Monday, June 30, 2014

In the play Romeo and Juliet, what circumstances (such as place, time and familial relationships) limit Romeo's freedom?

The primary limitation upon Romeo's freedom is based in the feud between his family (the Montagues) and Juliet's family (the Capulets). The feud has existed for a very long time and there is such enmity between the families that Romeo's love for Juliet literally places him in grave danger. When he goes to visit her home (in the famous balcony scene), Juliet speak his name (when she thinks she is alone) and wishes he had any other name, so that they could be together. When she realizes he is there, she asks "Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?" and he playfully counters with "Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike."


He clearly does not worry about the dangers of their meeting as much as Juliet does. She questions his foolhardy actions. She asks "How came'st thou hither, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art, if any of my kinsmen find thee here." 


He responds that "stony limits cannot hold love out...and what love can do, that dares love attempt, therefore thy kinsman are no stop to me."


She warns him further: "If they do see thee, they will murder thee." She is not exaggerating, and in a later scene, Mercutio is slain in a brawl where the intended target is Romeo.

From The Merchant of Venice, what would Portia's advertisement seeking an ideal husband be like?

Portia's advertisement seeking an ideal husband would be based on her own ideas and desires. In order to figure out what Portia is seeking in a husband, we need go no further than her conversations with her best friend, her lady in waiting, Nerissa. Portia confides in Nerissa upon every point of her life. In the beginning of the play, Portia feels constrained by her father's will, which demands that she marry a man who selects the right casket associated with a riddle and its appearance. This seems arbitrary and useless to Portia, and she confides her concerns in her friend.


When the ladies are discussing Portia's many suitors, Nerissa names them and Portia shoots them down one by one. One could devise an advertisement based on her reasons for rejecting each suitor. First, the Neapolitan prince won't stop talking about his horse, which turns Portia off. Next is County Palatine, who never smiles. Portia fears he, along with the first suitor, will be too sad and boring to live with. Third is the French lord, Monsieur le Bon, who seems to be a coward because he can't fence. He's also one who frowns a lot and she says he would drive her mad. The fourth is Falconbridge of England, with whom Portia cannot communicate because they don't speak a similar language. He's also odd to her as far as fashion is concerned. Fifth and Sixth are a Scottish man and a German: the former is dependent upon others like the French to rule him and the latter is drunk all of the time (I.iii.34-76).


Therefore, Portia's advertisement would probably look something like the following:


Beautiful heiress seeking young and honorable Christian man who smiles easily, enjoys life, and cares about others. He must be able-bodied, good with a sword, confident, and willing to uphold the values and standards of Belmont estate. He must also dress respectably, not drink all day long, and have a keen and intellectual mind.

What is the thread in Hoot?

I think by "thread" you mean "theme," which will be the novel's central idea and message.  Hoot has a couple of central themes in my opinion.


One theme is the theme of environmentalism.  That single theme is the main "thread" that holds Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet-Fingers together.  They are trying to protect the owls that live nearby.  Those owls are in danger of having their habitat destroyed by a construction job.


That construction job focuses on another theme: corporate greed.  The company is portrayed as one of the bad guys, because it doesn't care about who it has to lie to and destroy to get the job done in the name of profits.  


A third theme is the theme of friendship.  That is a fairly obvious theme because the novel's three main characters are all very tight friends by halfway through the novel.  

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Africans traditionally are said to have no sacred writings. Where can one find important information regarding these religions?

Traditional religious practices in Africa are by no means lost to the world, in spite of there not having been any written sacred texts.  There is oral tradition and also, African religions have been studied by scholars for a very long time, for example, anthropologists, theologians, and linguists. 


People practiced their religions and handed them down to succeeding generations well before there was writing. Even once man began to write, few people were literate, so most religions were passed on this way for a very long time after writing was invented.  Thus sacred texts, for example, creation myths and rituals, became part of an oral tradition, just as they have been handed down by Native Americans.


Since Africa has been colonized, there have been people interested in studying religion in Africa, and in their studies, they have recorded what they have learned. Anthropologists have done many studies, and I have provided a link to an overview of one, as well as a few other websites that are reputable, for more information and suggested readings.  Missionaries, too, recorded some of what they learned about African religions, and this is another source of knowledge. Linguists study language all over the world, and in their studies of African languages, they also have gleaned knowledge of African religious practices. 


It is remarkable how successful oral tradition is at carrying on a religion. And fortunately, we have had enough people interested enough in pursuing knowledge of African religions to have a reasonable body of work on this subject. 

How did Mrs. Watson know that something was up?

Mrs. Watson is very astute when it comes to reading Byron. When Byron sidles into the room with a covered head and avoids the eyes of everyone in the room, Momma immediately knows something is up. She can read his body language as he tries to run upstairs without being noticed. This is when Momma pulls back Byron's head covering and exclaims, "You've gone and done it, haven't you?"


Momma is furious that Byron has straightened his hair in spite of her wishes. However, she decides to remain calm and let Mr. Watson handle it when he gets home. Byron gets sent to his room to await sentencing when Daddy arrives. Kenny enjoys Byron's unease as he waits to see what Daddy is going to do. Jetta cries and asks By if there is any way he can wash it out. Since Byron's conk is permanent, he is confident that there is nothing Momma and Daddy can do to him. However, when Daddy gets home, he shows Byron who is in charge and shaves Byron's head.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

In "A Modest Proposal," why would Swift choose to have it be an American who first introduced the speaker to baby-eating? What stereotypes might we...

America had a mythical quality to Europeans of the early 18th Century, especially the ones who had never been there. It was a place where a penniless Irishman could go and make his fortune in the world. It was a place where an Old World man could go native and emulate the Indians, who were only slightly less mythical in the European imagination than gnomes.


Prior to the discovery of America, the European could imagine no greater freedom than to choose between two ruthless despots. Once they encountered Indians, they imagined a people who could drop in and out of society at will, wander the continent naked, hunt and gather at their leisure, and skip Church on Sunday. It wasn't a huge leap to imagine they would indulge in cannibalism, and that the hardy colonists who consorted with them would go native and follow suit. Swift played to this rather fanciful image when he attributed cannibalism to "a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London".

Friday, June 27, 2014

Analyze how different factors affect the rate and yield of an industrial reaction.

The collision theory states that a reaction occurs when the collision between molecules cause old bonds to break and new bonds to form. However, the collisions must occur with enough energy, known as the activation energy, and in the correct orientation in order to lead to the formation of a new product. 


