What are some of the features of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18?

August 26, 2018 Educator

A&P

What details stand out as particularly true to life in Updike’s A & P? What does this close…

Updike really is a master of sensual description, allowing readers to see, hear, feel, taste and smell the surroundings created in his writing. He studied to be a visual artist which may partly…

1 educator answer

LITERATURE

In The Giver, why are Jonas and his father worried about Gabriel’s fretfulness?

Young readers should take caution: the answer to this question is sad and disturbing. In Chapter 6, Jonas’s father has to argue before a committee to earn an additional year of care for the baby…

1 educator answer

BUD, NOT BUDDY

Why do the characters in the novel Bud, Not Buddy call Herman E. Calloway’s house Grand Calloway…

At the beginning of Chapter 15, Bud arrives at Herman E. Calloway’s home after eating dinner at the Sweet Pea. Bud mentions that Herman’s house is big as he grabs his suitcase and hops out of the…

1 educator answer

LANGSTON HUGHES

What is the central metaphor of the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes?

In the poem “Harlem,” Langston Hughes creates a central metaphor surrounding a dream by comparing a dream to multiple images of death and destruction in order to ask what happens to a “dream…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

Where and when did the modern Civil Rights Movement begin and end?

The movement to acquire civil rights for African-American people technically began even before the Revolutionary War, as there were slave revolts and people opposed to slavery even before the…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

What benefits did the participants gain from the Atlantic Slave Trade?

With the exception of a few minor players in Africa, the slave trade was inherently negative for Africa. Some local rulers benefited from collaboration with slave traders and made a great profit…

1 educator answer

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In Chapter 15 of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Atticus say about the Ku Klux Klan?…

At the beginning of Chapter 15, Sheriff Tate and several other community members visit Atticus Finch’s home to talk about the upcoming Tom Robinson trial, and whether or not the Old Sarum bunch…

1 educator answer

THE LOTTERY

What do you think the author is saying about traditions in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson?

Traditions should not be maintained past the point that they stop making sense. Sometimes traditions are continued just because they are traditions. The point of this story is that to do…

1 educator answer

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

How is Jem changing, and why do these changes bother Scout?

Simply put–Jem is growing up. Calpurnia tries to explain it to Scout in chapter 12 as follows: “Baby. . . I just can’t help it if Mister Jem’s growin’ up. He’s gonna want to be off to himself a…

1 educator answer

ROMEO AND JULIET

What is the contrast in generations in Romeo and Juliet (the difference between how Romeo and…

The feud is part of Romeo’s and Juliet’s parents’ generation, not theirs. Romeo and Juliet’s parents continue the feud, but their children are obviously not interested. Romeo willingly dates a…

1 educator answer

THE SCARLET IBIS

Why does James Hurst consider the setting as a character in “The Scarlet Ibis”?

James Hurst describes the setting in great detail in his short story “The Scarlet Ibis.” The story is presumed to be set in coastal North Carolina (the state is never explicitly given but “Dix…

1 educator answer

KUBLA KHAN

Can “Kubla Khan” be described as an incoherent poem? Why?

I suppose it can be described as incoherent. Its various parts don’t seem to have much to do with one another and the whole is difficult, if not impossible, to picture. He switched from a…

3 educator answers

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What are some quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird about how racism affects Jem?

Jem watches the Tom Robinson trial with hope and faith in his father and the judicial process. To him, it is easy to see that Tom should go free based on the evidence. Jem even suffers through Mr….

1 educator answer

HISTORY

What were the lasting effects of the French Revolution on global history?

The French Revolution, unlike the American Revolution before it, was the first example of a powerful monarchy being overthrown on its home turf, not by another monarchy, but by its own subjects….

1 educator answer

HISTORY

Why did industrialization lead to imperialism?

