Can you summarize Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Singers"?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow writes about Christian virtues in his poem “The Singers.” He explains that God sent his singers with messages that will touch the hearts of men.

Using a lyre as his instrument, the first singer is young and full of energy, wandering freely with youthful exuberance. His charming music speaks of living the life of your dreams.

The second singer is middle-aged as indicated by his “bearded face.” He sings in a more...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow writes about Christian virtues in his poem “The Singers.” He explains that God sent his singers with messages that will touch the hearts of men.

Using a lyre as his instrument, the first singer is young and full of energy, wandering freely with youthful exuberance. His charming music speaks of living the life of your dreams.

The second singer is middle-aged as indicated by his “bearded face.” He sings in a more settled place, the marketplace. In his second stage of life, this singer brings strength.

Finally, the third singer is a wise, older man whose job it is to teach. The poem tells us that he is in a cathedral where the organ plays.

When people squabble over which singer is the most relevant, God speaks and tells them that each singer has a purpose. The youth is sent to “charm.” The middle-aged singer’s job is to “strengthen” and the third is sent to “teach.”

But the great Master said, "I see

No best in kind, but in degree;

I gave a various gift to each,

To charm, to strengthen, and to teach."

The poem alludes to singers creating perfect harmony with their voices and musical accompaniment. In the final stanza, Longfellow has God explain the importance of all three messages to create “perfect harmony.”  

What is the contrast of Okonkwo's opinion of his son, Nwoye, with the opinion of his daughter, Ezinma?

Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart revolves around the actions and relationships of the protagonist Okonkwo. Okonkwo, an Igbo man, defines himself by a set of values that many modern American readers might find surprising in the emphasis that they place on a gendered lens. However, for Okonkwo, to evaluate people and make judgments based on a gendered expectations is not only normal, it is in fact encouraged. 

This gendered perspective has a significant influence...

Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart revolves around the actions and relationships of the protagonist Okonkwo. Okonkwo, an Igbo man, defines himself by a set of values that many modern American readers might find surprising in the emphasis that they place on a gendered lens. However, for Okonkwo, to evaluate people and make judgments based on a gendered expectations is not only normal, it is in fact encouraged. 

This gendered perspective has a significant influence on the relationships that Okonkwo has with his daughter Ezinma and his son Nwoye, respectively. 

Okonkwo constantly wishes that Ezinma had been born a boy because her major personality traits are all those of the ideal Igbo boy. As a result, Okonkwo is fond of Ezinma, who in the male-oriented Igbo society, exceeds expectations. 

On the other hand, his relationship Nwoye is quite strained because Nwoye fails all of the expectations Igbo men have for their sons. This is a huge issue because Igbo society revolves around male power, and so Nwoye's behavior is a constant disappointment for Okonkwo.

I am trying to find a name for my school magazine. They will give a prize to the one who gives the best name. Please do help me.

Without knowing anything about your school, I can only give you some general ideas for coming up with a creative name. A lot of literary magazines use puns or alliteration in their titles. For example, if your school mascot is a tiger, you could call the magazine “Tiger Tales” (an alliteration and a pun!).  If you are the Vikings, you could cal it “Vikings Voices.” Perhaps you could do something like this with your school name, for example, “West Jr. Whisperers.”

Or you could include literary terms in your name, like story, literature, write, compose, literary, poetry, stanza, prose, author, drama, words, epic, saga, narrative, rites of passage, coming of age, etc. Instead of "magazine," if your publication is an online Internet one, you could call it a “zine” or an "e-zine."

It would be helpful to your to know what the magazine will look like graphically. What font or style will be used? Will it look like an Old English publication or like an online Facebook page? Perhaps you can think of a name that goes with the graphic theme of the magazine. 

I hope that helps a little, and good luck! I hope you win.

In A Christmas Memory, Buddy's cousin declares, "My, how foolish I am!" What does she believe she has been foolish about?

Buddy's cousin says this when the two are outside flying the kites they have given one another as Christmas gifts. The moment is tense and excited:  

"My, how foolish I am!" my friend cries, suddenly alert, like a woman remembering too late she has biscuits in the oven. "You know what I've always thought?" she asks in a tone of discovery and not smiling at me but a point beyond.

She then says that she...

Buddy's cousin says this when the two are outside flying the kites they have given one another as Christmas gifts. The moment is tense and excited:  

"My, how foolish I am!" my friend cries, suddenly alert, like a woman remembering too late she has biscuits in the oven. "You know what I've always thought?" she asks in a tone of discovery and not smiling at me but a point beyond.

She then says that she had thought one had to be sick and dying to have a vision of God. She thought that vision would be beautiful, like stained glass in a church lit by the sun, and that the bright sunlight would take away that "spooky feeling" of death and meeting God. Then she says she thinks people nearing the end will realize that they have already seen God, in their daily lives and all the things around them. She says God is in "the things as they are" and gestures with her hand to include the pasture, the kites in the sky, the clouds, the dog Queen gnawing her bone. She then says "I could leave the world with today in my eyes."

It is powerful moment and the first one where any kind of personal connection to religion is mentioned overtly, letting us known that Buddy's religious upbringing was unusual. The next paragraph is one sentence: "This is our last Christmas together." From that point on we know the memoir will be more about looking back than describing events taking place in the moment they are lived.

How does the way Atticus regards Walter differ from the way Scout does?

Walter Cunningham came to the first day of school without lunch.  His teacher, Miss Caroline, offered to give him a quarter for lunch.  He refused to take it.  Scout explained to her teacher that "the Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back—no church baskets and no scrip stamps" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 2).  Miss Caroline thought that Scout was back talking, and she was punished.  Angry, Scout blamed Walter and started...

Walter Cunningham came to the first day of school without lunch.  His teacher, Miss Caroline, offered to give him a quarter for lunch.  He refused to take it.  Scout explained to her teacher that "the Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back—no church baskets and no scrip stamps" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 2).  Miss Caroline thought that Scout was back talking, and she was punished.  Angry, Scout blamed Walter and started to beat him up.  Jem stopped her and invited Walter over for lunch.

At the Finch house, Atticus carried on a conversation with Walter over the lunch table.  He treated Walter with respect even though the boy's table manners left much to be desired.  Walter requested syrup, and proceeded to dump it on all the food on his plate.  Scout was appalled.  She pointed out how strange it was, and Calpurnia pulled her aside.  Scout told Calpurnia that she did not consider Walter to be company.  Calpurnia was not pleased and she scolded Scout:

"Hush your mouth!  Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!"  (Chapter 3)

Atticus treated Walter like an honored guest.  He treated the boy with respect.  Scout, on the contrary, pointed out Walter's faults and made it clear that she did not consider him to be company.

What was life like in the support trench in World War One?

The support trench which was built behind the front trench (attack trench) held men and supplies for those engaged in combat. Trenches built by the Allies were not as sophisticated as those built by the Germans. The Allies built open-air trenches which exposed the men to harsh weather conditions. This made it difficult for men to live within these types of trenches.

On the other hand, German trenches were equipped with living quarters. These quarters...

The support trench which was built behind the front trench (attack trench) held men and supplies for those engaged in combat. Trenches built by the Allies were not as sophisticated as those built by the Germans. The Allies built open-air trenches which exposed the men to harsh weather conditions. This made it difficult for men to live within these types of trenches.

On the other hand, German trenches were equipped with living quarters. These quarters had electricity, toilets and beds. The quarters provided some level of comfort and served as shields from harsh weather conditions. German trenches were more comfortable compared to those of the Allies. However, it was noted that both the trenches were unhygienic. The men had limited access to water, which made bathing an expensive luxury.

The men were exposed to rats and lice, both of which spread deadly diseases such as the infamous Trench Fever. Flooding in the trenches submerged the soldiers’ feet leading to infections such as Trench Foot, which led to numerous amputations. Thus, soldiers were forced to not only contend with the danger posed by the enemy, but also the conditions in the trenches.

What was the first struggle the young mongoose had to deal with?

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi arrives at the bungalow in Segowlee cantonment after a heavy rain has washed him away from his home. Although the little boy, Teddy, thinks he is dead, he revives quickly and gets to know the family and the house. The next day, he makes his way into the garden and begins to hear about Nag, the cobra who is terrorizing the tailorbirds. Although Rikki has never battled a snake before because he is so...

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi arrives at the bungalow in Segowlee cantonment after a heavy rain has washed him away from his home. Although the little boy, Teddy, thinks he is dead, he revives quickly and gets to know the family and the house. The next day, he makes his way into the garden and begins to hear about Nag, the cobra who is terrorizing the tailorbirds. Although Rikki has never battled a snake before because he is so young, he has innate snake-fighting abilities. Nag knows this and wants to make a speedy end of the mongoose. Engaging Rikki in conversation, Nag hopes to keep him distracted so that Nagaina, the female cobra, can strike him from behind. The tailorbird sings out a warning, and Rikki jumps away just in time: "he heard her savage hiss as the stroke missed." Rikki jumps so high that he comes down right on the cobra's back, and he could have killed her right then if he had been more experienced. He bites her, but doesn't hold the bite long enough. He manages to injure Nagaina and make her angry. Rikki begins to make his mongoose chatter that sounds like "Rikk-tikk-tikki-tikki-tchk!" But his first struggle ends there, with Nag and Nagaina making their way into the long grass of the garden. Not being confident of his ability to take on two large cobras at once, Rikki does not follow them, despite his rage.

