in “Shoeless Joe,” Salinger and Ray don’t tell each other that they have heard the voice. Why…
- SHOELESS JOE
in “Shoeless Joe,” Salinger and Ray don’t tell each other that they have heard the voice. Why…
At first, there is a natural level of distrust that Salinger feels towards Ray. He goes along with Ray because he senses that Ray holds a genuine and authentic belief in his quest, and because a…
1 educator answer
- GLOBAL WARMING
Where do you stand on the Global Warming topic?How seriously do you think we should consider…
In the political world, one of the main points of debate seems to be whether or not human beings are responsible for global warming. The conservatives I’ve heard tend to embrace one of two…
4 educator answers
- ENVIRONMENTALISM AND THE FUTURE OF PROGRESSIVE POLITICS
List ways in which you could modify your life and behavior to reduce environmental pollution. How…
In terms of ways I try to be more environmentally aware, most of them are very small in nature, but possibly could add up to be significant. This would involve using energy saving light bulbs,…
2 educator answers
- A TALE OF TWO CITIES
Why has Charles Darnay given up his inheritence in Tale of Two Cities? What is his Uncle’s…
Charles Darnay is the nephew of the Marquis de Evremonde, a cruel and unscrupulous member of France’s aristocracy. He was responsible for the imprisonment of Dr. Manette and has been responsible…
1 educator answer
- ANIMAL FARM
How would you describe the very last scene of “Animal Farm” from the animals’ point of…
The word despairing comes to mind. Interestingly, only the cynic Benjamin is still around, although even he has grown more depressed. Life is harder for the animals than it has been in recent…
3 educator answers
- THE CRUCIBLE
I need 10 questions about the crucible that relate to society or personallyI need 10 questions…
I might add more to this later on as the questions hit me. 1) What does The Crucible tell us about moral responsibility in the face of social pressure? 2) What does The Crucible tell us about…
1 educator answer
- ODE ON A GRECIAN URN
In “Ode on a Grecian Urn” what does the speaker seem to admire most about the urn?
In my opinion, the speaker of “Ode on a Grecian Urn” admires the immortality of the urn’s subjects (and of the urn itself) even more than its beauty. With the same idea that a poem can make its…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What explanation does Mr. Avery offer for the cold winter?
This question relates to the gossip and superstitions of the citizens in Maycomb (both children and adults) and the children (Jem, Dill, and Scout) often annoying or upsetting adults in their…
1 educator answer
- THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY
Why do Nadia and her mother move to Epiphany in View from Saturday? Why do Nadia and her father…
Nadia and her mother move to Epiphany because Nadia’s mother and father have just gone through a divorce. Epiphany, which is in upstate New York, is where Nadia’s mother grew up, and she wants to…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Who is the protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird?
The protagonist is a character, usually a main character, who changes or learns a lesson as a result of the events of the story. The protagonist also must resolve the main conflict of the story….
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What happened in this section to promote valuable character and/or plot development for two…
The two characters who are most strongly developed during Chapters 12-15 are probably Calpurnia and Alexandra. Chapter 12 primarily deals with Jem’s and Scout’s visit to Calpurnia’s First Purchase…
1 educator answer
- MY ANTONIA
Why does Mrs. Shimerda resent the Burdens at times in My Antonia?
Mrs. Shimerda resents the Burdens at times because they are well-off enough to live comfortably, and she and her family have nothing. As Grandmother kindly explains to Jim, “a body never knows…
1 educator answer
- THE SOLITARY REAPER
What are the Hebrides and why are they farthest?
The Hebrides is an archipelago off the western coast of Scotland. These islands are ruggedly beautiful, and range from typical northern Scottish scenery to somewhat arctic rockiness. They have…
1 educator answer
- RIFLES FOR WATIE
General Civil War QuestionsIf the Confederacy had won, what would they have done with their slaves
I am not sure there would have been any change. It was evident that the South wanted to expand slavery wherever it could, in addition to holding on to what it had. I think if the South had won,…
3 educator answers
- THE SOLITARY REAPER
What is meant by Arabian Sands? Why is this called so?
The invocation of the “Arabian Sands” helps to contribute the mystery and distinctive nature of the song that the reaper sings. The poet uses the idea when the speaker is describing of what the…
1 educator answer
- THE SOLITARY REAPER
The Reaper is a representative figure. How does she become this?
