What significant event took place on October 5,1957? How did that event affect the people from Coalwood?

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union began the space race by launching the satellite Sputnik. The next day, it orbited over the continental United States. In October Sky, the movie based on Sputnik's launch, the residents of Coalwood went out and watched it from their yards and wondered what it meant. This was during the height of the Cold War, and some people thought the Soviet Union could drop nuclear bombs from...

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union began the space race by launching the satellite Sputnik. The next day, it orbited over the continental United States. In October Sky, the movie based on Sputnik's launch, the residents of Coalwood went out and watched it from their yards and wondered what it meant. This was during the height of the Cold War, and some people thought the Soviet Union could drop nuclear bombs from the satellite. Others wondered why the Soviets were able to launch something into space that America could not do yet.  

In the movie, the launch of the Soviet satellite made the boys work harder on their own rocket plans and inspired them to make aeronautical science their future careers. In the America of that time period, politicians spent more money on science and technology in an effort to beat the Soviets. Sending an American into space and putting a man on the Moon became an American priority. John F. Kennedy was able to harness this spirit in his inaugural address when he promised an American would walk on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.

Clarify the farcical elements of The Second Shepherds' Play and how they relate to the more serious nature of the play.

"The Second Shepherds' Play" is known for its slapstick humor and serious depiction of the nativity. One example of the farcical elements in the play is when the shepherds make several unsuccessful attempts to locate the Christ child, only to discover a sheep in his cradle. These humorous elements actually comprise more of the play than its serious nature, but they serve the purpose of providing contrast. With this contrast, "The Second Shepherd's Play" uses...

"The Second Shepherds' Play" is known for its slapstick humor and serious depiction of the nativity. One example of the farcical elements in the play is when the shepherds make several unsuccessful attempts to locate the Christ child, only to discover a sheep in his cradle. These humorous elements actually comprise more of the play than its serious nature, but they serve the purpose of providing contrast. With this contrast, "The Second Shepherd's Play" uses the familiar literary technique of getting the reader to let his or her guard down with humor so the play can deliver a brief yet strong message that seems all the more important in comparison.

Alternating moments of brevity and seriousness is a common literary device that is used to great effect in this play. The medieval setting gives this play a naturally somber air that is then undercut by the regular use of slapstick humor. Even the characters continue this theme. The second shepherd's wife is used as a humorous character and a social commentary on the way that marriage changes people. The three shepherds themselves engage in silly behavior, such as singing while they travel. Mak, the sheep thief, is another strong example of farcical humor in the play as he tricks the shepherds into feeling sorry for him only to steal one of their sheep while they are sleeping.

The farcical elements in "The Second Shepherds' Play" serve the purpose of highlighting its serious message, which is the nativity story itself. By using humor to lead up to the central story, the writer increases reader engagement and sets the stage for contrast.

How does Rebecca Nurse from The Crucible show integrity?

Integrity refers to a person's ability to be honest and have high moral values. Rebecca shows that she has these qualities by speaking her mind and not being afraid of what others think of her, as indicated in Act 1 of the play when she comments about the rumors of witchcraft going around the village. She displays this quality specifically when she refers to the conditions suffered by Betty Parris and the Putnam's daughter, Ruth.

In her comments, Rebecca expresses her honest opinion about what the girls are experiencing. She explains:

...Pray calm your-selves. I have eleven children, and I am twenty-six times a grandma, and I have seen them all through their silly seasons, and when it come on them they will run the Devil bowlegged keeping up with their mischief. I think she'll wake when she tires of it. A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back.

The common sense advice she gives is based on her extensive experience as a mother and a caregiver. Advice that Mr and Mrs Putnam as well as the reverend Parris do not seem to relate well to. They rather turn to superstition to find answers. She is also surprisingly direct when she tells reverend Parris that she hopes he is not out 'looking for loose spirits.'

Rebecca displays more of her honesty and her genuine belief that the truth is much less complicated than everyone else believes. She is forthright in the instructions that she gives the reverend that he should send reverend Hale back to Beverley. She believes that they should seek answers from the doctor and from prayer. They should ignore the supernatural, lest such beliefs set the villagers to arguing again.

When Mrs Putnam mentions that the doctor has no clue, Rebecca asks that they should turn to God for answers since she fears the idea about loose spirits being around. She sincerely believes that they should rather blame themselves for what has happened to the girls.

A further display of Rebecca's virtue lies in the fact that she advises John Proctor not to break charity with reverend Parris, when he threatens to find the faction the reverend believes is against him, and join it. She beseeches him to take the reverend's hand and make peace with him. Her actions are as those of a saint for she is concerned about the goodwill of others. Even Reverend Hale, when he arrives, acknowledges her goodness by saying:

It's strange how I knew you, but I suppose you look as such a good soul should. We have all heard of your great charities in Beverly.

In the end, the Putnams, driven by their greed for the Nurse's land, manage to convince the court that Rebecca is a witch. Mrs Putnam blames her for having killed her babies by sending her spirit out to them, whilst Ruth testifies that she had seen Rebecca's spirit coming to harm her. The court demands that Rebecca confess her sin and so win redemption, but she bluntly refuses. She is steadfast in her belief and will not confess to something she has not done. She is incarcerated and chained but refuses to budge even though she could gain freedom by confessing.

She shames John Proctor by refusing to give in to the court's demands after he has confessed and he, probably encouraged by her resilience and the depth of her character, later decides to tear up his confession so that his name remains untainted and he can leave behind a respected legacy. He, Rebecca, Martha Corey and others, are eventually hanged, innocent of the crimes they were supposed to have committed. 

Explain the importance of business.

Business can be summarized as the exchange of goods and services. As a process, business is important because it provides people with access to items or services that they need at the time and place they are required. The exchange of goods and services is necessary for day to day living and helps people satisfy their various needs. Consider the needs of the farmer participating in large-scale wheat farming. They will need workers to help...

Business can be summarized as the exchange of goods and services. As a process, business is important because it provides people with access to items or services that they need at the time and place they are required. The exchange of goods and services is necessary for day to day living and helps people satisfy their various needs. Consider the needs of the farmer participating in large-scale wheat farming. They will need workers to help plant, harvest, dry and package the produce. The farmer might choose to do the work without help from the workers. However, this might prove impractical because the labor requirements will prevent the individual from engaging in other activities, and due to time constraints it will take some time before they engage in planting again. The farmer, in this case, is forced to pay some workers to help achieve the goals and objectives expected. In addition, the workers may be specialized in carrying out specific tasks, improving the quality of work done. Thus, business improves the efficiency and effectiveness of most activities necessary for our existence.

Business fosters better relations between trade partners because they are bonded by the mutual benefits of continued business engagement.

Business promotes innovation and invention because it motivates people to find and improve solutions to different problems. In this case, business will also serve as a medium of distribution for the solutions.

How in the book A Mercy by Toni Morrison did Jacob Vaark receive mercy?

Morrison portrays Jacob Vaark as a character who gives mercy freely to others throughout the book, but he himself is the recipient of mercy at multiple points in the story. Vaark is plucked from his degrading life in the poor house by a job offer from a prestigious law firm. In this way, he is able to change his station in life and develop a platform of wealth that he uses to help the disenfranchised....

Morrison portrays Jacob Vaark as a character who gives mercy freely to others throughout the book, but he himself is the recipient of mercy at multiple points in the story. Vaark is plucked from his degrading life in the poor house by a job offer from a prestigious law firm. In this way, he is able to change his station in life and develop a platform of wealth that he uses to help the disenfranchised. Jacob also experiences mercy when his mail-order bride turns out to be a compatible partner in life. While both Jacob and his bride took a risk in accepting the arrangement, he is rewarded with a companion who shares his burdens and his joys.

The primary mercy that Jacob receives is the fact that he did not survive to see the ruin of his estate. While the counterweight to this mercy is the fact that he did not survive to achieve the vast, wealthy mansion he had dreamed of building for so long, he died with the prospect of hope for what he left behind. As Jacob tells his wife, "What a man leaves behind is what a man is." At the time of his death, his wife was still well and there were many possibilities ahead of him, despite the tragedy in his past.

Why is Miss Havisham's mansion so important to Great Expectations?

Miss Havisham's decaying mansion, ironically named Satis House, is central to the novel as from it derive character development and thematic concerns.

Characterization

• Miss Havisham

The daughter of an aristocrat who owned a thriving brewery, Miss Havisham and her fawning relatives represent what Dickens felt was a frivolous aristocracy. As the pampered daughter of a wealthy man who owned a brewery, Miss Havisham wanted for little, but her half-brother Arthur, born of a servant, was resentful of her and conspired with a clever man named Compeyson, who pretended to love her. When she was left at the altar by Compeyson, who had absconded with part of her fortune, the devastated and eccentric Miss Havisham stopped all the clocks in Satis House at twenty minutes until nine, and remained exactly as she was in her wedding gown, with one shoe not yet on, for the remainder of her life.

When she recovered some from her rejection at the altar, Miss Havisham adopted a pretty girl whom she named Estella. This child she has raised in the mansion to hate and malign men as a means of avenging herself upon males. Estella does, indeed, mature "without a heart," but her life is not happy and Miss Havisham later regrets what she has done, especially the personal harm brought to Pip. In fact, she dies in her mansion after begging Pip's forgiveness, for her decayed wedding dress catches fire and she is so severely burned that she expires.

