In The Picture of Dorian Gray, why is Dorian so interested in the years that have passed?

August 17, 2018 Educator

THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

Who is Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods from Their Eyes Were Watching God?

Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods was Janie’s third husband. They married after Jody Stark, Janie’s second husband, passed on. He was a gambler, who early on in the relationship took some money…

1 educator answer

ROMEO AND JULIET

How is Juliet’s personality shown in her soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet? Please…

Juliet’s characteristics can definitely be discerned from her soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 2. Specifically, let’s look at some of her famous lines and note what they say about her personality. What’s…

1 educator answer

THE CANTERBURY TALES

What was Chaucer’s attitude toward the Catholic Church? Is it an institution he has respect for…

Chaucer mocks the Catholic Church. This can be seen in both The Prologue and in the tales. Although he mocks the church and its practices, he is respectful of religion itself. First, he uses the…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

What is the legacy of Byzantine civilization?

While the western, Latin speaking part of the Roman Empire fell to the barbarians in the sixth century, the Greek east continued intact until the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453. Much…

1 educator answer

REVENGE TRAGEDY

What is the difference between ‘tragedy’ and ‘revenge tragedy’?

In a sense, this is like asking the difference between “fruit” and “kiwi friut”. Just as a kiwi fruit is one type of fruit, so a revenge tragedy is one type of tragedy. In other words, although not…

1 educator answer

SCIENCE

Endocrine glands are ductless glands that secrete their hormones directly into the blood. These hormones act like chemical messengers because when they are transported to target cells, they have a…

1 educator answer

EVERYDAY USE

In “Everyday Use,” how has Dee changed since she has last seen her mother and sister?

In “Everyday Use,” Dee returns to the Johnsons’ home much changed. When Dee pulls up in the car with her friend, Mrs. Johnson and Maggie say that they can hardly recognize her. Dee is wearing a…

2 educator answers

SCIENCE

Differentiate between base SI units and derived SI units. Derive the SI unit of force.

There are seven base SI units corresponding to different parameters and are considered independent of each other. Derived units are derived from these 7 base units. Derived units are dependent on…

1 educator answer

THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN

List five direct references to imperialism in the poem “The White Man’s Burden.”

“The White Man’s Burden” was specifically written to urge the United States to take up what Kipling viewed as its duty to annex and “civilize” the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. So the…

1 educator answer

LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI

What ideas of Romanticism are represented in “La Balle Dame Sans Merci”?

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” by John Keats exemplifies many of the typical features of Romantic poetry. First, it is written in the form of a traditional ballad, a literary genre that was frequently…

1 educator answer

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered as bitter satire novel. What does that mean?

In theater, and it can also apply to literature, there are several dimensions of satire. Satire, as described in the 14th century, is a work of art intended to ridicule something. The purpose of…

1 educator answer

H. LAWRENCE

What is the analysis of “A Baby Running Barefoot” by D.H. Lawrence?

H. Lawrence’s “Baby Running Barefoot,” is written in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet consisting of three open quatrains and a couplet, rhyming ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Although the underlying meter…

2 educator answers

OF MICE AND MEN

Steinbeck has started the first two chapters with key descriptions of settings. Discuss the…

The introduction to Sections 1 and 2 differ markedly in both style and content. In Section 1, Steinbeck writes of his beloved Salinas Valley, evoking a picturesque scene of burgeoning Spring and…

1 educator answer

LAW AND POLITICS

What are some advantages of corporal punishment?

At the present time, corporal punishment is considered to be legal in public schools in 19 states. However, this legality must ensure that any corporal punishment methods are safe, comply with…

1 educator answer

IMMORTALITY

What does immortality mean in Immorality by Milan Kunera?

Milan Kundera’s Immortality explores many different layers of immortality. On one level, Kundera examines the ways in which novelists achieve immortality through their work. In the book, great…

1 educator answer

HAMLET

How does Hamlet react to the death of his father in Hamlet?

In Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, the protagonist Hamlet is devastated by his father’s death. His grief is encaptured by his anguished cry, released at the first moment he appears alone for the…

2 educator answers

WILFRED OWEN

Can you help with an analysis of “The Parable of Old Man and the Young” by Wilfred Owen?