The girl in the field represents a great deal to the speaker. The fact that she is working with the land, cutting grain, almost makes her a part of the earth. It cannot be overlooked that it is a…
1 educator answer
- THE SOLITARY REAPER
The beauty of the countryside is one important aspect of this poem. How is this beauty captured…
Wordsworth’s love of nature and reverence of natural beauty is quite evident in this poem. If we look at the first stanza, the opening of the poem represents the exposition of the poem, where the…
1 educator answer
- NIGHT
In Chapter 9 of “Night”, Discuss Eliezer’s closing image of himself, as he has not looked at…
The closing lines of seeing the corpse stare back from the reflection in the mirror provides an image ripe for analysis. The literal reading is to examine how much Eliezer has changed from the boy…
1 educator answer
- PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
What do various events and relationships in Pride and Prejudice suggest about the benefits and…
Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice probably gives the best illustration of the drawbacks of being a woman in the late 18th (when Pride and Prejudice was written) and early 19th (when Pride and…
1 educator answer
- PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
How does Austen use satire to communicate tone and theme in Pride and Prejudice?
Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners which utilizes satire both in language (tone) and in theme. Satire, remember, is used in the hopes that making fun of something will prompt a change. The…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
To Kill a Mockingbird is divided into two parts, each with its own climax. What is the climax of…
The actual two parts into which Lee divides her novel consist of the time leading up to the trial and the trial with its ensuing events. If you need the climax of those two parts, the climax of…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
I have a question regarding Act 5 of Macbeth.As it happens, Malcolm brings “Great Birnam Wood to…
The manner of these fulfilments certainly is ironic, in all cases! Let us take Macbeth’s reaction to the second apparition to heart. Macbeth has just been told that “none of woman born / Shall…
1 educator answer
- THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS
What fantastic elements does “There Will Come Soft Rains” contain, and what visions of the future…
Ray Bradbury’s There Will Come Soft Rains” is named after Sara Teasdale’s poem, which hauntingly addresses the end of mankind. The story follows a day in the life of an automated house that…
2 educator answers
- MACBETH
Macbeth, Act 5: Lady Macbeth’s insanity:What is the point of showing Lady Macbeth’s insanity–her…
I would make the case that just because the supernatural events of Macbeth are meant to be taken seriously doesn’t mean that someone can’t go insane in reality. The pressure and stress involved…
2 educator answers
- THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
What are the changes that occur in the portait over time in The Picture of Dorian Gray?
When Basil first creates the portrait of Dorian Gray, he captures the handsome young man in all his youthful beauty. When Dorian sees the picture, he is completely impressed by his own beauty, and…
1 educator answer
- LIFE OF PI
Yann Martel says, “This book was born as I was hungry.” What sort of emotional nourishment might…
Before Yann Martel wrote “Life of Pi,” he had written 2 previous novels that had completely flopped. They didn’t get very good reviews, and had little or no success in the market. He was feeling…
2 educator answers
- HISTORY
How successful was Wilson in elisting the forces of humanity to help child labores, farmers, and…
Assuming you mean US progressive President Woodrow Wilson. while he was certainly a progressive, Wilson was also quite distracted during his two terms by a World War, and his desire for a…
1 educator answer
- THE ODYSSEY
What are the major events of the Trojan War briefly outlined in Books 1 through 4?
The first four books of The Odyssey are known as the Telemachiad. It is called thusly because these books are concerned mainly with the plight of Odysseus’ grown son, Telemachus. Odysseus only…
1 educator answer
- HOMELESS BIRD
Homeless Bird Scrapbook- Please Help !What are some ideas for a scrapbook on Homeless Bird by…
This is a great topic and rich with ideas. I would say that the following items can be tossed into the scrapbook to represent Koly: 1) A bowl of rice- This would represent the basic staple of…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Which To Kill a Mockingbird character is brought up again in Chapter 26, and why does the…
In Chapter 26, Harper Lee mentions Arthur “Boo” Radley again for the first time since Tom’s trial started because the author is about to join the two storylines of the novel. The chapter updates…
2 educator answers
- MACBETH
What perspectives do Lady Macduff and her son provide that have not as yet found their way into…
Act 4, sc. 2 opens with a conversation between Lady Macduff and Ross, while Lady Macduff’s young son listens. Lady Macduff is lamenting to Ross, her cousin, that she is unhappy, to the point of…
1 educator answer
- THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET
What is the conflict and solution in The House on Mango Street?
The conflict in the House on Mango Street is Esperanza’s struggles to find her true identity, and her independence from the otherwise dragging and pulling circumstances that keep her stranded among…
2 educator answers
- JULIUS CAESAR
In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, what is the Second Triumvirate? Who are its members? (Act Four,…
The Second Tiumvirate was formed after the assassination of Julius Caesar; it consisted of Caesar Octavius (later known as Augustus Caesar), Marc Antony, and Marcus Aerilius Lepidus. After the…
2 educator answers
- 1984
In 1984, in which scenes is the political satire most apparent?
