How does Thorin say Bilbo’s share of treasure will be determined?
- MACBETH
When we first see the witches in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, they are planning to meet Macbeth…
The witches want to meet with Macbeth in order to plant the seed of kingship in a brain already full of ambition. The witches are not definite in their reasoning the first time the reader hears…
2 educator answers
- THE HOBBIT
How does Thorin say Bilbo’s share of treasure will be determined?
It is at the beginning of Chapter 2 when we are presented with the terms of the contract for hiring Bilbo Baggins’ services as a thief. When Bilbo wakes up after the party the night before, he sees…
1 educator answer
- THE SCARLET LETTER
In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, which character is the most significant in chapters 19-24?
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale becomes the most important character in the last portion of the book. It is here that he and Hester (with Pearl) find each other…
1 educator answer
- ROMEO AND JULIET
In Act 2 scene 1, what do the readers know that Mercutio & Benvolio don’t know?
Act 2, scene 1 of “Romeo and Juliet” is the scene that directly follows Romeo and Juliet meeting at the Capulet’s party. During this scene, Benvolio and Mercutio are looking for Romeo and…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
What are the witches like in Macbeth?
The witches in Macbeth are mischievous, and their prophecies are misleading even though they are true. The witches in Macbeth manipulate him for the fun of it. The first set of witches plays with…
1 educator answer
- SHOOTING AN ELEPHANT
Is “Shooting an Elephant” in a way about democracy?
“Shooting an Elephant” is less about democracy than about a number of things that are very important to democracy and that democracy has to deal with. By that I mean, Orwell’s classic essay is…
1 educator answer
- 1984
In 1984 how does Orwell present the idea that power lay within the small privileged class of The…
The main way that Orwell illustrates the wealth and power of the Inner Party is through sheer contrast to everyone and everything that is outside of that inner circle. Almost the entire novel is…
1 educator answer
- THE ROCKING-HORSE WINNER
What is the falling action of “The Rocking Horse Winner?”
It depends on what you label as the climax of the story. In my opinion, the climax of the story is when little Paul rides and rides and finally has the winner to The Derby. His mother rushes…
1 educator answer
- BUD, NOT BUDDY
In Bud, not Buddy, what brand of pencil does Todd push up Buddy’s nose?
This section of the novel comes in Chapter 2 after Bud has been moved into the foster home of the Amos family. The narration of this chapter is interesting as it starts with the fight and Bud…
1 educator answer
- ROMEO AND JULIET
What are some themes, messages, or morals from “Romeo and Juliet”? What are some themes,…
Probably the strongest “moral” in the play, if there is one, is related to the dramatic irony that comprises the powerful ending of the play. Unbeknownst to Romeo, Juliet has faked her own death;…
5 educator answers
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What are the unusual aspects in To Kill a Mockingbird?
Consider these three aspects of the novel; they are not in themselves unique in literature, but Harper Lee’s mastery of them makes her novel more than memorable. It stands as a genuine work of…
1 educator answer
- ALEXANDER POPE
What does Pope believe human reason is capable of doing?
An Enlightenment thinker and writer, Alexander Pope believed that rationality and reason are the purview of God and but one creature of God’s creation: man (the human being). Pope posited that…
1 educator answer
- A CHRISTMAS CAROL
What is the point of Scrooge’s visits to the lighthouse and the ship?
The spirit takes Scrooge to the lighthouse and the ship so that he can see people in rough situations who still have the Christmas spirit. The words used to describe these places (dismal, chafed,…
1 educator answer
- A CHRISTMAS CAROL
What does the Ghost of Christmas Present mean when he shows Scrooge the miners and says, “But…
The Spirit of Christmas Present means that even the miners, in their isolation and hardship, still celebrate the season.
2 educator answers
- LITERATURE
Give an example of where the color red or green is used. Briefly discuss the symbolic meaning of…
I’d have to go with the famous poem “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns. There the term “red” only appears twice, in that first line: “O, my Luve’s like a red, red rose.” There the meaning is first…
2 educator answers
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What three things does Bob Ewell do in chapter 27 of To Kill a Mockingbird that alarm Aunt…
Judge Taylor hears someone (Bob) prowling around his house. He also loses his job with the WPA a few days after getting it. Finally, Bob follows Helen Robinson around as she goes to work,…
3 educator answers
- LAW AND POLITICS
How does the issue of fraud and criminal intent come into play when considering the limits of the…
The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 is Federal legislation passed in the wake of the Enron collapse. The legislation chiefly affects publicly traded companies. The goal of the Act was to make public…
1 educator answer
- SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Aside from loyalty, bravery, and persistence, what heroic qualities do Sir Gawain and Beowulf…
Both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight meditate on the qualities most sought after in warriors. Though Beowulf depicts a period approximately eight hundred years earlier than that…
1 educator answer
- THE ROCKING-HORSE WINNER
What is the style of writing in “The Rocking Horse Winner”?
