• HISTORY WARS

What were the up points and down points on both sides in the American Revolution?

It’s true that the British Army and Navy were the best in the world at the time, and the German mercenaries the best troops in Europe. But the Americans had unique advantages. The technology of…

1 educator answer

• THE SUN ALSO RISES

Jake has gained some strength at the end of The Sun Also Rises. What is the strength and how has…

Perhaps it is through the weaknesses of his friends that Jake’s own strength grows most in Ernest Hemingway’s breakthrough novel, The Sun Also Rises. Jake’s week spent at the bullfights at the…

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what unintentionally funny answer does Scout give when asked by her…

Scout unintentionally causes everyone to laugh when she replies to the question with, “Under my dress” (229). Actually, it is Miss Maudie who asks the question of Scout in Chapter 24 of To Kill a…

2 educator answers

• THE GIVER

What are different Assignments given to the Elevens at the Ceremony of Twelve in the book The…

The range of Assignments given to the Elevens at the Ceremony of Twelve include pretty much any job you can think of which would be essential in the smooth running of the Community. The first one…

1 educator answer

• ROMEO AND JULIET

In Act II of “Romeo and Juliet”, what problem of the lovers is alluded to in the chorus?

In the Prologue to Act II, the Chorus continues the theme of paradoxes: old desire/young affection, deathbed/heir, foe/lover, extremities/extreme sweet. With these paradoxes, the allusion is to…

1 educator answer

• THE KITE RUNNER

What were some of the major events of the Taliban reign?Also, how did the reality of the Taliban…

The Kite Runneritself does not address this issue as much as Hosseini’s Thousand Splendid Sunsdoes, but the novel does demonstrate some aspects of Taliban rule and the Afghans reaction to it….

1 educator answer

• THE HIDING PLACE

Why did the German officer in the prison want to know more about God and the Bible in The Hiding…

Lieutenant Rahms, the German officer who conducts Corrie’s hearing, is a decent man who “cannot bear the work (he does at the camp)”. When he meets Corrie, he is amazed that, after months of…

1 educator answer

• THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND

In Chapter 10 of Witch of Blackbird Pond, why was Kit disappointed in John Holbrook?

Kit is disappointed in John because he is not assertive enough. He seems to have no mind of his own. During the frequent heated discussions about politics at Matthew Wood’s home, John seems to…

1 educator answer

• EVERYDAY USE

In “Everyday Use”, do any of the characters change from the beginning to end of the story?

While none of the three women in “Everyday Use” change, as you say, from beginning to end, the mother reaches a realization near the end of the story, and, thus, she is the only character who may…

1 educator answer

• HISTORY

Napoleon bonipartedoes anyone no anything about NAPOLEON

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) French Emperor and conquerer of Europe. After the chaos of the French Revolution, Napoleon became a stabilizing influence, and to keep various revolutionary factions…

2 educator answers

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Did Jesus not really go around grumbling all the time as Mrs. Merriweather suggests in To Kill a…

I think that you have hit upon an interesting point made in the book. Jesus really did not go around grumbling and complaining all of the time. However, many so called Christians go around with a…

2 educator answers

• SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE

What is the tone of “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways” (Sonnet 43) by Elizabeth Barrett…

The tone of the poem is the mood or feeling that its message conveys. This sonnet is a simply a love poem, expressing how deeply she loves her husband. The tone is intimate, loving, sincere.

3 educator answers

• 1984

What does the coral paperweight symbolize in 1984?

The paperweight is something from the world before the Party. It represents that other world, and it also represents the beauty of the love Julia and Winston have found even though love is…

4 educator answers

• ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

What can you say about the sayings about Tjaden in Chapter 10 of All Quiet on the Western…

The lines about Tjaden are part of a series of impressions. The boys in the group have been assigned “to guard a village that has been abandoned because it is being shelled too heavily…(they)…

1 educator answer

• FAHRENHEIT 451

What should be individuals’ contribution to the world and Guy Montag’s from Fahrenheit 451?What…

I’m not quite sure if this is one question with similar parts, or if it is two separate questions. Are you asking what should individuals in our society contribute, or what should individuals in…

1 educator answer

• GREAT EXPECTATIONS

How does Dickens portray Magwitch in Great Expectations in a way that creates compassion in the…

Dickens accomplishes his goal of eliciting sympathy from his readers for Magwitch in several ways. First, when young Pip meets Magwitch, the escaped convict is pitiful. He is hungry, exhausted,…

1 educator answer

• SCIENCE

How does water play a role in cell growth and maintenance?For my nutrient project.