“The Parable of the Old Man and the Young” by Wilfred Owen begins as the biblical story of Abraham and his son, Isaac. In the biblical story, Abraham readies a pyre and knife, as he prepares…

1 educator answer

LITERATURE

Is there a summary of La Araucana?

Keep in mind that you are actually asking for the summary of an epic poem, which is quite an unusual request. However, I am happy to provide one for you. Also, you didn’t indicate whether you…

2 educator answers

THE SNIPER

What does it mean to have a physical hardship?

Physical hardship is a military term used to define situations that may not in themselves be imminently dangerous, or hazardous, but that may cause “extreme physical discomfort or distress” that…

1 educator answer

A RETRIEVED REFORMATION

How does Jimmy view himself before he meets Annabel?

Jimmy seems to think very highly of himself before he encounters Annabel Adams in Elmore and falls in love at first sight. He is young, good-looking, smart, worldly wise, and well connected with…

1 educator answer

THE TELL-TALE HEART

What is the conflict of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe?

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe is a short story written from the first person point of view of an unreliable narrator. As the story progresses, we find out that the narrator is not just…

1 educator answer

LORD OF THE FLIES

What is the physical description of Maurice in the book Lord of the Flies?

The initial description of Maurice is that he is the second biggest boy in the choir after Jack. He seems powerful (broad) and because of his size, would be categorised as one of the biguns. There…

1 educator answer

OZYMANDIAS

Describe how Ozymandias’ dream of overawing and dazzling the posterity with his mighty deeds and…

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a sonnet with a somewhat unconventional rhyme scheme. It is written in the voice of a first person narrator who meets a traveler. The first two lines of the…

1 educator answer

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Who did Atticus (To Kill A Mockingbird) influence?

Atticus influenced just about every person that he came in contact with. He is one of those rare types of people that by simply knowing him, you want to make yourself a better person. Atticus’s…

1 educator answer

WILFRED OWEN

In the poem Disabled by Wilfred Owen, how would you analyze the text from a Marxist critical…

Marxist criticism isn’t, as it seems, taking a socialist view of the text; rather, it views the text as political and social commentary, asking questions about how class is reflected, what it says…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

How would society look different if the scientific method had not been developed?

There is no way to know this for sure. However, we can certainly speculate that society would be much less technologically advanced and perhaps much less structured as well. In other words, the…

1 educator answer

BUSINESS

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a planned system?

Planned systems are those where goals, objectives or targets are fixed after planning, along with a plan for achieving them. Planning ensures that everything is planned and fixed and this ensures…

1 educator answer

WALK TWO MOONS

In the book Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, what does Gramps teach Sal back on the farm?

Back on the farm, Gramps teaches Sal how to drive the truck. This is common practice in most farm communities. Children learn to drive farm equipment (including trucks) early, though they are…

1 educator answer

WALDEN

What is Thoreau’s message about poverty? Why does he view this as a good thing?

Thoreau doesn’t advocate a life of poverty. Instead, he emphasizes the need to simplify one’s life. This is a distinct difference. It begins with how you earn your money and how many…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

In Washington’s Address, did the U.S listen to his advice ? Why Or Why Not ?

In Washington’s Farewell Address, he gave three pieces of advice to our country. For the most part, we didn’t heed his advice. The first thing Washington said was that we should avoid political…

1 educator answer

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF

Describe the characterization of Red Chief (from “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry) in detail.

When an author comes right out and describes the character’s personality traits, this is called direct characterization. An example of this would be, “The girl is nice.” Although easy to…

1 educator answer

THE SNIPER

In “The Sniper”, on which side is the main character in the Irish Civil War?

The main character is stated as being a Republican, opposing the Free Staters, in the Irish Civil War. Exactly what this means requires a deeper understanding of the background that led to the…

1 educator answer

BUSINESS

How do you calculate elasticity of demand?

Price elasticity of demand is a measure of sensitivity of demand to price. It is mathematically given as the ratio of % change in quantity demanded to % change in its price. The price elasticity of…

1 educator answer

HEALTH

Why does the heart beat fast when a person is intimidated?

