Why is torture never justified in order to protect national security?Please give an argument.
- THINGS FALL APART
In Things Fall Apart who are the following characters?Nma, Mgbafo, Okagbue Uyanwa, Nwayieke, and…
Nma is short for Ezinma, Okonkwo’s daughter by his second wife, Ekwefi. Ekwefi has borne ten children in her lifetime, and all but Ezinma have died in infancy or early childhood. Ezinma, who is…
1 educator answer
- LAW AND POLITICS
Why is torture never justified in order to protect national security?Please give an argument.
There will be many answers to this, so be prepared to sift through what you consider to be good, true, and valuable. The first reason why torture should not be used to justify national security…
4 educator answers
- MACBETH
In Act I, scene 3 of “Macbeth”, Banquo tells his son what happened on the heath. What happened on…
In Act I, scene 3 of “Macbeth,” the three witches discuss the havoc that they have wrought upon humans as Macbeth and Banquo approach, but are unaware of the witches. In a line of great…
1 educator answer
- BLESS ME, ULTIMA
In what sense are some of Tony’s dreams trials?
The crux of this novel is the trials of Antonio, both while he is awake and while he is unconscious. He is struggling to find himself and his identity, he is struggling to know what his future…
1 educator answer
- MATH
Which is the largest number? 4/5, 5/8, 12/17, 9/11
The best way for you to answer this question is to change each of these fractions to decimal form. Some people do not understand that every fraction can be made into a decimal because every…
1 educator answer
- TWELVE ANGRY MEN
Did the jurors in Twelve Angry Men ever work as a team for the same purpose, and do you think…
Slowly, as the play develops, the members of the jury do become a team, examining the evidence and doing their duty as jurors. Juror #8, of course, is the one man who prevents a grave injustice…
1 educator answer
- THE OUTSIDERS
In Chapter 7 of The Outsiders, what information did Ponyboy learn from the newspaper?
Ponyboy gets information on three issues from the newspaper. First of all, he learns what really happened up at the church. Second, he finds out what happened after the fight in which Bob was…
2 educator answers
- ENGLISH TEACHERS
Why don’t we teach more sci-fi/fantasy?I’ve always wondered why these genres are all but ignored…
I did not teach sci-fi/fantasy works in my classroom because I was not familiar with them from my own reading over the decades. I think if I had been a sci-fi reader as a young person, it…
13 educator answers
- LITERATURE
How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature?
A complicated novel will often include many characters, one central plot, and numerous sub-plots. Pattern recognition allows us to see the relationships between characters, actions, and ideas…
2 educator answers
- THE DARKLING THRUSH
What is the scene that is brought to the reader’s mind on reading the first 4 lines of the poem?
I leant upon a coppice gate When Frost was spectre-gray,And Winter’s dregs made desolate The weakening eye of day. To get an emotional feel for the tone of the poem, try reading the four…
1 educator answer
- FAHRENHEIT 451
In “Fahrenheit 451”, what is Montag’s destination at the end of section 2? Why?
At the end of section 2, Montag has returned to the fire station after reading poetry to Mildred’s friends, against Faber’s advice. While Montag thinks he has accomplished an act of rebellion,…
2 educator answers
- BUD, NOT BUDDY
In “Bud, Not Buddy”, why were they all planning to go west?
The answer to this lies in the novel’s setting. The story takes place during the Great Depression of the 1930’s when many Americans were unemployed. In the Midwest, where Bud lives, poverty was…
1 educator answer
- SCIENCE
Witches and wizards do not exist at all, except in our imaginations. If people were able to perform real magic, I think we would have been able to solve many of the world’s problems by now,…
9 educator answers
- THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
The Wilk’s FamilyHow is the most solemn of ceremonies, a wake and a funeral, satirized in this…
For one thing, Huck hides the money in the coffin of the deceased. For another, a major con is going on under the noses of those who are suffering the loss of their loved one…perhaps some of the…
2 educator answers
- THE CRUCIBLE
How is it that Salem deteriorated so quickly and easily into conflict?
Salem “falls apart” because of its fear. With their specific fear of witchcraft and witches, the town of Salem descends into a morass of hysteria and accusation. Miller uses this as how any…
1 educator answer
- EARTHLY POWERS
What are some key themes to consider within modernist fiction? Or put another way, what…
Modernism is a fairly broad movement whose expression is divergent and eclectic. This would be one tenet of modernism. Namely, that human expression takes on multiple forms and the rendering of…
1 educator answer
- THE CHRYSALIDS
compare and contrast The Chrysalids and Beka LambI want somebody to compare and contrast both of…
Both of these stories deal with religion and oppression and basically insular societies. The difference is that “Beka Lamb” seems to be historically-based and The Chrysalids is science fiction….