There are two ways in which industrialization led to imperialism. First, industrialization made imperialism more possible. Second, it made imperialism more necessary. Industrialization helped make…

1 educator answer

HARRISON BERGERON

In “Harrison Bergeron,” what can we infer about the type of government that was in existence in…

Although the government of the United States in 2081 is still based on the Constitution, it is a highly authoritarian and oppressive regime. The first paragraph states that “all this equality was…

1 educator answer

ALL SUMMER IN A DAY

How do the children in this story react to the long-awaited event in “All Summer in a Day?” Did…

The children are excited and anxious about the arrival of the sun, and they respond by bullying the girl who has seen it more recently than they have. I wish I could say that the behavior of the…

1 educator answer

NIGHT

Who is Madame Schächter in Night?

Mrs. Schächter screamed about fire in the boxcar on the way to Auschwitz. During the transport to Auschwitz, a middle-aged woman begins hallucinating. She starts screaming about fire, and her…

1 educator answer

THE STORY OF MY LIFE

What are Helen Keller’s feelings towards the Bible in The Story of My Life?

At first, Helen did not understand the Bible when it was read to her. She asked her cousin to read a passage from the Bible to her one day. Helen found the text about Joseph in the book of Genesis…

1 educator answer

THE DEVIL AND TOM WALKER

What was rumored to be buried in the forest?

“The Devil and Tom Walker” begins by establishing a legend surrounding Captain Kidd, a pirate and privateer who once operated in the New England area. Kidd supposedly had amassed a large fortune,…

1 educator answer

HAMLET

How can Shakespeare’s Hamlet be understood through a political lens by contrasting the appearance…

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet the title character’s father appears three times…as a ghost! This apparition first appears to a duo of guards and Hamlet’s friend, Horatio. But the ghost chooses not to…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

What are some crimes and evil practices/beliefs of Theodore Roosevelt?

So far as I am aware, no one ever credibly accused Theodore Roosevelt of committing any acts that were actually illegal. As to his beliefs, “evil” is a very strong term. However, Roosevelt…

1 educator answer

HISTORY

I am in project/contest about who is the greatest president of the U.S. My competitor is Teddy…

While Teddy Roosevelt was progressive domestically and didn’t have many personal failings (he was a dedicated family man), it can be argued that his imperialist policies hurt other countries and…

1 educator answer

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

Describe the three appearances of the ghost in “The Canterville Ghost.”

In “The Canterville Ghost,” the ghost makes his first appearance to the Otis family in Chapter Two. Every member of the family is in bed after a busy day of driving and, around 1 a.m., Mr Otis is…

1 educator answer

LAW AND POLITICS

What defines treason against the United States?

Article III of the US Constitution specifically defines treason as a citizen either waging a war against the US or aiding an enemy who is waging a war against the nation. John Brown, for example,…

1 educator answer

JACOB HAVE I LOVED

What is the exposition in Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson?

The exposition of a story shows the setting, characters, and background information. In Jacob Have I Loved, the setting is the island of Rass, which is a fictional place in the Chesapeake Bay….

1 educator answer

1984

Why does Winston Smith hate the party in 1984?

As part of the older generation, Winston can still recall a time before the Party and Big Brother. Naturally, it is easier to brainwash and control younger generations who have nothing to compare…

1 educator answer

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X

Who was Malcolm X?

Malcolm X was born as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. He was raised in a series of foster homes and had a troubled early life. He spent several years in prison, where he became a member…

1 educator answer

REFERENCE

Can I trust people?

Psychologists have studied many ways to approach the “whys” and “hows” of trust. And the short answer to the question of “can you trust people?” is yes. You can trust people to act according to…

1 educator answer

LITERATURE

What happens in the poem “The Verdicts” by Rudyard Kipling?

In Rudyard Kipling’s short poem “The Verdicts,” published in 1916, the speaker describes how the men in a particular battle between Britain and Germany are heroes who have saved the British way of…

1 educator answer

MATH

If you throw a dice six times ,what’s the chance that you get a six on exactly one of the throws ?

We are asked to find the probability of rolling exactly 1 six when rolling a standard die 6 times. This is a binomial experiment: there are a fixed number of trials (6), there are only two outcomes…

1 educator answer

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS

Do we know what Jig is thinking in the story “Hills like White Elephants”?

