Are there any examples of onomatopoeia in The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt?

Onomatopoeia is literary device in which a word sounds
like what it means. For example, pop, hiss,
and sizzle are all words that sound like what they mean. Holling
Hoodhood is the narrator of The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, and
he is a rather dramatic seventh-grader. Because of that, he is a lively storyteller and
uses vivid language throughout the entire novel. In fact, it was quite easy to locate at
least five examples of onomatopoeia.

• Every time
  we hear about Sycorax and Caliban, Holling describes them as “clacking their yellow
  teeth.” (Obviously, this is a sound which rather freaked Holling
  out.)


• Once the rats escape their cages, Holling says, "We
  heard heavy pattering across the asbestos ceiling tiles." Pattering
  is just the right onomatopoetic word, as we can imagine the muffled sounds of their feet
  pattering above us as the creatures scurry across the
  ceiling.


• In the Perfect Room of the Perfect House
  (Holling's house), he describes a "roaring fire." We know this is onomatopoeia because
  we know this is different than, say, a sputtering fire or a
  crackling fire. This fire is going full blast, and it sounds like
  it is roaring.


• When Holling has a chance to get a little
  revenge on Doug Sweiteck's brother by throwing a snowball at him, he describes it this
  way: "His face turns toward me at the last moment, and the snow-ice-slush-spitball
  splatters against his nose." Splatters, of course, is the example
  of onomatopoeia.


• After he threw the snowball, Holling
  says, "I went back to Mrs. Baker’s classroom and sat down squishily." No explanation
  necessary.

These few instances tell you that
Holling likes to use lively and expressive language to convey his story through each of
his senses. Onomatopoeia is an example of just that kind of
language.

Why do Sampson and Gregory fight with Montague's men in Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet

The quarrel in Act I scene I starts, initially, because
Samson decides to “bite his thumb” at Abram; this gesture is synonymous to the middle
finger.   The Capulets have drawn their weapons are waiting for the Montagues to make
the first move.  Sampson says to Gregory, “Nay, as they dare.   I will bite my thumb at
them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it”(1.1.44-45).   By insulting the
Montagues, Sampson hopes to provoke them into a fight which would allow him to later say
the Montagues intiated the brawl.   The examination of the servants at the beginning of
the play provides the reader the feeling that this “ancient grudge” exists throughout
each family’s household – from top to bottom.

What is the influence of Western culture on Indian culture?

I would say that one part of the answer to this question
would be the growth of information technology.  The ease with which information is
shared across the world through the web, Skype, Twitter, and Facebook have helped to
make the absorption of different cultures a distinct part of reality in the modern
setting.  Indian culture and Western culture have embraced a sort of cultural exchange
with one another, whereby both have absorbed aspects of
each.

Indian culture has seen the emergence of Western
fashion and Western brands infiltrating so much of the culture.  Western brands like
Coca- Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, KFC, and McDonalds have become a part of the Indian
fabric.  They have become appropriated so much that these brands do not seem "Western,"
but rather something a part of the Indian fabric of society.  The growth of music
channels that follow the MTV mode of broadcasting, as well as Bollywood films
paralleling Western films are increasingly evident.  Even some of the issues that used
to be seen as "taboo" such as sex, women's hygiene, and communication between couples
are disappearing.  Now, condoms can be purchased in full view, without the "stigma" that
used to be there.  Women's hygiene products are openly advertised, in comparison to the
times when a woman had to sheepishly approach a shop owner for "pads" and was given them
in a brown, non-descript bag. The nation's first lesbian couple married and sought
protection from the police, which they received, when they received death threats from
their family.  This is a reflection of the West.   When US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton shakes hands with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, it is a reflection of how both
cultures have come to understand that women in the role of political leadership is a
part of both nation's historical footprint on the world.   These are conditions whereby
Indian culture and been influenced by the West.  The transfer of information, the global
reach of job markets across both cultures, and the basic idea that cultural transfer and
exchange is much easier in the globalized setting has helped to leave an indelible
Western footprint on much of the urban setting of
India.

However, there is another side to this story.  I
think that a great many of these social changes are only directed at the urban setting
of India.  Majority of the nation is in a rural context.  In these areas, there seems to
be little permeation of Western thoughts from abroad.  Western culture does not stop the
threats of "honor killings" of the lesbian couple.  There are many areas in India where
the concept of a woman continuing her education when reaching "marrying age" is simply
unacceptable, as is a woman working.  Certainly, Western culture is evident in the fact
that nearly everyone, urban or rural, owns at least one, if not more, cell phones. 
Satellite dishes are everywhere, even hanging on homes made of thatch.  The question
will be how the influence of the West will be felt all over India, and for this, I think
that an indigenous approach is needed.  For villages and rural settings where there has
been an intense reverence for their own traditions as long as time has passed, the
adoption of Western ideas and approaches will have to come from within.  Certainly, as
globalization takes greater hold of Indian culture, the need to address how all of India
can advance, and how to avoid a "digital divide" is going to be
essential.

How significant and relevant are the symbols are in A Christmas Carol today?

The symbolism brought into A Christmas Carol
by the three Spirits is quite as relevant and significant today as it was
when the story was written.

The Spirit of Christmas Past
takes Scrooge back into his own history, where Scrooge recognizes the simple joys and
deep pleasures brought by people and relationships from his youth, and realizes that he
has not allowed those same gifts to be given to others in his present
life.

He has
the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a
pleasure or a toil...I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just
now.

In the same manner, the
Spirits of Christmas Present and of Christmas Yet to Come show Scrooge scenes
illustrating how his actions and attitudes impact himself and those around
him.

