In “To Build a Fire,” what are the traps that the man tries to avoid and what happens despite his…
- TO BUILD A FIRE
In “To Build a Fire,” what are the traps that the man tries to avoid and what happens despite his…
The newcomer worries consistently about falling through the ice. He knows that if his feet get wet that he must warm them immediately in order to avoid frostbite, hypothermia, and death….
1 educator answer
- THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Why is Robert Frost’s poem called “The Road Not Taken” instead of “The Road Less Traveled”?
I think this is a fairly interesting topic. I think that the idea of the title being “The Road Not Taken” personalizes the choice the speaker had to face. The speaker was confronted with a choice…
2 educator answers
- HISTORY
Why did Thomas Jefferson oppose Alexander Hamilton’s plan for a national bank?
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were on the same ‘side’ to absolve colonial ties with Great Britain. Once independence was documented at the Treaty of Paris the business of creating a new…
2 educator answers
- CONTENTS OF THE DEAD MAN’S POCKET
What is the them of “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”?
In the story, Tom Benecke experiences a dramatic revelation about his own life and how he has been spending it. He is an ambitious young man who has dedicated all of his waking hours to getting…
3 educator answers
- TRANSCENDENTALISM
Choose a work by Emerson or Thoreau and demonstrate with quotes how the text is an example of…
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature” is a work that clearly demonstrates the basic tenets of Transcendentalism. One of these tenets is a belief that God is present in every aspect of Nature, including…
1 educator answer
- THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
What attitude does Rainsford have toward the hunted in his dialogue with Whitney?
In his beginning dialogue with Whitney, Rainsford displays absolutely no compassion for the animals he hunts and kills. He asks Whitney, “Who cares how a jaguar feels?” Then he tells Whitney the…
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- THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
Before arriving at the island, what is Rainsford’s position on hunting?
In the exposition of the story, Rainsford asks Whitney what the best game is, to which Whitney replies, “hunting…for the hunter, not the jaguar.” Rainsford says, “Don’t talk rot Whitney. You’re…
1 educator answer
- THE COLOR PURPLE
In The Color Purple, what painful process does Tashi undergo while still in Africa?
While in Africa, Tashi gets scarification marks on her cheeks which are a symbol of her tribal heritage. The custom is perfectly normal in her village and in other places in Africa; however, she…
1 educator answer
- THE ROAD
In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, what are some important choices made in the book that were made…
The decision I find fascinating is the boy’s choice to not run from or shoot the “good guy with the shotgun” at the end. Up until then the father had run from and/or threatened to shoot any…
1 educator answer
- NATIVE SON
What are three instances in Native Son where Bigger switches from feeling fear to implementing…
There are quite a few instances where Bigger Thomas goes from feeling fear to implementing cold, calculated actions. The first would be with the death of Mary. He accidentally kills her. This…
1 educator answer
- ROMEO AND JULIET
What are your first impression of Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet?What is the audience’s first…
We first meet Juliet’s cousin Tybalt in Act 1 Scene 1 when he joins in the street fight with Benvolio and the Capulet and Montague servants. This is a brief appearance, followed by another cameo of…
1 educator answer
- HISTORY
How did the rights for African Americans show both change and continuityCan you guys please help…
Rights for African- Americans represents both the ever present notion of advancement of the democratic experiment as well as serving as testimony to the promises and ideals of American History. On…
1 educator answer
- FREAK THE MIGHTY
What happened the summer between 7th and 8th grade in Freak the Mighty?In the book Freak the…
Well, the short answer to this question is, a lot! Specifically, during that summer, which Max refers to as the “barefoot summer”, he grows a great deal. This is significant because he is already a…
1 educator answer
- A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO
How might the Great Depression have influenced the characters in Chapter 1 of A Long Way from…
The Great Depression might have influenced the lives of the characters in a number of ways. One way is in the living conditions of the people in the little Illinois town where Grandma Dowdel lives….
1 educator answer
- THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
Why must the House (the literal house as well as the symbolic house, the ancestral line, the…
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” both the mansion and the family line of the Ushers have degenerated to the point that they can no longer sustain themselves. After so long,…
1 educator answer
- MATH
Solve this eqution: (x+3)(x+9)
As written, the expression (x + 3)(x + 9) is not an equation, so there is nothing to solve. This expression may be simplified by multiplying through the parenthesis. (x + 3)(x + 9) = (x + 3)*x + (x…
1 educator answer
- THE SCARLET LETTER
What does Chillingworth discover when Reverend Dimmesdale is sleeping in Chapter 10 of The…
At the end of Chapter 10 when Dimmesdale fell asleep, Roger Chillingworth “thrust aside the vestment that, hitherto, had always covered it from the professional eye.” What did he see? He saw the…
3 educator answers
- LITERATURE
Can someone explain to me some of the literature for the American Civil War?I am doing a research…
What about Twain’s The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn for a start? An easier read would be Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which supported the abolitionist movement just before the war…
5 educator answers
- HAMLET
What prop could you use to describe or interpret the Castle of Elsinore in Hamlet?
