What is hellenism? Discuss Keats as a hellenist with reference to Ode To Grecian Urn?j

Since Hellenism refers to the height of Greek culture, especially in regard to its influence and colonization, Keats is a Hellenist in the sense that he continues to spread Greek culture through his poetry.

Keats discusses the figures on the urn as pristine and perfect since they are frozen in time. They do recall a civilization at its zenith, so this perfectly preserved image - which is perfect because it is a frozen snapshot and cannot die (at least, the image of the icons cannot die) - represents the Hellenistic culture at its finest. However, Keats does come to the conclusion that the figures, perfect in their frozen image, are silent and they do not consummate their love and therefore, cannot die but do not live.

And in general, Keats is an aspiring hellenist because he contemplates what it would be like for those figures on the urn to be alive, or what it was like when they were.

In Chapter 9 of Animal Farm, how was the president of the New Republic elected?

In the spring of that year Animal Farm was declared a Republic and so it was put forth that they needed to "elect" a president for it. All the animals voted for their new president, but the circumstances weren't exactly reminiscent of a democratically run government. There was only one candidate however- Napoleon so he won by an obvious unanimous landslide. 

Explain at least two allusions from the poem "The Raven."

Let's begin with a definition of an "allusion."  An allusion is a a reference in a literary work that references something else without saying so directly.  Often (but not always), allusions are cultural or political references. (It can sometimes be difficult to "get" these types of allusions when they are no longer culturally relevant.)  

However, allusions in Western literature will often be to mythology, the Bible, and other well-known works of literature. This is the case in Poe's classic poem "The Raven."

The first allusion in the poem is a nod to mythology. In line 41, the speaker notices the raven, "Perched upon a bust of Pallas."  "Pallas" is "Pallas Athena," the Greek goddess of wisdom.  The fact that the raven chooses to sit there, upon her head, rather than anywhere else in the room, might be interpreted in a couple of ways. First, it might be taken ironically.  The bird only seems to know one word.  The speaker may be attributing, in his idolatry of Lenore, more wisdom to her than she deserves.  Or it might be positive, in that both Lenore and Pallas are wise. Both are certainly worshiped. 

Another mythological allusion occurs in line 47, in which the speaker demands of the raven to "Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"  Pluto is the Greek god the Underworld.  The underworld, (also known as Hades or Hell) is perpetually dark. The darkness here works as a metaphor for the speaker's state of mind which is filled with thoughts of death. 

The word "shore" may also be an allusion to the River Styx, which existed between the Earth and the Underworld. The river was piloted by Charon, the ferryman who carried recently-deceased souls from the earthly shore to that of the Underworld. This too makes sense, given the speaker's internal torment. 

Line 80 contains a biblical illusion. The air in the speaker's bedroom becomes oppressive and he senses that it was emanating from a "perfumed from an unseen censer / Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor." In the Hebrew Bible, these creatures are six-footed and winged. They continuously fly around God's throne, saying only one word in repetition: "Holy, holy, holy!"  In this way, they have something in common with the winged raven, whose single word is "nevermore." Like Pallas Athena, however, the allusion might be negative and not positive. Although the seraphim are holy and perfumed, the sense is that they are oppressive, not comforting. 

Another biblical illusion is found in line 89. The speaker cries out, saying, "is there no balm in Gilead?" This is from Jeremiah 8:22: "Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?"  The "balm of Gilead" is a real thing. Mentioned several times in the Bible, it is made from the gum of a bush that grows plentifully in Gilead (an area East of the Jordan River.) It is rather an all-purpose healing compound, used to treat a variety of ailments, from cuts, to bruises, to burns.  In addition to its medicinal uses, the "balm" is also meant to be understood spiritually, something to soothe one's emotional wounds.  Clearly, the speaker here is seeking the spiritual comfort such a balm would bring. 

What does this passage from Romeo and Juliet mean? The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love and the continuance of their parents’ rage

This is from the opening Prologue of Act I, wherein the Chorus actually tells the audience right from the start what the play is about and how it will end. To really understand those lines, though, I would suggest reading them in context with the two lines that follow them:

"The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage..."

The Chorus tells us that we're going to hear a story about two "star-crossed lovers," Romeo and Juliet, who are doomed to die as a result of the feud between their two families, and that only "their children's end" (their deaths) could get the Capulets and the Montagues to stop fighting.

Check the link below for more information.  Good luck!

Do you eat a mango hard soft or in between?

That's funny -- I have not seen a question about mangoes on here before...

Here in America, I have never seen a mango sold when it was hard.  They are sold already ripe and relatively soft.

Where I grew up (in Micronesia), though, people usually ate mangoes when they were still green and hard.  They would not eat them straight, but rather with stuff.  Usually, they would dip them in soy sauce, or even in a mixture of soy sauce and salt, if you can imagine how salty that would be...  Sometimes they were dipped in hot stuff like chili powder.

What are the literary conventions used in "The Lady of Shalott" by Tennyson.How do these conventions compare to the conventions used in...

Literary conventions are abundant in any complex, long poem, including Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott."  In fact, if you really wanted to list every convention in the poem, the list would be pages long.  Literary conventions include about everything a poet does.

The poem alludes to Lancelot and Camelot, and these allusions represent a romantic tendency to idealize the past and see it as a fertile topic for poetry.  It also uses knights, a woman stranded in a tower in need of rescue, and a character portrayed as an artist.  The Lady uses a loom to weave, which is another allusion, this time to classical myths about the fates weaving the destinies of humans.  It uses symbols, iambic tetrameter, rhyme:  even the use of stanzas is a literary convention.  Again, the list is lengthy.

Comparing literary conventions to conventions in the visual arts is difficult, however.  At least it is for me.  They are two different art forms, and I'm not an expert on paintings, so more similarities may exist than I can give you.  I'll give you what I know, though.

In the poem, symbols of the tower and of Shalott are used to demonstrate contrasts between Shalott and Camelot.  These symbols dominate the poem, by revealing the Lady's curse of experiencing life only as art.  She sees life only through the magical mirror, and this becomes unsatisfying.  Camelot is life, but it only passes by her.  She is isolated.  She cannot experience love and cannot be with Lancelot.

The painting uses symbols as well:  the Lady is in white (she is pure, virginal, she hasn't lived), her hand holds a chain (she is cursed by fate), candles (of life) burn on her boat.  She is isolated in the boat, as she is in the poem.  She is a beautiful, suffering maiden in the painting.

These are all conventions.  Both works are romantic in nature, both look backward to an idealized past, both take the reader/viewer back to Camelot. 

Why doesn't Jonas tell his friends about his training in The Giver?

The Chief Elder has told Jonas that although his position is a great honor, his training will be alone and apart.  And, when Jonas receives the instructions for his assignment, they contain 9 important directions.  Number 4 clearly states, "Do not discuss your training with any other member of the community, including parents and Elders" (Chapter 9).  Jonas also realizes that, even if he were allowed to tell, his friends, who do not have his gift, would never understand what he was talking about. What he is learning is too far out of their own experience.

Why was Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift not accepted by other prominent scientists?In Meteorology and continental drift, Alfred...

Alfred Wegener, a German born scientist, proposed the theory of continental drift.  At the time his theory was presented, he was met with much opposition.  This was mainly due to his theory's lack of scientific data and concrete evidence.  Also scientists didn't believe that the continents were drifting because Wegener was unable to present a "mechanism" for the movement. 

During his research, Wegener noticed that the continents seemed to fit together like a puzzle.  He also noted that identical fossils were being found on opposite sides of oceans.  These were two key moments in his theory development.

Opponents to his theory suggested that land bridges were once available for animals to cross wide spans of ocean.  This would account for the fossils being found so far apart.  They also proposed that tidal forces strong enough to move the continents would be strong enough to stop the earth from rotating.  Some of Wegener's data was found to be flawed and this fueled the oppositional fire.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," what is the implication of Mr. Gilmer calling Tom a boy and why is Dill the one who gets upset by this?

Dill is upset when Mr. Gilmer calls Tom "boy" because Dill realizes this is a disrespectful term.  Tom has admitted that he helped Mayella because he felt sorry for her.  In the deep south in the 1930's, whites did not feel that blacks could feel sorry for a white person.  Whites felt that any white had an immediate advantage over any black person simply be being white.  For Tom to admit he felt sorry for Mayella implied that he felt himself to be in a better position than her.  Mr. Gilmer, in order to reduce Tom to a lower level and to put Tom in what Mr. Gilmer and most of the all-white jury would consider "his place", Gilmer uses the word "boy".  This word takes away Tom's identity as a grown man; as an adult.  "Boy" was frequently used by ignorant whites when referring to black men for this reason.

Dill is the one who gets upset because he realizes that the term is disprespectful.  He knows that Tom was simply trying to do a good deed for someone and that Tom should be thanked, not punished, for his actions.

What is a line in Acts 1-3 of Romeo and Juliet that uses personification?

Personification is when an animal or object is given human characteristics. So when any non-human thing does something that a human would do, it is being personified. A simple example is "the wind whispered." Whispering is something that a human does, not the wind. The wind has been personified here.

