In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” name some examples of Mitty’s letting other people tell him…
- THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” name some examples of Mitty’s letting other people tell him…
In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” the main cause of Mitty’s daydreams is his domineering wife, who demeans and orders him constantly: “Remember to get those overshoes while I’m having my hair…
2 educator answers
- HISTORY
Has European thinking influenced the American Constitution?Is America ‘the child of Europe’ or is…
I suspect that no ideas simply just “appear”; there is almost always a long history of thought that leads to new thought. This was the case with our Declaration of Independence and our…
5 educator answers
- THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
What is the best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy?
I think the answer most fitting is companionship. As Anne didn’t have someone her sex and age to confide in during this particularly trying time of her life, she invented ” Kitty. ” Kitty was much…
1 educator answer
- BRIGHT STAR! WOULD I WERE AS STEADFAST AS THOU ART
In “Bright Star! Would I Were as Steadfast as Thou Art,” the speaker repeats “still” (13).What…
The possible denotations of that repeated “still” are the possible literal definitions of what still means. First of all, it means holding one’s position for a long time, not moving, remaining…
2 educator answers
- LITERATURE
Life in a space frontier in Tom Godwin’s Cold EquationsThe story contrasts life on earth with…
In the story, the protagonist, Barton, is confronted with a stowaway on his spaceship.The law stated that Barton must kill the stowaway. Barton was a man “inured to the sight of death and to…
1 educator answer
- SHIRLEY JACKSON
What is the meaning of the story “The Lottery” and is that meaning still relevant today?
Shirley Jackson’s very controversial story is considered by many to be a parable about the detached inhumanity of man to man. Indeed, this detachment in cruelty is most relevant today as the daily…
3 educator answers
- THE STORY OF AN HOUR
Why does Chopin describe heart disease as the “joy that kills” in “The Story of an Hour”.Is she…
This is an example of irony … we know something that the characters in the story do not. They think that Mrs. Mallard died from the sudden joy of finding out that her husband, who she thought…
2 educator answers
- FAHRENHEIT 451
In “Fahrenheit 451” during the scene where Mildred and Montag read books together, what are their…
During the part of the novel “Fahrenheit 451,” where Montag is reading to Mildred, each character has very different reactions. Mildred tries to let Montag know that she thinks this act is stupid…
1 educator answer
- WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
How might the title be a reference to this theme of sexual coming of age?
One interpretation of this title is that it’s a statement made by someone else to the protagonist, Connie. Early on in the story Oats establishes that Connie is dreamy and distracted, and walks…
1 educator answer
- JULIUS CAESAR
What is the setting of the last scene of Julius Caesar?
Scene V of Act V takes place where all of the scenes of Act V have — the plains of Philippi. Specifically, Brutus calls the remaining conspirators around him (Dardanius, Clitus, Strato, and…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
What were the sports and fads during the 1920s?
There were multiple sports that emerged during the 1920s, which provided Americans the opportunity to enjoy popular entertainment. The sports that emerged during the 1920s were baseball and boxing…
2 educator answers
- LITERATURE
Anybody taught The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time? Any suggestions for approach…
I have not taught the book, but have read it. I teach special ed, and have a lot of students on the autism spectrum. If your students do not know much about the book, it might be interesting to…
3 educator answers
- JULIUS CAESAR
How does Brutus change his opinion about the need for Caesar’s death in The Tragedy of Julius…
Before he commits to joining the conspiracy, Brutus suffers a strong internal conflict about assassinating Caesar. He fears Caesar’s growing power, but Brutus’ love for Rome conflicts with his…
1 educator answer
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 30 of East of Eden?
Adam drives into Salinas, hoping for the letter from Charles. He is surprised and saddened to find a letter from a law firm. His brother has died and left him, and Cathy, his entire estate. Adam…
1 educator answer
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 29 of East of Eden?
Adam is impatient for an answer from Charles about whether he will come to California to visit. His wait is made a bit more tolerable, however, by the delivery of his new Ford by Will Hamilton….
1 educator answer
- THE WAY TO RAINY MOUNTAIN
Momaday’s “The Way to Rainy Mountain” incorporates many different styles and narrrative devices….
Momaday’s story is one of personal reflection, a masterful blend of narration, exposition, and description. He moves among these types of writing seamlessly. By the conclusion of the story, he has…
2 educator answers
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 28 of East of Eden?