The story is told through a third-person omniscient narrator; meaning, someone not involved in the story itself, who knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters. This helps us to…
1 educator answer
- ALL MY SONS
To what extent is ‘All My Sons’ a Classical Greek Tragedy, and are there elements of modern…
There are several obvious ways that this play is linked to Classical tragedy. One is the present of the three “unities”: time, place, and action. All of the action of the play is about one…
2 educator answers
- 1984
In 1984, what finally convinces Winston that O’Brien is a member of the Brotherhood?
In George Orwell’s novel, “1984” Winston, the protagonist, has long suspected O’Brien of being a member of the brotherhood. He is afraid to approach O’Brien, but there are certain non-verbal clues…
2 educator answers
- THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND
Where can I find quotes about Kit and Hannah being accused of witchery?
In chapter 17 of “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” a group of villagers arrive at the cabin of Matthew Wood and accuse Hannah Tupper of being a witch. The say it is her fault that the children have…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In “To Kill a Mockingbird” what is Atticus’s explanation of Tom’s attempted escape?
In chapter 24, during one of Aunt Alexandria’s missionary meetings, Atticus came home and took her and Cal into the kitchen to explain what happened. He said, “They shot him…he was running. It…
1 educator answer
- THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE
What is the name of Henry’s regiment?
The name of Henry’s regiment is the 304th. Crane does not reveal its name until Chapter 18 when Henry and Wilson overhear a conversation between their general and another officer. The general is…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
When Jem walks Scout to school the first day, what “order” does he give her in To Kill a…
These are the exact instructions that Jem gives to Scout at the beginning of chapter two: “during school hours I was not to bother him, I was not to approach him with requests to enact a chapter…
2 educator answers
- FRANKENSTEIN
What are any allusions, examples of foreshadowing, and pathetic fallacy in chapters 5-9 of Mary…
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein contains many different literary devices. In regards to chapters five through nine, and the literary devices of allusion, foreshadowing, and pathetic fallacy, the…
1 educator answer
- 2ND GRADE
state testingDoes anyone have fun ideas for the afternoons following state testing? We try to do…
Well, we have our state testing on Tuesday… got to love those FCATS here in Florida. We plan on sh owing some movies following the testing. Our principal usually frowns upon movies, but because…
1 educator answer
- DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
Compare the impact of death in “Mid-Term Break” and “Do not go gentle…”
These two poems by Heaney and Thomas both treat death and its impact in a very different way. Thomas’ famous poem, written about the death of his father, captures the determination to fight against…
1 educator answer
- A ROSE FOR EMILY
In “A Rose for Emily”, why did the townsfolk not suspect Emily for the murder of Homer Barron?
There are two specific and one general reasons why they didn’t suspect Miss Emily. Specific reason one: they thought Homer had jilted her and left. Specific reason two: she seems to have been in…
2 educator answers
- JUDY BLUME
I’m doing a biography on Judy Blume. What would be a good title for the book cover?i also need…
I believe you mean biography, not bibliography. You might take a look at the notes on “about the author” for which I included a link, but you might call it: Judy Blume: A child of suburbia. She…
1 educator answer
- CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD
What are some of Crispin’s character traits at the beginning and at the end of Crispin: The Cross…
At the start of the book, Crispin is passive and uneducated peasant. He’s oppressed and expects little out of life. He’s sad when his mother dies, but to be honest, it fits with what he expects of…
2 educator answers
- DEATH OF A SALESMAN
What kind of closure does the Requiem provide to the play Death of a Salesman?
It provides a very bittersweet closure, in that during the funeral, Linda tells Willy that they were almost free and clear. This is referring to the fact that financially, it was almost to the…
2 educator answers
- CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY
In Cry, the Beloved Country, what are the contrasts and comparisons between Stephen Kumalo and…
The differences between Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis are most obvious in the novel, but it is their similarities that are thematically most significant and satisfying. These two men of South…
1 educator answer
- ANIMAL FARM
What is the seemingly contradictory attitude of the animals toward Mr. Whymper in chapter 6?