How can I research the true identity of Druids by comparing the perspectives of Julius Caesar, Pliny and Claudius?

The Romans were quite chauvinistic, so it's hard to say how accurate any of these Roman accounts of the Druids actually were. But we can at least compare them and note where they are consistent or inconsistent.

I've linked some of the actual texts we have of Julius Caesar and Pliny (in English translation of course), so you can read through them yourself. I wasn't able to find any actual writings by Claudius about the Druids, but I have some historical background for you about how they were persecuted under the reign of Claudius and other emperors of that period.

Some of the details Caesar gives us are quite likely to be accurate: There's no reason for him to lie about them having a particular focus on astronomy and a single arch-druid of supreme power. (He could still be mistaken, but he's probably not lying.) Likewise, his distaste with their egalitarian attitudes toward women probably reflects that the Druids were at least less misogynistic than the Romans (though this is not saying much, seeing as wealthy Romans literally named their daughters things like Cornelia I, Cornelia II, Cornelia III), and could in fact have had progressive gender roles as we might think of them today.

It's when he gets to these parts about savage human sacrifices that he is probably being dishonest; we have no evidence the Druids actually engaged in human sacrifice, and it's more likely a libel Caesar used to drum up hatred against them.

Pliny actually had no direct experiences with Druids so far as we know, so he was really just pulling from earlier sources---including, very likely, Caesar himself. He spends a lot of time fretting about the human sacrifice, but like I said there's actually no evidence that this ever really happened.

Finally, Claudius was one of the emperors who focused most heavily on suppressing the Druidic religion. We have no evidence of him actually ordering mass executions or anything like that, but he did make their religion illegal and order the destruction of a number of Druidic temples and holy sites. Had this not happened and these sites were preserved until today, we'd probably know a lot more about what the Druids really were like.

Why does Macbeth seek the witches again in Act 3?

In Act Three, Scene 4, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo in the middle of a feast. Macbeth is startled and begins to speak to the ghost. After the feast is over, Macbeth has a conversation with his wife about the hallucination then informs her that he has a paid spy in each of the noblemen's homes. He then tells Lady Macbeth that he will go visit the three witches tomorrow because he wants to...

In Act Three, Scene 4, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo in the middle of a feast. Macbeth is startled and begins to speak to the ghost. After the feast is over, Macbeth has a conversation with his wife about the hallucination then informs her that he has a paid spy in each of the noblemen's homes. He then tells Lady Macbeth that he will go visit the three witches tomorrow because he wants to know more about his future. Macbeth is especially concerned about his safety and wants the witches to give him further information about what is next to come. In Act Four, Scene 1, Macbeth visits the three witches who summon three spirits that reveal the future. The first apparition tells Macbeth to beware of Macduff, the second spirit tells him to laugh at the power of other men because nobody born of a woman can harm him, and the third apparition says that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood marches towards Dunsinane Hill. 

What does the house in Berlin look like in Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Bruno absolutely loves his house in Berlin.  As a result, the narrator happily describes this house to the reader at the very beginning of the novel.  Therefore, the reader learns quite a bit about this part of the setting in Chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 

It was a very beautiful house and had five floors in total, if you included the basement, ... and if you added the little room...

Bruno absolutely loves his house in Berlin.  As a result, the narrator happily describes this house to the reader at the very beginning of the novel.  Therefore, the reader learns quite a bit about this part of the setting in Chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 

It was a very beautiful house and had five floors in total, if you included the basement, ... and if you added the little room at the top of the house with the slanted windows where Bruno could see right across Berlin if he stood up on his tiptoes and held on to the frame tightly.

This should confirm for the reader that Bruno's family is very wealthy.  They own a five-story home within the city of Berlin.  Bruno is enamored of this home.  He is especially enamored of two particular things:  the long banister and the proximity to his grandparents.

He wondered whether the new house ... would have as fine banister to slide down as this one did.  For the banister in this house stretched from the very top floor--just outside the little room ... to the ground floor, just in front of the two enormous oak doors.

Bruno goes on to say that he liked nothing better than a good slide down that fabulous banister.  This should not be a surprise for the reader.  A slide down an amazing banister can be a wonderful ride for a nine-year-old boy.  Further, these paragraphs hold marvelous descriptions of setting.  The reader is given many specifics even down to the "enormous oak door" of the front of the house. 

Unfortunately for Bruno, the new house near Auschwitz looks nothing like his home in Berlin.  Bruno's feelings about his old home are directly contrasted with his feelings about his new home.

How did Eliezer's relationship with Moishe the Beadle influence him, both before and after Moishe was deported and returned?

In the novel Nightby Elie Wiesel, Eliezer's relationship with Moishe the Beadle initially influences him to learn. When we first meet Eliezer, he is almost 13 years old and he is committed to finding someone to teach him Kabbalah, the art and practice of Jewish Mysticism. The study of Kabbalah is normally reserved for men who are at least 30 years of age, something Eliezer's father reminds him of when he asks him to...

In the novel Night by Elie Wiesel, Eliezer's relationship with Moishe the Beadle initially influences him to learn. When we first meet Eliezer, he is almost 13 years old and he is committed to finding someone to teach him Kabbalah, the art and practice of Jewish Mysticism. The study of Kabbalah is normally reserved for men who are at least 30 years of age, something Eliezer's father reminds him of when he asks him to find a teacher. Moishe is the one who ultimately opens the door for Eliezer into this forbidden world.

"And Moishe the Beadle, the poorest of the poor of Sighet, spoke to me for hours on end about the Kabbalah's revelations and its mysteries. Thus began my initiation" (Wiesel, 5).

After Moishe was deported from Sighet along with the other foreigners, Eliezer continued to study on his own. Months later, Moishe returned, but he was much changed. Where before he would sing and bring joy to the townspeople, now he brought only sorrow and warnings of atrocities sure to come. Unfortunately, no one believed Moishe's story, including Eliezer. Still, something of what Moishe said must have stuck with him because he begged his father to sell all of their possessions and move the family to Palestine. Even though he couldn't bring himself to accept what Moishe was telling him, a part of him knew that they were in danger. Eliezer's relationship with Moishe was one of respect and admiration. Even when the rest of Sighet believed him to be crazy, Eliezer felt compassion and pity for his once teacher.

In "The Red-headed League," when Dr. Watson meets Mr. Holmes later in the evening he is introduced to two other men who will be accompanying them...

The two men are a police officer and the bank director and Holmes wants them to witness the bank robbery attempt.

When Holmes is visited by a client who claims that he was employed by a strange organization that suddenly vanished, it seems like an interesting case. Holmes realizes that the mystery is not about the “Red-headed League,” which does not exist.  The League is a cover-up for something much more sinister—a bank robbery.

Mr....

The two men are a police officer and the bank director and Holmes wants them to witness the bank robbery attempt.

When Holmes is visited by a client who claims that he was employed by a strange organization that suddenly vanished, it seems like an interesting case. Holmes realizes that the mystery is not about the “Red-headed League,” which does not exist.  The League is a cover-up for something much more sinister—a bank robbery.

Mr. Wilson is a shopkeeper.  His assistant is the one who suggested he apply for the League position.  Holmes visited the shop and talked to the assistant, and realized that the man was spending a lot of time in the basement and the League was invented to get Mr. Wilson out of the shop so that he could have access to the bank next door.

Holmes does not stop them.  Instead, he wants to catch them in the act.  

On entering his room, I found Holmes in animated conversation with two men, one of whom I recognized as Peter Jones, the official police agent; while the other was a long, thin, sad-faced man, with a very shiny hat and oppressively respectable frock coat.

The second man is the bank director, Merryweather.  They all hide in the basement of the City and Suburban Bank and wait for John Clay to rob it that night.  They are not disappointed.

Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. 

The criminals were caught in the act, and the mystery of The Red-headed League was solved.  John Clay got himself a job as the assistant to Mr. Wilson to rob the bank.  Holmes recognized him by the description and knew that he was a very intelligent, ruthless, and creative criminal.  He was sure he had some big plans for getting Mr. Wilson out of the shop.

How did the trial affect Jem's relationship with Atticus?

Following the trial, Jem loses his childhood innocence and becomes jaded about the community members of Maycomb. Atticus becomes aware that his son is gaining perspective on the community and world around him, and is becoming a morally upright young man. Atticus becomes closer with his son by speaking to him about complex issues and trusting him with more responsibility.

In Chapter 23, Bob Ewell spits in Atticus' face, and the children begin to worry....

Following the trial, Jem loses his childhood innocence and becomes jaded about the community members of Maycomb. Atticus becomes aware that his son is gaining perspective on the community and world around him, and is becoming a morally upright young man. Atticus becomes closer with his son by speaking to him about complex issues and trusting him with more responsibility.

In Chapter 23, Bob Ewell spits in Atticus' face, and the children begin to worry. Atticus notices that the children are acting strange and moping around. Jem tells Atticus that he is worried about Bob Ewell, but Atticus tells him that Bob Ewell got all the anger out of his system when Bob cussed him out at the post office. Atticus then has a conversation with his son over whether Tom deserved to be charged with a capital offense. Jem says they should do away with juries, and Atticus says that it is just an ugly fact of life when white people hold prejudiced views towards black people. Atticus goes on to explain why upright Maycomb citizens don't sit on juries and tells Jem that one of the Cunninghams was calling for an acquittal during the deliberations.

