In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, what parts of the story can help us infer that one of the overall themes of the story is that knowledge is power?

In Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand, Montag visits Professor Faber at his home to ask for assistance in understanding the texts he is reading. After Faber briefly mentions that he could support a plan that involves planting books in firemen's homes to take the system down from the inside, Montag becomes excited and wants to try it. Faber comments that he is just joking and says,

"You can't guarantee things like that! After all, when we had all the books we needed, we still insisted on finding the highest cliff to jump off. But we do need a breather. We do need knowledge. And perhaps in a thousand years we might pick smaller cliffs to jump off. The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are. They're Caesar's praetorian guard, whispering as the parade roars down the avenue, 'Remember, Caesar, thou art mortal.'" (Bradbury 82)

Faber is explaining how knowledge of the past can positively impact the way we shape our future. Knowing our past mistakes will help us improve humanity and possibly prevent catastrophic decisions from happening again. Knowledge reminds us of errors that we can fix and possibly prevent in the future.

After Montag reads the poem Dover Beach to Mildred and her friends, he goes to the fire station where he sees Beatty. Beatty asks Montag to join him in a hand of poker and proceeds to rack Montag's brain with famous literary quotes that contradict each other. Montag becomes confused as Beatty says,

"for I was doing a terrible thing in using the very books you clung to, to rebut you on every hand, on every point! What traitors books can be! you think they're backing you up, and they turn on you. Others can use them, too, and there you are, lost in the middle of the moor, in a great welter of nouns and verbs and adjectives." (Bradbury 104)

Beatty depicts the power of knowledge when he displays how authors can challenge valid points with their own intellect. He essentially shows Montag that knowledge can be used as a weapon, and those not bright enough to respond with valid arguments become confused or lose during debates. Montag is not knowledge and almost loses his mind during Beatty's diatribe.

What are the top ten events that take place in Act three of Macbeth?

Act 3 of Macbeth is a pivotal part of the play. To summarize, Macbeth plots horrific murders completely on his own, without any hesitation, without any remorse, and without any help from his wife. The top ten events in chronological order would be these:

1. When alone, Banquo voices his suspicion that Macbeth killed Duncan. He then rides out for the afternoon, promising Macbeth to return for the great feast at the castle that evening.

2. Macbeth hires three murderers to kill Banquo and Banquo’s young son, Fleance. The killers slit Banquo’s throat and stab him in the head 20 times, but Fleance escapes.

3. Macbeth is upset Fleance lives, since the witches predicted Banquo’s children would be kings. Macbeth wanted to prevent that by killing Fleance, Banquo’s only son.

4. Macbeth sees Banquo’s bloody ghost at the great feast with dozens of noblemen present. No one else can see the specter, so Macbeth appears to be going crazy. Lady Macbeth makes excuses for Macbeth, saying,

“Sit, worthy friends: my lord is often thus,
And hath been from his youth: pray you, keep seat;
The fit is momentary; upon a thought
He will again be well.”

5. The ghost leaves; Macbeth apologizes to the guests and attempts to continue with the feast normally. But Banquo’s ghost returns and Macbeth again begins shouting at it. Lady Macbeth quickly dismisses the guests.

6. Macbeth vows to visit the witches again.

7. Hecate, the queen of the witches, reprimands the Three Weird Sisters because they did not consult her before they met with Macbeth.  She insists that they prepare an even more evil set of prophecies in order to mislead Macbeth the next time he comes to visit them.

8. From a conversation between Lennox and another lord, we learn that Malcolm, the son of King Duncan, has fled to England to get help. He is gathering an army to attack Scotland and Macbeth.

9. Lennox makes it clear that most noblemen in Scotland see Macbeth as a tyrant and believe he killed Duncan and Banquo.

10. Macduff has gone to England to support Malcolm. Macbeth has denounced him.

How important is Curley to the success of the narrative in Of Mice and Men?

In the narrative of Of Mice and Men, Curley is a pivotal character as the antagonist, especially since his wife is a genitive of him, and, therefore, a part of the conflicts generated by him.

One of the themes of the novella of Steinbeck is the importance of male camaraderie and fraternity. While the men are in the bunkhouse playing cards, for instance, or when they are throwing horseshoes outside the barn, there is an atmosphere that is calm and cheerful. But, when Curley's wife--who has no name but is simply identified as a genitive of Curley--stands in the doorway with her rouged lips, red nails, and red shoes with "little bouquets of red ostrich feathers," this wife of the son of the boss effects discomfort, nervousness, and anxiety among the men, who must control their natural male urges. In short, Curley's wife is an Eve figure, a temptress, who disrupts the peace of her husband and the other men. Realizing this, George tells Lennie,

"...keep away from her, 'cause she's a rat-trap if I ever seen one. You let Curley take the rap."

Certainly, that his wife, the only woman on the ranch, keeps Curley stirred up makes him extremely aggressive toward the other men as he worries about them as rivals.

