• DRACULA

The novel is based off and around the character of Dracula, yet we only see glimpses of him in…

The elusiveness of Dracula lends to the suspense and angst of the story. As the master of darkness, he hides in the shadows and cannot be approached, but he can appear of his own will at any…

2 educator answers

• HISTORY

With the advent of the Internet and its social and news websites, is the newspaper is becoming…

No. The newspaper is not becoming extinct. However, it is like a living organism facing radical change in its environmental niche: it is under extreme pressure, and must adapt rapidly. Certainly,…

8 educator answers

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

How do the events of the final chapters explain the first sentence of the novel “To Kill a…

The first sentence of the book states, “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” It is in the last chapters of the book that Jem breaks his arm, so that…

1 educator answer

• LIFE OF PI

In regards to the first chapter of Life of Pi, what are some examples of compatibility between…

I know zoos are no longer in people’s good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both. After stating this, Pi goes on to explain that while…

1 educator answer

• MARKHEIM

Please give me a summary of “Markheim.”

Of course, the best way for you to gain an understanding of what happens in this classic of Gothic short fiction is to read it yourself. However, I hope that the outline I sketch for you know will…

1 educator answer

• DEATH OF A SALESMAN

What do you think would be the greatest challenges in staging a real performance of Death of a…

Because the play moves back and forth in time and shifts between real action on the stage and the internal workings of Willy’s mind, staging it presents special challenges. Fortunately, Arthur…

1 educator answer

• THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF

Is there any conflict in “The Ransom of Red Chief” and how does it influence the development of…

Conflict is the driving force behind any good story, so if “The Ransom of Red Chief” didn’t have conflict, it wouldn’t be a very good story at all. In this story, the main conflict comes from the…

1 educator answer

• FOREVER …

Could someone please give me quotes from the book? If not could you give me an idea on any…

I assume you are speaking about Judy Blume’s novel Forever. Though the book does have heavily sexual themes, it is considered a classic, coming-of-age story about a young girl, Katherine, dealing…

1 educator answer

• SOCIAL SCIENCES

What were at least 3 of the behavior modification interventions/techniques observed during The…

Annie Sullivan used something called “planned ignoring” which means she focused on the positive behavior and gave a reward or praise for the positive and did not respond at all to the negative…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In “To Kill a Mockingbird” can you find any irony in those last gossipy words of those…

There aren’t very many words of the gossipy ladies recorded after Scout and Alexandria find out about Tom’s death, but the one that stands out the most is “J. Grimes Everett is a martyred saint.”…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Why does Harper Lee put Atticus under the light bulb in front of the jail and much later in the…

Good question. Lee puts Atticus under a light in Chapter 15 for a variety of reasons. First, as a bit of character development/comic relief: Atticus is sitting in front of the jail reading under…

2 educator answers

• ERNEST HEMINGWAY

what is your response to Ernest Hemingway’s style? Do you Like it? Explain your answer.What is…

Actually, at the risk of waffling, I’d have to say my response to Hemingway’s style varies. When it works, it works extremely well. I’d use “Hills Like White Elephants” as an example here. His…

4 educator answers

• ANTIGONE

What are some examples of consequence and choice in Sophocles’ Antigone?

In Sophocles’ Antigone, the various characters in the play have to deal with the consequences of their choices. Early in the play, Antigone and her sister Ismene discuss whether they should violate…

1 educator answer

• SITTING BULL: WAR CHIEF OF THE SIOUX

What was Sitting Bull most famous for?

This almost seems like a trick question because, of course, Sitting Bull is most famous for his overwhelming victory and massacre of George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry at the infamous…

1 educator answer

• THE COLORED MUSEUM

Where can I get a copy of The Colored Museum that was broadcast on PBS?

You can to the PBS website (www.pbs.org) and contact them directly to request to purchase a copy. The Colored Museum was broadcast in 1991 on PBS and is not in the current online list. However, PBS…

1 educator answer

• THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

How does The Picture of Dorian Gray and Wuthering Heights either compare or contrast? Are there…

Both novels are Gothic, and the Gothic genre involves the manifestation of passion, evil, the supernatural, horror, and darkness throughout the story. Dorian Gray is slightly more supernatural than…

1 educator answer

• TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

According to Morrie, what should we be teaching in the classroom called “life”?

In Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays With Morrie,” he included several quotations by Morrie Schwartz that are very indicative of his philosophy on the “classroom of life.” “The most important thing in…

2 educator answers

• THE GREAT GATSBY

What is a pendantic type sentence in “The Great Gatsby”?