After Pip's first visit to Satis House, his view of life is completely altered. For the first time, Pip feels inferior as the spoiled Estella remarks in his presence that he is common and coarse; repulsed by this "laboring boy," she does not wish to play any games with him. After he leaves, Estella brings him some food and drink at the gate as though he were a pauper, or even a dog.

When the "pale young gentleman" boxes with him according to the Marquis of Queensbury rules, Pip fights the only way he knows and knocks the boy down, winning the fight. Estella cheers for Pip, but makes fun of him when he cries another time. After he returns home, Pip feels ashamed that he is "common" and wishes he could become a gentleman.

When Pip receives news that he has "great expectations," he thinks that Miss Havisham is his benefactor, and he is elated to go to London where he can study and learn to be a gentleman. In so doing, Pip becomes a snob and feels embarrassed to be around the good Joe and Biddy. Thus, his exposure to the lives of Miss Havisham and Estella at Satis House have initiated Pip's becoming a snob. In fact, his sense of superiority keeps Pip from visiting Joe when he is near the forge. Instead, he stays at the Blue Boar.

Themes

• The Worship of Wealth

The relatives of Miss Havisham do not like her, but they are flatterers and servile sycophants to her simply because they hope to inherit her property and wealth.

Uncle Pumblechook, who has continually berated little Pip, changes his attitude toward the boy once Pip goes to Satis House. When he learns that Pip has a wealthy benefactor, he extends congratulations to Pip, saying, "I wish you the joy of money." Also, he fawns before Pip, now calling him "friend" rather than "boy":

"to think that I may have been the humble instrument....to think that I....My dear young friend,...if you will allow me to call you so...."

At another time while Pip stays at the Blue Boar, he reads in the local paper that Uncle Pumblechook has taken credit for Pip's good fortune.

• Class Distinction

Pip becomes a snob as a result of his experiences at Satis House. Once he begins his life as a gentleman, Pip is embarrassed to have Joe visit him in London; he rarely visits the forge, and when he does, he belittles Biddy for some faults that are really his. Because Pip aspires to be worthy of Estella, he rejects his boyhood love.

Further, when he learns that Magwitch is his benefactor, rather than Miss Havisham, Pip is repulsed and wants to be rid of the old convict as swiftly as possible.

What are the critical thinkings of the poem "The Ballad of the Landlord" by Langston Hughes?

Langston Hughes's poem "The Ballad of the Landlord" is a poem told in song form about a tenant (or tenants) complaining about the unfair housing practices suffered at the hands of the tenant's landlord.

This poem is interesting for many reasons, but particularly in its use of irony to demonstrate the injustices African Americans faced even in the Northern cities, where this poem seems to take place. First of all, the title "The Ballad of...

Langston Hughes's poem "The Ballad of the Landlord" is a poem told in song form about a tenant (or tenants) complaining about the unfair housing practices suffered at the hands of the tenant's landlord.

This poem is interesting for many reasons, but particularly in its use of irony to demonstrate the injustices African Americans faced even in the Northern cities, where this poem seems to take place. First of all, the title "The Ballad of the Landlord" ironically paints this landlord as a victim (a ballad is a sad song and this is the landlord's ballad), even though the first five stanzas recount the tenant's struggle living in a unit where "the roof has sprung a leak" and the "steps is broken down." 

Despite the clear injustices the tenant faces, the landlord comes off as victim in the public's eye when the frustrated black tenant threatens to "land his fist" on the landlord. The poem ends with three newspaper headlines that clearly paint the tenant as villain: 

MAN THREATENS LANDLORD

TENANT HELD NO BAIL

JUDGE GIVES NEGRO 90 DAYS IN COUNTY JAIL!

There are many ways to look at this poem critically; perhaps the best way is from a social justice perspective. What is the best way for a black man without power to react? What responsibilities do those with power have? What about the media? What about the police?

What led to the beginning of the Renaissance?

The development in arts and letters known as the Renaissance [naissance=birth in French] was a revived interest in classical learning and culture in the 1300's and the 1400's in Italy, but later spread to other parts of Europe.

The Renaissance involved new thought because it was a secular movement. During the feudal period, the Catholic Church was the center of learning; in fact, the medieval scholar had been concerned with the harnessing of...

The development in arts and letters known as the Renaissance [naissance=birth in French] was a revived interest in classical learning and culture in the 1300's and the 1400's in Italy, but later spread to other parts of Europe.

The Renaissance involved new thought because it was a secular movement. During the feudal period, the Catholic Church was the center of learning; in fact, the medieval scholar had been concerned with the harnessing of reason in the defense and service of religion. But, with the end of feudalism and increased trading outside of Europe, new ideas emerged and the Renaissance scholar became more concerned with the secular side of things. Furthermore, poets and philosophers concerned themselves with the natural world, rather than theology. One reason for the scholarship in Italy is the fact that Greek scholars emigrated to Italy after the invasion of the Ottoman Turks who captured Constantinople. These scholars brought with them classical texts and manuscripts, which helped to revive interest in classical learning and arts.

Along with the Greek scholars, Italian scholar Petrarch is felt to be a major impetus to the rebirth of culture and learning. Having a passionate interest in the rediscovery of lost Roman manuscripts and a strong belief in the power of ancient thought to civilize, his ideas certainly complemented those who valued classical learning.

Are prohibitions against government actions that threaten the enjoyment of freedom called civil liberties, civil rights, injunctions, or federalism?

The answer to your question would be injunctions. An injunction is a court order halting something from taking place. If the government took an action that violated a person’s civil liberties or civil rights, a person could go to court to get an injunction requesting that the given action be stopped. A person’s civil rights or civil liberties are rights or freedoms a person has. Federalism describes a system of government where states share power with the federal government.

A recent example of an injunction is when the National Football League suspended Tom Brady last season for the first four games of the season. Tom Brady went to court to get the suspension overturned. The court ruled that the commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, went too far in imposing the four-game suspension. As a result, Tom Brady was allowed to play in those games last season. As a footnote, it should be mentioned that the National Football League appealed this ruling and won the appeal. As a result, Tom Brady won’t play in the first four games this season.

Another example of an injunction being used was when Martin Luther King, Jr. was put in jail in Birmingham in 1963. A temporary injunction was issued preventing a march from taking place without a permit. When the march was held in violation of the temporary injunction, Martin Luther King, Jr. was jailed.

There are three kinds of injunctions. A temporary injunction is a short-term situation allowing the court time to consider if a longer-lasting injunction should be issued. A preliminary injunction keeps something in place for a longer period of time. Usually, the preliminary injunction lasts until a case is decided. Sometimes when a person gets fired or suspended, they will ask for a preliminary injunction until the situation is resolved. A permanent injunction means that the given situation in question will remain in place permanently.

Therefore, when a person seeks to stop a government action because that action threatens a person’s civil rights or civil liberties, the person is asking for an injunction to be issued.

If D-day didn't happen, what would be the outcome of World War II?

It is hard to say what would have happened if the United States did not invade mainland Europe on June 6, 1944. Counterfactual history is always hard to guess—there might be some variables that could change the outcome of events. By June 1944, the Soviets had broken the sieges at Stalingrad and Leningrad and were beginning to roll the Nazis back across Eastern Europe. The Americans had landed in Italy and would soon liberate Rome...

It is hard to say what would have happened if the United States did not invade mainland Europe on June 6, 1944. Counterfactual history is always hard to guess—there might be some variables that could change the outcome of events. By June 1944, the Soviets had broken the sieges at Stalingrad and Leningrad and were beginning to roll the Nazis back across Eastern Europe. The Americans had landed in Italy and would soon liberate Rome in July 1944, but the Nazis maintained a furious defense in the Alps, making a southern invasion of Germany more difficult than anticipated. The British and Americans were bombing mainland Germany nearly 24 hours a day, but Hitler was no closer to being killed or overthrown than he was in 1939. If D-Day did not happen, the Soviet Union may have taken all of Germany and Austria with the Soviet army, killing millions of German civilians just as the Germans did in the Soviet Union. Once they recovered from the destruction of war, the Soviet Union would then have been a constant threat to France and the rest of Western Europe. The United States also would not have had the opportunity to rebuild Germany as they did in 1945. 

In The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare, who is the narrator?

The Bronze Bow centers on Daniel bar Jamin, a young Galilean boy growing up during the time Jesus was on the earth.

This story is told in third person, which means the narrator is an observer, and not necessarily a character in the story (see this breakdown of narrator types). However, the narrator here is an omniscient observer, since he/she knows Daniel’s inner thoughts and feelings (The Narrator). 

So in...

The Bronze Bow centers on Daniel bar Jamin, a young Galilean boy growing up during the time Jesus was on the earth.

This story is told in third person, which means the narrator is an observer, and not necessarily a character in the story (see this breakdown of narrator types). However, the narrator here is an omniscient observer, since he/she knows Daniel’s inner thoughts and feelings (The Narrator). 

So in this case, the narrator is technically an unnamed observer. However, you could say that Daniel is the narrator in a sense, since the entire book is told from his perspective, and the reader has complete access to his emotions, thoughts, struggles, and beliefs—which would not be the case unless you were inside the person’s head, or unless he sat down and told you every thought he had.

But to be completely accurate, you would say that the narrator is an omniscient observer. 

This site goes into detail about seven different types of narrators in a story, and this one mentioned earlier breaks down first, second, and third person narrators.

