summarizing Death PenaltyDeath Penalty Pros and Cons
- LITERATURE
What is your favorite play, movie, or TV show?Write a review about it. Goal: Give an objective…
It seems to me that this particular prompt is fairly direct, provided you approach it as analysis, not misguided opinion. I would approach it in terms of identifying a play, movie, or show with…
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- LAW AND POLITICS
summarizing Death PenaltyDeath Penalty Pros and Cons
I think that one aspect of this question that has to be addressed is where an individual holds their beliefs on the nature of the system. This goes back to a Constitutional perception of whether…
2 educator answers
- THE TELL-TALE HEART
Define the title of “The Tale-Tell Heart.”no
Edgar Allan Poe is the master of thriller stories and horror stories. He focuses on the macabre in his writing. The Tell-Tale Heart tells us that something about this story is going to involve a…
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- ODE ON A GRECIAN URN
What does “Truth is beauty and beauty is truth” signify?
Keats’ concluding line to “Ode on a Grecian Urn” represents much of his thinking and the ideas behind Romanticism. As he is staring at this urn, the speaker (presumably Keats) is engaged in a…
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- PODKAYNE OF MARS
What are the three social issues that Heinlein comments on in this short story?
In answering the question, I would propose that Heinlein’s work follows in close form to the themes inherent in the science fiction genre. One such theme is the idea that science fiction works are…
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- LITERATURE
“If you reach for the stars, chances are you will not get one, but you will not get mud either”.
Robert Browning is quoted as having remarked, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a Heaven for?” This line, as well as the one above, point to ambition as requiring goals that…
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- REFERENCE
ecosystemDo you agree the fact that ecosystem’s structure and functioning is based on biotic and…
I think the two of you are just having a difference in how you are using your words. epollock (I think) is just trying to point out that an ecosystem is composed of biotic and abiotic parts, rather…
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- LORD OF THE FLIES
How does Jack manipulate the boys in “Lord of the Flies”?
Jack plays emotion in order to manipulate the boys. Ralph and Piggy represent reason in the story, and try to reason with the boys by explaining the “truths”, as they see them – the importance of…
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- THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO
In The Cask of Amontillado,” what action is the speaker resolved to do and why?
Montresor has one purpose and one purpose only: to secure revenge for the insult delivered to him by Fortunato. According to Montresor, Fortunato had heaped numerous “injuries” upon him, but his…
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- LITERATURE
Who were the University Wits and what is their significance in English literature?
The University Wits were a group of six writers of the late 1500s who set about to transform drama on the English stage. They were all university educated (hence the name). It has been observed…
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- ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, what did the fishing trip mean for each of the men? Explain…
The fishing trip represents a “normal” day for the men who are locked away from society in the mental institution. They went out, had some fun, caught fish and were spectacularly successful on…
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- HAMLET
What interactions are the clowns making in their opening act?
In Act 5, scene i, when the clowns open the scene, they are discussing with one another the woman who is to be buried in the grave they are digging. The first clown is wondering if she will…
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- LEAR
How is Edward Bond’s Lear a modern drama?
I think that Bond’s work can be seen as modern in a couple of ways. The first would be that it is reflective of the lack of redemption that is a part of modern works. Unless Shakespeare, Bond…
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- THE KITE RUNNER
My Kite Runner Essay part 1 I just want some feedback. Contractive criticism only!!!! Intro and…
First of all, I’m glad my suggestions were helpful to you. I went to your profile page and read the draft of your essay. What you have written seems to be well developed with strong specific…
3 educator answers
- ROMEO AND JULIET
What went through Romeo’s mind when he died? Juliet’s when she found him? Do you think that if…
Romeo was raging with many different emotions when he drank the poison. He laments the death of Tybalt, & questions why Juliet looks so alive still. Of course, it’s because she is alive, but…
2 educator answers
- DÉSIRÉE’S BABY
What are the binary oppositions in “Desiree’s Baby”?Can you give me an explanation for each of…
Both Desiree and Armand are experiencing a binary oppostion individually and one as a result of their failure to communicate. Armand knows his wife Desiree’s baby is black, but he is not admitting…
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- KINDRED
What are the names of Dana’s parents in “Kindred?” It is mentioned briefly in the book but I…
You must be speaking of the section in the book where Dana is recalling her family Bible. She does not mention her parents by name anywhere in the book but she does mention her grandmother, Hagar…
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- THINGS FALL APART
Is it true to say that the people of Umuofia celebrate more than one deity?
