What causes the human cells to work?
- HISTORY
Tindall and Shi state, “The lack of plan marked the genius of English colonization.” What does…
This quotation means several things. Imagine you’re trying to colonize a new country. You don’t know the people, the landscape, the climate, the resources, etc. If you make a single, unified plan…
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- SCIENCE
What causes the human cells to work?
The cells of the human body work as well as they do because they are adapted to do so. These adaptations are encoded into human DNA, and then the complex hormonal bath of the human body triggers…
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- WALT WHITMAN
What is the tone, mood, rhythm, and the conflict of “O Captain! My Captain!”?
First of all, this poem is an elegy. Disillusioned with President Pierce, Whitman felt that he had found an ideal in Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln was shot after the North’s success in the Civil…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In Chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird, why does the group at the jail disperse after Scout’s…
The mob dispersed after Scout’s conversation with Mr. Cunningham because it ceased to be just a mob. It became a collection of individuals, each of whom was recognizable. Mr. Cunningham’s safety…
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- MACBETH
In Macbeth, how do Macbeth’s reactions and conflicts in Act V affect our understanding of his…
By the conclusion of the play, Macbeth has evolved into a murderous tyrant with much innocent blood on his hands. He is despised by his own people who have risen up against him, supported by…
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- DEATH OF A SALESMAN
In Death of a Salesman, why is Willy so disturbed that “nothing’s planted” and “I don’t have a…
In “Death of A Salesman,” we learn that Willy is an unsuccessful salesman who is having difficulty making money. He brags a lot and acts like everything will be okay because he has bought into the…
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- MACBETH
What are the main themes to focus on in “Macbeth”?
In “Macbeth” there are two themes that are central to the play and another motif that is also prevalent: (1) Ambition and its psychological burdens , (2) Unnatural world vs. reality, and (3) Love…
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- THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
Can I get more questions and answers from “The Merchant of Venice”? theme, analysis, characters
The eNotes study guide is available at the link below. There are also many more questions and answers available here in the Q&A section for Merchant of Venice.
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- MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
I want analysis of Act One, Scene One of “Much Ado About Nothing”?
The initial sparring match between Benedick and Beatrice introduces a number of key themes and motifs that will come to dominate the rest of the play, as well as introducing their characters….
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- THE GREAT GATSBY
In The Great Gatsby, what does Gatsby’s car represent?
Gatsby’s Rolls-Royce figures prominently in the novel. Nick first describes it as “gorgeous” with a horn that plays a three-note melody. His description then becomes more detailed: It was a rich…
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- BUD, NOT BUDDY
In Bud, not Buddy, how does Bud change over the course of the story?
You have put your finger on a major theme of this story, which, after all, is a kind of coming of age story where we are presented with a narrator who, as an orphan, is left to himself to make his…
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- HAMLET
To what extent is Act 1 of “Hamlet” a study in social disorder?
With the death of Hamlet’s father and the unexpected assumption to the throne by his brother, there is a skewering of the proper order of the tradition of monarchy. For instance, in the 20th…
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- ESSAY LAB
Are there different type of outlines?
You might want to check with your teacher if you need to make a specific outline; teachers often create a specific outline for their class assignments. Microsoft Word (or other publishers) usually…
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- HISTORY
Lammistide is the season around August 1st , where traditionally a festival was held where bread made from the first corn harvest was blessed. It’s also a festival in Roman Catholic tradition in…
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- HUNTERS IN THE SNOW
In “Hunters in the Snow,” is there a absence of love and intimacy?
The characters in “Hunters in the Snow” are supposedly friends, but show little care for each other. Kenny is wilfully abusive, Tub doesn’t like the abuse but does nothing to stop it, and Frank is…
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- CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE
What is the Renaissance? How are the elements of the Renaissance present in Doctor Faustus?
Most critics agree that the Renaissance marked the reemergence of and a revival of interest in classical learning. It generally characterizes the period between the fourteenth century and the end…
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- MATH
I assume that you are talking about simplifying fractions? Simplifying (or reducing) fractions means to make the fraction as simple as possible. Why say four-eighths (4/8) when you really mean half…
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- MACBETH
What are 5 major turning points in Macbeth’s character in Macbeth, and in what scenes are they?
