How did Jean Bodin’s philosophy reflect the time and place where he lived?
- SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS
Why are ideas of love, friendship, and marriage the subject of many Shakespearean sonnets, such…
Scholars believe that Shakespeare’s sonnets were based on his personal relationships, namely with the Fair Youth (Sonnets 1-126), and, therefore, deal the subjects of love, friendship, and…
3 educator answers
- SCIENCE
Which statement best explains why a hot-air balloon rises when the air in the balloon is heated?…
The statement that best explains why a hot air balloon rises is A. As the air inside the balloon is heated its volume increases, inflating the balloon more fully. Having a greater volume makes it…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
How did Jean Bodin’s philosophy reflect the time and place where he lived?
Like most of the philosophers of absolutism (Thomas Hobbes being the other very famous example) Jean Bodin lived in a time of extreme social and political strife. He witnessed the French wars of…
1 educator answer
- SCIENCE
In the medical field, what are the three main reasons for citing references?
Appropriate citations are important in all scientific and technical disciplines, not only in medical sciences. There are several reasons for this. One of the foremost is to provide due credit to…
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- SCIENCE
I don’t understand the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles.
Any nutrient or biogeochemical cycle involves the sources and sinks of that nutrient/element and also shows the transformations the nutrient/element undergoes. To understand any nutrient or…
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- HISTORY
How did the interactions between Europeans and Native Americans affect the Europeans?
Europeans were affected by their interactions with Native peoples in a variety of ways. One obvious one is that many Europeans died in wars with various Indian peoples. This was true along the…
1 educator answer
- HARRISON BERGERON
What do the H-G men do in order to make people equal in “Harrison Bergeron”?
Under the rule of the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers, people in the story’s fictional society are “equal in every which way.” It must be acknowledged, however, that the society in the…
1 educator answer
- HAMLET
What do the people of Denmark believe about Polonius’ death?
While hiding behind a curtain to spy on the conversation between Hamlet and his mother, Polonius makes a sound and is stabbed through the curtain. It is unclear whether Hamlet knew who he was…
1 educator answer
- THE LOTTERY
What are some examples of irony in the story The Lottery? For example, why might the title The…
There are many examples of irony in “The Lottery”–Shirley Jackson’s story about the dangers of blindly following tradition. The title of the story itself is ironic because the idea of a lottery…
2 educator answers
- HAMLET
What do the people of Denmark believe about Polonius’ death?
Laertes arrives from France in a towering rage and has assembled an army of followers that descend on Elsinore, armed and very dangerous. Laertes is prepared to kill Claudius and seize the throne…
1 educator answer
- NUMBER THE STARS
For Ellen from Number the Stars, what is the one thing worse than the thought of the Germans…
To Ellen, the prospect of dying at a young age is worse than the thought of the Germans taking her family away. In Chapter Five, Ellen and Annemarie are talking about how Lise died. According to…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
What was the motive for President William McKinley to send the American battleship USS Maine to…
By 1898, the Cubans wanted sovereignty over their own island and they were tired of Spanish rule. The Spanish, who were frustrated with Cuban insurgency, started to rule over Cuba more directly…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Where in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is Boo Radley discussed, specifically about Boo being…
[eNotes educators are only permitted to answer one question per posting. If you have additional questions, please post them separately. Thank you.] According to Miss Maudie, in Chapter Five of…
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- THE SCARLET LETTER
What is the significance of the rosebush in The Scarlet Letter?
Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter, titled “The Prison Door” describes the “ugly edifice” that is the village’s prison. Hawthorne explains that, when the villagers entered their territory for the…
1 educator answer
- AFTER TWENTY YEARS
What detail from the story “After Twenty Years” by O. Henry contains a historical reference…
In O. Henry’s story “After Twenty Years,” the Chicago Police Department sent a telegram to the New York Police Department stating that ‘Silky’ Bob was wanted for questioning. According to the…
1 educator answer
- REFERENCE
How can I study for a social studies test in two days?