 Therefore, factors that cause the number of collisions between particles to increase should increase the rate of a reaction. The following are such factors:


  • An increase in temperature

  • An increase in pressure

  • An increase in the amount of reactant

  • The implementation of a catalyst

  • Breaking solid reactants into smaller pieces

Applying either of the aforementioned factors will initially increase the rate and yield of product. However, as the reactants (or catalyst) are used up, the rate and yield of the reaction will begin to flatten out. Once all the reactants have been used, the reaction will no longer be able to move in the forward direction and new product formation will stop.

What are the differences and similarities of how Prospero treats Ariel and Caliban?

At first it seems that Prospero treats Ariel and Caliban very differently; he's devoted to Ariel and seems to respect him and partners with him to concoct his various schemes and plans throughout the play. Prospero acts as a kind of puppet master with Ariel a kind of powerful magician’s assistant, working as a double act to manipulate the other characters in the play. Prospero regards Ariel as a colleague, although one that he sometimes sternly rebukes, but Caliban he hurls the worst of his abuse at, physically punishes with painful spells, and gives him only the worst and most menial tasks to perform on the island.


His treatment of them is more similar than it first appears, though, because he has them both enslaved. Although he treats one of them with a certain amount of respect and the other with total contempt, he holds them both in bondage and they both express resentment at the fact that they are not free to come and go as they please, nor can they refuse to carry out his orders. He's forcing them both to serve him, and the play comments interestingly on the dynamic and morality of slavery, suggesting that slavery is a condition that will always be resisted, and that how a slave is treated does not mitigate the resistance and resentment a slave feels toward being held against his will.

When do Jem and Scout show respect in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, though Scout and Jem Finch have their moments of youthful rebellion and display a great deal of independence, they have in general been raised to be very respectful children.

One example of Jem showing respect can be seen in Chapter 12. Jem has already turned 12 years old and learned a great deal from Mrs. Dubose's death. In this chapter, Atticus must also leave the children to Calpurnia's care because urgent business with the state legislature has called him away. Calpurnia, not trusting the children to be alone at their own church, decides to bring them with her to the African-American church as her guests. Once the children have been welcomed into the church and are settled in, Calpurnia hands each of them a dime to place in the offering. Jem protests, saying their father had already thought to leave them money for the offering. Calpurnia replies, "You keep it ... you're my company." Scout further narrates, "Jem's face showed brief indecision on the ethics of withholding his own dime, but his innate courtesy won and he shifted his dime to his pocket." Hence, Jem shows respect towards Calpurnia by accepting the dime she offered to him as her guest at her church. One reason why he hesitates is because he knows Cal is making a great sacrifice in giving the children the dimes since she earns far less money than Atticus Finch and times are hard due to the Great Depression. However, Jem knows that accepting the dime shows respect and courtesy towards Cal, so he very quickly decides in favor of accepting the dime.

One example of Scout showing respect can be seen in her acquiescence to stay with Aunt Alexandra's missionary circle for refreshments at her aunt's persistence. Also at her aunt's persistence, Scout appears dressed in her "pink Sunday dress, shoes, and a petticoat" (Ch. 27). Scout dutifully stays for refreshments because she knows her aunt is on a "campaign to teach [Scout] to be a lady," and she wants to please her aunt, showing us that this is a perfect example of Scout treating her aunt respectfully (Ch. 27).

How does studying religion help in making a student's life decent?

Of all the subjects that students study, religion is arguably the most important and enriching. Religion teaches about the world, how it works, and about the people who inhabit it. In essence, you also learn a lot about yourself and your place in the world in the process.


In the process of reading and learning scriptures you can get a taste of how people tend to deal with the human condition. This gives us important understanding into the life questions everyone deals with, such as death, love, hate, and birth, and also how different peoples of the world formed rituals and beliefs in respect to those questions. With that understanding you can begin to understand why your own community practices certain rituals and why it is important to a community to continue to do so.


All religions have set rules, laws, mores, and sense of purpose in their scripture giving a guideline as to how to act, or how their world works, and a sense of how other communities were also expected to act as well. In modern society we tend to segregate religion and law, but learning about how a community has evolved to regulate and explain such process gives us insight into our own world. It personally teaches how to critically think about the world and its functions, how people communicate, how they teach selfhood and adulthood, and even how to deal with an expanding community that interacts on a global scale.


Sources: Mark Wallace. Why study religion. http://www.swarthmore.edu/religion/why-study-religion

How does the Party/Big Brother use war as a method of control in George Orwell's 1984?

In 1984, war is a constant presence in the lives of the people of Oceania. It is used by the party in two important ways.


First of all, war is used to increase people's loyalty towards the party. In Part 2, Chapter 9, for instance, Winston describes Hate Week, a week-long event which is designed to strengthen hatred against the party's current enemy, Eurasia. During this time, the people of Oceania sing songs, march and demonstrate against Eurasia to the point of mania. As Winston comments:



“After six days of this, when the great orgasm was quivering to its climax and the general hatred of Eurasia had boiled up into such delirium that if the crowd could have got their hands on the 2,000 Eurasian war-criminals who were to be publicly hanged on the last day of the proceedings, they would unquestionably have torn them to pieces.”



By demonizing Eurasia, the people of Oceania feel united and this contributes to their overall loyalty towards and love of Big Brother.


The Hate Week celebrations also show us a second way in which the party uses war to control people. Right in the middle of Hate Week, the party suddenly announces a switch in the enemy: Eurasia is now the ally and Oceania is at war with Eastasia. This declaration prompts a flurry of activity as the party rewrites history and erases all traces of war with Eurasia:



 "A large part of the political literature of five years was now completely obsolete. Reports and records of all kinds, newspapers, books, pamphlets, films, sound-tracks, photographs -- all had to be rectified at lightning speed."



The fact that the party can manipulate information in this manner is illustrative of its control over the population. Everything they see, read and hear is dictated to them by the party. Even if they notice this sudden change in the enemy, they can never verbalize it for fear of committing thoughtcrime and facing the death penalty. 

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Where can I find quotes about depression in Act 1 of Hamlet?

Hamlet's depression is pretty well documented throughout the play, beginning as early as Act 1, scene 2, where his uncle and his mother ask him to take off his dark mourning clothes. Queen Gertrude states,



"Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark..." (1,2,68-70)



Hamlet refuses Gertrude's request, indicating that what others see on the surface is only a hint at the great pool of depression that he's currently wallowing in. He realizes how he comes across to others, but quite literally can't help it. He knows that other people want him to behave normally, but he can't believe that his mother could marry his uncle so quickly after his father's death, and he's still reeling from the loss of his father. 