1 educator answer
- MY LAST DUCHESS
Please explain, “My warbling lute . . . / . . . The lute and sword which he in triumph bore . ….
Actually, the line you quote here isn’t from “My Last Duchess,” but is instead from MacFlecknoe. Both, of course, are by John Dryden. My guess is that you were looking at a list of Dryden’s poems…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
In Act IV, scene iii of “Macbeth”, what are the discourses operating, and how are they…
In this scene before the King’s palace in “Macbeth,” Malcolm, suspicious of Macduff, tells him that This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues,/Was once thought honest: you have loved him…
1 educator answer
- ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
Discuss the notion that the text is concerned with the individual’s struggle against a…
McMurhphy’s failure to establish individuality and uniqueness in a social setting that emphasized control and conformity as its primary values would suggest that the statement is correct. McMurphy…
1 educator answer
- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Benjamin Franklin wrote in Poor Richard’s Almanac “Three may keep a secret, if two of them are…
This is from “Romeo and Juliet.” In Act II, the Nurse and her man, Peter, arrive at a street in Verona where Mercutio first approaches her with many puns and humorous remarks. Then, Romeo…
1 educator answer
- SCIENCE
How is a vacuole different from a vesicle?
You know how a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not necessarily a square? Well…a vacuole is a vesicle. A vesicle is a bubble or sac containing fluid. In this case (science/biology), it…
2 educator answers
- A TALE OF TWO CITIES
With whom has Dr. Manette been staying since his release from prison in A Tale of Two Cities? In…
Since his release from prison Dr. Manette has been staying with Ernest and Therese Defarge. His hostess, Madame Defarge, is constantly knitting. The Defarges own a wine-shop in the Paris suburb of…
2 educator answers
- TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
What do you think most influenced Morrie to become the person he became in the book Tuesdays with…
This is a personal question and your answer is going to be completely up to you, but I would submit that even before Morrie was stricken with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, he was the type of person who…
1 educator answer
- THE ODYSSEY
In Book XII, what might the three trials Odysseus faces represent?
In this Book, Odysseus and his crew face three daunting trials: the lure of the Sirens, the horrible Scylla and Charybdis, and the dilemma over the cattle of the sun. The symbolism, meaning, and…
1 educator answer
- THE SCARLET LETTER
What explanation is offered for the minister’s strange behavior by those who denied seeing any…
In Chapter 24 of “The Scarlet Letter,” after the minister has expired upon the scaffold in the arms of his beloved Hester Prynne, conjectures arise about the scarlet mark upon his bared breast….
1 educator answer
- THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
Anne listed many of the restrictions the Nazis placed on the Jewish individuals. Based on the…
Anne’s diary goes through a rather intense description of the type of limitations and controls placed on Jewish individuals. The opening of the diary talks about the fact that Anne’s father had…
1 educator answer
- THE GREAT GATSBY
Explain the point of the Owl-Eye’s admiration of Gatsby’s library in The Great Gatsby.
This scene reflects the motif of appearances vs. reality within the novel. The owl-eyed man is the typical guest at Gatsby’s parties. He was not invited, stating “I was brought. Most people were…
2 educator answers
- GREAT EXPECTATIONS
In Great Expectations, if Pip had not received his money and never left Joe’s forge, how do you…
The lessons that Pip gains through his journey in the novel are necessary for him to have the happiness and wisdom that he eventually achieves in middle age. Upon receiving money, and moving to…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
How does Duncan show kingship throughout Macbeth?
From the time we first meet King Duncan until his brutal murder, he is presented as an exemplary monarch, virtuous and just. When Duncan hears of Macbeth’s bravery in battle, he rewards him by…
1 educator answer
- THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
What is the internal conflict Santiago experiences?
