their home totally destroyed by a tractor operated by one of their own people. By describing the setting and horrible conditions of the setting, Steinbeck sets up the reasons why the Joads and other families must move and try to settle somewhere else.

Can you please give at least 2 points for the following question:Can you discuss how the play Hamlet treats the idea of suicide morally,...

The question of suicide is addressed in Hamlet from a religious perspective, and viewed through the Christian belief system that states suicide is a mortal sin, one that would separate the sinner from God for all eternity.  It is the fear of what will happen to the soul in the afterlife that causes Hamlet, and others who contemplate suicide to rethink their decision.

In the "To be or not to be" speech, Hamlet is considering, weighing the option of living with his pain and feelings of loss and isolation or whether it is more noble and honorable to opt out of life and commit suicide.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 't is nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them?" (Shakespeare)(III.i.55-59)

Suicide, or death, in general is a major theme in the play, and Hamlet spends a great deal of time thinking about death, truth, the meaning of life, and it is all viewed through his spirituality, or his belief system.

Hamlet experiences a great deal of emotional pain with regard to the death of his father and the fact that his mother has married her brother-in-law so quickly after her husband's unexpected death.  He is in such emotional turmoil, that he pretends to be mad, so that he can contemplate and consider all the events that take place around him

"The mental anguish Hamlet expresses in this soliloquy will be a feature of the entire play. King Hamlet was bold, decisive, and active. His son, on the other hand, is intellectual and passive. Hamlet clearly does not want to be involved in such a difficult situation. He even wishes that suicide were not a cardinal sin so that he could kill himself and be finished."

Did the Emancipation Proclamatino help the North with the Civil War?

In the final analysis, how one answers this question relates much to the importance of ideas in wartime and military conflict.  There are some who genuinely believe that ideas and documents play little, if any, part in determining wars because these "things" do not hold a weapon, fire a cannon, kill another person.  For these individuals, the real battle during the Revolutionary War was fought at Lexington or Concord, at Trenton, or at Valley Forge.  However, there are others who believe that ideas and documents help to galvanize people into action.  These individuals suggest that wars are fought only when people understand in a clear and articulate manner the reasons for fighting and can only be displayed in writings and legislation.  For this camp, Lexington and Concord was only set up by The Declaration of Independence and Paine's Common Sense.  Patrick Henry's speeches about tyranny in the legislature helped to set the stage for the musket being fired in the field.  For these individuals, the Emancipation Proclamation helped the North win the Civil War because it reconfigured the battle to a moral end.  Prior to the document, the North had been fighting to keep the nation intact and to preserve the state of the Union.  Yet, when Lincoln determined the right time to issue his decree, the Emancipation Proclamation helped to give a moral vision to the war.  Northern soldiers were no longer fighting for a vague cause, as much as they were for the freedom of another human being.  Abolitionists were now passionately involved in the crisis of humanity being fought on the battlefield.  Even in Southern states, the impact was quite significant for while they were criticized for leaving the Union, they were never called "evil."  This moral judgment, that slavery was immoral and against American law, came as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, a document that helped the North win the Civil War in defining purpose and creating a moral argument as to why fighting was not only needed but ethically demanded.

I am doing a summative on To Kill a Mockingbird and need help regarding social class and its importanceMy topic is : Social Class and its...

A 'summative' is a way for an individual to judge the value (in this case) a work of literature. The focus is on the outcome. For example, was the book just a story, or was their a higher purpose for the literary work. To Kill A Mockingbird accomplished both tasks. It is a work of fiction, however the novel is steeped with historical relevance. Maycomb epitomizes the deep, resentful, and destructive nature of racism through, but not limited to Bob Ewell, Mayella, and even Jem. The novel also suggests a wonderful alternative, to rise above resentment, social hypocrisy, and racism with Atticus, Scout, Boo Radley, and by the end of the novel many others.  Harper Lee's genius in To Kill A Mockingbird lies in the beauty for every reader to construct their own assessment of the novel. She forces the reader to make a decision, in the end is the novel destructive or constructive? To write a summative you must answer that question, and support you answer with inferences from the book. Take these steps to further address your question:

1. Research the south during the 1930's

2. Read the character analysis (link provided below)

3. Research the author, Harper Lee. Although she wrote this as fiction....make no mistake she wanted to speak her peace.

Good Luck !!!

I saw a free registration thing on MySpace. Is it real? it was about casting

Be careful of any information that you see on the Internet. Although MySpace is a legitimate website, Spammers often use banner advertisements and pop-ups to gain access to your personal information. Clicking on these banners often take you to websites that have nothing to do with the advertisement. Most times if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.

Filming for New Moon began in early March 2009. Although there were some agencies that assisted Summit Entertainment in casting extras for the movie, all casting for the film has been completed. New Moon will be in theaters this November and filming is scheduled to be completed by this summer (most likely June).

The Twilight Saga is a great collection and it is no surprise that lots of fans want to be involved in the filming of the movie. Fortunately enough, there are two more books that might possibly be translated into films. For fans who have been "bitten" by the acting bug, this means two more opportunities to audition for extra roles.

What does Scout learn in every chapter?