While the specifics have changed over the years, the
basic themes are the same now as when Dickens wrote the story. No one person has the
ability to judge the actions and worth of others; all should be involved in caring for
and supporting the people surrounding them.

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It may be that in the sight of Heaven you are
more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child. O God! to
hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers
in the dust!

Why is energy lost as it moves from producers to primary consumers?

Each consumer is consuming for a number of reasons, only
one of them being physical growth. Calories consumed are turned into body heat, healing,
reproduction, and motion, all of which are necessary life processes, but none of which
retain captured calories in the food chain. An animal must expend calories in order to
obtain food. Those expended calories are not available to be eaten by members of the
next trophic level, so they in essence leave the food
chain.

Ecologists estimate that plants, at the base of most
food chains, convert only about 1% of the sunlight they receive into plant material
which is then available as food. For animals, an average of about 10% of the energy a
creature consumes is retained as additional body mass, which is the only thing that can
be passed up the food chain to the next trophic
level.

Foraging efficiency is the term for how animals
maximize calorie intake versus calories burned to attain food; it is a very interesting
ecological topic. Check out the link below for an example of how it works in a grazing
species, the bighorn sheep of western North America.

How does Bronte intend the reader to feel towards Mr. Lockwood at the end of the first chapter?Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

Mr. Lockwood establishes the mood of mystery and Gothic
tone as the narrator of Chapter 1 of Emily Bronte's Wuthering
Heights.  For, he takes delight in the misanthrope, Heathcliff, as they are
both solitary and desolate men. In fact, Lockwood feels that they are a suitable pair
because they can "divide the desolation between us."

Yet,
part of the reader's impression of Lockwood is that he may be rather like his
nomenclature, somewhat "locked" into his own perspective.  He possesses "a sympathetic
chord" for Heathcliff without really knowing him, declaring that he knows "by instinct"
that the man has an aversion to effusive displays of feelings.  In addition, Lockwood
believes that Heathcliff loves and hates "under cover."  Apparently, Lockwood projects
his own ability to express love to a woman which has caused his loss of her, to one of
Heathcliff's idiosyncrasies as well.

Certainly, the reader
is somewhat perplexed by the narrator, Mr. Lockwood, who ends the first chapter with the
remark that he feels so much more sociable than Heathcliff--and he has declared himself
a misanthrope!

Vitamin D is created from _________ by skin cellsA. DehydrocholesterolB. CholesterolC. HydrocholesterolD. Hydrodermis

I agree with lachicdina's post
above.

Vitamin D is created from exposure of the sun to
ultraviolet light (UV).  Vitamin D3 is created in the skin when Dehydrocholesterol-7
(Answer A) reacts with ultraviolet light.

To explain
dehydrocholesteral a bit further...it is a type of cholesterol in the skin that responds
to ultraviolet light when the sun hits the skin. It is then converted into Vitamin
D3.

*Fun Facts about this topic: Vitamin D is essential for
life in higher animals! It must be supplied in the diet on a regular basis (most of us
get it automatically just from our diet and/or being exposed to the sun--however, if you
live in say, Alaska or other parts of the world that do not receive adequate
sunlight--you may require additional supplements.) Insufficient vitamin D can result in
Rickets.

In chapter one of Ethan Frome, how can the atypical engineer be trusted by the reader as a narrator?Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

Among the traits of the typical engineer are a strong
analytical and logical mind; an engineer has a mind for detail and is technically
educated; he also possesses a skilled manner of
communication.

The narrator of Ethan
Frome, who has been sent on a job connected with the powerhouse at Corbury
Junction that is delayed because of a carpenters' strike,finds himself at odds at first;
however, he settles into a routine as he finds himself "anchored at Starkfield." There
he learns of Ethan Frome, and after the town's horses fall ill in an epidemic, he must
rely on the broken figure of Ethan Frome to drive him to the train in Corbury
Flats.

That the narrator is atypical of a technical,
mathematical, and analytical engineer is evinced in his comments about Frome as he first
rides with him,

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Ethan From drove in silence, the reins loosely
held in his left hand, his brown seamed profile, under the helmet-like peak of the cap,
relieved against the banks of snow like the bronze image of a hero....He seemed a part
of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of its frozen woe, with all that was
warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface; but there was nothing unfriendly
in his silence.

Here a more
artistic and intuitive personality, rather than a dispassionately logical and analytical
nature that characterizes the narrator/engineer. To conceive of Frome as heroic and
almost mythical, is clearly a supposition on the part of this narrator. However, he does
typically communicate well with Frome, who offers him shelter for the night at his farm.
And, the chapter ends with the narrator telling the
reader,

It was
that night that I found the clue to Ethan Frome and began to put together this vision of
his story.

The use of the
word vision yet suggests that the narrator is not constructing a
story that is totally factual, totally documented, totally objective; this action on the
part of the narrator is atypical, also. Thus, as critic Cynthia Griffin Wolff notes,"it
[the story]bears the imprint of the narrator's own interpretation,and is, therefore,
somewhat ambiguous." Wolff concludes that the narrator's relating of Frome's tale wavers
from concrete reality in that it depicts his own

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shadow self, the man he might become if the
reassuring appurtenances of busy, active, professional, adult mobility were taken from
him.

The line between the
narrator as the teller, and the narrator as part of the story often become confused, and
because of this ambiguity, the story is not one of a typical engineer. And, certainly,
Chapter I indicates the narrator's personal perceptions of young Ethan's feelings which
could easily be reflective of his own as he walks through the snow and looks into the
windows. Lines such as these,

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It was during their night walks back to the farm
that he felt most intensely the sweetness of this communication....it seemed to Ethan
that the art of definition could go no farther, and that words had at last been found to
utter his secret
soul.

suggest the blurring of
the lines between the narrator as storyteller and the narrator as part of the
story.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, please analyse the following quote."...remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy...