There is no pedant more complete than Tom Buchanan. He is very often making a show of learning in a condescending way. Readers need not look further than the first chapter to discover this:…

1 educator answer

• HAMLET

In Hamlet, how might the crimes committed and their motivations be interpreted?I’d like an…

The first and most important crime that was committed in “Hamlet” is the killing of old King Hamlet by his own brother, Claudius. Claudius poured poison in his brother’s ear while the old king…

1 educator answer

• ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Did Abraham Lincoln have any slaves?

No, Abraham Lincoln never owned slaves. Some other Presidents did, such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, a slave state, but his family opposed…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Does Aunt Alexandra consider Walter just poor, or does she consider him “white trash” in To Kill…

I have to disagree with the previous post, since Aunt Alexandra plainly told Scout that her friend, Walter, was not welcome in the Finch home “Because–he–is–trash, that’s why you can’t play…

1 educator answer

• GREAT EXPECTATIONS

What does Pip fear in the beginning of chapter 43 in “Great Expectations?”In paragraph 2 of…

As this chapter begins the reader has just learned of Provis’s terrible background and also of his involvement with Compeyson. When Pip states in the second paragraph of chapter 43, “A new fear…

1 educator answer

• LITERATURE

What is the difference between Absurdist Fiction and Absurd Realism?

Hi! Absurdist fiction is a genre where the action does not need to follow a sequential order, neither does the plot need to begin and end. The characters do not have to be concise, nor represent…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In Scout’s eyes what is Atticus’s chief fault in “To Kill a Mockingbird”? In Harper Lee’s novel…

Atticus is old and “feeble” since he doesn’t play ball with his children and would rather just sit around and read. Then he has “the Finch curse” which is poor eyesight, and must wear glasses. To…

1 educator answer

• WUTHERING HEIGHTS

What is the importance of Mr. Lockwood in the novel Wuthering Heights?

The character of Lockwood narrates the novel to us and serves as mediator of all that he hears from Nelly Dean. His narration therefore frames the narration of Nelly Dean (whose narration in turn…

1 educator answer

• PHYSICS

The motor car of mass m=2000 Kg has a force F= 1000N. What is the maxium acceleration?

Force = Mass X Acceleration, or 1) F=ma Force is measured in Newtons, where 1 Newton = 1 kg m/sec^2, so with your values, 2) 1000 N = (2000 kg)a, or 3) 1000 kg m/sec^2 / 2000 kg = a 4) .5 m/sec^2…

1 educator answer

• THE RAPE OF THE LOCK

Please explain Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, Canto I, in detail?

The Rape of the Lock is based on a true story of a young man who snipped a lock of hair from a young woman he was in love with. This “rape” caused a feud between the two families. Pope wrote this…

1 educator answer

• WILLIAM BLAKE

Could you please explain William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” in detail?

Before reading “The Tyger”, I would strongly suggest reading “The Lamb”, also by Blake. “The Lamb” by William Blake is a direct commentary of God. The speaker repeatedly asks the lamb, who is…

1 educator answer

• ANIMAL FARM

The animals that fought against a repressive regime are quickly disillusioned when they suffer…

Before the revolt against Farmer Jones, the animals, inspired by the vision of Old Major, dreamed of an existence that was dominated by equality and justice, fairness and freedom from the control…

1 educator answer

• WILLIAM BLAKE

Could you please explain William Blake’s poem “The Lamb” in detail?

“The Lamb” by William Blake is a direct commentary of God. The speaker repeatedly asks the lamb, who is described in favorable and, what we would call, cute terms, who made him. The speaker…

1 educator answer

• SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

What are the major divisions of sonnet 18 (“Twelfth Night”)?

Like many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Sonnet 18 follows a 4/4/4/2 division. That is to say, the first four lines (or quatrain) are grouped together, then the next four, and then the next four,…

1 educator answer

• OTHELLO

What is the implication of the black and white imagery in Othello, other than the racial issues…

Black and white are universal symbols of right and wrong or good and evil, but in Shakespeare’s “Othello” there is an evident reversal of imagery. Shakespeare uses this particular twist of metaphor…

1 educator answer

• LORD OF THE FLIES

Describe the Mountain top and the platform where the boys meet for a meeting in “Lord of the Flies”.

The mountain top offers a lot of excitement for the boys. This is where they build their first, and later, subsequent, fires. Unfortunately, the fires become something of a agme to the boys and…

1 educator answer

• 1984

In the book 1984 by George Orwell, how is a person’s class determined in the twentieth century?