This is a tricky question. My answer here deals with props used in the play, not some “creative prop” not seen. Castle Elsinore is a flurry of activity during the play. It has staged a wedding…
1 educator answer
- TWILIGHT
What disease was Edward dying of before he was changed?
In 1918, a Spanish Influenza (flu) epidemic hit our country hard, killing thousands of people. This is a true piece of history that Stephenie Meyer included in her work. Edward Masen and his family…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, what reason does Walter give Atticus for not being able to pass first…
Walter Cunningham tells Atticus that he has not been able to pass first grade yet because he has “had to stay out ever’ spring an’ help Papa with the choppin'”. Walter thinks that things will be…
1 educator answer
- A ROSE FOR EMILY
Identify two antagonists, and note the conflict each provides the protagonist and to the story…
In the story, “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner, there are several antagonists towards Miss Emily the protagonist. The intitian antagonist would have to be Miss Emily’s father, who was so…
1 educator answer
- THE WEDNESDAY WARS
Why did the war start in the book The Wednesday Wars?
If you are referring to the “war” between Holling and Mrs. Baker and not the Vietnam War, the answer is that Holling was a Presbyterian in a classroom filled with either Catholic or Jewish students…
1 educator answer
- NUMBER THE STARS
What is the resistance?In Lois Lowry’s novel Number the Stars, what is “the resistance”?
During the second World War, some people in occupied countries such as France, The Netherlands, and Denmark resisted Nazi forces. These brave men and women met secretly and planned ways to thwart…
2 educator answers
- BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER, A TALE OF WALL STREET
In “Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street,” how would you explain the appropriateness of…
The definition of “nip” is to pinch or to steal. Apparently, Nippers has a couple of pastimes that have to do with taking a pinch of something and possibly dealing with people who take a pinch of…
1 educator answer
- TWELFTH NIGHT
What is the characterization of Feste based on his role and function especially in relation to…
The role of Feste in Twelfth Night is that of Fool or Court Jester to Countess Olivia. One of Feste’s functions is to give the audience insight to the characters whom he knows better than anyone…
1 educator answer
- GUIDE TO LITERARY TERMS
Do it. Please change this sentence into passive voice.
It must be done by you. In order to change a sentence to passive voice, one must employ the verb to be as a helping verb in a verb phrase with the past participle of the main verb. In this way the…
2 educator answers
- THE CRUCIBLE
Conflict generally brings out the worth of an individual, relate this to The CrucibleCan anyone…
Indeed, seeing John Proctor’s evolution throughout the narrative of Miller’s work proves the idea that conflict brings out the best or most worthwhile characteristics of an individual. His…
3 educator answers
- THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
What suggests in this book that Christopher may have autism? In Mark Haddon’s ‘The Curious…
Although the word ‘autism’ never appears in the text, Christopher talks about his problems and the fact that he is seeing a therapist. His fixation on numbers and his inability to screen out…
1 educator answer
- THE LOVELY BONES
Does anybody know any good quotes that explores the theme of grief? Or any quotes which show…
The only cure for grief is action. ~George Henry Lewes~ Waste not fresh tears over old grief. ~Euripides~ While grief is fresh, every attempt to divert only irritates. You must wait until it is…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
In Macbeth author shows th esentialy self defectin charctr of evil th unnatural strivin to…
Yikes–watch the typos! It looks like the questions is, “In Macbeth, the author shows the essentially self-defeating character of evil: The unnatural striving to preserve itself by destroying the…
1 educator answer
- AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE
What happens after Farquhar seems to escape from the creek?
In the fantasy in which Farquhar finds himself escaping the attack of the Union soldiers and his immersion in the river, he travels continuously until he reaches his home. Along the way, Farquhar…
1 educator answer
- SIR PATRICK SPENS
Will someone please summarize Sir Patrick Spens?
“Sir Patrick Spens” is a tragic ballad of Scotland. First published in 1765, it is probably much older than that date, probably by several centuries. While a real Sir Patrick Spens has never been…
1 educator answer
- THE SOLITARY REAPER
The speaker does not understand the language of the song in “The Solitary Reaper.” Does it really…
The speaker does not understand the song being sung in “The Solitary Reaper.” The exact words of the song might not be as important as the emotions and feelings the songs trigger inside the mind…
1 educator answer
- THE TEMPEST
How has the art of magic proved useful for Prospero in The Tempest?