I think you could break down Scout's individual lessons in each chapter by looking at them through the lens of different themes of the book.  Nearly every lesson revolves around one of the following subjects:

1. Doing what is "right" is not always popular.


2. A "formal education" is not the only way to gain knowledge and wisdom.


3. Putting yourself in another's shoes can help you understand him better.


4. Intolerance of differences is often rooted in ignorance.


5. Hypocrisy, is similar to ignorance.  It is often hidden inside the most unlikely people.


6. Sometimes justice isn't actually fair.

What does the verb tense change signify in line 87 of "The Love Song Of J.Alfred Prufrock" by T.S.Eliot?

It may signify that Prufrock's emotion has changed, from where he is portraying his emotions on his past, his achievements and how time is going so fast, each day that passes Prufrck is getting older and older

Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bold)

and fearing of death-(refering back to Dante's extract) Prufrock fears of his fate in death weither he is to suffer in an internal torment.

To where Prufrock's emotions changes to questioning himself to take a chance to re-lit his achievements and having no fear of death, believing that he can live again after death, if not conquer death, conquer his fear (Eliot show this using the reference of Lazarus).

To say: "I am Lazarus, come from the dead"

Hope this helps a little bit.

The McKees appear only in Chapter Two of The Great Gatsby. Why does Fitzgerald bring them into the novel?

You could support your answer to this question with several speculations. First, the McKees add to the atmosphere of the raucous party at Myrtle's apartment in contrast to the tense, more subdued party at the Buchanans' in Chapter One. Their presence at Tom and Myrtle's party helps show the sharp difference between Myrtle and Daisy.  Daisy would never associate with rough, "classless" people like the McKees, but Myrtle fits in easily with them. This is ironic because Daisy did not marry Gatsby who could not "fit in" with Old Money Society, but she does marry someone who associates with people who have far less class than Gatsby.

Secondly, the McKees provide some subtle information to Nick, the novel's narrator. Nick observes the interaction between Mrs. McKee and Myrtle and recognizes the fact that Tom has been having an affair with Myrtle Wilson long enough for them to have an apartment together and for her to know her apartment neighbors.

Additionally, the presence of the McKees in just Chapter Two of the novel represents the shiftless society of Fitzgerald's era. Most people in his society did not form lasting relationships; they simply flitted from one party to another, seeking to fill their insatiable appetite forentertainment and something nameless.

Finally, later in the novel, Tom is critical of the guests at Gatsby's party--he does not believe that they are significant enough to warrant his presence at the party, but he thinks nothing of hosting a party to which he invites a freeloading, ordinary couple like the McKees. Fitzgerald takes the opportunity here to highlight not just Tom's hypocrisy but also the hypocrisy of the Old Money folks.

Like many other O. Henry's stories, "The Cop and the Anthem" illustrates the irony of life. Explain how?

The key irony is that Soapy, the main character, is trying to get thrown into jail so that he can have a warm place to stay but cannot seem to get arrested for a series of attempts at being a minor criminal.  Soapy hears an anthem coming from a church that reminds him of his better days and decides not to rely on the charity of the police and a warm jail cell, but to turn himself around to become a productive citizen.  It is at that precise moment he is arrested for loitering by the church.  Just as Soapy decides he doesn't want to be arrested after all, he is arrested.  The minor ironies occur throughout the story.  He thinks if he goes into a restaurant and orders a big meal, then doesn't pay, he'll get arrested.  However, he is turned away from the restaurant before he can order.  Next, he goes to shop and throws a rock through the window, then waits for a policeman.  When the cop shows up, the cop doesn't believe that a man guilty of the crime would just stand there and wait to be arrested so he doesn't think Soapy did it.  When Soapy accosts a woman, thinking he'll get arrested for the things he says to her, she turns out to be a prostitute who hears his words as a business proposition.  When he tries to steal a man's umbrella, it turns out that the man had stolen the umbrella himself and thinks Soapy is the rightful owner.  When he tries to act like he is drunk, someone thinks he's just being a prankster.  He doesn't get arrested until he no longer wants to be arrested. 

Short note national productivity & global productivity. (7-8 mks) Zero defect methodology. (5 mks)i need answers really urgently for TYBAF exams...

Sinmd has posted two questions on very different topics in her post above. I will answer the second of the two question about Zero Defects methodology.

The Zero Defects methodology was developed by P.B. Crosby in his book Quality is Free. Further ideas on this techniques were presented by him in his next book titled Quality Without Tears.

The zero defects methodology aims to eliminate even the slightest proportion of defects in a large batch of production. As envisaged by Crosby, Zero Defects program can be implemented using a fourteen step approach described below.

1. Create management commitment to the implementation of the program.


2. Form a quality improvement team and provide them with adequate authority and resources.


3. Develop a system of measuring quality.


4. Investigate and determine the cost of quality. This is supposed to act as a rationale to justify cost of quality improvement.


5. Create awareness about the need to improve quality and management commitment towards this goal.


6. Identify and correct root causes for poor quality.


7. Develop plan to move from quality improvement to zero defect.


8. Educate employee about what is quality and what they need to do about it.


9. To develop employee awareness, commitment, and enthusiasm for the zero defect  program, organize and celebrate "Zero defect day" from time to time.


10. Set Intermediate goals with target dates, so that steady progress can be made towards zero defect.


11. It is necessary to to determine the real sources of errors and eliminate them.


12. Recognize and celebrate contribution of employees to the success of the program.


13. Set up quality councils to facilitate effective participation of quality professionals in the program.


14. Repeat the process all over again when quality improvement team begins to loose enthusiasm ad the pace of improvement slows down. To do this members of the quality team should make way for a new team.

In Julius Caesar, how does Brutus react to Portia's death?