This quote is said by Faber to Montag and is very
important in the way that it presents a reflection upon society and how it operates.
According to Faber, what makes Beatty so dangerous is the way that he represents the
"solid, unmoving cattle of the majority." This points towards the way that society is
ruled and driven by this sector of the population. Those who are in the mainstream and
do not want to challenge the status quo or are not capable of thinking of a different
way of living life are always the biggest threat to "truth and freedom" as Faber states.
The metaphor he uses to describe this sector of humanity compares them to unmoving
cattle which are happy to be herded by those above them and are not able to grasp their
own destiny in their hands. We are presented with these kind of people in the form of
Mildred and her friends in this novel. Note the way that Mildred either doesn't
recognise or chooses to ignore her suicide attempt, and also consider the episode when
Montag reads them all a poem and how they are unable to cope with or even comprehend
going against the established system of order. The "solid, unmoving cattle of the
majority" is thus a force that presents a major obstacle to the development of "truth
and freedom," and Faber is correct in his analysis.

What are the major themes in Romeo and Juliet and how do they contribute to the tragedy of the play?information on themes- death, fate and love

A few different themes you could explore in Romeo
& Juliet are:

1.
Love

Love is the dominating theme in Romeo &
Juliet. More specifically, examine the way love controls these two young people and
causes them to act hastily and without consideration for consequences. They love each
other, but they lack the maturity to deal with that love in a constructive way. Their
love for each other causes them to abandon their family and friends. Romeo abandons his
friends Mercutio and Benvolio after the party in order to seek out Juliet. Juliet tells
Romeo to "deny thy father and refuse thy name...or wilt thou not, but be sworn my love,
and I'll no longer be a Capulet." Love also leads to defying the rules that govern them.
Romeo, banished from Vernoa, ignores the Prince's ruling and sneaks back in to see
Juliet anyway. This ultimately leads to both their
deaths.

2. Love as a cause of
violence

Shakespeare explores the chaotic side of love in
this play. Although a love story, it is full of violence and death. Their relationship
is marked by death from the moment it begins. At the feast where they meet, Tybalt
claims he will kill Romeo for his intrusion. Tybalt does end up killing Mercutio over
Romeo's actions, and Romeo in turn kills Tybalt. Both Romeo & Juliet are haunted
by suicidal thoughts over the course of the play. Their love cannot immediately
supercede the hate that divides their families, so thoughts of dying rather than living
apart control their thoughts and actions. Love and passion also lead to Paris being
slain by Romeo at Juliet's tomb.

3.
Fate

The theme of fate is a major part of Romeo &
Juliet. Although their actions lacked criticial thinking and their own immaturity and
failure to control their emotions led to their deaths, the idea this being their fate is
the basis of the play. The Chorus calls them star-crosses lovers at the onset. Perhaps
it was their destiny to die young. In addition to the audience being aware of this fate,
Romeo & Juliet appear to be cognitive of it as well. Just before entering the
Capulet house for the feast, Romeo has a premonition of something bad happening that
will lead to untimely death. Later, when he believes Juliet is dead, he cries "then I
defy you, stars." Their love seems to be in oppostion to what fate has in store.
Examples of this include the extreme hatred between the families (which is never
explained) that keeps Romeo & Juliet apart, the series of events that unravel
Friar Laurence's plan, and the awful timing of Romeo's suicide just as Juliet wakes up.
It seemed as if their fate was not to be with each other, but to die
trying.

What is the climax of The Book Thief?

The climax of a story is the moment of greatest emotional
intensity, when we have been led to a high point through the rising action to a
significant moment of suspense. In this novel, the climax comes at the end of the novel
when Liesel's world is literally blown apart by a bomb raid, and all that she knows and
everybody that she loves (almost) is killed:

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In the space of a few minutes, all of them were
gone.

A church was chopped
down.

Earth was destroyed where Max Vandenburgh had stayed
on his feet.

Death is shown
to move around all of the people, friends and family of Liesel, claiming each one of
them. However, Liesel is saved because she was in the basement of her house, and thus
she is pulled out to face another day and does not meet Death ultimately at this point
in the story. She is left to be looked after by the mayor's wife and to be reunited with
Max at the end of the tale.

Why is Faber so critical of himself and pessimistic about the world when he is first introduced in Fahrenheit 451?

Faber believes he is guilty by having been silent when the
fictional society in Fahrenheit 451 began to deteriorate, and books
became demonized, professors and authors and teachers were arrested or killed or driven
into exile.  He feels badly about himself for not trying harder to prevent
it.

Now, as the firemen burn house after house and war
drifts closer, Faber sees little hope.  He feels too old to do anything now but live
with his guilt, and until Montag reveals his own crisis of conscience, that there is no
one to help him fight back.

This is why he agrees to talk
Montag through his next meeting with Captain Beatty and with Montag's wife and friends
at their house, he sees a glimmer that he might be able to restart peoples' ability to
think and question independently again.

What exactly is the lyrical subject/object in poetry??

Poems are usually written as a way to express the feelings
of the author. The person or place or event that has created those feelings is the
subject or object of the poem. There isn't one uniform subject or object (different
names for the same thing) in all poetry - it will be different for each
poem.