The boys notice the change in their father as they sit around the dinner table. He is engaged and interested in them, a fact that makes them a bit uncomfortable. Aron tells of Abra’s rejection…
1 educator answer
- THE GIVER
In “The Giver”, what happens to the Giver’s spouse?
The Giver’s former spouse lives with the Childless Adults. The Giver is quite old, and in the community, it is customary that “when adults…be(come) older, their lives be(come) different. Thay…
1 educator answer
- THE GREAT GATSBY
How to teach grammar?What are the steps in order to teach grammar?
This is an interesting question that should generate a wide variety of opinions. I believe that teaching grammar is only a vehicle for teaching writing. Although I really like it when someone…
2 educator answers
- THE EGYPT GAME
Can you describe April’s character in the beginning of “The Egypt Game”?Why does she try to show…
April is a very unhappy, angry little girl at the beginning of the story. She has been sent by “her beautiful and glamorous mother, to live with a grandmother she hardly knew”. April’s mother is…
1 educator answer
- THE CRUCIBLE
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, what are the literary techniques in this quote:”Let either of…
Three literary techniques seem inherent in this passage: character development, external conflict, and the use of metaphor. Characters can be developed in several ways, such as through their…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Describe Scout’s family background and her present household in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Scout’s ancestor Simon Finch came to America from England. He did well practicing medicine, and began “Finch’s Landing.” That is where all of the Finch men resided throughout the generations….
3 educator answers
- PHYSICS
A lens (from the Latin for “lentil seed,” which has the characteristic thick in the middle and thin at the edges shape) is any piece of glass or other transparent material with at least one curved…
1 educator answer
- SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
What are some themes/symbols in the story “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”?
There are many different themes throughout the story that you could use. There is the theme of courtly love, where a man “courts” a woman by showing her adoration, affection, and performing heroic…
1 educator answer
- THE GREAT GATSBY
How would you describe the relationship between the West Egg and East Egg residents?What is the…
The residents of East Egg are considered to be the “old rich”, which means that they have money that has been passed down for generations. The West Egg residents, on the other hand, as those…
1 educator answer
- THE GREAT GATSBY
For what do New York City, the valley of ashes, West Egg and East Egg stand in The Great Gatsby?…
Each of these locations means something slighty different to Gatsby, Daisy, Nick, Tom, etc., but there are some commonalities. New York is for Tom a place to play and misbehave with his mistress…
2 educator answers
- THE BACCHAE
In “The Bacchae” why does Pentheus despise their dancing, lusting and chaos?
Pentheus does not believe that Dionysus is a divinity. He believes that what the women are doing is for a false god and that it is immoral. When the women went to the woods to begin their…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, who did Scout take out of the courthouse?This is in Chapter 19
Scout takes Dill out of the courtroom because he cannot stop crying. He cries because of the way Tom Robinson is being treated at his trial, especially by Mr. Gilmer. Dill realizes the ugliness…
1 educator answer
- THE WILD SWANS AT COOLE
What are the contrasts in “The Wild Swans at Coole” by W.B. Yeats?
Yeats addresses two different contrasts in his poem “The Wild Swans at Coole”. The first is between himself in the present, and when he first wlaked along the water where the swans are found. The…
1 educator answer
- THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
What two dead people that appear in “The Adventures of Huck Finn” have the most impact on the…
Pap and Buck Grangerford are probably the two most important characters who die during the novel. Pap, Huck’s father, is actually the reason Huck leaves St. Petersburg and sails down the…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Alexandra thinks Scout is “dull”. Why does she think this, and is she right, are all adults good…
Alexandra is Scout’s aunt. She is a woman who trusts in the traditions of family and the society that the family lives in. She believes in the roles that men and women should play in society….
1 educator answer
- THE SCARLET IBIS
How do the conflict and setting in “The Scarlet Ibis” work together within the story?
The setting in the story serves to facilitate the conflicts in the story. Doodle and his brother live in the country. Except for interacting with members of their family, they relate only to each…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
What did the South mean by redemption during reconstruction and how was it accomplished?
The redeemer governments were the southerners who took power away from the carpetbaggers and regained control of their state governments by pushing out the radical governments established during…
1 educator answer
- A WHITE HERON
In “A White Heron”, why was the grandmother mad at Sylvia?