This is entirely possible to do. The strategy I would use is outlining. When I was in law school, there was only one exam for each course, the final exam, and I had to study 16 weeks of material…
1 educator answer
- OF MICE AND MEN
What is the symbolic importance of the letter in the magazine written by someone who used to work…
The magazine is not only a source of entertainment for the ranch hands who wander through the ranch on their way to someplace else. It is proof that there is an outside world in this very closed…
1 educator answer
- ROMEO AND JULIET
Capulet’s parting words in Act 4, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet are, “And all things change them to…
Capulet’s parting line comes at the end of several statements regarding Juliet’s “death.” In this speech, Capulet is essentially saying that all of the items that Capulet had gathered for Juliet’s…
1 educator answer
- THE BLANK PAGE
Why is the short story titled “The Blank Page” instead of “The Blank Sheet?”
The wording is carefully chosen for these reasons: first, “sheet” has multiple meanings, both denotative and connotative; it is the word used for all kinds of “smooth coverings,” such as your bed…
1 educator answer
- THE GIVER
Why does the Giver say “to have memories is a burden”?
There are a few reasons for the Giver to feel this way. First, there is the sheer quantity and age of memories he must hold. Second, it is a burden to hold memories and never be able to share…
1 educator answer
- OF MICE AND MEN
What is the significance of Steinbeck’s phrase, “George’s voice was taking on the tone of…
The importance of this passage is twofold. On the surface, it is simply that George is confessing to pulling pranks on Lennie, even one that nearly cost Lennie his life. Because Lennie would do…
1 educator answer
- THE GIVER
What do Lily’s jacket pockets symbolize in The Giver?
The pockets of Lily’s jacket symbolize her growing maturity. In Jonas’s community, the children all age at the same time in a special ceremony in December. This is all part of maintaining…
1 educator answer
- THE CRUCIBLE
Why are only two of Proctor’s children baptized?
There are a couple of reasons why not all of John and Elizabeth’s children are baptized. A complaint Reverend Parris has about the Proctors when John and Elizabeth are arrested for witchcraft…
1 educator answer
- THANK YOU, M’AM
In “Thank You, Ma’m”, what does the boy’s response to the woman tell you about his personality?
Roger’s response to Mrs. Jones tells you that he has a very compassionate personality. When captured by Mrs. Jones, Roger does not display hardened anger. He does not threaten her or even show…
1 educator answer
- FRINDLE
What did Mrs. Granger send Nick when he was in college?
When Nick is a student in college, he finds a package on the doorstep of his apartment. He opens it and discovers that it is from his former fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Granger. Nick finds three…
1 educator answer
- THE CRUCIBLE
To what extent is Abigail Williams a villainous character? How does she use her power to her…
Abigail falsely accused John’s wife Elizabeth of hating her and being the cause of the rumors (which were later confirmed as true) going around town about her relationship with John when she…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
Did European exploration and colonization have a more positive or negative impact on the world?
I will share the positive factors and the negative factors regarding the impact of European colonization and exploration. Then you will be able to decide if the impact was more positive or more…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Why does Scout stand up for Walter in To Kill a Mockingbird?
Scout explains Walter’s situation to Miss Caroline because Miss Caroline is not from Maycomb and does not understand Walter’s background. Miss Caroline offers Walter a quarter to buy lunch for the…
2 educator answers
- THE WEDNESDAY WARS
The reader is not told Holling Hoodhood’s exact age in Gary Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars. The reader is told that he is in the seventh grade. I work with sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students,…
1 educator answer
- A RETRIEVED REFORMATION
Did Jimmy Valentine change because of the setting or by himself?
- Henry shows that the triggering factor in Jimmy Valentine’s reformation was that he fell in love at first sight with a beautiful small-town girl named Annabel Adams. Jimmy Valentine looked…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
What is Maximilien Robespierre’s historical importance?
Maximilien Robespierre was born in Arras on May 6 1758. Though he was a lawyer by trade, it was his involvement and active role in the French Revolution (1789-1799) for which he is remembered….
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What observations are you able to make about Atticus? What does the fact that Jem and Scout refer…
Atticus was a man who was generous with his money. He sacrificed some of his salary when he was a young lawyer to help pay for his brother’s education at medical school. When one of his clients…
2 educator answers
- A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Which character has changed permanently because of the magic in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Demetrius is the only character to have been left permanently changed by the magic within Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At the beginning of the play, Demetrius is in love with Hermia,…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
What is a day in life of a medieval bowyer like?
