• GUIDE TO LITERARY TERMS

I need some information and research URLs about Extraposition in English: 1- Extraposition:…

Extraposition of Subject and Object in English sentences (S/V/O) may occur, and indeed commonly does occur, when a sentence begins with (S), or has as a mid-element (O), a heavy clause, such as a…

1 educator answer

• TWILIGHT

In Twilight, what is Alice’s gift to Bella on her 18th birthday?Because of the papercut, Bella…

Alice and Edward together had created a CD of Edward playing the piano, including Bella’s lullaby. The planning of the birthday party for Bella was also Alice’s doing, spite of Bella’s insistence…

1 educator answer

• THE CRUCIBLE

In The Crucible, what is Parris’ speech from Act Four about? “Now Mr Hale’s returned…” about?…

Parris is worried that the town is becoming dissatisfied with the execution of its citizens: particularly when those executed are “people [who] have great weight yet in the town” (Act Four). Parris…

1 educator answer

• ANIMAL FARM

In Chapter 1 of Animal Farm, what reasons does Major suggest to the animals for getting rid of…

Basically it comes down to who benefits from the means/work of production, the same ideas explored by Karl Marx. Since Mr. Jones did nothing (except provide the capital that made the farm…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What are some assumptions neighbours make about Dill and Jem?

The adults think that Jem and Dill are doing some pretty sinful things. Atticus blames it on their age. The others are offended at the very talk of it, for their voices are no longer heard. When…

1 educator answer

• ALL MY SONS

What are the tragic elements in the play All My Sons?Particularly in Act 3.

All My Sons by Arthur Miller has a few tragic elements that are displayed in the third act if we define tragedy as being the downfall of something good. First, the relationship between Ann and…

1 educator answer

• REVELATION

What is the significance of Mary Grace’s book Human Development in O’Connor’s “Revelation?”

Mary Grace’s Human Development book is a psychology textbook often used in college psychology classes. O’Connor’s use of it in the story is ironic because Mary Grace, who apparently suffers from…

1 educator answer

• THE WINTER’S TALE

Might The Winter’s Tale be an allegory of the seasons?

This would be a very long, indeed thesis-length, argument to make in full. But I think one of the many, many ways of interpreting this fascinating late Shakespeare play would be to argue that the…

1 educator answer

• SCIENCE

What are the disadvantages of CFCs?I have searched everywhere for this and i need a lot of…

The full name for CFCs is chloroflourocarbons, which just means that these synthetic compounds include chlorine (chloro), flourine (flouro) and carbon. CFCs are used to produce cold air in…

2 educator answers

• A SEPARATE PEACE

How is Leper’s reaction to leaping from the tree different from that of the others in A Separate…

Although no one believes that he will actually go through with it, Leper is the only one of the other boys who actually steps forward with the intention of jumping from the tree. Until that time,…

1 educator answer

• A SEPARATE PEACE

In “A Separate Peace”, why does Gene jump from the tree? Does this show Gene to be strong or weak?

Gene jumps from the tree because he is challenged by Phinny and he could not think of letting Phinny down. To jump from that height shows a type of courage, I don’t care what the motivation….

1 educator answer

• THOMAS HARDY AND THE PROPER STUDY OF MANKIND

What were the contributions of Thomas Hardy to the Victorian Age?What were the contributions of…

Apart from Charles Dickens himself, no author is more celebrated than Thomas Hardy. Novelist, essayist, playwright and poet, Hardy left no stone unturned as he delved into the social probems and…

1 educator answer

• THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

What do you think happened after chapters 1,2,3?critics point out that after writing the first…

Actually Twain stopped writing after Chapter 16, and he did not return to writing this book for 7 years. Chapters 1,2 and 3 though are very child-like and whimsical. They show the true nature of…

1 educator answer

• THE WALTZ

Can anyone tell me of a site where I can get the full edition of Dorothy Parker’s short story…

“The Waltz,” is Parker’s most re-published story, but I doubt you will find an on-line copy free. It is still under copyright and can’t legally be put on-line. However, if you are close to a…

1 educator answer

• THE LADY OF SHALOTT

How does the weather echo the tone of “The Lady of Shallot”?