Atticus' conversations are becoming more in-depth and revealing with his son. Atticus can tell that Jem is maturing, and he feels comfortable discussing difficult topics with him. Atticus even lets Jem ride with him when he goes to give Helen Robinson the news that Tom is dead. Atticus trusts his son and allows Jem to walk Scout to Maycomb's Haloween festival. Jem is growing into the man Atticus wants him to be, and their father-son bond is becoming stronger. Atticus is gradually introducing Jem into the world of adults and is giving him more responsibility.

Explain how only four years after the end of World War II China and Korea were dragging the US into a war stance. Describe how, although a UN...

The events that were occurring in China and in Korea put the United States into a situation that could have led to war. When China became communist in 1949, it was the first time since the end of World War II that a communist group defeated a group that we were actively supporting. We were supporting the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War. This led to a series of confrontations with China that could have...

The events that were occurring in China and in Korea put the United States into a situation that could have led to war. When China became communist in 1949, it was the first time since the end of World War II that a communist group defeated a group that we were actively supporting. We were supporting the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War. This led to a series of confrontations with China that could have led to war. For example, Communist China wanted to take over Taiwan, which is where the noncommunist government went after losing in 1949, and wanted to make it communist. We threatened Communist China with nuclear attack if they carried out their plans to invade Taiwan.

Regarding Korea, the United Nations led the forces against the North Korean invasion of South Korea. However, the United States took the lead with the forces of the United Nations. General Douglas MacArthur was in charge. After the North Koreans were removed from South Korea, General MacArthur pursued North Korea and nearly conquered the country. He also talked openly about invading China. Since the United Nations responded to help South Korea from becoming communist, going in North Korea and threatening to invade China turned this involvement into something far beyond the goal of containing communism and keeping it from spreading to South Korea.

What is the most interesting part of Oliver Twist?

The most interesting part of the story is when Sikes murders Nancy.

The most interesting part of any book might be in the eye of the beholder.  There are certainly many interesting parts of the story, such as when Oliver asked for more gruel, when he became apprenticed to an undertaker, or when Fagin took him in to try to teach him to be a criminal.  Oliver’s arrest, kidnapping, and attempted burglary are all also...

The most interesting part of the story is when Sikes murders Nancy.

The most interesting part of any book might be in the eye of the beholder.  There are certainly many interesting parts of the story, such as when Oliver asked for more gruel, when he became apprenticed to an undertaker, or when Fagin took him in to try to teach him to be a criminal.  Oliver’s arrest, kidnapping, and attempted burglary are all also very exciting.  However, I have always found the part where Bill Sikes kills Nancy to be especially important.

Sikes was abusive to Nancy, there is no question about it.  She was also kind to Oliver, and few of the criminals were.  For this reason, Nancy ended up dead.  Dickens foreshadows this when Sikes forces Nancy to go and get Oliver after Brownlow rescues him.  Nancy refuses to go until Sikes forces her to.

By dint of alternate threats, promises, and bribes, the lady in question was ultimately prevailed upon to undertake the commission. She was not, indeed, withheld by the same considerations as her agreeable friend; for … she was not under the same apprehension of being recognised by any of her numerous acquaintances. (Ch. 13)

Nancy goes so far as to talk to Rose Maylie and Brownlow to tell them what happened to Oliver and his life story.  Nancy is aware that Oliver is not like the other boys.  All of Fagin’s attempts to get Oliver to turn into a criminal have failed.  She wants to rescue him from a life of crime.

She staggered and fell: nearly blinded with the blood that rained down from a deep gash in her forehead; but raising herself, with difficulty, on her knees, drew from her bosom a white handkerchief—Rose Maylie's own … (Ch. 48)

Sikes kills Nancy because he thinks she told on all of them to Brownloaw and to the police.  Since she was followed to her meeting on the bridge, he thinks that she betrayed them, and for this reason he kills her.

Due to Nancy's sacrifice, Oliver is able to live with his new family and does not have to succumb to a life of crime.  Leeford's efforts to make him a criminal have failed, and Oliver remained good.

Look at the title of the poem "My Last Duchess." What can you find out from the three words chosen by Browning?

Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is spoken from the perspective of a widowed duke to a servant of the Count whose daughter he now wishes to marry. For this reason, the last word of the three-word title is the easiest to address: his new wife, perhaps the Count's daughter, will become a duchess by marrying him. This sounds pretty positive!

The word "Last," however, sounds a great deal less positive. To say his "last" duchess...

Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is spoken from the perspective of a widowed duke to a servant of the Count whose daughter he now wishes to marry. For this reason, the last word of the three-word title is the easiest to address: his new wife, perhaps the Count's daughter, will become a duchess by marrying him. This sounds pretty positive!

The word "Last," however, sounds a great deal less positive. To say his "last" duchess indicates that there used to be another duchess, a previous duchess, and so one inevitably wonders what happened to that duchess. Where did she go? Did she die? If so, how? Such an adjective should raise some questions on the part of the reader, and it is appropriate that it does because the question of what happened to the duke's last duchess is only obliquely addressed by the poem. When he grew frustrated with the way she smiled for everyone and didn't favor him and him alone, he says that he "gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together" (lines 43-44). It sounds very much like he had her murdered because she didn't make him feel special enough.

Finally, the first word of the title -- "My" -- is perhaps the most alarming and telling. The duke seems to look upon the painting of his last duchess as though she were an object for him to possess, and when he could not possess her entirely while alive, he had her killed so that he could own what was left of her: this painting. The fact that only he is allowed to open the curtain that typically hides her portrait emphasizes how much he desires to own her smile, to possess her solely and share her smiles with no one else (unless he chooses to do so, as he has done in this case). He even refers to the Count's daughter as his "object," a fitting choice of words since that seems to be the way he views his last wife: as an object who should not have had a will of her own because it prevented his total ownership and control of her. This will to possess is further symbolized by how much he admires his statue of Neptune taming a seahorse in the last few lines; he, too, sought to tame something beautiful and free, and when he found that he could not, he disposed of her -- as one would a displeasing object one owns -- so that he could acquire another.

I have to write about a battle, either literal or figurative, that Atticus faces in the book To Kill a Mockingbird.

Atticus's main literal battle is for Tom's freedom during the trial. Because of Bob Ewell's negative reputation and because of the circumstances of the case, Atticus knows that Tom is innocent, but he also knows that it will be an uphill battle to convince an all-white, male jury (common for the time and place) to acquit a black man who's been accused by a white man of raping a white woman. Despite Atticus's strong defense, the circumstances and past precedent are too much to overcome. After Tom's guilty verdict is read, Jem asks Atticus:

"How could they do it, how could they?"

"I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight, and they'll do it again and when they do it--seems that only children weep" (Lee 244).

Atticus's answer refers to a historical pattern, and it leads into his bigger, more figurative battle- the fight against a stubborn society. Many people say that To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about racism, which it is, but there's more to this statement. There are some racist characters (like Bob Ewell) and racist moments (like the near lynching of Tom) in the novel, but many of the characters (and arguably some who also sat on Tom's jury) are not guilty of the kind of racism which would produce violence or demonstrate clear hatred of another based on skin color, but rather it's a more subtle, institutional racism. Institutional racism shows itself in the form of white men who feel they have to take another white man's word over a black man's, even if the evidence presented goes against that conclusion. They do this because the racism has become a part of the law process, a part of the legal institution. I'd be inclined to argue that most of Tom's jury doesn't believe he's guilty, but they convict him anyway, because it's the way things have always been done.

Atticus's broader, figurative battle is against a town that's slow to change and a lot of townspeople who maybe are not overtly racist but are also not willing to take a stand against tradition (and thereby risk their reputations). As Scout told us in the very first chapter:

"Maycomb was as an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it... People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything" (Lee 5-6).

Since Atticus recognizes the scope of his battle, he focuses on one aspect with higher odds for success: positively influencing his own kids. If he raises Scout and Jem to understand the nature of injustice, then they will be in a better position to stand against it as they grow up.

What does the word "mejum" mean? ("I shall be mejum.")

In Chapter 38, Anne says, "As 'Josiah Allen's wife,' says, 'I shall be mejum'" in response to Mrs. Lynde's comment that Anne is "going to kill herself." Anne says that she is not going to overdo things and that she'll have plenty of free time in the evenings. "Mejum" means "in the middle, medium." Josiah Allen's wife was a pseudonym for Marietta Holley (1836-1926), a humorist from upstate New York who wrote in the style of...

In Chapter 38, Anne says, "As 'Josiah Allen's wife,' says, 'I shall be mejum'" in response to Mrs. Lynde's comment that Anne is "going to kill herself." Anne says that she is not going to overdo things and that she'll have plenty of free time in the evenings. "Mejum" means "in the middle, medium." Josiah Allen's wife was a pseudonym for Marietta Holley (1836-1926), a humorist from upstate New York who wrote in the style of country "cracker-barrel philosophers." Her well-known work was My Opinion and Betsy Bobbet's of 1873, which contained women's humor. The book includes stories about Samantha, Josiah Allen's wife, who was a fictional proponent of women's rights. Marietta Holley wrote many works on prohibition and women's rights and was friends with leading suffragettes of her time, including Susan B. Anthony. She was often referred to as the female Mark Twain. 

How can I write a mass communication email to inform 2,000 employees about the new grading system which the organization will use during the year...