In short, yes. The people of Umuofia believe in many spirits. Each person is believed to have their own “chi” or personal spirit, but there are also gods of crops, sky, and the earth. Above all…
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- A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND
What are some typical responses, by critics, to Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is…
Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” can seem a very puzzling and even bizarre story on first reading, but the story makes much more sense once a reader understands…
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- 1984
What are the similarities between 1984 and Macbeth, when thinking about the setting?
Setting is defined as the time and place a story occurs. 1984 is a futuristic novel that Orwell set thirty-six years into the future at the time of its writing in 1948. It takes place in Oceania,…
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- JAMES BALDWIN
David in “Giovanni’s Room” flees to live in France, but what prevents him from being “whole”?
David has lived a tragic and tormented childhood and youth. His mother died when he was five-years old and he has grown up with his sister under the care of their manly father. A tragic decision…
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- THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” in what way is Ichabod easily manipulated by local…
I think the best way to understand Ichabod Crane is to see his character from the perspective of human nature. We as humans often want to believe the supernatural, so we sometimes allow our…
3 educator answers
- 1984
How does the Party control the citizens of Oceania in 1984?References to the book or specific…
In a word, fear. The Party uses the Two Minute Hate to work up the citizens against their “enemies” and then they go home to families that aren’t based on love, but convenience. They marry an…
2 educator answers
- 1984
What is the meaning of the quote beginning with “Who controls the past…”?
The full quote is, “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” I believe that in addressing this question, you have to examine the issue of power. The…
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- THINGS FALL APART
How does Chinua Ashebe’s novel Things Fall Apart demonstrate that his work is more didactic…
Chinua Achebe’s work in things Fall Apart is didactic. He teaches so many lessons. He develops the character Okonkwo through hard work effort. He shows what can happen to a person who becomes…
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- AMBROSE BIERCE
Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose BierceI’ve come to realize that the word “sin” is not in the…
This is interesting. I was unaware that Bierce had written such a work. Perhaps, with it’s personal flare, it could be used in conjunction with Johnson’s Dictionary which was meant to be…
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- ROMEO AND JULIET
What language devices and techniques are used in act 1, scene 2, lines 7-43 of “Romeo and Juliet”?
But saying o’er what I have said before;/My child is yet a stranger in the world;/She hath not seen the change of fourteen years,/Let two more summers wither in their pride,/Ere we may think her…
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- THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
What are the similarities between “The Importance of Being Earnest” and Wilde’s life including…
Whoah! This would be a thesis on its own, so I will give you the most important points. HOWEVER- The book that you might want to Google which will have way much more juicy stuff is Neil McKenna’s…
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- THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO
Am I right in thinking that the proximity of the words ‘promiscuously’ and ‘ejaculated’ is not…
There are words in language which, while they have sexual denotations–especially in this sexually-orientated modern culture–also have other meanings. Such a word as “pregnant” is used most often…
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- AS YOU LIKE IT
What are some romantic comedy scenes in As you Like It?
One romantic comedy scene in As You Like It, which is pivotal in that it leads the primary comedic romantic situation, is in Act III, Scene II, wherein Rosalind reads aloud the very poor verses of…
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- THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Comment critically on “Oh, I kept the first for another day!” Do you think the poet will ever…
The parting of the ways that the poet is faced with symbolizes a choice, but what the poet fails to realize at the time is that once a decision is made one way or the other, it will be irrevocable….
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- THE SUMMER OF THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE
Who was John Byro? Why had he come to the narrator’s house?this question is from the story the…
John Byro was a farmer who was friends with Uncle Khrosove. He comes to visit the Uncle to talk about his white horse which has been stolen by the boys. John Byro knows that the horse was stolen…
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- SCIENCE
“Moonshine” has another meaning than the contemporary one involving home-made corn liquor. What…
“Moonshine” denotes a concept used in advanced mathematics. The term “moonshine” or “monstrous moonshine” is found in quantum algebra. In a 2001 paper, T. Gannon defines it as follows: At minimum,…
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- GAMES AT TWILIGHT
How does Desai deal with the theme of oppression in “Games at Twilght”?