"'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly. These indeed “seem,” For they are actions that a man might play. But I have that within which passeth show,


These but the trappings and the suits of woe." (1,2, 76-86)


Sunday, June 22, 2014

In Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, how do things change at Central High once the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division are...

Once the soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division are stationed at Central High, Melba and her friends find their tormentors no longer have the power to physically assault them with impunity. The soldiers make it possible for Melba and the members of the Little Rock Nine to attend classes. They keep the mob from harassing and physically attacking Melba and her friends.


In Chapter Eight, soldiers keep the mob back as Melba and her friends make their way to the entrance of Central High. They stand guard until the small group enters the building. Once inside the building, each member of the Little Rock Nine is assigned a soldier for his or her protection. A soldier then accompanies each student to class and waits outside the classroom for the student to finish the period. Melba and her friends are escorted everywhere, from gym class to the cafeteria.


Even though they are heckled by some white students, the atmosphere is different from the one in Chapter Seven. Before the 101st Airborne Division was at her school, Melba and her friends were physically attacked and cruelly taunted; they had no recourse to air their grievances. The thousand-strong mob in Chapter Seven even threatened the nine students' lives when they tried to attend classes.


Now, with the 101st Airborne Division in attendance, the mob has to think twice about attacking Melba and her friends. When another student slams Melba's books from her hands, soldiers close ranks around her to protect her. With more soldiers standing guard against the walls, Melba feels a little safer.


Because of the heavy security detail, white students who previously felt free to attack Melba and her friends soon resort to emotional attacks instead. They heckle and taunt the Little Rock Nine. In Chapter Nine, however, we discover the soldiers can only do so much for Melba and her friends. When Melba is kicked in the shins and stomach, Danny, the soldier assigned to Melba, tells her he can only keep her alive; he's not allowed to engage the white students in physical or verbal altercations. Despite the limitations imposed upon the soldiers, Melba realizes the presence of the soldiers make it possible for the Little Rock Nine to go to Central High, a school they previously could not attend.

Find the next three terms in each geometric sequence. 7. 2500,500,100,... 8. 2,6,18,...

Geometric series is a series in which ratio between the two terms is same.


The general geometric series is a,ar, ar^2, ar^3, .....


In first case 2500, 500, 100, ...


The common ratio is of 1/5, that is,


2500×1/5 = 500, 2500×(1/5)^2= 100, 2500×(1/5)^3=20, 2500×(1/5) ^4=4, 2500×(1/5)^5=0.8


Hence the next three terms will be 20,4,0.8,....


In second case 2,6,18,...


The common ratio is 3, that is,


2×3=6, 2×(3)^2=18, 2×(3)^3=54, 2×(3)^4=162, 2×(3)^5=486


Hence the next three terms will be 54, 162, 486,....

What does Jing-Mei's mother want her daughter to become? Why? What does she make her do in order to reach her goal?

Suyuan, Jing-mei’s mother, wanted her to become a child prodigy like Shirley Temple and Lindo’s daughter. Suyuan urged her daughter to attempt practicing certain skills in order to establish and develop a special talent. Her daughter was initially receptive to the idea but eventually gave up on the quest to become a child prodigy like her mother wanted.


Suyuan enrolled Jing-mei for piano classes after she watched a young Chinese girl playing the piano on the Ed Sullivan Show. Suyuan settled for Mr. Chong as Jing-mei’s trainer. However, Mr. Chong was tone deaf and unable to hear the mistakes Jing-mei made while at practice. Jing-mei was not truly interested in learning to play the piano. She participated in a talent competition and failed miserably at her performance. Her mother was disappointed, but she did not give up on the piano lessons. 

Saturday, June 21, 2014

What was the relationship of Sodapop and Darry in The Outsiders?

In The Outsiders, Sodapop and Darry Curtis, Ponyboy's two older brothers, have a very close and respectful relationship with one another. This is established very early in the book in chapter 1, when Ponyboy tells the reader how Sodapop often teases Darry, while none of the other greasers do. In chapter 1, Ponyboy goes on to say "I'd just as soon tease a full-grown grizzly: but for some reason, Darry seems to like being teased by Soda" (Hinton 9). From this, we see that Darry feels a certain closeness with his middle brother that allows him to give in to this playful behavior, something he does not appreciate from the other greasers. Later in the novel, you can also see Darry's pride and respect for Sodapop when Ponyboy questions Darry for not giving Sodapop a hard time about fighting in the rumble. In response to this question Darry tells Ponyboy with a grin "this is one kid brother I don't have to worry about" (Hinton 135), again showing the close affectionate relationship between the two. This close relationship is an interesting dynamic throughout the story, as Ponyboy often finds himself in arguments with Darry, which forces Sodapop, who is very close not only with Darry, but also with Ponyboy, to play peacemaker. Interestingly, it is this closeness between Sodapop and both of his other brothers that leads to an understanding between the three at the end of the novel, when Sodapop tells them both "If we don't have each other, we don't have anything" (Hinton 176).  


Hope this helps!

What is the critical analysis of Tennyson's poem Ulysses?

Tennyson's "Ulysses" is a wildly popular poem, and one which instigates a variety of interpretations. However, as a starting point, it helps to look at one of the poem's most prominent themes: the rebellion against age, infirmity, and mortality. 


The poem opens upon an aging Ulysses lamenting his essentially boring and purposeless life at home in Ithaca. Far from being grateful for having returned home from his harrowing journeys, Ulysses laments his idleness, resenting his "aged wife" (3) and the "savage race" (4) he is doomed to wait upon. However, rebelling against this unremarkable existence, Ulysses declares "I cannot rest from travel" (6) and prepares to set off on yet another voyage.


Though "Ulysses" has many famous lines, the key lines for our purposes occur at the end:



We are not now that strength which in old days


Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;


One equal temper of heroic hearts,


Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will


To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. (66-70)



In this stirring conclusion, Ulysses essentially reflects on the loss of his legendary strength, cleverness, and heroism; he is no longer the dashing hero, and is instead and old king sick with nostalgia. However, despite this realization, Ulysses still resolves to strike out into the unknown yet again to once again test his courage. As such, the poem is largely a rebellion against old age and slipping quietly off into obscurity, as it centers on a protagonist determined to defy his mortality and continue "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."




Friday, June 20, 2014

How do you compare a DNA molecule to a zipper?

DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid molecule is a double stranded molecule, that is, there are two legs or chains of this molecule. The strands are complementary to each other and are connected together by interlinking. The interlinking is provided by base pairing (adenosine (A) with thymine (T) and cytosine (C) with guanine (G)). The two sides have to fit well with each other (through base pairing) for the molecule to work.


Similarly, the zipper (on our bags, trousers, clothing, sleeping bags, etc.) has two strands or two legs. These two strands are complementary to each other and are interlinked to close the zip. The 'teeth' on one side of the zipper fits well into the open space between tooth on the other side of the zipper. The zipper is closed by moving the slider. The zipper's utility is because we can close it.


Hence DNA and zipper are similar to each other in a number of ways.



hope this helps. 

How does Krakauer alter his narrative stance in Chapter Six?

Chapter Six in Into the Wild is devoted to the story of Ron Franz and his friendship with Chris McCandless. There are a few changes in the narrative approach Krakauer takes in this chapter. For one thing, he acknowledges the role he himself has played in McCandless' story: he writes about how Ron contacts him, seeking information about Chris. Krakauer also is indirectly responsible for Ron learning about Chris's death, since he hears of it from some hitchhikers who have read Krakauer's piece in Outside magazine.


More than this, the chapter is less about McCandless's movements than his relationship with Ron. Despite their fondness for each other, McCandless leaves Ron several times. In an effort to keep Chris close by, Ron even offers to adopt him as his grandson (Chris evades the offer, telling Ron he'll think about it "when he gets back from Alaska"). We get some additional insight into Chris and his inner state through this interchange, and how his friendship for Ron exists in tension with his need to be on the road. He is not willing to give up his freedom to be with Ron, so, instead, he advises Ron to hit the road himself. Incredibly, Ron does just that, packing up his house and living in a van in the desert.


The chapter also represents a shift in tone and point of view. McCandless's actions are seen in the context of how they effect Ron. Krakauer, while clearly reporting what Ron has told him, adopts a more novelistic approach in the chapter, one which examines Ron's feelings and examines the emotional cost McCandless' actions had on him. Ron's devotion to Chris -- not Chris's romantic dedication to the open road -- emerges as focal point of the chapter, and changes the way we think about Chris.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Keiko is riding a skateboard 2 m/s, west. How long will it take her to reach a velocity of 8 m/s, west if her acceleration is 2 m/s2?

Hello!


By definition, acceleration is the measure of a velocity change in time. In a particular case when the acceleration is constant, the velocity of an object is changed uniformly (linearly) with time.


If we denote the initial velocity as the constant acceleration as a and the time since the initial moment as t, then the new speed V at time t will be



In our problem the velocities and the acceleration are given, and we need to solve the above equation for t. It is simple:



This is the answer. Note that it is important that the initial velocity and the final velocity have the same direction (west). If they would have opposite direction, one of them should be taken with a minus sign, and the acceleration might be negative.

Could the United States government have prevented the Great Depression?

Hindsight is always twenty-twenty. It is easy for historians to criticize decisions made by the government after the fact, but not nearly as easy to predict how government policy will affect the economy in the present. The Monday morning quarterbacks of the history books will suggest that the government could have limited speculative trading, or that adjusting the interest rate would have fixed underlying economic problems of the 1920's. The fact of the matter is that the government did not deliberately drive the economy into the ground. The leaders of the day simply felt that government oversight of the economy would be harmful to growth. It should be remembered that on the surface, the economy appeared to be performing exceptionally well. In short, the government can not fix a problem if the problem does not reveal itself.


A major reason that the American economy collapsed in the late 1920's is because of the worldwide economic depression that had its roots in the destruction of World War I. Obviously, there was nothing that the government of the United States could have done to change that.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Why was becoming united rather hard for Africa and the Austro-Hungarian Empire?

First of all, we have to note that Africa has never been united.  It is hard to imagine that it ever could be.  Therefore, becoming united has not just been “rather hard” for Africa.  Instead, it has been impossible. The main reason why it would be hard (or even impossible) for Africa to unite is the same reason why it was very hard for Austria-Hungary to unite and to remain united.  This reason is nationalism.


Nationalism can be defined as the idea that people “like you” are better than other people.  A person who is a nationalist prefers to be with other people “like” them.  They want to be part of a country that is dominated by people like them.  People who are “like you” are called, in social science terms, your nation.  This is not the same as a country.  Instead, it is more like an ethnic group.


This sort of nationalism has made it impossible for Africa to unite.  Even individual countries in Africa have a hard time uniting because of ethnic differences within their populations.  Rwanda had a genocide based on ethnic differences.  Kenya has had serious post-election violence along ethnic lines.  Nigeria has serious splits between different ethnic groups.  The list goes on and on.  Because various African nations see themselves as different from and superior to other nations, it is hard (and perhaps impossible) for them to unify as citizens of one country.


Austria-Hungary had similar problems.  It included people who are ethnically German, ethnically Magyar, ethnically Slavic, ethnically Italian, and more.  These people all felt varying degrees of nationalism.  The Slavs, in particular, did not want to be ruled by people who were ethnically German.  It was Slavic nationalists who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand (an ethnic German), thus setting off WWI and leading to the destruction of Austria-Hungary. 


In both African and Austria-Hungary, there are/were many different nations.  Because the peoples of these nations felt/feel nationalist impulses very strongly, it was rather hard (or even impossible) for these places to become united.

Who joins Nick, Daisy, and Tom for dinner?

In the first chapter of The Great Gatsby, Jordan Baker joins Nick, Daisy and Tom for dinner. Jordan is Nick's love interest in the novel and also representative of the wealthy whom Nick condemns by the end of the novel. In his usual understated tone, Nick describes how he "enjoyed looking at" Jordan. He then describes her as "a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage" and "her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face." 


Nick's somewhat negative description of Jordan is punctuated with the way she speaks. She tells him (not asks him "if) he lives in West Egg "contemptuously." Nick then describes how she and Daisy talked "at once, unobtrusively and with a bantering inconsequence."


Finally, Jordan reveals herself to be a gossip. When the "fifth guest" of the party arrives—a phone call from Tom's lover, Myrtle—Nick explains that "Miss Baker leaned forward unashamed, trying to hear" and then she shushes Nick saying, "Don't talk. I want to hear what happens." She then explains Tom's woman in New York.


However, despite this negative characterization of Jordan, it's important to remember that Nick is telling the story from a year after the events of that summer took place. His storytelling is colored by his disappointed feelings of the  summer before and the sadness and anger he experiences after the death of his friend Gatsby.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

What's the double meaning of "the boy in the striped pajamas"?