Portia's death is reported to the audience twice in Act IV sc.3.

1. Brutus tells Cassius that Portia died by swallowing hot coals. Since Brutus had been away on his military campaign and on hearing that Octavius had joined forces with Antony, she had become very upset and mentally distracted. When she was left unattended she swallowed hot coals of fire and died:

"Impatient of my absence,
And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony
Have made themselves so strong:--for with her death
That tidings came;--with this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire."

Brutus offers evasive replies, and fortunately for him Ligarius, whom he had sent for, is heard knocking at his door. Brutus hurrriedly asks Portia to leave saying that he will reveal everything to her later, "and by and by thy bosom shall partake/The secrets of my heart...Leave me with haste." And she being the obedient wife does so. 2. A little later Messala repeats the same news that Portia is dead.

Brutus being a true roman, bears this tragic news stoically and remarks:

"Why, farewell, Portia. We must die, Messala:
With meditating that she must die once,
I have the patience to endure it now."

Moreover, Brutus does not waste time mourning Portia's death, but straightaway gets ready to meet his enemies and wage war against them and rout them completely:

"There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."

Critically analyse Donne's "Batter My Heart Three Personed God."

Donne's Holy Sonnet XIV "Batter My Heart Three Personed God" is his earnest plea to his Creator, the Three In One God, The Holy Trinity, Father Son and Holy Spirit, to deliver him from the clutches of evil Satan and ensure his eternal salvation.

The poem is a sonnet-a fourteen line poem. The striking feature of this sonnet is that the first eight lines, the octave has the rhyme scheme of the Italian sonnet-abba abba-and the next six lines the sestet-cdcdee-has the rhyme scheme of the English sonnet. The fusion of the two types of sonnet is a testimony to Donne's poetic improvisation and virtuosity.

Donne uses a remarkable simile-"like an usurpt town"-to describe his pitiable sinful condition of slavery to sin and how his conscience and reason have been completely overwhelmed by Satan and hence cannot set him free. The only way he can be saved is, the Triune God should "batter"-smash through-the gates of the captive town, his heart and release him from the clutches of Satan and save his soul. He wants God to completely smash him into smithereens and then rebuild his life  anew all over again.

In the sestet Donne uses the metaphor of "betrothal" to indicate that he is enslaved to satan and that only if God divorces him and "breaks that knot again" he will be really free. The three concluding paradoxes-"imprison," "enhrall" and "ravish"-forcefully emphasize the idea that only if God imprisons and enslaves and ravishes him, he will become free and pure and holy once again.

The  diction and the rhythm of the poem is harsh to underscore the initial process of demolishing the old man before the new man is created. The alliterative phrase "break, blow, burn" jarringly reminds the readers of this destructive tendency. More significantly, "break" and "knock"symbolise the raw brutality of God the Father; "blow" and "breathe" symbolise the fiery Holy Spirit; and "burn" and "shine" symbolise the dazzing quality of Jesus the Son of God.

Why did the German officer in the prison want to know more about God and the Bible in The Hiding Place?

Lieutenant Rahms, the German officer who conducts Corrie's hearing, is a decent man who "cannot bear the work (he does at the camp)".  When he meets Corrie, he is amazed that, after months of terrible suffering, she tells him about a "God (that) values us not for our strength or our brains but simply because He has made us".  She appears to draw a sense of strength and peace from her faith which he, as one who has power over her, has never known.  The Lieutenant wants Corrie to tell him more about God and the Bible because he hopes that he too can find the comfort she so obviously possesses.

The Lieutenant is a tormented man.  He lives in "great darkness", worrying constantly about his wife and children in war-torn Bremen, asking himself each day if they are still alive.  He tells Corrie that although he might "appear to...(be) a powerful person...(with) a certain authority over those under (him)...(he is) in prison...a prison stronger than (the one she is in)".  Lieutenant Rahms is speaking both physically and metaphorically; the prison in which he is held captive is the visible one at Ravensbruck, where he is forced to enact horrific injustices against innocent human beings; it is also an interior one of the soul.  He does not understand how Corrie can believe in a loving God who can allow people to suffer so, but she unquestionably does, and draws great solace from her faith.  Lieutenant Rahms wants to experience the incomprehensible and unconquerable peace that sustains Corrie, and hopes that he might somehow find it by hearing more about the God she loves, through the Bible that tells His story (Chapter 11).

I understand what assonance and consonance are, but I am having trouble finding this in each line of "Sonnet 18." Will you please help me?

Consonance occurs in the alliterative sh- that occurs in lines 1, 3, 4 and 5 (shall, shake, short, shines) and again in lines 9 and 11 with the repetition of "shall."

You can hear assonance in the long i sound in lines 5, 7, 8, and 9 (eye, shines,  sometime, declines, by, thy).

In The Prince, what, according to Machiavelli, are the disadvantages of the various routes to power?

Machiavelli discusses the prince's acquisition of power in relation to the acquisition of territories.  He draws a distinction between hereditary and composite principalities.  The acquisition of hereditary principalities presents specific advantages to the prince.  The power structure has already been established, so the arrival of the prince is essentially the same as a change in watch.  This provides the greatest advantage in that it requires very little political or military assertion on the part of the prince.

Composite principalities, however, demand much more from the prince.  Authority is not clearly established in composite principalities.  For this reason, the success of the prince's regime is not guaranteed.  If matters in the principality do not improve under the prince, the future of the prince as well as those who helped him into power does not look very bright.  This is perhaps the greatest disadvantage when a prince acquires a composite principality - authority has not been established.