There are several strategies that will help you compose this sort of email, some having to do with the form and some with the content.

First, you should send this to a distribution list set up as a blind carbon copy (BCC) so that the recipients don't end up seeing a list of 2,000 addresses in the "to:" field. 

Next, your subject line should read: "New Employee Grading System Effective 2016". You should flag this...

There are several strategies that will help you compose this sort of email, some having to do with the form and some with the content.

First, you should send this to a distribution list set up as a blind carbon copy (BCC) so that the recipients don't end up seeing a list of 2,000 addresses in the "to:" field. 

Next, your subject line should read: "New Employee Grading System Effective 2016". You should flag this email as important. 

If you wish to have employees contact HR rather than yourself with questions, set the "reply to" field appropriately.

Your email should be no more than one screen in length. That means that you should include an active link to a page where the details of the policy are available rather than trying to include all the details in a single email. The general style of the email should be formal, including grammatically correct sentences and appropriate punctuation and capitalization. 

The email might consist of three paragraphs:

• Reasons for changes and how the new system benefits employees


• Highlights of changes (perhaps as bullet points)


• Where to find more information

In Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, what does the psychiatrist say is "wrong" with Clarisse?

A psychiatrist living in an illiterate and hedonistic society would think that there is something wrong with Clarisse because she is the complete opposite of everyone else. She is kind, fun, happy, and probably literate, or at least taught by someone who is, (her uncle) because she has profound thoughts and asks deep questions. The psychiatrist asks her why she pays attention to nature rather than watching TV like everyone else in their society. He...

A psychiatrist living in an illiterate and hedonistic society would think that there is something wrong with Clarisse because she is the complete opposite of everyone else. She is kind, fun, happy, and probably literate, or at least taught by someone who is, (her uncle) because she has profound thoughts and asks deep questions. The psychiatrist asks her why she pays attention to nature rather than watching TV like everyone else in their society. He even calls her "a regular onion," to which she tells Montag that she keeps "him busy peeling away the layers" (22).

Most people in Clarisse and Montag's world either watch TV all day, listen to music with their radio "shells," and drive cars too fast to notice nature or anyone else in the world. Since Clarisse does not do these things as other people do in their world, they think something must be wrong. She explains in the following passage:

"They want to know what I do with my time. I tell them that sometimes I just sit and think. But I won't tell them what. I've got them running. And sometimes, I tell them, I like to put my head back, like this, and let the rain fall in my mouth" (23).

Clarisse also says that she doesn't know what her psychiatrist actually thinks of her; therefore, the text never says what they actually think is "wrong" with her. However, based on the evidence of their society and how Montag views her as different, it can be inferred that the only thing that is "wrong" with Clarisse is she has an imagination and she isn't driven by hedonism as her society defines it. She finds joy in nature and thinking rather than just existing. 

I have a presentation about Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet". Could you please tell me what are the main points that I have to explain about this...

Mercutio is a memorable character in “Romeo and Juliet”, the instigator of both fun and violence and speaker of the play’s most famous speech. His position in the play is a strange one, though: neither a Capulet or a Montague, though a good friend of both Benvolio and Romeo, he is described as a “kinsman” of Prince Escalus but the play doesn’t specify exactly what that means. Is he the Prince’s brother? Cousin? Nephew? Different...

Mercutio is a memorable character in “Romeo and Juliet”, the instigator of both fun and violence and speaker of the play’s most famous speech. His position in the play is a strange one, though: neither a Capulet or a Montague, though a good friend of both Benvolio and Romeo, he is described as a “kinsman” of Prince Escalus but the play doesn’t specify exactly what that means. Is he the Prince’s brother? Cousin? Nephew? Different productions make different choices and the play gives you a lot of leeway: sometimes he’s a rich young guy with the money that comes from being in the Prince’s family but not much direction; sometimes he’s closer to the Prince’s age but immature and a bit to old to be hanging out with the Montague boys, an older guy uncomfortable with his own aging. Whatever he is, he seems to be wealthy enough to have little to do but look for the next party or the next fight, a funny, profane hothead whose loss is keenly felt.

Why do the other children stop searching for Ravi?

In “Games at Twilight,” Ravi is younger than all the other children.  It is partly for this reason that he remains so long in his hiding place; he is intent on winning the game of hide-and-seek, “to be the winner in a circle of older, bigger, luckier children.”  We can therefore assume that the others have a stronger connection with each other than they do with Ravi; he is not a part of their peer...

In “Games at Twilight,” Ravi is younger than all the other children.  It is partly for this reason that he remains so long in his hiding place; he is intent on winning the game of hide-and-seek, “to be the winner in a circle of older, bigger, luckier children.”  We can therefore assume that the others have a stronger connection with each other than they do with Ravi; he is not a part of their peer group.  It is partly for this reason that they forget about him – he is young, and is therefore somewhat of an afterthought in the fast-moving minds of the older children.

In addition to this detail, after Raghu, who had been It, found all the others, there had been an intense fight about who would be It next; in the immediacy of trying to avoid being It, one could imagine that any other thought was forced from the children’s minds.  And when their mother comes outside to put the argument to rest and make them play a different game, the children move on, living in the moment and forgetting everything that came before.  Even when Ravi finally appears, the children are not sympathetic or apologetic for having forgotten him; this sort of attitude is typical of other siblings and their friends toward younger siblings, especially at a young age, and further emphasizes that Ravi does not wholly belong.

What are some examples of political parties?

There have been many examples of political parties in the United States. The two main political parties today are the Democrats and the Republicans.

The Democrats believe in many concepts. Democrats tend to represent the working class people. They support laws that will benefit workers such as the right to form unions and the raising of the minimum wage. The Democrats believe the government should help the less fortunate. They will support developing social programs to do this. Democrats believe the government shouldn’t control the social behavior of the people. The Democrats tend to oppose government involvement in religious activities. They are against giving tax-supported vouchers to private, religious schools. Democrats will also support higher taxes on the wealthy.

The Republicans see issues differently than the Democrats. The Republicans tend to distrust the federal government. They want there to be very few government regulations on the businesses and the economy. They tend to support publically-fund tax vouchers to private religious schools. They are against policies that take money from the wealthy and give it to the poor. The Republicans tend to represent the interests of the wealthy and of the businesses.

We have had other political parties throughout our history. The Populist Party was created in the 1800s to help farmers who were struggling financially. This party tried to enact policies that would help farmers such as having a bi-metallic money supply and having the government control the railroads.

Another political party was the Progressive Party. This party supported having reforms to improve our society. It was very popular in the early 1900s when Teddy Roosevelt ran for President as a third-party candidate for this party. Teddy Roosevelt felt President Taft was destroying a cooperative environment between the government and the businesses by breaking up too many trusts.

Other political parties that existed throughout our history included the Federalist Party, the Democratic-Republican Party, the Whig Party, the National Republican Party, the Whig Party, and the Libertarian Party.

There are also political parties in other countries. In Great Britain, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party are the two main parties. There also are the Democratic Unionist Party and Liberal Democrats. In Israel, the Likud Party and the Labor Party are the two main parties. Other political parties include Kulanu, Shas, and Meretz parties. In Germany, the two main political parties are the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Christian Democratic Union. In Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party are the two main political parties.

Many countries have political parties within their political system.

List examples of different types of solutes and solvents.

First, let's distinguish between the terms solute, solvent, and solution:

• 
  Solute: A solute is a substance that dissolves in a solvent.

• 
  Solvent: A solvent is a substance that is able to dissolve a solute.

• 
  Solution: A solution is a mixture formed when a solute is dissolved in a solvent.

Solutes, solvents, and solutions can exist as solids, liquids, and gases.

Gas Solutions

Deep-sea diver's gas:

• solvent: oxygen (gas)


• solute: helium (gas)

...

First, let's distinguish between the terms solute, solvent, and solution:

• 
  Solute: A solute is a substance that dissolves in a solvent.

• 
  Solvent: A solvent is a substance that is able to dissolve a solute.

• 
  Solution: A solution is a mixture formed when a solute is dissolved in a solvent.

Solutes, solvents, and solutions can exist as solids, liquids, and gases.

Gas Solutions

Deep-sea diver's gas:

• solvent: oxygen (gas)


• solute: helium (gas)

Air and water:

• solvent: air (gas)


• solute: water (liquid)

Liquid Solutions

Oxygen in water:

• solvent: water (liquid)


• solute: oxygen (gas)

Vinegar:

• solvent: water (liquid)


• solute: acetic acid (liquid)

Salt water:

• solvent: water (liquid)


• solute: salt (solid)

Solid Solutions

Gas stove lighter:

• solvent: palladium (solid)


• solute: hydrogen (gas)

Dental amalgam:

• solvent: silver (solid)


• solute: mercury (liquid)

Silver in gold:

• solvent: gold (solid)


• solute: silver (solid)

In general, when solutes and solvents are chemically similar, they are more likely to form a solution. For example, a polar solute will tend to dissolve best in a polar solvent. Likewise, a nonpolar solute will tend to dissolve best in a nonpolar solvent. 

In U.S. Law, a criminal defendant does not have to testify or present witnesses at a trial. Should this be the case? If the defendant chooses not...

The writers of the Constitution were very concerned about people being forced to possibly incriminate themselves during a trial. Protecting a defendant from testifying against himself or herself requires that the prosecution must prove that the person is guilty of what he or she was charged. This is a very important concept and should be the principle followed in every case that goes to trial. The prosecution should have to prove a person’s guilt or...

