• MACBETH

Why would Macbeth have had such lasting appeal to theatre audiences? Why are the characters…

Try Act 4 Scene 1: Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble… The witches present evil, magic and an appeal that crosses eras. We all love witches and stories abound about…

3 educator answers

• THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Now that we know Jack was always ernest, what are we supposed to think as we walk out the…

Well, there are a lot of good laughs along the way, since Wilde used social confrontations and side quips in his plays to poke fun at society. A few are even ‘food for thought’ for later on (as…

1 educator answer

• MACBETH

Select four passages that, in your view, represent Shakespeare’s ability to stimulate people’s…

Here are four passages from “Macbeth” that are replete with imagery: Double, double, toil and trouble;/Fire burn and caldron bubble./Fillet of a fenny snake,/In the caldron boil and bake;/Eye of…

1 educator answer

• LITERATURE

Who are your favorite Victorian authors? Please cite their most famous workMine is, of course,…

Charles Dickens: Great Expectations Rudyard Kipling : The Jungle Book Lewis Caroll: Alice in Wonderland All great…

4 educator answers

• MACBETH

What is an example of misogyny, isolation, fate, omniscience in Macbeth or Frankenstein? Please…

Misogyny–hatred of women Omniscience–the ability to know everything Fate–predetermined outcome Isolation–a walling off of one’s self of a group from others in the world I’m not sure there is…

1 educator answer

• GAMES AT TWILIGHT

In “Games at Twilight” do you think that Ravi’s “sense of insignificance” at the end of the story…

Children are amazingly resilient, and tend to bounce back from situations pretty quickly. Anita Desai did a good job of capturing the despair that Ravi felt; such dramatic tragedy felt by the…

1 educator answer

• THE LOTTERY

What are the symbols in “The Lottery” and why are they significant?

The biggest symbols are the stone gathered by the children (which come into play in the end) and the pieces of paper. One slip has a black spot, signifying death. The person who gets the black spot…

2 educator answers

• S. LEWIS

What is a good thesis statement for the following topic from The Great Divorce? Characters…

Almost all of the ghosts from Chapters 2-10 in The Great Divorce suffer because of their poor choices. Choose two or three of those characters and focus on them. If you try to address too many…

2 educator answers

• THE CHRYSALIDS

Which characters in The Chrysalids display dispair?

There is one instance of despair in The Chrysalids by John Wyndham when Anne, a mutant telepath, marries a nontelepath, a “norm.” Anne unwisely chooses to confide in her norm husband who turns on…

1 educator answer

• ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY

In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, what does Mr. Morrison do when Kaleb Wallace will not move his…

Mr. Morrison and the Logan children are riding the wagon on their way home from delivering a planter to the Wiggins family when they encounter Kaleb Wallace, who drives his truck across the road to…

1 educator answer

• GREAT EXPECTATIONS

How did Dickens use fairy tale elements like the bad magician, the young heroe etc in this novel?

Since much of the story is told from the perspective of Pip, reflecting back on his childhood, these fairy tale elements add to the sense of Pip as a young, innocent child in the begin of the…

1 educator answer

• TEACHERS

Can you suggest really innovative ways to keep in communication with parents? I started a Wiki,…

I have found that less is more– an email list is something that everyone can use and requires very little technical ability. Starting a private group on enotes would be another way, it allows you…

10 educator answers

• THE GLASS MENAGERIE

Jim’s kiss brings happiness, illusion and pain symbolized by “the hornless unicorn”. More…

Jim’s kiss may momentarily give Laura a new confidence; however, that confidence is short-lived. Shortly after the kiss Jim tells Laura he is engaged and won’t be calling again. In response, she…

1 educator answer

• FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS

21st century teaching and multicultural/ESL educationHow would you infuse multiculturalism and…

I agree with epollock. Obviously, as a teacher in the 21st century, our classrooms are a diverse community. Our philosophies as teachers should recognize that this is the case and be “flexible”…

1 educator answer

• THE GLASS MENAGERIE

One important theme in The Glass Menagerie is “the impossibility of a true escape” for the…

Of the four main characters, it is Tom who speaks frequently and bitterly of the need to escape–to escape his stifling job at the warehouse and his role as the sole financial support for his…

1 educator answer

• THE GLASS MENAGERIE

In Scene 7 of “The Glass Menagerie,” there is a power failure at the beginning of the play. What…

In Scene 7, the power goes off because Tom has not paid the bill, having used the money to join the Union of Merchant Seamen. With the electricity gone, candles are used to light the room, lending…

1 educator answer

• THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

What does this mean,”For though man does not live on bread alone, it is bread they must have…

Will and Henry are cousins who fight all the time. At one point when they are thirteen they are facing the tradition of being “capped” by the Masters. The Masters are an alien race who has…

1 educator answer

• WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Does Oates compare Arnold to the devil in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”?

