What is the setting of “The Necklace”?
- THE NECKLACE
What is the setting of “The Necklace”?
We cannot know more than the author himself tells us, but the story first appeared in a Parisian newspaper (Le Gaulois on February 17, 1884) and had instant success. Could it be presumed, then,…
1 educator answer
- REFERENCE
I have to do a media issue on public transport, on powerpoint, but I don’t know what to write…
Public transport is a big issue now, with the price of gasoline fluctuating, the price of cars, and the “going green”issues! Approach this topic in relation to the economy. Public transportation…
2 educator answers
- JULIUS CAESAR
In Julius Caesar, what is the significance of omens?
Shakespeare derived his information for Julius Caesar from an English translation of Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, Life of Brutus, and Life of Antony. Plutarch, a Greek historian, lived from…
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- JULIUS CAESAR
What is the role of friendship in “Julius Caesar”?
Friendship is hugely important in “Julius Caesar”, not least as an oil which can be used to slick along political manipulation. Yet I’m not too sure how “real” the friendships in the play turn out…
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- THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
In “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” contrast Huck’s and Tom’s plans to free Jim.Whose plan do…
Huck wants to just go in there and get Jim, and leave. Quick and easy. Lift up the bed, remove the chain from it, and get out of there through a hole in the back of the shanty, as fast as they…
4 educator answers
- THE LADY OR THE TIGER?
In “The Lady, or the Tiger?”, why are the public trials in the arena popular with the people in…
In a society like that in this story that is dominated by a brutal king who uses the arena to exact justice on those that he perceives have broken his laws, the presence of the people of the…
1 educator answer
- FRINDLE
Describe Nick Allen’s behavior in Frindle.
In the novel “Frindle” Nick Allen is a bright and clever 5th grader. He is known in his class for having the ability to try and sway the teacher from her lesson plans by asking questions that will…
2 educator answers
- FRANKENSTEIN
How does the context of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein contribute to greater understanding of the…
To begin, the word “context” must be defined in regards to understanding the two main meanings of the word in regards to literary use. First, context refers to the circumstances which form…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, why is the town too tired to fight. but Atticus has the strength to do so?
Not everyone in the town is too tired to fight, but a lot of them are. Most of the town has been raised to believe that Blacks belong on the bottom rung of the social ladder. Many of them see the…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In Lord of the Flies, when and how does Piggy recognize that he can express his views through Ralph?
Right at the start of the novel, when the other boys start to appear, Piggy recognises that he might have an ally in Ralph: as the choir, led by Jack, appear: Piggy asked no names. He was…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In Lord of the Flies, what is Golding trying to show by having the novel begin in friendship and…
You are referring to the theme of the book in asking what Golding is trying to bring out. Golding maintained that people were inherently evil and that only the rules of society taught to us as we…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In Lord of the Flies, what makes Jack powerful?
Jack is a very powerful character. From the beginning, he had leadership qualities. He is the choir leader and voices that from day one. Not only is he very dominating with his personality, but…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In Lord of the Flies, why is the passage where Roger throws stones in the direction of the…
Roger is probably the most evil of the boys on the island. He has very little conscience to bother him. Even when he is throwing stones at Henry in this passage and missing him, Roger isn’t…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In Lord of the Flies, why does the scene when Simon addresses the pig’s head foreshadow his later…
Simon’s death comes at the hands of the other boys, who think they are killing a beast. Of course, the Lord of the Flies is the beast, personified in Simon’s mind: it is the “darkness in man’s…
1 educator answer
- JULIUS CAESAR
In Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 1, line 100, what do Cassius and Brutus whisper?
Just before Brutus and Cassius have their little conversation aside, Brutus has asked what the men are doing in his orchard at night – what is it, he asks, rather sardonically, that is keeping them…
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- TWILIGHT
I need some help mixing the idea of insanity into the Twilight books.Anything will help , which…
The theme of insanity can be explored in relation to the vampires lust for blood. When Edward first meets Bella, he is overcome by the desire to kill her, and he must fight both mental and physical…
2 educator answers
- THE SCARLET LETTER
questionsWhen Governor Bellingham recommends taking Pearl from Hester, what argument does she use…
When the Governor tells Hester that he does feel that it is wise to trust an “immortal soul, such as there is in yonder child, to the guidance of one who hath stumbled and fallen…,” Hester, with…
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- THE SCARLET LETTER
In The Scarlet Letter, what was Pearl’s sharp perception concerning Dimmesdale’s habit of…
Chapter 15 certainly does give the reader grand insight into Pearl’s great wit and intelligence, for this is the “sharp perception” you speak of. Hester, of course, is alone with Pearl and begins…
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- ROMEO AND JULIET
In Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 2, where does Juliet make us think of Romeo’s death?where does…
Juliet foreshadows Romeo’s death in her first soliloquy (or “alone-speech”). Juliet is the longing, lover, praying for time to speed by so that she will be reunited with her true love. In part of…
2 educator answers
- GUIDE TO LITERARY TERMS
What is the difference between soliloquy and a dramatic monologue?