The writers of the Constitution were very concerned about people being forced to possibly incriminate themselves during a trial. Protecting a defendant from testifying against himself or herself requires that the prosecution must prove that the person is guilty of what he or she was charged. This is a very important concept and should be the principle followed in every case that goes to trial. The prosecution should have to prove a person’s guilt or innocence based on the facts of the case instead of forcing a defendant to answer questions that could be considered leading questions.

If the jury is impartial, it should make no difference if a person does or doesn’t testify. The jury should decide the case based on the facts presented during the trial. The jury should also follow the instructions given to them by the judge. If a jury factors into its decision whether a person did testify or didn’t testify, they would be allowing factors other than the facts presented in the case to help them reach a decision. This could lead to an incorrect verdict by the jury, which wouldn’t be something anybody would desire.

What's the problem in Freak the Mighty?

There are two main problems in Freak the Mighty: one has to do with the villain of the novel and the other has to do with Kevin’s birth defect.  

The first main problem has to do with the villain of the book: Kenny “Killer” Kane (Max’s father). This character darkens the entire book; however, we first begin to realize what a scary character Kane is through Max’s reaction to the principal’s news that Max’s...

There are two main problems in Freak the Mighty: one has to do with the villain of the novel and the other has to do with Kevin’s birth defect.  

The first main problem has to do with the villain of the book: Kenny “Killer” Kane (Max’s father). This character darkens the entire book; however, we first begin to realize what a scary character Kane is through Max’s reaction to the principal’s news that Max’s dad is about to get out of jail on parole. As a result of this news, Max falls into hysterics, which eventually leads to a loss of memory about the whole incident. Kenny “Killer” Kane remains an ominous and unseen figure until the end of the book where we see exactly what an evil character Kenny “Killer” Kane truly is. Kane kidnaps Max while we learn that Kane truly did kill Max’s mother.

The other main problem in the book is that Kevin has a severe birth defect. As a result, Kevin’s legs are severely deformed. Kevin cannot get around without braces and crutches. The positive effect of Kevin’s condition is that Max and Kevin are able to create the unified character of “Freak the Mighty.” When Kevin gets around on Max’s shoulders, the two become a force to be reckoned with. More serious than the issue with Kevin’s legs, though, is the fact that Kevin’s heart is “too big for his body.” This causes Kevin’s eventual death.

In the poem "The Blue Bowl" by Jane Kenyon, what would the rhyme scheme be? Is there a rhyme scheme?

It is true that there are no end rhymes in this poem, nor is there any discernible metrical pattern.  The poem therefore is indeed free verse, although you are correct in noting that there are a couple rhyming pairs.  There are the words “bowl” and “hole” in the first four lines, and “toes” and “nose” a few lines later.  It would be safe to say that these words constitute two instances of internal rhyme,...

It is true that there are no end rhymes in this poem, nor is there any discernible metrical pattern.  The poem therefore is indeed free verse, although you are correct in noting that there are a couple rhyming pairs.  There are the words “bowl” and “hole” in the first four lines, and “toes” and “nose” a few lines later.  It would be safe to say that these words constitute two instances of internal rhyme, words found within the body of a line that rhyme with each other, rather than a traditional end-word rhyming pattern.  This gives a poem an extra layer of verbal harmony, and displaces the traditional end-heavy focus found in traditional poetry.  This poem has a further disruption, as well,  made possible by the interesting free verse structure.  By ending phrases in the middle of lines we do not read the poem as we typically would, from  line to line, each one encompassing a single thought.  Rather, we read it more as a continuous story.  By breaking up the structure of the poem in this way, Kenyon is playing with the definition of the poem itself. 

In addition, something worth noting is that, had each line of the poem been dedicated to a full phrase, these rhyming pairs would be caught at the ends of their lines.  However, as it has been arranged, the poem has them placed internally.  By doing this Kenyon has avoided all end rhyme; there is therefore no true scheme for the poem, but two isolated examples of an internal device.

How does Scout describe the Maycomb courthouse in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout's description of the Maycomb County Courthouse begins on page 164:

The Maycomb County courthouse was faintly reminiscent of Arlington in one respect: the concrete pillars supporting its south roof were too heavy for their light burden. The pillars were all that remained standing when the original courthouse burned in 1856. Another courthouse was built around them. It is better to say, built in spite of them. But for the south porch, the Maycomb County courthouse was early Victorian, presenting an unoffensive vista when seen from the north. From the other side, however, Greek revival columns clashed with a big nineteenth-century clock tower housing a rusty unreliable instrument, a view indicating a people determined to preserve every physical scrap of the past.

The first thing Scout mentions is the concrete pillars on the south side. Referring to them as "too heavy for their light burden" could be a symbolic reference to the kinds of cases that are usually tried in the building. Perhaps people in Maycomb County take their light cases too seriously.

Scout mentions that the original courthouse burnt down in 1856 and the current courthouse is build up around, or in spite of, the original columns. She doesn't say why the courthouse burnt down, but this begins to produce a visual effect of an eclectic building.

The eclectic effect is continued with the addition of a Victorian façade, Greek revival columns, and a nineteenth-century clock tower. The image of the building with assorted styles and eras indicates that the people it serves are also varied. The Maycomb Courthouse is meant to serve townspeople and farmers, white folk and black. However, it does not serve the people of the county equally.

Scout describes the clock tower as unreliable, which might symbolize the unreliability of the court system that favors white over black and wealthy over poor, although it is meant to be an unbiased machine like a clock. Finally, Scout mentions that the designers tried to hold on to every scrap from the past. This could indicate that the people of Maycomb County tend to be traditional and old-fashioned. They ignore civil rights and equality, and hang on to bigotry, treating black people as if they are still slaves and second-class citizens.

In Animal Farm, how are the values, attitudes, and beliefs of "Animalism" effectively manipulated by the pigs through propaganda techniques for the...

'Animalism' is the name given to the basic tenets expounded by Old Major in his speech to the animals when he addressed them in the big barn. It was developed into a complete system of thought by Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer, the pre-eminent pigs on the farm. The system entailed rules and principles the animals had to follow to ensure that all the animals were treated as equals and that they did not become like the oppressive humans.

The pigs generally ignored these principles and manipulated the rules to achieve their own agenda, which was to gain privilege for themselves and live lives of luxury and comfort. The first signs of the pigs' intent was when the five buckets of milk and the windfall apples were claimed for their exclusive use. When some of the animals complained about this, Squealer went around to convince them why it was necessary to have these resources:

"Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades," cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, "surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?"

This type of rhetoric became common and, since Squealer was such a brilliant talker, he became the pigs' mouthpiece. It was his task to convince the animals that they were at fault in thinking that the pigs were seeking to provide themselves unfair advantages. The threat of Jones returning was constantly used to remind the animals that the pigs had a noble purpose and to make them afraid.

Whenever the pigs adopted behavior that went against the principles of Animalism, they would alter the commandments written on the barn wall. The commandments were, essentially, a summary of the basic tenets of Animalism. So it was that after Snowball had been banished, the Sunday Meetings were stopped. Napoleon explained that they were unnecessary and that the pigs would meet and arrange schedules for the week ahead. Debate was not necessary anymore. When four young pigs wanted to protest, Napoleon's vicious dogs growled menacingly, causing them to immediately shut up. Squealer, again, explained the necessity of this decision, stating that animals sometimes make the wrong decisions. He denigrated Snowball and spoke of him as if he was an enemy to what they wished to achieve on the farm.

The general animal populace lacked the intelligence to challenge Squealer's explanations and he went unchallenged. Their general ineptitude to argue and Benjamin's indifference, allowed the pigs to assume total control. This power was abused. When the pigs moved into the farmhouse and slept in beds, they changed the commandment, 'No animal shall sleep in a bed' to 'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets,' to justify their actions. They were, however, the only ones who slept in beds. The other animals had to make do with sleeping in the barn.

Once again, Squealer went around to explain their decision:

"You have heard then, comrades," he said, "that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose, surely, that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The rule was against sheets, which are a human invention. We have removed the sheets from the farmhouse beds, and sleep between blankets. And very comfortable beds they are too! But not more comfortable than we need, I can tell you, comrades, with all the brainwork we have to do nowadays. You would not rob us of our repose, would you, comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?"

Propaganda was used especially to demonize Snowball. He was held responsible for everything that went wrong on the farm. The pigs also used this argument to severely punish those who were supposedly colluding with him. At one stage Napoleon purged the farm of those who had been implicated in this regard. The dogs tore out the throats of those who were driven to confess. After the execution of so many animals, the remaining ones were absolutely distraught and terrified. The pigs had discovered another method to subdue and control the animals: extreme violence and brutality.

There are numerous examples of the pigs growing tyranny and the other animals' increasing fear and anxiety to challenge them. The pigs merrily adopted human habits and were remorseless. They, for example, again altered another commandment after the terrible executions. 'No animal shall kill any other animal' was adjusted to read: 'No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.' The animals understood then that the other animals were executed because they had colluded with Snowball to destroy the farm.

Throughout the novel, the general animal populace was deceived and misled by lies and deceit. Since they could not clearly remember the past, they accepted the pigs' versions of events. Boxer, for example, believed that Napoleon was always right and he easily accepted his explanations. In the end, these animals became mere pawns in the hands of the malicious and greedy pigs. Their lot was clearly engendered in the change made to a core principle of Animalism, which stated: 'All animals are equal' which was changed to the paradoxical and fatuous: 'All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.'  