One (of many) interpretations of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is that Arnold Friend is, in fact, the devil. While I see nothing to imply a comparison, it seems that Arnold may in…

1 educator answer

• MACBETH

What is a quotation that sums up the play of Macbeth? What are major events for the first 3 acts?

It is hard to get one quote to sum up the whole play but if I was choosing one I would go for: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest…

1 educator answer

• INTO THE WILD

What parts of transcendentalism did Chris use in his life in “Into the Wild”?

One of the keys pieces in the philosophic idea of transcendentalism is the person’s believe that through a strong relationship with nature, one can transcend himself / herself. This is…

1 educator answer

• TWILIGHT

“I was sure it was a dream” – Bella “You’re not that creative” – Edward I don’t understand why…

You aren’t really missing anything with this quote. It is simple teasing conversation between the two. Bella wakes up trying to remember a dream. She then realizes that Edward is in her bedroom…

1 educator answer

• ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

How has Nurse Ratchet set up the ward as an anti-cure?

The nurse has created an environment that is very controlled. Between the pills each patient takes, the music that plays, the meticulous schedule that must be followed, Nurse Ratchet creates a…

1 educator answer

• JULIUS CAESAR

Is Julius Caesar more powerful dead or alive?Is Julius Caesar more powerful dead or alive?

In his funeral oration, Marc Antony tells the Romans the evil that men do lives after them,/The good is oft interred with their bones;/So let it be with Caesar. (III,ii,76-77) However, such is…

6 educator answers

• THE ODYSSEY

What are three reasons why Odysseus’ arrogance is a character flaw for him. Provide three…

Arrogance is generally considered at least a minor character flaw in virtually anyone, and the hero of Homer’s The Odyssey is no exception. Following the Greek victory at Troy, Odysseus boasts of…

1 educator answer

• MACBETH

Discuss the function of darkness within Macbeth and Frankenstein.Discuss the function of darkness…

Some things you may wish to consider might be: 1. In MacBeth and Frankenstein all “dark” and evil things are accomplished at night under the cover of darkness. The settings figure prominently in…

1 educator answer

• THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

What evidence shows us that Holden might have made a good actor?

In Chapter 14, Holden has a run in with Maurice, the elevator operator/pimp who barges into his room demanding the extra money that he claims that is still owed for Sunny, the prostitute’s,…

1 educator answer

• HISTORY

If Columbus had failed to complete the voyage, who or what country would have done it and under…

Well the answer is going to be a theory, and not fact, because no person can say exactly who would have discovered America. But at the time of Columbus, Spain and Italy were the main countries…

1 educator answer

• HISTORY

If Columbus had failed in his voyages, and if the New World had not been discovered in 1492, how…

Assuming that Christopher Columbus had not been successful in reaching the New World in October 1492, it is reasonable to suggest that Spain, along with Portugal the most powerful naval nation in…

2 educator answers

• PYGMALION

How does the idea that each individual must make the best of the life he is given work in Shaw’s…

Shaw loved to poke fun at society and its prejudices. Pygmalion, loosely based on the myth of Pygmalion (Book Ten of Ovid’s Metamorphosis), demonstrates that social class is not necessarily…

1 educator answer

• THE MIRACLE WORKER

In The Miracle Worker, to what does Annie compare words?

During her time with Helen, Annie spells word after word after word into Helen’s hand. After much conflict and struggle, the little girl learns the alphabet, even spelling in her sleep, but she…

2 educator answers

• THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY

What happened with the TV coverage in View From Saturday?

The television coverage of the Souls’ accomplishment as the first sixth grade team to compete in the Academic Bowl is a farce. The Souls are completely overlooked in the face of Dr. Rohmer’s…

1 educator answer

• POETRY

“The Life of Man” by Russell Edson: AnalysisFor breakfast a man must break an egg. Then not all…

Edson uses irony pretty heavily in this poem. He’s essentially comparing the simplicity of humanity or mankind with the grandeur of life, or at least what we regard as the grandeur of life….