The use of weather as a metaphor of, or to mimic the action in a work of literature is a common, easily identifiable, and generally effective literary device. The Lady of Shallot, in Part III of…

2 educator answers

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Could you assist me in writing a paragraph on the significance of the following incidents?The…

The importance of the morning session, the luncheon, or the afternoon session of Scout’s first day of school was that it begins to further develop Scout’s personality. It also demonstrates some…

1 educator answer

• CINEMA

What does the tagline of “Dead Poets’ Society” mean?”He was their inspiration. He made their…

Well, it refers to Robin Williams’ character, John Keating. Think back to the scene where he asks the boys to climb up onto the centre desk in the classroom, in order to see the world from a…

2 educator answers

• MACBETH

Is “sleep, the ravelled sleeve of care”, or something like it, a Shakespeare quotation?

It is indeed – it’s from “Macbeth”. Here’s the exact quotation, from Act 2, Scene 2: Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’, the innocent sleep, Sleep that…

1 educator answer

• WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

In the poem “My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold,” how does the speaker respond to the rainbow?

This question has already been answered. Please see the link below.

1 educator answer

• THE CRUCIBLE

Miller breaks away from main play to provide lengthy descriptions of characters and their past…

Miller includes lengthy descriptions of the characters’ so that the readers can gain more insight into the characters’ motivations for their actions. For example, it is essential to understand why…

1 educator answer

• GWENDOLYN BROOKS

In the poem To the Diaspora by Gwendolyn Brooks, what is “Afrika?”

The word diaspora is a Greek word that means to scatter seeds. The concept of this word is that the ethnic group of African Americans should spread their culture. In the poem “To the…

2 educator answers

• THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

In Catcher in the Rye, Holden writes about the egyptian mummies in his history paper. What does…

Holden’s fascination with the Egyptian mummies suggests that he is curious about death. In his paper he wrote: “Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that…

1 educator answer

• REFERENCE

Is it my right to have my ovaries removed without the doctor’s permission?Is it my right to have…

It’s a free country – you should be able to find a doctor who will give you a complete hysterectomy simply because you want it, but you really should think twice before you do it. What are your…

8 educator answers

• NIGHT

In Night, how is Elie’s tooth removed?

Elie and his father are in Buna working in the musicians block at an electrical warehouse. Although this life is better than other experiences that Elie has had (and will have) throughout the…

3 educator answers

• THE VENDOR OF SWEETS

Explain the theme of order and disorder in “Vendor OF Sweets”?

The theme of order/disorder is closely related to that of the clash of generations, and of East versus West. Through hard work over many years, Jagan has built himself a nice little business. He…

1 educator answer

• HAMLET

Ghost – cause of tragedy?In “Hamlet” I believe the ghost or King Hamlet was the cause of the…

There are so many factors that could have led to each and every incident that occurred in the play; we could spend hours debating each one. Yes, the ghost coming along, telling Hamlet he’d been…

1 educator answer

• YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN

Why does Hawthorne choose the forest as the setting for the meeting in “Young Goodman Brown”?Is…

The forest is a perfect setting for the encounter that Young Goodman Brown is to have. It is symbolic of the complexity of the path that each of us walk in life. Sometimes life is confusing, dark…

2 educator answers

• WALT WHITMAN

“I see, hear, and am silent”-Why is Walt Whitman, the poet in “I Sit and Look Out”, silent as an…

In the poem, Whitman describes various people suffering horrible misery in different forms. However, as he describes them, he doesn’t judge, get involved, make commentary, or pass some sort of…

1 educator answer

• WALT WHITMAN

Who are called “my tan faced children” in “Pioneers! O Pioneers!” by Walt Whitman, and why?

The “tan faced children” that Whitman is referring to covers several different possibilities. Whitman was a great champion of the working man, the laborer, the farmer out in his field, the sailor…

1 educator answer

• SCIENCE

How can animals act as natural indicators for the acidity of water in lakes and rivers?Different…

Your explanation nearly answers the question for you. If the wood frog dies below a 4 ph (acid conditions), and all the wood frogs are dead, then the pH is probably below 4. If the clam dies…

1 educator answer

• THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF

In the story “The Ransom Of Red Chief” what is the kidnappers’ first clue that the Dorsets are…

This story is a comic story of reversals – that is the way things are or happen are directly opposite from what one would expect. For example, the lazy rural town of Summit is as flat as a…

2 educator answers

• REFERENCE

BloggingIs anyone familiar with www.complainary.com ?

I wasn’t familiar until you asked the question. I spent all of five minutes of my time and probably won’t go back…I hear complaining daily, and don’t need to add to that stress. Based on the…

3 educator answers

• FAHRENHEIT 451

What are examples in “Fahrenheit 451” that show the innate nature of man is survival?

One example of man’s desire to survive is demonstrated by Montag’s wife. She is frightened by the fact that he is bringing books into their home and this puts them in danger. She does what she…

1 educator answer

• BUSINESS

Why is strategic marketing becoming more important?

