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:

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"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:

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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.

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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:

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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,

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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."

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"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.