When Bruno, who is only nine years old, looks out of his window and sees the concentration camp, he comments that there are people who are wearing "striped pajamas." Bruno is naive and mistakes the Jews' concentration camp uniforms for striped pajamas. The striped pajamas are actually uniforms that the Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz are required to wear. In addition to their striped uniform, they are also required to wear an armband with the Star of David sewn on it, and a striped cloth hat. The reason the uniforms look like pajamas is because they are made out of thin cloth, which is the same material pajamas are made from. Towards the end of the novel, Bruno comments on how dirty the uniform is that he puts on. This is because the prisoners would have to work and sleep in the same uniforms, and they would be changed approximately every six weeks. Historically, concentration uniforms had personal identification numbers printed on the cloth. There would also be a color-coded, inverted triangle that signified the reason they were imprisoned. In the novel, the Jewish prisoners walked around barefoot. Historically, the prisoners were given either wooden clogs or thin leather shoes with no socks. However, many prisoners were barefoot because of the increasing prisoner population and short supply of shoes.

I need a summary of The Crucible.

I am assuming you need a plot summary of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. Or perhaps you want a summary of the play's literary and social impact? There is no question that this play is widely read and studied in academic settings, and is still often performed. The play is set in 1692 and portrays the conditions and situations that caused the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Arthur Miller wrote the play in response to the McCarthy hearings on communism and the resulting blacklists; the play is an allegory of those events of the 1950s. The play is based upon historical documents, but also takes some liberty with facts to portray a dramatic situation. For example, at the heart of the play's dramatic conflict is the fact that Abigail Williams is in love with John Proctor and will do anything to take him from his wife, Elizabeth.


As the play opens, the Reverend Parris' daughter, Betty, is ill and there are rumors that witchcraft is the cause. Abigail, Parris' niece, denies the rumors of witchcraft, fearing her own activities will be blamed, since her uncle caught her dancing in the woods with other girls and performing rituals for Tituba, the slave from Barbados. But once the town begins to suspect witchcraft, Abigail realizes that by accusing Elizabeth she may be able to get closer to Proctor, and she manipulates the other girls (including Mary Warren, the Proctors' servant who replaces Abigail) into doing things that make Elizabeth look guilty. Other people of good reputations are accused by the girls. Magistrates come to Salem to try the accused. The "spectral evidence" of bewitchment (meaning the girls' playacting and pointing and histrionics, in absence of any actual physical evidence) is the basis for convicting and executing eighteen people who profess their innocence. Proctor and Elizabeth are both accused and thrown in prison, and Proctor agrees to confess to save his life. But at the last minute, he decides to tear up the confession so that he can die an honest man.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Who is the real hero in Rodman Philbrick's Freak the Mighty?

A hero is someone who demonstrates courage, performs brave deeds, and exemplifies noble qualities. This definition can be applied to both Maxwell and Kevin in Freak the Mighty. Both boys face teenage bullies, teasing by peers, and life-threatening situations with all of the qualities of a hero. However, if there must be one hero chosen, Kevin would come off conqueror. Even though Kevin is small and crippled, he never let those things get in the way of living. He also didn't let being crippled get in the way of saving his best friend, Max. If it had not been for Kevin disobeying his mother by slipping into the alley and away from the police, he never would have saved Max. Max probably would have died being strangled by his own father. Kevin saves Max as explained in the following passage:



". . . it's only later I figure out there wasn't any real acid in the squirt gun, it was soap and vinegar and curry powder that made Killer Kane think his eyes were burning up--Killer Kane who is still rubbing frantic at his eyes and begging for help when they put the handcuffs on him and shove him into the back of a police van.



Not only does Kevin save Max's life physically by aiding in the escape plan from Killer Kane, but he also saves him mentally and psychologically. Kevin believes in Max and encourages him to do well with his education. Max helps Kevin with travel and friendship, too, but ultimately Kevin does more good for Max. He even encourages Max to write their story after he is gone.

What can we learn of Daisy before the novels present, from Jordan's account?

Jordan reveals Daisy's past in Chapter 4 to Nick.  As Jordan's tells it, she first met Daisy in 1917 in Louisville, Kentucky.  A year later, Daisy meets a young soldier:



Wild rumors were circulating about her — how her mother had found her packing her bag one winter night to go to New York and say good-by to a soldier who was going overseas. She was effectually prevented, but she wasn’t on speaking terms with her family for several weeks. After that she didn’t play around with the soldiers any more, but only with a few flat-footed, short-sighted young men in town, who couldn’t get into the army at all.



We later find out that this young soldier is Gatsby, and it seems that after he left for the war, Daisy did not want to be with any other guy, so she went out with "a few flat-footed, short-sighted young men in town" who did not inspire her but who would at least show her a good time.  


A year later, Daisy is herself again, and that is when she meets and marries Tom Buchanan "with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before."  This comes after the Armistice, or the end of World War I, but Daisy has not heard from Gatsby until the day before her wedding, when she is found by Jordan, "lying on her bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress — and as drunk as a monkey. She had a bottle of Sauterne in one hand and a letter in the other."  The letter is presumably from Gatsby, perhaps telling her that he has survived the war and wants to marry her.  However, because of Daisy's position in high society, she cannot cancel her wedding, so Jordan and a maid put Daisy in the bathtub, where the letter disintegrates, and sober her up.  The next morning, she marries Tom Buchanan.  

Friday, June 13, 2014

WHAT ARE NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES? HOW DO THE ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES HELP US?

Natural satellites are bodies in space that orbit larger bodies. The earth's moon is a natural satellite. These other planets in our solar system also have satellites (moons): Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Jupiter has the most 67. The planets are considered natural satellites of the Sun.


Artificial satellites are man-made and launched into orbit, usually around the earth. The International Space Station is a satellite on which live research is conducted. Other types of satellites serve the following purposes:


  • Monitor cloud movement to help weather forecasters

  • Collect data for climate and environmental research

  • Monitor environmental conditions and events such as oil spills and fires

  • Receive and send radio, TV and cell phone signals

  • Photograph the earth to provide image maps such as Google Earth

  • Receive and send GPS signals for navigation systems

  • Provide education and other services remotely to developing countries

  • Allow scientists to study space via space telescopes, which provide better data than earth-based telescopes.

Satellites that always stay over the same spot on earth, for example communications satellites, have an orbit that is geosynchronous. In other words their period of orbit matches that of the earth. Other types of satellites, such as those that photograph the earth, orbit at a different rate than the earth so that they move with respect to the earth's surface.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

What was the role of the federal government in the acquisition of the west?

