• LAW AND POLITICS

Democracy/CapitalismIs there some reason why people in the US believe we must have Capitalism to…

Excellent question. I think in light of the recent healthcare reform discussions, we might think of it more in terms of your pointing to the socialistic programs of the democracies in Europe…

4 educator answers

• ESSAY LAB

How can I write an improved essay?What makes a really good essay?

Since writing is thinking on paper, really good writers are those who have a command of the language (ample vocabularies and an understanding of a variety of sentence structures). So, you will…

1 educator answer

• THE GREAT GATSBY

How do the last four paragraphs, beginning with “most of the big shore places were closed now,”…

Here, Nick prepares to return home. He takes one last look at Gatsby’s house and remembers Dutch sailors arriving in the New World. He connects the “green breast of the new world” with…

2 educator answers

• THE GREAT GATSBY

What are the first words Daisy speaks in the novel? In what different ways could this comment be…

Daisy’s first words are “I’m p-paralyzed with happiness.” There can be several interpretations of this. The first is that Daisy is merely saying what fashionable ladies say when they see relatives…

2 educator answers

• ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS

What does Kimki do upon reaching safety?

I am not entirely sure what you are looking for from the wording of the question. However, I can tell you that Kimki is chosen as the new leader of the tribe after Karana’s father is killed in the…

1 educator answer

• ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Before the war what did Paul think of the civilians?In Erich Maria Remarque’s book, All Quiet on…

Baumer’s schoolmaster, Kantorek, rallied his students with a compelling call to courage and patriotism. He convinced Baumer and most of his classmates that those who didn’t serve in the military…

1 educator answer

• HAMLET

What qualities of Claudius are brought out in Act IV of Hamlet?

Looking at Act IV scene 1, which comes just after Hamlet has had his interview with his mother in her bedchamber which culminated in his killing of Polonius, it is clear that Claudius is very…

1 educator answer

• LITERATURE

What might a writer use to symbolize courage?

Often writers use symbols from the animal kingdom to symbolize courage, and this is something mankind has done for many years. For example, lions might be used as such symbols, or various birds of…

1 educator answer

• MOBY DICK

What was the climax and the goal of Moby Dick?

The climax of Moby Dick is most certainly when Ahab finds the white whale and, after three days of “giving chase,” plunges his harpoon into Moby’s side only to get caught around the neck with the…

1 educator answer

• WARRIORS DON’T CRY

In regards to Warriors Don’t Cry, is Melba African-American?I wasnt sure what she was exactly.

Melba Pattillo Beals is most certainly African-American! In fact, much to her credit (and bravery), she was one of the very first African-American students from 1957 to be integrated into the…

1 educator answer

• GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL

What is the overall thesis of the book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond?

Jared Diamond is a professor at UCLA. He has written several books about the history of mankind. He has written “Guns, Germs, and Steel” in an attempt to enlighten society on why we have…

2 educator answers

• MACBETH

Upon hearing the news of their wives deaths, whose reaction is more masculine? Macbeth or…

I don’t know about more masculine, but Macbeth’s is definitely colder, and more unfeeling. Macduff had a beautiful family relationship as depicted in the fun “monkey” business scene between mother…

4 educator answers

• THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

How does the quote at the beginning of chapter 12 relate to Lily’s anguish?

This is an important question. It is a good idea to pay attention to the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Now, you will notice that the queen bee is characterized as the “mother” of the…

1 educator answer

• GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL

In Parts II and III of Guns, Germs and Steel, discuss Diamond’s presentation of the “systems of…

One of the key elements that led some nations to develop and advance quicker than others, Diamond argues, resulted from their system of food production. Historically, for the majority of man’s…

1 educator answer

• THE CALL OF THE WILD

How does Buck create mutiny among the team of dogs in Call of the Wild?

Buck creates mutiny among the team of dogs by undermining the authority of Spitz, the leader of the pack. It is in Buck’s nature to lead, and an open enmity develops between him and Spitz, the…

1 educator answer

• A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Having saved Charles Darnay, how is Dr. Manette changed, and how does he now look on his long…

Dr. Manette’s heroic return to France in order to intercede for Charles Darnay/Evremonde is in harmony with the theme of redemption in “A Tale of Two Cities.” For, it is because of his having…

1 educator answer

• LITERATURE

politicspolitical analysis, india in world polytics

One of my favorite books is A Passage to India where the politics and cultural barriers between the natives and the English stood out in stark contrast. I believe you are right when you say the…

2 educator answers

• WINTER DREAMS

What makes Dexter “newer and stronger” than the “careless” wealthy people he meets in “Winter…

A distinction is made throughout this excellent story between “new” wealth achieved by someone with “questionable” roots such as Dexter Fletcher with his middle-class background and the “old”…

2 educator answers

• THE BOOK THIEF

What is the significance of color in “The Book Thief”?Give 2 examples of how it was used and the…

This question seems to be an essay question that your teacher has asked you to respond to; I can help to give you some ideas, and I hope that you can use them to spark your own opinions and…

1 educator answer

• THE MIRACLE WORKER

Who realizes that the baby cannot see or hear? How does the person realize it?

