What is the role of the tannery in the novel?

I would like to add that the tannery is representative of two themes central to the novel - change and colonialism.

The tannery completely changes the peasants' way of life.  Until its coming they had lived a quiet existence dependent on the land, but the tannery introduces all the complications of urban living, literally transforming an age-old culture.  The work in the tannery is done by the Indian people, but the bosses are white men, forming a colonial hierarchy.  As Ruku says, "...they may live in our midst but I can never accept them, for they lay their hands upon us and we are all turned from tilling to barter, and hoard our silver since we cannot spend it, and see our children go without the food that their children gorge..." (Chapter 4).

It is because the tannery buys the land Nathan and Ruku depend upon for their livelihood that the two are left homeless and forced to embark on their fateful journey to seek a home with their son Murugan.

What kid of tool does Brian us in the book "hatchet?"

The primary tool that Brian uses throughout the novel is the hatchet.  It sounds silly, but once the pilot teaches him how to fly the plane, he refers to the hatchet many times.  It is what helps him survive in the wilderness, protect him from intruding animals, and becomes invaluable.  In a larger sense, one of the things that Brian gains is that he uses as many elements as possible as tools for his survival.  For example, he uses the hollowed out cave as a shelter.  In finding sources of food, he uses his surroundings to help feed his initial hunger, and then develops a more intricate use of his surroundings to gain greater and more substantial food sources.  While the hatchet is the tool primarily used, Brian develops in his survival by using many more tools as critical elements in order to endure and eventually triumph over his wilderness surroundings.

What does the title "The Tell-Tale Heart" mean?

At the most obvious level, the title refers to the beating of the old man's heart. The heart "tells tales" to the narrator. Tales, as you well know, are stories, and can be based on either real or imagined events. In either case, tellers of tales want to keep the reader or listener paying attention, and will often resort to extreme exaggerations to achieve that goal.

So, what tales does the old man's heart tell? We first hear his heart beating on the eighth night, when he realizes that something is not right in his room. His heart tells a tale of fear, which in turn makes the narrator extremely angry and gives him the push he needs to carry out his dastardly deed. 

The next time we hear the beating of the heart is after the old man is dead. See, this is part of why the narrator tells us he cut up the body before burying it under the floorboards. If it wasn't for that step, we could imagine that the old man maybe wasn't quite as dead as the narrator thought. Since that isn't a possibility, and since we know that dead hearts don't beat, the narrator's own hidden guilt over the deed is projected onto the dead man's heart, thus telling a tale of the narrator's guilty feelings.

So, the title also refers to the narrator's heart. Inside the heart is where our deepest, truest feelings and emotions live, at least metaphorically speaking. We could look at the whole story of the old man's murder as a tale told by the narrator, a tale from his own heart. The title refers to both the narrator's heart, and to the old man's heart, and to the tales told by both.

What is significant about Eteocles and Polyneices in the war for power?

Eteocles and Polynieces are Oedipus' only sons, the last surviving male members of the cursed family (excluding Creon, not related to Oedipus by blood). Their father's sins brought the curse upon them, decreeing by fate that they would kill each other in battle.

Upon Oedipus' death, Eteocles is chosen for the throne. However, Polynieces wants to rule as well. He raises a great army (7 princes as captains) against Thebes and his brother. A horrific battle proceeds. The brothers slay each other on the battlefield, and Creon becomes the king of the city. Eteocles, as the hero on the side of right and law, is given a respectful burial. But Polynieces is labeled a traitor for raising armies against his city. Creon decrees that his body must be left to rot outside the city gates, never to be buried.

Why do you think Janie decides to run off with Joe Starks?

The narrator tells us why Janie choose to run off with Jody. He represents "change and chance", a distinct contrast to her boring and predictable life with Logan.

As a young girl, Janie dreamed of a life filled with love and romance. She thought that marriage would naturally bring those 2 things into her life. However, her life with Logan has proved tedious and she feels there is something missing in her future. But although she is attracted to Joe, she is still unsure about him when they first meet. In fact, she says that he doesn't remind her of the flowers and blossoming of her youth, which is what she imagines her husband would always bring to mind. But at the moment he is better in her thoughts than Logan, so she begins seeing him. A week later, she runs away with him, although only after asking Logan what he would do if she left. She still has concerns for him, & doesn't just want to run away completely. But in the end, she leaves with Jody, for better or for worse. Of course, her life with him turns out to be much different than she expected, but it's another step on her path to finding her true self.

Pay attention to Nick's judgments in The Great Gatsby. what do they reveal about his character (especially in relation to his opening comments)?

Nick, the narrator of The Great Gatsby, goes to great lengths to tell us that he concentrates on not making quick judgments and not judging others.  He also tells the reader how honest he is later on in the work. 

The fact that Nick thinks these things about himself just proves that he suffers from the same thing everyone else in the book suffers from:  believing in illusions.  Nick is under the illusion that he doesn't make value judgments about people, when in actuality he does.

An astute reader catches on to this immediately, when Nick talks about how his father taught him long ago not to judge others harshly, because others have not had the advantages that he has.  The fact that his father taught him this shows that his father thinks he is superior to other people, and that he thinks Nick is superior to other people.  If one doesn't naturally think you're better than other people then you don't have to concentrate on not judging them harshly.  A feeling of superiority comes naturally to Nick by the time he starts narrating the novel. 

In short, Nick tends to see people from the viewpoint of the Midwest.  He judges them according to his Midwestern values.  Jordan is uppity and lazy the first time he meets her, for instance.  That's his first impression of her, even though he says on page one that he doesn't make first impressions.  She might appear to be mellow, to someone from California who is used to lounging on the beach.  But to Nick she appears lazy.

But one shouldn't judge Nick too harshly.  First of all, again, everyone else in the book falls for illusions, as well.  Second, all people are egocentric.  Nick is a character in a sophisticated novel.  One wouldn't expect him to be perfect.  The fact that he makes judgments is not unexpected, and neither is the fact that he has illusions about himself--who doesn't?

In Our Town, how does Thornton Wilder make the stage manager a memorable, likable and trustworthy character?

I don't have the text right in front of me, but Wilder describes the Stage Manager as a happy-go-lucky person...the one everyone knows and says "hello" to on the street.  He is the narrator for this play, and has considerable flexibility in his movement.  He speaks freely to the dead as well as the living, and seems knowledgeable of the motives/reasons for why people do and say the things they do.  He acts as the go-between and explains the lives of the people in the town.  He is friendly, knows everything, and seems trustworthy and easy to talk to-- the person everyone goes to for advice.  Part of his knowledge comes from always being on the stage and observing the action of the entire play.  He sees all, knows all.  He is trustworthy as his character through his witty little stories and sayings is portrayed as having lots of common sense as well.  He moves the action along and helps the audience understand what is going on in between scenes.

Go back with this info and find the evidence you need to back it up.  Good Luck!