Blog: April 2015

What is Shakespeare's theme of nature in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream satirizes pastoral literature. Pastoral literature, very popular in Shakespeare's day, presents rustic, urban life as ideal and city life as corrupt. Yet, since A Midsummer Night's Dream satirizes pastoral literature, while all the characters venture into nature to escape, they wind up being even further troubled due to corruption. Hence, Shakespeare develops a theme of nature to show that nature isn't really the ideal escape pastoral literature paints it as; so long as human nature exists, corruption will always exist, no matter where the human being is located.

In line with pastoral literature, Shakespeare sets up the city of Athens as a corrupt setting. Its corruption is revealed in its unjust laws. Though Duke Theseus tries to rule based on compassion, reason, and justice, the fact stands that a law exists in Athens permitting a father to execute or exile a daughter who disobeys his wishes, even if his wishes are unjust. We know Egeus's wish for Hermia to marry Demetrius rather than Lysander is unjust and not based on reason because Lysander argues he is as financially capable as Demetrius and accuses Demetrius of unfaithfulness, a rumor Duke Theseus confesses to also having heard: "I must confess that I have heard so much" (I.i.111). For this reason, Theseus takes Egeus and Demetrius aside to try to get them to think more rationally about their desires but apparently does not succeed. The unjust law and Egeus's inability to rationally judge a decision as important as whom his daughter should marry shows the corruptness of Athens.

To escape corruption, Lysander and Hermia venture into the woods, into nature, through which they can traverse to the home of Lysander's aunt, who lives outside of Athens, and live happily ever after. However, corruption pursues them even in the woods when Puck, using magic, mistakenly makes both Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena instead of Hermia. Though magic creates the conflict, the characters' reactions to what they are experiencing as a result of the magic reveals the corrupt nature of their souls.

As an example of corruption, Helena, suddenly finding herself being pursued by two men, accuses all three characters--Lysander, Demetrius, and Hermia--of conspiring to mock her. She particularly accuses Hermia of developing the plot to mock her and temporarily severs her friendship with Hermia, her lifelong friend. Plus, the men feel incited to duel each other to the death. Since the actions of the characters in the woods show that our values, such as of love, life, and friendship, are so fleeting, their actions also show that mankind is corrupt, no matter where mankind is located.

Hence, Shakespeare uses the backdrop of nature to develop a theme that satirizes pastoral literature by showing that mankind is corrupt even in nature.

In "The Open Window," why do you think Saki chose to name the visitor Framton Nuttel?

Framton Nuttel certainly is an unusual name. It helps to characterize the visitor as an odd and eccentric man. The last name of Nuttel must suggest to most readers that the visitor is a little bit nutty, just as Aunt Sappleton's last name suggests the woman is a bit of a sap. Saki may have had another reason for giving the visitor such an unusual name. Authors often have problems choosing names for their characters. If they choose a common name, such as "Bob Wilson," a number of male readers who happen to have that name (or people who know a "Bob Wilson") might think the author is writing about them! This is not important if the character is fairly innocuous. Framton Nuttel is not innocuous, though; he is depicted as an object of ridicule, so Saki probably gave extra thought to Nuttel's name and came up with a name that would keep Nuttel from being mistaken for any man in the general population.

As another example, Vladimir Nabokov created an outrageous character in his novel Lolita. Nabokov didn't want any living man to be offended, so he chose Humbet Humbert, a name that seems as weird as the protagonist and would be impossible to find duplicated in any phone book.

Why do you think it is important to be in favor of women empowerment?

Of course, not everyone thinks it is important to favor women’s empowerment. More importantly, perhaps, not everyone has the same definition of women’s empowerment. Thus, not everyone will answer this question in the same way. In my view, there are two main reasons why we should “empower” women.

The first reason is a pragmatic one. If we do not empower women, our society and economy are likely to be worse off than if we do....

The first reason is a pragmatic one. If we do not empower women, our society and economy are likely to be worse off than if we do. If we empower women, we allow them to reach their full potential. We allow (and encourage) them to become educated and enter any career that appeals to them. This means women will be able to help our economy much more than they would without being empowered. A country that keeps its women subjugated and in ignorance is throwing away half its talent. It is voluntarily reducing its economic potential in a very significant way. Therefore, we should favor women’s empowerment to increase our economic potential and, thereby, our standard of living.

The second reason is a moral one. If we do not empower women, we relegate them to second-class status in our society. A society that does that is saying women are not as important as men and should not be given the same opportunities to fulfill their potential as men. We are saying that women are less valuable and less worthwhile than men. In my view, at least, this is immoral. It is wrong to subjugate a group of people and deny them the right to realize their full potential as human beings. Therefore, we should favor women’s empowerment because it is the right thing to do and failing to empower women is immoral.

Thus, I would say we should favor women’s empowerment because it is pragmatically beneficial to us and the moral thing to do.

Is it true that to borrow books by H.L. Mencken from the library, Richard Wright pretends that he is borrowing them for his master, a white man?

There is some truth to this. In the thirteenth chapter of Black Boy, Richard Wright's autobiography, he describes his experience going to the library. Segregation laws prevented African Americans from checking out books at the public library. Richard Wright borrows the library card of a white coworker. Wright then forges a note from his coworker, giving himself permission to use the card to check out books.

At the library, the staff treats Wright rudely....

At the library, the staff treats Wright rudely. Eventually they allow Wright to check out the books by H.L. Mencken. Wright reads the books, which change his life. Mencken's writings also inspire Wright to become a writer himself.

While the situation described in your question is true, one of the circumstances is not. Richard Wright was born in 1908, over forty years after the end of slavery in the United States. Wright lived under Jim Crowe segregation, but he was never a slave. This means that he did not have a white master.

Summarize the conversation between Raina and Bluntschli in Act 1.

In Act 1 of Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw, Raina and Bluntschli have an extended conversation. The conversation begins when Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary who has been fighting for the Serbs, climbs up Raina's drainpipe onto her balcony to escape the Bulgarian soldiers looking for Serbian stragglers after a battle.

Initially, Bluntschli appears to be in a position of power and Raina a frightened young girl threatened by a professional soldier armed with a pistol,...

Initially, Bluntschli appears to be in a position of power and Raina a frightened young girl threatened by a professional soldier armed with a pistol, but as the conversation continues, their positions are reversed, and we discover Bluntschli to be practical, tired, hungry, and rather unthreatening. Over the course of the conversation, Raina's doubts about the traditional romantic and literary view of war are confirmed by the sensible views of a professional soldier who is distinctly anti-heroic in character. Bluntschli educates Raina while she protects him.

In this conversation we see that despite their initial apparent differences, the two characters are attracted to each other and compatible, something that sets up their marriage at the end of the play.

In Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter," why don't we get any details of the conversation between Patrick and Mary Maloney in which he tells her...

There is no conversation. Roald Dahl deliberately avoids any dialoguing between Patrick and Mary Maloney. Instead, Patrick does all the talking and Mary merely listens. She is so astonished by what she is hearing that she is speechless. Dahl's reason for handling this critical part of the story in the way he does is a matter of speculation. It seems likely that the author did not want Mary to participate in any conversation about the subject because that would have made Patrick's decision less settled, less definite, less final. She is--at least at this point in the story--the kind of woman who would have begged and pleaded if she had had an opportunity to do so. She probably wouldn't have contradicted her husband, but she would have been likely to say such things as, "I'm sorry. I can change. I will. I promise. Please give me a chance. What about our baby?"

Instead of presenting a two-way conversation, the author illustrates what Patrick is saying by showing how Mary might be annoying him and suffocating him with her mothering. To Patrick, Mary might come across as too devoted, too loving, too dependent, too attentive. Here are a few examples:

"I'll get it!" she cried, jumping up.

"Darling, shall I get your slippers?"

"Darling," she said. "Would you like me to get you some cheese?"

"Anyway," she went on, "I'll get you some cheese and crackers first."
"But you must eat! I'll fix it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like."

The author must have wanted to make it clear as quickly as possible that Patrick's decision was final. His apparent coldness and brutality make Mary's extreme reaction more plausible. He doesn't give her a chance to protest or ask for clarification. When she clobbers him over the head with the frozen leg of lamb, the reader can understand and sympathize with her abrupt change of character. At the same time, the fact that she has always been so loving and devoted help her to avoid suspicion. Both Patrick and Mary are well known to the investigating officers, and they believe the Maloneys had an ideal marriage.