Examples of personification from Act 1 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

"Ay me! sad hours seem long."  (Being sad is a human characteristic, but it is being attributed to hours here; hours are personified.)

"These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows." (Same thing here, masks are personified.)

"And more inconstant than the wind, who wooes Even now the frozen bosom of the north, And, being anger’d, puffs away from thence." (Humans woo, are angered and puff; wind is personified here.)

What in the second paragraph sets the mood for Heart of Darkness? How would you describe the mood?

In Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," the immediate effect of the second paragraph is one of vastness.  Conrad writes:

The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway.

"Interminable" means having or seeming to have no end.  Vastness is before them.  As he looks into the vastness, the narrator sees the sea and sky "welded together" and "the barges drifting up with the tide seemed to stand still in red clusters of canvas...."  A "haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness."  The speaker's eyes are directed outward toward the sea, the vastness, and the air is dark above "Gravesend" (italics mine). Farther back the air is "condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth."  The yawl is leaving the biggest, greatest town on earth, and going into the vastness of the interminable sea.   

I suggest that the mood is one of vastness and foreboding.  They seem to be leaving the known, and traveling into the unknown.

What is the rising action in Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes?

The rising action of this novel is the tension that builds between Eric and Sarah's father as Sarah is in a sort of catatonic state in the hospital where she has been taken.  She has become completely non-responsive as a defense mechanism to her father's abusive nature.  While in the hospital, she doesn't have to live at home and be subject to her father's physical, mental, and emotional abuse.  She does begin speaking to Eric in the hospital, and Mr. Byrnes suspects that Eric knows more than he is revealing which causes Mr. Byrnes to threaten Eric.  The entire situation tests the strength and endurance of the friendship between Eric and Sarah, but they are victorious in the end with some help from other characters in the novel.

What “code” develops in the camp? What were punishments for breaking it?

The "code" that develops in the camps is outlined in Chapter 22.  The migrants who have made Weedpatch their home have decided that justice and care will only be accomplished by their own kind.  The punishment is explusion from the community, one of the many instances of the "Grapes of Wrath" to which the title refers.

As the Joads creak towards the entrance, the watchman tells them what they can expect and how the camp is governed:

"Well, the camp costs a dollar a week but you can work it out, carrying garbage, keeping the camp clean, stuff like that."  (This is important for the dignity of the people, who shun charity and want to feel like they are earning their keep and are valued members of a community.)

When Tom asks what happens when a member breaks the rules, the watchman continues:  "Well, you can vote 'em out jus' as quick as you can vote 'em in.  They've done a fine job.  Tell you what they did-- you know the Holy Roller preachers all the time follow the people around, preachin' and takin' up collections?  Well they wanted to preach in this cam....So it was up to the Central Commitee.  They went into the meeting and here's how they fixed it. They say, 'Any preacher can preach in this camp.  Nobody can take up a collection in this camp.'   And it's been kinda sad for the old folks, 'cause their hasn't been a preacher since."  (This is democracy in action, and the people make and keep their laws.)

What is the significance of lighting described in the stage directions of The Crucible?

Lighting is a very significant device of theatre. It is not just a decoration or a put-on---something superficial and imposed from the outside. Lighting can make or break a performance. In fact, its role in theatre is functional and it participates semantically and semiotically in the theatrical meaning-effect. Lighting determines the stage-space, develops the spectacle, defining and limiting it. Its subtle shades create the differential pattern of theatrical meaning. The colour of it has obvious symbolic connotations too.

To give an example from 20th century theatrical practice, lighting in Samuel Beckett's theatre is an elementary tool of communication. In the tiniest play of the world, Breath, Beckett writes down the absolutely exact configurations of light by using a hypothetical range to talk about its increase and decrease. In a play like Not I, there is no full human subject, but a mouth and it is the spotlight that effectively renders this reduction. In Play, the lights become a character--that of the interrogator. The lights keep flashing from one urned face to the other to extract compulsive speech from him or her. The light in theatre makes not just the audience but also the actors captive. Beckett's meticulous insistence on a grey light on stage is a definitive articulation of a post-war light, hazed with the traces of bombardment and devastation.

How did people acquire immunity to a disease before the development of vaccines?

Sad fact is that before development of vaccines, not many people acquired immunity to diseases, at least not the very serious ones. The only way for people to acquire the kind of immunity provided by vaccines, was to get infected by a disease accidentally and survive the disease that followed the infection.

As a matter of fact the concept of vaccination occurred to Edward Jenner (1749-1823), by observing that people who acquired cowpox did not catch smallpox. This represented cases of people developing immunity from smallpox when accidentally infected with cowpox.

The fact that one could catch smallpox only once, was well known in times before Jenner. People did try to develop immunity from smallpox by inoculating themselves by smallpox sores. But usually this method proved fatal.

How does shakespeare create mood in the Tempest?

Shakespeare creates the mood in The Tempest through three general techniques.

First, through the externalization of emotions and themes. The easiest example of this is the storm at the beginning that gives the play its name. It is a literal storm, but it is also a great emotional and political upset.

Second, through, well, special effects. Through magic, music, etc.

 

Third, through language. Look at the wonderful speeches by Prospero, Miranda, Caliban, etc. These use both images and metaphors to set the mood.

What is the significance of the title, The Kite Runner?

Flying a kite--or kite running--is as much of a national sport in Afghanistan as playing baseball or football is in the United States. The title refers to the characters Hassan, the good friend of Amir, who is the narrator of the story. It also refers to the event that changes the lives of both of these boys, the competitive kite running that Amir wins, with the help of Hassan, after which Amir shames himself by not coming to the aid of Hassan when he needs him. Besides referring to these characters and these events, the title also refers the freedom of the kite made possible by controlling it through manipulation of the spool.  The freedom, then, is only partial, but beautiful, a cooperation, in this case, between 2 boys and nature. Because this is a story of their friendship, naming the book Kite Runner, captures all of these aspects of it.

Why and what is the purpose of the mad men dance in The Changeling?

The purpose in the mad men dance is actually tightly related to one of the central themes of the play, which is that of deception. The mad men, we are told by Isabella in Act III scene 3, because of their madness, are incapable of deception, and in fact display every thought and emotion that comes into their minds, therefore rendering them "mad" in Elizabethan terms. Note how she describes them to Antonio when the mad men appear in this scene:

Yet are they but our schools of lunatics,

That act their fantasies in any shapes

Suiting their present thoughts; if sad, they cry;

If mirth be their conceit, they laugh again.

What makes the mad men so important is the way that they contrast so strongly to the central characters in this play, who all, in some way, pretend to be what they are not for their own purposes. The mad men therefore act as an implicit criticism on this duplicity, as they present complete honesty, being unable to indulge in subterfuge because of their "madness." The irony of the mad men is that in a play that is so much about lies and deception, the characters labelled "mad" are the most honest. 

How can Gothic fiction be seen to contain disorder, discontent and rebellion?

In As I Lay Dying, a Southern Gothic novel by William Faulkner, we see disorder, discontent, and rebellion.

Disorder: the novel is told by 15 narrators, totaling 59 narrations, both inside and outside the family, in a non-linear sequence.  It is a tour-de-force of disorder: the subjectivity of so many unreliable narrators undercuts the what is true at every turn.  Faulkner operates not according to time: he jumps ahead, reverts back, foretells, and retells.  He said that there is no distinction between the past, present, and future: we carry the past with us always.  "There's no such thing as the past."

Discontent: Addie hates words and her family; Jewel hates his family; Darl hates Jewel: Dewey Dell hates Darl; Anse hates the road and work; Cora hates Addie; Vardaman hates what's in the coffin.  All of the psycho-sexual problems related to death, family, and the haunted South are present in this novel.  Everyone is a grotesque: injured emotionally, physically, or mentally.

Rebellion: Addie was a nihilist: her death is revenge against her own family, as she knows they will suffer during the journey.  The novel is a rebellion of words; it is language that attacks language and the nature of truth.  Faulkner rebels against time, narration, objectivity, death, and the tragic and comic conventions of the novel.  As I Lay Dying is truly subversive literature.

Use Archimedes' principle to explain why.If an inflated beach ball is placed beneath the surface of a pool of water and released, it shoots upward,...

Archimedes' principle states that an object placed in a liquid experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of liquid it displaces. This force pushes the object upward towards the surface of the liquid.

An inflated beach ball completely immersed in pool of water will displace water equal to the volume of the beach ball. Therefor according to Archimedes' principle it is clear that the beach ball will experience a buoyant force equal to the weight of water equal to the weight of water equal to volume of ball. This force is much more than the weight of the ball. Thus the ball can be kept immerses in water only by some devise holding it down. Bus as soon as the ball is released it will be pushed out of water under the influence of the buoyant force less weight of the ball. As the ball moves up to the surface of the pool its velocity will increase, and as it emerges out of water, it will continue to move upward in air because of kinetic energy of the velocity it has acquired. Once our of water there is no buoyancy force acting on the ball that pushes it upwards. Rather there is gravitational force that pulls the ball down. Under the influence of this gravitational pull the ball will slow down as it rises above the water surface till its velocity becomes zero. At this point the ball is at its highest point. After this the ball will begin to fall down.