Medieval bowyers, or fletchers, were very important members of society. At a time when warfare was the norm, bow and arrows were in high demand. The Medieval fletcher would wake up before dawn to…
1 educator answer
- FRINDLE
What was making the “peep” sound in class?
One day in class, Nick Allen looked his his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Avery, and realized that her curved nose resembled a hawk’s beak. He recalled that the night before he had watched a…
1 educator answer
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND
What is the conflict in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”?
The author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sets up the story in such a way that the conflict becomes one between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Grimesby Roylott. When Roylott is killed by his own snake at the end…
1 educator answer
- THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
In The Merchant of Venice, what is Antonio’s response to Shylock’s accusation that Antonio has…
Shylock’s tirade against Antonio is found in Act One, Scene Three. Bassanio has just spoken to Shylock about the loan Antonio had asked him to make, using his good name and status as a trader as a…
1 educator answer
- SCIENCE
How to determine if a liquid is water?
We can use the physical properties of water such as density, melting point and boiling point, etc to determine if a liquid is water. Water has a density of 1 gm/cm^3 or 1000 kg/m^3. We can measure…
1 educator answer
- OF MICE AND MEN
Why is the significance of Steinbecks phrase ‘George’s voice was taking in the tone of…
This significance of George’s tone of voice in telling Slim about what he did to Lennie is that it shows that George has a conscience. At first, George thought it was funny to poke fun at Lennie….
1 educator answer
- HOLES
What was the Warden looking for?
The Warden is looking for the long lost treasure of Kissin’ Kate Barlow. Kissin’ Kate Barlow got her name from the lipstick mark that she left on the men that she killed and robbed. Barlow turned…
1 educator answer
- LITERATURE
What is a summary of The Third Coast by Thomas Dyja?
The title of author Thomas Dyja’s book The Third Coast consists of an informal term used to speak of any coastal region other than the West Coast and East Coast of the United States. Since coastal…
1 educator answer
- TO BUILD A FIRE
What is “Naturalism” in To Build a Fire?
The natural setting of the brutal arctic conditions of the Klondike, conditions which are indifferent to the presence of a man, express Naturalism, a literary movement among novelists who viewed…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Was it good for Jem and Scout to see the Tom Robinson trial?
I believe that witnessing the Tom Robinson trial was a positive experience for Scout and a negative experience for Jem. After witnessing racial injustice for the first time, Scout does not become…
1 educator answer
- PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF
What is the summary of chapter 12 in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief?
In chapter twelve, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have just escaped Medusa. They make camp in the woods and agree to sleep in shifts so that they can keep watch. Grover talks about wanting his…
1 educator answer
- THE WAY UP TO HEAVEN
Why did this happen to Mr. Foster?
Mrs. Foster has had “an almost pathological fear of missing a train, a plane, a boat, or even a theatre curtain,” according to the narrator. Her husband is a secret sadist. He torments her by…
1 educator answer
- SCIENCE
A body weighs 0.5 kg in air, 0.3 kg in water and 0.2 kg in liquid. What is the relative density…
Hello! A weight, by the definition, is the pressure force on a base. When a body floats in a liquid (and doesn’t touch a bottom), two forces acting on it: the gravity force downwards and the…
1 educator answer
- ROMEO AND JULIET
How does Juliet change from the beginning of the play to the end of the play?
At the beginning of the play, Juliet is quite obedient, even submissive, to her parents. When her mother first tells her about the County Paris’s suit and asks if she could love him, Juliet…
1 educator answer
- THE TEMPEST
In The Tempest, why is Gonzalo certain that the ship will not sink?
The Tempest opens aboard a ship in the midst of a terrible storm. Shakespeare must have enjoyed simulating a storm at sea on his stage. It makes a great attention-grabber. The stage directions…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
What did the monetary system look like under the Articles of Confederation?
The monetary system under the Articles of Confederation was not a solid one economically. Under the Articles of Confederation, both the state governments and the federal government printed paper…
1 educator answer
- THE DOLL’S HOUSE
What does Mansfield’s “The Doll’s House” tells us about attitudes towards social class in the…
In Mansfield’s “The Doll’s House,” the Burnell children are not allowed to associate with the Kelvey girls. The Burnell girls are members of the upper-class and a family friend (Mrs. Hay) has sent…
1 educator answer