Name and describe each of the disparate settings in the story "The Management of Grief" by Bharati Mukherjee.

"The Management of Grief" moves from Canada to Ireland to India and back to Canada.

As the story opens, Indians have gathered in Shaila's home, where she has heard the news that a plane carrying her husband and sons has exploded. A person she doesn't know is making tea, while the television and two radios run. The "phone rings and rings." The home is permeated by industrialized culture: a Sony Walkman, talk of "space debris" and "lasers," a girl in a MacDonald's uniform. The scene feels enclosed, unnatural, claustrophobic. 

Four days later, Shaila is outdoors, in Ireland, "on a rock overlooking a bay in Ireland" where bodies from the wreckage have washed up. There are "June breezes." Rather than spend more time in the Irish hospital that has become a central point for identifying the dead, Shaila and some of the others decide to "spend the day by the waters." Shaila ruins her best sari stepping into the warm sea water where she imagines she might have played with her sons, but where now their dead bodies may be. Dr. Ranganathan floats rose petals for his wife in the water, while Shaila tosses out a poem she has written. They are trying to grieve but are stunned. Irish people hug them on the streets. 

From Ireland, Shaila and some of the others move on to India. Here, Shaila realizes she is trapped "between two modes of knowledge," but also finds comfort visiting a temple in the Himalayas. Here, making an offering of "flowers and sweetmeats" to a tribal god, Shaila is visited by the spirit of her dead husband. While much of this India section involves backstory on Shaila's family history and offers some generic descriptions of the family traveling "to hill stations and beach resorts," at the temple we get a specific description of the scene: Shaila's dead husband descends next to "a scrawny sadhu in moth-eaten robes." Her husband wears "a vanilla suit.' The sadhu "tosses petals on a butter-fed flame ... and sweeps his face of flies." This encounter with the spirit of her dead husband is depicted as more real to Shaila than the rest of her trip to India. 

Back in Toronto, the landscape is urban, far different from the remote Himalaya village with the temple, or the clubs and resorts of India. Shaila accompanies Judith to a high-rise apartment to visit an Indian couple who have lost a child and are having trouble understanding how to cope with the government, which wants them to sign papers they don't comprehend so that they can get benefits. Their rooms are "dark and stuffy," lit only with an oil lamp, because their electricity has been turned off. They make tea. The scene is an odd hybrid of Indian and Western culture as Shaila tries to bridge the cultural gap by translating between English and Hindi. The scene is claustrophobic and enclosed, as it was at Shaila's house at the beginning. There's also a sense of enclosure as Shaila rides in Judith's car, "looking out the window." It is only as Shaila makes the decision not to try to help Judith, and asks "let me out at the subway," that she begins to become free.   

At the end of the story, the scenery has symbolic significance. It starts out "grey ... icy." Shalia stays "indoors, watching television." Then the weather changes and becomes warmer, with a "clear blue sky." In this setting, Shaila, finally outdoors in Canada, gets the message from her dead relatives that frees her: "Go, be brave." Outdoors, in an open, liberating setting that reflects her new inner freedom and inner clarity, Shaila begins to walk.  

What principles taken from the Glorious Revolution were found in the French and American Revolutions?

The man who is often credited with being the "voice" of the Glorious Revolution, John Locke, was widely admired by both American and French Revolutionaries. In his Second Treatise on Civil Government,published in the wake of the Glorious Revolution (but written a bit before) Locke argued that men had certain rights that could not be taken away. The purpose of government, he said, was to protect these rights, and it was for this reason...

The man who is often credited with being the "voice" of the Glorious Revolution, John Locke, was widely admired by both American and French Revolutionaries. In his Second Treatise on Civil Government, published in the wake of the Glorious Revolution (but written a bit before) Locke argued that men had certain rights that could not be taken away. The purpose of government, he said, was to protect these rights, and it was for this reason that people, born free, formed government. If a government failed to protect these rights, or acted in a way that was injurious to them, the people had the right to replace that government. Essentially, Locke argued for what has become known as an "appeal to God": the right of revolution. Many of the leaders of the American and French Revolutions claimed that their revolutions were based on precisely these sorts of violations. The Glorious Revolution also established a limited monarchy, as did the early stages of the French Revolution, and many of the ideas enshrined in British law as a result of this event--religious tolerance in particular--were also established in France and the United States. So while one can't exactly draw a straight line from the Glorious Revolution to the American through the French Revolution, its ideals, especially those articulated by John Locke, were known, admired, and emulated by revolutionaries in both countries.

You collect 6.36 moles of hydrogen gas from your lab experiment involving the decomposition of water by electrolysis. The pressure inside your...

The number of moles of a gas is directly proportional to the pressure of the gas at constant temperature and volume.

This comes from the ideal gas law:

PV=nRT or PV/nT = R, a constant

We can assume constant volume because the container is rigid, and there's no indication that the temperature changed. 

When V and T are unchanged they can be left out of the equation so P/n equals a constant. When pressure and...

The number of moles of a gas is directly proportional to the pressure of the gas at constant temperature and volume.

This comes from the ideal gas law:

PV=nRT or PV/nT = R, a constant

We can assume constant volume because the container is rigid, and there's no indication that the temperature changed. 

When V and T are unchanged they can be left out of the equation so P/n equals a constant. When pressure and number of moles change, P1/n1 = P2/n2.

We can rearrange this to solve for the new pressure: P2 = (P1)(n2)/n1

P1 = 1.00 atm

n1 = 6.36 moles

n2 = 6.36 moles + 1.28 moles = 7.64 moles

P2 = (1.00 atm)(7.64 mol)/(6.36 mol) = 1.20 atm

This answer is consistent with what we expect, a higher pressure because the number of moles of gas increased.

What role does resilience play in A Separate Peace by John Knowles?

Resiliency means that someone can bounce back to their original state of being after experiencing a traumatic event. The three boys who experience traumatic events are Gene, Phineas, and Leper. Gene suffers emotionally; Phineas suffers physically; and Leper suffers psychologically. The question throughout the book is will each boy bounce back from his own traumatic event. This question is difficult because after suffering such trauma, usually a person learns from the event and can come out of it better than before; or, he becomes bitter and never learns anything, thereby suffering for the rest of his life. 

First there's Gene. Gene suffers emotionally because he causes his best friend to break his leg after jouncing him out of a very tall tree. Gene feels guilty for what he has done, but he also feels loss because Phineas cannot come back to school right away after the summer session. Gene had taken his best friend and roommate for granted that summer of 1942, but by the fall, he was feeling lost and alone with his buddy. Gene even gets in a fight with Quackenbush because he's not in the mood to take any guff and he explains those feelings as follows:

". . . it wasn't the words he said which angered me. It was only that he was so ignorant, that he knew nothing of the gypsy summer, nothing of the loss I was fighting to endure, of the skylarks, and splashes and petal bearing breezes, he had not seen Leper's snails or the Charter of the Super Suicide Society; he shared nothing, knew nothing, felt nothing as Phineas had done" (79).

The above passage shows Gene missing Finny, the summer, and even Leper of all people! In order for Gene to be resilient, he must bounce back from these feelings and move on. But the only way he can move on is after the Phineas accepts his apology.

Next, there's Phineas. He is the epitome of athletic greatness. Of all his classmates, he was looking forward to graduation and being able to enter the war so he could use his skills on the battlefield. Once his leg is broken, the doctor says he can never play sports again which takes him out of the war essentially. Phineas seems to decline after the accident because he goes into full denial that the war even exists. Gene worries that Phineas has gone crazy until his leg breaks a second time. It is only after the second break that Phineas admits he was pretending that there wasn't a war in an effort to comfort himself about not being able to fight it:

"Why do you think I kept saying there wasn't any war all winter? I was going to keep on saying it until two seconds after I got a letter from . . . someplace saying 'Yes, you can enlist with us'" (190).

The above passage shows Finny finally bouncing back from his state of denial and accepting his physical fate. It takes the second break to make him realize that he must go on with life in a different way, but at least he's admitting the truth now, which is a good step forward. And it is at this point that Gene and Finny are finally able to resolve what happened in the tree that day Finny first broke his leg. Phineas finally accepts the truth and forgives Gene, which frees Gene to bounce back and lead a normal life as well.

Finally, there's Leper. He actually goes to the war and suffers his trauma there. He can't stand being with people all day, every day. He can't handle the physical and mental fatigue, so he goes AWOL (absence without leave) and heads home. Leper can only be resilient if his military record, which brands him as looney, doesn't haunt him for the rest of his life. Brinker says the following about Leper:

"Leper'll be alright. There's nothing like a discharge. Two years after the war's over people will think a Section Eight means a berth on the Pullman car" (197).

So it would seem that even though it feels as if Leper could suffer for the rest of his life, he will probably bounce back just fine, too. Hence, resiliency plays a big part of A Separate Peace because the resolution of the story depends on the characters bouncing back after traumatic events, which they do for the most part. It's just too bad that Phineas dies due to complications with his leg surgery; but at least he died having resolved his issues with himself and his best friend.

What's a brief summary of the Shakespeare plays King Lear and Macbeth in their simplest form?