Political satire permeates George Orwell’s 1984. From virtually the first page of the novel, Orwell makes conscious references to the political realities of World War II and the period immediately…
1 educator answer
- I STAND HERE IRONING
How does the mother/narrator connect to the theme and her environment? (society)”I Stand Here…
In “I Stand Here Ironing,” there is an ambivalence of both environment and in completion of themes. For instance, in the Search for Identity theme, the mother queries of the person who asks about…
1 educator answer
- THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
What is good in the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?What is good in the book The Adventures of…
As long as you realize that this is fundamentally an opinion question with no “right” or “wrong” answer, I am happy to share my thoughts! I suppose in the numerous times I have read this episodic…
3 educator answers
- THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE
Explain how Henry and Wilson grow in the course of the novel including events in their…
Henry begins the story as a young man, naive and self-centered, his primary goal in fighting in the war being to bring himself glory and immortality. He’s not especially interested in the issues…
1 educator answer
- THE CELEBRATED JUMPING FROG OF CALAVERAS COUNTY
After he catches his listener, how does Wheeler tell his story in “Celebrated Jumping Frog of…
Wheeler “back(s) (his listener) into a corner and blockade(s) (him) there with his chair”, making it impossible for him to escape while he “reel(s) off (his) monotonous narrative”. Wheeler never…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
What evidence did Mayor La Guardia provide to support his position regarding the failure of…
Commonly referred to as Prohibition, it was the Volstead Act that prohibited the sale, manufacturing, transportation, and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. N.Y.C. Mayor La Guardia…
1 educator answer
- BIOLOGY
What is the lifespan of a single virus cell? I realize there may be wide variation, but i am…
As it is not really “alive,” the word “cell” does not really apply for a virus. A virus by itself is inert matter with a sheath, and it only becomes active when it invades and takes over a “host”…
1 educator answer
- THE ENORMOUS RADIO
What different types of magical realism are used in Cheever’s “The Enormous Radio” and what makes…
John Cheever’s story “The Enormous Radio” has elements of fantasy combined with reality but it differs from the literary mode of “magical realism” by theme, setting and origin. “Magical realism” is…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
Pick either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth and chronicle their change of character from the initial…
When we first meet Lady Macbeth in Act I Scene 5 we are presented with a woman who is in every way harder, harsher and firmer than her husband, who she sees as being “too full o’the milk of human…
1 educator answer
- LITERATURE
What do you think is the climax of Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements?
This story is Andrew Clements’ answer to anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to be invisible. Set in Chicago, apparently during the present day, because of another character’s…
1 educator answer
- THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN
Who would be a dynamic character of the novel and why should he or she be considered dynamic?
Bobby is a dynamic character, because a dynamic character is one who changes or grows or matures in some sort of internal way. When Bobby wakes up as an invisible boy, life as he know it has…
1 educator answer
- ADAM SMITH
Why did Adam Smith believe that the necessities of life should be exempt from taxation?
In general, Smith believed that the dynamics of the market can self regulate, providing enough wealth and profit for all of its participants. His perception of government intrusion in the form of…
1 educator answer
- PHYSICS
A photon is an elementary particle of the universe. In physics, it represents the quantum of the electromagnetic field and thus the basic “unit” of electromagnetic radiation, including light. It is…
1 educator answer
- THE KITE RUNNER
How must Amir contend with some aspect of the past? And how does his relationship with the past…
I would agree that the overall theme of the book is a quest for redemption. Much of what Amir must redeem himself from involves his past, his father’s past, and his country’s past. He must…
1 educator answer
- THE STORY OF AN HOUR
In “The Story of An Hour,” what is the narrator’s attitude towards the story being told? For…
In order to determine the tone of an author, it is often helpful to know something about the author’s personal attitudes. That Kate Chopin wrote of women’s repressed roles in the Victorian Age and…
2 educator answers
- HARRISON BERGERON
How are the dancers handicapped in “Harrison Bergeron”?
Like everyone in the dystopian society described in the story, the dancers are handicapped according to their gifts. If they are beautiful, their faces are masked, and if they are exceptionally…
1 educator answer
- THE NECKLACE
What are some examples of figurative language in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant?
Early in the story, the narrator tells us that Madame Loisel dreams of grand and elegant surroundings, including “tapestries peopling the walls” (an example of personification, when one gives a…
2 educator answers