The two are very similar, and I suppose they could essentially be considered to be the same thing. But as genres, there is a sort of difference. That is, a soliloquy can be thought of as a dramatic…
1 educator answer
- A DOLL’S HOUSE
What is the significance of the play’s title, A Doll’s House?
“A Doll’s House” (actually, in the Norweigan it’s apparently just titled “Dollhouse”) is a really good title for the play, as there are lots of ways you can read it into what happens in the play…
2 educator answers
- THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON
What did Janie find unusual about the desk in The Face on the Milk Carton?
The desk in her mother’s study has two deep file drawers. The upper one is “crammed with volunteer-related materials” from her mother’s many pet causes. The lower one, however, is locked. Janie…
1 educator answer
- AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE
How does the story end?What happened?
The actual events of the story take place in Part I and the last paragraph of Part III. Everything in between is either exposition (Part II) explaining how Peyton got into such trouble or his…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In Lord of the Flies, where does Ralph get the idea of using the conch?
It is Piggy (representative of intellectualism in the novel) who gives Ralph the idea to make the conch into a tool of civilization. Piggy says, “It’s a shell. I seen one like that before. On…
2 educator answers
- FAHRENHEIT 451
In “Fahrenheit 451” how do books have pores?
That description is one that Faber gives to Montag as one of the reasons that books are so wonderful. It’s an interesting phrase, and takes a bit of thinking to get your brain around. Faber calls…
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- LORD OF THE FLIES
In the movie Lord of the Flies 1963 how effective do you consider the beggining of the film to…
The movie begins with the boys in an airplane. They were being evacuated and moved out of the area. During World War II, London was devastated. Buildings were destroyed, and it makes sense that…
1 educator answer
- FAHRENHEIT 451
In “Fahrenheit 451” why are firemen barely needed anymore?
The society has become so acclimated to the way that things are, so numbed and brain-dead, that they don’t even want to read. Plus, it’s a losing battle; consider Faber, who, instead of fighting…
1 educator answer
- JULIUS CAESAR
In Julius Caesar, how does the appearance of Caesar’s ghost foreshadow Brutus’ death?
I’m not sure it foreshadows Brutus’ death, as such, but it is certainly associated with it: at least, in Brutus’ mind. Shortly before Brutus’ suicide, he openly admits that it is partly to do with…
2 educator answers
- AS YOU LIKE IT
What was the role of women in Shakespeare’s time?
Despite the fact that a single woman ruled England at the time of William Shakespeare, the Elizabethan society was patriarchal. Women were considered the weaker sex and in need always of being…
1 educator answer
- THE GREAT GATSBY
In The Great Gatsby, how could Nick be regarded as careless?
Although Nick is the character in the novel least likely to be accused of such a quality, Nick can be considered careless for dating Jordan and for getting stone-cold drunk. A man from the West…
1 educator answer
- THE ODYSSEY
In Book 23 of The Odyssey, how do the nurse and Telemachus try to convince Penelope that the…
The nurse tells Penelope that it really is Odysseus. Penelope doesn’t believe it and thinks it’s a trick of the gods. The nurse tries to give her proof it’s him and says to her “I can give you…
1 educator answer
- UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
Why doesn’t Tom leave when he has the chance or the 500 hundred dollars?
There are two answers to this really excellent question. To draw from within the text, we can say that Tom’s is noble, good, and a Christlike figure who sacrifices himself for a white man’s…
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- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In To Kill a Mockingbird, how old are Tom Robinson’s children?
Chapter 19 of “To Kill a Mockingbird” begins Thomas Robinson reached around, ran his fingers under his left arm and lifted it….Atticus very quickly induced him to tell us: Tom was twenty five…
2 educator answers
- THE SEA-WOLF
How does Wolf avenge his brother for “hogging the sea” in Chapter 25 of The Sea-Wolf?