Kate (Helen’s mother) realizes this only about one page into Act One. Kate is simply talking to her little baby after the doctor leaves, complaining about doctors and sickness and cures….

1 educator answer

• THE MILLER’S TALE

What is the narrator’s attitude towards the subject matter of “The Miller’s Tale” in Chaucer’s…

Although I am a bit confused as to what you mean by “the narrator,” I am going to assume you mean “the host” of The Canterbury Tales (who travels along beside the pilgrims and urges them to tell…

1 educator answer

• A CLEAN, WELL-LIGHTED PLACE

What does the old man’s deafness symbolize?

In Hemingway’s “A Clean Well-Lighted Place,” the fact that the man is deaf indicates that he is even more isolated from people. This deafness and age of the man may also indicate that he is losing…

1 educator answer

• HISTORY

Why did the Hebrews have so much trouble uniting into a powerful political force?

I assume you are asking about the period before the Kingdom of Israel, in other words the period from the successful invasion of Canaan to the rise of the first king, Saul. This is termed the…

1 educator answer

• THE HIDING PLACE

In Chapter 8 of The Hiding Place, how does the incident with Nollie fufill the foreshadowing of…

In Chapter 1, many of the guests for the party celebrating the one-hundredth anniversary of the opening of the Ten Booms’ watch shop have arrived, and Corrie bicycles hurriedly to her sister…

1 educator answer

• LORD OF THE FLIES

How is Jack a dynamic character?examples of how he changes

One example near the beginning is when Jack plans his “hunting face.” He paints it black, then looks into the water to see his reflection. He’s not pleased with that, so he uses black, white and…

1 educator answer

• GREAT EXPECTATIONS

What do you think makes Pip change his opinion of his benefactor from one of initial repugnance…

Pip goes through a lot of changes throughout the book. One of the major changes is that he moves from thinking that everything in life is centered around wealth and reputation to understanding that…

1 educator answer

• SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER

Towards the end of the story Summer of my German Soldier, what evidence leads the FBI to Patty?

Patty had bought a shirt for her father for Father’s Day, and she had subsequently given it to Anton. Anton had been wearing it when he was shot and killed by authorities, and the shirt was traced…

1 educator answer

• SOCIAL SCIENCES

How does the ever-changing politics of Afghanistan affect its people’s standard living?

A country’s economy is directly related to the government and progress of that country. Without a stable government the economy is not going to grow effectively, there will be high unemployment,…

1 educator answer

• NIGHT

Describe your reaction to the end of the book. Was it satisfying? If not, what else would you…

This is obviously a question that your teacher wants to know from you, as a matter of personal opinion. Having read Night repeatedly, and knowing a lot about the Holocaust, there is no other way…

1 educator answer

• NIGHT

Wiesel, once a very religious boy who spent his free time furthering his Jewish studies,…

I will leave the personal experience to your own analysis. I think in terms of being able to discuss the facing to or from God in times of distress, the context of the Holocaust has to be…

1 educator answer

• THE CRUCIBLE

What dramatic purposes are served by the role of Giles Corey?tnk very much!

Giles Corey was an elderly man who was accused of witchcraft along with a number of other elderly people in Salem. His age and physical frailty represent the lack of compassion of the magistrates,…

1 educator answer

• HUNGER OF MEMORY

What are some figures of speech in Hunger of Memory?

Rodriguez employs various figures of speech in his description of his past and what happened to him as a scholarship boy in terms of the distance he felt springing up between him and his humble…

1 educator answer

• THE SCARLET LETTER

Considering the role of nature in anti-transcendental literature, what is the significance of the…

The meteor event is an example of cosmic irony–God or the gods interfere in the events of man in order to manipulate the outcome or send a message of some sort. The meteor shower appears to be in…

1 educator answer

• LORD OF THE FLIES

What are some qualities of the four main characters, Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon?I have to list…

Ralph: good speaker, has the “look” of a leader, while not without flaws (lacks some insight and maturity) he is probably the one character with the most positive leadership skills, believes in…

1 educator answer

• THE ROAD

In “The Road” the man and the boy think of themselves as the “good guys.” In what ways are they…

Although the differences between the boy and his father and the cannibalistic and brutal men they encounter are more stark than the similarities, there are some things in common. Both groups of…

1 educator answer

• GAMES AT TWILIGHT

An important idea in the story “Games at Twilight” is that the childish games are…?