In The Tempest, Prospero uses magic to sway the course of events in his direction. Along with his own use of magic, Prospero bids Ariel to use magic for Prospero’s benefit. When Alonso’s ship…
1 educator answer
- LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER
In “Lamb to the Slaughter” Mary Maloney is cool and calculating when it comes to murder. Discuss.
After Mary Maloney realizes that she has killed her husband, her reaction is very calm, considering the circumtances. One might expect her to freak out, to go into hysterics, to weep and sob, to…
1 educator answer
- THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE
What is Holmes’s opinion of the abilities of Jones, the Scotland Yard agent, in “The Red-Headed…
Holmes and Jones do not seem to think highly of one another. Holmes is unimpressed with Jones, and Jones is unimpressed with Holmes. Holmes calls upon Jones when he needs police muscle….
1 educator answer
- THE LADY OR THE TIGER?
Does the tiger come out of the same door in each trial?Frank R. Stockton’s “The Lady, or the Tiger?”
If the tiger comes out of the same door in the ampitheatre each time, the element of chance is removed–the “justice” of the semibarbaric king–and the person on trial will know which one to pick…
1 educator answer
- ESSAY LAB
I need to write an essay on swine flu. What are some good tips to get started?It needs to be…
This is a very big topic, and I think your biggest task is to narrow your focus. You will have no difficulty finding plenty of materials in your research. What aspect of swine flu might you want…
1 educator answer
- THE GUEST
What are Darus’ feelings about the prisoner and about Balduccis’ order?
“The Guest” is set in Algeria, which was at the time a French colony, so there are three groups at play in the story: the Arab Algerians (the arab), the European-Algerians (Balducci), and the…
1 educator answer
- YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN
Howmight the man with the staff whom Young Goodman Brown meets in the woods equate with a…
This is a great question. The detail in your question (“the man with the staff”) makes me think of the famous photographs of Freud with his cigar (see the second source for one such image). Both…
1 educator answer
- THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
In what ways are Zaroff and Rainsford similar and different in The Most Dangerous Game?
Rainford and Zaroff have more in common than Rainsford would probably want to admit, but they are different in one important way. As the story opens. Whitney and Rainsford are having a…
2 educator answers
- SHAKESPEARE: A LIFE IN DRAMA
What should be mentioned in an essay about Shakespeare and one of his sonnets?JWilliam Shakespeare
For one thing, if your essay is to be a critical essay, then you will want to consider how the sonnet that you select relates to the other sonnets of Shakespeare. For instance, there is a…
1 educator answer
- LITERATURE
Can anyone tell me a title of a book in which the main character displays pessimism?Can anyone…
There will be many instances of works where the protagonist displays a healthy dose of pessimism. Holden Caulfield, in A Catcher in the Rye, is a main character who holds a healthy dose of…
5 educator answers
- THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
What is the role of Edgar Allan Poe, in the story “The Fall of the House of Usher”?Can the reader…
Poe may certainly be considered as the narrator who visits Roderick Usher in “The Fall of the House of Usher.” For, in this Gothic horror tale, the narrator is Poe’s vehicle for creating the tone…
1 educator answer
- ENTERPRISE
Where can I find Nissim Ezekiel’s poem “Enterprise”?
You can read excerpts from the poem and analysis of it in the book Studies in Indian Poetry in English, edited by U.S. Rukhaiyar and Amar Nath Prasad. The chapter in which this poem is analyzed are…
1 educator answer
- MATH
I need help on this equation: x(x+4)=21
Another way to solve quadratic equations is to use the quadratic formula. Any equation of the form ax² + bx + c = 0 can be solved for x by the formula:x = (-b² – 4ac))/2aSo so solve your problem…
1 educator answer
- SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE
In Chapter 5 of “Slaughterhouse-Five,” there is a passage that begins “Under morphine, Billy had…
While this episode is open to interpretation, we can argue that it is related to themes of alienation expressed in Billy Pilgrim’s character. Billy is not in control of his life and, more to the…
2 educator answers
- RABINDRANATH TAGORE
What is the theme of Tagore’s poem, “Where the Mind is Without Fear”?
The theme of “Where the Mind is Without Fear” by Rabindranath Tagore is freedom from colonization and what it takes to achieve that. Tagore lived in India during British Crown rule of the country….
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Atticus discusses the Ku Klux Klan, he concludes by saying that the Klan is gone. Is this…
Unfortunately no, the Klan is not gone. At the time the novel is set in it was in one of the low-profile periods in much of the South. The Ku Klux Klan was originally a social organization…