What are the literary devices are included in the stories about the Fall of Troy and the House of Thebes?

There are, of course, many literary devices employed in the epic.   Here are a few to consider:

Similies:  Similies compare two similar things, often using "like" or "as". 

The Trojans, coop'd within their walls so long,
Unbar their gates, and issue in a throng,
Like swarming bees, and with delight survey
The camp deserted, where the Grecians lay:

and, in reference to the troops, who were

Driv'n like a flock of doves along the sky

Another device commonly used is that of alliteration (the repetition of initial letters or sounds) such as "Fortune favor'd" and "Haste hence".

Imagery (language that makes the reader form a mental picture and often engages many of the senses) is another frequent literary device.  In Books II and IV, the image of wounds is prominent,

From Book II:

The lukewarm blood came rushing thro' the wound,

The stumps are pierc'd with oft-repeated wounds:

My limbs, not feeling wounds, nor fearing death.

From Book IV:

Wounds with a random shaft the careless hind,

Frantic with fear, impatient of the wound,

Clogg'd in the wound the cruel weapon stands;

In addition to "wounds," also be aware of the recurrent imagery of snakes, hunting, storms, and fire. 

"Pride and Prejudice" is a depiction of 19th c. domestic lifestyle of English families. Discuss.

Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" (1813) gives us delightful pictures of domestic life in 'Regency England.' Its main theme is marriage and the issues concerning marriage.

The most important issue being how much money is necessary for a happy and successful marriage:"Pray, my dear aunt, what is the difference in matrimonial affairs, between the mercenary and the prudent motive? Where does discretion end and avarice begin?" (Ch.27)

Jane Austen does not explicitly answer this question by preaching a moral to her readers;but she puts things in perspective by revealing to us the importance of money in marriage and then leaving it to the readers to decide for themselves what is 'moral' or 'immoral'.

In Ch.33 Col Fitzwilliam Darcy the younger son of an earl and obviously a very rich man hints to Elizabeth that he can't marry her: "Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marrywithout some attention to money."   Was he beingprudent or avaricious in not marrying Elizabeth? Jane Austen leaves it to the readers to decide.

On the contrary, Darcy also a very rich man overlooks Elizabeth's impoverished financial status and goes out of the way to ensure that Wickham marries Lydia so that the Bennet's  family honour is intact. His love  for her compels him to virtually bribe Wickham his worst enemy into doing so. This clearly establishes that he is a noble and generous person and Elizabeth readily accepts his second marriage proposal in Ch.58.

Another important aspect of Regency England  is the contrasting lifestyle of different social groups which is structurally central to a Jane Austen novel. In "Pride and Prejudice" the landed gentry represented by Darcy  is contrasted with the newly rich trading class represented by Bingley.

'Romantic love' is the central theme which unites all the incidents and the characters in "Pride and Prejudice." But there is nothing 'romantic' about Jane Austen's treatment of 'romantic love' in the novel. 'Romantic love' is checked and controlled by the incomes and financial freedom of the partners involved. In this manner Jane Austen is able to blend 'romance' and 'realism.' For example, Lydia and Wickham who elope 'romantically' have to be rescued by the generosity of Darcy before they are married.

The restraining power of money on 'romantic love' is spelt out in the thematic statement found in Ch.27, "Where does discretion end, and avarice begin?", when Elizabeth replies to her anunt's query concerning Miss King the latest lover of Wickham. Her aunt is relieved to know that Elizabeth is not in love with Wickham who has virtually no income at all and is only employed temporarily in the Militia.

Another important consideration in love and marriage was the social class to which the characters belonged:

At that time, ownership of land and not money was the single most important criterion which determined the social status of an individual. Lady Catherine tries unsuccessfully to dissuade Elizabeth from marrying Darcy,because she is poorer than him but Elizabeth angrily retorts: "In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter: so far we are equal."(Ch.56).

Why would El Cid have been considered a good vassal?

El Cid was a good vassal because he was a successful military commander and that is in essence what feudalism was, a system of military organization.  However, there are other characteristics which make El Cid a good vassal.  He is loyal to his Lord and he is courageous.  Furthermore, he is a devout and loyal Christian, which is all important to the nature of the chivalric code idealized by medieval society.  Furthermore, El Cid is generous both to his followers and to his Lord to whom he sends expensive gifts hoping to gain favor.  All of these characteristics make El Cid a good vassal by the standards of the medieval society in which he lived.

What is the significance of disguise and false communication in Twelfth Night?

As a Shakespearean comedy, the main significance and purpose of disguise and false communication in Twelfth Night is to create irony, especially dramatic and situational irony. For example, Duke Orsino hires Cesario (Viola disguised as a man) to woo Olivia for him, and Cesario ends up falling in love with the Duke who, unknowingly, gives this smitten woman personal information one would only give a close friend and confidante, further "lighting her fire". As far as false communication, Malvolio is led to believe through a cryptic letter that Olivia is in love with him. This miscommunication creates irony because Malovolio is so self-centered and vain that he automatically assumes that someone of Olivia's social standing and beauty would be in love with him when she actually has no interest in him whatsoever. In addition, a combination of disguise and false communication help to develop indirect characterization and show us that love may be foolish and transitory and may cause one to be easily misguided.

Compare and contrast the structure and poetic elements of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Sonnet 43" and Gerard Manley Hopkins' "God's Grandeur."

Both poems--“Sonnet 43” and “God’s Grandeur” are love poems. “Sonnet 43” is a love poem toward the narrator’s lover, and “God’s Grandeur,” written when Hopkins was a priest, is a poem showing the narrator’s love for God and his creations. Both poems have standard sonnet rhyme schemes of: abba/cdcdcd

In addition, the authors of both have used repetition for effect. Browning to show the narrators devotion and Hopkins to help illustrate the casual disregard the common man has for God’s creation. Alliteration and internal rhyme have been used to heighten the sound effect of the poems as they are read.

“Sonnet 43” is an optimistic and simple homage to a lover, but it is deep in its intensity. "God's Grandeur" is a little bleaker as it addresses the way in which man is destroying the world because he does not appreciate the grandeur that surrounds him. However, the final part of the sonnet is more optimistic as Hopkins’s believes the magnificence and power of God will overcome.

Prove Winston's fatalism leading to his downfall

Winston engages in unauthorized activities, all the while knowing  that he will most likely be caught. He keeps a diary in order to record events as he experiences them, even though he is very likely to get caught by the Thought Police. Similarly, he rents the room above a junk shop to use as a love nest with Julia despite the obvious risks. Finally, Winston trusts O’Brien, not suspecting that he is a loyal member of the Inner Party who is trying to entrap him.  Winston's attitude of "whatever happens, happens" is evident in the chances he takes.

Describe computer history history in detail.nothing else.

A discussion of history of computer becomes somewhat open to conflicting views because of a lack of common definition of what constitutes a computer. Computers ave gradually evolved out of very simple aids to computing like counting on fingers and abacus to increasingly sophisticated computing devices like mechanical adding machines, electrical calculators, unit record data processing machines and then programmable computers. There is no clear cut dividing line between what is simply a calculating device and what is a computer.

However some people define a computer as a computing or data processing device  that contains memory which stores data to be used for computing as well as instructions on the processing operations to be performed. This enables the device to perform multiple data processing operation without external inputs. Accepting this definition of computers, the first real computer can be considered to be the Mark I computer built in 1944. It was designed and built by IBM, in collaboration with Howard Atkins for the army of U.S.A. This was a completely mechanical equipment which used punched paper tape for feeding data to the computer.

The next important step in the history of development of computer was Eniac, is an acronym for the name Electronic numerical integrator and calculator. It is the first electronic computer built between 1943 and 1945 by John Mauchly and J.Presper Eckert, again for the U.S.A. Army.

Eniac became very successfulul, which prompted other people to build computers with similar sounding names like Illiac, Jhnniac and Maniac.

The first commercially produced computer was Univac released in 1950. It was manufactured by a company started by Mauchly and Eckert. This computer used magnetic tapes for data input and output. Perhaps this computer can be said to have all the basic defining features of a computer in a well developed form. Thus all subsequent developments in computer can be said to be in the form of improving performance in terms like size of memory and computing capabilities, speed, size, and reliability. These development s have also concentrated on reducing the cost of computers. This reduction in cost is also attributable in part to explosive increase in popularity and demand for computers, leading to economy  of scale.

Napoleon is very interested in the education of the young.Why do you think he took the 9 puppies to educate on his own?

Napoleon is interested in educating the young because the young have no recollection of the past. The young are easy to train with the ideals that Napoleon wishes, even if they are not the ideals that the animals discussed when forming Animal Farm. He sequesters the puppies so that they cannot have any outside influences from any other farm members, therefore the puppies loyalty rests solely with Napoleon- they have known him like a puppy knows his mother. This is Napoleon's powerful tool to subdue any insubordinate members on the farm, the puppies, who grow up, become ferocious dogs who do Napoleon's bidding. 