With this, in composite principalities, the prince must go to greater lengths to establish his hold on it.  He must not shy away from the use of cruelty as a means of establishing and retaining control.  The prince also favors the use of a single ruler to that of a ruling class.  In the case of the former, the prince must only eliminate the ruler's family, while a ruling class (Machiavelli uses the example of France) is much more difficult to bring under control.

The predominant theme of The Prince is the centralization of power in the hands of a single person, the prince.  Disadvantages that arise from different circumstances, whether they be the nature of the prince's troops (mercenaries, reserves, et al.) or the nature of the principalities themselves (hereditary, composite, ecclesiastical, constitutional, et al.), stem from the degree of control the prince can exercise immediately.  The more control the prince must establish, the greater the prince's disadvantages.

What is the significance of each passage from "Macbeth": 1)Fair is foul and foul is fair 2) What can the devil speak true?

The first quote is from the very short Act 1, sc. 1, and the second quote is from Act 1, sc. 3.  The first quote is spoken by the witches at the end of the scene.  The significance of the quote is that it sets the stage for the play to follow and it sums up one of the prevailing ideas in the play: that appearances will be deceiving ("fair is foul", "foul is fair").  What looks good may be bad and what looks bad, may be good.  We see this in one form in the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They put on good faces to greet Duncan into their home, all the while planning to kill Duncan.  They act like they are innocent, but they are guilty.  Later, Macbeth treats Banquo like he is concerned about Banquo attending Macbeth's banquet when Macbeth really is planning a way to kill Banquo.  What looked fair, turned out to be foul. The opposite side of that quote is apparent in the second meeting between Macbeth and the witches when they give him prophecies that seem, to him, to show him to be invulnerable.  The situation looks positive, or fair, but the truth is that the witches tricked him with semantics and the the "fair" situation turned out to be "foul" when Macbeth is killed by Macduff.  The second quote is spoken by Banquo to Macbeth right after Ross tells Macbeth that Duncan has named Macbeth the new Thane of Cawdor, which the witches had just predicted.  Banquo seems to know that the witches cannot have imparted good news because they are instruments of the devil.  He is astonished that what they said would happen has indeed happened.  Typically, the devil and his cronies would lie.  Of course, while the witches did accurately predict that Macbeth was to be named the new Thane, they are leading him down a road of ambition that will end with his death.

How long does it take for water/liquids to pass through your body?

Water is removed from human body through three main processes. These are urination, sweating, and breathing. Some water also passes out of body with stools also. Through these processes, particularly the breathing, the body continuously releases some amount of water.  But it is important to note that body always contains considerable amount of water, and it is not possible to completely remove all the water from it. Also it is not possible to remove specifically the water we consume at a particular time completely from the body. What actually happens is that our water intake increases the water content of the body which is gradually brought down as some of the water is removed from the body.

The rate at which the water level in the body, and particularly in the blood, is reduced by urination, sweating, and breathing depends on many factors including, the absolute level of water in the body, extent of efforts exerted by the body, environmental temperature, and health of body, particularly in respect of urination and sweating system.

Write an equation in point slope form of the line that passes through the point (-7, 6) and has a slope of m=0.

Any line that passes  through  a point  P (x1,y1) is given by the relation of the ratio of its y distance of any point Q(x,y) from the given point P(x1,y1) to the x distance Q  to the point P is equal to its slope.

If Q(x,Y) and P(x1, y1) are the points.

(The vertical distance of Q from P measured parallel to y axis)/(the horizontal distance of Q from P measured parallel to xaxis) = slope.

(y-y1)/(x-x1)= slope. But the slope is given to be 0 (zero).

Therefore,(y-y1/(x-x1)=0 . Given x=-7 and y=6 to be the coordinates of the given point. Therefore,

y- 6=0  or y=6 . This is a straight line parallel to x axis  and is at a distance of 6 units from x axis.

Tally : y=6, it obviously is true for all values of x axis. Therefore, for x=-7. Thus the given line passes through the point (-7,6)

In "Fahrenheit 451", how do the sayings "knowledge is power" and "ignorance is bliss" relate to Montag's world?

When Captain Beatty comes to visit Montag at his home, he gives the entire history of how their society became the way that it was.  He described how people became the embodiment of "ignorance is bliss".  Novels took too long to read, so they were shortened and shortened, and finally people just stopped reading them.  Schools started eliminating philosophy or any other classes that encouraged deep thought.  Instead, they taught things that filled the students heads with useless information and made them feel like they were smart and intelligent, but completely discouraged any real ability to analyze or think through things for themselves.  Their society's entire motto is "ignorance is bliss"; they feel that if they don't know about it, they can keep being happy.  Unfortunately, it doesn't really work.  Hence, Millie's suicide attempt.  They spend so much time staying busy so that they don't have to think about how miserable they really are.  It is an empty promise; they've been surrounded by messages that inidcate misery is bliss, but it really isn't.

For their society, knowledge comes in the form of books, which are banned.  But look at the people who have read, and who are different.  They seem to have a strange power over unhappiness.  Clarisse and her entire family are unusually happy, and Montag immediately notices the difference.  He craves the quiet power that she has.  When Beatty tells him about books, he craves the power that he can sense in them, which will help him to make sense of his life, and to find true happiness.  He craves the inner peace that he senses in Faber, who has read and has knowledge from books.  And then once Faber finds Granger and the other people who have knowledge of books, he feels empowered for the first time, hope for the first time, and the actual tools needed to make a difference in the world.  For Montag, knowledge is power.