There is not one single best teaching method for everyone in all contexts. Comment.

Most classrooms are heterogeneous, which means that they have a diverse group of students in them.  In a diverse group, people will be coming from different backgrounds and experiences and will not learn the same way.  Most classrooms will have people with different first languages and different competencies with the subject, as well as different levels of maturity and different intelligence levels.  For this reason, you need to differentiate lessons, or create slightly alternate versions...

Most classrooms are heterogeneous, which means that they have a diverse group of students in them.  In a diverse group, people will be coming from different backgrounds and experiences and will not learn the same way.  Most classrooms will have people with different first languages and different competencies with the subject, as well as different levels of maturity and different intelligence levels.  For this reason, you need to differentiate lessons, or create slightly alternate versions for different groups.

It is important to remember that people have other reasons that they might need different approaches to a subject.  Teachers should try to get to know students as best they can.  A teacher who differentiates a lesson should consider how to group students into categories, because you cannot really individualize for everyone.  As much as you would want to, it is not practical. 

One way to make sure that students’ diverse needs are met is to scaffold, which means to front-load the lesson by providing students with background vocabulary and information.  You can also include pictures or video to help the students who have no experience with the subject.  This puts everyone on a more even playing field and makes the lesson easier.

When differentiating a lesson, you want to create options for students or put them in different groups or with different assignments, based on their needs.  These options mean that everyone can learn the content in his or her best way, according to his or her needs.  You decide the categories based on knowledge of students and assessment of the specific skills.  Groups should be fluid, changing as needed based on new assessment data.

How are the stories of Tom Robinson and Boo Radley brought together at the end of To Kill Mockingbird?

Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are both victims of society, and at the end of the book Boo Radley defends the children from Bob Ewell.

The book ends where it begins, in some ways.  Boo Radley is a big focus of the early chapters.  Then in the middle everything is about the trial.  Although Tom Robinson is dead by the end of the book, he is the reason why Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem.  Ewell feels resentful that the trial showed Robinson in a more favorable light than him, and he feels that justice has not been done.

Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are both compared figuratively to birds.  Tom Robinson is accused by a white woman of rape.  Boo Radley is accused of all kinds of terrible things, like peeping in people’s windows.  People ostracize him because he is too shy to come out of his house. 

When Scout and Jem received new guns, Atticus told them it would be a sin to shoot mockingbirds.  This sentiment is expressed again by Mr. Underwood in an editorial about Tom Robinson’s death.  Robinson felt dejected when he was convicted, and decided to take his chances going over the prison fence.  He was shot.

Mr. Underwood didn’t talk about miscarriages of justice, he was writing so children could understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children … (Ch. 25) 

Scout is puzzled that Underwood would consider it a miscarriage of justice when Robinson was convicted.  However, he was innocent and everyone knew it.  Bob Ewell felt humiliated because the jury deliberated so long.  He threatened Atticus and spit in his face.  He did not feel that Robinson’s death was enough. 

When Bob Ewell attacks the children and Boo saves them, Atticus and the sheriff Heck Tate decide to say Ewell fell on his knife.  Scout understands that they are trying to protect Boo Radley from everyone getting involved in his affairs. 

“Scout,” he said, “Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?”

... “Yes sir, I understand,” I reassured him. “Mr. Tate was right.”

Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’d be sort of like shootin‘ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Ch. 30) 

Scout realizes that Boo Radley doesn’t like attention, and everyone in the neighborhood would be bugging him if they knew he was a hero.  It would be an invitation for people to re-engage in Boo’s life, when he would rather leave them out.  He is not a monster, but he is shy.

Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are good people.  They want nothing more than to help others.  They are different, and so people do not understand them.  Tom Robinson faces racism because of the color of his skin, and Boo Radley faces isolation due to his troubled past.

How does heat travel from one object to another?

This depends on the conditions of the environment in which the objects are found. For example, the objects can be physically touching each other, they can be separated by a medium (a liquid or gas), or they can be separated by vacuum. Heat will be transferred differently in all three conditions. 

In the first two examples, heat is transferred through massive particles interacting with each other. Heat itself is just another way of talking about...

This depends on the conditions of the environment in which the objects are found. For example, the objects can be physically touching each other, they can be separated by a medium (a liquid or gas), or they can be separated by vacuum. Heat will be transferred differently in all three conditions. 

In the first two examples, heat is transferred through massive particles interacting with each other. Heat itself is just another way of talking about how much kinetic energy a molecule has, and that energy can be transferred to another molecule by making them collide. When the objects are in direct contact, they directly collide with each other, such as an object on a hotplate. If they are separated by a medium, then the medium will also participate in the heat transfer, such as when an ice cube dissolves in water. Another comparison would be striking two billiard balls together, compared to hitting pins with a bowling ball. In each case, the energy is distributed to each of the molecules interacting in the system.

In the third example, there aren't really any molecules available in the medium to transfer energy from one object to another. Instead, the process of radiation involves the release of energetic photons, a form of electromagnetic energy, that can be absorbed by the second object, exciting its electrons and therefore increasing its kinetic energy. 

Why did Hitler target Jewish people?

Hitler wrote the following in MeinKampf: 

Every manifestation of human culture, every product of art, science, and technical skill, which we see before our eyes today, is almost exclusively the product of the Aryan creative power. This very fact fully justifies the conclusion that it was the Aryan alone who founded a superior type of humanity; therefore he represents the archetype of what we understand by the term: MAN.

Picking up on virulent...

Hitler wrote the following in Mein Kampf: 

Every manifestation of human culture, every product of art, science, and technical skill, which we see before our eyes today, is almost exclusively the product of the Aryan creative power. This very fact fully justifies the conclusion that it was the Aryan alone who founded a superior type of humanity; therefore he represents the archetype of what we understand by the term: MAN.

Picking up on virulent racist ideology of the late nineteenth century, Hitler targeted the Jews as the "disease" in the "blood" of the "volk" (Aryan Germans). He perceived the Jews as undermining Germany's strength and power. He saw history in terms of racial struggle, in which the strongest races survived and the weak were subjugated. He looked with approval on US policy towards the Native Americans, and the Turkish genocide of the Armenians. He believed it imperative for world history that the Aryan race survive and thrive; otherwise, as he said in Mein Kampf, the world would plunge into a new dark ages.

Hitler was not alone in his anti-semitism, which was widespread at the time and led countries like England and the United States to limit the number of Jewish refugees they would take.

Hitler blamed a Jewish so-called backstab for Germany's defeat in World War I. He conflated Judaism and communism, which he loathed, and he thought Jews would impose communism on Germany if they had a chance. He decided (historians debate exactly when) that his only option was to eradicate all the Jews. The difference between his anti-semitism and that of the rest of the West was that he went far beyond discrimination and the occasional violent pogrom and actually attempted genocide.

The Jews also provided a convenient scapegoat for a political demagogue whose power was based on stirring up hate. The in-group needs an out-group to despise. Jews comprised less than one percent of the German population, and so were a convenient target to a demagogue and a bully.

Does Shakespeare have only heroines and no heroes?

First, we need to think about the relationship between the notion of protagonist and "hero" or "heroine." The notion of a hero belongs to oral tradition and orally derived works, and is normally a relatively flat character, usually of noble background, that excels in distinctly gendered virtues, warlike prowess for men and family loyalty and self-sacrifice for women. The epic hero follows an arc that normally culminates in triumph. 

Tragic protagonists differ from epic heroes...

First, we need to think about the relationship between the notion of protagonist and "hero" or "heroine." The notion of a hero belongs to oral tradition and orally derived works, and is normally a relatively flat character, usually of noble background, that excels in distinctly gendered virtues, warlike prowess for men and family loyalty and self-sacrifice for women. The epic hero follows an arc that normally culminates in triumph. 

Tragic protagonists differ from epic heroes in being more three dimensional and in following a plot arc that declines from good to bad fortune due to a combination of bad choices, character flaws, and fate. Shakespeare, though, is a modern dramatist, and his protagonists do not follow the epic model. Comedy as a genre does not have heroes.

Many of the characters in Shakespeare follow the pattern of the tragic hero. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are strong aristocratic characters whose inherent flaws lead to their downfalls. Similarly, Othello, a brave and noble character whose jealousy, inflamed by the evil Iago, leads to his downfall, is a typical tragic hero. King Lear has heroic male and female characters as well as villains of both genders. Romeo and Juliet both follow similar narrative arcs of falling in love with each other and committing suicide. Thus if one uses the term "hero" as a literary term, meaning one conforming to the Aristotelian model of the tragic hero, Shakespeare's plays do have "heroes." Shakespeare's plays, not being epics, do not have epic heroes, and not being 21st century comic books or movies, do not have the comic book types of flat "good" superheroes who triumph over equally flat cartoon villains. 

In "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket," how is Tom's apartment a symbol that impacts the theme of the story?

In the story, Tom's apartment is a symbol of poverty. Tom, the husband, works tirelessly in his bid to get ahead, while his wife, Clare, thinks that he works too hard and too much.

Tom even foregoes the pleasure of going to the movies with Clare in order to finish an ambitious project. By putting all his energy into the project, Tom hopes to garner the attention and admiration of his boss. In fact, he...

In the story, Tom's apartment is a symbol of poverty. Tom, the husband, works tirelessly in his bid to get ahead, while his wife, Clare, thinks that he works too hard and too much.