Can you give an example of how human decency is or isn't displayed in H.G. Wells's The Time Machine?

While the Eloi in The Time Machine are a beautiful race that the time traveler meets in the future, they are actually cruel in many ways and lack human decency. In order to live their lives of ease and relaxation, they rely on the unending exploitation of the Morlocks, the underground race that serves them. The Eloi appear to live in a utopia, but they are so unable to take care of themselves that they rely on the Morlocks. The time traveler also realizes that the Eloi are so ineffectual and weak that they are incapable of the sympathy and care that are the marks of human decency. He meets Weena when she is floating downstream in a current, and none of the Eloi seem to notice or care. He saves her, and, to his surprise, she shows him gratitude. While the Morlocks are carnivorous troglodytes bent on the destruction of the time traveler, the Eloi also lack human decency because they are so passive.

Outside of the peripheral context of Joyce's short story "Araby" speaking to youthful desire and curiosity, how do Mikhal Bakhtin's main theories...

Outside of the peripheral context of "Araby," Mikhal Bahktin's theories of polyphony and heteroglossia closely correspond to Marx's theory of alienation and dialectic materialism. In fact, Marx was strongly influenced by many of Bakhtin's ideas, particularly polyphony.

To understand the connection between Marx's and Bakhtin's theories in this context, it is necessary to delve into the subtle yet important differences between heteroglossia and polyphony. Heteroglossia refers to the speech and words of another person, many of which are appropriated expressions filtered through an individual context, as demonstrated in the narrator's perception in "Araby." Polyphonic theory incorporates many speakers or voices with various styles and assumptions with a clear distinction between these voices and the speaker's. Heteroglossia is influenced by other voices and it can be difficult to tell the difference between the speaker and those outside influences. The distinction between the speaker and other styles is far more pronounced in polyphony.

Dialectical materialism, according to Karl Marx, is a method of understanding reality that serves as the foundation of Marxist thought. Dialectical materialism seeks to understand the reality of things in a concrete manner by getting to the root of their existence. In dialectical materialism, each thing has its own objective reality that can be arrived at apart from any spiritual or immaterial interpretation, but immaterial things may be obtained through material means.

The interplay between dialectical materialism, polyphony, and heteroglossia is best illustrated in Bakhtin's discussion of dialectics. Bakhtin explains that dialectics is derived from dialogue, and that there are various socio-linguistic dialects that contribute to the phenomenon of heteroglossia. In the Marxist dialectic, the voice of the oppressed triumphs over the voice of the oppressors and effectively creates a dialogue between these two competing voices.

In a sense, Bakhtin's heteroglossia supports Marx's dialectical materialism by reinforcing objective reality through a dialogue between competing voices that is eventually won or lost. Under this definition of dialectic materialism influenced by heteroglossia and polyphony, the intangible is brought about by the material. For example, the narrator in "Araby" attempts to gain something immaterial (the girl's affection) by taking a physical action (visiting "Araby" to bring her a present). In "Araby," these concepts are strongly illustrated in the competing internal voice of the narrator and the external voices of the adults he encounters.

Marx's theory of alienation can be found throughout "Araby" as well. As the story progresses, the narrator moves from youthful idealism to a kind of alienation that is found in many of Marx's writings. He is not only alienated from the adults in his life, but also from the girl whose affections he hoped to win with a present. As his alienation increases, the narration shifts from heteroglossia to polyphony. In the beginning, the narrator's own voice was heavily influenced by the adults and culture around him, but towards the end those influences begin to take on their own voices and become distinct form the narrator's own unique way of speaking.

Each of these unique theories plays a role in understanding "Araby." While the work seems simple on the surface, its simplicity is used to showcase the practical application of both Marx's and Bakhtin's theories.

Why might Mrs. Jones feel compelled to help Roger in "Thank You, M'am"?

Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones feels sorry for Roger because she sees him out alone late at night with his face dirty. She understands that he is not a hardened criminal. He is just a kid who made a bad choice and has no role models.

Mrs. Jones decides to be a role model for Roger. When he asks her if she is going to turn him in, she says she won’t and tells him to wash his face. She seems to feel sorry for him and want to offer him guidance.

He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes and blue jeans.

The woman said, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?”

Mrs. Jones confides in Roger that she has made some choices she is not proud of. She tells him she was young once too. Her reflection helps bring Roger out of his shell.

“… You thought I was going to say, but I didn’t snatch people’s pocketbooks. Well, I wasn’t going to say that.” Pause. Silence. “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know. …”

Roger asks Mrs. Jones if she needs anything from the store, but she declines. They never get very close, even though it is clear that she has made an impression on him. When he leaves, it seems that they are never going to see each other again. Mrs. Jones said any contact with her would "last awhile," and she was right. The impression she makes on Roger will be a long-standing one.

Mrs. Jones’s past is somewhat of a mystery to us, but it is clear that she has had some hardships. Now she works for a beauty shop and seems to work late, since she was out so late at night. She also appears to live alone in a boarding house, so we do not know where her husband is or if she ever had a son of her own.

Please discuss forms of imperialism from the 18th to 21st centuries from the books The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer and The Devil and Mr. Casement by...

The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer is about the Dulles brothers--John Foster Dulles (who served as Secretary of State from 1953 to 1959) and Allen Dulles (who served as head of the CIA from 1953 to 1961). Their view of American foreign policy and American imperialism during the Cold War was formed, Kinzer writes, by fear. He states, "Foster and Allen were chief promoters of this fear" (page 312). Their ideology, which Kinzer thinks helped to eventually involve the U.S. in conflicts such as Vietnam, was also founded on the idea that "Providence had ordained a special role for the United States" (page 312). They believed in American Exceptionalism, the idea that the U.S. is different from other nations and has a commitment to liberty and equality that other nations don't have and that Americans do not need to adhere to when interacting with other countries. Finally, the Dulles brothers believed in a kind of "missionary Calvinism, which holds that the world is a eternal battleground between saintly and demonic forces" (page 312). These views informed the Dulles brothers' brand of imperialism and made them eager to take on the Soviet Union and fight communism in all corners of the world, including areas such as Guatemala and Iran (page 102) that threatened to turn communist.

The Devil and Mr. Casement is about Roger Casement, the British diplomat who wrote the 1903 Casement Report about the horrors that King Leopold II had perpetrated in the Congo Free State. Casement also revealed the abuses that the Peruvian Amazon Committee had inflicted on the Putumayo Indians while they were engaging in extracting rubber. In the Congo, Leopold carried out the worst forms of abuse. There were rumors of this abuse, but no one could substantiate them. Casement traveled to the interior of the Congo to do so. As Goodman writes, "The rumors were not exaggerated. Leopold's system was brutal" (page 8). For example, Leopold's private police force, the Force Publique, cut off people's hands and feet if they did not meet their quota for extracting rubber (page 10). Leopold was eventually stripped of the Congo Free State, which he owned personally. During the phase of his imperialist control of the area, the local people were subject to the worst kinds of abuses. Casement's report ended his control and this phase of Belgian imperialism in the Congo.

Outline the acquisition of data through the technology of satellite remote-sensing and provide one example of the application of remote-sensing...

Remote-sensing is the practice of recording objects or environmental phenomena (sensing) from a far-away place (remote). So, satellite remote-sensing refers to the practice of using satellites or drones to collect information about objects or remote phenomena within the instantaneous-field-of-view (IFOV) of a sensor system. The sensor system, of course, is located on the satellite, space shuttle, rocket, or drone.

Basically, the sensor on a satellite platform records the electromagnetic energy reflected by the object or...

Basically, the sensor on a satellite platform records the electromagnetic energy reflected by the object or target. There are two types of sensors. Passive sensors are used when naturally-occurring energy is available (for example, when the sun is shining during the day). Active sensors, on the other hand, can be used at any time of the day or night. These sensors work by emitting radiation towards the target in question. Reflected radiation from the target is then measured by the sensor.

The sensors record radiation all across the electromagnetic spectrum; unlike the human eye (which can only detect visible light), these special sensors can detect infrared and ultraviolet light. The reflected radiation from the target object is then turned into images and used as a surrogate for the actual target. Invisible light such as infrared or ultraviolet light are represented by different colors in satellite images. In order to interpret these images, scientists turn to visual or digital image processors. This is the basic process of acquiring data through remote-sensing satellite technology.