At this point in its history, the Federal government felt itself beset by enemies. It saw strong colonial intentions in North America by most of the European powers, plus it still feared war with Mexico. It is important to realize just how thin was its ability to project power into the West, and settlers there often sided with whoever provided protection from marauders and hostile Indian attacks. The Federal solution to this problem was to claim and develop all land to the Pacific Ocean so that no country could claim a legal foothold there. It helped that Europe was in political disarray -- Napoleon and the British royalty had weakened their own countries, new smaller colonial powers were emerging, and European countries were fighting among themselves and fighting for colonial territory in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. 


As a result, and because the West was so inaccessible to European colonialism (compared, say, to Africa, the Middle East, and India), it was easy for the United States to impose its will on western territories and then annex them. It completed the Gadsden Purchase in the Southwest to secure a border with Mexico and the Oregon Territory in the Northwest to secure a border with Canada. These acquisitions gave the US access to ports, to lumber for ships, and to easy rail routes -- and nothing secures ownership more than developing access to the territories so settlers can come in. This same pattern was repeated in the north central US, with the annexation of the independent state of Texas, and other parcels. 


It is worth noting that the Federal government learned immeasurably from the experience of Texas. The Federal government (basically a Northern or Union government at this point, shortly before the Civil War) saw Texas becoming a Confederate stronghold. It also saw the continued threats from Mexican and Indian forces in the settlements there, and the willingness of some Texans to ally with France. Texas was a unique case, but it shaped and drove the Federal acquisition policy through the rest of the century. 

What were the political and environmental impacts of the National Road?

The National Road, which was the first major highway constructed by the Federal Government of the United States beginning in 1811, was a part of a much broader political program to improve American infrastructure and therefore trade, by building bridges, damns, waterways and roadways. Like the Eerie Canal, the National Road became an alternate route for trade that went east to west, instead of north to south. Before the construction of east-west routes like the National Road, the westward expansion away from the Atlantic Coast was severely limited because the trek into states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois was so long, difficult and treacherous.


Yet the American System, envisioned and championed by Henry Clay and other influential politicians after the War of 1812, helped to accelerate trade and migration between states on the Atlantic Coast and the newer, more interior states, such as Ohio and Illinois. Once these states and others like it came into the union, their political power began to rival that of the southern states, and their economies, based on family farming, fur and lumber trading, as well as manufacturing, began to rival the economies of the southern states. The southern states in turn saw the increased political clout of non-slave states as a grave threat to their ability to national policy, and to advocate for the expansion of slavery in the west.


Many of the political dogfights that took place for the next forty years (Missouri Compromise, Fugitive Slave Act, Homestead Act, Compromise of 1850, et cetera) involved issues related to westward expansion, the future of slavery in the west, and the waning influence of Plantation owners and slave states in Congress.


From an environmental perspective, the National Road and the railroads that followed decimated animal populations, particularly buffalo, upon which many Plains Indians relied for sustenance. The road also decimated forests and polluted rivers. As the National Road carried more and more American settlers into the heartland of the country, those settlers ground that rugged and pristine terrain into farmable land, but they didn't know much about farming, so they often used methods that dried up water tables and cut off or rerouted fresh water supplies (like rivers and streams) in order to increase their crop yields. In the process, these settlers caused mass extinctions of countless species of plants and animals, whose habitats were destroyed before they could be catalogued. 


The land that these settlers took had for thousands of years been sparsely populated and lightly farmed. Native Americans had taken great care to preserve it. Within one hundred years, much of that land had been rendered unrecognizable. Moreover, a political system that had been designed to ensure that citizens lived close to their representatives so that they could hold them accountable had shifted to a system in which citizens were governed by a federal government that most of them had never seen, and would never see. This lack of contact between the federal government and its citizens led to a chasm of understanding and a lack of responsiveness to people’s daily needs, which undercut the very notion of a representative democracy. It took another century for the Progressive Movement to give some semblance of control over the government back to the people.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

What do the mother and son do every day?

Each day, Jerry and his mother leave their villa and go to the beach.  On the first day of vacation, they go to the same "crowded beach he knew so well from other years."  On that first day, as they walk to their beach, Jerry can't help turning to look at the "wild bay," and he thought of it often while he played on the "safe beach" with his mother.


The next day, "when it was time for the routine of swimming and sunbathing," Jerry's mother asks him if he'd like to go somewhere else.  At first he says no, but then he confesses that he'd like to go check out the rocks on the bay.  This deviation from the norm is a first for the family of two because, up until now, their routine has always been the same.

For what reason does the speaker apologize to the mouse?

The speaker of "To a Mouse" expresses his regret for having destroyed the mouse's winter shelter and having now given it cause to fear its fellow man.


This apology is certainly ironic as Robert Burns was the son of a tenant farmer, and farmers are rarely sympathetic to rodents and other animals who are destructive to crops or animal feed; in fact, these animals are usually considered vermin by farmers. On the other hand, Burns's humble beginnings also made him cognizant of the inequalities among men as the poor, like the mouse, are often victims of circumstances beyond their control.


In his poetry, Burns combines along with his Scottish fervor, a real sympathy for the underdog, sympathy that endeared him to his countrymen. In "To a Mouse," Burns addresses the helpless mouse, comparing himself with it:



Still thou art blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, though I canna see,
I guess an' fear!



This sympathy with nature marks Robert Burns as a pre-Romantic and a man from humble beginnings who hopes for more equitable situations for his fellow countrymen.

Monday, June 9, 2014

What are the justifications for murder in the story, "Killings"?

In “Killings,” the “love triangle” killing of Matt’s son Frank is depicted on a grand scale so that the reader sees it as a heinous crime against the natural order. Nature is such an important motif in the story that it becomes a justification for the revenge murder of Strout. The story opens at the graveside service for Frank where Matt looks across the Merrimac River and sees an apple orchard with “its symmetrically planted trees going up a hill.” Surrounded by the rest of his offspring, Matt knows that the order of his own “orchard” has been destroyed. His son’s murder means a tree that will never bear fruit.



Later, as Matt comes to the decision to kill Strout, he reflects on fatherhood with his children and recalls how the natural world enabled him to fulfill his instinctive role as a father. As they swam in the sea, climbed the high oak, and skated on the ice, he was there to protect them from all harm. His grief then takes on the very form of nature and is embodied in a “huge wave” that “swept him out to sea.”  