In Act IV, what is Hamlet's dilemma: "What is a man, If his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed?"

Hamlet is saying that man must have a purpose beyond mere existence. He speaks on a literal and metaphorical level. There must be more to living than sleeping (which metaphorically he has been doing through his inaction and his failure to avenge his father's murder), or feeding (which is what Claudius has metaphorically done by satisfying his desire for the throne and the queen.)

Hamlet realizes now that he MUST act. Only a beast without the ability to reason would not be moved to action by the events surrounding his father's murder.

Just as the Polish and the Norse armies are willing to die over "an eggshell," he must be willing to risk his life to follow his destiny because he was meant for more than sleep, and HONOR is at stake.

What made Jess angry when his sister called Leslie a stick in Bridge to Terabithia?

The first thing that made Jess so angry was the sheer meanness of his sister's comment. Brenda, "screw(ing) her face up in that ugly way she had," had asked Jess what he was giving his "girl friend." Ellie had interjected that Jess had no "girl friend," and Brenda had agreed with Ellie, commenting lewdly that "nobody with any sense would call that stick a girl." Brenda had "pushed her face right into (Jess's) and grinned the word 'girl' through her big painted lips." The suggestiveness with which Brenda speaks about Leslie contrasts so much with Leslie's innocent genuineness that her insinuations are almost obscene. Fury rises up within Jess, and "if he hadn't jumped out of the chair and walked away, he would have smacked her."

After he has cooled down a little, Jess tries to figure out what had really made him so angry at Brenda's comments. He is used to his sisters' mean pettiness and can usually just ignore them, but this time, he had barely been able to contain himself. After some reflection, Jess realizes that, in addition to the incredible ugliness of Brenda's insinuations, he is angry because her original question about what he is going to get Leslie for Christmas is one that is really bothering him. Even though he knows that Leslie will not expect anything, he wants desperately to get her something meaningful, something that will express how much she means to him in his life. He has been "paralyzed in his efforts to make anything for Leslie," and has no money with which to buy her a gift. Though he knows that Leslie would not laugh at him no matter what he gave her, "for his own sake he had to give her something that he could be proud of" (Chapter 6).

What is Lee's purpose for introducing Miss Dubose?

There are several reasons.  Miss Dubose serves to illustrate the public reaction (already foreshadowed by Francis's talk over Christmas of Atticus being a disgrace to the family because of his part in defending Tom Robinson) to Atticus's involvement in the trial.  Scout did her best to remain calm, but this illustrates Jem's breaking point.

Another reason for introducing Miss Dubose is to illustrate Atticus's constant theme of crawling into someone's skin to see what the world looks like through their eyes.  After Atticus informs Jem that his reading was just to ease her withdrawals from morphine addiction (and remember Atticus would have had Jem read to her anyway, regardless of what he did to her flowers), Jem is able to see another side of the seemingly terrible and monstrous old lady. 

Her posthumous gift to Jem reveals a much different side to  Miss Dubose than Jem ever would have realized.  This is key for the children because as Atticus told Jack over Christmas, he doesn't want the children to become bitter over the trial.  One key to not being bitter is to realize that people are not always what they seem.  Miss Dubose wasn't just a mean spirited old lady.  Once one looked at things from her vantage point, one realizes that she is quite different.  Atticus even reveals that she was the bravest person her ever knew.

Discuss the gang's motivation, taking into account the age/ beauty of the house, the gang's loss of concern over leadership, the burning of the...

In answering this question, I will take into account each of your categories separately:

1:  Age/Beauty of the house

The boys are living in a war zone in which bombing raids have and still are terrifying London.  We are told that Trevor's home and some of the other boys' homes as well have been leveled by the bombs, making their lives chaotic and uncertain.  Because Old Misery's house still stands despite its age, the boys, especially Trevor, become jealous at the injustice of its survival.  Trevor, whose father was an architect, mentions “ 'It’s a beautiful house,' and still watching the ground, meeting no one’s eyes, he licked his lips first one way, then the other." He reacts to its beauty which spurs his need to destroy it.

2: Gang's Concern over Loss of Leadership

Young people are fickle.  While Blackie had been the longstanding leader of the gang, Trevor, an older boy, seems more appealing to the rest.  He had a more interesting agenda and an intricate plan.  While Blackie was temporarily hurt by his pals' lack of loyalty, the idea of being left out overcame him, and he rejoined the group.  His desire to be a part of something was more important than being in charge of it.

3:  Burning of Banknotes

The burning of Old Misery's life savings is a key indicator that the demolition was about placing a type of rationality and logic in a highly irrational and illogical environment.  The plan is to systematically destroy the house from the inside out "...like worms...in an apple...." Trevor makes it clear to Blackie that stealing the money would mean they hated Old Misery, and this job had nothing to do with emotion, just destruction.

4: Consideration for Old Misery

In keeping with Trevor's idea of keeping emotion out of it, the boys must also treat him as nicely as possible when he returns home early.  They do lure him to the loo, but once he is secured inside, they treat him kindly.  They bring him blankets and food.  Again, the destruction is as unemotional as bombs are; they do not overtly wish Old Misery harm.

What is the purpose of Dr. Rank in this play?

Dr. Rank's purpose is to show the contrast to Torvald's treatment of Nora. Both men love Nora, although Dr. Rank does not try to make this public. Nora has great affection for Dr. Rank, but does not feel the same way that he does. The difference is that Dr. Rank illustrates all the characteristics that a loving partner should exhibit.

Dr. Rank listens when Nora talks, as Torvald does not. He also treats her with respect and dignity, which is a sharp contrast to the chiding and condescending attitude that Torvald frequently uses when speaking with his wife. Dr. Rank does not act as if women are inferior, as Torvald is guilty of doing.

The truly pitiful aspect, however, is that Dr. Rank will never be able to engage in an equal and loving relationship because he is dying, and he never had any chance of a relationship with Nora.

What is the main conflict in The Magician's Nephew, and an explanation of it? Man vs ?

I would say Man vs. himself.  Digory is definitely attempting to find himself and his place in the world or in Lewis' created worlds.  This adventure is a series of events which allow Digory to rise and fall within the every day human life of decision-making.  He makes poor choices and is allowed to be redeemed and forgiven.  Digory brings evil into Aslan's beautiful new world, but he is given a chance to redeem himself.  He proves that he is worthy as he brings peace and freedom from evil to Narnia. This is Lewis' way of representing God's mercy and generosity, because in each case Aslan (the Christ figure in this book as well as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) provides a way for people who have taken the path to evil to be forgiven and to be redeemed.  In this way, they are granted the guarantee of life beyond death.

A summary of Kenneth Waltz's “The Anarchic Structure of World Politics.”

Since we are limited to short answers here, I will give you a brief summary of Waltz's main point only...

The title of this book says it all, really.  Waltz is a realist.  This means that he believes that the major fact of international relations is the fact that the international order is anarchic.  What this means to him is that the world has no ruler that can force countries to do anything the way a country's government can force its citizens to do things.

Because of this, countries are most concerned with keeping themselves secure.  They will always act in ways that are meant to increase their own security (as opposed to acting in ways that are based on morality or political ideology).

In Act IV , scene iii what does Malcolm do to test Macduff to ensure Macduff's loyalty for him?Thank you!

Malcolm 'tests the waters' in order to ensure Macduff's unrestrained commitment and loyalty to saving the country from the clutches of a tyrant. For this, he makes no effort to hide his suspicions about him. He tells him, firs and foremost, that he cannot trust him at the onset as he had had several experiences with people who tried to lure him into Macbeth's traps by appearing to be loyal. He also asks him where his commitment to his family and loved ones was, as he was aware of the fact that Macduff had left his family and come to meet him in England. He then portrays himself as a man, who was so much in need of being sexually aroused that he could never be satisfied even with all the maids, wives, daughtes and old men that Scotland had to offer. He also tells him about his hunger for greed and power. He nforms him that he would create false problems bwteen his good and honest nobles, so as to take jewels from one and houses form another. All the trememdous riches of the country would not be able to satisfy him. He then talks about how he lacks all the qualities and virtues that are a prerequisite for a good king ie nobility, honesty, generosity, kindness, humbleness, tolerance, boldness and wisdom.

He does this in order to evaluate Macudff on the basis of his answer. Macduff, immediately withdraws and yells 'Scotland!' and feels pity for its ill-fate, as it was being ruled by a merciless tyrant and its rightful heir was a man who did not deserve to live.

In A Christmas Carol, what was the purpose of the first spirit's appearance?

I’m unsure whether you are referring to Marley's ghost or the Ghost of Christmas Past so I’ll give you an answer for both.  Marley’s ghost appears to Scrooge to warn Scrooge that he has been sentenced to walk among the people he avoided in life and to carry the chain that he “forged in life." He warns Scrooge to change the cruelness of his ways, and he warns him that  three spirits will visit him over the next three nights.