An example of how remote-sensing technology can benefit daily life is in the area of hurricane or storm forecasting. Since tropical hurricanes and cyclones often cost billions of dollars in property damage and the loss of countless lives, remote-sensing technology is crucial to public safety. Gathered data over decades has allowed scientists to forecast when these dangerous storms will make landfall; this allows the public to prepare and to leave affected areas before they do. Scientists can also track, examine, and study these decades of satellite data to determine patterns of hurricane and storm formation.

For more on the uses of remote-sensing satellite technology, please refer to the links below.

What was the purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau established by Congress in 1865?

Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1865. Congress understood that the freed slaves were going to need some assistance. Many slaves had no formal education and had little or no money. The Freedmen’s Bureau was designed to help the former slaves adjust to being free after the Civil War ended.

The Freedmen’s Bureau did many things for the former slaves. It provided the former slaves with items that they needed such as food and clothing....

The Freedmen’s Bureau did many things for the former slaves. It provided the former slaves with items that they needed such as food and clothing. Medical care was also provided. The Freedmen’s Bureau helped the former slaves establish schools so they and/or their children could get an education. This agency also helped them get fair wages. Legal help was available if needed. Finally, it tried to help the former slaves get land that had been abandoned by the Confederate army.

The Freedmen’s Bureau lasted until 1872 when it closed due to a lack of funding as well as pressure from those opposed to Reconstruction.

How does "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe relate to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and what are the similarities in their tragic events?

There are common themes of deep, obsessive love and unimaginable loss in the poem “The Raven” and the play Romeo and Juliet. They are both dark, brooding pieces.

The speaker in "the Raven" is a student who is visited by a talking raven one night. The bird reminds him of his sadness and isolation. He recently lost his great love, Lenore. He tries to get his mind off of it, but it is pointless.

...

There are common themes of deep, obsessive love and unimaginable loss in the poem “The Raven” and the play Romeo and Juliet. They are both dark, brooding pieces.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Nameless here for evermore.

It is not entirely clear what happened to Lenore, but given the speaker’s misery and Poe’s past, it is likely she died. She is lost to the speaker, causing him to be severely depressed. Losing Lenore might not be as dramatic as Romeo and Juliet’s demise, but I would argue the love story behind “The Raven” is every bit as meaningful as the one in the play.

Romeo and Juliet’s deaths were caused by a family feud. They fell madly in love, but had to keep their love and marriage a secret. Then Romeo was banished because of a fight that occurred because of the feud. Juliet faked her death to avoid being forced to marry another man. Romeo does not know Juliet is not actually dead, and life without her seems so miserable that he takes poison and kills himself.

… O, here
Will I set up my everlasting rest,
And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars
From this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death! (Act V, Scene 3)

Juliet awakens to find Romeo has committed suicide. She then takes her dagger and kills herself. The two are so deeply in love that they cannot bear the thought of being apart. Like the speaker in "The Raven," love is everything to Romeo and Juliet. Its absence is unbearable. The difference is in the degree of their reactions; Romeo and Juliet kill themselves.

What did Augustus do to reform Roman politics, the military, the economy, society and religion to keep the empire together?

Augustus, the first Roman Emperor (who ruled from 27 BCE to 14 CE), wanted to restore ancient Roman religion to improve the moral behavior of the Romans. To this end, he gave himself the title pontifex maximus, or religious head of the empire, and brought back the priesthood. He also restored religious holidays such as Lustrum and started the Imperial Cult to worship the emperor as a god. This cult gained immense popularity. In addition, he restored public monuments, such as the Temple of the Gods, and built monuments that featured traditional Roman scenes, such as the Roman family, and that featured Roman gods such as Apollo and Mars.

To restore what he considered proper moral behavior and to curtail the practice of having children out of marriage and through adulterous liaisons, he gave financial and political rewards to people who had three children, particularly sons. Men over 38 who were not married were heavily taxed, and they were not allowed to attend public games. Finally, laws required Romans to marry (a law called the ex Julia de maritandis ordinibus) and outlawed celibacy and marriage without having children. Adultery became a crime punishable by the state in the lex Julia de adultenis.

Politically, Augustus placated the Roman senators by revoking the emergency powers that the Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony had exercised and returned these powers to the Senate and the people. However, he agreed to retain his emergency powers over rebellious provinces. After he returned power to the Senate, he took the title Augustus in 27 BCE. By taking the title Augustus, he became the first in a line of Roman emperors.

To reform the military, Augustus created the Praetorian Guard, an elite unit meant to protect the emperor. He also used the wealth collected from Egypt to pay off the troops and reduced the number of legions while sending military veterans to the provinces. He gave the veterans lands in these provinces and ensured that the provinces remained peaceful.

He also instituted economic reforms, including creating a treasury department and standard denominations in the currency. Bronze currency, the issuing of which had been disturbed in the civil wars, was begun again, and he personally oversaw the coinage of gold and silver. Gold became part of the monetary system for the first time in Rome's history.

Why did Roy think that fighting back against Dana Matherson would be a waste of time?

Roy thought that fighting back against Dana Matherson would be a waste of time because Dana outweighed him by about fifty pounds. For his part, Roy distracted himself by watching a strange boy running on the sidewalk, parallel to the moving school bus.

According to the text, Dana had grabbed Roy's head from behind and rammed it into the window of the school bus. The bully had then held Roy's head against the window for...

According to the text, Dana had grabbed Roy's head from behind and rammed it into the window of the school bus. The bully had then held Roy's head against the window for good measure. Dana's goal, of course, was to earn the satisfaction of hearing that Roy had had enough of the pain he was being subjected to. For his part, Roy was more interested in why the strange boy wore no shoes, carried no backpack, and toted no books on what was obviously a school day.

Roy had hardly felt Dana's fingernails digging into his scalp, perhaps because his threshold for pain was greater than Dana had realized. So, Roy didn't fight back against Dana for two reasons. First, Dana was about fifty pounds heavier than Roy. Fighting back would have been "a complete waste of energy." Second, Dana was known to be the resident school bus bully and a "well-known idiot" who probably couldn't be reasoned with.

In "The Seven Ages of Man," why does the speaker compare "reputation" to a "bubble"?

Jaques seems to be saying that reputation for valor is fleeting. It is something that looks impressive like a large bubble, but it can vanish in an instant like a bursting bubble. Shakespeare expresses a very similar notion in another play, Troilus and Cressida. In that play Achilles has refused to fight because he feels insulted by Agamemnon. Ulysses is trying to persuade Achilles to engage in battle again because he is such a great warrior and so badly needed by the Greeks. Ulysses works on Achilles' pride by getting the other leaders to ignore him and to pretend to be honoring Ajax as their great hero. Ulysses tells Achilles, in effect, that what you have done in the past is quickly forgotten; you have to keep accomplishing new deeds if you want your reputation to remain bright. That is the essence of what Ulysses tells Achilles in a long speech beginning with the following lines.

Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back,
Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,
A great-siz'd monster of ingratitudes.
Those scraps are good deeds past, which are devour'd
As fast as they are made, forgot as soon
As done. Perseverance, dear my lord,
Keeps honour bright. To have done is to hang
Quite out of fashion, like a rusty mail
In monumental mock'ry. Act III, Scene 3

This is what Jaques is implying when he speaks of the "bubble reputation" in As You Like It. Reputation doesn't last. Therefore, according to Jaques, it isn't worth seeking. He believes that a soldier is foolish to look for something so fragile and valueless at great risk to his own life.

Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. Act II, Scene 7

Zaroff refers to the shipwrecked sailors as "specimens" instead of "men." Why would Zaroff do that?

Zaroff calls the shipwrecked sailors that he hunts "specimens," because he doesn't consider them human men anymore. They are simply game targets to be hunted down and killed for his personal pleasure.

Let's look at the definition of "specimen."

an individual animal, plant, piece of a mineral, etc., used as an example of its species or type for scientific study or display.

That is a great definition when considering Zaroff. A human being ...

Let's look at the definition of "specimen."

an individual animal, plant, piece of a mineral, etc., used as an example of its species or type for scientific study or display.

That is a great definition when considering Zaroff. A human being is an animal. There are six kingdoms of classification, and humans have to fit into one of them. We are not either of the bacteria kingdoms. We are not fungi, protists, or plants either. Humans are animals. To Zaroff, a human just happens to be his favorite animal prey to hunt.