Tom even foregoes the pleasure of going to the movies with Clare in order to finish an ambitious project. By putting all his energy into the project, Tom hopes to garner the attention and admiration of his boss. In fact, he has spent countless hours studying customers and their reactions to specific grocery-store displays. Tom thinks that he may have come up with some unique ideas for a display method that can possibly captivate the attention of shoppers. He has noted all his calculations, figures, and facts on a yellow piece of paper. Sadly, for Tom, it is this piece of paper that floats out onto the ledge just beyond his reach.

The text tells us that Tom desperately tries to reach for the yellow paper. To do this, he pushes the window upwards with all his might to get it open. This is the same window that gives Tom problems at the beginning of the story. We get the idea that Tom and Clare's apartment is not the highest quality apartment on Lexington Avenue. The text provides further clues for this: the author tells us that Tom and Clare pay less rent than their neighbors, to the tune of seven and a half dollars less. For this privilege, the couple gets to live in an apartment with a window that is difficult to open, a door that seems equally problematic, and a living room that is considerably smaller than any of their neighbors'. The apartment is also quite possibly cramped, as Tom's desk is situated right next to the living room window.

Basically, Tom's apartment is a symbol of his poverty. This symbol of his apartment impacts the theme of the story by underlining the desperate lives many people lived in the dawning new age of materialism after World War Two. With two world wars concluded, many Americans were ready to move forward with their lives and to participate in a burgeoning economy. Industrialization gave rise to better technology and more mechanization, making mass production of goods possible. Yet, all this progress came with a price. Young couples like Tom and Clare struggled to find their place among this progress.

Ironically, in striving for better lives (through material success), men like Tom lost intimate connections with their loved ones. This is the central theme of the story. The drive to succeed and to erase the suffering brought about by the Great Depression and two agonizing world wars put infinite pressure on men. So, Tom's apartment is also a symbol of struggle and working class angst. Tom works hard because he believes that he can make a better life for himself and Clare. We see this in their conversation:

He smiled. "You won't mind though, will you, when the money comes rolling in and I'm known as the Boy Wizard of Wholesale Groceries?"

"I guess not."

However, all this working and striving has come at a cost for Tom and Clare. Tom wants to go to the movies with Clare but can't let himself go. He thinks he has too much work to do. By the end of the story, Tom comes to understand that the most important things in life can't always be figured in monetary terms.

So, Tom's apartment is an important symbol in the story; it impacts the story by highlighting the main reason why Tom is unusually focused on climbing the ladder at work.

What are the similarities between the poem "The Road Not Taken" and other works by Robert Frost?

Some of Robert Frost's most popular poems have certain aspects in common, and these similarities contribute to the poems' staying power. Let's look at three of Frost's most widely read poems: "The Road Not Taken," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "After Apple Picking."

In all three of these poems, the setting places the reader in the midst of nature, and the poem's speaker describes this natural setting in detail. Each of these...

Some of Robert Frost's most popular poems have certain aspects in common, and these similarities contribute to the poems' staying power. Let's look at three of Frost's most widely read poems: "The Road Not Taken," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "After Apple Picking."

In all three of these poems, the setting places the reader in the midst of nature, and the poem's speaker describes this natural setting in detail. Each of these poems also functions as a metaphor; that is, the central idea or situation can be taken at face value, but is also symbolic of a larger or deeper truth. In , the road in the title refers not only to a physical path in the woods, but also to the speaker's path in life. The speaker takes the "road less travelled by" and "that has made all the difference."

In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the journey through the woods can also be seen as the life journey or life path, and the line "but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep" refers to the many things yet to be accomplished before death.

"After Apple Picking," a slightly less well known poem, has a description of picking and gathering apples in orchard; but many analysts have discussed the symbolic meaning of this poem, and it is widely believed that apple picking is a metaphor for the activity of writing poetry, and is a meditation on Frost's own thoughts about his career, which was still in the somewhat early stages when he wrote this poem.

All three of these poems use a natural setting and activities and situations found in nature to explore larger truths about life, death and work. It is clear that Robert Frost approaches poetry as a way to explore these larger ideas.

How do Cole's relationships with his family, community, and country affect his actions and decisions in Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen?

Cole did not have a positive relationship with his family.  His father was abusive, and his mother’s unhappiness led her to drink.  He blamed them for everything, and became a very angry person.  His anger led him to try to break into a hardware store.  He received Circle Justice as an intervention instead of jail.

Last year at this time, he had never even heard of Circle Justice—he hadn’t heard of it until his latest arrest for breaking into a hardware store. After robbing the place, he had totally trashed it. (Ch. 1) 

At first, Circle Justice did not work.  Cole not only robbed and trashed the hardware store, but he also beat up a boy who told on him.  His anger at the world extended to anyone who tried to help him.  Cole only agreed to Circle Justice because he thought that it would get him out of prison. 

Cole’s anger at the world affected his decisions because he believed that everything was everyone else’s fault.  He blamed his parents and everyone who tried to help him.  This included Edwin, the Tlingit elder assigned to his case, and Garvey, his youth probation officer. Together, the two men were responsible for getting Cole back on the right path. 

Circle Justice did eventually work for Cole, even though he never expected it to. Edwin and Garvey left him alone on a little island, where he was attacked by a bear.  The bear attack caused him to re-evaluate his life.  He recovered, returned from the island, and actually allowed himself to change.  This involved facing his demons.  

Cole had to realize that he wasn’t the most important person the world, and that the world did not revolve around him.  Being in nature showed him this.  Cole had to forgive himself, and eventually get Peter Driscal (the boy he attacked) to forgive him, at least partially.

In Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, how does Percy describe the character Binx and the world he lives in?

Binx Bolling is a mutual funds broker who lives a quiet life in a suburb of New Orleans called Gentilly. He lives in a kind of decayed south, where the vestiges of southern tradition are "the curlicues of iron on the Walgreen drugstore" (page 6). Going to the Garden District of New Orleans, where his aunt and uncle live and where he witnesses "genteel charm," angers him greatly, as he prefers anonymity and blandness. After he visits the Garden District, he falls into a depression. He exists in a post-Korean-War world, where he still has nightmares about the war. His world seems stuck in the past, as the African-American women he sees in New Orleans still sit in the back of the bus, a mark of segregation in the south, and where krewes still gather for Mardi Gras. However, there are signs that things are changing. For example, Mercer, the servant of Binx's aunt, does not call him "Mister Jack," as an African-American servant might have been expected to do in the 1950s or early 1960s. Instead, Mercer is "threading his way between servility and presumption" (page 22). The idea is that the old south is changing and that African-American servants are not as servile as they used to be.

Binx prefers the anonymity of his life in a bland suburb, living in the basement of a bungalow house. Binx is undecided about who he is and lives in a state of existential confusion that he remedies by getting cards, including library cards and identity cards. He says:

"It is a pleasure to carry out the duties of a citizen and to receive in return a receipt or a neat styrene card with one's name on it certifying, so to speak, one's right to exist" (page 7).

Binx's one enthusiasm is to go to out-of-the-way movie theaters. He writes of his former girlfriend, Linda, "She was unhappy for the same reason I was happy--because here we were at a neighborhood theatre out in the sticks without a car" (page 5). Every night, he finds a movie in a remote theatre, and attending these movies seems more real to him than anything he experiences in real life. He is on what he calls "a search" (page 12), but it is difficult for him to define what exactly he is searching for. While he is searching, he attends movies because "movies are on to the search, though they screw it up" (page 12). Movies at least have some element of the existential search that occupies him, even if they haven't yet presented him with the answer. 

What impact would the extinction of the Hawksbill sea turtle have on the environment? Why should we protect it?

The Hawksbill sea turtle belongs to the family of sea turtles known as Cheloniidae. This turtle is found in tropical reefs that lie along the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Adult Hawksbill turtles can weigh 45 - 68 kilograms and their average shell length is 76 cm. These turtles have a lifespan between 30 to 50 years.

The Hawksbill turtle is a critically endangered species. The main reasons behind the decline in their number is over-exploitation,...

The Hawksbill sea turtle belongs to the family of sea turtles known as Cheloniidae. This turtle is found in tropical reefs that lie along the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Adult Hawksbill turtles can weigh 45 - 68 kilograms and their average shell length is 76 cm. These turtles have a lifespan between 30 to 50 years.

The Hawksbill turtle is a critically endangered species. The main reasons behind the decline in their number is over-exploitation, loss of habitat, oils spills and other forms of marine pollution.

These turtles have a beautiful translucent shell that can be used to make jewellery and ornaments. The high demand for products made using their shells in many European and Asian nations has led to the capture of a large number of turtles which is not sustainable. Newly hatched sea turtles rely on the natural light of the moon to find their way to the oceans. They are unable to do this in the presence of artificial lights used in resorts that have been created along the coast where they lay their eggs. The rapid development along the coasts has led to a large number of turtles being eaten by predators after the eggs hatch. Hawksbill turtles have also been badly affected by several oil spills in the reefs inhabited by them.

The extinction of the Hawksbill sea turtle will not have any major subsequent impact on the environment. Their numbers are already quite low and they do not play a major role in keeping in check the proliferation of any other species. But the extinction of a harmless and beautiful species of turtle in itself is a very serious problem, especially when humans are responsible for this.

It is our responsibility as the most intelligent and powerful species on the Earth to help maintain genetic diversity and save all other species that inhabit the Earth.