“Games at Twilight” by Anita Desai is a touching and very well-written account of Ravi, who learns a profound life lesson while playing a classic child’s game of Hide ‘N’ Seek. The story recounts,…

1 educator answer

• A SEPARATE PEACE

What theme best represents the personality of Gene Forrester, in “A Separate Peace”?”A Separate…

Gene Forrester is a great character. He is the narrator of “A Seperate Peace”. He is generally good and honest, but is flawed. He is very scholarly, dependable, and mature. He is also a very…

2 educator answers

• FAST FOOD NATION: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ALL-AMERICAN MEAL

To what extent does the book consider opposing arguments?

Schlosser’s work does not really consider opposing arguments in the proliferation and impact of the fast food industry. In some respects, the “other side” of this debate is the mainstream that…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What is the Finch family history in the south?

The Finch family history is provided early in the first chapter. Scout shares with us that the Finches did not have a lengthy history in Great Britain, that went back to the Battle of Hastings….

1 educator answer

• LORD OF THE FLIES

In Chapter 5, what is Simon referring to when he says…”…maybe it’s only us that we’re afraid…

What Simon knows, and the rest have yet to discover, is the magnitude of Jack and his gang’s savagery. When he says “…maybe it’s only us that we’re afraid of” he means that maybe we know that…

2 educator answers

• LORD OF THE FLIES

What comparison is implied at the end of the novel Lord of The Flies?

A reference to The Coral Island, a book written by R.M. Ballantyne, is made by the naval officer at the end of chapter 12. In The Coral Island, a group of boys, two whose names are Ralph and Jack,…

1 educator answer

• MANIAC MAGEE

Why were the Finsterwalds’s steps the only ones not sat on?

Well, Spinelli never comes right out and says why, does he? But isn’t there some house in every neighborhood where the “tough” kid lives–where, as Spinelli writes, ”’If you valued your life, you…

1 educator answer

• GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Why do you think it is one of Magwitch’s principal conditions that Pip “always bear the name Pip”…

It is in Chapter 18 that Jaggers arrives and tells Pip of his “Great Expectations” and the money that he has. It is also where Jaggers explains the conditions of accepting this money: to “always…

1 educator answer

• JANE EYRE

I need to know how each of these represent symbolism in Jane Eyre: Reed, Blanche, Gateswood,…

Your question is a little confused and also seems to ask more than one question. Whilst you are right to identify that certain locations in the novel seem to have symbolic significance, the names…

1 educator answer

• BEOWULF

In the epic Beowulf, why does Hrothgar decide to build the great hall?

Hrothgar built Heorot (Herot, depending on translation) for the “best and bravest of his men.” It is an honorable king who seeks to reward his soldiers for their bravery. The building was…

2 educator answers

• FRANKENSTEIN

How does Frankenstein conform to the horror genre? I’ve got through settings and characters, but…

Frankenstein also conforms to the horror genre in literature because of its style. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel is an example of the Gothic genre in literature: a genre that contains certain…

1 educator answer

• THE GREAT GATSBY

How is the hit and run incident with Myrtle connected with Gatsby’s failure to end his pursuit of…

Gatsby makes the foolish decision of taking the blame for the accident, in order to protect Daisy. She was behind the wheel, but witnesses only saw Gatsby’s flamboyant car, which was unmistakable….

1 educator answer

• THE LOVELY BONES

What implications does The Lovely Bones have on life?How is The Lovely Bones realistic?

Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones is realistic because its characters grapple with grief in “unheroic” ways. Jack Salmon becomes almost obsessed with finding Susie’s murderer; and rather than…

1 educator answer

• FAHRENHEIT 451

in fahrenheit 451 what is the page number where montag says when you’ve nothing to lose, you run…

Montag is talking to Faber. Faber is telling him his ideas on what the world needs to do to correct society. He says that the first thing is to access quality information because something with…

1 educator answer

• ROBERT FROST

What is the main theme of the poem “The Death of the Hired Man,” by Robert Frost?

One important theme of Robert Frost’s poem “Death of the Hired Man” – the theme of mutability, or change – is suggested by the very title of the work. The word “Death,” of course,…