The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge on a walk through Christmases past from the time he was a lonely boy to his time as an apprentice with Fezziwig, a kind man, and finally to the time when he loses his love because of his love of power and money.  Scrooge begins to realize that this was the point that he began to turn into a bitter man. 

Act 2 scene 3 What scheme has Romeo devised?

I do not think that you have this question quite right.  Can you check and be sure that this is really the scene you want to ask about?

In this scene, Romeo talks to Friar Laurence for just a very short time.  He does not really come up with any kind of a plan.  The only thing he says that even resembles a plan is that he would like Friar Laurence to marry him and Juliet.  It's a request, but it's not much of a plan.

Are you maybe thinking of where he plans to get a rope ladder to Juliet so he will have a way to climb up to her room?

Or maybe you are thinking of the time in Act II, Scene 2, where Romeo says that Juliet should send the nurse to find him so he can tell her what the plans are for him and Juliet to get married -- this is why he's talking to the Friar in Act II, Scene 3.

How does Winston's character development demonstrate the idea of individualism?

George Orwell's 1984 depicts a dystopian future society ruled by a totalitarian one-party state. Everything about Winston's daily life -- from his job, to the food he eats, even to what he watches on TV -- is tightly controlled and monitored by the state. Despite this invasive tyranny, Winston manages to think, to doubt, and finally, to risk autonomy.

Winston's character development demonstrates individualism because the character becomes progressively more autonomous and less restrained by the authoritarian system designed to govern his every action and thought. Moreover, his character demonstrates the inherent risk of individualism. The possibility of capture and torture are never far behind Winston; this danger is what makes his actions so meaningful and significant.  Indeed, the latter half of the novel consists mainly of Winston fleeing the authorities who would have him detained and "re-educated."

Winston's character depicts individualism as a radical political act, the necessary antidote to totalitarian rule. Thus, the character helps us to understand what's at stake when we are confronted with a choice between individualism and agency on the one hand, and blind or fear-based obedience to authority on the other.

Discuss the appropriateness of the title of Sheridan's 'The School for Scandal'.

It's very obvious that Sheridan wishes to highlight the importance of the theme of his play through the title he has chosen :"The School for Scandal."

The central theme of Sheridan's "School for Scandal" is the vice of scandal mongering and its ill effects and the futility of trying to rid society of this vice.

David Garrick (1717 -1779) the author of the "Prologue" to the play introduces the theme in the very first line of the "Prologue" itself:

A School for Scandal! tell me, I beseech you,
Needs there a school this modish art to teach you?

He straightaway asks his audience very sarcastically whether it is necessary to establish a "school" to teach them the fashionable "art" of speaking ill of others, thus highlighting the ubiquitousness of this social vice.

Garrick concludes by remarking on the futility of Sheridan's attempt at getting rid of this hydra headed monster:

Is our young bard so young, to think that he
Can stop the full spring-tide of calumny?
Knows he the world so little, and its trade?
Alas! the devil’s sooner raised than laid.
So strong, so swift, the monster there’s no gagging:
Cut Scandal’s head off, still the tongue is wagging.

In Act I Sc1 and a little later in Act II Sc 2 Sheridan demonstrates the impracticality of preventing people from gossiping and spreading rumors about others. Maria and Sir Peter Teazle who oppose this vice are completely overwhelmed by the others:

Mrs. Can. True, true, child: but there’s no stopping people’s tongues. I own I was hurt to hear it, as I indeed was to learn, from the same quarter, that your guardian, Sir Peter, and Lady Teazle have not agreed lately as well as could be wished.

Mar. ’Tis strangely impertinent for people to busy themselves so.

Mrs. Can. Very true, child; but what’s to be done? People will talk—there’s no preventing it. Why, it was but yesterday I was told that Miss Gadabout had eloped with Sir Filagree Flirt. But, Lord! there’s no minding what one hears; though, to be sure, I had this from very good authority.

Mar. Such reports are highly scandalous.

Mrs. Can. So they are, child—shameful, shameful! But the world is so censorious, no character escapes. [Act I sc 1].

Lady Teaz. But Sir Peter is such an enemy to scandal, I believe he would have it put down by parliament.

Sir Pet. ’Fore heaven, madam, if they were to consider the sporting with reputation of as much importance as poaching on manors, and pass an act for the preservation of fame, as well as game, I believe many would thank them for the bill.

Lady Sneer. O Lud! Sir Peter; would you deprive us of our privileges?

Sir Pet. Ay, madam; and then no person should be permitted to kill characters and run down reputations, but qualified old maids and disappointed widows.

Lady Sneer. Go, you monster! [Act II Sc.2].

What is the symbolic meaning of "the colosseum" in the short story "Roman Fever"?

As in many of her stories, here Wharton uses space, interior and exterior, to communicate both theme and something important about her characters. The coliseum is an artifact of an earlier day, both in the larger historical and ideological sense—a time when men fought and ruled each other brutally—but also a time that the two women spent together in Rome, “when their friendship and rivalry both began.” Here, now, in visiting Rome again, they can talk to each other, unlike when, at home in America, their privileged lives across the street from each other prevented such communication. This space proves both confining in its domesticity and divisive by class that regulates behavior in such a way that real communication is not possible. It is only in Romethat Mrs. Slade feels able to reveal the truth to Mrs. Ansley. This truth is that she sent Mrs. Slade a letter that tricked her into meeting Mrs. Ansley’s fiancé at the time, hoping she would catch the “Roman fever” and die.  Just as the men competed for their lives in the coliseum years ago, so these two women competed against each other for men in the same location. Wharton weaves together themes of rivalry and friendship through this symbol.

Examine Blake's twin poems "The Tyger" and "The Lamb" as "two aspects of God and two states of man."

Concerning these two companion poems by Blake, the idea of experience in Blake's "The Tyger" can be thought of in contrast to the innocence of "The Lamb." 

The narrator of "The Lamb" is a child who sees only the purity and innocence of the lamb, and by extension, nature.  The narrator of "The Tyger" knows better.  There is another side to nature (and this narrator is aware of it), just as there are two sides of the human:  the innocent and the experienced.

Since the same being makes both, that means there are both innocence and experience--both lamb and tiger--within the creator as well.  All creatures contain elements of both lamb and tiger, as does the creator.

Also, as is usual in Blake's collections Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, to which both of these poems belong, Blake is dealing with different perceptions of the same thing.  In the case of these poems, he presents two different perspectives of nature, which by extension may suggest different perceptions of humans and the creator.

For specifics, look at the images created in "The Tyger."  The tiger's symmetry is "fearful"; "dread hand" and foot; "deadly terrors."  And notice stanza five:  the stars cast down are an allusion to Satan being cast out of heaven, and the speaker asks if the creator that fought and won the battle for heaven, then looked at what he had created in the tiger, and smiled. 

The creator of the tiger is no innocent.  But the same creator made man, so both the creator and man have two sides as well. 

Compare and contrast the reasons for which each husband, Modou and Mawdo, took a second wife in So Long a Letter.

Mawdo was pressured by tradition and his mother to take a second wife. He still loved his first wife, but his mother had never accepted Aissatou and insisted her son marry someone of noble blood. His mother shames him by saying she'll never get over it if he doesn't take the wife his mother has groomed for him. Mawdo wants to continue his life with Aissatou and just visit his second wife when necessary, but Aissatou refuses to accept his polygamy.

Modou fell in love with his daughter's friend, Binetou, and sneaked about planning his marriage to her. Binetou is basically sold by her family to be Modou's second wife. Modou doesn't even have the decency to tell his wife that he's married Binetou. Instead, he sends his brother and his best friend to do his dirty work after he has already married Binetou. Modou will no longer provide for his first wife and their twelve children or to honor his vows to her.

Both men take a second wife, but one does so because of tradition and an overbearing mother. Modou does so because as a man in his society, he can do as he pleases with the women in his life.  The two men reflect very differing attitudes toward a long-standing tradition.

In Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, why did Jerry decide to end his life in such a strange way?

I just saw "Peter and Jerry," last night (having seen the original "Zoo Story" when it was first produced in New York City) many years ago.

IMO . . . by rushing into the knife held by Peter, Jerry achieved the almost-orgiastic level of intimacy he craved.  He connected, finally, although in the most bizarre, savage way.  Taking pills or hanging would have been like a tree falling in the forest.

What are the contrasts and comparisons between 1984 and the movie, Enemy of The State?I need to write an essay comparing and contrasting...

1984 and Enemy of the State do have some lines of comparison.  In Orwell's novel, the citizens of Oceania are under constant surveillance and all their actions are dictated by Big Brother's regime.  The level of watchful control is so high that often Winston believes that people are able to see even his thoughts.  In the film Enemy of the State, the government has proposed a bill that will allow for an expansion of surveillance services over citizens to combat the growing terror threats.  Some, however, believe that this will be an invasion of privacy--not surprisingly, these opponents are killed to allow the bill to pass.  This is one line of similarity between the novel and the film:  the governing powers in both believe that citizens should be monitored to ensure their compliance with the regime.

