Is Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre a feminist novel?

Feminism advocates that social, political, and all other rights should be equal between men and women. Bronte's Jane Eyrediscusses many of the struggles and prejudices that nineteenth century middle-class women faced. All rights were not equal between men and women at that time, and Jane's greatest desire is to have a family and to feel accepted and loved. This does not necessarily mean that the novel is not feminist, but the main character's goal...

Feminism advocates that social, political, and all other rights should be equal between men and women. Bronte's Jane Eyre discusses many of the struggles and prejudices that nineteenth century middle-class women faced. All rights were not equal between men and women at that time, and Jane's greatest desire is to have a family and to feel accepted and loved. This does not necessarily mean that the novel is not feminist, but the main character's goal is not to change the legal and political world in order to gain equal rights for women. However, by the end of the story, she does not settle for anything less than the most equal relationship and living circumstances possible for the time period. And at the time, it must have seemed pure fantasy for a governess to acquire her own money and marry higher than her social class. 

Erica Jong's introduction in the Signet Classic edition provides great insight into how Jane Eyre could be considered a feminist novel by saying the following: 

"And indeed she cannot marry Rochester until he knows he is as dependent on her as she is on him. Their odysseys have equalized them: Jane has become an independent woman and Rochester has been cured of entitlement. Only thus can a woman and man become equals in a patriarchal society" (ix).

Bronte portrays Jane as a traditional woman who wants a husband and family while also maintaining her value as an individual in her own right. Many women today want the same things--to have a family and career. However, even though Jane isn't seeking social or political equality, she does find equality in marriage. This could be a big part of the message that Bronte wanted to convey, which would mean that her desired results would have, in fact, been one of the first feminist novels. 

What are two major events in Maniac Magee?

Two major events are the race with Mars Bar and Amanda’s book being destroyed.

Maniac Magee is very episodic, meaning that the book is really a series of loosely connected events.  Two that can be considered important are when Maniac made an impression on the neighborhood by beating Mars Bar in the race, and when Maniac left the Beales because someone destroyed Amanda’s favorite book, the encyclopedia Volume A.

Maniac ran away from home when his parents died and he was left with a feuding aunt and uncle.  He just started running one day and didn’t stop.  He ended up in Two Mills, a town strictly divided by race.  Maniac is white, but he does not seem to notice what color other people are.  He is homeless after all.  In Two Mills, there is the West End and the East End.  If you are white, you should stay on the West End, but Maniac somehow ends up on the East End.

Maniac meets a kid named Mars Bar in the East End.  His name comes from his love of candy bars, and he considers himself tough.  Maniac baffles him by taking a bite out of his candy bar.  One day Maniac ends up racing him, and he doesn’t know what to do so he runs backward.  Mars Bar is humiliated that Maniac beats him running backward.

Maybe it was that simple. After all, who asks why otters toboggan down mudbanks! But that didn't make it any less stupid or totten a thing to do. The hatred in Mars Bar's eyes was no longer for a white kid in the East End; it was for Jeffrey Magee, period. (Ch. 38)

Maniac has no meanness in him, and he really did not intend to embarrass Mars Bar.  Maniac just doesn’t seem to really understand how to be normal.  He may have made an enemy out of Mars Bar, but he thrilled the neighborhood kids. 

The second incident actually happens first, but it is more important thematically.

Maniac ends up living with the Beale family for a while.  He loves to read, and especially gets along well with Amanda Beale, who loves books so much that she carries her entire library with her so that her siblings won’t ruin the books.  She lends Maniac a book and Mars Bar tears a page out of it, so she beats him up.

Maniac loves the Beales.  They understand that he desperately needs a place to belong.  Unfortunately, there are some that just do not understand the concept of a white boy living with a black family.  The Beales are targeted, and the last straw for Maniac is when Amanda’s favorite book, Volume A of the Encyclopedia, gets destroyed as a message to him.