How much mortgage interest can be claimed on taxes in the following scenario:Donald and Daisy owned their house in Disrepair (that they lived in...

Tax deductions vary by jurisdiction, but I'm assuming you mean the IRS federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest. The IRS has detailed guidelines on how to handle various living situations, but they can be quite complex and often confusing.

The key here is that to be deductible, the interest must be paid on a loan collateralized by a qualified home; generally, this means one primary home and possibly one secondary home. Only homes you actually live in can be used as qualified homes, so the pond for Donald's mother wouldn't qualify.

Donald and Daisy didn't mortgage the pond, though; they took out a home equity loan on their own residence, which is a qualified home. Therefore, the loan is collateralized by a qualified home, and is therefore tax deductible.

There's another caveat, which is that home equity debt is only deductible up to $100,000 per household, so only the interest paid on $100,000 of that $140,000 is deductible. It's 5% interest, so that's $5,000 deductible and $2,000 not.

There is also a $1 million per household cap on acquisition mortgages, but they're well under that limit.

Thus, the deductible interest is $18,500 for the acquisition mortgage and $5,000 for the home equity mortgage, for a total of $23,500. The remaining $2,000 on the home equity mortgage is above the cap and therefore not deductible.

How would you characterize Jonas in middle of The Giver? How has he changed since the beginning?

Jonas is more mature and more thoughtful by the middle of the book because he has been through some of his training as Receiver of Memory.  Through the memories, he has learned enough about his community to realize that there is a better way.  It makes him curious about what else he does not know.

By this point in the book, Jonas is learning about himself as he learns more about his society.  He realizes that...

Jonas is more mature and more thoughtful by the middle of the book because he has been through some of his training as Receiver of Memory.  Through the memories, he has learned enough about his community to realize that there is a better way.  It makes him curious about what else he does not know.

By this point in the book, Jonas is learning about himself as he learns more about his society.  He realizes that he had no idea what his community was really all about.  He had always accepted it as it was.  He thought of it as a perfect world, because that was what he had been raised to believe.

When Jonas was younger, he thought that Sameness ensured that everyone in his community would be happy.  He also did not see anything wrong with everyone dressing alike and being told what to do all of the time and how to think.  After he began his training as Receiver of Memory, he realized that there was something wrong with this way of life.  He came to understand, for example, that his people did not feel the full range of human emotions.

Jonas is surprised when The Giver tells him that the people of his community “know nothing.”

"It's just that ... without the memories it's all meaningless. They gave that burden to me. And to the previous Receiver. And the one before him."

"And back and back and back," Jonas said, knowing the phrase that always came. (Ch. 13) 

The more Jonas learns from the memories, the more he realizes that The Giver is right.  His people cannot think for themselves, or feel real emotions.  He sees hunger and death in the memories, but he also sees love and real happiness.  He comes to understand that there are benefits to letting people experience the full range of life experiences.

How does Roland die in Unwind by Neal Shusterman?

Roland only dies if you believe unwinding actually results in death. The "Bill of Life" that appears in the very beginning of the book states the following about unwinding:  

However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child . . . on the condition that the child's life doesn't "technically" end.

Many people in the society absolutely believe unwinding a child does not end that child's life,...

Roland only dies if you believe unwinding actually results in death. The "Bill of Life" that appears in the very beginning of the book states the following about unwinding:  

However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child . . . on the condition that the child's life doesn't "technically" end.

Many people in the society absolutely believe unwinding a child does not end that child's life, including a child, who says,

I was never going to amount to much anyway, but now, statistically speaking, there's a better chance that some part of me will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless.

If you believe unwinding actually ends the life of the child, then Roland dies by being unwound toward the end of the book at the harvest camp where he, Connor, Lev, and Risa stayed.  

The clappers destroy a great deal of that harvest camp, and Connor's arm is injured so badly that it can't be saved. Without Connor's knowledge, he is given the arm of an Unwind. The arm he is given is Roland's arm, so perhaps Roland is still not entirely dead.

What are some quotes about the status of women in Shakespeare's Othello?

You might start your search for quotations in Iago's description of the perfect woman, which occurs in the first part of Act 2, when he is jesting with Desdemona and Emilia.  After listing these characteristics, which include a soft voice, thrift, a calm temper and a reserved nature, Iago ends with the purpose of such a creature:

To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.

In other words, the perfect woman's purpose is to nurture babies...

You might start your search for quotations in Iago's description of the perfect woman, which occurs in the first part of Act 2, when he is jesting with Desdemona and Emilia.  After listing these characteristics, which include a soft voice, thrift, a calm temper and a reserved nature, Iago ends with the purpose of such a creature:

To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.

In other words, the perfect woman's purpose is to nurture babies and to keep house.  Whether she be rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, smart or stupid, this is her purpose.  Of course, Iago is a villain, and his words are not supposed be taken as truth--or are they?  

Even though they are more noble in character, the other male characters seem to view the status of women in the same way as Iago does.  When Brabantio finds out that Desdemona has eloped, he equates her to property, calls Othello a "foul thief" (1.2), and eventually disowns her because of her decision.  Cassio seems to worship women, but he scoffs at the idea of marrying Bianca who, as his courtesan, is socially inferior to him

I marry her!  What, a customer! I prithee bear some charity to my wit.  

It seems, according to Cassio,  that some women are not worthy of marriage. Even Othello has issues in his view of women.  As much as he loves Desdemona, he also objectifies her.  He talks of winning her as a prize when he tells the senators in Act 1 how he and Desdemona fell in love.  In Act 2, he describes his marriage as a "purchase," and their lovemaking "a profit." 

It seems that the status of women is to be objects used by men.  As Emilia says in Act 3,

They are all but stomachs and we all but food.

They eat us hungrily, and when they are full

They belch us.  

The status of any particular woman seems to depend on a male's perceptions of her.  She is either an object to be esteemed and treasured, a sullied woman to be scorned and rejected, or a servant (like Emilia) to be ordered about.  

In Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, how is the value of human life addressed by the society in which Kira lives?

Perhaps the best insight into how Kira's community values human life is provided by Kira's trial. Vandara, Kira's accuser, brings a case against Kira that relies on the accepted standards of the community. 

"She was imperfect. And fatherless as well. She should not have been kept." The society believes that a child born with an imperfection, such as a disability, should be killed right after birth. They believe the spirit takes days to come into...

Perhaps the best insight into how Kira's community values human life is provided by Kira's trial. Vandara, Kira's accuser, brings a case against Kira that relies on the accepted standards of the community. 

"She was imperfect. And fatherless as well. She should not have been kept." The society believes that a child born with an imperfection, such as a disability, should be killed right after birth. They believe the spirit takes days to come into the child, and thus it is acceptable to kill a newborn infant. If a child cannot be provided for because it has no father, that child can be euthanized as well.

"She has not contributed." Humans are valued in Kira's society for contributing in material ways such as planting, weeding, or tending animals. A person who cannot perform a job that enhances physical existence may be killed.

"She can't marry. No one wants a cripple." Again, those who don't fit in or match the expectations of the society do not deserve to live.

"She causes problems with the discipline of the tykes, telling them stories, teaching them games so that they make noise and disrupt the work." The relational aspect of life, especially of the older people toward the children, is not valued in the society and is even considered a hindrance to the community. 

In Kira's defense, Jamison doesn't deny that Vandara accurately reflects the standards of the community. He says, "The accuser is correct that it is the way." The only defense he brings is that there may be exceptions. The Council of Guardians may violate the standards, but that does not nullify them. In their society, a person is valued for fitting in, for being able to perform jobs that sustain physical life, and for having normal looks and physical abilities. 

The society enforces its standards in the harshest way possible: by sending those who don't measure up to the Field of Leaving, where they will starve to death. 

How can the title of the story "The Canterville Ghost" be justified?

The title of this story is justified because it really is a story about Sir Simon, the Canterville ghost. When the story begins, the reader thinks that this is a story about the Otis family and their move from America to an aristocratic mansion in England. As the story progresses, however, it becomes clear that this is, in fact, focused on the Canterville ghost himself. The narrator frequently mentions his haunting career, for example, and his numerous tactics to frighten the very skeptical Otis family. Much attention is also paid to the emotional state of the ghost, as his haunting ability is mocked by the Otis family.

This idea is further reinforced in Chapter Five when Virginia Otis and the ghost share an intimate conversation. The ghost reveals the truth about his marriage and confesses to Virginia that he is desperate to go to the Garden of Death where he can sleep in peace forever. The story is, therefore, transformed into a tale of the ghost's redemption, as well as the very unlikely friendship which he develops with Virginia.

Are there any examples of foreshadowing in The Horse and His Boy?

Often the term foreshadowing is used of negative things, such as death, that are going to happen in a story.  In the case of C.S. Lewis, he foreshadows many things, good and bad. Lewis is such a masterful storyteller that he plants many small seeds throughout a story, which later blossom into significance. 

In The Horse and His Boy, there are many instances of foreshadowing of events big and small.  I will discuss the foreshadowing of two major themes: the mystery of Shasta's origin, and the involvement of Aslan.

Shasta's Origin

When Shasta is first introduced, it is this way: 

... far south in Calormen on a little creek of the sea, there lived a poor fisherman called Arsheesh, and with him there lived a boy who called him Father.

Thus, right away we are notified that Shasta is apparently not Arsheesh's real son, but thinks he is.  