The two differ, however, in the responses to these power structures.  In the film, Robert Dean unknowingly becomes involved and his major goal is to get himself out of the loop.  In the novel, Winston has been under the government's control for some time and his job is to help dismantle the elements of the past that might contradict the current system.  His resistance begins as a private venture through his journal, not as an attempt to escape harm like Robert Dean.

What purpose did Huck faking his own death serve in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

As stated in other answers, Huck fakes his death in order to escape his abusive father and also to escape the whole society of St Petersburg which he finds oppressive: indeed, repressive. From the start of the book, we see him trying to adjust to the civilised ways of the Widow Douglas, who has undertaken to adopt him. However, he is nonplussed by social conventions, at having to wear good clothes, talk politely, refrain from smoking, eat and drink genteelly, and so on. Things are made even worse when Miss Watson comes to live with them; she is even more strict than the Widow Douglas. Huck's sufferings are presented comically but underneath it all he feels almost literally suffocated, and at first, when his drunken father returns for him and takes him away, he is just glad to be free from the stifling life at the Widow Douglas's. It is quite conceivable that he would have gone on living with his father as before, on the periphery of society, but when his father starts physically abusing him, it gets too much for him: 'But by and by pap got too handy with his hickory, and I couldn't stand it. I was all over welts.'

It is this maltreatment by his father, his only living relative, that makes Huck finally determine to vanish from society, to get away from people altogether, by escaping to the uninhabited Jackson's island. When he has effected this escape, people assumed he has drowned. In this way, he becomes symbolically dead to the people of St Petersburg. It is only when he is 'dead' to conventional society that he can meet up with the fugitive slave Jim, and embark on a momentous journey down the Mississippi. Freed from the dull respectability of St Petersburg, Huck goes on to have all manner of adventures with a companion who is also outwith the pale of society. 

Huck's faked death, then, has the ultimate purpose of freeing him from the restrictions of conventional society to have adventures and new, eye-opening, (if often grim) experiences during his journey down river with Jim. 

What is the queer reading of Othello and how does it effect/portray the play?I've thought so far it means Iago is secretly in love with Othello...

Many people have questioned Iago's sexuality. More than any other character's, his comments are charged with homeoerotic suggestiveness. He has little affection for women (even for Emelia, his wife) and what affection he is capable of seems to be directed more towards men. He says things like, "I think you know I love you" when speaking to men. Is he "in love" with Othello? Hard to say. All he ever admits to is hatred (a strong emotion that sometimes follows thwarted love), but he says his hatred is because of the rumour that Othello has slept with Emelia.

It is possible that he hates Othello for loving Cassio more than him. He certainly speaks of that when he complains about Cassio's promotion, and there's also that troublesome reference to the "daily beauty" Cassio has in his life that makes Iago "ugly" in comparison.

As for how Iago's possible homosexuality affects the play, it's hard to say. Sometimes men had relations with men while retaining their relationships with women. Iago, being married, might have been such a man. Was Othello? Did Othello ever reciprocate the love? Did he transfer his affections to Cassio? (Cassio is careful not to let Othello see that he is "womaned"--although the standard reading of this is that it would make him look a less fit soldier). The play isn't often considered a love triangle, but...

What are required characteristics of the Brahmin caste?

The first required characteristic of the Brahmin caste is that there be inherited, genetic blood-relation, as Brahminism is a subset of a tribal (hereditary) lineage. Brahmins originated in the northern regions of the lands now know as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, an area which is described in the Vedas as having a powerful river called Sarasvati in the Indus Valley and that dried up around 1900 before the common era (BCE).

The second requirement is that Brahmin practice Brahminism, one of the hundreds of forms of Hindu religion. Therefore, Brahmins have a distinct and specialized culture with distinct and specialized religious practices, traditions, principles and other practices. Brahminism is also called Sanatana Dharma or Vedic religion. The Vedas is central to Brahminism, as it is to most other forms of Hinduism; it is the most ancient text and respected as human heritage. The Vedas has been protected by UNESCO as part of the world heritage.

The third requirement is religious belief. To Brahmin, both orthodox and heterodox, the Vedas are divine, inspired texts that are apaurusheyam, meaning "not man made." They are therefore revealed truths, not learned truths, and have eternal validity and relevance to humankind. This quality defines the Vedas as Srutis, meaning "that which have been heard."

The fourth requirement is religious practice. Brahmins' daily religious practices include sandhyavandana, which are prayers to the Sun God and Gayatri; prayer to the personal god ishtadaiva or ilavelpu; the practice of yoga; the rejection of violence; the dietary practice of vegetarianism. Added to these and other daily rituals, in a Brahmin life composed of ritual, are special occasion rituals, such as a special marriage ritual and a baby's first feeding ritual, along with many others.

What were Shakespeare's views on parenting?Want to understand what he felt about the way parents were, or what he felt they should do, or what they...

This is hard to really say, because it is not always apparent as to which things the characters do are things that Shakespeare himself agrees with and which things are not.

I want to focus here on the Capulets -- Juliet's parents.  Early in the play, when things are still good and everyone seems pretty happy, the Capulets are not too demanding.  They are willing to let their daughter postpone marriage if she wants and are, in general, seemingly interested in what she thinks.

Later in the play they are really quite abusive when she does not want to marry Paris right away.  Lord Capulet, especially, is very violent in his language.

So which did Shakespeare approve of?  I think he approved of the earlier attitude, putting it, as he did, farther from the tragic ending.

I suppose you can see a similar thing going on when he does not let Egeus get his way in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  So perhaps you can argue based on these two plays that Shakespeare thought parents should take their children's wishes into account.

Why did Banquo visit Macbeth's coronation as a ghost in Macbeth?This is for homework and I have to pretend I'm Banquo and say 3 reasons why I...

1) I am here to crash your fancy dinner party my honored Lord. You wanted me dead, but I showed up anyway. Sorry about all the blood dripping from my head; I didn't have time to clean up.

2) I am here to remind you of how jealous of me you are. Oh, how you couldn't stand it that my child and my child's child and so on and so on all would be kings and that you have no children. Oh, how sad for you.

3) And I am here to remind you of how afraid you are. You were afraid of me and anyone else who is suspicious of how easily you became king. I am here to remind you that you will never kill all of us.

4) And one more thing... I am here to embarrass you and your lovely wife, the Queen of Scotland, and to taste her poisonous cooking. What's for dessert?

What are some common themes of "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty and "The Destructors" by Graham Greene? Both are fictional short stories about...

You have asked a really interesting question, as to me, both stories are very similar in some ways. Clearly one major way to compare them is to focus on setting. "The Destructors" is set in a post-blitz London - a wasteland of ruined, destroyed buildings, and "The Sniper" is set during the bitter civil war of Dublin in the 1920s. Both sets of characters have lived, breathed and known little else except for violence for a large part of their lives, and thus it has formed who they are. Thus we are presented with characters who, in many ways, are able to commit terrible crimes from our perspective, with great ease.

This seems to suggest that war has a tremendously negative impact on our morals and values - in both of these short stories we are presented with warped individuals, like T. and like the sniper, who, as part of their everyday lives, commit atrocious acts, such as the killing of the informer and his own brother, and in the case of T., destroying a man's house for no real reason at all except as a symbol of how he rejects the values of society. It shows us how dysfunctional war can make us and how it divides us from our own moral basis and core values. Above all, it shows us how our own bodies and minds and souls become a war ravaged wasteland. I guess one of the key differences between the two stories is that the sniper realises this and grieves, whereas T. is way beyond any sense of grief for his detached state.

What are the three main reasons why Brutus is the tragic hero in Julius caesar ?also can you explain them

In your question about Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, I assume you're asking what evidence exists in the play that shows Brutus is the tragic figure.  I'll tell you about the evidence, and let you break it up into three reasons if that's what you need.

Brutus makes the major decisions in the play that lead to:  Caesar's assassination (he joins the conspirators); the mob rebelling against the conspirators and the civil war (he allows Antony to speak at the funeral); and his side losing the final battle (he moves his army from a sound defensive position to a weak offensive position).  In other words, Brutus's poor decision-making drives the plot, conflict, and tragic conclusion.  He is the protagonist.  He also pays for his mistakes with his life, as do the other conspirators.  That makes him the tragic figure.

Furthermore, Caesar not only dies in Act 3, but Caesar doesn't make decisions that lead to a tragic cleansing and conclusion.  He rejects the crown, remember.

In "Lamb to the Slaughter," why is the lamb a symbol of revenge?

The leg of lamb is a symbol of revenge in Dahl's short story, "Lamb to the Slaughter".

The weapon used to commit murder is the frozen leg of lamb which the police officers later consume.  The husband has obviously decided that he is not content with his marriage and feels it is time to move on.  The wife seeks revenge upon her husband as she is seemingly committed to him and their union.   