I hope that helps!  Good luck!

Discuss how the dialogue in Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" reflects the conflict between the mother and the daughter.

Examining the dialogue between the mother and Jing-Mei reveals that it is one of the primary vehicles that is used, especially by Jing-Mei, to escalate the conflict and wound her mother. It is worth while tracing the conflict and seeing how it develops, where it climaxes, and finally is resolved through the dialogue throughout the novel. Key points are as follows:

After seeing the girl playing the piano, Jing-Mei expresses her resentment at her mother's plans for her:

"Why don't you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius! I can't play the piano..."

It is these words that causes her mother to slap Jing-Mei, saying:

"Who ask you be genius?" she shouted. "Only ask you be your best..."

The climax of their conflict comes when Jing-Mei reminds her mother of her dead brothers and sisters in China:

"Then I wish I'd never been born!" I shouted. "I wish I were dead! Like them."

The response she achieves is exactly what she wants: "her face went blank, her mouth closed, her arms went slack and she backed out of the room..."

One point you will also want to consider is the use of broken English by Jing-Mei's mother and Jing-Mei's fluent and perfect English. Being an immigrant to the States Jing-Mei's mother's English will never be perfect, whereas for Jing-Mei, having been born and grown up in the States, can speak fluently. This is an aspect that differentiates them and further escalates the conflict.

Describe how Mr. Braithwaite joins his class on a journey to adulthood in To Sir With Love.Mr. Braithwaite is placed in a classroom full of...

Mr. Braithwaite first of all establishes an attitude of mutual respect in the classroom.  He is a teacher first of all, and his responsibility is to teach his students; in order to do this, he sets the groundwork to allow for meaningful and honest communication.   Mr. Braithwaite makes it clear that when he speaks, the students are to listen without interruption of any sort, and in return, when they are speaking, he will let them "say their piece" without interruption as well.  Mr. Braithwaite reminds the children that, as members of the top class, they have a responsibility to set an example for the younger students.  As the oldest students, they must be "top in cleanliness, deportment, courtesy and work".

Mr. Braithwaite tells his students that, since they will very shortly be embarking "on the very adult business of earning a living", he has decided that "from now on (they) will be treated, not as children, but as young men and women, by (himself) and by each other".  He describes for them the "higher standards of conduct" expected of adults, as it relates both to their appearance and to the way they speak to, and act towards, each other.  Mr. Braithwaite will require that he be addressed respectfully as "Sir" or "Mr. Braithwaite"; the girls in the class will be addressed as "Miss" by himself and by the boys, and the boys will be addressed by their surnames.  When one of the students asks why the girls should be called "Miss" by the boys who have known them all their lives, Mr. Braithwaite emphasizes to the boys that the girls are worthy of such respect, and impresses upon the girls that they must indeed "show themselves both worthy and appreciative of the courtesies (the) men will show them".

By clearly mapping out high standards of behavior for both himself and his students, and by holding both himself and his students accountable for meeting them, Mr. Braithwaite is challenging his class to join him on a journey to adulthood.  As the young men and women learn to shoulder responsibility and leave childhood behind, their teacher will help them "in every way (he) can, both by example and encouragement" (Chapter 9).

Attempt a critical appreciation of the poem "The Listeners" by Walter de la Mare.

The poem "The Listeners" by Walter de La Mare describes an eerie situation in which a traveller alights from his horse and knocks on the doors of an old ruined castle in order to keep an appointment with its ghostly inmates. However, all his repeated efforts end in failure and he leaves without meeting them, remarking "tell them I came and no one answered/That I kept my word."

The aesthetic appeal of the poem is largely a result of  the dramatic irony which is used with remarkable force  to produce a  spine-chilling effect. The readers know that the castle is peopled with ghostly inmates and that the horse- rider is just separated from them so tantalisingly by a mere door. Although the traveller can sense their presence, "and he felt in his heart their strangeness" he is forced to leave confused and perplexed without making contact with them thinking that there is no one in the castle.

The mystery is heightened by the poet's use of a few choice words  to create eerie supernatural atmospheric effects:

"Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair,
That goes down to the empty hall,
Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken
By the lonely Traveller's call."

The true beauty of the poem lies in the fact that it defies a complete and definitive explanation. Many questions remain unanswered: who is the "traveller?" why does he stop by at the castle? who are the ghosts in the castle? and most importantly  what do the lines "Tell them I came, and no one answered/That I kept my word" signify?

Walter de la Mare's "The Listeners" like Keats' grecian urn  "dost tease out of thought" and like it seems to say to us,

'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," why did Twain include this adventure with the Grangerfords? (Chapter 15-18)

Twain used satire quite a bit.  Satire is when he made fun of people, ideas, movements, or anything, really, that he found preposterous, ridiculous, frustrating, idiotic, or illogically popular.  During the time period that this book was written, there was a real-life feud going on down in Kentucky and West Virginia, between two families called the Hatfields and the McCoys.  It started off with one incident, went back and forth, and even had a secret relationship between a girl and guy of opposite family ties, which led to a lot more bloodshed.  This feud got to be so violent and out-of-control that the national guard had to be called in to stop the craziness.  The feud was the gossipy fascination of the day; all of the papers covered it in detail, and people read the papers, reveling in each gory account.