Later in the same chapter, a visitor to Arsheesh points out (in a conversation on which Shasta eavesdrops) that Shasta cannot possibly be Arsheesh's son, because unlike Arsheesh he is fair-skinned and blue-eyed.  Arsheesh then admits that he got Shasta from a boat that washed up on the shore, containing only a baby (Shasta) and a man who had apparently starved himself to keep the baby alive.  

Shasta is excited to hear that he is not Arsheesh's son:

"Why, I might be anyone!" he thought.  "I might be the son of a Tarkaan myself -- or the son of the Tisroc (may he live for ever) -- or of a god!"

These dreams of Shasta's turn out to be surprisingly accurate, though it will take almost the whole book before he finds out that he is actually of royal blood. 

Later, when Shasta, Aravis, and the two talking horses are trying to sneak through the city of Tashbaan (Chapters 4 and 5), Shasta is mistaken for a Northern prince by some Narnia lords who are visiting the city.  Apparently, Prince Corin has run away, and the Narnians have been looking for him, and Shasta looks just like him.  They grab him, calling him Corin, and drag him back to their quarters, scolding him for the worry he has caused them.  In this way, he ends up hearing their plans.  Later, when they conclude that he has sunstroke and leave him alone to rest, Shasta encounters the real prince Corin, who is returning from his escapades in the city. The boys do not realize it, but they are identical twins.  Corin's parting words to Shasta are, "I hope we meet in Archenland.  Go to my father King Lune and tell him you're a friend of mine."  

Of course, Shasta will end up encountering King Lune when he speeds North with a desperate warning that the Calormen prince is planning an attack on Archenland. Lune will recognize Shasta as his long-lost son, the heir to the throne.

Aslan Everywhere

Besides the foreshadowing about Shasta's birth (which is a major plot point), there is, as with every book in the Narnia series, plenty of foreshadowing about the great lion Aslan before the characters actually meet him. 

The characters encounter lions when escaping by night from Calormen, and it is in trying to get away from the lions that Shasta and the horse Bree first meet up with Aravis and the talking horse Hwin.  

Later, when Shasta is waiting for his friends by the tombs outside Tashbaan, he is comforted by a large tabby cat.  In the middle of the night this cat drives off jackals that are threatening Shasta.  When he first sees it doing this, it looks so big that Shasta takes it for a lion.  

Later still, when the horses are racing to bring their warning of a surprise attack to King Lune, a lion chases them (causing them to run much faster) and rakes its claws across Aravis's back.  Shasta charges it to shoo it away, and to his surprise it goes.

All these are small incidents (as foreshadowing often is), and do not stick with the reader for long because they are always swept away by a new and exciting plot development.  But when Shasta does finally meet Aslan, Aslan informs him that "I was the lion."  

"I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis.  I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."

The idea that "Aslan is at the back of all the stories" is a major theme of the whole Narnia series.

What is the main theme of the chapter "Next, Please" by Philip Larkin?

"Next, Please" by Philip Larkin is not actually a chapter but an individual short poem. Poems included in books of poetry are generally not referred to as "chapters".

Although "Next, Please" does use some of the ornate language and archaic diction that Larkin eschewed in his mature works, it is thematically quite similar. It has much of the same emotional tone and theme as Larkin's mature work, and emphasizes that life includes much unpleasantness, that pleasure...

"Next, Please" by Philip Larkin is not actually a chapter but an individual short poem. Poems included in books of poetry are generally not referred to as "chapters".

Although "Next, Please" does use some of the ornate language and archaic diction that Larkin eschewed in his mature works, it is thematically quite similar. It has much of the same emotional tone and theme as Larkin's mature work, and emphasizes that life includes much unpleasantness, that pleasure is fleeting, that things' reality are never as good as we had imagined, and that after a generally tedious life, we die. 

The ship imagery of the poem stands as a metaphor for the things we anticipate coming to us in the future that will bring us forms of gratification. In reality, the future is much like the past and the present, and when it does arrive, it immediately becomes the past, rather than becoming something lasting. The only thing seeking us which will stay with us permanently is death:

Only one ship is seeking us, a black-

Sailed unfamiliar ...  In her wake

No waters breed or break.

Why is the nurse in Romeo and Juliet to blame for their deaths?

The nurse is partly to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, because she encouraged and enabled Juliet to see Romeo.  

I would like to say that I don't think that the nurse is the only character that deserves blame.  Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet are most to blame, since they both committed suicide.  Friar Laurence also deserves a great deal of the blame.  As for the nurse, she encouraged Juliet to secretly meet...

The nurse is partly to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, because she encouraged and enabled Juliet to see Romeo.  

I would like to say that I don't think that the nurse is the only character that deserves blame.  Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet are most to blame, since they both committed suicide.  Friar Laurence also deserves a great deal of the blame.  As for the nurse, she encouraged Juliet to secretly meet with Romeo.

I must another way,
To fetch a ladder by the which your love
Must climb a bird's nest soon when its dark.

She covered for Juliet, and she sent letters to Romeo for Juliet.  I admit that the friar probably deserves more of the blame, especially since he performed the actual wedding; however, without the nurse's help, that wedding likely would not have occurred.  

Furthermore, the nurse knew about Juliet's love for Romeo, yet she began pushing Juliet to marry Paris.  This resulted in driving Juliet to seek more desperate measures to be with Romeo.  

Romeo is banished, and all the world to nothing
That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you,
Or, if he do, it needs must be by stealth. 
Then, since the case so stands as now it doth, 
I think it best you married with the County. 
O, he's a lovely gentleman!

I often think that had the nurse helped Juliet escape with Romeo to Mantua, they both might still be alive.  

In To Kill a Mockingbird, I've only found two examples when the idea "You never really know someone until you walk in their shoes" is referred to....

There is a second time when Atticus refers to his famous quote about walking in another person's shoes.  Bob Ewell threatens Atticus after the trial.  This concerns Jem.  He is worried that Mr. Ewell will do something to harm his father.  He wants his father to do something about it as a precaution.  Atticus reasons with his son:

"Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute.  I destroyed his last shred...

There is a second time when Atticus refers to his famous quote about walking in another person's shoes.  Bob Ewell threatens Atticus after the trial.  This concerns Jem.  He is worried that Mr. Ewell will do something to harm his father.  He wants his father to do something about it as a precaution.  Atticus reasons with his son:

"Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute.  I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does."

Atticus then goes on to say that he is willing to listen to Mr. Ewell's threats if it will save his daughter from being beaten.  Atticus says that Mr. Ewell is going to take his anger out on someone, so he would much rather it be on him then on the man's children.  After his father explains the situation in this way, Jem finally understands.  

Even though Mr. Ewell threatens Atticus, he seeks to understand the man.  He wants his son to consider that Mr. Ewell was probably ashamed at the trial.  This is because Atticus discredited Mr. Ewell's arguments during the trial.

Why would Shakespeare include the theme of corruption and decay in Hamlet?

Corruption and decay are a constant theme in Hamlet. From Horatio's assertion early in the play that something is "rotten in the state of Denmark," to Hamlet's disturbing joke that "politic worms" are eating the corpse of the recently dead Polonius, to his reflections on viewing Yorick's skull in the graveyard, the characters seem obsessed with the subject. One reason why Shakespeare may have included this theme is that he wished to underscore the...

Corruption and decay are a constant theme in Hamlet. From Horatio's assertion early in the play that something is "rotten in the state of Denmark," to Hamlet's disturbing joke that "politic worms" are eating the corpse of the recently dead Polonius, to his reflections on viewing Yorick's skull in the graveyard, the characters seem obsessed with the subject. One reason why Shakespeare may have included this theme is that he wished to underscore the foulness of the crime Claudius had committed. By murdering his brother and marrying his former sister-in-law, the king has eaten away at the moral center of Denmark. Something is rotten indeed in Denmark, and Hamlet is alone (with only Horatio as a confidant) in his knowledge of exactly what the source of the corruption really is. The theme of corruption and disease also serves to emphasize Hamlet's apparent madness, a major manifestation of which is his obsession with death and mortality. This, of course, is the focus of his speech at Yorick's grave. Thus corruption and decay can be found at the heart of Denmark and in Hamlet's own psyche. Shakespeare drives home the ubiquity of this theme through evoking it in one scene after another.

What is Charles Dickens' story A Christmas Carol about?

A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, a cold and mean-spirited bachelor who shuns society in favour of personal wealth. As Christmas approaches, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner and only friend, Jacob Marley, who tells him that he must reform his character before it is too late. Marley also informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts, whose purpose is to teach him the true...

A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, a cold and mean-spirited bachelor who shuns society in favour of personal wealth. As Christmas approaches, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner and only friend, Jacob Marley, who tells him that he must reform his character before it is too late. Marley also informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts, whose purpose is to teach him the true meaning of Christmas.

As Marley promised, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. During their visits, Scrooge relives the painful experiences of youth, like the loss of his fiancée, and learns how little he is liked by those around him, like the family of his nephew, Fred. He also sees a glimpse of his future, in which he dies alone and thieves steal his possessions. Inspired by these experiences, Scrooge transforms his character, as Dickens explains:

He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.

A Christmas Carol thus teaches the reader that friendship and family are more important than personal wealth and, significantly, that it is never too late to become a better person.

Find dimension of work.

To find dimensions of any physical quantity, consider its definition or a formula that connects this quantity to the ones with the known dimensions.