It is really very easy to understand. Without water there is no way for the nutrients to enter or the waste products from metabolism to be removed. Water is the carrier that moves throughthe cell…

1 educator answer

• THE MAN WHO WAS ALMOST A MAN

In “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” how would you describe Dave’s point of view?

Dave Sanders is a young kid who desperately wants to prove that he is deserving of respect and fear. He is picked on a lot, and wants to be able to stand up for himself and be the one in the…

1 educator answer

• OEDIPUS REX

How do you compare and contrast Hamlet and Oedipus as both good and evil tragedies?

A tragedy is about human suffering and is not inherently good or evil. Some of the actions of characters in the play may be good or evil, but the play itself is not. In Hamlet, Claudius’s actions…

1 educator answer

• JULIUS CAESAR

How does Brutus qualify as a tragic hero in “Julius Caesar”?

Brutus meets all of the qualifications of a tragic hero. -He is a man of high position (socially, politically, and financially) who experiences a drastic fall from that position. -He is of noble…

1 educator answer

• ARABY

In Joyce’s story, what is “Araby” and who takes the boy there?

“Araby,” the title and a word that stands for the exotic, is a bazaar to which Magan’s sister, of whom the narrator is enamored, wants to go. However, because she is going to a religious retreat…

2 educator answers

• THE KITE RUNNER

As Amir tries to rescue Sohrab and redeem himself, what are two obstacles created by Assef, the…

If the above is not what you meant by your question, let me know. After Rahim Khan pressures Amir to return to Afghanistan and tells Amir that Hassan was his half-brother, Amir knows that going…

1 educator answer

• THE KITE RUNNER

What meaning can you find in the title of the text The kite runner?Some readers see the title as…

Please check our the links below for a couple different answers.

1 educator answer

• THE GIFT OUTRIGHT

What is Robert Frost’s purpose in writing “The Gift Outright”?

The author appears to have had multiple purposes in writing the poem, “The Gift Outright”. On one level, it is a statement about the history and future of the United States of America. Frost…

1 educator answer

• LORD OF THE FLIES

I am doing a project, and i’m wondering how many times the painted faces and long hair appears in…

In the following link, the entire book is online. I searched for the word “painted” and found that 17 times from the 4th chapter until the very end of the novel. It was never used before that…

1 educator answer

• THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Where can I find information about the Phantom’s past life before joining the opera house?

It is always interesting to think about the early lives of fictional characters, isn’t it? The Phantom is particularly interesting because we want to know how he came to be the way he is. There…

2 educator answers

• BELOVED

At the beginning of the novel Beloved , we hear that the baby ghost is powerful enough to have…

Even from the very first two sentences of the novel, Beloved, we are told that the baby ghost is powerful. “124 was spiteful. Full of a baby’s venom” (3). Yes, the baby ghost is absolutely…

1 educator answer

• ANIMAL FARM

How is Mr. Jones portrayed in the first chapter of Animal Farm?

Mr Jones, as a human, in “Animal Farm” is portrayed by Old Major as typical, the root problem of their troubles. According to the old boar, humans only consume, stealing from them all; it is the…

2 educator answers

• THE OUTSIDERS

Cherry describes the Socs lives as “a rat race where they are constantly chasing something,” but…

Cherry is trying to explain to Ponyboy that their lives are not what everyone thinks them to be. She is letting him know that they also have pressures and stresses in their lives. She tells…

1 educator answer

• FRANKENSTEIN

Why does Shelley use a frame story for Frankenstein, and what is the connection between Victor…

Shelley develops Frankenstein through the frame structure (a story within a story) to allow the reader to get several characters’ perspectives. By the end of the novel, three characters (Walton,…

3 educator answers

• WILLIAM BLAKE

Why is “The Tiger” by William Blake a lyric poem?I guess the main thing is what parts of the poem…

A lyric poem is songlike and expresses emotion. In ancient Greece, poems were often accompanied by music played on a lyre. The rhyme scheme and the metrical pattern of the poem make it lyrical; it…

1 educator answer

• MACBETH

Where are Macbeth’s speechs in the play?