The final part of the definition is also important. A specimen is a single example of the entire species. Its purpose is either for study or display. Zaroff's trophy room has many specimens on display.

About the hall were mounted heads of many animals--lions, tigers, elephants, moose, bears; larger or more perfect specimens Rainsford had never seen.

I am a little surprised that Zaroff doesn't have a human on display, because he most definitely is not using the sailors for scientific study. The sailors are targets for him to kill and "hold up" as trophies on display. Each sailor that he holds prisoner is a specimen to Zaroff, because each human prey is representative of the larger human species that he now enjoys hunting more than anything else.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, identify eight scenes that were similar to the Holocaust time period.

I think that one of the most effective scenes to mirror the Holocaust was where Bruno, Shmuel, and other people were herded into the gas chamber. The panic that the scene captured, in terms of the people being taken inside and then when the doors closed was quite realistic. The gas chamber was one of the most "efficient" ways that the Nazis killed their prisoners. One detail that the film captures was how there was a panic-filled set of minutes between the locking of the door and the distribution of the pellets that would set off the reaction to release the fatal gas. The way the film captured that sad moment was very reflective of the Holocaust time period.

Kotler abusing Pavel and Shmuel are two scenes that reflect the cruelty of the Nazis during the Holocaust. Pavel is an old man and Shmuel is a child. However, Kotler does not miss the chance to physically and emotionally abuse them. The barbarism he displays is effective in recreating the terror that was the Holocaust. Both Pavel and Shmuel did not do anything wrong, and yet they were the recipients of brutality, a reality that many experienced in the Holocaust.

Shmuel's small hands are shown in unflinching detail. This reflects how many victims of the Nazis were starved. The small fingers mirror his emaciated body, something that brings to light the thinness of the victims. When Allied forces liberated the camps, the sight of the gaunt bodies made them think they were witnessing the walking dead, something that the scene with Shmuel's tiny fingers conveys quite well.

From the Nazi side of reality, the dinner scene conversation between Kotler and Bruno's father shows how the Nazis compartmentalized what they were doing. The conversation that takes place does not acknowledge the moral or ethical implications behind being the architects of millions of deaths. Rather, their conversation is very banal. It is everyday conversation about their own lives, something that seems to go against the idea that a massive scale of death and suffering is taking place outside. There was a compartmentalization to many Nazis. What they did at "work" was never brought home. They were model husbands, wives, and parents at home, even though they spent their days at work committing atrocities to husbands, wives, and parents.

The fence that divides Bruno and Shmuel is another effective scene. The barbed wire was something that many survivors of the Holocaust never forgot. The world outside that fence was so much happier, so much better, than what was in it. A simple change in placement in relation to that fence altered so much, and the fact that Bruno is one side while Shmuel is on the other communicates that quite well.

Herr Liszt's teachings were another historically valid element in the film. The Nazis used education as propaganda to indoctrinate millions of German children to embrace antisemitism and Germany's perceived greatness. This use of propaganda helped to ensure the obedience and conformity which facilitated the millions of deaths within the Holocaust.

Finally, the smoke from the chimneys alerts Bruno's mother what is taking place at Auschwitz. This is historically accurate because the massive scale of death was communicated through the crematorium's smoke. Upon seeing Auschwitz for the first time, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel writes, "Never shall I forget that smoke." This conveys how intense and dominant the smoke was, the very same smoke that causes Bruno's mother to speak to her husband with condemnation and shame at the role he is playing in one of history's saddest chapters.

How does temperature affect the formation of magma?

Magma is another name for molten rocks. Due to the heat of Earth's interior, rocks melt and rise to the surface. If there is an opening in the Earth's crust, the molten rocks flow over the surface and are known as lava. This is observed during volcanic eruptions.

The melting of rocks is a function of temperature. The higher the temperature, the more rock melts and the less viscous the magma is. It should be...

The melting of rocks is a function of temperature. The higher the temperature, the more rock melts and the less viscous the magma is. It should be noted that there are a variety of rocks in the Earth's mantle and they melt at different temperatures. If the temperature is lower, only some rocks (generally the ones with more silicon content) will melt. Thus, at lower temperatures, we will observe magma with high silicon content. Temperature also affects the final magma composition and structure. For example, at lower temperatures, the magma crystallizes faster.

Hope this helps.

Lithium has the highest specific heat of any pure metal. The temperature of a 25.00 g sample of lithium will increase by 7.69 K when 684.4 J of...

The specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius (or Kelvin). The heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance is given as:

heat energy = mass of substance x specific heat of the substance x change in temperature

Here, mass of substance = 25 g

change in temperature = 7.69 K

heat energy needed = 684.4 J

Substituting...

heat energy = mass of substance x specific heat of the substance x change in temperature

Here, mass of substance = 25 g

change in temperature = 7.69 K

heat energy needed = 684.4 J

Substituting these values in the equation, we get:

684.4 J = 25 g x specific heat of lithium x 7.69 K

or specific heat of Lithium = 684.4 J / (25 g x 7.69 K) = 3.56 J/g/K

We can also specify the specific heat of lithium as 3560 J/kg/K.

In comparison, the specific heat of water is 4.186 J/g/K or 4186 J/kg/K.

Hope this helps.

What examples of hyperbole appear in the poem "the mother" by Gwendolyn Brooks?

With its title purposefully written in all lowercase letters to emphasize humility, "the mother" is a poem about a woman who acknowledges the children she would have had if she had decided not to abort them.

In such a dramatic and emotional situation, some hyperbole (or exaggeration for effect) might be expected, but isn't truly necessary: when the speaker simply states the reality of her situation as an impoverished woman with deep regrets, it's dramatic...

For example, the second stanza is full of highly poignant statements addressed to the unborn children, like "If I poisoned the beginnings of your breaths." Whether that is hyperbole or not is arguable; "poisoned...your breaths" could be a literal description of the abortion procedure coming from an uneducated speaker who doesn't quite understand all the medical details. Earlier in that same stanza, the speaker also says: "If I stole your births and your names." Is this language figurative and dramatic? Yes. Hyperbolic? Not really. The decision to abort really did negate the births and names of the would-be children.

Here is the only instance of definite hyperbole that does appear in the poem: "Return for a snack of them, with gobbling mother-eye."

Here, "them" means "the children." To say that the speaker could never "snack" on her children with a "gobbling" eye is an exaggerated way of expressing a mother's zealous affection for her children. You know how people sometimes say "You're so cute, I could just eat you up" to little kids? The same idea appears in this poem. It's hyperbolic because it elevates the idea of gazing lovingly at your kids and perhaps hugging and kissing them to the idea of actually consuming them. That's hyperbole.

Again, other dramatic statements in the poem may be argued to be hyperbolic, but the statement above is the only obvious, completely defensible instance of hyperbole.

What biblical allusions are used in Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson?

The first Biblical allusion from Chains is an allusion to Queen Esther from the book of "Esther." The allusion can be found in Chapter Ten. Isabel previously overheard Master Lockton explaining his plan to bribe soldiers in the Patriot army to fight for the British. Later that night Isabel sneaks out of the house in order to inform Curzon about the information that she heard. Isabel must sneak through the city streets and remain unseen...

Another major Biblical allusion is about the Jordan River. The Jordan River is in Israel, so Isabel is obviously not in proximity to the real Jordan River. In the book of "Joshua," the Israelites cross over the Jordan in order to enter the promised land of Canaan. By crossing the river, the Israelites finally arrive "home" and can be free. Isabel must cross her own "Jordan" in order to be free of slavery and the Locktons. The Jordan River allusion occurs several times throughout the story, but a noticeable occurrence is when the old man at the tea water pump tells Isabel to look for her Jordan.

"Look hard for your river Jordan, my child. You'll find it."

How does history help citizens know their own countries better?

The study of history helps citizens know their country better. By studying history, people can learn how their country formed and then developed over time. They can discover which countries were their friends and which were their enemies. They can also see how they have treated other people, either living in their country or those people living in other places around the world.

By studying history, people can learn what resources their country had and...