So, naturally, Twain had to make fun of it.  He probably found the entire idea behind feuds ridiculous, the people in the feuds a bit backwards and hypocritcal, and people's fascination with such violence and bloodshed a bit alarming and worth noting.  So, he takes Huck into the middle of it in order to make fun of the type of people that got involved in feuds (note the southern family pride, the dramatic personality types, the overdone decorations, the gaudy tastelessness), and their hypocrisy (going to church with guns, calling on God to protect them in their idiocy).  He even includes a romance, just like the Hatfield-McCoy feud.  But then, Twain gets serious.  Huck is caught right in the middle of an all-out battle, and sees people shot to death.  The images so disturb him that he states of the affair:

"It made me so sick I most fell out of the tree...I wished I hadn't ever come ashore that night to see such things.  I ain't ever going to get shut of them-lots of times I dream about them."

Twain uses Huck to portray the more disturbing side of these feuds-the senseless killing and horrible violence and tragedy.  Huck, who is upset by very little (he even faked his own gory death for pete's sake), and brushes most things off in order to go with the flow, is so disturbed by what happened that he got sick, and still gets nightmares from it.  So, Twain uses the Grangerfords to make fun of the idiotic people involved in feuds, and to comment on the serious nature of such violence.

Do you think this characterization of the townspeople is accurate?At one point, while townspeople are trying to decide who the real Wilks brothers...

The duke and the dauphin have fooled the townspeople into thinking that they are the Wilks Brothers from Sheffield, England--heirs to the family fortune of the late Peter Wilks in Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, Huck has long since seen through the two scoundrels' tall tales, and he now knows that they are nothing but a pair of con men. What Huck can't understand is why the other citizens of the community can't see through the duke and dauphin's act as well. Only the doctor, and later the lawyer--the two best-educated men in the town--question their story. Dr. Robinson sees through the men at once, recognizing that their accents are

"the worst imitation I ever heard... You're a fraud, that's what you are... the ignorant tramp, with his idiotic Greek and Hebrew, as he calls it. He is the thinnest kind of an imposter... turn this pitiful imposter out--I beg you to do it."

But it's too late for Mary Jane and the rest of the "chuckleheads," who have bought the duke and dauphin's stories hook, line and sinker. Not only have they fallen for the pair's act, they show further ignorance by rejecting the pleas of the intelligent physician, a true friend who acts in their best interest. Their lack of common sense is a financial boon to the duke and dauphin... at least for the time being. 

In "The Masque of the Red Death," how does the masked ball end?

When Prince Prospero encounters the horrible, blood-stained figure among his guests, he is enraged and determined to unmask the stranger. None of the bystanders, however, acted to seize the figure who moved with "solemn and measured step" through the various rooms of the Prince's abbey. The Prince chases after him, brandishing a dagger. When the figure arrives in the last room, he turns suddenly to confront the Prince. The Prince cries out, the dagger falls to the floor, and then the Prince himself falls dead. The guests rush in, attack the masked figure, and find to their horror that there is no person under the costume. The guests then fall dead, one by one, "each in the despairing posture of his fall."

In "The Crucible" how does Miller make you sympathize here with these two unhappily married people?In Act 2 from "Proctor (Wide-eyed):'Oh, it is a...

One way that Miller helps us to sympathize with these two is through the simple fact that they are struggling so hard to get along, and fail so miserably.  We feel really bad for them!  It starts off so well--John comes in from working the fields, tries to chit-chat and compliment Elizabeth, and she tries to be polite and attentive by serving him and doing things that will please him.  However, as soon as the subject of Abigail is brought up, the tensions increase.

We sympathize with John because he is obviously trying to be very careful with Elizabeth, and sensitive to her feelings, at least at the start.  5 times, in response to her prompting to go to Salem, he carefully tells her that he will think about it.  However, she keeps at him, and he gets angry.  How can we blame him for this?  He tried.  Then, we sympathize with the fact that he confessed his adultery, and ever since then, has been trying to make it up to Elizabeth.  He states,

"I have gone tiptoe in this house all seven month since she is gone.  I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you."

He goes on to implore here, "Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me."  This plea strikes right at the heart.  He's begging her, please, take what I have given, I've tried so hard.

On Elizabeth's end, who can blame her for being suspicious in regards to anything that Abigail is involved with?  She catches him in a white lie involving Abby, and is hurt.  Her husband already cheated on her, and now he is lying about teh other woman again?  It's got to hurt.  She is feeling insecure and defensive, and merely trying to find out why.

Miller uses the very real human traits of vulnerability, hurt, insecurity, sincerity, and a true glimpse at a couple that, in their conflict, all of us can relate to on one level or another.  I hope that these thoughts help a bit; good luck!

In "Great Expectations", why does Pip want to go back home? What does he find when he visits Satis House?

In Chapter 44 of "Great Expectations," Pip calls upon Estella after learning much of her past from Provis (Magwitch) who has returned from New Zealand in search of Pip, wishing to tell Pip that it is he who is his benefactor.  After Pip goes to Mrs. Brandley's in Richmond, Estella's maid informs him that Estella has gone to the country.

Next day I had the meanness to feign that I was under a binding promise to go down to Joe; but I was capable of any meanness to Joe or towards his name.