In its simplest form, King Learis a play about a king who makes a big mistake. He wants to retire, so he decides to split his kingdom between his three daughters. First, he makes them tell him how much they love him. The oldest two, Goneril and Regan, who don't really love him, lay on the fake love talk. The youngest, Cordelia, really does love her father, but is sickened by her older sisters...

In its simplest form, King Lear is a play about a king who makes a big mistake. He wants to retire, so he decides to split his kingdom between his three daughters. First, he makes them tell him how much they love him. The oldest two, Goneril and Regan, who don't really love him, lay on the fake love talk. The youngest, Cordelia, really does love her father, but is sickened by her older sisters and won't flatter him. He gets very angry at her, disinherits her and divides the kingdom between the two oldest, evil daughters.

It doesn't take them long, once they have the power, to treat their father very badly and then plot to kill him. His friend Gloucester warns Lear of their murder plot. In revenge, Regan's husband gouges out Gloucester's eyes. Cordelia, who has married the king of France, invades with an army, is defeated, is imprisoned and dies, as does Lear. Goneril poisons Regan, then kills herself. In the end, the good Edgar becomes the new ruler. The moral: don't be a fool and give your power away.

In Macbeth, Macbeth also makes a mistake. Three witches tell him he will be king, so, encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he kills the good King Duncan. This leads the couple down the path of more and more bloodshed. They kill Banquo, who knew they had a plan to kill Duncan. They kill Macduff's family, because they perceive them as a threat. Then Macduff and Malcolm raise an army and defeat Macbeth. The moral: don't get too ambitious or you'll go down. 

What is the physical description of Calpurnia in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Calpurnia, cook to Atticus, Jem, and Scout, is, in Scout's eyes, "all angles and bones," suggesting a very thin physique, yet a "tyrannical presence" for as long as Scout can remember.  She has large, powerful hands, and she squints because she is myopic and doesn't wear eyeglasses. These descriptions are found in the novel's first chapter.

In chapter two, as Scout describes how Calpurnia's "grammar became erratic" "when she was furious," readers learn that Calpurnia...

Calpurnia, cook to Atticus, Jem, and Scout, is, in Scout's eyes, "all angles and bones," suggesting a very thin physique, yet a "tyrannical presence" for as long as Scout can remember.  She has large, powerful hands, and she squints because she is myopic and doesn't wear eyeglasses. These descriptions are found in the novel's first chapter.

In chapter two, as Scout describes how Calpurnia's "grammar became erratic" "when she was furious," readers learn that Calpurnia is African American; Atticus has told Scout that Calpurnia "had more education than most colored folks." Scout observes that she has "tiny lines around her eyes" that deepen when she squints.

There is plenty of evidence in the novel that points to Calpurnia's physical strength.  She loads all of the fireplaces at the Finches' home and performs a number of difficult chores.  In chapter 12 she bathes Scout roughly; in the same chapter, her hand digs into Scout's shoulder during the confrontation at Calpurnia's church. Instead of backing down when the parishioners advance upon them, Calpurnia has "amusement in her eyes." 

Harper Lee wants her readers to see Calpurnia as a physical (and psychological) force to be reckoned with.

What is being satirized in Chekhov's story "The Lottery Ticket"?

In his short story "The Lottery Ticket," Anton Chekhov satirizes people's inability to maintain their contentment or to generate their own happiness.

With irony, Chekhov begins his story by describing Ivan Dmitritch as being "very well satisfied with his lot." When his wife asks him to check the newspaper for the winning number in the lottery, and he sees that the number matches hers, they hesitate to look for the last two numbers. Instead, they choose to...

In his short story "The Lottery Ticket," Anton Chekhov satirizes people's inability to maintain their contentment or to generate their own happiness.

With irony, Chekhov begins his story by describing Ivan Dmitritch as being "very well satisfied with his lot." When his wife asks him to check the newspaper for the winning number in the lottery, and he sees that the number matches hers, they hesitate to look for the last two numbers. Instead, they choose to fantasize about what they would do if the money were to become theirs.

To torment and tantalize oneself with hopes of possible fortune is so sweet, so thrilling!

As Dmitritch imagines leisurely long walks, warm baths, visits with neighbors, glasses of vodka, and buying property, he becomes less satisfied and more discontented and even distrustful of what his wife will want to do with their fortune if they do win the lottery. However, she, too, has her own daydreams as she understands what her husband's dreams are. "She knew who would be the first to try to grab her winnings." 

As Dmitritch senses his wife's motives and reflections, he spitefully looks at the last two numbers, and discovers that they do not match. He calls them out, ending their dreams. "Hatred and hope both disappeared at once." Now, instead of hope, they each experience despair, for their fantasies of winning the lottery have caused them to yearn for more and create their own discontentment. Chekhov satirizes the human weakness of being inclined to unhappiness.

How would you compare and contrast the Wife of Bath with the old woman in Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale"?

The old woman in the Wife of Bath's story is one of several examples of the 'loathly lady' archetype in medieval poetry. Readers of the tale would have been broadly familiar with her story: she is ugly, and indeed 'a fouler wight ther may no man devyse' (1005). She is also of low birth and is older than the ideal wife, making her far from the preferred marriage partner for the knight who weds her. The loathly lady knows, however, that despite these considerations, the knight has made a binding promise to her, which she repeats before the court. She achieves her ends through shrewdness and strategy. 

This level of strategy and cunning is one of the reasons many comparisons have been drawn between her and the Wife of Bath herself—she is also skilled in rhetoric, as is made evident in the speech she delivers to her husband on issues such as the advantages offered by old age and poverty, and the true source of gentility. Like the Wife of Bath, she is a woman above marriageable age who marries a younger man and then lectures him severely when he criticizes her for things she cannot change. There are obvious parallels between this behavior and the Wife of Bath's treatment of Jankyn, her younger husband. Much has been written, therefore, on the subject of how far the loathly lady is a stand-in for the Wife of Bath—an avatar in her own tale. 

There are, however, other elements working against this interpretation. In the first instance, although both the Wife and the lady give long and skillful speeches, the topics of their speeches are quite different. We know from the Wife of Bath's prologue that she would never allow herself to be forced into poverty and would also never return power to her husband after it has been given to her, as the loathly lady does. Furthermore, at the end of the tale, the loathly lady transforms into a beautiful young woman, a male-gaze fantasy of obedience and attractiveness. The Wife of Bath, meanwhile, has no intention of changing under pressure from society (men), and she remains the voice of female sovereignty even while the loathly lady loses her own sovereignty.  

How can I analyze the poem "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou stanza by stanza?

Repetition is a key literary device that lends emphasis to significant themes in a poem. It also provides structure to the overall piece. In Maya Angelou's Phenomenal Woman, the words 'phenomenal woman' are repeated at the end of every stanza. Notice that the adjective 'phenomenal' is always juxtaposed against the adverb 'phenomenally.' Not only does the poet think of herself as an exceptional woman, she describes to what extent she considers herself a woman: she is wholly, unabashedly, and exceptionally (phenomenally) female in identity. At the end of every stanza, this repetitive phrase indicates completeness and stability: every unique experience in the poet's life reaffirms her person. She is never at a loss because she remains consistent in how she acknowledges the measure of her worth.

The repetitive phrase also focuses our attention on the main theme of this poem: if she would know true contentment, a woman must define her own worth. Other women are blindsided by the narrator's charm, but they exhibit disbelief when she tries to educate them about the source of her beauty. The words 'fashion model's size' and 'cute' represent contemporary definitions of beauty; these are so entrenched in the modern female psyche that there is no room for the truth. Interestingly, the double play on the word 'lies' introduces a compelling irony: the women think that the poet is lying to them, but the secret of true beauty actually 'lies' closer to their hearts than they realize.

The women have, in fact, deceived themselves by refusing to recognize authenticity as the key to confident beauty. True beauty is derived from self-respect and the authentic expression of one's gifts. Authenticity itself is derived from self-acceptance. A woman is most beautiful when she accepts everything about herself, from the 'span' of her hips to the 'sun' in her smile. If you look at all four stanzas, you will see that the poet describes parts of her body that highlight her feminine personality, but she remains silent about height, weight, and chest measurements.

In every stanza, four lines with predominantly five syllabic phrases each precede the refrain of 'I’m a woman/Phenomenally./Phenomenal woman,/That’s me.' The use of anaphora in the repetition of the word 'the' in these five syllabic phrases also adds interest, structure, and an interesting rhythm to the poem. It is as if the poet wants to highlight the fact that the narrator marches to the beat of her own music; she doesn't allow the expectations of society to dictate how she defines beauty, but decides her own path in this matter. Let's take a look at Stanza Three:

It’s in the arch of my back,/ The sun of my smile,/ The ride of my breasts,/ The grace of my style.

The men swarm around the narrator like a 'hive of honey bees.' In bee biology, swarming occurs when a mature queen bee leaves her nest to start a new colony. She is accompanied in her travels by half the worker bees from the old nest. The bees swarm around the queen in order to protect and to tend to her comfort as they travel to their new colony. During this time, the queen emits special pheromones which influence the worker bees physiologically and behaviorally. In the same way, the men can't help but respond to the narrator; they are held in thrall by her presence. They respond to her viscerally as well as physiologically (And to a man,/The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees).

They try so much/ But they can’t touch/ My inner mystery.