How do the subplots in Hamlet support the main plot?how it supports to main plot

I'm not sure what you want to know about subplots in Hamlet, but I'll try.  There are three families in Hamlet.  The first, of course, is Hamlet, Claudius, and Gertrude.  The second is Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia.  The third is Fortinbras and Old Fortinbras.  Each of these families has avenging sons interested in restoring family honor.  How each son goes about seeking revenge helps to understand Shakespeare's ideas about the effects of revenge on the avenger.  We see Fortinbras who is interested in restoring the lands that his father lost to Denmark.  He is blustery and rash and easily prevented by a collusion between Claudius and his uncle.  We see Laertes, hot-headed, and vengeful, eager to kill the murderer of his father.  He too is easily manipulated as Claudius talks him into murdering Hamlet in a dishonorable way.  Then of course we see Hamlet, whose mission is to kill the murderer of his father:  Claudius.  Hamlet, unlike the other two, is cautious in his proceedings and probably more effective.  Each son is successful in a way.  Laertes kills Hamlet, the killer of his father.  Fortinbras takes over Denmark, and Hamlet kills Claudius.  But each also loses.  Laertes loses his honor and his life.  Fortinbras gains lands that are crippled by corruption; and Hamlet loses his life. Through these contrasts we see how difficult Hamlet's task is to accomplish, and we see different ways of seeking revenge.

I have to write three paragraph personal response about one of the character from Othello.I choose Iago.I choose Iago and his first impression om...

I think that you have chosen a real interesting character.  Iago is one of the most complex of Shakespearean characters.  In terms of textual support, you might want to reference some of his internal thoughts and how he motivates Othello to do what he wants him to do.  On a more personal note, I think that Iago speaks to the idea of individuals who are duplicitous, speaking one way but with motivations that lie in another direction.  The personalized response nature of the task might allow you to be able to reflect on your own experience if you have witnessed anyone like this.  Finally, I think being able to discuss how individuals deal with frustration and resentment might be an interesting personalized response.  Iago is passed over for Cassio.  The traditional approach is to apply some type of cliche ("My time will come" or "I just have to work harder.")  Iago doesn't accept these at all and works towards an end of ensuring all suffer because of his perceived injustice.  Again, discussing your own perceptions of individuals who have been "passed over" or those who have felt slighted might be appropriate here.

What is a "Hell-fire and damnation" speech? Why does Adam feel his father is a good speaker as the reverend?

In the story, Adam says his dad's speech was as good as anything the preacher had ever done on "hell-fire and damnation."  This refers to the kind of church sermon where a preacher would try to motivate his congregation by threatening them that they were going to hell.  This sort of sermon was supposed to appeal to people's emotions to get them to act in a certain way.  Adam's dad's speech does that.

He feels his father is as good of a speaker because of the effect of the speech -- it gets the people all fired up and helps make them decide to fight the British.

In the novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond, while traveling to Connecticut what went wrong?

Actually, Kit grew to like Prudence on the voyage. She felt sorry for the little girl because her mother was so abusive. Her father did not stick up for his daughter against his wife. Prudence was not allowed to sit at the same table with the adults at the meals. She had to stand behind them and take whatever food they gave her. The child was described as pale, dirty, and scrawny. This liking Kit had for the child led to her jumping overboard to rescue the child's dropped doll her grandfather had made. Kit was unable to interact with the child during the voyage because Goodwife Cruff kept the girl away from Kit.

Kit longed to be on the open deck when the storm confined her below decks. Yes, the stench of the transported horses was horrible.

Kit was permitted much more freedom in Barbados, but she had to conform to the rules of the captain of the Dolphin and act like a proper lady. Her nice clothes alienated the poorer passengers, so other than an occasional chat with Nat or his mother (the captain's wife), she was lonely on the trip. Her manners and customs offended the Puritan women especially, so they began to gossip about her, laying the foundation for the witchcraft charges that would later be lodged against her.

"The Metamorphosis" is a story about "dehumanization." Can you explain how this is an issue? Is it still an issue? How? What forms does it...

Your question about Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is a broad question about an extremely ambiguous story. 

If you interpret the story as relating to dehumanization, though, you certainly could perceive Gregor as a victim of dehumanization.  He is turned into a bug, of course.  He is alienated from and mistreated by his family.  He is rejected by his employer.  He is isolated and made to stay in his room.  Dehumanization is prevalent.

The issue is relevant, because dehumanization occurs constantly:  when humans are reduced to facts and figures; when humans are made to give up individuality; when humans are categorized and labeled and stereotyped; when humans are raised or molded according to gender roles; when humans are made to fight wars.

Again, you can certainly make a case that Gregor is metaphorically dehumanized in Kafka's story, and dehumanization is certainly relevant today. 

What 5 biomes are in Sweden and how is each biome like?

One biome that is in Sweden is tundra, more specifically alpine tundra. Alpine tundra is characterized by being in a high elevation and covered with snow and very cold, although it is not as cold as places that have an arctic tundra. Vegetation and wildlife are present. Some of the animals that live here are mountain goats and sheep.

Another biome that is in Sweden is the forest. The forest biome consists of a lot of trees and vegetation. The forest also contains numerous species of wildlife. Boreal (taiga) is a coniferous biome that is in Sweden as well. Summers are warm and winters are long and very cold. There is a lot of wildlife present.

What insights do we gain into Meursault's character judging from his interactions with Salamano and Raymond?

Meursault is interested in knowing things from people's lives, but not able to summon the energy to react to it. He is merely an observer of their actions, as if he cannot be bothered with caring what happens around him. His encounter with Salamano and his dog is one example. Salamano is abusive to his old dag and  Meursault says nothing about this behavior. Salamano is enraged whenever the dog tries to pull ahead on his leash, and Salamano responds by cursing and beating the poor old dog. Meursault merely takes this behavior in and goes on about his day.

Meursault accepts an invitation to eat with Raymond, who he suspects is a pimp, simply because he cannot be bothered to turn him down. He listens to the man lament about his suspicion of cheating on the part of the girlfriend, and even tells him that he has already beaten her for it, but still wants to do more. Meursault says he doesn't know what to do, yet does not appear outraged or shocked by his rantings.

Meursault's lackadaisical attitude to his surroundings will eventually catch up with him.

In Act 4 scene 2 what is Lady Macduff's attitude at the moment about her husband?

When Ross tells her that she must "have patience" with her husband for not coming home immediately, she angrily responds that "he had none" / His flight was madness. When or actions do not,/Our fears do make us traitors." Even when Ross further advises that her husband might have "fled" out of "wisdom," she decries "Wisdom!  To leave his wife and babes, / His mansion and his titles, in a place / From whence himself does fly? He loves us not" (2-8). Her anger towards her husband, her insistence that he should first protect his family before he proceeds with affairs of state (dealing with the tyrant Macbeth) provides a contrast to Lady Macbeth and her reaction to her own husband. While Lady Macduff is angry because her husband does not put his family first, Lady Macbeth (in act 1) cajoles her husband to put his ambition above all other matters, including his conscience. When the murders come, Lady Macduff says, "Do I put up that womanly defense, / To say I have done no harm? 976-77), which is another implicit swipe at her husband for putting her in a position to defend herself (instead of him defending her), and is also once again a contrast to Lady Macbeth who refuses any sort of "womanly defense," being, within the terms of the  play, very "manly" in her violence.

Although Patria is not taken with Minerva and Mate, what heppens to her family in the book In the Time of the Butterflies?

Although Patria is not taken with Minerva and Mate to prison, her husband Pedrito and son Nelson are arrested and incarcerated. The SIM come to the Gonzalez home, and although Pedrito and Nelson flee, they are captured, the house burned down, and the land confiscated. Patria and her remaining children, Noris and Raul Ernesto, move in with her mother at the Mirabal home.

Patria is frantic with worry about her husband and sisters, but, most desperately, she longs to secure the release of her son. She turns to prayer, offering her own life to God in exchange for that of her son. After some time, she gets word of Pedrito. He has been offered his release "if he (will prove) his loyalty to El Jefe by divorcing his Mirabal wife, but he has refused.

Patria then bravely arranges to meet with Captain Victor Alicinio Pena to beg for the release of her son. She comes before him, telling him how she had read that El Jefe was excusing minors, and pointing out that Nelson has just turned eighteen while in prison. She prays that God will soften the heart of the Captain, but realizes that Pena's power is limited. Captain Pena does accede to her wishes, and calls his superiors; the interview ends on a semi-hopeful note, with Pena telling Patria that a solution "is in the works."

After a great deal more time has passed, Patria is summoned before El Jefe. A group of young prisoners is going to be released, and Nelson is to be among them. Noris insists on accompanying Patria to the press conference before which the release is taking place, and she catches the eye of the notoriously lecherous El Jefe. Fortunately, Patria has coached her daughter well and keeps her close by her side, and Patria, Noris, and Nelson are allowed to leave without further molestation.

Pedrito remains in prison until after Minerva and Mate are released, and the two, along with Patria, are killed. When he finally regains his freedom, he remarries and is given back his land, but he is forever restless and never resumes his former occupation of farming.

What is Margaret's character profile in the play Much Ado About Nothing?