As Matt and Willis kidnap Strout and take him away to be killed, nature continues to justify the murder by providing the cover and darkness they need to dispose of the body. Leaves fall to cover the hole and tall trees block the moon as they kill Strout and bury the body. The smooth water swallows the gun that they throw in; the ripples “lap softly” but there are no waves or signs from nature that they have committed a crime. The disruption, silence, and complicity of the natural world have helped to rationalize the revenge killing.

What message do you think Jim wanted to convey when he said, "let's put the Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use...

Jim is telling Della that they will be able to use their gifts later when their circumstances improve, because the most important part about them is that they got them for each other.


Jim and Della are very poor, but they love each other.  At Christmastime, each of them makes a big sacrifice in his or her own pride in order to show the other one how much he or she cares.  Through this ironic exchange, they learn that the most important thing they have is each other.


Della cuts her hair to earn enough money to buy Jim a watch chain, because she knows how much his watch means to him.  It is his most prized possession.  She does not mind a little temporary sacrifice to make him happy.


Jim also makes a sacrifice.  He sells his watch in order to buy Della something that she will enjoy—a comb set for her hair.  Della’s most prized possession is her hair.  He wants to give her something to help her enjoy it.


These gifts are both a unique way of showing how much they understand each other and how much they care.  Each of them is willing to give up what matters most in order to help the other.  When they realize what happened, the irony sinks in, but so does doubt.



“I had my hair cut off and sold it. I couldn’t live through Christmas without giving you a gift. My hair will grow again. …. It’s Christmas, Jim. Let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice—what a beautiful nice gift I got for you.”



Jim worries that she does not love him, and Della worries that he is angry at her for cutting her hair.  When Jim tells her to put the presents away because they are “too nice to use now” he is telling her that he appreciates her sacrifice, and knows that she appreciated his.  As the narrator tells us, they are being “wise” because they each gave from the heart, caring more about the person they loved than themselves.


The message O'Henry is trying to tell us is that presents given selflessly are the best kind.  Basically, it is the thought that counts.  If you want to take care of someone else and show how much you care, that is the wisest thing of all.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

What were the political, social and economic effects on the caribbean and Europe in world War 1?

World War I had a devastating effect on the major powers of Europe.  After the war, new countries were formed and old empires were disbanded.  The war had a very negative impact on Europe as most countries assumed massive debt during the war and were close to bankruptcy and collapse.  Many of the countries of Europe, including Germany, experimented with representative democracies that would ultimately fail due to the diversity of the many political factions within them.  In addition to the uneasy political and economic climate of Europe, the Treaty of Versailles had created a high degree of resentment between the German people and the Allied Powers of Britain and France.  In the Caribbean, the people were disillusioned by the war.  Many had fought and others lost their lives for the imperial powers.  The native populations of this region developed nationalist tendencies that led to political and social unrest towards their "mother country."  In addition, the United States had gained greater influence in the Caribbean and the influence of Europe in the region was on the decline.  

Saturday, June 7, 2014

What is the summary for Mink River by Brian Doyle?

As Doyle's first fictional novel, we are introduced here to his very poetic (and often Gaelic) style as we learn about a little town on the coast of Oregon called Neawanaka containing the memorable Mink River. The original edition contains a crow on the cover because that is how the reader is introduced to the characters: as the crow flies. We fly from house to house and area to area learning about the interesting personalities that make Neawanaka the small town that it is.



No sugar, please, just black--Oregon Coffee.



This is probably the best quotation to describe the intimacy we see here.  There are many, many characters and the book is written episodically so that we can experience the most meaningful (and sometimes heartbreaking) events that affect the people in Neawanaka.


Many of the characters make quite an impression. For example, Daniel is 12 and wears three braids of different colors, but his amazing story involves an accident on his bike and his rescue by a bear. "Worried Man" is a more ethereal empath who is able to sense the pain of others. Other episodes involve a threatened police officer who loves to listen to Puccini, a very quiet cigarette-smoking doctor, a logger who can't stop talking, a crow who can talk, and the Mink River that tells us about its journey. Even businesses tend to take on personalities, such as the Department of Public Works (prone to counting insects and providing haircuts). We learn about the love affairs of the people in the town as well as their unstoppable tragedies. 


In conclusion, it is safe to say that we experience the most raw and intimate moments of this small Oregon town. The way it is written mimics poetry. We are meant to share in the sadness and happiness of all the people in each of its memorable episodes.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Is Obama the closest "socialist" in character to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin?

The short answer, of course, is "No, he is not." And while you're under no particular obligation to like the President or agree with him politically, let's consider the question as it's framed:


Is President Obama close in character to Stalin or Hitler? They were personally responsible for the extermination of millions of their own countrymen (Hitler in the Holocaust, Stalin mostly by forcibly collectivizing food production in the Soviet Union, starving millions to death). If President Obama has anything comparable on his resume, it has not yet come to light.


Then there is the matter of his "socialism." His economic policies have not, as yet, involved any radically significant redistribution of wealth or government seizure of private property, the two literal definitions of Socialism. Trade unions have not thrived under his administration, nor have firearms been seized on any statistically significant scale.


Evidence does not support your thesis.

What does MacArthur mean when he says "appeasement but begets newer and bloodier wars?"


There are some who for varying reasons would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis that appeasement but begets new and bloodier wars. It points to no single instance where this end has justified that means, where appeasement has led to more than a sham peace. 



The quote above is from Douglas MacArthur's "Farewell Address" to a joint session of Congress on April 19, 1951.  He had just been dismissed by President Harry S. Truman as the commander of American forces in the Korean War . MacArthur was a war hawk, there can be little doubt about that. He was also a fierce cold warrior who wanted to stop communism in its tracks in all corners of the globe.  The passage about appeasement suggests that giving into the enemy or making concessions to the enemy is a policy that will not meet the objective of peace.  He believes that by granting the enemy their way at any point, the end result will be that they will demand more in the future.  MacArthur likens conciliation with your adversary to becoming victims of blackmail.  He believes the rival will keep asking for more until you have no choice but to fight a war that will be more violent.  It will be more violent because you have given the enemy time to recover and your opposition will feel emboldened.  



Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Compare and contrast Popova and Smirnov within the play "The Bear" by Anton Chekhov.

Popova and Smirnov are both land owners. They both avoid contact with the opposite sex although they end up together in the end. Popova lost her husband, who she later discovered was unfaithful. She had completely dedicated herself to the marriage and was completely faithful to her husband. She did not consider remarrying and instead locked herself up in her home as a show of fidelity. Smirnov avoided contact because he did not trust in the opposite sex. He blamed them for all the trouble that he and men, in general, went through, trying to settle down. Popova and Smirnov were both assertive with regards to their position on the opposite sex.