The need for a company to have an effective marketing strategy is greater today than ever before, one result of the severe economic downturn we are now experiencing. Companies must compete with…

1 educator answer

• THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

The trapped womanIn “The Yellow Wallpaper” why is the woman who is trapped in the wallpaper so…

The woman in the wallpaper is a symbol of the narrator herself, and her increasing feeling of being trapped. She lives with a well-intentioned but overbearing husband who limits her options and…

3 educator answers

• HAMLET

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, what does Hamlet plan to proclaim the guilt of Claudius?

Shakespeare uses the “play within a play” device as a means for Hamlet to proclaim Claudius’ guilt. Using a travelling troup of players for his own purposes, Hamlet arranges for them to include in…

1 educator answer

• SPANISH TEACHERS

Audiovisual materials for Spanish language teachers Bablingua is a new website, made by…

This is really neat! I don’t teach Spanish, but I have friends who teach the language as well as friends who work with ESOl kids both in the USA and as missionaries in Spanish-speaking countries….

2 educator answers

• LORD OF THE FLIES

Violence in Lord of the Flies, in 1954, and Today”Lord of the Flies” was published in 1954,…

In 1954 we were dealing with many different issues regarding the Cold War with Russia and Korea, and also with hydrogen bombs and their potential power and destruction. WWII was over, but there…

3 educator answers

• PAUL’S CASE

In “Paul’s Case,” why does the author mention pictures of George Washington and John Calvin?

In Paul’s bedroom at home, pictures of George Washington and John Calvin hang over his bed. They point to important themes in the story in regard to Paul’s life and death. They represent influences…

2 educator answers

• KINDRED

True or False Question: In Kindred, Dana and Ms.Weylin were alike in that they always forgave…

This question is difficult to answer in a true or false way. Yes, Mrs. Weylin always foregave Rufus and spoiled him. Yes, Dana forgave him most of the time, but at the end she did not forgive…

1 educator answer

• MACBETH

In The Tragedy of Macbeth, what do we learn about Macbeth from Lady Macbeth’s reaction to his…

After reading Macbeth’s letter, Lady Macbeth’s reaction indicates that she knows her husband’s nature very well. Her view of his character is that he does not lack ambition, but that he lacks the…

1 educator answer

• THE CANTERBURY TALES

What solutions for marriage troubles can be found in the tales of The Miller and the Wife of Bath?

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is definitely a commentary on Medieval life and a satire of the duality of people–especially those in the church who were expected to behave one way but more often than…

3 educator answers

• THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

What do we learn about Portia, Antonio, and Shylock in Act 1 scene 3 of The Merchant of Venice?

Portia, the rich heiress who is bound by her father’s commands about her marriage, does not appear and is not mentioned in Act I Scene 3. Bassanio and Shylock, the young merchant in need of money…

1 educator answer

• SOCIAL SCIENCES

To what extent does Western individualism encourage doing what you are told versus being an…

The ideals of Western individualism are in direct opposition to “doing what you are told”. The idea of individualism is to do what you think you should do for yourself and not worry about what…

2 educator answers

• WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

What role did the Globe Theatre play in Elizabethan society?

The Globe Theatre was an interesting dichotomy in London society. Many considered the Globe to be about as essential to civilized society as a brothel, tavern or cock-fighting competition, while…

1 educator answer

• THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

What is Junior’s grandmother name in Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

Junior’s grandmother’s name is given only as “Grandmother Spirit” in the book. I don’t believe her first name is ever mentioned. Junior speaks about his grandmother at length in two places in the…

1 educator answer

• A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

What are the lovers unresolved issues?

While A Midsummer Night’s Dream seems to end happily for all characters involved, the lovers may have some difficulties down the road that the audience does not get to see, since it does not get to…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Can someone give me a good website so that I can answer all the questions of the book “To Kill a…

You’re at the right website. At eNotes, you can submit questions in the question and answer section, or you can go do a search under the title of the book. You will be able to find overall book…

2 educator answers

• 1984

Discuss the Winston’s Relationship to the PastExplore Winston’s attempts to hold on to the…

Winston attempts to hold on to the past because it is both vague (the memories of his mother and younger sibling in the hole) and fascinating. His conversations with the old man only increase his…

1 educator answer

• THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

What two conditions does Montresor say must be fulfilled for a satisfactory revenge? How does he…

In the first paragraph of the story, Montresor says, “A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser.” In other words, satisfactory revenge can only occur when the one taking…