Obviously there are no hard and fast answers to this question and everyone is going to differ in their response. What you need to think about is how Macbeth’s character develops – how we see him at…
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- FAHRENHEIT 451
In “Fahrenheit 451” what is some proof that Beatty has read books?
At the end of Beatty’s lecture to Montag on the history of firemen, he tells Montag that every fireman gets an itch to read books. He says, “I’ve had to read a few in my time, to know what I was…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What does Atticus say is a great leveler in To Kill a Mockingbird?Please, I need the answer…
Atticus is speaking about the integrity of the courts when he refers to the “great levelers”. He means that in the courts, every man should be able to perform on a “level playing field”, and have…
2 educator answers
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In “To Kill a Mockingbird” what does Atticus do in court that the children never saw him do even…
There are two things that Atticus does in the courtroom that the children had never seen him do before. The first is “he unbuttoned his vest, unbuttoned his collar, loosened his tie, and took off…
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- MATH
Mary wants to calculate the cost of making and decorating a circular cake. She will put a uniform…
The second cake doesn’t cost enough to be worth all the calculation to get its price!! I’ll show you part of the answer, and you do the rest. To do all this, you will need the Area (A) and…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Atticus argue are some of the reasons that Tom should not be…
In chapter 20 of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Atticus delivers his summation to the jury in the trial of Tom Robinson. He first tells the jury that Tom should not have been tried at all because there…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, what is unusual about Atticus’s clothing during his final summation?…
Atticus, a very polite, formal man who was a stickler for manners, was never seen without tidy clothing; he was always buttoned, his tie was up tight, and no one had ever seen him any differently,…
2 educator answers
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Scout mean when she says Maycomb gives the Ewells “the back…
In this quote by Scout the author is letting us know that the Ewells are not accepted by the other classes in Maycomb. They get hand-outs, they get “Christmas baskets,they get welfare, “and the…
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- LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER
In “A Lamb to the Slaughter” how is Mary different at the end of the story?
At the beginning of the story, Mary is a docile, loving, subservient housewife who lives to please her husband. She thrives on routine, stability, and making sure that her husband his happy. Her…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
what does tom say that mr. ewell saw through the window?
You can find the answer to this in Chapter 19. Tom Robinson testifies in court in that chapter and he tells his side of the story. Under direct examination by Atticus Finch, Tom says that Mayella…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Why is Dill crying in To Kill a Mockingbird?
In chapter 19 of “To Kill A Mockingbird, the trial is in progress and Atticus is taking the testimoney of Tom Robinson, a 25 year-old black man who is married and has three children. He is trying…
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- THE GREAT GATSBY
Why does Tom break Myrtle’s nose?
Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose because he told her to stop talking about Daisy, his wife. When Myrtle continues to say her name, Tom backhands her, breaking her nose. This shows that Tom has a short…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, what question does Atticus ask Mayella that makes her furious?
Your first question is a trick question because at least three of Atticus’ inquiries make Mayella furious. First, Atticus asks, “I might ask you things you’ve already said before, but you’ll give…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Why does Judge Taylor not hold Mayella in contempt of court and why is Tom’s left arm…
Mayella’s performance in this chapter is pathetic. She shows she has no friends, and really doesn’t know what they are. She is knocked around by her father, and she’s the only one who really…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In Chapter 18 of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” how can Scout tell which characters do not wash regularly?
The word “lavations” is just another word for repeated washing (‘laver’ meaning ‘wash’ in French). Mayella’s skin looked basically healthy and taken care of whereas her father’s looked rather…
3 educator answers
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, when should the reader experience an epiphany regarding Mr. Ewell’s…
Atticus establishes during Sheriff Heck Tate’s testimony that the bruises on Mayella’s face were under her right eye; the sheriff also testifies that there were other bruises found all the way…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Why does Scout get to stay during the explicit testimonies and where do Scout and Jem sit during…
There are really two reasons that Scout gets to stay. First of all, she really doesn’t understand what “rape” is. Atticus gave her a point blank definition, but she doesn’t understand what it is…
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- DOVER BEACH
How is love depicted as an anchorage in a chaotic world in Mathew Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach”?