The Old Man says, “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” Santiago decides to take a great risk to prove to himself that he still possesses the skill of a great fisherman after not having caught…
1 educator answer
- SOCIAL SCIENCES
what are the advantages & disadvantages tht a society may experience if they participate in trade…
One good thing is that each group gets what it needs by trading a surplus of their item to another group in need of that item. For example, if I have more grain that I need, but my neighbor is in…
3 educator answers
- A TALE OF TWO CITIES
QuestionWhat explanation does Dr. Manette’s letter provide for the actions and vengefulness of…
Dr. Manette is the attending physician for the Evremonde brother who has mortally wounded the brother of a youthful Madame DeFarge. As the son of the Evremonde twin, Charles Darnay is called to…
4 educator answers
- GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Why is it that Magwitch asked that Pip “always bear the name of Pip” to receive his financial…
For three possible reasons Magwitch has Pip asnwer to his childhood name when he receives financial support in “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens. First, if Pip remains as Pip, then Magwitch…
1 educator answer
- HATCHET
In Hatchet, why does Brian feel it is not important to know where he is but that ”they” do not…
Brian is naturally concerned with his status after the accident. Given the fact that the pilot lost radio transmission and that forest in which he landed is uncharted, he is fairly convinced that…
1 educator answer
- FRANKENSTEIN
One of the novels tragedies is the inability of characters to recognize the humanity of the…
This is a question with which philosophers and scientists alike have struggled for centuries. To take a purely scientific point of view, we are human due to our DNA makeup, our chromosomes. In that…
1 educator answer
- SLAM!
Favorite PartWhat is your favorite word or paragaph of the story?
The game between Slam’s new school and his old one seems to be the most powerful moment for me. I think it shows the collision between old and new world values for Greg, and the person he was…
1 educator answer
- SPEAK
In this book Speak, what are some characteristics of Melinda?
Quite simply, Melinda is a fourteen-year-old high school student whose life is dominated by the silence she creates for herself. She is miserable in her school life and as a result of being…
2 educator answers
- THE ROAD
I have an essay to do and I need some ideas on the following question:What makes the boy and his…
I would think that the best way to answer this question is to examine the dynamic and connection between both father and son. In a world where all signs of life have been eradicated, I would pay…
1 educator answer
- MACBETH
How and why would Malcom apologize to the people of Scotland after Macbeth was killed?
This question has been answered here: http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/q-and-a/an-apology-speach-people-scotland-after-death-96735
1 educator answer
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Discuss how Scout and Jem mature, and be specific about the incidents that influence this…
Jem matures the most throughout the book. He learns important lessons about equality and biases. One big influence to Jem’s maturing is the outcome to the trial. When Tom is found guilty, though he…
1 educator answer
- LORD OF THE FLIES
In “Lord of the Flies”, what dangers will the boys face when the navy returns them to the…
First and foremost, it is entirely possible that some of the boys will face a criminal trial to determine if they are guilty of murder. Having lived in the wild and given expression to their basest…
3 educator answers
- FRANKENSTEIN
What purpose is served by having Robert Walton tell Victor’s story? Compare and contrast Robert…
Through Robert Walton, Victor’s story is filtered by an unbiased third-person narrator. Walton is separated from the action, so he can remain impartial in areas where Victor cannot. Walton’s…
2 educator answers
- THE KILLER ANGELS
Why doesn’t Chamberlain want his brother to be in the army? Why is he bothered by having his…
A Maine man through and through, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s stand at Little Round Top saved the Union army from disaster at the decisive battle of Gettysburg. With him in the 20th Maine regiment…
1 educator answer
- STARGIRL
What is the relationship between Stargirl and the students at Mica High?Did everyone start to…
Stargirl was an outcast in normal High School society, because she was unique and not afraid to explore her freedom and creativity. However, she changed herself for Leo, to spare him embarrassment…
2 educator answers
- FRANKENSTEIN
How does Shelley go beyond the usual horror story elements to focus on characters and the…
One way in which Shelley goes beyond the stereotypical horror story is how she depicts the complexity of thematic development in Frankenstein. Within the text, there is a strict critique of…
1 educator answer
- A TALE OF TWO CITIES
What are some reasons that someone would like Carton of “A Tale of Two Cities”?In the first and…
While he is rather coarse in his manners, there is an underlying nobility in the soul of Sydney Carton of “A Tale of Two Cities.” And, it is this conflict that leads to Sydney’s self deprecation…
1 educator answer
- FAHRENHEIT 451
Discuss the stands the author or characters take in “Fagrenheit 451”. List examples of the…
In the novel, Bradbury is providing warnings about the dangers of too much conformity as well as the dangers of relying too much on technology. The burning of books and the rewriting of history to…
1 educator answer
- REBECCA
What would you say are the “pinnacle moments” for Ms. De Winters?
I assume you are referring to the second Mrs. DeWinter (who is never given a name in the book…did you notice that?). A “pinnacle moment” is simply a high point, or important moment. For our…
1 educator answer
- IN COLD BLOOD
What do Perry’s possessions tell about him?
Perry keeps a variety of items with him in large boxes held together with string. A lot of them are journals, letters, drawings, cards and other memorabilia. He has letters from his sister…