Lyric poetry is "a form of poetry with rhyming
schemes that express personal and emotional feelings." Words don't have to rhyme for a
piece to be considered a lyric poem, although they can. The more important issue is the
expression of feelings. Consider:

I THINK that I shall never
see

A poem lovely as a
tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is
prest

Against the sweet earth's flowing
breast;

A tree that looks at God all
day,
5
And lifts her leafy
arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer
wear

A nest of robins in her
hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has
lain;

Who intimately lives with
rain.
10
Poems are made by
fools like me,

But only God can make a
tree.

Joyce
Kilmer is observing the beauty she sees in trees, admiring the strength of the trunk
growing from the ground, appreciating the sight and sound of the robins nesting amidst
the leaves, recognizing the way the tree changes with the changing seasons. The lyric
subject or object of this particular poem is trees.

Junior's grandmother's funeral was on the football field to accommodate all the people who loved her. Provide 3 examples of positive impact on...

The influence of Junior's grandmother is something that
has a profound impact on Junior.  On one level, Junior is amazed at how much love is
shown towards his grandmother.  This is something that is significant to Junior because
he recognizes the concept of love in regards to the Native American community for one of
the first times in the novel.  The novel is one where Junior does not openly associate
the concept of love with the Native American community and life on the reservation. Yet,
in seeing the outpour of love for his grandmother who inspired it with her own actions
is a reflection of this.  At the same time, Junior understands a critical element about
his own sense of identity.  Junior sees that he does not need to be at odds with his
identity as a Native American.  Junior recognizes that he can be at peace with who he is
as a Native American because his grandmother was at peace with her concept of self as a
Native American.  At a time when Junior is repudiating his concept of ethnic identity,
he is awoken to the idea that he can be at peace with his Native American conception of
self and that being a Native American is not something for which shame need to be
evident.  In seeing the life his grandmother led and the impact it had on others at the
funeral, it is one where he understands this concept of self.  Finally, her life ending
at the hands of a drunk driver further consolidates Junior's view that alcoholism is a
disease on social and personal levels that must be repudiated and rejected at all
costs.

How does inflation cause a country's currency to be overvalued with regard to the exchange rate?

If two countries experience different rates of inflation
and the exchange rate does not adjust, then the exchange rate between the two will
overvalue the currency of the nation that has the higher
inflation.

Let us imagine that Country A has high inflation
and Country B does not.  As A's currency inflates, it should lose value because each
unit of the currency is no longer able to buy as much.  It is worth less.  But what if
the exchange rate does not change to account for this?  If that happens, A's currency
will be overvalued compared to B's.  The exchange rate will be the same as it had been
before even though A's currency is no longer worth as
much.

So, if exchange rates do not adjust, a country with
high inflation will see its currency overvalued compared to a country with low
inflation.

What is the relationship of the host and the guests in And Then There Were None?

There is no relationship between the guests and their
host.  They all believe someone different has invited them to the island.  Mr. Justice
Wargrave thinks it is Constance Culmington, a woman he hasn't seen in eight years. Vera
Claythorne thinks she was offered a job by a Nancy Owen, a woman who doesn't exist.
Philip Lombard is hired by a third party, a Mr. Issac Morris, for a job he even Mr.
Morris can't explain.Ms. Emily Brent is invited by someone whose handwriting she cannot
read as a guest for a summer holiday.  General MacArthur is invited by a Mr.
U.N.Owen for a weekend with some of his "old cronies" to talk over old times. Dr.
Armstrong thinks that he is going to see Mrs. Owens for health reasons. Mr. and Mrs.
Rogers have been hired as help for the mansion on the island, and Mr. Blore has been
hired as an investigator.  Not one of them knows Mr. or Mrs. Owens, and, in fact, they
do not exist. They figure out a little later that U.N. Owen actually stands for
Unknown. 

The thread that ties them together is that fact
that they each have killed someone, either through neglect or planning. They do have a
host, but he is one of them.  I do not know if you have finished the book, and I don't
want to spoil it for you.  The real host delighted in killing, and  he felt they were
all getting what they deserved.

Explain how Twain's experience as a riverboat captain and the writing technique of local color enhance the exposition of chapter 8.in The...

Twain's riverboat captain experience meant that he spent
much time just looking at every nook and cranny of the river's edges. So, in chapter 8
his references,

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"mostly it was big trees all about, and gloomy
in there amongst them," and

"a deep sound of "boom!" away
up the river," and

"a bunch of smoke laying on the water a
long ways up -- about abreast the ferry" and

"the ferryboat
was floating with the
current"

are all sensory
details consistent with what a person very familiar with the river would
know.

For those of us who haven't ever been alongside a
river's edge, we get to experience it through his visual images, sounds, and
feelings.

As a reader, I can see the currents he refers to,
I can feel the breeze and imagine what it visually does to the trees. I can imagine dark
places in and among trees and the sun peeking through in some
spots.

His awareness of what happens on the river's edges
also brings us closer to the reality of that world. He knew there were some pockets of
homes along there. He wrote about some of the plunder that would brush up against
shores. Logs would float out into the center sometimes, and the expanse of the river
(sometimes 3 miles wide) is much different that the rivers many of us can relate
to.

Without this descriptive writing, we would not be able
to imagine how life on a river that large would really be.

How does Conrad create mood and atmosphere in Heart of Darkness?

Heart of Darkness is styled as a
story told by Marlow to a group of his fellow sailors. This allows Marlow a certain
amount of embellishment for dramatic purposes, and also removes the burden of proof from
the "real" narrator, who only comments at the beginning and end. Atmosphere is created
by Marlow's detailed imagery and his discussion of how the Congo affected his mind; he
uses a lot of metaphors and symbolism in telling his
story.