The idea of a “chaotic world” is created through Arnold’s choice in diction or word choice: “gone”, “fling”, “turbid”, “misery”, “distant”, “melancholy”, “roar”, “naked”, “clash”…all of these…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Reverend Sykes ask Jem to take Dill and Scout…
This is because of the mature content being discussed in the trial. This is a rape trial, and as such, the reverend felt that the subject matter was inappropriate for young children, perhaps even…
2 educator answers
- THE TELL-TALE HEART
I am writing a character-comparison essay on the main character in a telltale heart and Louise…
This is a tricky one, but it’ll make a great essay! I agree that the theme of guilt is a good one for this essay. You can do point by point compare/contrast on the following: 1. personality of the…
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- GUIDE TO LITERARY TERMS
what is another synonym for “moonlit road”?i need a synonym for “moonlit road”
How about “avenue aglow with lunar light” or “street awash in lustrous moonlight” or “the glow from the moon”? Here are some other synonyms for light that might help. If not, try a thesaurus….
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, with whom do the children sit in court and what do the foot-washers…
Miss Maudie loves her flowers and the outdoors, so she’s always working in her garden. The Foot Washers believe than anything that’s pleasure is a sin. They think that she should be spending her…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
What is the Idlers’ Club in To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 16?
The name is sort of a joke, since the word ‘idle’ suggests wasting time, doing nothing worthwhile. The so-called ‘Idlers’ Club’ of Maycomb is a group of older, mostly retired men who like to get…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Atticus say that brought the mob to its senses?
After that scary scene in chapter 15, Atticus sits down with the children in chapter 16 and explains what happened. Scout made Mr. Cunningham stand in Atticus’ shoes that night in front of the…
3 educator answers
- PHYSICS
What is produced when a person pushes back on the ground with their foot?
Walking on the surface of the Earth imparts a force from your feet to the ground. By Newton’s Second Law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so the ground actually imparts a force…
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- REFERENCE
Jealousy is when you feel resentment or anger towards someone because they have something that you don’t, or they have achieved something that you want to achieve but have not done yet. Jealousy is…
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- ESSAY LAB
What is an essay? Discuss its principal type.
Your basic essay is approximately 5 paragraphs unified around a central theme or idea. The most common essay types are narrative, definitive, and persuasive. The easiest way to craft an essay is…
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- PETER PAN
What is the name of Hook’s pirate ship and the skull and crossbones flag?
The two are the same thing: the flag of the skull and crossbones is the Jolly Roger, which is also the name of Hook’s ship. Here’s the quote from the book to back it up: One green light squinting…
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- A ROSE FOR EMILY
Why is the story “A Rose for Emily” divided into parts?
Faulkner doesn’t present things chronologically. Instead, he seems to organize things topically, and the breaks coincide with those topics. The first topic is her death, the second her taxes, the…
1 educator answer
- REFERENCE
discipline I have always taught upper level courses–to adults and high school students, but i…
Have them help write the classroom rules–you can steer the conversation the way you want the rules to go, especially because you have to agree to them, too. If they help formulate the rules (and…
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- ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH
What is the role of women in Anthills of the Savannah?
Women play an important role in Anthills of the Savannah. The author, Chinua Achebe, is notable for portraying women as strong, believable characters. Women are instrumental as keepers of…
2 educator answers
- HISTORY
What event in world history promtped the United Nations to create “Universal Declaration of Human…
The entire era of “the Hitlerian Wars”, beginning with the Sino-Japanese War, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and the Spanish Civil War was an era in which warfare was directed at civilian…
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- JULIUS CAESAR
Pompey, or Pompey the Great, was a well known military leader of Rome. He never appears in Shakespeare’s play, as he’s just been defeated by Julius Caesar in battle. So he’s not really very…
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