By studying history, people can learn what resources their country had and how those resources were used to help the country grow and develop. People can learn how their country dealt with serious issues that impacted their country. They also can learn how their culture developed. By studying history, they can learn how workers were treated and how, or if, the government valued the citizens. Through the study of history, people can learn about wars in which their country fought. They can also learn about how their country built an empire or if their country built an empire.

A person can learn a lot about their country by studying its history.

How does the following quote by Edward Said apply to Brave New World? "Exile is strangely compelling to think about, but terrible to experience....

This quote by Edward Said can be applied, in particular, to two characters: Linda and her son John, the "Savage." Linda, the perfectly conditioned Beta, finds herself trapped on the Savage Reservation. While her memories of her former world are the stuff of comedy and satire, a pathos runs through her inability to adjust to the Reservation and in her deep longing to return home, shallow and inadequate as her consumerist society might appear to...

“... of course there wasn’t anything like an Abortion Centre here. Is it still down in Chelsea, by the way?” she asked. Lenina nodded. “And still floodlighted on Tuesdays and Fridays?” Lenina nodded again. “That lovely pink glass tower!” Poor Linda lifted her face and with closed eyes ecstatically contemplated the bright remembered image. “And the river at night,” she whispered. Great tears oozed slowly out from behind her tight-shut eyelids. “And flying back in the evening from Stoke Poges. And then a hot bath and vibro-vacuum massage.”

Beneath the satire, Linda's pathos lies in her sadness at being severed from her known world, which she has no training to understand and which can only be cured by staying in a haze of mesquite or soma.

Though an outsider on the Savage Reservation, John is even more of an outsider when he travels to his mother's world. He longs for the Reservation and, perhaps even more, for the world he learned of in Shakespeare: a world in which people feel their pain, suffer, and create art, a world in which he feels people are fully human, not narcotized, conditioned and controlled. He puts it as follows:

“But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”

Mond's "brave new world" has eliminated all that and so John feels "an essential sadness that can never be surmounted."

Why does Brutus choose to commit suicide at Philippi in Julius Caesar?

Choice A is the correct answer: To ancient Romans, suicide was an honorable way to die if it helped one avoid defeat and humiliation.

In Ancient Rome, suicide was considered an honorable alternative to being humiliated by the enemy. Brutus and Cassius did not want to be captured by Antony and Octavius and marched in triumph through Rome. A triumph was a military parade where the victor showed off his spoils and his captives. ...

Choice A is the correct answer: To ancient Romans, suicide was an honorable way to die if it helped one avoid defeat and humiliation.

Before the battle, Brutus and Cassius discuss their plans if things go wrong. They do not plan to be Antony’s captives. This is a civil war. To be marched in their own city as captives is unthinkable.

CASSIUS

Then, if we lose this battle,
You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the streets of Rome?

BRUTUS

No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman,
That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;
He bears too great a mind. … (Act 5, Scene 1)

What do you do then? If victory is out of grasp and it looks like there is a certain defeat, Brutus and Cassius agree that they will kill themselves. In fact, each of them do. Cassius thinks that he sees his enemies surrounding his men, when in fact it is a victory celebration he sees. He commits suicide prematurely, on his birthday.

Brutus commits suicide later, when he knows that all is lost.

… Countrymen,
My heart doth joy that yet in all my life
I found no man but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this losing day
More than Octavius and Mark Antony
By this vile conquest shall attain unto.
So fare you well at once; for Brutus' tongue
Hath almost ended his life's history … (Act 5, Scene 5)

Antony later calls Brutus the noblest Roman of them all. He believes that unlike some of the other members of the conspiracy, Brutus was not involved for fame or power. He really was doing what he thought was best for Rome.

Is it important that Jonas sees the apple change in The Giver?

It is important that Jonas sees the apple change because it is his first indication that he is different and his community is not what it seems.

When Jonas is growing up, he believes what everyone in his community believes. He thinks the community is perfect, all citizens are happy, and Sameness ensures no one is ever uncomfortable. The strict rules and conformity are necessary to maintain the community’s structure and happiness. When Jonas sees the apple change, he realizes nothing is what it seems.

The apple changing is the first sign Jonas is different from others and that the community is hiding a secret. Jonas is the only one who notices anything unusual about the apple. He sees it change when he is tossing it to his friend Asher.

But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had—well, this was the part that he couldn't adequately understand—the apple had changed. Just for an instant (Chapter 3).

Jonas asks Asher about it, but he notices nothing unusual about the apple. Jonas tries to bring the apple home, but he can’t see anything different about it. All that happens is that he is publicly chastised for hoarding food. The Speaker doesn’t mention him by name, but Jonas knows the Speaker is talking about him. That’s how it works in Jonas’s world. You conform, or else.

When Jonas turns Twelve, he finds out what the change was all about. At the Ceremony of Twelve, his number is skipped when he is supposed to be called for his assignment. He and the other audience members are told by the Chief Elder that he has been given an unusual assignment and has been selected Receiver of Memory. It is a job that requires special skills, personality traits, and one unique ability.

Finally, The Receiver must have one more quality, and it is one which I can only name, but not describe. I do not understand it. You members of the community will not understand it, either. Perhaps Jonas will, because the current Receiver has told us that Jonas already has this quality. He calls it the Capacity to See Beyond (Chapter 8).

Jonas realizes he does have this unique ability. He saw the apple change. He sees the faces of people in the crowd change. He learns through his training that this means he is susceptible to the memories. Only a very small percentage of people in his community are, and Jonas is one of them.

When he begins his training, Jonas finds out he is seeing color. No one else in his community does. The apple was red, and he was seeing its redness. When he receives memories, he starts to see all the colors.

As extraordinary as it is to have a special ability no one else has, akin to a magic trick, the really important thing about Jonas and the apple is that it is the first time Jonas and the reader realize something else is going on behind the community’s perfect surface. The community is much darker than Jonas realized.

As part of his training, Jonas begins to see the community's dark side and that another way of life is possible. It is the way of life he sees in the memories, a way of life that is not devoid of feelings and ruled by politeness. Jonas begins to doubt his community and is eventually forced to leave it.

Why is the fence a significant symbol in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne?

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the fence is a significant symbol because fences are always a means of separation and containment.

Often, too, fences are a means of preventing that which is behind it from entering one's property or interfering with one's privacy. During the Nazi regime, Jews were removed from Germany after several restrictions and taxes were placed upon them. Their property and money were confiscated, and they were removed from Poland and other countries in which the Nazis exerted control. Placed in concentration camps such as Auschwitz--Out-With, as Bruno thinks it is called--they were contained behind barbed-wire fences that are topped with concertina wire, as well.

Huge wooden posts, like telegraph poles, dotted along it, holding it up. At the top of the fence enormous bales of barbed wire were tangled in spirals, and Gretel felt an unexpected pain inside her as she looked at the sharp spikes sticking out all the way around it. (Ch.4)

It is apparent to the children that whoever is behind the fence that is topped with this concertina wire (often called "razor wire") so that no escape is possible are treated as less than human beings. It is also apparent from the distance of this fenced area that there should be no contact made with whomever is contained within this area. Bruno and his sister may assume that those inside this type of fence may be inferior, criminal, not the same, or even dangerous in some way to those on the outside.

How are the past and present skillfully blended in Miller's Death of a Salesman to illustrate the disturbed mind of Willy Loman. How effectively...

Miller originally titled his play The Inside of his Head, suggesting much of the story would be about Willy Loman's illusions. To indicate the parts of the action that take place in the present moment, and therefore in the "reality" portions of the play, Miller had his characters at those moments observe the imaginary wall lines around rooms (in other words, they were instructed not to walk through places where walls were supposed to be) and to enter and exit the house only through the door. When characters, in contrast, imagine scenes from the past, they step straight through walls. For the settings outside of the house representing these imaginings, Miller directed that only a few chairs or a table be set up, in contrast to the more fully furnished house interiors. Different lighting and sparse furnishings conveyed the dreamlike, unrealistic quality of the past as Willy remembered it.

Most critics agree Miller was highly effective at portraying Willy's character through the disjunction or slippage between the reality of his present life and his illusions of grandeur. Willy is a man who has missed out on what could have been a happy and fulfilling life by pursuing a dream, an illusion. He sought the American Dream represented by his father, his brother, and Dave Singleton, a much older man from his youth who Willy remembers as a successful businessman. A big part of Willy's dream revolves around money, but beyond that, Willy dreamed of making easy money, believing personality or charisma mean more than hard work or education and that it is possible money can simply fall into a person's lap. In his dreams, for example, Willy idealizes Singleton as a salesman who could put on his green velvet slippers and sell from his room by making phone calls. Even at age 84, Singleton, in Willy's memory, was making an easy living. When he sees that, Willy says, "I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want."