It is clear that in the world of this novel class is something that is determined by birth alone. It is well worth tracing the Proles through the novel and comparing and contrasting them to party…

1 educator answer

• SCIENCE

when exactly do you think the world will come to an end?no

Earth as we know it is subject to many disasters that could eventually destroy it. Studying the environment is a worthwhile pursuit if you are truly interested in this. I believe that the…

8 educator answers

• WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

How many plays did William Shakespeare write?

William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets, as well as some longer poems. The plays are in the best chronological order available: Henry VI, Part One, Henry VI, Part Two. The Two Gentlemen…

1 educator answer

• JULIUS CAESAR

Why is dead Caesar more powerful than the living one?this question means how caesarism wasn’t…

A good question. A dead Caesar can be more powerful than a living one for two reasons. First, within a Roman ideology, he could now be safely considered a god, and/or having gone to join the gods….

1 educator answer

• THE CRUCIBLE

Discuss the following quotation in relation to “The Crucible”: “Conflict can make people act…

If you were giving a speech to an anger management group, the play “The Crucible” would provide a great example of how and to some extent why conflict makes people act irrationally. You can see…

2 educator answers

• THE MONKEY’S PAW

Did the events in “The Monkey’s Paw” prove the fakir’s point about what happens when people…

In this tale by W.W. Jacobs, a family of modest means makes a wish (and that, too, a modest one) upon a talisman which leads to the death of their only son. For the sum of money asked for to finish…

7 educator answers

• DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Is “Death of a Salesman” simply a domestic tragedy?

In a word, no. This play really speaks to the corporate culture in American during the time period, as well as today. The idea that Willy compared himself to a piece of fruit that was eaten, only…

1 educator answer

• OTHELLO

How is faith is at the center of the love between Othello and Desdemona, and how does Iago…

Desdemona shows great faith in Othello by the simple fact that she, a white noblewoman, was willing to elope with an exotic dark-skinned Moor. She risked her family’s wrath and her own reputation…

2 educator answers

• THE GIVER

What are examples of flashback and foreshadowing in The Giver?

I can think of a few examples of flashback. I can’t give you page numbers because I don’t have my copy of the book here with me, but here are the general scenarios: – The introduction of…

2 educator answers

• THE CLOUD

What is the sensuous description of the rainbow from Shelly’s “The Cloud”?

The description is found here: The triumphal arch through which I march With hurricane, fire, and snow, When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair, Is the million-colored…

1 educator answer

• HISTORY

What was the reason for the Japanese Internment camps in 1942?This action was enforced by…

In order to understand the reason for the internment of the Japanese, you have to know a bit about World War II. Japan and Germany were allies, both fighting on the same side against England,…

8 educator answers

• JULIUS CAESAR

Why do Cassius, Cinna, and Casca want Brutus to join their cause? What does this reveal about…

The other conspirators (Cassius, Cinna, and Casca) want Brutus to join their cause because they feel he would add credability to their cause. People care about Brutus and respect him, as he has a…

2 educator answers

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What does Atticus’s view of Ewell suggest about him?

Atticus’ view of Bob Ewell is perhaps the only chink in his armor. We are supposed to like Atticus; he’s the moral center of the story, and is a sympathetic and likeable character. However, he does…

1 educator answer

• RAPPACCINI’S DAUGHTER

Compare and contrast Giovanni with Beatrice in “Rappaccini’s Daughter.”

In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” the two primary characters are Beatrice and Giovanni. They end up in the same place, but they’re certainly more different than alike. Beatrice is the daughter of a…

1 educator answer

• TO AUTUMN

In John Keats poem, “To Autumn”, how are specific techniques used to employ meaning? ie. imagery,…

Personification, apostrophe, and imagery are the main techniques used to employ meaning in “To Autumn.” Namely, Keats uses personification in order to give Autumn human qualities in almost every…

1 educator answer

• THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

Write a description of the details in Zaroff’s attire, cuisine, furnishings, & lifestyle in…

A Cossack and former general in the Russian Czar’s cavalry, Zaroff leads a life of luxury and debauchery at his island mansion in Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game.”…

1 educator answer

• 1984

I’m just wondering…What would you guys consider the main underlying theme for this book? I…

I think the main theme is summarized in one of their slogans: who controls the present, controls the past; who controls the past controls the future. This is incredibly relevant to our own times….