More than anything, Maniac wanted to hug Amanda and tell her it was okay. He wanted to go inside, be with his family, in his house, his room, behind his window. But that wasn't the right thing. The right thing was to make sure the Beales didn't get hurt anymore. He couldn't keep letting them pay such a price for him. (Ch. 21)

Maniac leaves because he doesn’t want the Beales to be the targets of racism or violence.  It breaks his heart, but he cares more about them than anything.  He ends up fluttering around, even living at the zoo with the groundskeeper until the old man dies.  Finally, Maniac returns to his real family, the Beales.

In Act One, what motivates Tituba to suddenly offer names of alleged witches after having denied being under the spell of the devil?

Tituba, a slave in the Parris household, has no power and is the most susceptible to punishment when people start to make accusations of witchcraft. Initially, Tituba and the other girls, led by Abigail, maintain that when Parris caught them in the woods, they were only dancing. But when the adults start to speak about witchcraft, they bring in Reverend Hale, an expert on witchcraft, to investigate. Hale begins to question Abigail, and in order...

Tituba, a slave in the Parris household, has no power and is the most susceptible to punishment when people start to make accusations of witchcraft. Initially, Tituba and the other girls, led by Abigail, maintain that when Parris caught them in the woods, they were only dancing. But when the adults start to speak about witchcraft, they bring in Reverend Hale, an expert on witchcraft, to investigate. Hale begins to question Abigail, and in order to save herself from suspicion, she accuses Tituba of working with the devil and making her drink blood, among other acts. With this, Hale turns to Tituba and begins questioning. As he does so, Parris says to her, "You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba."

At this point, Tituba likely realizes that she has little choice but to confess. It doesn't matter that she was not involved with the devil; she is a slave, and the moment Abigail decides to accuse her, she is considered guilty. If she stays with the truth, she will die. When Hale then turns to her and offers her the opportunity to confess, she knows confession equals protection, and she makes the choice to save her own life.

Explain if the country had a right to grow from coast to coast ?

The concept of Manifest Destiny refers to our desire to expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. We had a right to expand across our continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

It is normal for a country to want to grow. As our population grew, we needed more land on which to live. We also needed to make sure the needs of our people were met. For example, the farmers...

The concept of Manifest Destiny refers to our desire to expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. We had a right to expand across our continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

It is normal for a country to want to grow. As our population grew, we needed more land on which to live. We also needed to make sure the needs of our people were met. For example, the farmers in the West around 1800 needed to get their goods to the marketplace. When Spain and France restricted our use of the Mississippi River, we needed to try to get the land that would allow us to use the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans. It was natural for us to agree to make the Louisiana Purchase.

Other opportunities allowed us to grow. Texas wanted to join our country as a state. Many Americans lived in Texas, so this would be a natural fit for us. We also had claimed the Oregon Territory along with Great Britain. It made sense to agree to divide this land with Great Britain so we could have part of that territory. While our methods of getting the southwestern part of the United States might be questioned, it was normal for a growing country to seek new opportunities for expansion and for growth. The war with Mexico gave us an opportunity to get this land.

Thus, we did have a right to expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It was something that was natural for us to want to do.

"I will live in the past, the present, and the future": Scrooge's redemption proves that destinies may be changed. Discuss.

Crucial to this story is the idea that individual actions can transform the future, for good or ill. Supernatural events—the multiple appearances of ghosts—break into Scrooge's life, causing him to change his behavior. 

The ghosts can be seen as metaphors for memory, empathy and the imagination. As Scrooge remembers the better self of his past and the people who touched him emotionally through the ghost of Christmas Past, his heart softens, opening him to emotions...

Crucial to this story is the idea that individual actions can transform the future, for good or ill. Supernatural events—the multiple appearances of ghosts—break into Scrooge's life, causing him to change his behavior. 

The ghosts can be seen as metaphors for memory, empathy and the imagination. As Scrooge remembers the better self of his past and the people who touched him emotionally through the ghost of Christmas Past, his heart softens, opening him to emotions he had shut down. As he regains the capacity to feel, he views the present through new, more compassionate eyes. With the help of the ghost of Christmas Future, he can imagine the bleak scenario of Tiny Tim's death. He can also imagine his own death being celebrated rather than mourned. 