There are 3 soliloquies by Macbeth: Act I, Scene 7: “If it were done, when ’tis done…” Pressing his head against the tower wall, Macbeth wrestles with his conscience, wishing that with Duncan’s…

1 educator answer

• ROMEO AND JULIET

Juliet was very young when she married Romeo. What characteristics of Juliet attracted Romeo…

Juliet’s beauty is what first attracts Romeo when he sees her at the Capulets’ masked ball in Act I, scene V: “Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!/For I ne’er saw true beauty till this…

1 educator answer

• FAHRENHEIT 451

In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag says that “You never wash it off completely,” referring…

Consider what Montag really does for a living. He destroys people’s lives; he burns their homes, heralds their removal from society, and takes away everything that they knew and loved. This is not…

3 educator answers

• MACBETH

What are examples of ambiguity and antithesis in Macbeth?

Please see the previously asked discussion question linked below for ambiguity examples.

1 educator answer

• TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What does the following quote mean from “To Kill a Mockingbird”:Also, what does this quote mean:…

In this quote, Scout is expressing how Aunt Alexandra upheld all of the old class prejudices, unwritten laws of behavior, proper social attitudes, and elaborate historical implications of Maycomb….

1 educator answer

• THE GIVER

What happens when Jones turns 12 years old?a celebration

When Jonas turns 12, he attends the selection ceremony. All children are observed carefully by their teachers, professionals in the community, and the council of elders. During this observation…

1 educator answer

• ROMEO AND JULIET

In “Romeo and Juliet” how is the marriage of Juliet arranged, and why does she have a wet…

During the Renaissance, the setting of “Romeo and Juliet,” marriages were arranged by the fathers of the young couples. In Act I, Paris, a kinsman of the Prince, has spoken to Lord Capulet about…

1 educator answer

• GREAT EXPECTATIONS

In “Great Expectations”, why does Pip want to go back home? What does he find when he visits…

In Chapter 44 of “Great Expectations,” Pip calls upon Estella after learning much of her past from Provis (Magwitch) who has returned from New Zealand in search of Pip, wishing to tell Pip that it…

1 educator answer

• CINEMA

In Seabiscuit: An American Legend, the match race became a special occasion for entire USA. How…

In the film version of Seabiscuit, the cinematography employed during the match race suggests that the race is a special occasion for the entire U. S. A. As the bell rings at the race, the scene…

1 educator answer

• ESSAY LAB

Write an article on ” As you make your bed, so you lie on it”

You might want to start by thinking about personal responsibility. We have to take responsibility for our own actions, as oftentimes our situation or circumstances are dictated by those very…

1 educator answer

• JULIUS CAESAR

Should Brutus join the conspiracy against Caesar? What are some arguments for and against…

In the play, Brutus decides to join the conspirators against Caesar because Cassius convinces him that it’s for the good of Rome. Brutus loves Caesar, but loves his country more. It’s the same…

2 educator answers

• A ROSE FOR EMILY

In William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily,” why was it difficult for Emily to meet suitable…

I am going to take a guess here and assume you are asking about Miss Emily in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. The answer to your question is found at the end of Section II. where we are…

3 educator answers

• HENRY

What is the feeling of the story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry?

“The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is less funny and entertaining than other O. Henry stories, but it still carries a sarcastic tone that shadows much of it; it’s like he is telling the story but not…

2 educator answers

• THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS

In “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury, what is the fifth spot on the house beside…

This is one of those questions that can be answered from a close reading of the text. If you look in the paragraph where it describes the actual figures of the family on the wall, it says right at…

1 educator answer

• THE GIVER

In The Giver, why was Jonas’ number skipped during the assignment ceremony?

Jonas’s assignment was unique and special; it wasn’t a typical job like his classmates were getting. They skipped him because they needed to explain a little bit more about his job, and because it…

2 educator answers

• FRANKENSTEIN

How does Victor characterize the interest and characters of Clerval, Elizabeth, and himself?

Early in the novel, as Victor describes his childhood and young adulthood, he also provides characterization for Elizabeth and Henry Clerval. Elizabeth does not understand Victor’s hunger for…

1 educator answer

• THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM—1963

Where did Kenny hide his toys?i need help

I assume you are referring to his dinosaur collection that his supposed “friend” Larry used to steal. They were in his bedroom in the cupboard, but during a massive dinosaur war that they create…

1 educator answer

• WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Why did Shakespeare write his plays?What made William Shakespeare start writing plays and having…

Shakespeare never answered this question directly, but we can easily guess several motivations for him to write his plays. The first is a simple desire to please other people, to do something…

1 educator answer

• RUDYARD KIPLING

In Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Hyaenas”, how does the language express the poet’s views on war?

Through the language, Kipling expresses distaste, repugnance, and anger at the sad futility of war, and at the many animals (hyaenas) and people that grow fat and rich from the profits that are…