When Pip stops at the Blue Boar instead of going to Joe's, he encounters the brutish Drummle, whom he learns is on his way to visit Estella, as well.  The next day Pip himself visits Saris House and finds Estella seated on a cushion near Miss Havisham.  Pip tells Miss Havisham,

It will not surprise you; it will not displease you.  I am as unhappy as you can ever have meant me to be....I have found out who my patron is.  It is not a fortunate discovery, and is not likely ever to enrich me in reputation station, fortune, anything....I suppose I did really come her...as a kind of servant, to gratify a want or a whim, and to be paid for it?

Miss Havisham, then, affirms his question, taking no blame for her actions.  Pip asks her one favor for her relative, Herbert:  He requests some money be give secretively since Pip is to blame for the failing of his and Herbert's business venture, having been the one to initiate it.  Pip, then, turns to Estella, saying that he had hoped that Miss Havisham meant for him and Estella to marry.  Though Estella is unmoved, Miss Havisham puts her hand to her heart.  In answer to Pip's inquiries about Bentley Drummle, Estella informs him that she is to be married to the man.  Pip declares his eternal love for Estella, kisses her hand, and leaves noticing that Miss Havisham still has her hand covering her heart, in "a ghastly stare of pity and remorse."

The night porter hands Pip a mysterious note from Wemmick:  "Don't go home."  This note evidences the great friendship of Wemmick in contrast to the self-serving motives of Miss Havisham and Estella in their past actions towards Pip.

What are the ingredients in what the witches are preparing and how does it reflect the disorder & chaos that Macbeth's crimes have caused?4.1.1-21

In Act IV of "Macbeth," the witches brew a mixture of organs in their evil cauldron.  For instance, there are cut-off human lips, a nose of a non-Christian, the finger of a "birth-strangled babe," a baby born of a prostitute who disposed of it in a ditch.  Entrails, stomachs, and gullets are also tossed into this brew and "grease that's sweated from the murderer's gibbet."  That is, after hanging for so long convicted criminal's bodies were caged so no one could retrieve them.  After so long, the skin weakened and the bodyfat liquified, forming a pool of oil. 

The reference to a child's finger suggests the future murder of Macduff's precocious son who tells his mother there are more evil men than good shortly before they break in and stab him.  Macduff himself was cut from his mother's womb at the moment of her death.  Whenever a child could not be birthed naturally, he/she had to be cut out of the womb before the mother went into shock.  After the mother's abdomen was cut, she would die.  Thus her stomach is destroyed, just as the witches speak of the gullet and stomach.

The horrid ingredients of the evil cauldron in "Macbeth's" Act IV foreshadow the heinous acts that Macbeth will soon follow as well as his past murder of Banquo. 

In "Lord of the Flies", what unpleasant memory do the boys now refer to as "the dance"?Which boy has Jack ordered to be tied and beaten?

The boys begin referring to their murder of Simon as "the dance" because they were doing their brutal, savage dance when he stumbled upon them and they "mistook" him for the beast.  They do not directly refer to it as murder and Jack even tells his boys that they could never have murdered the beast, that he must have come in disguise.  Arguably, the boys lie to themselves about this memory as a form of extreme denial, not able to face just yet what they are capable of.  This stands in stark contrast to when Piggy is brutally and purposefully murdered - no one is in denial about this murder; they are more capable by the end of the novel of facing their inner savage, even of embracing it.

Jack orders that Wilfred be tied up and beaten.  Wilfred himself in not an overly significant character, but is used in this instance to demonstrate Jack's method of leading, which includes torture for no reason whatsoever.

How can I describe Esperanza in Part 1 of The House on Mango Street?

In the first part of the book, Esperanza is a work in progress, observing astutely the world she lives in as she tries to find her place in it.  She is a seeker, alert and observant, aware of the conditions with which the women in her life have to contend, and thoughtfully examining how these conditions relate to her own life.  Like any other girl her age, she experiments with makeup and high heel shoes, only to step back when she discovers how these embellishments accentuate her womanhood and attract male attention of the type for which she is not ready.  She also explores and appreciates the dynamics within her own family, and while she learns the value of the love in her own home, she also begins to feel the limitations imposed upon her by her environment.  Esperanza wants more than what life in the barrio offers her, and it appears that she possesses the courage and initiative to reach beyond the confines of her immediate neighborhood to achieve better things.

As the story progresses and Esperanza matures, she evidences a sense of empathy and responsibility "for the ones (she will leave) behind".  Even as she distances herself from her family and the barrio, she resolves not to forget them.  She is ambitious enough to rise above the self-perpetuating cycle which entraps women who have little education and nothing to look forward to other than raising numerous children alone in abject poverty.  Esperanza wants something better for her life, but, when she has achieved it, she will not "forget who or where (she comes) from", and will return to help those she left behind who do not have the strength to get out on their own.

Calculate the sum 1+4+7+....+31.

Here

First term(a)=1

last term(b)=31

common difference(d)=4-1=3

we have,

tn=a+(n-1)d.....(where n=no. of terms)

b=a+(n-1)d 

31=1+(n-1)3

.

.

n=11

Thus, 31 is the 11th term.

Now, sum of 11 terms of the given A.S(Sn)

=n/2*(a+b)

=11/2*(1+31)

=11/2*32

=11*16

=176

thus, the sum of n terms, in this case all of them, is 176.

Solve the equation. Sinx = 1 + Cos^2x.

