Discuss at least two characteristics of Romanticism in John Keat's poem "Ode toa Nightingale".

The poet in Ode To A Nightingale  is an escapist .He escapes through imagination .On his way the bower of the bliss wher the nightingale is singing in full-throated -ease , , and returning from the same , he employs Medieval ism and Hellenism .The references of Ruth , emperors and clowns  and magic casement opening in the foam , speak of Keats' love for the middle ages . Again Keats had fascination to Greek arts and culture .The installations like , Flora and country green festivals , Bacchus and his parade , light winged Dray ad of trees , etc vivify the poet's love for the ancient Greek -life .

Medieval ism and Hellenism are the two major branches of Romanticism .

What is the summary of "West Wind" by John Masefield?

Away from his homeland in the west, the speaker yearns to go back home. With the blowing of the warm west wind, the cherished memories of his native place in the month of April are instantly evoked. They turn him nostalgic and upset. 

I never hear the west wind but tears are in my eyes. 
For it comes from the west lands, the old brown hills. 

The west wind is the harbinger of spring. After the harsh winter, the warm west wind is soothing. It's perception reminds the speaker of the pastoral beauty of his native place, where he longs to return.

During this time, the birds begin to chirp, daffodils and “apple orchards blossom,” "the air’s like wine," “there is cool green grass there, where men may lie at rest”, thrushes can be heard “fluting from the nest,” “the young corn is green,” the rabbits run,” the sky is blue and the clouds are white, both the sun and the rain are warm and the buzzing of bees is like “song to a man’s soul” and “fire to a man’s brain.”

These pleasant memories of his native land make him all the more homesick and wistful. 

The phrases "tired feet," "bruised hearts" and "aching eyes" suggest the pain and discomfort that afflict the speaker away from his motherland. It seems to him as if the west wind is insisting on his returning home.

"Will ye not come home brother? ye have been long away,”

The urge to go back home is so strong in the speaker that he can't prolong his stay in the alien land any more. He makes up his mind to set off for the place he actually belongs to:

It's the white road westwards is the road I must tread 
To the green grass, the cool grass, and rest for heart and head, 
To the violets, and the warm hearts, and the thrushes' song, 
In the fine land, the west land, the land where I belong.

How far is Iago justified in hating Othello?

Iago hates Othello for some of reasons. First reason could be that Othello promoted Cassio in his place; however, Iago wants it and he cosidered himself more superior than Cassio for that possition but when Othello promoted Cassio instead of Iago neglecting Iago's calibre. Hate for othello increases in Iago's heart. Secondly, Iago's thinks that othello has illegal relationship with her wife. Also, Iago hates him because Othello married Desdemona. Othello got the wife and according Iago Othello is not capable for such a beautiful and caring wife like.., Desdemona. He also hates him due to the differences in their race. Iago hates othello but the revenge he took is quite inappropriate. In his hate, he ruined the life of a married couple.

What information do we learn about conditions in Alabama in 1935? Why might this information be significant to the plot?

The information that we obtain which is directly important to the plot is the following:

The plot is based in the city of Maycomb, a place which like the story says is "tired with time" (stuck it its ways so to speak), and in which blacks and whites were separated. Furthermore, it was a very prejudicial town in that even the white families discriminated against each other just for the sake of their last names. Note how the "Ewells were considered white trash", the "Haverfords were considered jack asses" and the "Cunninghams were poor".

On top of the white on white prejudice there was the imposing white on black prejudice, since the blacks had no basic human rights.These were the days prior to MLK and Rosa Parks, and the black race was still treated as second class citizens, admittedly by many, and quite openly.

On another note, we even see prejudice in the form of Ms. Caroline, the teacher,who is repulsed by the young boy Ewell, and who herself is rejected by the rest of the town from being from North Alabama, which is a town of "peculiarities".

Concisely, the first part of the novel shows us a place in which nobody is safe from criticism, pressure, dislike, prejudice, hatred, stereotyping, and disdain. For this reason, Robinson's trial was all the more poginant, and all the more scandalous and powerful. It was like exploding a bomb in an already burning town.

What is the metaphorical significance of Oswald's shouting, "the sun --the sun" in the last part of the play?

The sun represents light and truth.  However, in this play, deception is a central theme.  All the truths are hidden by the characters, who manipulate, hide and use subterfuge.  They must pay the consequences for this. 

The main conflict of this play stems from the fact that Mrs. Alving feels remorse for her part in helping to deceive the world about what sort of man Captain Alving was. She feels that she should have told the truth to Oswald long ago. If she had been honest with him all along, the disease that he inherited from his father may still have been unavoidable, but she could have saved him the confusion that he felt upon finding out that his father, who he thought was morally pure, had syphilis. His own character might have been less cynical if the truth about his father had not come as such a shock. 

Oswald's last words are "the sun" in recognition of what he has missed and avoided throughout his life. 

How does Shakespeare make Act 1 Scene 1 an effective and dramatic opening to "Romeo and Juliet"?"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.

Opening with arguments and discord, tempers flaring in the old Montague and Lord Capulet, Act I, Scene 1 of "Romeo and Juliet" rolls out the red carpet of discord that the Prologue has just presented the audience.  By the first act's presenting of the motif of antipathy between the families, the infatuation of Romeo for Juliet becomes much more dangerous, fulfilling the Prologue's term of "star-cross'd lovers."

The first act clearly foreshadows discord ahead.  Like the hot-tempered Sampson, In Act III Mercutio banters words with Tybalt when the choleric cousin of Juliet appears in the third act.  Much like Sampson and Abraham, Mercutio and Tybalt argue and do some posturing as well.  Sadly, this behavior gets cared away and Mercutio is slain.

Why does Beowulf hang Grendel's arm from the rafters of Herot?

In addition to Rene's answer, I would also argue that the showing off the Grendel's arm is a way for Beowulf to symbolically "shout from the rafters" his success where other warriors have failed.  He quite literally lords his success over them.  Remember, Grendel has been snacking on Danish knights for a dozen years and none of the men could stop him. 

Beowulf could just have easily left the arm where it was, or chucked it into the sea after its dying owner.  Instead, he uses the arm to cement his own reputation.