By juxtaposing the false, inflated dreams inside Willy's head with the reality of his life, Miller offers a searing and effective portrait of Willy's failure. At 63, Willy is not rolling in the easy money he has dreamed of all his life; instead, he still works very hard and struggles to pay his bills. His dream is just that: a fantasy. We as an audience wouldn't be able to see this without the comparison to his real life, so the play is effective in going back and forth between the two. Finally, the play shows that in reality Willy's talent lies in carpentry and working with his hands, but rather than valuing this, accepting his limitations, and loving himself, as his wife, Linda, does, Willy sacrifices himself to an illusion of getting rich through selling. Linda can accept Willy as flawed but worthy, while Willy desires to be bigger than life.

Miller shows us Willy living in unreality to the end of his days—his suicide is fueled in part by the grandiose illusion that he is so well known and well liked that people will flock to his funeral, when in reality, hardly anyone shows up.

In Ayn Rand's Anthem, what are some examples of imagery that appeal to our senses of taste and smell?

We made a fire, we cooked the bird, and we ate it, and no meal had ever tasted better to us. And we thought suddenly that there was a great satisfaction to be found in the food which we need and obtain by our own hand. And we wished to be hungry again and soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating (from part Eight: It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest).

The above is an example of gustatory (taste) imagery. Here, Equality 7-2521 kills a bird, cooks it himself, and eats it. It's his first kill in the forbidden forest, and he finds that he enjoys this transcending experience of autonomy and independence. The food tastes better than anything he's been forced to eat for most of his life. The imagery illustrates Equality 7-2521's wonder and delight in being able to savor the taste of roasted bird meat.

We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the Street Sweepers. But here, in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure under the ground. There is no odor of men. And these three hours give us strength for our hours above the ground (from Part Two: Liberty Five-Three Thousand).

The above is an example of olfactory (smell) imagery. Here, Equality 7-2521 revels in being alone in the tunnel he has discovered. The air is clean in the tunnel, and he tells us that, in his opinion, "there is no odor of men" to mar the immaculate purity of the place. The imagery illustrates how special this tunnel is to Equality 7-2521; it smells clean and is a cocoon of peace to him.

How are Hawthorne's stories "Rappaccini's Daughter" and "The Birthmark" thematically similar?

One of the themes which connects "Rapaccini's Daughter" and "The Birthmark" is that of the intellectual pride of the scientist.

In Hawthorne's time, science was not what chemistry and physics are today; rather, it was closer to alchemy, which has spiritual ties. Scientists of this time sought to not only solve the mysteries of nature, but also to master and perfect them. Both Rapaccini and Alymer seek to master nature by perfecting their beloved women, and in so doing, they allow their pride to dominate them.

"Rapaccini's Daughter"

Dr. Rapaccini seeks to protect his daughter from the world by wrapping her in poison to which she develops an immunity because of her father's potions. However, in doing so, he has denied her any human companionship but his own, and, selfishly, he has loved science more than his own flesh and blood. Thus, her life becomes a counterfeit, leaving her bereft of the love that drives the world: the love between woman and man. Without this love, she develops a loving relationship between herself and the purple shrub which is so deadly to all others.

Approaching the shrub, she threw open her arms, as with a passionate ardor, and drew its branches into an intimate embrace; so intimate that her features were hidden in its leafy bosom....

When a young man named Giovanni Guasconti watches her from his window, he falls in love with her, despite her later warnings to stay away. After he goes a few times to the garden and speaks to Beatrice, she explains to him,

"There was an awful doom...the effect of my father's fatal love of science--which estranged me from all society of my kind."

Perceiving that his daughter loves this young man, Dr. Rappacini works on Giovanni, his new experiment, so that he can become a mate for his daughter. However, suspicious of Rappacini's motives, his rival Dr. Baglioni has given Giovanni an antidote to the poison of Beatrice's sister plant so that Beatrice will not harm him. But, thinking if Beatrice drinks it, he can have a close relationship with her, the young man asks her to drink it. So, she does, but it kills her.
Thus, in their intellectual pride, both Dr. Rappicini and Dr. Baglioni have interfered with nature and, in so doing, have destroyed human life.

"The Birthmark"

Similarly, in this story the husband of a beautiful woman whose perfection is marred by a single birthmark wishes to dominate nature and correct its mistake.

Seeing her otherwise so perfect, he found this one defect grow more and more intolerable with every moment of their married lives....

Alymer has a dream in which he attempts to remove the little red hand-shaped mark, but it recedes until it grasps his wife Georgiana's heart. Still, he pursues his experiment. In his vainglorious nature that seeks the possibilities of alchemy, he represses the memory of this dream and pursues his scientific experiment. After some time, because her husband becomes actually repulsed by her birthmark, Georgiana acquiesces to his wish to remove the small mark on her face.

As Georgiana awaits her husband, the chemical odors of Alymer's laboratory contrast with her aromatic boudoir. She then discovers her husband's folio, in which he has recorded his ambitions and labors:

He handled physical details as if there were nothing beyond them; yet spiritualized them all, and redeemed himself from materialism by his strong and eager aspiration towards the infinite.

As Georgiana examines Alymer's writings, she recognizes them as a revelation of the shortcomings of the human against the mysteries of nature. In his love for his wife and his intellectual pride, Alymer can accept nothing less than perfection, so he seeks to rectify the mistake that he believes nature has made. But, as he pours the elixir he has created upon the birthmark, the "fatal hand had grappled with the mystery of life"--her heart--and the birthmark reveals itself as the natural bond between Georgiana's spirit and body--something that in his pride Alymer has not recognized even when his premonition foretells it. Georgiana dies, a victim of Alymer's intellectual pride.

What themes are in Act III, Scene 1, of Romeo and Juliet?

Pride and honor are two themes of this scene. Tybalt wishes to fight Romeo in order to salvage his family's honor, which he believes to have been impugned by Romeo's appearance at the Capulets' party the night before. His pride compels him to confront Romeo over this slight. When Romeo refuses to be baited by Tybalt's insults, Mercutio steps in to fight in his place as a result of Mercutio's own pride. He considers Romeo's refusal to defend himself as a "Dishonorable, vile submission." After Mercutio's death, Romeo feels his own "reputation [has been] stained / With Tybalt's slander" and fights him out of pride as well.

Justice is another theme of this scene. After Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo tells Tybalt, "Either thou or I, or both, must go with him," because someone must accompany his soul to heaven. Romeo thinks it is unfair that Mercutio, who had nothing to do with their quarrel, should be forced to die alone; it is only just that one or both of them die, too. When the prince arrives, Benvolio argues that Tybalt's death at Romeo's hands was just because death would have been his punishment anyway for having killed Mercutio. In the interest of justice, then, the prince condemns Romeo to be banished, not killed.

In "The Red-Headed League" by Arthur Conan Doyle, why was the league suddenly ended?

The league ended when the criminal, John Clay, no longer needed Mr. Wilson away from his shop during the day.

The Red-Headed League was highly unlikely. It was brought to Mr. Wilson’s attention by his assistant, who showed him a newspaper advertisement. The league was supposedly designed to promote red-headed men because an American millionaire named Ezekiah Hopkins had red hair and left the instructions and funding in his will.

In reality, Mr. Wilson...

The league ended when the criminal, John Clay, no longer needed Mr. Wilson away from his shop during the day.

In reality, Mr. Wilson had red hair. His shop was near the bank. It was a way to get him out of the shop. When Mr. Wilson hired Sherlock Holmes to find out why the Red-Headed League was disbanded, he figured this out upon visiting the shop. Watson and Holmes discussed this.

Evidently," said I, "Mr. Wilson's assistant counts for a good deal in this mystery of the Red-headed League. I am sure that you inquired your way merely in order that you might see him."

"Not him."

"What then?"

"The knees of his trousers."

Holmes noticed that the man must have been kneeling. He also realized that the man was no assistant, but actually the notorious criminal John Clay. He was using Mr. Wilson’s shop to break into the bank next door by way of making a tunnel. Holmes figured that out and decided that the disbanding of the league meant the robbery was imminent, and therefore he got the bank director to watch with him to prevent it.