1 educator answer

• LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER

What questions could a teacher ask in an exam about “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

Teachers tend to ask 2 types of questions–easy ones where the answers can be found right in the story. These questions tend to be ones that are about what happened in the story. A few examples of…

4 educator answers

• ANGELA’S ASHES

What do you think McCourt’s primary motivation was for writing his memoir? Was it to earn…

As a die-hard McCourt fan that I am, I was surprised to see the controversy regarding Angela’s Ashes, ‘Tis, and Teacher Man, especially since such controversy came out of Limerick, and the claim…

3 educator answers

• THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

What makes Kiley’s “sweetheart of the song tra bong” believable?

First off, the setting: not just Vietnam, but the very remote setting of this particular set of forces within Vietnam. The setting is isolated and oftentimes isolation is connected to insanity or…

1 educator answer

• POETRY

Compare an contrast the two poems “Binsey Poplars” and “To Autumn” by John Keats and Gerald…

Both “Binsey Poplars” and “To Autumn” have as a theme the transience of nature. In his poem, Hopkins bemoans the loss of his “aspens dear” that have been felled by “hack and rack.” He rues the…

1 educator answer

• LITERATURE

What does the reference ‘cheek by jowl’ mean?

“Cheek by jowl” is an expression meaning side by side, or very close together. “Jowl” is a term for the loose flesh close to the lower jaw. It orginated in 1577, when it replaced “cheek by cheek.”…

1 educator answer

• HISTORY

What is the historical significance of the Lowell System?

In the early to middle part of the nineteenth century, the emergence of the Lowell system in Boston significantly changed the course of textile manufacture. Before the Lowell system, named for the…

3 educator answers

• THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, what does Holden mean when he says, “Mothers are all…

We don’t need to read any more into what Holden Caufield means with this now classic statement “Mothers are all slightly insane” from Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Although we may hear people…

3 educator answers

• WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

Wordsworth calls the Child, “Might Prophet, Seer Blest!” What is Wordsworth’s view of the child’s…

The Ode Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood is a rendition and celebration of the innocence of childhood, the wonders of innocence, the love that only a child can…

1 educator answer

• LITERATURE

Please explain the poem “The Character of a Happy Life” by Sir Henry Wotton.

The gist of most of the Character of a Happy Life is found in the last stanza, where it says: This man is freed from servile bandsOf hope to rise, or fear to fall;Lord of himself, though not of…

2 educator answers

• MACBETH

In “Macbeth,” how do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change personality/character traits throughout the…

At the beginning of the play MacBeth is a soldier who listens to the advice and suggestions of Lady MacBeth, his figurative “general.” At first MacBeth is indecisive and cannot see the larger…

3 educator answers

• HAMLET

How would a Freudian Literary Critic approach the Shakespearean play of Hamlet?Exploring the Id ,…

This is an interesting question, and it helps to understand what the id, ego and superego are. Freud stated that our id is our subconscious, animalistic desires. The id is our most barbaric,…

1 educator answer

• THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

Do you think we can define Holden’s age according to his speech? Was he illiterate?

In The Catcher in the Rye, we can tell Holden Caufield’s relative age by his speech pattern. He is persistently negative and uses a lot of slang of the day (the 1950’s)- traits that have been…

1 educator answer

• THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT

Who joins the outcasts at their camp and what affect do these newcomers have upon the outcasts?

In Bret Harte’s “The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” certain disreputable characters are told to leave town and are “forbidden to return at peril of their lives.” With ironic humor, Harte describes the…

1 educator answer

• SARA TEASDALE

In the poem “Barter” by Sara Teasdale what are the things the poet wants to obtain by barter?

In Sara Teasdale’s poem “Barter,” she describes many of life’s simple and beautiful pleasures, things that cannot be purchased with money. She lists off these sights and experiences as if they are…

1 educator answer

• THE COLOR OF WATER

James’ childhood home is nearly torn apart by what?

There are two possible answers to this question. The first is his sister Helen’s choice to run away. At 15, she had become an activist, preaching to her siblings about the “revolution.” One night,…

1 educator answer

• EDWARD THOMAS

What is the meaning/form/rhyme etc of “Aspens” by Edward Thomas”?I cannot find anything anywhere…

“Aspens” by Edward Thomas is a poem that, at its most simple level, is about aspen trees and how they constantly blow in the wind, no matter who is near or what is going on in the world. The…

1 educator answer

• THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

As we know, Holden was kicked out of schools several times. What do you think was the reason?

There are quite a few reasons why Holden might have been kicked out of the two schools that he attended before attending (and then leaving) Pencey Prep. First, he may have suffered from the same…

1 educator answer

• THE ROAD

Do you think people would likely behave as they do in the novel, under the same…

Post #2 is on a totally different subject! I’d like to believe that faced with the circumstances the novel depicts people would behave more nobly, like the man and his son. However, most likely…