Work, by definition, is the scalar product of the force acting on the object and its displacement. (The displacement might or might not be due just to this particular force.)

`W = vecF*Delta vecx`

This can also be written as

`W = F*|Deltavecx|*cos(theta)` , where `theta` is the angle between the force vector and...

To find dimensions of any physical quantity, consider its definition or a formula that connects this quantity to the ones with the known dimensions.

Work, by definition, is the scalar product of the force acting on the object and its displacement. (The displacement might or might not be due just to this particular force.)

`W = vecF*Delta vecx`

This can also be written as

`W = F*|Deltavecx|*cos(theta)` , where `theta` is the angle between the force vector and the displacement vector.

The cosine of an angle is dimensionless. The displacement has the dimensions of length, [L], or meters.

The force is measured in Newtons, which is a unit composed of other fundamental units:

`1 N= kg*m/s^2`

The dimension of force is `[F] = [M]*[[L]]/[T]^2`

Thus, dimension of work is

`[W]=[M]*[[L]]/[T]^2*[L] = [M]*[L]^2/[T]^2` .

In the metric system, work is measured in Joules:

`1 J = N*m = kg*m^2/s^2` .

Hope this helps.

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Would Emerson's ideas about education be supported in elementary schools today? Why or why not? He believed children should be given the choice of...

While Emerson would be pleased at elementary education's advancement, he would say there is more to do to create a system of formal elementary instruction that maximizes student choice.

Emerson was passionate about students having choices in their studies. Emerson saw the educational setting based on rote instruction as failing to ignite student passion: "It is ominous, a presumption of crime, that this word Education has so cold, so hopeless a sound. A treatise on...

While Emerson would be pleased at elementary education's advancement, he would say there is more to do to create a system of formal elementary instruction that maximizes student choice.

Emerson was passionate about students having choices in their studies. Emerson saw the educational setting based on rote instruction as failing to ignite student passion: "It is ominous, a presumption of crime, that this word Education has so cold, so hopeless a sound. A treatise on education, a convention for education, a lecture, a system, affects us with slight paralysis and a certain yawning of the jaws." Emerson believed that the "certain yawning of the jaws" was because those in positions of power did not construct education with the student voice in mind. Emerson believed education "should be as broad as man" and should enhance "elements in him." He believed education should be geared towards individual passion:

The imagination must be addressed. Why always coast on the surface and never open the interior of nature, not by science, which is surface still, but by poetry? Is not the Vast an element of the mind? Yet what teaching, what book of this day appeals to the Vast?

Emerson felt the student experience was the most important element in education. He felt this was lacking in the educational system he saw around him.

In today's education system, there are more choices for students. In many elementary schools, delivering science and engineering instruction to as many students as possible is prioritized. There are more arts, physical education, and music classes offered to students than in Emerson's time. These opportunities broaden students' choices of future paths. With the increase of responses to intervention, elementary schools do a better job of tailor-making educational plans to fit the needs of every student. Teachers at the elementary level embrace learning centers, inquiry-based learning techniques, and self-selected writing and reading. They also do more in terms of encouraging student voice in the process of education. Elementary education embraces a deeper understanding of how facts fit together in constructing knowledge. This moves away from how Emerson saw education "coast on the surface." Additionally, Emerson would be happy with how there is more access to education than ever before. More young people are being educated than in Emerson's time.

I do think there are elements in current elementary education Emerson would find disturbing. The reliance on data-driven analysis in the form of standardized testing would concern him. He yearned for education to encourage a "vast" element of the mind, and as a result would recoil at the emphasis placed on standardized testing. When children in first or second grade have to experience the pressures of a high-stakes standardized assessment, instruction loses its appeal to the "vast." Rather, it gears itself toward success on the test. Emerson would repudiate elementary schools cutting back on "non-essential" courses like art, music, and physical education in favor of more instruction on testing content. Schools that do this embrace Emerson's belief of the "hopeless" condition of education. When standardized testing is given importance over all else in elementary education, student choice and voice diminish. Emerson would criticize this limitation. This is not to say he would reject modern elementary education, but he would say the steps taken to enhance a child's imagination should continue and the movement towards over-reliance on testing data should recede.

How does Maniac Magee teach Grayson to read and write in Maniac Magee by Jerri Spinelli?

In Chapter 27, Maniac teaches his friend Grayson to read by acting as his own personal dedicated teacher, starting with the alphabet and moving Grayson slowly up until he can read words, then sentences, then entire books.

They start by buying some cheap old picture books that were for sale at the library as well as some chalk and a small blackboard from Woolworth's.

They start at the beginning, with Grayson first learning the names,...

In Chapter 27, Maniac teaches his friend Grayson to read by acting as his own personal dedicated teacher, starting with the alphabet and moving Grayson slowly up until he can read words, then sentences, then entire books.

They start by buying some cheap old picture books that were for sale at the library as well as some chalk and a small blackboard from Woolworth's.

They start at the beginning, with Grayson first learning the names, shapes, and sounds of the letters, which takes three days. A few weeks later, Maniac has helped Grayson read short words (ones with just one syllable, like "cat" and "this" and "find") by blending the sounds together. Vowels were very hard for Grayson to learn--understandable, since they make different sounds according to complex rules, most of which have exceptions--but Maniac doesn't let Grayson give up. He just keeps coaching his old friend like a patient, knowledgeable baseball coach would do.

By the end of the chapter, both Grayson and Maniac are thrilled when the old man reads his first sentence: "I see the ball."

Then, as Chapter 28 opens, Grayson reads an entire picture book from cover to cover by himself. It's extremely difficult and takes almost an hour. But now he's a reader.

The whole experience of Maniac teaching Grayson to read really shows you a lot about their characters: they're extremely determined, they work hard, and they function well as a team. Maniac has improved Grayson's life by helping him achieve this serious accomplishment (becoming a literate adult) and, likewise, Grayson has improved Maniac's life by allowing him to accomplish something a lot more meaningful than, say, untying the world's biggest knot.

How does the narrator meet the signalman in Charles Dickens's "The Signalman"?

As he walks in the countryside, the narrator sees and later meets the signalman, whom he spots by the train tracks below him, standing "on the top of the steep cutting." The signalman seems distracted because, rather than looking up, he turns himself around and looks down the tracks.

After the narrator calls a second time, the signalman turns himself around. Then, the narrator asks how to descend and reach this signalman; however, suddenly the...

As he walks in the countryside, the narrator sees and later meets the signalman, whom he spots by the train tracks below him, standing "on the top of the steep cutting." The signalman seems distracted because, rather than looking up, he turns himself around and looks down the tracks.

After the narrator calls a second time, the signalman turns himself around. Then, the narrator asks how to descend and reach this signalman; however, suddenly the earth shakes and the train in "a violent pulsation" passes through and skim[s] away over the landscape. When this thundering noise ends, the narrator follows the signalman's instructions and finds a rough zigzag path down the slope. 

Nearing the train tracks, the narrator notices the strange fear that the signalman exhibits as well as his gesture of "watchfulness and expectation." This reaction to him causes the narrator to stop and wonder momentarily as he reaches the spot where the man stands. Added to the "great dungeon" of the tunnel, the walls of which drip with the dampness, and the gloomy atmosphere and "forbidding air" of the place, there is a Gothic feel to this meeting.

What details in the first paragraph help establish the atmosphere or mood of "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty?

Let's start with the mood and atmosphere of the story as a whole.  I would say that this story's mood is tense, dark, and violent.  In a nutshell, the story is about a sniper that coldly shoots and kills three people.  One of them happens to be his brother.  

The opening paragraph helps to establish that mood by setting the story in the evening.  Day is fading into night, so there is an actual...

Let's start with the mood and atmosphere of the story as a whole.  I would say that this story's mood is tense, dark, and violent.  In a nutshell, the story is about a sniper that coldly shoots and kills three people.  One of them happens to be his brother.  

The opening paragraph helps to establish that mood by setting the story in the evening.  Day is fading into night, so there is an actual darkness that accompanies the emotional darkness of the story.  

The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey.

Notice all of the words that focus reader attention on darkness and dark times.  "Twilight," "faded," "night," "darkness," "dim," and "pale" all highlight an ominous and oppressive feeling.  The rest of the opening paragraph points readers toward the violence that is happening around the setting.  A civil war is going on and guns can be constantly heard.  Based on the opening paragraph, readers know that this story is going to be a dark and violent story. 

Can you explain how/why this is an external force conflict in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson? Old Man Warner brags about how many lotteries he...

What you have placed in quotation marks is not from "The Lottery" itself. I am going to assume this is your writing prompt, a brief summary of what might be an external conflict, and I've revised it somewhat. Since any conflict that is not an internal conflict must be some sort of external conflict, I would have to say that there would be a conflict between Old Man Warner and the town if he were...

What you have placed in quotation marks is not from "The Lottery" itself. I am going to assume this is your writing prompt, a brief summary of what might be an external conflict, and I've revised it somewhat. Since any conflict that is not an internal conflict must be some sort of external conflict, I would have to say that there would be a conflict between Old Man Warner and the town if he were to be the one chosen to die, and there would be a conflict between him and tradition in that event, too.