In chapter 25 of “The Sea-Wolf” Larsen gets even with his brother, Death Larsen, by laying a trap for his “hunters.” He manages to not only capture his brother’s hunting boats, but he also…
1 educator answer
- THE SEA-WOLF
Why does Larsen envy Van Weyden and Maud in Chapter 24 of The Sea-Wolf?Is it because they are…
Wolf Larsen is a man who is arrogant and materialistic. He believes that if someone steals his profit, or his money then they have done as much damage as if they steal his life. To Wolf profit is…
1 educator answer
- SCIENCE
What are some “reasons” for natural selection?
A study of the animal world easily provides answers. With deer, for example, the weaker ones are caught and killed by predators such as wolves. In this way the weaker traits are not reproduced….
2 educator answers
- SCIENCE
What are three modalities of increasing variation in a population?
Not exactly sure what is meant by “modalities of increasing variation” but maybe this will help Mutation – random changes in DNA caused by various sources. Founder effect – when a small group of…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In ‘Lord of the Flies,’ who were the boys on the island? How did they get there?
In Golding’s novel, a boys’ choir (evacuees from a war zone, of which the circumstances are not clearly explained) was travelling from England to Australia and the plane crashed along the way. The…
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- HISTORY
Why does Thomas Paine use scriptual refrences in his work, “Common Sense” if hes not a Christian?
Biblical allusions and references are very common in English literature. They are used by many authors with various religious beliefs because the Biblical stories form the basis for much of the…
1 educator answer
- BRAVE NEW WORLD
In Brave New World, what is the Bokanovsky Process?
In the world of the novel, the Bokanovsky Process is a method of human reproduction in which a fertilized egg is split into identical genetic copies. Using this method, one egg can be split into as…
3 educator answers
- DYLAN THOMAS
I already know who Dylan Thomas is; therefore, I need help analyzing his poems.I don’t understand…
This is a pretty general question, but I will try to answer as well as possible using one of Thomas’ most famous poems: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.” First, one must realize that…
1 educator answer
- ELIZABETHAN DRAMA
How does Shakespeare connect to the Elizabethan Theater & The Globe Theater?
Shakespeare was one of many playwrights writing for the popular theatre at this time. James Brubage built The Theatre in 1576 in Shoreditch as a home for his company, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men….
1 educator answer
- A DOLL’S HOUSE
In “A Doll’s House”, in which Act is Torvald ill?
Torvald was ill years ago, just after he and Nora were married. His doctors told him that he had to go away on a holiday to somewhere warm to recover, which is why Nora borrowed money by forging…
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
In “To Kill a Mockingbird” describe Bob Ewell’s meeting with Atticus at the post office.
In a nutshell, at the post office, Bob Ewell “approached [Atticus], cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him.” Atticus didn’t retaliate; he simply “took out his handkerchief and wiped…
2 educator answers
- ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY
What is the lesson Papa is trying to teach when he gives the comparison of the fig, oak and…
Cassie’s father is trying to make a point about giving up in the Mildred Taylor novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. When Mr. Avery announces that most of the black families who have agreed to…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
Why are Macbeth’s first words, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen,” important?
When Macbeth says “so foul and fair a day I have not seen”, he is referring to the battle that he has recently fought. It is fair because he has won, it is foul because he has lost fellow soldiers…
3 educator answers
- FRANKENSTEIN
What are the circumstances that inspired the author’s creation of Frankenstein?What is the…
There are several circumstances that contributed to Mary Shelley’s conception of her monster. The story has it that the initial concept of her monster came from a dream and was at least partly…
1 educator answer
- HAMLET
Why does Hamlet tell Ophelia to go “to a nunnery” and what does he give as his reason?
When he states “get thee to a nunnery” to Ophelia, he is expressing pent-up anger towards his mother, who he feels has been unfaithful and incestuous when she married his uncle. At the beginning…
3 educator answers
- RIFLES FOR WATIE
To what extent did the Cherokee assist the Confederacy during the American Civil War?
I did a little searching and found a review of thebook The Cherokee Nation in the Civil War by Clarissa W. Confer (in the Journal of Southern History, Nov. 1, 2008). She notes that many Cherokee…
1 educator answer
- DULCE ET DECORUM EST
What is the shift in the poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen?
The “shift” that you speak of in “Dulce Et Decorum Est” is in line nine when the speaker exclaims, “Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!–” Before this point the poem is simply a description (although a…