Thus, he becomes the spoiler of the fraternity of the men, a fraternity that strengthens the spirit and overcomes the terrible alienation of the bindle stiffs. Further in the narrative, after Lennie inadvertently kills Curley's wife, Curley becomes the ultimate antagonist, vowing to kill Lennie. The knowledge that Curley will enact violence upon Lennie, then, propels George to commit his mercy shooting of Lennie.

Who is Boo Radley to Scout and Jem? How do the children and the community shape his identity for him?

Arthur "Boo" Radley is the Finches reclusive, misunderstood neighbor who is the victim of abuse and rumors throughout the community of Maycomb. At the beginning of the novel, Scout and Jem view Boo Radley as the "malevolent phantom" who is responsible for all small crimes committed in the neighborhood. The children view Boo Radley as a legendary figure who dines on squirrels and resembles a monster. Much of their knowledge comes from Stephanie Crawford, the town gossip, as well as their imaginations. Stephanie tells the children she caught Boo peeping in her window one night, and that he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, which adds to his negative reputation. The Radley's defy Maycomb tradition and do not participate in social events, and even keep their shutters and doors closed, which is virtually unheard of in Maycomb. Miss Maudie tells Scout that they are "foot-washing Baptists" who chose to keep Boo isolated after a series of childhood pranks. Since Boo comes from a family who is considered different and never leaves his house, he cannot defend his reputation, resulting in his mysterious, misunderstood identity. The children hear these stories, pass his spooky home, and let their imaginations run wild. In reality, Boo is a sympathetic, shy character who happens to live in an ominous looking house.

How did London change in the period, 1750-1900?

The period, 1750-1900, roughly corresponds with the Industrial Revolution, a time of rapid economic growth in Britain. As the country's capital, London was hugely affected by these changes, in a number of important ways.

Firstly, by far the most striking change in this period was the population. At the beginning of this period, for example, London had a population of 750,000 people. But this increased substantially over the course of the next century: from 3.1 million people in 1860 to over 6 million by 1900. There are a number of reasons for this population boom, including rising rates of immigration and the rise of urbanisation, as people flocked from the countryside to find jobs in the industrialising cities. You can find out more in the first reference link provided.

Secondly, London transportation underwent significant changes in this period. In the 1700s, for instance, London's roads were in a sorry state of disrepair. They were prone to flooding and journeys out of the capital took a long time. It took over two weeks to get from London to Edinburgh, for instance. But all this changed with the coming of the Industrial Revolution. A great boom in road-building began in the 1780s which made travel far easier than before. By the 1830s, for example, the above journey  to Edinburgh took only two days. The number of stagecoaches (covered wagons) increased too, to ferry people and resources across the capital and beyond. Improved coach architecture continued to improve these coaches, making them bigger, more efficient and able to carry heavier loads. London's first railway opened in 1838, prompting a new era in transportation and connecting London to the rest of the country. The famous London Underground also opened in 1863. Please see the second and third reference links for more information. 

Who are the main characters of the movie, "Much Ado About Nothing?"

The 1993 and 2012 film adaptations of William Shakespeare's play, Much Ado About Nothing, feature the same group of main characters. 

First, there are Benedick and Beatrice, who are both very full of themselves, think marriage to be silly, and seemingly hate one another. Then there is the beautiful Hero, cousin of Beatrice and daughter of Leonato. There are also two brothers, Don John (who is a jealous troublemaker) and Don Pedro (who likes to play at matchmaking). Benedick's friend Claudio is also a main character. Other figures in the plot include Margaret and Ursula (Hero's gentlewomen), Borachio and Conrade (Don John's cronies), Dogberry (a bumbling but charismatic constable), and a meddling Friar.

Throughout the course of the play, Don Pedro makes it his task to set up two couples. After successfully making a match of Hero and Claudio, for whom things do not go smoothly, he plays a long-game of making a match out of Benedick and Beatrice.

What would be a good argument for an essay on the film "No Country For Old Men"?

You might consider comparing the film to the book; in my experience, the film is more faithful to the book than almost any other adaptation of a book that I've seen. You might analyze the content of the story (abstracted from the book or film version) and critically analyze the changes that were made, why they were made, and what they contribute or remove from the story. You might also question what the most essential elements of the story are, and whether the film adaptation, by leaving very little out, represents a 100% "essentialism", suggesting that the story is largely bereft of unnecessary elements.

One significant element that was left out was Llewelyn's "relationship" (a non-sexual one) with a teenage hitchhiker. This probably represented temptation, which Llewelyn denied - he stayed faithful to his wife, but he was killed anyway. By contrast, in the film, the girl is left out, and essentially replaced by an anonymous woman in a hotel that invites Llewelyn in for beers, under what are probably less than wholesome intentions. This, at least to me, portrays the film version of Llewelyn as a distinctly more fallible and corruptible person than he is in the novel.

A common and relatively easy topic for "No Country For Old Men" is the idea of evil being essential, omnipresent or all-powerful, and that the individual is often powerless to stop it. You could address this prompt by discussing whether Chigurh is a real person who simply makes strong ideological arguments, or whether he is a sort of personification of death or some other force of nature.