The use of enjambment above draws our attention to the narrator's personal power. Here is a woman who accepts the 'curl' of her lips as well as 'the ride of' her breasts without apology. Usually, when we talk about someone curling her lips, we mean that she is sneering; it's very much a negative expression. It's clear that the narrator is a woman who accepts both light and darkness as part of her feminine identity (If you are interested in the light and darkness in the feminine soul, read more at the Jung page). Above all else, the narrator is able to exist as a loving manifestation of womanhood: 'the palm of my hand,/The need for my care.'

Her hands are used to minister to those who need her. Instinctively, the men are drawn to her because they can sense that they will not be trivialized in her presence. This is an extremely powerful poem because it proposes that every woman can be uniquely beautiful ('when you see me passing, it ought to make you proud.' Why? Because the narrator has shown that it is possible to succeed in being beautiful). Hope this helps!

How is the story "A Rose for Emily" a conflict between North and South?

William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” contains several different conflicts. One of those is the tension between the North and South in the post-reconstruction era United States. This conflict is primarily realized in the story through the character of Homer Barron, Emily Grierson’s love interest.

In the story, we can see Emily’s father as representing the Old South and its traditions. His daughter, when we first meet her, seems to embody those same characteristics. However, once her father dies, she begins what is at least an infatuation, and what may be a love affair, with a man from the North.

Homer Barron, Emily's love interest, is a northerner who has come to town as foreman of a sidewalk paving project. Thus, Homer is not only a carpetbagger – a term used for northerners who came to the South to make money during and after reconstruction – he also represents forces trying to change the town. He embodies the unwanted changes that the South saw as being imposed on it by the North.

Emily’s relationship with Homer is surprising to the townspeople, and many disapprove to the point of seeking help from her relatives to force Emily to end the relationship. The narrator emphasis the difference between Emil and Homer, and in those differences we can see the tensions between the traditions of the Old South and the modern practices of the North that were being brought to the South during and after reconstruction.

In Act II, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet why is Tybalt looking for Romeo?

As Act II, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Julietopens, Benvolio and Mercutio are speaking to each other. Mercutio is concerned about Romeo because of his friend's unrequited love for Rosaline. Benvolio reveals that Romeo didn't go home the night before and he also tells Mercutio that Romeo has received a letter from Tybalt. Tybalt is eager to challenge Romeo because he feels that Romeo has crashed Capulet's party "To fleer and scorn at...

As Act II, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet opens, Benvolio and Mercutio are speaking to each other. Mercutio is concerned about Romeo because of his friend's unrequited love for Rosaline. Benvolio reveals that Romeo didn't go home the night before and he also tells Mercutio that Romeo has received a letter from Tybalt. Tybalt is eager to challenge Romeo because he feels that Romeo has crashed Capulet's party "To fleer and scorn at our solemnity." He wants to immediately confront Romeo as soon as he hears his voice. Lord Capulet, however, refuses to allow Tybalt to disrupt the proceedings and even gives Romeo a compliment by saying that "Verona brags of him/To be a virtuous and well-governed youth." Tybalt is incensed and, while he stays quiet at the party, vows to go after Romeo later:

Patience perforce with willful choler meeting
Makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting.
I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall,
Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall.

Tybalt will not forget Romeo's "intrusion" and the two will eventually fight in Act III, Scene 1.

In market analysis, how can I determine the educational level, age and economic status of the audience I want to reach?

The answer to this question depends entirely on the types of product or service you are trying to sell or promote.

Your first step in determining this is researching the basic demographics for the type of product you are selling. For example, if you are a member of a marketing department at a symphony, you might look at the Princeton Center for Arts and Cultural Policy. You would note that educational level is highly...

The answer to this question depends entirely on the types of product or service you are trying to sell or promote.

Your first step in determining this is researching the basic demographics for the type of product you are selling. For example, if you are a member of a marketing department at a symphony, you might look at the Princeton Center for Arts and Cultural Policy. You would note that educational level is highly correlated with attendance, with 40 percent of people with some graduate school education having attended a classical music concert in the past year. Additional research will show that consumers of classical music tend to be relatively wealthy, with over half of season ticket holders having annual incomes over $150,000 and relatively elderly, with over half being over the age of 65. This means that if you are marketing or talking about classical music, your most probable audience is well-educated, elderly, and wealthy.

On the other hand, if you were marketing cigarettes, your typical audience would be far less educated. Only 5 percent of people with graduate degrees smoke, while over 40 percent of people with GEDs use cigarettes. In general, smoking also seems to correlate with lower income and is more prevalent among adults 18-64 years old than in people over 65. 

In all cases, you need to adapt your talks or marketing plans to the appropriate demographic. 

What is the tone of Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian"?

In a work of literature, tone refers to the author's attitude toward the subject he/she is writing about. It is the atmosphere that the author meant to put into the story. Authors develop the tone primarily through their word choice. Tone is distinguished from mood in that the mood conveys what the reader feels while reading a work of literature. 

In "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury, the tone is one of loneliness. Bradbury is trying...

In a work of literature, tone refers to the author's attitude toward the subject he/she is writing about. It is the atmosphere that the author meant to put into the story. Authors develop the tone primarily through their word choice. Tone is distinguished from mood in that the mood conveys what the reader feels while reading a work of literature. 

In "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury, the tone is one of loneliness. Bradbury is trying to portray the isolation felt by people in the year 2053. Because of technology, people are never outside. They are holed up in their own homes watching television, and they do not interact with others. In the opening paragraph, Bradbury sets the tone of loneliness through words like "silence," "alone," and "grassy seams of buckling concrete." The buckling concrete shows a lack of care and maintenance, and the word choice of "silence"—rare in a city—and "alone" set a tone of isolation. 

To enter out into the silence that was the city at eight o'clock of a misty evening in November, to put your feet upon that buckling concrete walk, to step over grassy seams and make your way, hands in pockets, through the silences, that was what Mr. Leonard Mead most dearly loved to do. He would stand upon the corner of an intersection and peer down long moonlit avenues of sidewalk in four directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone, and with a final decision made, a path selected, he would stride off, sending patterns of frosty air before him like the smoke of a cigar.

Further along in the story, Mr. Mead is stopped by a police car. Bradbury's word choice shows the lack of human interaction when he describes the "metallic voice" coming across the speakers, and, later, the "iron voice" from the police car. Mr. Mead discovers that there is no one in the police car, which furthers the idea that technology has isolated human beings from each other. Readers can infer that Bradbury sees technology as an enemy to human connection and interaction. 

In the poem "The Road Not Taken" - why does the poet describe the wood as yellow? Is it related to the season of the year, the time of the day, or...

In this poem, "wood" means wooded area or a forest. The fact that Frost describes it as "yellow" is significant. It most likely refers to the color of the leaves. If they are yellow, this indicates that it is autumn. The speaker is contemplating his decision to take one of two paths. People often make the mistake that the speaker is certain he has taken the less traveled road. But since the roads look basically...

In this poem, "wood" means wooded area or a forest. The fact that Frost describes it as "yellow" is significant. It most likely refers to the color of the leaves. If they are yellow, this indicates that it is autumn. The speaker is contemplating his decision to take one of two paths. People often make the mistake that the speaker is certain he has taken the less traveled road. But since the roads look basically the same, he can never be sure. "Though as for that the passing there, / Had worn them really about the same." He hopes he has taken the less traveled road and will always wonder where the other path would have taken him. In the last stanza, the speaker imagines himself as an older man thinking back with that same uncertain hope that he did, in fact, take the road "less traveled by." Perhaps the yellow leaves and the suggestion of autumn was used to foreshadow the speaker thinking about the autumn of his life in the last stanza. This notion of the "autumn of his life" means a person's later years. Spring represents birth, summer symbolizes life and growth, and winter symbolizes death or sleep. The autumn of one's life is the period right before death. Therefore, the yellow symbolizes autumn which foreshadows the speaker's thoughts about the autumn of his life, a time when he is reevaluating some of the choices he has made. 

Is this a monologue, aside or soliloquy? "Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend!" Why?

Shakespeare's characters often deliver three different types of dramatic speeches. A soliloquy is a lengthy speech in which a character alone on stage tells the audience what he or she is thinking. One of the best soliloquies in Romeo and Julietis Juliet's speech during Act IV, Scene 3, before she drinks the Friar's potion. A monologue is similar to a soliloquy in its length but it is addressed to other characters in the play...

Shakespeare's characters often deliver three different types of dramatic speeches. A soliloquy is a lengthy speech in which a character alone on stage tells the audience what he or she is thinking. One of the best soliloquies in Romeo and Juliet is Juliet's speech during Act IV, Scene 3, before she drinks the Friar's potion. A monologue is similar to a soliloquy in its length but it is addressed to other characters in the play and not exclusively to the audience. Mercutio's "Queen Mab" speech in Act I, Scene 4 is an excellent example of a monologue. An aside is a brief remark (unlike the much longer soliloquy) by a character revealing thoughts or feelings to the audience unheard by other characters. Romeo uses an aside at the end of Act I, Scene 4 when he expresses his fear about the future.

Juliet's speech to close Act III, Scene 5, which begins "Ancient damnation!", is best defined as an aside. The Nurse has just left the room after advising Juliet to forget Romeo and heed her father's wishes in marrying Count Paris. The girl is alone on stage revealing her thoughts to the audience. It is not long enough to be considered a soliloquy and serves only to alert the audience to the girl's changing feelings for the nurse and that she will now seek "counsel" from Friar Lawrence.