"It's no use, John Clay," said Holmes blandly, "you have no chance at all."

"So I see," the other answered, with the utmost coolness. "I fancy that my pal is all right, though I see you have got his coat-tails."

"There are three men waiting for him at the door," said Holmes.

Thus, Holmes took a case that seemed completely silly and solved a bank robbery. Holmes knew that the case was important because the Red-Headed League was so odd. He knew that there had to be something else behind it.

How does Schlosser explore irony in Chapter 4 of Fast Food Nation, titled "Success," through his focus on Dave Feamster's Little Caesars'...

Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal is Doing to the World is a carefully researched examination of the fast food industry from its birth in Southern California during the late-1930s to the present. Schlosser’s book was not intended to praise the founding and growth of this industry, and it does not. While the author is balanced in his description of the individuals and companies that comprise this massive industry, the point of his study is to assess the effects of the fast food industry on the economy, culture, and health of the societies in which McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., Little Caesars, Subway, and many others have profited. His conclusion is decidedly negative.

Chapter 4 of Fast Food Nation is titled “Success.” Schlosser adopted this chapter title from the name of a large conference to which one of his subjects, Dave Feamster, takes some of his employees. “Success” is a motivational production featuring famous people from politics, sports and business who rally masses of attendees to feel better about themselves and adopt a more positive attitude towards their endeavors. Feamster, a generous and modest former professional hockey player, has wagered his future on the Little Caesars franchises he has gone into debt to purchase in the city of Pueblo, Colorado. This chapter also provided background into the mechanics and risks associated with the franchise business. While Feamster’s debt was very modest in comparison to today’s franchise fees—in effect, the cost to businesspeople of building and operating a fast food restaurant under the corporate umbrella of McDonalds, Little Caesars, and the rest—those fees have increased exponentially over the years. Consequently, the ability of individuals to purchase franchises has left most out of the competition, which is ironic given the vision of the industry's founders.

Feamster lives modestly and treats his employees well. He and his family survive, but they are far from wealthy and, for all his hard work in building his business, his future is increasingly threatened by the encroachment of franchises from Papa Johns, which is a newer entrant into the market in Pueblo.

The irony in Chapter 4 of Fast Food Nation, then, can be found in the precarious nature of the franchisee’s existence against the backdrop of an enormously profitable industry. Whether Dave Feamster is representative of franchise licensees overall is not addressed. Suffice to say that the financial burden of buying a franchise from the large fast food companies depresses the quality of life of all those involved, from the heavily-indebted business owner to the consumer whose health is ultimately jeopardized by excessive consumption of fast food to the taxpayer whose premiums are increased to compensate for the vast number of low-income consumers of foods high in fats and cholesterol who develop diabetes and other obesity-related ailments.

The most significant irony in this chapter, however, involves the appearance at the “Success” convention of the late actor Christopher Reeve. Reeve had been paralyzed in a horse riding accident and was now confined to a wheelchair and could only breathe with the aid of machines. Reeve’s appearance at the convention is ironic because his brief remarks deviate substantially both intellectually and emotionally from all that preceded his appearance and all that followed. The focus of Reeve’s comments was the imperative of maintaining the proper priorities in life and not sacrificing what is seriously important—family and friends—to the all-consuming pursuit of material wealth. Schlosser concludes Chapter 4 with the following passage:

“Men and women up and down the aisles wipe away tears, touched not only by what this famous man has been through but also by a sudden awareness of something hollow about their own lives, something gnawing and unfulfilled.

“Moments after Reeve is wheeled off the stage, Jack Groppel, the next speaker, walks up to the microphone and starts his pitch, ‘Tell me friends, in your lifetime, have you ever been on a diet?’”

Christopher Reeve, in his brief remarks, touched the hearts of those in attendance, but he represented a minor deviation from the convention’s theme of financial success.

How does Michael Pollan define the term nutritionism?

Michael Pollan defines the term differently from the prevailing consensus. According to his conversation with Amy Goodman, the current definition of nutritionism is as follows:

1)Food is essentially made up of a collection of nutrients. Since we can't taste nutrients, we must trust experts to tell us what to consume.

2)An assumption of nutritionism is that all the nutrients we consume are measurable. Michael Pollan states that this is a dubious assumption.

3)The main purpose...

Michael Pollan defines the term differently from the prevailing consensus. According to his conversation with Amy Goodman, the current definition of nutritionism is as follows:

1)Food is essentially made up of a collection of nutrients. Since we can't taste nutrients, we must trust experts to tell us what to consume.

2)An assumption of nutritionism is that all the nutrients we consume are measurable. Michael Pollan states that this is a dubious assumption.

3)The main purpose of eating, according to the experts, is to maintain proper physical health. All other reasons for eating (such as for personal enjoyment or as part of a bonding activity during a social gathering) are ignored in the obsessive concern with the nutrient content of food.

This is how Michael Pollan defines nutritionism:

1) Good nutrition is about consuming unprocessed, natural foods such as whole grain breads and raw fruits and vegetables.

2) One of the best ways to eat well is to purchase more local farm products. Michael Pollan asserts that local produce is going to be more nutritious because it is fresher and hasn't endured long transit periods from the producer to the consumer.

3) Growing food without chemicals may not be as efficient as the global model, but it can be more sustainable. Foods are more nutritious if they are grown without the use of harmful pesticides and not genetically modified.

4) The healthiest and most nutritious diets are traditional diets such as the Mediterranean diet or the Japanese diet, where the emphasis is on unprocessed and natural foods.

So, to Michael Pollan, nutritionism should be an ideology that proposes a whole foods diet, sustained by produce from local farmers.

How does Ponyboy react to being stereotyped as a Greaser?

Ponyboy hates the fact that society judges him as a bad person simply because he dresses like and hangs out with Greasers. In Chapter 1, Pony mentions that he felt like Pip from the novel Great Expectations because of the way he was marked lousy because he wasn't a gentleman. Ponyboy understands that it isn't his fault that he was raised in a lower-class home and suffered traumatic experiences. Initially, Ponyboy embraces his Greaser image out of spite for society. Later on in the novel, the boys are preparing to fight the Socs in a big rumble. Ponyboy's friends put excessive amounts of grease in their hair, and Ponyboy mentions that the Greasers had their reputations to uphold. Ponyboy then comments,

"I don't want to be a hood, but even if I don't steal things and mug people and get boozed up, I'm marked lousy. Why should I be proud of it? Why should I even pretend to be proud of it?" (Hinton 113).

Ponyboy essentially feels helpless in his situation. He knows that regardless of his character, society will unfairly judge him. Ponyboy is not proud of being a Greaser and simply goes along with it because he feels that he cannot change society's perception of him.

Based upon information in the text and through informed speculation, what does Miss Brill look like in Katherine Mansfield's story "Miss Brill"?

Miss Brill is probably a woman who is slightly past middle age because she seems rather old-fashioned, wearing a necklet that she has owned for some time. She also ranks other people that she sees as either "young" or "old."

In the story that is told from the perspective of Miss Brill, the reader notes when Miss Brill goes to the park to listen to the Sunday concert that she observes: "The young ones, the laughing ones who were moving together, they would begin...."
Later, Miss Brill alludes to the very "old invalid gentleman" to whom she reads the newspaper four times a week. This activity suggests that Miss Brill is older because usually young people do not want to read to really old people, nor do they have the time. Also, her association with this man suggests her connection to an era that is now obsolete. Further, when the old gentleman asks if she is an actress because of the way that she reads, Miss Brill smooths the newspaper as if it were a manuscript of a play and says with kindness, "Yes, I have been an actress for a long time." This remark may have the hidden meaning that for years she has pretended to be someone she is not because she has not married or has no children. She may even have called herself an actress because she has accomplished little that is significant in life.

After a while, as Miss Brill listens to the music and hears something "so beautiful--so moving..." her eyes fill with tears in her sentimentality, an emotion usually more reflective of a woman who is, at least, middle-aged. Also, she thinks to herself:

Yes, we understand, we understand, she thought--though what they understood she didn't know.

Then, when the "boy and girl" sit down where the "old couple" had been, the middle-aged Miss Brill notices that they are infatuated with each other. In her romantic mind, she thinks, "They were beautifully dressed; they were in love. The hero and heroine, of course...." as she sings along, soundlessly to the music being played.