The
dusk came gliding into it long before the sun had set. The current ran smooth and swift,
but a dumb immobility sat on the banks. The living trees, lashed together by the
creepers and every living bush of the undergrowth, might have been changed into
stone...
(Conrad, Heart of Darkness,
gutenberg.org)

This passage
is typical of Marlow's exposition; he speaks more of the feelings and emotions created
by circumstances than of the actual events. Even when recounting the native attack, he
spends more time on his own feelings than on the actual event; the effect it has on his
mind is, he feels, more important in the telling than who was killed or how long it
took. This allows the reader to feel more of Marlow's emotional reactions throughout,
instead of simply reading the account of his journey.

How does one convert a text in .pdf format to .doc format?One of my friends is a teacher, and asked me to help him convert a question paper from...

There are a couple of ways to convert a .pdf to a .doc
format. How you choose to go about it depends somewhat on whether this is going to be a
one-time deal, or whether it's something that you need to do on a regular basis. If you
need to do it often, then it's time to consider either buying a full copy of Adobe
Acrobat and being able to edit the pdf documents without doing a conversion at all, or
downloading one of the many programs or add-ons available to do the conversion in your
computer. If that's what you are looking for, the third link below is an example of such
a product, although there are a number of others out there as
well.

For a once in a while issue, there are several online
services that will do a conversion for free - you upload your file to them, tell them
what type you'd like it converted to, and wait for the download link to appear. When I
need to do this I go to href="http://zamzar.com/">zamzar.com (the first link below). Short files of
a page or two usually are converted within minutes; larger files may take an hour or
two. If the document has illustrations, charts, or unusual fonts, those may not come
through well, so be sure to read over the converted document carefully to make sure it
is what you expect.

Please comment on some important quotes from Death and the King's Horseman.

There are a number of very important quotes in this play
that could be discussed in response to this question. One important quote comes in Scene
Two, and occurs when Pilkings, talking about the natives, refers to them as "Sly,
devious bastards." This is made even worse by the way that he says this in front of his
house boy, Joseph, who is one of those "natives" he is refering to. This quote speaks
volumes of the arrogance of the whites in this play, and this is something that is
supported in Scene 4 when Olunde makes the following observation about
whites:

You
believe that everything which appears to make sense was learnt from
you.

This indicates the
particular point of view of the white characters in this play. They believe that they
are more civilised, refined and cultured than the "ignorant natives" they are ruling
over, and that their way of viewing the world is the only correct way there is. This
play of course challenges such cultural arrogance by insisting each culture has their
own valid world view.

Secondly, as regards the theme of
duty, Elesin's comment in Scene 5 to his young bride is worthy of some attention. He
explains that he failed to commit suicide not because he was interrupted by the colonial
forces, but because he loved life too much:

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For I confess to you, daughter, my weakness came
not merely from the abomination of the white man who came violently into my fading
presence, there was also a weight of longing on my earth-held
limbs.

This is important
because it presents Elesin's failure to complete his obligations as resulting from his
own personal longing to live life more rather than it being the fault of the whites.
This presents the theme of duty and honour in very stark terms, as Elesin himself
acknowledges that he loved life too much to end it, even though this has had
catastrophic results for his people.  

What were three processes responsible for the development of European Culture.

The Crusades were important because they brought Europe
into contact with cultures and ideas that were new and challenging in a culture that had
been isolated and somewhat stagnant through the Dark Ages. As new ideas and materials
came into Europe with the returning crusaders, interests in exploring and trying new
ideas spread.

I would suggest the Reformation as an
important event/process. The displacement of the Roman Catholic church as a primary
power in governmental as well as religious concerns created new structures and
relationships among social and economic classes and groups with far-reaching
consequences. New patterns of thought and action followed and created demands for even
more change.

Because of its profound impact on so many
areas of human endeavor, which is the basis for all culture, I have to suggest the
invention of the printing press as my third most influential force in the shaping of
European culture. The spread of the printed word changed education, business, religion,
exploration of the world - all important aspects of what we call
"culture."

Consider paragrpahs 44-50: what ideas about equality and inequality are exposed in Bambara's "The Lesson?—and will the kids remember Miss Moore's...

In Toni Cade Bambara's short story, "The Lesson," it seems
the section you are referring to includes the children's visit to F.A.O. Schwarz, which
is allegedly a "toy" store. While there may be toys, I always feel
that some of these toys are for very well-to-do adults' children,
but also some are for the well-to-do adults as
well.

Two toys are discussed: the sailboat which costs
almost twelve hundred dollars, and a thirty-five dollar mechanical
clown.

It is, of course, Miss Moore's intention to point
out the inequality represented in this toy store that sells things that none of
these children could afford. Sylvia puts everything into its proper
perspective, which is part of "the lesson," though she doesn't see it right away. She
imagines asking her mother for the clown toy:

readability="7">

"You wanna who that costs what?" she'd say,
cocking her head to the side to get a better view of the hole in my
head.

Sylvia reviews the
value of thirty-five dollars in her neighborhood, in
her world. Junior and Gretchen could buy their son a set of bunk
beds; it would cover the cost of the whole family visiting the country to see
Grand-daddy Nelson; and, it could pay the rent, among other things.
Sylvia's mom would ask:

readability="6">

Who are these people that spend that much for
performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats? What kinda work they do and how they live
and how come we ain't in on
it?

Miss Moore has brought
the children to see how the "better half" lives. It's not enough to realize that there
is a better half, but Miss Moore wants the chidren to want to
be successful like those people—not to be hindered, living their
lives in the inner-city—as their parents are doing: working hard, never getting ahead,
and never having the same opportunities as those around them. And
really, it's not about the money. It about quality of life—and
leaving an unmotivated mindset behind to find it.

readability="7">

Where we are is who we are, Miss Moore always
pointin out. But it don't necessarily have to be that
way...

