Discuss the two tramps in Beckett's Waiting for Godot, and what they might represent in comparison to Pozzo and Lucky.

The two tramps in Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting
for Godot, are Estragon and Vladimir. They seem to represent "human
potential." The men have obviously known each other for a number of years. They are both
"waiting for Godot." Though these men once led very different lives of respectability,
both are now poverty-stricken and terribly disconsolate. They are suprised they have
survived so long: they agree that they could or should have killed themselves years
ago.

Pozzo and his slave, Lucky, appear: two more men that
seem to lack any measure of happiness. Pozzo is someone who immerses himself in unhappy
truths about life. He sees nothing of value in the world around him, and it seems he'd
be fine if everyone was as dejected as he is—Pozzo is particularly pessimistic; he is
also extremely unkind to Lucky. However, as nasty as Pozzo is with Lucky, the slave
becomes violent when Estragon offers him help, kicking the older man. For Pozzo and
Lucky, both are miserable, but neither seems to wish for anything to be
different—perhaps believing there is nothing
else.

The tramps symbolize those who are downtrodden, who
do not know how to improve their lives—though perhaps they would if they had the
opportunity—Godot may represent this. The fact that they wait unceasingly for Godot
would indicate that they have hope: otherwise, why would they wait so long for someone
who repeatedly does not appear? What would be the purpose? And why would they start each
day with the same intent?

Lucky has no interest in
bettering his life. We learn that he doesn't want to be sold by Pozzo (which is what
Pozzo plans to do). However, this also represents how we sometimes are: we may be
unhappy, but at least it is an unhappiness that we are familiar with. Sometimes we will
tolerate a disastrous situation just because we don't want to
change.

A boy comes to report that Godot won't be there
that day, but will be there the following day. Pozzo and Lucky are unaffected by this,
but Estragon and Vladimir continue to wait. In the second act, the
same situation exists, but some time must have passed for Pozzo is now blind and Lucky
is dumb. While Estragon and Vladimir seem much the same, Pozzo and Lucky's situation has
degraded considerably. Perhaps hope allows the friends to remain sustained, and
hopelessness causes the latter two to fail in their physical condition as they have
allowed their spirits and hearts to fail over the years. The boy returns with the same
message. Though Godot never appears, Estragon and Vladimir wait, perhaps holding on to
their the idea that there is nothing else to do...or that maybe he
will come...tomorrow.

What did Kennedy’s New Frontier program seek to do?

Kennedy's concept of the New Frontier was a way to capture
the nation's attention in accepting his vision for his presidency.  It consisted of
seeking to embrace initiatives that professed the greatness of America.  At least, this
is how the Kennedy administration wanted it to be perceived.  With the goals of
initiating and developing the space program and eliminating poverty, the New Frontier
sought to cast the attention of Americans to both greatness in terms of vision and
taking steps for said greatness in daily life.  Kennedy's New Vision wanted to capture
the nation's attention with the concept of being able to believe in "can do" and marvel
at the promises and possibilities of a particular generation.  With this philosophy,
Kennedy was able to cast himself or be cast as a leader of a group that could literally
transform the world, changing it from what is to what can be.  The New Frontier saw
government as a force for good, as something that can make these hopes into a reality
and in doing so, Kennedy was able to present a vision to voters that ended up gaining
widespread affirmation and helped to solidify his idealistic Presidential
legacy.

What attitude does Momaday communicate in the story The Way to Rainy Mountain?

I would want to answer this question by pointing towards
the way in which this excellent book is actually in part an elegy. An elegy is a term
that is used to mean a kind of funeral song or poem that praises a dead person. This
suggests that this text is actually rather ambiguous in terms of its mood. It praises
the Kiowa and their pride, fighting abilities and sense of freedom. However, at the same
time the text also grieves about the way in which their religion has been assaulted and
their culture has been lost. This ambivalence also could be said to impact the attitude
or mood of this text. There are certainly numerous images of light and life and
descriptions of nature that capture a joyful spirit, however, there are also images of
darkness and death such as the dark mist, and the cemetery, that create a much more
sombre and sad mood. Consider the following excerpt as an example of how the text
creates this ambivalent mood:

readability="13">

The long yellow grass on the mountain shone in
the bright light, and a scissortail hied above the land. There, where it ought to be, at
the end of a long and legendary way, was my grandmother's grave. Here and there on the
dark stones were ancestral names. Looking back once, I saw the mountain and came
away.

Note the way that the
setting of the narrator's grandmother's grave and the other "ancestral names" that adorn
the "dark stones" are coupled with the "bright light" that lights up the "yellow grass."
The mood might therefore be described as being bittersweet as there is both joy and
sadness present in the text.

Why might Montag's expression of affection to the hound be a turning point in his development in Fahrenheit 451? (Page 20)

At this moment in the book, readers have just experienced
a scene change from Montag having a talk with Clarisse which made him more aware of and
happy about the world around him. Then the scene shifts to Montag at work, which could
have been just a few moments later. Before Montag greets the dog, Bradbury
narrates:

He went out to look at the
city and the clouds had cleared away completely, and he lit a cigarette and came back to
bend down and look at the Hound. It was like a great bee come home from some field where
the honey is full of poison wildness, of insanity and nightmare, its body crammed with
that over-rich nectar and now it was sleeping the evil out of
itself.

This is a parodoxical statement
because it alludes to the power of the venom within the Mechanical Hound, but then make
the assumption that the evil can acutally be extracted from the Hound with
sleep.