Miss Brill then hears the girl tell her boyfriend, "No, not now....Not here, I can't." The boy asks her why not. "Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?" the boy asks. "Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home!" And, the two laugh at the little fur of which she has always been so proud.
Hurt by the young couple's remarks and giggles, Miss Brill returns to her "room like a cupboard" without stopping as she usually does for a "tiny present" for herself at the bakery. Once in her room, she sits for some time without moving. Finally, she puts away her obsolete little fur in the little box and she thinks that "she heard something crying." Such sentimentality is usually indicative of an older person who was young in another era.

What are some statements and remarks of Crooks and Curley's wife that relate to personal alienation in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men?

Both Crooks and Curley's wife have been marginalized as they possess single identities that differ from all the other people on the ranch.

Within the setting of the 1930's, Crooks finds himself subjected to the racial bias of this era. Even though he is probably better educated than many of the other ranch hands, he is made to live in the barn with the mules and horses, and is subjected to verbal abuse and being called pejorative racial names. In Chapter 2, for instance, the old swamper named Candy tells George and Lennie that the boss has been angered by their late arrival and has yelled at the stable buck:

"He sure was burned....Come right in when we was eatin' breakfast and says, 'Where the hell's them new men?' An' he give the stable buck hell, too."

"Give the stable buck hell?" [George] asked.

"Sure. Ya see the stable buck's a nigger."

"Nigger, huh?"

Yeah....The boss gives him hell when he's mad."

In Chapter 4, Lennie enters the barn while the other men and George have gone to town. There he wanders around and finds Crooks in the harness room. Crooks lives in this barn because he is not allowed in the bunkhouse and has a bed made from a long box filled with straw. Seeing Lennie, Crooks tries to prevent him from entering, but the child-like man does not understand why Crooks is unfriendly. Crooks provides Lennie the reason by saying that Lennie should not enter his room since he is not wanted in the bunkhouse. When Lennie asks why Crooks is kept out, Crooks tells him,

"'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me."

Further, Crooks complains of his alienation: "If I say something, why it's just a nigger sayin' it."
As he talks with Lennie, Crooks also reveals his loneliness:

"A guy needs somebody--to be near him....A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody....I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick...."

"Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not. He can't turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it, too. He can't tell. He got nothing to measure by."

Later, when Crooks tries to get Curley's wife to leave after she appears in the barn, he tells her she has no right to come into his room. And, he adds that he will tell the boss to not let her come into the barn. These remarks anger Curley's wife and she retorts venomously,

"Listen, Nigger....You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?....I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny."

Knowing that this could happen to him, Crooks, must become submissive. So, he replies, "Yes, ma'am."

Curley's wife

In Chapter 5, Curley's wife enters the barn and finds Lennie in a stall covering his dead puppy. When she kneels in the hay next to him, Lennie objects, "George says I ain't to have nothing to do with you--talk to you or nothing." Curley's wife tells Lennie that the men are all at a horseshoe tournament, suggesting that no one will know if he talks to her.

"Why can't I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely....You can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How'd you like not to talk to anybody?"

When Lennie insists that he cannot talk to her, Curley's wife becomes angry.

"Wha's the matter with me?....Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways?....I tell you, I ain't used to livin' like this."

She goes on to tell Lennie that she lived in Salinas, implying that she was around people before marrying Curley and suffers now from loneliness.

Clearly, the alienation of Crooks and Curley's wife both has caused them to become resentful of others and greatly dissatisfied in their lives.

When was Orwell's 1984 written?

George Orwell published 1984 in 1949, meaning that, though the year 1984 is now in the past for contemporary readers, it represented the not-so-distant future for Orwell. As such, the year becomes the perfect period in which to set a dystopia with eerie similarities to totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century. For instance, many similarities could be drawn between the party of Big Brother and the recently defeated Nazis. Likewise, Orwell's vision can in many ways be seen as a commentary on established totalitarian regimes of his day, such as Stalin's Russia. Thus, Orwell is imagining a near-future in which the totalitarian regimes of the middle twentieth century have grown into all-powerful entities capable of totally dominating human life across the globe. It's a chilling vision, especially since its relatively contemporary setting makes it impossible to avoid drawing parallels between Orwell's dystopia and our own society.

What is a summary of Helen Keller's The Story of My Life?

The Story of My Life is the autobiography of Helen Keller, written in 1903 while she was a student at Radcliffe College. She describes her childhood memories prior to losing her hearing and vision, focusing on her memories of speech and early love for language. Later in her childhood, Keller became increasingly frustrated with her difficulties with communication and lashed out when she felt her sign language was insufficient. Much of the book focuses on her experiences with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who Keller often refers to as Teacher. Sullivan was a teacher at the Perkins Institute for the Blind and started teaching a seven-year-old Keller to communicate by spelling out words and how to read Braille. By the age of ten, Keller could communicate with Sullivan and read Braille fluently, and had even learned how to speak. The book details her attempts to continue developing language skills with her teacher, and describes her later success as an honors student at Radcliffe College.

What is this book's thesis?

Michael Pollan's introduction to this fascinating book describes the moment when he had the idea and insight for what the book would explore. He was planting fingerling potatoes, thinking of how they presented different challenges from growing other varieties of potatoes, and had the thought that plants force humans to do their bidding. He wondered: was this how plants actually evolve alongside humans, by convincing us to do the things they want? This made him think about how plants have evolved over the years via human intervention, to develop qualities that made them more desirable to humans, so that humans would engage in activities to help the plants propagate and survive.

Pollen then chose four plants and one specific quality of each plant, and in four chapters then explores in detail the various ways in which that quality defines the plant's evolution and history of being cultivated by human beings. For example, the quality chosen for the apple is sweetness. Wild apples are not known for being sweet; and each wild apple tree is a blend of two different apple trees. Humans discovered how to graft branches and buds of sweeter and better quality apples onto existing trees, and were able to then produce many more apples to satisfy the desire for a sweeter tasting fruit. The book explores many fascinating aspects of history, folklore and science to answer this intriguing question.

Why did Mama send Annemarie with the packet for Uncle Henrik instead of taking it herself in Number the Stars by Lois Lowry?

Annemarie takes the packet because no one will suspect a little girl.

Peter and Annemarie’s parents are preparing the Jews for their escape to Sweden. They are pretending that Annemarie’s Great-aunt Birte died to explain why all of the people are gathered, but there is no person in the coffin. It contains clothing and blankets for the escapees.

Annemarie watches her mother help the people get ready. They all get food, blankets, and warm clothes....

Annemarie takes the packet because no one will suspect a little girl.

Annemarie watches her mother help the people get ready. They all get food, blankets, and warm clothes. They give the baby something so it will sleep, in case the crying might alert someone.

"I want you to deliver this. Without fail. It is of great importance." There was a moment of silence in the hall, and Annemarie knew that Peter must be giving the packet to Mr. Rosen (Chapter 11).

Peter, who is a Resistance member, tells Mr. Rosen he is not going to go all the way to the boat. Once he gets his group to the boat, he has to go on. Peter doesn’t tell Mr. Rosen what’s in the packet, and Annemarie realizes he is protecting Mr. Rosen by not telling him everything.

Mr. Rosen trips and drops the packet. Annemarie’s mother realizes this and worried their preparations “may all have been for nothing.” Annemarie knows the packet is important, so she volunteers to take it.

Annemarie took the packet from her mother's hand and stood. "I will take it," she said. "I know the way, and it's almost light now. I can run like the wind" (Chapter 13).

Mama has her get a small basket so she can pretend she is getting her uncle food if she is stopped. While a woman going early in the morning to see a fisherman might be suspicious, a little girl carrying lunch would not be. Annemarie will pretend to be a silly little girl if anyone stops her.

Annemarie is stopped by four German soldiers with dogs. Although she is afraid, she tells them exactly what she planned to say: she is out early because she is bringing her fisherman uncle his lunch. She tries to think of what Kirsti would say, and chatters away like a little girl about how her uncle can’t stand fish.

The soldiers take the food and complain there is no meat. One finds a handkerchief at the bottom of the basket, but doesn’t know what it is. Later, Henrik thanks Annemarie for being brave. He tells her the dogs are used to sniff out hiding Jews, but there is something in the handkerchief that ruins their sense of smell.