Strong emotional events, like intimidation, trigger a physical response in the body. A mixture of stress and the ‘flight or flight response’ triggers the hypothalamus to increase production of…

1 educator answer

THE DEVIL AND TOM WALKER

In “The Devil and Tom Walker” what does the description of their house and horse indicate about…

From the description of the condition of the Walkers’ home and horse it is clear that they are a cruel and miserly pair. The narrator notes that, “They lived in a forlorn looking house, that stood…

2 educator answers

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Describe the scene Scrooge was transported to when the Ghost of Christmas present appeared in A…

Scrooge was transported to his childhood school. When the Ghost of Christmas Present first took him back, Scrooge was taken back to a vision of himself as a child. He remembered it as if it were…

1 educator answer

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What do we learn about Scout in chapters 2 and 3 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

One of the things the reader learns about Scout in this part of the book is that she is very smart, reads at a level that her teacher thinks is disruptive, and that she is also relatively quick to…

1 educator answer

FAHRENHEIT 451

What is Montag trying to hide from his wife in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury? What are previous…

In Part One of Fahrenheit 451, Montag is trying to hide his collection of books from his wife. After Beatty visits Montag at home, in fact, he reveals to Mildred that he has been hiding them in the…

1 educator answer

THE DEVIL AND TOM WALKER

In “The Devil and Tom Walker”, what are the three reasons Irving gives for the tree being the…

This information is provided at the beginning of the story. It may seem somewhat out of place, since it is largely irrelevant to the rest of the story and is never mentioned again. However, this…

1 educator answer

JANE EYRE

What are some Gothic elements in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre?

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre has it all when it comes to Gothic literary elements. Bronte uses violence, injustice, creepy settings, as well as the supernatural all throughout the novel. The first…

1 educator answer

THROUGH THE TUNNEL

What is Jerry’s family situation in “Through the Tunnel”?

Jerry is “an only child, [of] eleven years old,” and his mother is a widow. As a result, he seems to feel very responsible for her. “He was very familiar with [her] anxious, apologetic smile,” a…

1 educator answer

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

How can I compare Bruno and Shmuel from John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in three…

If you are comparing two characters, then you are determining which aspects of those characters are the same, and which are different. In this case, I would create one paragraph about each of the…

1 educator answer

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF

What is the theme of Ransom of Red Chief?

The larger theme in “The Ransom of Red Chief” is one that O. Henry used in some of his other stories. It is best expressed in the adage “Crime does not pay.” The narrator opens the story this way:…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

What event in Massachusetts during 1786-87 led to the Constitutional Convention, and why?

The event in Massachusetts in 1786-7 that led to the Constitutional Convention is Shays’ Rebellion. This rebellion led to the Constitutional Convention because it helped make conservatives worry…

1 educator answer

RIKKI-TIKKI-TAVI

What is the plot of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi?

The story begins with a poem that hints at the future action but the actual story begins with Rikki Tikki Tavi being washed from his parents’ home to a strange garden where he is rescued by a…

1 educator answer

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird what is the climax or turning point?

It is not possible to point out only one turning point, as the novel is complex and lengthy. To put it another way, there are many turning points. For example, the trial of Tom Robinson is a…

2 educator answers

REFERENCE

In Chapter 6 of The Outsiders, why did Johnny decide he and Ponyboy should turn themselves in?

In Chapter 6 of The Outsiders, Dally comes to visit the boys at the abandoned church. He takes them out to eat at Dairy Queen where they eat barbeque sandwiches. Seemingly out of nowhere, Johnny…

1 educator answer

MATH

what are coterminal angles?

Two angles are Coterminal angles if they are drawn in the standard position (i.e. vertex of the angle is at origin and its initial side on the positive x-axis) and have terminal sides in the same…

1 educator answer

FRINDLE

What are two important lessons that Nick has learned from Mrs. Granger in Andrew Clements’…

Towards the beginning of Andrew Clements’ Frindle, Nick learns from Mrs. Granger that people have power, power to create the world as they want to see it. Nick learns about creative power when he…