Sylvia's parents know
about the inequality they and their kids face, but they can't change their children's
future because they have no idea how—they don't have the finances or social support to
make life different for their kids. Historically, it has been too soon since the Civil
Rights Amendment of 1964 was passed (this story written in 1972) to have seen any
real changes—things have not greatly improved for blacks in this
country. Programs are not in place to train or motivate young people. However, they
do have Miss Moore, and as much as the kids resent her,
she is their single-handed
advocate. She understands what needs to be done. It is for this
reason that she takes the kids out on these excursions.

And
while Sugar seems to "get it" for a moment (while Sylvia stands on her foot to shut her
up), she is soon too distracted by the thought of ice cream soda and layer cake to stay
focused; but as much as Sylvia tries to hide her growing realization from Miss Moore,
we know something is changing inside her as Miss Moore speaks to
them:

And
somethin weird is goin on, I can feel it in my chest. "Anybody else learn anything
today?" lookin dead at me. I walk
away...

As they leave Miss
Moore, still in possession of four dollars left from the cab ride, Sylvia has to ponder
what she has learned, but we know she is not going to sit quietly
while life pushes her around— not without pushing
back:

...ain't
nobody gonna beat me at
nuthin.

Sylvia
has learned the lesson!

What are some salient features of Romantic poetry and where do they appear in Wordsworth's The Prelude (Book I), Coleridge's "Kubla Khan," and...

The Romantic movement in English poetry is often
associated with a number of typical characteristics, and many of these characteristics
appear in William Wordsworth’s The Prelude and in Samuel Taylor
Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” and Dejection: An Ode.” Among the typical Romantic traits that
appear in all three poems are the following:

1. An
   emphasis on humanity’s relationship with nature.


2. A
   emphasis on the frequent beauty of nature.


3. An emphasis on
   nature’s beneficent influence on humanity.


4. An emphasis on
   strong personal emotion.

The opening lines of
Book I of Wordsworth’s The Prelude reveal a number of these common
features of English Romanticism:

readability="15">

O there is a blessing in the gentle
breeze,

A visitant that, while he fans my
cheek,

Doth seem half-conscious of the joy he
brings

From the green fields, and from yon azure
sky.

In this passage, the
exclamation “O” implies strong personal emotions (emotions of joy and pleasure, to
mention just two). The words “blessing” and “gentle” imply that nature is beneficent, as
do the words “fans” and “joy.” Meanwhile, the fourth line stresses nature’s
beauty.

In Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan,” many of the same
traits are also visible.  Thus, an emphasis on natural beauty is implied when Coleridge
mentions

. . .
gardens bright with sinuous rills

Where blossomed many an
incense-bearing tree . . .
(8-9)

Strong emotion is
suggested by the exclamation “But oh!” (12), while nature’s beneficence is suggested by
the reference to “sunny spots of greenery” (11).

Finally,
in Coleridge’s “Dejection: An Ode,” the speaker almost looks forward to the coming of a
storm since the storm may help relieve his current depression. He refers to the sounds
of storms by saying,

readability="13">

Those sounds which oft have raised me, whilst
they awed,

And sent my soul
abroad,

Might now perhaps their wonted [that is,
accustomed] impulse give

Might startle this dull pain, and
make it move and live!
(17-20)

Here, nature is shown
to have had a beneficent influence (it “sent my soul abroad”), and, even in its darker
aspects, is shown to have a kind of beauty that makes it preferable to the speaker’s
present mental “pain.” Finally, the exclamation mark at the end of the quoted passage
reveals the speaker’s strong emotion.

Thus, all three
quoted passages illustrate the strong and often positive relationship that the Romantics
stressed between humanity and nature.

In Chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding, why is it significant that the conch is not taken?

In Chapter Nine of Lord of the Flies,
the society of boys suffers its greatest fissures.  While Simon heads back to the boys
to tell them that the beast "was harmless and horrible," Ralph and Piggy search for the
other boys and discover that they have joined Jack's party.  As they approach, Ralph and
Piggy see that the boys are roasting a pig, and a boy runs by Piggy, burning him and
making him again "the center of social derision."  Jack stands, waving his spear like a
chieftain; he speaks with a tone of ownership.  When he tells the boys to give him a
drink, Henry slavishly brings him a shell from which to drink.  Watching Piggy and
Ralph, he declares himself chief.  Ralph argues that it is he who is chief, but Jack
tells him "the conch doesn't count at this end of the
island."

Then, the savagery excalates and Simon, who
returns, is bludgeoned to death in a savage ritualistic dance.  Clearly, anarchy has
taken over and Piggy and Ralph are beaten themselves in the frenzied dance. In Chapter
Ten, Ralph and Piggy emerge from the coconut trees and discuss what has happened.  Piggy
tells Ralph, "I thought they wanted the conch."  But, the conch lies shining by the
chief's seat, and with horror and disbelief Ralph stares at it, then returns to Piggy,
informing him, "They didn't take the conch."

readability="6">

"I know.  They didn't come for the conch.  They
came for something else.  Ralph--what am I going to
do?"

From the beginning of
Golding's novel, the conch has represented civil order.  In Chapter One when they
discover the conch, Piggy tells Ralph of a friend who had one; he would blow into it,
and his mother would come.  Thus, the conch also represents the response of the adult
world of civilization.  So, when Jack and the hunters steal Piggy's glasses, they take
away rational thought with this symbol, and by leaving the conch behind, they abandon
all order and civilzed behavior in their acts of anarchy.

What is the influence of transcendentalism in Whitman's "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer"?