The sole protesting voice is Tessie Hutchinson. She first protests when it is her family group chosen, then protests when her daughter is not considered part of the family group, thus increasing her own odds of being chosen, and then protests again when she is selected for stoning. It is fair to say that there is a conflict between her and the town at this point, and the same conflict would be between the person chosen and the town, no matter who is selected. If that were Old Man Warner, he would probably be complaining loudly. One might be able to lead a willing scapegoat out into the desert, but once one is sacrificing a human, a conflict between the sacrifice and those doing the sacrificing is going to be inevitable.

Another way to view this as an external conflict might be to view it as a conflict between the person chosen and tradition, with similar reasoning. Everyone, including Old Man Warner, is completely on board with this tradition of stoning someone to death once annually. But as we can see from Tessie Hutchinson, this respect can dissipate very quickly when the tradition is about to kill a person. Old Man Warner is fully in favor of this tradition because it has not cost him a thing. If he were the winner of the lottery, he would quite likely find himself in conflict with tradition.

If x^15-x^13+x^11-x^9+x7-x^5+x^3-x = 7 prove x^16 > 15

Given ` x^15-x^13+x^11-x^9+x^7-x^5+x^3-x=7 ` , we are asked to show that `x^16>15 ` :

First, note that `x^15-x^13+x^11-x^9+x^7-x^5+x^3-x=x(x-1)(x+1)(x^4+1)(x^8+1) ` so the polynomial has real roots at -1,0, and 1.

For x<-1 the polynomial is negative.

For -1<x<0 the polynomial is positive but has a maximum a little less than 1/2.

For 0<x<1 the polynomial is negative.

So we know that x>1 for the polynomial to achieve 7.

Since x>1 we have `(x-1)^2>0 `

`==> x^2-2x+1>0...

Given ` x^15-x^13+x^11-x^9+x^7-x^5+x^3-x=7 ` , we are asked to show that `x^16>15 ` :

First, note that `x^15-x^13+x^11-x^9+x^7-x^5+x^3-x=x(x-1)(x+1)(x^4+1)(x^8+1) ` so the polynomial has real roots at -1,0, and 1.

For x<-1 the polynomial is negative.

For -1<x<0 the polynomial is positive but has a maximum a little less than 1/2.

For 0<x<1 the polynomial is negative.

So we know that x>1 for the polynomial to achieve 7.

Since x>1 we have `(x-1)^2>0 `

`==> x^2-2x+1>0 `

`==>x^2+1>2x `

`==> (x^2+1)/x>2 `

Now multiply both sides of the equation by `x^2+1 ` :

`(x^2+1)(x^15-x^13+x^11-x^9+x^7-x^5+x^3-x)=7(x^2+1) `

Multiplying and factoring we get:

`x(x^16-1)=7(x^2+1) `

Then:

`x^16-1=(7(x^2+1))/x `  ; but `(x^2+1)/x>2 ` so

`x^16-1>7(2) ` and

`x^16>15 ` as required.

*********************************************************

`x^16-1=(x^8+1)(x^4+1)(x^2+1)(x+1)(x-1) `

and

`x^15-x^13+x^11-x^9+x^7-x^5+x^3-x= `

`x(x-1)(x+1)(x^4+1)(x^8+1) `

so multiplying the degree 15 polynomial by x^2+1 gives x times the degree 16 polynomial.

In Zindel's The Pigman, what is Lorraine's nightmare about? What incident does the dream foreshadow?

Lorraine has a dream that she is in Mr. Pignati's house.  She is forced to walk into his pig collection room.  Once in the room, she sees the pigs on a black coffin.  Lorraine believes that the dream is a bad omen of sorts.  She's not wrong either.  The dream does foreshadow two heartbreaking events.  

The first event is the death of Mr. Pignati's pig collection.  John decides to have a small party at...

Lorraine has a dream that she is in Mr. Pignati's house.  She is forced to walk into his pig collection room.  Once in the room, she sees the pigs on a black coffin.  Lorraine believes that the dream is a bad omen of sorts.  She's not wrong either.  The dream does foreshadow two heartbreaking events.  

The first event is the death of Mr. Pignati's pig collection.  John decides to have a small party at Mr. Pignati's house while Mr. Pignati is still recovering in the hospital.  Things get out of hand when Norton shows up, and Norton destroys the pig collection.  Lorraine's dream shows the pigs on a coffin, so it basically hints that the pigs will die.  

The dream also foreshadows Mr. Pignati's death.  At the end of the novel, Mr. Pignati suffers another heart attack, and this time it kills him.  The coffin in Lorraine's dream is not only meant for the pigs, but also for Mr. Pignati.  

In "A Painful Case," do you prefer to sympathize with Mr. Duffy or Mrs. Sinico?

While I feel incredibly sorry for Mrs. Sinico, it is actually Mr. Duffy who I find to be a more sympathetic figure because he must live with his terrible regret. He eventually realizes that the messiness and chaos of a romantic relationship would actually have made both his and Mrs. Sinico's lives worth living. It likely would have prevented her from turning to alcohol to dull her feelings and eventually taking her own life. Such...

While I feel incredibly sorry for Mrs. Sinico, it is actually Mr. Duffy who I find to be a more sympathetic figure because he must live with his terrible regret. He eventually realizes that the messiness and chaos of a romantic relationship would actually have made both his and Mrs. Sinico's lives worth living. It likely would have prevented her from turning to alcohol to dull her feelings and eventually taking her own life. Such a relationship, though it would have made Mr. Duffy emotionally vulnerable, the thing he seems to fear the most, would have prevented him from becoming an "outcast from life's feast." In the end, Mrs. Sinico at least tried to reach out to another human being; she tried to foster a connection and was rebuffed. Although this would be painful, I would imagine it is far more painful never to have tried to experience this kind of connection with another human, only to realize one's choices have rendered one completely and totally alone in the world. Mr. Duffy is alone, and he has only himself to blame, and this—to me—makes him even more sympathetic than her.

Describe the house and its surroundings in the poem "The Listeners."

"The Listeners" is a delightfully eerie poem by Walter de la Mare that describes a human traveler who, hoping to keep a mysterious promise he's made, knocks on the door of a spooky abandoned house.

The most important thing we know about this place is that it's silent and still. The speaker repeats that information throughout the poem. Here's what else we know about the house and its surroundings:

1. There's moonlight shining on the front door:

‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,

Knocking on the moonlit door;

2. The house is located in a forest where there are ferns on the ground:

And his horse in the silence champed the grasses

Of the forest’s ferny floor:

3. The house has a turret, which is a small round tower that may or may not contain a spiraling staircase:

And a bird flew up out of the turret,

Above the Traveller’s head:

4. There are leaves around the window sill, indicating that no one is actively keeping the exterior of the house clean:

But no one descended to the Traveller;

No head from the leaf-fringed sill

5. The house is empty inside, but in a sense it's full, too, because there are lots of silent spirits in there. Also, the house stands alone (with no neighbors). It's at least two stories high, because there's a staircase inside, and the moonlight is shining in a little bit on that staircase:

But only a host of phantom listeners

That dwelt in the lone house then

Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight

To that voice from the world of men:

Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair,

That goes down to the empty hall,

6. The trees in the forest surrounding the house are quite tall, because their leaves seem to be part of the sky:

’Neath the starred and leafy sky;

7. The rooms inside the house are large enough to cause the traveler's voice to echo:

Though every word he spake 

Fell echoing through the shadowiness of the still house

8. Finally, the property features some kind of stone walkway or driveway outside, because as the traveler leaves on horseback, the animal's iron horseshoes make a distinct sound against the stone:

Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup,

And the sound of iron on stone....

What plays of Shakespeare's were seen as controversial?

It is difficult to know which of Shakespeare’s plays were controversial when they first came out. Troilus and Cressida was likely very contentious during its time because it parodies classical heroes such as Achilles and Ulysses. Ancient Greece greatly inspired Renaissance England, and this play makes a complete mockery of the world, indicating that these heroes were actually buffoons and that their reputations were largely unearned. There are virtually no records of its performance from Shakespeare’s time until the nineteenth century.

Sir Thomas More is an incomplete play written by Shakespeare and a number of playwrights. The fact that it was never finished suggests that there might have been controversy over its publication. Thomas More himself was not in favor of the Protestant Reformation, but the text portrays him in a generally positive light. This was an unusual sentiment to express at a time when England had made the tumultuous transition to Protestantism.

Other Shakespeare plays have been contentious in more recent years. Titus Andronicus disturbed critics in the past several centuries due to its extreme violence, and some suggested Shakespeare could not have written such a grisly play. All’s Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure are considered problem plays because they are dark and emotionally unsatisfying comedies.

Shakespeare’s most questionable plays nowadays are Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice. Shrew is about a man who “tames” an unruly and violent woman in order to marry her for her money. At the story’s conclusion, Katherine, the former “shrew,” says that women’s weakness is “past compare” and that they should “place your hands below your husband's foot.” Nonetheless, it is a wildly popular play, especially when interpreted ironically.

Merchant features the villainous Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who fulfills numerous antisemitic stereotypes. The ostensible comedy ends well for the Christian characters, including Shylock’s converted daughter Jessica. Shylock is forced to convert to Christianity and to lose half of his wealth. In a post-Holocaust world, the play is a disturbing reminder of virulent antisemitism. However, it is still performed, largely due to the more sympathetic aspects of Shylock’s character.

As you can see, a number of Shakespeare’s plays have generated considerable controversy, but many are complex and intriguing enough to have their fair share of defenders, even today.