The turning point of this entire situation for
Montag and his development come with the idea that he actually demonstrated human
emotion and thought. He considered the dog's abilities, and he actually thought kindly
of the dog for a moment. This is Clarisse's
influence.

Ironically, the dog is able to read human
thought and recognize change. The dog snapping at Montag is the evidence that Montag is
open to being enlightened about what is wrong with his dystopian
society.

Hope that helps.

Are we more defined by the greater challenges in our lives or by the small challenges we face everyday?

I would argue that we are more defined by the small,
everyday challenges.  This is because they are much more common and constant and
therefore make up a bigger part of our lives.

Great
challenges come along very rarely.  They do not make up a large part of what happens to
us so they should not be what defines us.  For example, if I react splendidly to a grave
family crisis but am irresponsible and unpleasant on a daily basis for the rest of the
time, which carries more weight?  To me, it is the daily actions that I take that would
define the way my family sees me.

Since small challenges
are the things that make up the vast majority of our lives, they are the things that
define us to a much greater extent than greater challenges do.

What are some quotes and/or language features that help relate to an important choice made by a character in The Outsiders?

Randy Adderson is the Soc who meets with Ponyboy outside
the Tasty Freeze and later visits him at the Curtis house. The best friend of the dead
Soc, Bob Sheldon, Randy is confused about the events since Bob's death, especially the
heroics performed by Pony, Johnny and Dally in saving the children from the church fire.
Randy can't believe a greaser would perform such an act, telling Pony
that

"I
wouldn't have. I would have let those kids burn to
death."

Author S. E. Hinton
creates an emotional scene that serves as a lesson for both Randy and Pony, and it is
the only time in the story when a Soc and greaser befriend each other. Randy has decided
not to take part in the rumble. "Close to tears," he tells Pony how Bob's parents never
told him "no," and how the rumble won't decide
anything.

readability="6">

"Greasers will still be greasers, and Socs will
still be Socs..."

Randy
reveals an emotional side to Pony that he could never show to his Soc pals.
Half-sobbing, he asks Pony for advice.

readability="7">

"What can I do? I'm marked a chicken if I punk
out at the rumble, and I'd hate myself if I didn't. I don't know what to
do."

The two depart on
friendly terms, and Pony recognizes that Randy is not just a
Soc--

    
"... he's just a guy."
     ... I felt better. Socs were just guys after
all.

During the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird, what do the witnesses reveal about themselves? Sheriff Tate, Tom Robinson, Mr. Ewell and Mayella Ewell.

There is always much that is revealed about a person who
finds him or herself on the witness stand and under the obligation of telling the
truth.

Sheriff
Tate

First of all, Sheriff Tate is dressed
professionally in a business suit for the trial of Tom Robinson.  He answers the
prosecutor's questions succinctly, offering no more information than is necessary.  When
Atticus cross-examines, Sheriff Tate displays his admiration for the acuity of Atticus's
mind; for instance, when Atticus asks for clarification of the time of the incident at
the Ewell house as well as when he wants to know exactly which eye of Mayella has been
blackened, Tate smiles as he recognizes the precision of
Atticus.

Bob
Ewell

A hostile witness to begin with, Bob
Ewell reveals his ignorance as he attempts to villify Tom Robinson and implicate him as
the perpetrator of a crime.  His seething hatred is revealed in the pejorative terms
that he uses regarding Robinson, as well as his disrespect for his own daughter as he
speaks of her as "screamin' like a stuck hog inside the house---"  Ewell's attempts to
embellish his testimony, in contrast to the minimalist speech of Sherriff Tate, suggest
his ulterior motives.  His ignorance is evident when he fails to realize why Atticus has
him write his name and points to his being left-handed.

In
addition, other than having bathed and washed his hair, Ewell displays little respect in
the courtroom ashe swears and is crude in his language. He exhibits "a haughty
suspicion" of Atticus, suggesting that he has something to
hide. 

Mayella
Ewell

The repressive and abusive conditions
under which Mayella lives are clearly evident in this witness's appearance and
testimony.  When first questioned, she looks at the judge and bursts into tears,
indicating the stress that she feels.  However, she is not ignorant as her father is
because she protests against Atticus,

readability="6">

"Don' wnt him doin' me like he done Papa, tryin'
to mke him out
left-handed...."

Unlike
Sheriff Tate, she embellishes her testimony as does her father. However, Scout points
out that Mayella has

readability="5">

something stealthy about  hers [testimony] like a
steady-eyed cat with a twitchy
tail.

Throughout her
testimony, Mayella looks to her father and is "jumpy."  At one point, Mayella
contradicts herself when Atticus asks if her father has ever hit
her,

"No, I
don't recollect if he hit me.  I mean yes I do, he hit
me."

This slip of the truth
may be an unconscious effort on Mayella's part to seem honest, or, perhaps, a
subconscious play for sympathy.  At any rate, Mayella Ewell reveals herself as a rather
pitiable victim of her environment.

Tom
Robinson

Appropriately aligned to the symbol
of the mockingbird, Tom Robinson reveals himself as entirely guileless and decent.  He
never implies that Mayella has lied; he simply states that she may be mistaken in her
recollection. Without realizing the implications of anything that he says, Tom speaks
from his heart, the most truthful place in any human being.  Unknowingly, he utters
words that condemn him regardless of the accuracy and extent of the evidence to the
contrary.  For, when he says that he has felt sorry for Mayella, he a black man and she
a white woman, he has violated the social taboo that supersedes all litigation at the
time.