List at least three logos appeals that Patrick Henry uses in his "Speech to the Virginia Convention" and explain what they mean.

Logos appeals are appeals to logic or reason. They include deductive or inductive reasoning, cause and effect relationships, facts, and statistics. Here are some of the logos appeals Patrick Henry used in his "Speech to the Virginia Convention":

"I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past." Here Henry uses inductive reasoning--using examples from past observation--to argue that Britain was not going to suddenly start treating the colonies better. What the colonies had observed in Britain was going to continue; the colonies' entreaties would continue to be ignored.

"Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation?" Here Henry uses cause and effect reasoning. If Britain was planning to reconcile with the colonies, ships containing soldiers would not be required. Only a plan for continued domination and suppression of the colonies would have prompted Britain to send more soldiers on more boats.

"What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted?" Henry uses some deductive reasoning here. He states that they have tried every possible peaceful solution. The reasoning goes like this: If we cannot reach a peaceful solution with Britain, we will have to have a non-peaceful solution. We have not been able to reach a peaceful solution; therefore, we must go to war. 

"Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us." Finally, Henry brings facts and statistics to support his argument. Although some have said the colonies were too weak to fight against Britain, he notes that they have a potential force of 3 million. He further suggests that other countries may come to the colonies' aid.

Although Henry's speech is notable for its great pathos (emotional) appeals, he also uses logos appeals very effectively. 

What is the point of Dante's journey through the after-life? What did it mean to be a Christian in Dante's time?

The point of Dante's journey through the after-life is to express his own living hell after his exile from Florence and, at the same time, enlighten and edify his readers concerning what it truly means to be an upright Christian. Quite frankly in Dante's time to be a Christian meant listening to the Pope unquestioningly. This infuriated Dante since he at a young age entered the political scene of Florence at a time when Florence was more important than Rome for the economical and political growth and stability of the Italian peninsula. Dante knew the true faces of these religious figures.

In fact Dante was seen as such a threat that he was very nearly excommunicated. The Church initiated an investigation against him in which he made his own defense beautifully in such terms that even the Church had to admit that he was undoubtedly Christian through and through. Still, the Church banished some of his works that touched on political subjects for fear of what they might stir, pretty much proving what Dante says about them in the Divine Comedy.

Likewise I love to rip on our political system and the blatant corruption of our government in my book _White Man's Inferno_. Because Dante proved a true poet has to tell it how it is with no candy coating!

What are some questions to ask about The Man Who Was Poe?I need this fast!

One thing that occurred to me as I was reading this was "Exactly how much of this story is true?" Others were: Was the information about Poe in this book historical, or was it fiction?  Did people really live like this? 

The mysterious man, Auguste Dupin, provides a lot of material for questions.  Why did he help Edmund, when he appears so delusional and disoriented?  Is he kind and sympathetic, or does he have a different motive?  Who is Auguste Dupin, and why doesn't he use his own name?

This books shows the darker side of human nature in some of its most confounding, frustrating, and difficult-to-understand lights.  Mr. Arnold, Edmund and Sis's stepfather (who they knew under the name Ratchett) is an example of the kind of person whose cruelty seems to know no bounds and have no reason behind it.  Arnold would marry a woman only for her money, abandon her children to die of starvation, and murder to cover up his misdeeds.  This kind of conscienceless evil is exceedingly difficult to understand, and raises many questions about whether or not humanity can be essentially good if such people exist.

Poe's shadowy character, which may or may not reflect the reality of his life (see the link below) also makes one wonder about the motives of human beings.  Edmund is simple to understand -- he wants his family back, and he wants to survive.  But Poe (Dupin) has no such clear motives.  Does he want to be a good person?  Does he live only for his drugs and alcohol?  Could such a man be really devoted to Mrs. Whitman, as he claims to be?  Is such a character necessary to create the kind of dark poetry and literature Poe produced?

Finally, ask yourself if this is a believable story -- either as history (that this sort of world existed once, with these sorts of people in it), or as emotionally true.  Do the characters do what you expect them to do?  When they surprise you, does their uncharacteristic action make sense to you later as you read on in the book? Have you ever known people to be like these characters, and, if not, why?  All of these can help you understand the book better, and help you make sense of some of the tragedy and cruelty in this novel.

In the book Angela's Ashes, why did Sister Rita forbid Frank to talk to Patricia?

The hospital has very strict rules, not all of which make a lot of sense. The Catholic Church is a primary influence in Ireland at this time, and part of the reason Sister Rita has forbidden Frank to talk to Patricia is because "there's to be no talking between two rooms especially when it's a boy and a girl." The thought behind this bann is that by forbidding boys and girls to fraternize, issues of sexual immorality might be avoided. The rule is rigidly enforced; it does not matter that the two individuals involved are just children, and that they are only talking to pass the time, sharing poetry.

Frankie has typhoid, and is in a room for typhoid patients, while Patricia has "diphtheria and something else," and is in a room for diphtheria patients. According to Seamus, a custodian who sympathizes with the two children's desire for communication,

"I'm not supposed to be bringing anything from a dipteria room to a typhoid room with all the germs flying around and hiding between the pages and if you ever catch dipteria on top of the typhoid they'll know and I'll lose my good job and be out on the street."

According to hospital rules, items cannot be exchanged between rooms housing patients with different diseases because of concerns that germs might be transmitted from one room to another. Neither, apparently, is talking between the rooms allowed. The nurse shouts at Frankie and Patricia, "no talking between rooms. Diptheria is never allowed to talk to typhoid and visa versa," while Sister Rita herself reinforces the decree, reminding the children of the "ban on all talk between typhoid and diphtheria" (Chapter 8).

What are two main conflicts in the story and are they solved?

One main conflict is between Granny and the white filmmakers, which represents the broader conflict of race. The filmmakers see Granny and her home and family as representative of rural, poor black families, and they are wanting to use them to make a broad political statement. They make condescending, stereotypical remarks to Granny, reflecting their prejudice toward blacks.

Another conflict represented by the conflict between Granny and the filmmakers is that of the poor against society. The filmmakers seem to be making a statement against giving food stamps to the poor. They reflect a society that doesn't understand the needs of the poor, and the filmmakers make assumptions about Granny and her family that reveal their uninformed attitudes.

How does Scout get Mr. Cunningham and the mob to leave?

When a group develops a "mob mentality", they become willing to do things they normally wouldn't do if they were in their right frames of mind. This is the mentality of the mob outside the jail. They have allowed their emotions to overtake their reason, and all they want is revenge against Tom Robinson, an innocent black man, whom they think has raped Mayella Ewell.

By talking to Mr. Cunningham, Scout reminds him that he is a father just as Atticus is. She calms Cunningham and the other men down by making them realize that all of them are residents of Maycomb. Scout's innocent remarks turnsthe mob back into a group of friends and neighbors who have always been treated kindly and respectfully by Atticus. As a mob, the men are nameless, but when Scout calls them by their names, the men become individuals.

Why is The Outsiders still read?

Everybody loves a good rumble!  The Outsiders features interesting characters:  beer-on-cereal-instead-of-milk kind of characters; as well as sympathetic characters:  kid-saves-kids-in-fire-and-dies kind of characters.  By the end of the novel readers even feel sorry for the real jerks in the novel, like Dallas. 

The novel also makes at least a slight attempt at presenting both sides of a difficult story.  The narrative doesn't spend much time on the Socs, but it does spend a little.

Finally, the novel is a simple and emotional read for younger readers.  It won't be read forever by older readers, but it will probably be around for a long time with middle schoolers.