Several points: Mr. Whymper is a human and deals with money, two points which the pigs earlier had said were evil. The pigs argue that they never actually prohibited trade and use of money, and…
1 educator answer
- THE TIME MACHINE
What does the traveller think is the only way to discover the time machine? What was the result…
By discover, I think you mean whether the time machine actually worked. He built a device that he says will travel through time, and his friends, his dinner companions really don’t believe him….
1 educator answer
- FAHRENHEIT 451
In Fahrenheit 451, why does Montag plant the books in Black’s house?
Montag leaves the book at Black’s house as Montag is on the run after having killed Beatty. Earlier, when Montag had gone to Faber’s house to talk to Faber about books and how to bring down the…
2 educator answers
- HISTORY
How could Benjamin Franklin’s impression of the Constitutional Convention apply to the signing of…
I think that in addressing the question, you might want to examine Franklin’s view of the British acts of taxation, such as the Stamp Act. In the dialogues leading up to and within the…
2 educator answers
- THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Before Santiago dreams of the lions, what are the two other dreams that come before in Old Man…
Before he dreams of the lions, Santiago dreams about “Africa when he was a boy and the long golden beaches and the white beaches, so white they hurt your eyes, and the high capes and the great…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
In Macbeth, what demonstrates the guilt (and subconscious guilt) of Lady Macbeth, other than the…
Lady Macbeth’s guilt catches up to her in Act V, as detailed in the famous sleep walking scene. One of her attendants tells Macbeth of his wife’s strange nocturnal behavior: I have seen her rise…
1 educator answer
- A DOLL’S HOUSE
How does Ibsen convey through his play the position of females at his time?
This is similar to a question that I have recently answered and picks up a key theme in this play. In A Doll’s House, the position of females in Ibsen’s time is examined and he presents his hope…
1 educator answer
- ROMEO AND JULIET
In “Romeo and Juliet”, why did Shakespeare emphasize the Capulets more than the Montagues?In…
Although this question can be answered in any number of ways, I prefer to answer in a more controversial tone and say that the Capulet family is emphasized more than the Montague family because…
5 educator answers
- THE STORY OF AN HOUR
Why does Mrs. Mallard fight her feeling of freedom in “The Story an Hour”?
According to the values of her day, Mrs. Mallard was supposed to love her husband and feel happy that she was “protected” by having a husband to take “care” of her. She fights her feeling of…
3 educator answers
- MACBETH
What was Macbeth’s lack of morals as seen in the play Macbeth?
Macbeth’s immoral behavior results from his overwhelming ambition for power and wealth: He wants to become King of Scotland, no matter the cost to his character or even to his immortal soul. Once…
2 educator answers
- PHYSICS
In a moving elevator, you are not moving from the reference point of the elevator. True or False?
True. Since you are moving along within the elevator at the same velocity, and there’s no reference external to the elevator, like a window, from the frame of reference of the elevator, you and the…
1 educator answer
- RIP VAN WINKLE
What contrasting sets of values does Dame Van Winkle represent?
Dame Van Winkle seems to represent the Protestant work ethic popular among the Puritans rather than the Romantic notions of her husband. The Puritan work ethic demands hard work which Dame Van…
1 educator answer
- THE STORM
What is the theme of “The Storm” by Kate Chopin?
One possible theme is finding happiness and fulfillment through unconventional means. The main character is a woman who finds incredible gratification in an elicit affair with an old acquaintance….
2 educator answers
- 1984
In 1984, what are examples of Winston’s thoughtcrime?
Most of Winston’s thoughts are thoughtcrimes. His entire relationship with Julia is a crime because he is indulging in a relationship that is not in keeping with the state’s idea of the purpose of…
2 educator answers
- THE GIVER
What happened when the last receiver of memories failed in The Giver?
Unfortunately, some of the memories given to her by the Giver were released into the community, and members of the community were ill-equipped and unable to deal with having to experience such…
2 educator answers
- THE GREAT GATSBY
Why are Jay Gatsby AND Nick Carraway the protagonists in the novel “The Great Gatsby”?
The Great Gatsby is essentially set up as a frame narrative. Nick Carraway, the narrator, is telling the story of Gatsby. Nick is the protagonist in his interaction with the East, and his…
2 educator answers
- MACBETH
What is Eagleton’s interpretation of the witches in Macbeth?How are the witches commonly…
This question is very similar to one that I have answered recently, so here goes… Eagleton has a surprising and novel “take” on the witches in Macbeth. He argues that “the positive value of…