This story is all about communication and how people do it and how effective it is or isn’t. To infer what Jig is thinking in the story, readers need to examine not only what she says out loud, but…

1 educator answer

LES MISÉRABLES

What are some important life lessons and quotes in Les Miserables? I would prefer help from the…

Les Miserables is a great book to pull some superb quotations that give readers lessons about life that still apply today. Some of my favorites are as follows: “Monsieur to a convict is a glass of…

1 educator answer

MACBETH

When Macduff and Lennox come for Duncan,what do they say about the night?

Macduff really says nothing about the night as he and Lennox arrive. But Lennox speaks at length to Macbeth about what was for him a very restless evening indeed. Duncan says that their chimneys…

1 educator answer

ALICE MUNRO

In my PhD interview, how could I answer questions about topics relevant to Alice Munro’s short…

In a PhD interview, examiners are normally concerned with the issue of whether you are prepared for postgraduate level work on your specific subject. In particular, you want to give the impression…

1 educator answer

LITERATURE

What can a reader learn from reading the story “The Lady or the Tiger?”

By holding back the climax and thus the resolution to his story, and leaving those elements to the reader, Frank Stockton teaches that the world is complicated and there is not always a black or…

1 educator answer

THE STORY OF MY LIFE

Provide a character sketch of Mr. Joseph Jefferson, as mentioned by Helen Keller in The Story of…

Joseph Jefferson (1829-1905) was an American actor, well known and widely acclaimed in his time. In Chapter 22, Helen talks about going to his plays and meeting him in person. She and Anne Sullivan…

1 educator answer

HAMLET

What is the literary device used in Act 1, Scene 2?

When Hamlet speaks to his stepfather and uncle, the new king, he employs a pun to indicate his displeasure at the king’s quick marriage to Hamlet’s mother after his brother, Hamlet’s father’s,…

1 educator answer

HAMLET

What is Ophelia’s physical description of Hamlet?

Ophelia describes Hamlet as having been very disheveled and frightening looking. Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, and he was supposedly in love with her. However, he has been acting very strange…

1 educator answer

THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD

In The Indian in the Cupboard, what is Boone’s nickname?

In Lynne Reid Banks’s novel The Indian in the Cupboard, Boone is the cowboy who first gets to know Omri in Chapter 9. All we know about Boone so far is that he cries easily and likes to ignore…

1 educator answer

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

What does Thoreau conclude about freedom while he is in jail?

In his essay “Civil Disobedience,” Henry David Thoreau writes about his overnight jail experience in paragraphs 25-34. He talks about the idea of freedom immediately, in paragraph 25: I could…

1 educator answer

THE CRUCIBLE

How do the stage directions at the beginning of Act IV set the mood? What does the contrast…

At the beginning of Act IV, the stage directions indicate the characters are in a dark jail that has barred windows and a heavy door. Marshal Herrick can now only deal with his job when he is…

1 educator answer

THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE

In the novel “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” what exactly is Jean Brodie’s prime and what does…

Miss Brodie believes she is in her prime as she enters her 40s in the 1930s. She is a middle-aged spinster who lost her love, as so many women did, on the battlefield during World War I. As a…

1 educator answer

THE LOTTERY

In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, why is it ironic that the villagers make fun of the next…

It is ironic because the lottery is a senseless, barbaric ritual. It makes perfect sense to stop having a lottery. It is really Old Man Warner’s stubbornness that shows real irony. Jackson never…

1 educator answer

TUCK EVERLASTING

When Winnie goes fishing with Miles, she kills a mosquito but asks Miles to let the trout go…

She does that because Winnie is just like many other animal loving human beings. I’ll use an over the top stereotype as an example. Let’s assume that we know somebody that is a member of PETA and…

2 educator answers

AFTER TWENTY YEARS

What are some similarities between Silky Bob and Jimmy Wells in “After Twenty Years”?

Silky Bob and Jimmy Wells are both good friends and keep promises. It is pretty remarkable that both Silky Bob and Jimmy Wells showed up to keep a date made twenty years before. They either are…

1 educator answer

THE STORY OF MY LIFE

What would a character sketch of Mr. & Mrs. Hutton look like?

While living in New York City, Helen and Miss Sullivan befriended Mr. and Mrs. Hutton. Mr. Hutton was a writer and literary critic, and because of this he knew many writers. He lived in his New…