Popova and Smirnov differed, in that, Popova thought men were unfaithful. Smirnov, on the other hand, thought it was women who were unfaithful. Popova tried to be decent and respectful, but Smirnov was rude and sarcastic from the onset of their conversation.



POPOVA: No, you don't! You're a rude, ill-bred man! Decent people don't talk to a woman like that!


SMIRNOV: What a business! How do you want me to talk to you? In French, or what?


Explain the ‘miracle’ in ‘black ink’ that Shakespeare speaks of in Sonnet 65.

Shakespeare had a deservedly high opinion of his poetic genius. It is a bit uncanny that he seems to be knowing that we will be reading his lines so many years after his death. In quite a few sonnets he claims that his poetry is immortal and in some he assures the person to whom those sonnets are addressed that his poetry's immortality will convey immortality on that individual. This is, of course, a poetic conceit; but Shakespeare's sonnets have been read by millions of people and published in countless volumes in English and translations for some four hundred years and are still popular. Many are so well known that they would exist in people's memories even if every printed copy were somehow destroyed. In that sense they are immortal because they exist independently of the "black ink" in which he wrote them and into which they eventually found their way into print.


In Sonnet 65 the poet tells his paramour that he may be able to perform a miracle of preserving that person's beauty against the ravages of time through the magic of his words, whereas there is nothing else that can hold out against Time. Beauty is frail and time is implacable. One wonderful line in Sonnet 65 is:



Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid?



The image is that Time owns a jewel chest into which it places everything that is beautiful just as a woman keeps her jewels in such a chest. The poet's paramour is Time's best jewel, having been produced in the course of time and therefore belonging to Time. 


Shakespeare does not say positively that his Sonnet 65 will perform the miracle of saving his beloved--or at least saving the essence of his beloved's beauty--from Time. The poet does not sound as confident in this sonnet as he does in some other sonnets, such as Sonnet 19 and the marvelous Sonnet 55. In Sonnet 19, which begins with the startling line:



Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws...



he concludes with this very confident couplet:



Yet do thy worst, old Time: despite thy wrong
My love shall in my verse live ever young.



In Sonnet 55, which begins with these famous lines"



Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme,
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time



the poet concludes with this couplet:



So till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.



The loved one will remain alive in this sonnet until Judgement Day, and then be resurrected in the flesh as promised in The Book of Common Prayer:



...we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life...



The beautiful Sonnet 18 which begins with the famous line:



Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?



concludes with this couplet:



So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.



Monday, June 2, 2014

What does author James Hurst mean when he added the scarlet ibis dying in front of Doodle?

James Hurst’s use of the dying bird in “The Scarlet Ibis” is both symbolic and demonstrates foreshadowing.


The scarlet ibis is a rare bird that was pushed to its limits by a storm. It was exhausted from being blown many miles from its native home. It was sick and out of its element. After it landed in the bleeding tree it died in front of the family.



Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree.



Doodle took pity on the beautiful, red bird and gave it a proper burial. Aunt Nicey tells the family dead birds, especially red ones, are bad luck. This foreshadows Doodle’s death. Brother pushed Doodle to his limit, he achieved things that were never expected of him. He was tired and afraid of the storm when he sought shelter in the bleeding tree. He was a rare, delicate child who died under the same tree in which the bird died. James Hurst parallels the two incidents.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

What does Bernice say that betrays how shallow she is?

Although Holden Caulfield is too young to be served drinks in the Lavender Room in Chapter 10 of The Catcher in the Rye, he is more sophisticated than the three girls from Seattle, Washington who laugh at him when he asks if any of them would like to dance. Bernice is the one he favors because she is the best looking and a very good dancer. In those days most girls wanted to get married and have families. The pretty ones could stay at home, wherever "home" was, and have sufficient opportunities to mate. But homely ones like Marty and Laverne, and just so-so ones like Bernice, might have to circulate more before Mr. Right came along. Holden seems funny to them because he is obviously still a kid and definitely not Mr. Right. But he is perhaps better than nothing, and he is willing to spend money on them, and they probably think it looks better to be sitting with one male rather than looking like wallflowers and what they are--three girls hoping to find husbands somewhere, anywhere. And all of them probably will.


Bernice hardly says anything that doesn't sound shallow, but the thing that Holden singles out as a betrayal of her shallowness pops out, apropos of nothing, while they are dancing. 



The funny thing is, I thought she was enjoying it, too, till all of a sudden she came out with this very dumb remark.


"I and my girl friends saw Peter Lorre last night," she said. "The movie actor. In person. He was buyin' a newspaper. He's cute."



It is typical of tourists who come to New York or Los Angeles to expect to see celebrities on every corner. But celebrities tend to stay away from tourist spots such as the Lavender Room. Most celebrities do not like to be stared at, although there are some exceptions. Holden considers Bernice's remark dumb because he has probably seen many famous people in Manhattan and is no longer thrilled or impressed. He probably has learned not to gape at people because he has gotten that peculiar cold stare that speaks volumes. It is not pleasant to meet celebrities as a rule. It is a disappointment. But still there are thousands of people who want to do it, and most of them are likely to mistake ordinary passers-by for famous personalities.


Holden is a very desperately lonely young man. He keeps trying to make contact with a variety of strangers and casual acquaintances in Manhattan and keeps getting disappointed and disillusioned. That is the main theme of this novel. His experience with the "three witches" from Seattle is just one of the many examples of his mistakes. He even invites one of the cab drivers to have a drink with him. His worst mistake is accepting Maurice's offer to send a girl to his hotel room in Chapter 13. Instead of having a fun time and losing his virginity with the girl called Sunny, Holden ends up feeling depressed. He feels even worse when Sunny and Maurice come back in Chapter 14 to extort another five dollars from him.


Sunny is another dumb girl who keeps expecting to see movie stars on every corner. In Chapter 13, she tells Holden he is cute and that he looks like a guy in the movies. 



"What the heck's his name?"

"I don't know," I said. She wouldn't get off my goddamn lap.

"Sure you know. He was in that pitcher with Mel-vine Douglas? The one that was Mel-vine Douglas's kid brother? That falls off this boat? You know who I mean."


How does author Elie Wiesel use symbolism to contribute to the meaning of Night?

In his book Night , Elie Wiesel uses symbolism throughout to enhance the text. First of all, the title itself is symbolic. The word "ni...