To solve the equation sinx=1+cos^2x, we use the trigonometrical identiy sin^2+cos^2=1

From the above identity, cos^2x =1-sin^2x.Replacing this fact in the given equation we get:

sinx=1+(1-sin^2x). Rearrange this as a quadratic in sinx we get,

sin^2x+sinx-2=0=>{sinx+(1/2)}^2-(1/2)^2-2 =0=>

sinx+1/2 =sqrt(2.25) =+1.5 or -1.5

sinx=1.5-0.5 =1 or sinx =-1.5-0.5=-2.0 is not feasible, as sinx is always obeying the inequality, -1<=sinx<=1.

Thus sinx =1 gives x=Pi/2 is the only practical solution  or x=Pi/2+2nPi is the general solution.

Did I help you?

Who is the true hero in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?Please provide a thorough explaination as to who is the true hero in this novel and why. Thanks!

Within the definition of heroic as involving recourse to bold, daring, or extreme measures, Boo Radley may be considered a hero.  While his presence is subtle throughout most of the novel, it is felt, nevertheless.  For, he becomes a central figure in the imagination of the children who play "Boo Radley games."  And, despite Boo's reputation, he is a gentle person who leaves secret gifts in a tree, he mends Jem's torn pants when the boy is frightened after a dare, and he places a blanket over the shoulders of Scout after a fire.  In a way, Boo is like a spectator in the lives of Scout, Jem, and Dill.

However, at the end of the novel when Jem and Scout are threatened by Bob Ewell, the reclusive Boo who has spent fifteen years hidden in his house, summons in himself the courage to take the extreme measure of leaving the safety of his house and heroically defend the children as a father would against a vicious man who threatens his family.

That this act requires heroism is evident in the movements of Boo after the incident.  In Chapter 31 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," Boo

shuffled to his feet...Every move he made was uncertain, as if he were not sure his hands and feet could make proper contact with the things he touched.  He coughed his dreadful railing cough and was so shaken, he had to sit down again.

He is so shaken that Scout has to lead him out of a room and he, child-like, asks her, "Will you take me home?"  So, after the children are safe, Boo Radley is no longer heroic, but for a monumental time in the lives of Jem and Scout, he is their hero. 

In Chapter 8 of Night, what did Elie think of the advice given to him by the head of the block?

Elie is not sure what to think of the block leader's advice to eat his own rations and his father's and not to worry about his father.  He believes that it is too late to do anything for Chlomo and that Elie must conserve his energy and build his own strength.  Elie does not know what to do.  He has been used to looking out for his father, but at many points in the memoir he is resentful toward his dad.  From a practical standpoint, he knows that the block leader is right, but he still feels some obligation to his father.  One sees this in his attempts to get treatment for his father.  While Elie often chooses self-preservation over commitment to his father, in this chapter he mainly demonstrates a concern for his dad.  Still, he cannot cry when his dad passes away and admits to a sense of relief.

How does Scout's definition of "fine folks" differ from Aunt Alexandra's?

Aunt Alexandra bases her judgment of others on external characteristics such as social standing, income, family history, dress, and manners.  This is evident from her constant efforts to change Scout's appearance, silence the children when they talk about black sheep in the Finch family, and in whom she chooses to invite to Atticus's house when she lives with Scout and Jem.

Scout, on the other hand, has blossomed under her father's wisdom and tolerance.  She learns by the end of the novel to look at the internal.  She bases her opinion of what makes somebody "fine" on observing how a person acts and by studying the motivation for his/her actions. For example, Scout portrays Heck Tate positively in her narration by telling of his warning Atticus about the mob of men headed toward the jail.  She listens to and seems to understand Dolphus Raymond, the town outcast, when he tells the children why he acts drunk.  She treats Boo Radley with dignity and respect at the novel's end when she realizes what he sacrificed for her and Jem by saving their lives.  While Scout might not have perceived these characters as "fine" at the book's beginning, as she matures, so does her view of others.

What does Benedick mean when he says he was not born under a rhyming planet? What does he mean when he says he cannot woo in festival terms?Does...

He will be a bad lover only if being a good poet and being prone to extravagant romantic gestures are the required qualities of a good lover.  Benedick tries to write poetry for Beatrice, but it is, frankly, bad poetry.  He has no talent for rhyming.  He is not prone to extravagant displays of affection and extravagant gifts as well.  He feels that he might be a failure at wooing Beatrice if these are quailities she needs in a suitor.

How would you describe the funeral in Chapter XXVII?How does it help to characterize the townspeople?

At first, the funeral seems to be what one would expect. It's quiet, people are solemn and each person takes a turn paying respect for the dead. Huck uses the word "solemn" several times to characterize the funeral, which almost makes it seem as though people are overdoing their sadness, or perhaps faking their grief. Certainly not the Wilks girls, but the townspeople may be putting on a show for each other.

Twain does give us more evidence for the funeral being a spectacle for the townspeople in the character of the undertaker. He is described almost as a spectre:

He never spoke; he moved people around, he squeezed in late ones, he opened up passageways, and done it with nods, and signs with his hands. Then he took his place over against the wall. He was the softest, glidingest, stealthiest man I ever see; and there warn't no more smile to him than there is to a ham.

During the preacher's speech, the undertaker goes to the basement to silence a dog that was howling because it had a rat. When the undertaker comes back, he stage whispers this inofrmation to the preacher. Huck notices how happy the townspeople are for that, and says that the undertaker has done a good thing by letting them know too. So we can see that the townspeople like their gossip as well.