I think that the speaker of the poem, presumably Whitman,
ends up breaking out on his own path rather than that of the "learn'd astronomer"
represents a strong presence of Transcendentalism.  The Transcendental idea of forging
one's own path away from the conventional notion of the good is a heavy idea in Thoreau
and Emerson.  It is also something that Whitman embraces at the end of the poem.  The
idea of "formal" and "informal" as seen in emotions is another element that is present. 
The classroom instruction is seen as sterile and plastic.  The Transcendental idea of
embracing emotions and using an emotional frame of reference with which to appropriate
the world is something that is seen in the closing of the poem.  Along these lines, the
use of emotions in understanding something as complex as the stars and astronomy is
evident when Whitman decides to leave the formal and conforming classroom setting and
find his own voice, his own sense of self.  In this, Whitman defines himself as a
Transcendental persona in the poem.

In chapter 10, How does Pearl's behavior in the cemetery express a link between Dimmesdale and Hester?

One day Dimmesdale questions his doctor about an
unusual-looking plant. Chillingworth remarks that he found it growing on an unmarked
grave and suggests that the dark weeds are the sign of the buried person’s unconfessed
sin. The two enter into an uncomfortable conversation about confession, redemption, and
the notion of “burying” one’s secrets. As they speak, they hear a cry from outside.
Through the window, they see Pearl dancing in the graveyard and hooking burrs onto the
“A” on Hester’s chest. When Pearl notices the two men, she drags her mother away, saying
that the “Black Man” has already gotten the minister and that he must not capture them
too. Chillingworth remarks that Hester is not a woman who lives with buried sin—she
wears her sin openly on her breast. At Chillingworth’s words, Dimmesdale is careful not
to give himself away either as someone who is intimately attached to Hester or as
someone with a “buried” sin of his own. Chillingworth begins to prod the minister more
directly by inquiring about his spiritual condition, explaining that he thinks it
relevant to his physical health. Dimmesdale becomes agitated and tells Chillingworth
that such matters are the concern of God. He then leaves the
room.

What negative aspects of entertainment in our society does Suzanne Collins seem to be warning us about in The Hunger Games?

1. Reality TV: we seem to
find it entertaining to watch others struggle and have bad times. E.G. Cops, Survivor,
Hoarders, Intervention. People watched the Hunger Games as if it were a TV
program.

2. Violence: We have
come to accept violence on TV and in movies as adding more excitement.  No one thinks of
the possible consequences or the fact that someone was maimed or died.  Remember, each
of these characters had to
die!

3.Competition: Winning at
all costs: People forgot their moral compass as to what is right and wrong and just
wanted to win. Someone else's death brought joy to another
group.

4. Appearance and lies:
What Katniss and Peeta looked like and even their love affair was all staged for the
audience.  None of it was real, but it was to the people
watching

5. Manipulation: the
hosts were able to portray the tributes any way they wished to make them more or less
appealing.  From the interviews at the beginning of the games to the games
themselves.

What are 2 of Jona's major conflicts and their complications in The Giver?Complications: Things that the character must consider before solving or...

The first conflict Jonas has is that he is chosen as
Receiver of Memory.  The complication is that he is not sure he is up to the job, and
doesn’t understand that he is special.  He learns that he is beginning to see color, and
others would not be able to.

Jonas’s most important
conflict is how to save Gabriel’s life.  The complication is that if he does not find a
way to get both of them out of the community safely, they will both be
killed.

When Jonas finds out that Gabriel is going to be
Released, he knows he has to find a way to save him.  He has found out that Release is
death by lethal injection.  He knows that their absence will be noted, and they will be
searched for with planes carrying heat sensors.  They decide to plan their escape during
Ceremony day, and use memories of cold to lower their body temperatures so the planes
don’t spot them.

What is the function of minor characters such as Lucius,Titinius,Portia,and Artemidorus?William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (other minor characters...

Minor characters in any literary work often serve as foils
to the main characters; that is, in the presentation of their characteristics, the lack
of these particular characteristics in the main characters becomes more apparent to the
readers/audience. In addition, minor characters' actions and words can help to advance
the plot or develop themes of a literary
work. 

• Portia, the
  wife of Brutus, is like Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, in that
  she wishes to share in the life of her husband and is concerned for his welfare.  Both
  Portia and Calpurnia are intuitive and sense the danger that surround their husbands. 
  Caplurnia's good sense points to Caesar's subverting his to his ego when he learns that
  he will be exalted if he goes to the Senate on the Ides of March.  And, if Brutus were
  to have told Portia his "counsels" as she begs, he may have not made his tragic mistake
  of slaying Caesar.  These women are foils to the
  men.


• Artemidorous is a
  friend of Caesar's who tries to warn him about Brutus and the other conspirators.  He
  stands in the street near the Capitol near the house of Brutus, hoping to give his
  letter to Caesar.  When he does place it in Caesar's hands, he tells Caesar it is a
  matter of personal reasons.  Because the letter is personal, Caesar fatefully postpones
  its reading.  The character of Artemidorous acts as a foil also, pointing to the unsound
  judgment of Caesar, thus, also, advancing the plot of
  assassination.


• Lucius is a
  servant to Brutus who delivers letters forged by Cassius highlighting Caesar's alleged
  ambitions. Clearly, he serves to advance the
  plot.