At the end of the story, Sylvia’s grandmother is angry at Sylvia because she will not tell the young ornithologist where the white heron’s nest is located. The young man has offered the poor family…
1 educator answer
- SHOOTING AN ELEPHANT
What are the assumptions and warrants in “Shooting an Elephant”? I’m confused.
It is explained in the beginning of this story that the narrator is hassled by the Burmese. They despise him because he’s a British official. He is disgusted at how the British treat the Burmese,…
1 educator answer
- SCIENCE
DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid, and is contained in your body’s cells. It is a double, long chain of molecules called nucleotides that tell each cell what proteins to make. The DNA itself makes up…
3 educator answers
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What is funny about the snowman that Scout and Jem make in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee?…
The snowman was “funny” in that it looked very much like Mr. Avery, a neighbor who blamed the changing weather on children’s bad behavior. He claimed it was found in the Rosetta Stone. Atticus…
2 educator answers
- DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Why does Will become insulted when Charley offers a job in act one?
A great deal of Willie’s sense of who he is comes from what he does. Interestingly, the title of the play is not “Death of a Husband” or “Death of a Father,” but the very title shows how Willie…
1 educator answer
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 27 of East of Eden?
The twins shoot a rabbit, but because their quills have become mixed up in each other’s holders, they are unsure who made the kill. The boys decide to tell their father that they do not know who…
1 educator answer
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 26 of East of Eden?
Adam is surprised to find that despite Samuel’s funeral and visit to Kate that he is feeling pretty good. He stops in to visit Will Hamilton to offer his condolences and to purchase his first…
1 educator answer
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 25 of East of Eden?
Samuel Hamilton has died. Adam attends the funeral in Salinas. Afterwards, he goes into a bar and decides that he is going to go see “Kate” for himself. The bartender warns him to stay away,…
1 educator answer
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 24 of East of Eden?
This chapter is probably the most important thematically to the novel, for it introduces the concept of timshel. Lee and Samuel fall into philosophical discussion. Lee reveals that he and his…
1 educator answer
- EAST OF EDEN
What is the summary for Chapter 23 of East of Eden?
Chapter 23 begins with a character sketch of Una Hamilton. Una is described as having “the least humor” but had a love of learning which made her her father’s “greatest joy.” Una leaves…
1 educator answer
- AS YOU LIKE IT
What is the mental state of Orlando when he talks to Oliver in Act 1, Scene 1 of As You Like It?
In Act I, Scene I, of As You Like It, Orlando is in an angry state of mind. He redresses his grievances against Oliver, his elder brother, who was charged by their father to educate and make a…
1 educator answer
- THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
What are some scenes in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” that present Brom Bones as a practical man?
It is important to realise how Brom Bones is being presented as the opposite of Ichabod Crane. Through these two characters Washington Irving brings to light the age-old conflict between the…
1 educator answer
- THE DEVIL’S ARITHMETIC
What is the summary for Chapter 15 of “The Devil’s Arithmetic”?
Chapter 15 opens with a warning that the Commandant is coming. The women in the camp make “a penetrating clucking noise” in response, and the children of the camp, who are not supposed to be…
1 educator answer
- THE FAR AND THE NEAR
What does “The Far and the Near” say about point of view?
This story is about nothing but point of view. Every day the engineer has these idealistic visions and beliefs about people he does not even know. He gives these women lives and personalities…
2 educator answers
- RHINOCEROS
How does Eugene Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros” demonstrate the qualities of Theatre of the Absurd?
Ionesco’s Rhinoceros fits most definitions of the theatre of the absurd because: 1. It is a play about being and existence. Berenger is the “last man” in that he is struggling against a chaotic…
1 educator answer
- THE GREAT GATSBY
Who killed Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby?
Wilson shot Gatsby while he was swimming in his pool. Wilson suspects Gatsby of killing his late wife, Myrtle, because he recognized the car model from the scene of the crime. However, Wilson…
1 educator answer
- A WHITE HERON
In “A White Heron” how would you describe Sylvia? What characteristics about her stand out?
She is a shy, independent, considerate child. She enjoys being in the country with her grandmother, as opposed to the busy city. She is content with the simple things in life, like the beautiful…
2 educator answers