That is an interesting question, because oppression isn’t a super-obvious theme that I would have come up with for that story. There isn’t any blatant cruelty or horrific acts of oppression going…
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- THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK
What is the summary of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”?
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is written in the form of a dramatic monologue and expresses Prufrock’s longing, alienation, and despair. Addressed to an unknown companion that at times…
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- THE WASTE LAND
Could you please summarize the poem “The Waste Land’ by T.S. Eliot?
It isn’t easy to summarize this poem. There are so many images embedded, and a succinct summary will leave much out, but I will do my best for you. The first part, entitled “The Burial of the…
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- THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
In “The Old Man and the Sea,” what are the causes of Santiago’s struggle in proving his existence?
Santiago of “The Old Man and the Sea,” is an aging Cuban fisherman now reduced to poverty as he lives alone. He has lost his fisherman’s “luck,” having gone eighty-four days without catching a…
1 educator answer
- ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, what did the fishing trip mean for each of the men?
This is a scene from the novel that is difficult to visualize, even today: patients from a mental ward getting on a charter fishing boat and spending the day out on the water. This is part of…
3 educator answers
- WAITING FOR GODOT
What is the significance of the boots in the play “Wating for Godot”?
The boots are an element of Estragon, while the hat is an element of Vladimir. Just as the hat is representative of Vladimir’s role as a thinker and philosopher, the boots show us that Estragon is…
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- MARK TWAIN
What elements are unique to Mark Twain’s style? How could you identify a passage as Mark Twain if…
Twain has several distinct stylistic traits. One is his excellent and frequent use of dialect. Dialect is the distinctive way that a group of people from a local area speaks. For example, people…
2 educator answers
- THE FISH
In Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish,” why does the speaker let the fish go at the end of the poem?…
“The Fish” is a poem in which the speaker, as a respecter of life, becomes sympathetic to the fish. In line 34 the speaker says she looked into his eyes/which were far larger than mine/but…
2 educator answers
- MATH
If a supercomputer can perform a single operation in 10^(-2) of a second, how many operations can…
One operation in 10^-2 seconds is the same as 100 times per second (0.01 operations/sec). Thus in 60 seconds, 6,000 operations will be performed. That’s not a very super supercomputer.
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- THE CHOCOLATE WAR
How does Jerry, as the main character, change from the beginning of the book to the end? What…
Jerry seems to be a traditional hero from the beginning of the novel. After being insulted by the coach on the football field, Jerry is determined to prove him wrong and make the team. The…
1 educator answer
- REFERENCE
Easy Reading Assignments for ESL students (middle school level)I have a foreign student who’s…
Congrats in your efforts to help this student! Recent research definitely shows that Extensive Reading is the best tool to absorb and acquire the target language. Therefore, get a list of books…
3 educator answers
- THE SUN RISING
Sun: importance of sun in English poetryWhy is sun a recurrent theme in the poetry of the…
The sun rises so early over there…a group of students and I traveled to England for two weeks to see all the places we’d been studying and reading about for the entire year in AP Lit. The sun…
2 educator answers
- WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
For what 3 professions is Shakespeare famous?
William Shakespeare was an actor, a playwright, and a poet, and, possibly, a soldier. Born in the country, Shakespeare was the son of a farmer, who was the son of a farmer. Determined to make his…
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- BUSINESS
How do you currently make choices about leadership qualities ?
I believe there are three distinct qualities of a leader. One is the ability to take control of a situation, another is the ability to express themselves and last is the ability to grow from…
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- THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
Briefly explain the existence of the hound in “Hound of the Baskervilles”?
The “hound” is a large dog that has been brought to the area by Stapleton, a distant relative of the new Sir Henry, the current owner of the Baskerville estate. Stapleton is determined to kill off…
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- THEODORE ROETHKE
What is the theme of the poem “Snake” by Theodore Roethke?
Of his childhood in Saginaw, Michigan, where his German grandfather and father kept greenhouses, Theodore Roethke wrote that this greenhouse world represented for him “both heaven and hell, a kind…
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- HISTORY
In “Undaunted Courage,” Stephen E. Ambrose uses New Historicism. What is New Historicism?
New Historicism refers to a form of literary criticism that emerged during the 1980s and made popular in the 1990s by authors such as Stephen Greenblatt. Whereas older forms of literary criticism…