• Titinius is a friend
  of Brutus and Cassius.  In Act V he approaches nearby troops in order to learn if they
  are friends or enemies. When he is surrounded on his horse by cheers and
  cries, Cassius's bondsman, Pindarus, hears them and mistakenly interprets them as
  meaning that Titinius is captured. Fearing that he will also be captured, Cassius takes
  his own life. When Titinius returns and sees his friend slain, he mourns the end of Rome
  as he has known it and crowns the dead Cassius with a wreath, and then kills himself. 
  Titinius advances the plot and also points to the trope of the tragedy of
  miscommunication that prevails throughout the
  play.

What are the causes of the Thirty Years' War?

The Thirty Years War was an exceptionally bloody war that
was ostensibly fought over religion; however politics was a more important
factor.

There were growing political and religious tensions
between the Protestant and Catholic princes of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1608, the
Protestant Princes formed the Protestant Union; in response the Catholic Princes formed
the Catholic League in 1609. Each side vowed that there would be no territorial gain by
the other.

On May 23, 1618, a meeting was held in
Prague between Protestant Officials and officials of the Holy Roman Emperor who were
Catholic. The dispute became heated and the Protestant delegates ended up pushing the
Catholics out a window where they fell seventy feet into a moat filled with latrine
waste. This "defenestration of Prague" was the immediate cause of the declaration of
war; but the causes were the ongoing religious and political rivalries in the Empire.
 

Can we consider Demetrius a playboy in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream ?

A playboy, by recognized
definition, is a man who is a pleasure seeker, wealthy, pays no attention to
responsibilities, especially responsibilities in relationships, and has relationships
with more than one woman at a time (Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster). While
we certainly know that Demetrius is wealthy, we actually cannot refer to him as a
playboy because we see him take his prospective marriage to Hermia very seriously. In
addition, we are actually never told his motive for changing from being engaged to
Helena to pursuing Hermia. While it may be just for pleasure, his change of mind may
also be motivated by reasons of finance or social status. Regardless, whatever his
motive is, Demetrius has certainly succeeded in earning Egeus's respect, which is
another reason we cannot call Demetrius a playboy. Playboys are never considered
respectable individuals. However, while we cannot call Demetrius a playboy, we can
certainly say that he is fickle.

We see
proof of Demetrius's wealth and social status in the very first scene. Not only does
Duke Theseus refer to Demetrius as a "worthy gentleman" (I.i.53), Lysander also refers
to Demetrius's wealth and social status when he argues that his own wealth and social
status are equal to Demetrius's, as we see in Lysander's lines, "I am, my lord, as well
derived as he, / As well possess'd" (101-102). Demetrius's wealth and social status are
qualities that do fit the accepted definition of a playboy, yet the fact that he is
respected disproves the assertion that he can be seen as a playboy. We see that both
Egeus and Theseus consider Demetrius to be a "worthy" and respectable
gentleman.

While it is questionable to refer to Demetrius as a
playboy, we can note that his character is dubious due to his fickle nature. We can say
that he is fickle because we see him, for no reason at all, transfer his affections from
Helena to Hermia. Demetrius was even engaged to Helena before he began pursuing Hermia.
However, after his experience in the woods, Demetrius now regrets letting go of his
affection for Helena, as we see him explain to Duke Theseus in his
lines:

To
her[Helena] was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia.
But, like a sickness, did I
loathe this food;
But, as in health, come to my natural taste,
Now I
do wish it, love it, long for it,
And will for evermore be true to it.
(IV.i.172-177)

Hence, another
reason we can call him fickle but not a playboy is that by the end of the play he has
decided to be true to Helena once again.

How is Dill viewed as a hero or heroic in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout certainly views Dill as her little knight in shining
armor who comes to Maycomb each summer, and a romance soon blossoms between the two.
Dill boldly tells Scout that he will marry her wone day, and she seems to accept the
statement willingly. Dill has seen and experienced things that Jem and Scout have not.
Dill regularly attends movies in his home of Meridian (Maycomb has no theatre), and his
description of Dracula immediately makes admirers out of the Finch
children. Dill has been to other places and states, while Jem and Scout apparently have
rarely (if ever) been outside Maycomb County. Dill's wild imagination is also a source
of admiration, and his curiosity about Boo Radley leads the children to many adventures
that Jem and Scout may not have undertaken on their own. Dill's invention of the Boo
Radley game becomes their prime source of entertainment for one summer. Later, Dill
saves Jem from having to explain why he was wearing no pants by blurting out that they
were playing strip poker. Jem and Scout listen in awe as Dill explains how he had run
away from home and ventured on his own to Maycomb just before the trial. Such adventures
made Jem and Scout forgive Dill for his occasional lies, and they viewed him much like
the traditional hero who appears from afar to save the day.

Who is the protagonist of the story "The Baroque Marble" by E. A. Proulx?"The Baroque Marble" by E. A. Proulx

The Protagonist of 'The Baroque Marble' is Sister
Opal.

A protagonist is known as the main
character of the story and in this case it is Sister Opal because the story centers on
this character. In most cases the author will present the protagonist with a goal that
they will aim to reach by the end of the story, however there will generally be
obstacles that are thrown in along the way. These obstacles can be shown in different
ways for example, they can be a natural disaster or there can be human obstacles that
are known as antagonists. The other characters introduced in the story are commonly
referred to as minor characters. Their places in the story can be either to help the
protagonist reach their goal or they may be implemented to help preventing it from
happening. You should also keep in mind that there can be more than one protagonist in a
story. When a female protagonist is used in a story, there are a number of ways that
they can be introduced to indicate that she is the main character. For example, with
regards to a short story, the female protagonist will tend to be introduced in the first
paragraph or the first sentence. One particular physical attribute of the female
character will tend to be described in more detail in order to set them apart from any
other female characters in the story. Moreover, her clothing will be described in more
detail as well as her surroundings so the reader can create the image in their
mind.