I agree with bmadnick's answer, but would like to add my thoughts on the subject. When Margaret is discussing Hero's wedding attire, she says that Hero should wear a certain "rabato," or lace ruff, that would be better, more fashionable. Hero says no, that she will wear the one she originally chose. Margaret reminds her that her cousin, Beatrice, will also agree with Margaret on her choice, to which Hero responds that Margaret is a "fool" and so is Beatrice. This doesn't seem to upset Margaret, as she goes on to describe the gown the Duchess of Milan wore, which was apparently the height of fashion - but which, according to Margaret, simply does NOT compare to Hero's!

Margaret is very street-smart. I think she knows how to work people, is clearly up for some fun sport (both verbal and otherwise), and is far more worldly than either Hero or Beatrice (thus making her a foil for them, esp. Hero). I also believe her to be loyal to Hero.  She wasn't at the wedding for whatever reason (Shakespeare didn't put her in the wedding, so I think we need to assume she was hung over, running late, or something...maybe even miffed about the rabato!), so she couldn't declare Hero's innocence after Claudio's accusations.

Once the truth comes out, Leonato forgives her for her part in Hero's disgrace. Borachio even defends her against possible punishment. She is clearly a popular girl!

What mood is Icabod in when he leaves Katrina's house and give the evidence of that mood ?What does the author think happened to change his mood?

Icabod leaves the house ''with an air quite desolate and chopfallen.’’  Just prior to this, he has been talking to Katrina, whom he has approached with the plan of asking for her hand in marriage.  We can assume from this that Katrina has turned him down, which leaves him feeling so desolate, so dejected.

Explain the quote from Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia: "...we shall find that they are probably formed in mind as well as in body, on...

Jefferson is referring specifically to Native Americans in this quote. This statement is written, like Jefferson's description of the flora and fauna in Virginia, to refute the Comte de Buffon's contention that species degenerated in the New World. Jefferson is arguing that whatever "inferiorities" Europeans observed in Native Americans were a product of their environment, not inherent to them as people. Buffon, for example, had suggested that Native Americans were not as prolific as whites, an assumption rooted in Europeans' belief that North America was largely uninhabited wilderness before whites arrived. Jefferson claims that any lack of virility on the part of Native men (an flawed premise to begin with) was due to the difficulties of their lives, and would quickly become equal to whites if they practiced settled agriculture (which, of course, many of them did.) Jefferson goes on to extol their prowess in war, as well as in oratory:

Of their bravery and address in war we have multiplied proofs, because we have been the subjects on which they were exercised. Of their eminence in oratory we have fewer examples, because it is displayed chiefly in their own councils...I may challenge the whole orations of Demosthenes and Cicero, and of any more eminent orator, if Europe has furnished more eminent, to produce a single passage, superior to the speech of Logan, a Mingo chief, to Lord Dunmore, when governor of this state.

That these statements are made in the context of disproving Buffon's thesis is significant. They did not reflect any particular sympathy for the political plight of Indians. If Jefferson admired Native Americans, including some aspects of their culture, he also advocated their "extermination" in the sense that he wanted them to give up that culture, settle onto farms and to give up hunting lands so that white farmers might move west, creating the nation of smallholding farmers that he waxed poetic about elsewhere in Notes. These statements are also significant when juxtaposed with his views on African-Americans in the same work.

Why and how did the Mirabal sisters die?

Three of the Mirabal sisters, Minirva, Maria Teresa ("Mate"), and Patria are killed by forces loyal to Trujillo ("El Jefe").  The thugs run the sisters off the road and murder them individually.  The reason for their killings was their opposition to the regime and inciting others to try to overthrow the brutal dictator.

Only Dede, the fourth sister, remains to tell their story to the world.  Once reluctant to get involved, and for years feeling guilty about her sister's deaths, Dede eventually understands that her life still has purpose.  She is able to tell the story of her sisters' valiant efforts and prove to the world what an evil man Trujillo was to the people of the Dominican Republic. 

What is a good theme for The Hunger Games?

It is the survival of humanity and the survival of the humanity in humans. Often, when survivability kicks in, humanity is thrown out and there is rapid degradation in our actions from civilized to savages. Due to this, Katniss struggles with true love and on-screen love, struggles to come to terms to people whom she grows to know and associate with who sacrifice themselves for the ultimate usage of herself as the Mockingjay. Also it shows  the attempt to create a utopia ends up being a dystopia. It is not that obvious as to how the people of the Capitol got to their places and the society depicted in the books are originally formed, but from the last book, Katniss speculates if there were a group of "victors" long ago that sat at a round table to discuss the fate of the "evil" beings, the people of the districts at that time, which culminated in the creation of the Hunger Games. This could also be a central theme as to the series from the fact that the rebellion was lead by District 13's head, whose district was the one who "ceased to exist"when the districts were losing, and then suddenly at the top leading, but grabbing the power after the fighting, after the war efforts from all OTHER districts had been successful. In the climb for Utopia, there are people with the same goal for different motives, and this is what Katniss finally realizes at the very end of the series. This, I think would be the main, core, central theme of the book, that the attempt at Utopia always falls to dystopia.

Can anyone summarize chapter 16 of The Hunger Games?Any new characters, setting, important events, and important vocabulary.

In this chapter, Katniss and Rue spend the night sleeping in a tree before heading out with a plan to destroy all of the food supplies that the Careers are hording.  As they journey to where the food is, they talk, and get to know each other a little better, forging a friendship that will be very significant for both of them.  Katniss learns that Rue is the oldest of six children, and has fought to keep her siblings alive her entire life.  Also, she learns that Rue loves music, and that the mockingjays in her orchards help pass her songs and music on in the form of information.

They split up to enact their plan.  Katniss spies on the Careers that are guarding the food supplies, and Rue starts a fire to distract all of them.  They all leave, leaving the food exposed; Katniss waits a bit before going after it, and in the meantime, notices Foxface approaching the food.  Foxface is walking carefully, hopping around, and Katniss realizes that it is because the Careers have planted land mines all around the food.  Katniss decides, in order to set off the mines, to shoot an arrow at a bag of apples.  The apples scatter, igniting the mines.  The chapter ends right there.

In this chapter, the setting is in the actual Hunger Games arena, and we learn a lot more about the mine-planting boy from District 3, whose skills the Careers have recruited to protect their food.  Katniss and Rue strengthen their friendship, and work as a team to get at the Careers' food.  I hope that helped a bit; good luck!

How is Marlow's journey up the Congo symbolic?

Marlow journeys not only into the heart of Africa where he sees what isolation and moral corruption have done to Kurtz but he also gradually recognizes what he himself is capable of becoming--a man like Kurtz. The trip up the river becomes a journey into himself, an examination of what he believes and knows is right. 

Marlow naively begins his trip from Brussels, seeking only to pilot a steamboat, but upon his arrival in Africa, he is shocked by the condition of the Africans and by the chaos that greets him. Moving further inland, he discovers that the corruption only worsens when he meets characters like the Accountant and the Brickmaker, both of whom represent hollow characters (like ivory) more concerned about appearance than compassion or accomplishment. As Marlow waits to repair his foundered boat, he  stresses the value of work. Traveling from the Central Station to reach Kurtz, Marlow recounts his admiration for the cannibals' restraint, which sharply contrasts the pilgrims' greed and eagerness to shoot their guns.

 Marlow's journey causes him to examine what he believes, and he realizes that choices are often not easy to make when he must choose to lie to the Intended despite his hatred of lying. He learns that compromise is necessary, but he won't allow himself to step over the precipice into the pit of moral decay where he found Kurtz. Now Marlow knows all men are capable of evil.

Describe the relationship between the man and the boy in The Old Man and the Sea.

I believe that the simple sentence that describes the relationship between the old man and the boy is

"The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him".

Santiago had taken the boy, Manolin, under his wing when the boy was only five years old.  They had gone out in the boat, and Santiago remembers that the boy had very nearly been killed when he brought the fish in too green and "he nearly tore the boat to pieces".  The boy clearly remembers details of that incident, but does not seem to have been afraid; he recalls Santiago "throwing (him) into the bow where the wet coiled lines were" to keep him safely out of the way.  Santiago has always included Manolin in all aspects of his craft, and the boy appreciates that.  His own father prefers to do things on his own, and sometimes makes the boy feel "inferior".  Santiago makes the boy feel capable, and Manolin thinks the old man is "the best fisherman", far better than the "many good fishermen and some great ones" of which he knows.

Manolin is obedient to his father, but it is Santiago whom he loves.  His father has forbidden the boy to fish with Santiago because he thinks the old man is no longer an effective fisherman; Manolin "must obey" because "(he) is a boy", but still, he has faith in Santiago.  Despite not being allowed to fish with him anymore, Manolin looks after Santiago, making sure he has bait and food, and lovingly anticipating his needs.  Realizing that the village water supply is a good distance from the old man's home, he brings him water and washing supplies, and plans to "get him another shirt and a jacket for the winter and some sort of shoes and another blanket".

Santiago and Manolin enjoy each others' company, and share a mutual respect.  Their relationship is based on love, and they look out for each other like a father and a son, Santiago having taught the boy his trade when he was young, and Manolin looking after Santiago now that he is old.