This new—or old—way of seeing leads Scrooge to take control of changing his destiny, as is illustrated at the end of the novel: Scrooge makes the conscious choice to act generously and benevolently, using his wealth to improve the general good, and more particularly, the circumstances of the Cratchit family. Scrooge's redemption leads to changed destinies: so can anybody's redemption change destinies. This hopeful message is a key to the book's popularity. It is also typical of Dickens' belief that touching individual hearts and motivating people to acts of kindness and compassion can transform society.

Why has the narrator returned to her childhood home in "The Leap" by Louise Erdrich?

In the first paragraph, the narrator notes that her mother is sightless as a result of cataracts. Her mother was a trapeze artist in her younger days and this probably accounts for the graceful way her mother feels her way around the house and doesn't knock anything over. However, her mother loved to read as well and with no sight, she can no longer read. This is the biggest tangible reason the narrator returns to...

In the first paragraph, the narrator notes that her mother is sightless as a result of cataracts. Her mother was a trapeze artist in her younger days and this probably accounts for the graceful way her mother feels her way around the house and doesn't knock anything over. However, her mother loved to read as well and with no sight, she can no longer read. This is the biggest tangible reason the narrator returns to her home: 

Since my father's recent death, there is no one to read to her, which is why I returned, in fact, from my failed life where the land is flat. I came home to read to my mother, to read out loud, read long into the dark if I must, to read all night. 

The daughter mentions her "failed life," so this return is also somewhat of an escape or a retreat. But perhaps the largest motivating factor is that the narrator loves her mother and feels indebted to her. Note that the story is structured around the three times the narrator owes her life to her mother. The first instance is when her mother saves her own life in the trapeze accident and subsequently goes on living to eventually give birth to the narrator. The second is when her mother meets the narrator's father in the hospital. (This is the man who teaches the mother to read.) And the third time is when her mother saves the narrator from the fire with the aforementioned "leap." So, the narrator returns as a result of a failed life, but her main motivation is that she loves her mother and is gladly obliged to read to her. 

Pick the change that is NOT unique to entering formal operations. (A) being able to logically argue both sides of an issue (B) being able to...

The formal operations stage of human cognitive development is the latest stage in Piaget's theory, and generally begins around the age of 11 or 12, shortly before the onset of puberty. During this stage, children acquire the capacity to engage in abstract reasoning, separating the concrete content of ideas from the abstract logical relations between them.Before the formal stage, kids learned to interact with the environment (sensorimotor stage), experience self-awareness and learn to speak...

The formal operations stage of human cognitive development is the latest stage in Piaget's theory, and generally begins around the age of 11 or 12, shortly before the onset of puberty. During this stage, children acquire the capacity to engage in abstract reasoning, separating the concrete content of ideas from the abstract logical relations between them.

Before the formal stage, kids learned to interact with the environment (sensorimotor stage), experience self-awareness and learn to speak language (preoperational stage), and finally to reason about the world in concrete terms (concrete operational stage). But it is not until the formal operational stage that children figure out how to separate the form of ideas from their contents.

A great example of a problem that kids get wrong in the concrete operational stage but get right in the formal operational stage is something like this:

Is this a valid argument? All whales are green and all green things are fish, therefore all whales are fish.

The answer is "yes"; this argument is formally valid. But in order to do that you've got to think of it in abstract terms like "all W are G, all G are F, therefore all W are F". If you were focused on the concrete stuff about whales and fish, you'd say it was invalid because whales aren't fish.

With all of this in mind, the best answer is clearly (D); while logical argument, scientific reasoning, and thinking about unreal ideas are all part of using formal reasoning and thus the formal operational stage, learning new words was something kids acquired a long time ago in the preoperational stage.

In Death of a Salesman and Of Mice and Men, how do the characters' dreams lead to their ultimate demise?

In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman (get it? "low man"?) exemplifies the American Dream of getting out of poverty by pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. A career in sales was hailed as the best way to do that, and so Willy takes to it with gusto. Since he believes that he can achieve success through manipulating and charming those around him, he cultivates those qualities in himself and his children, Biff and Happy. Unfortunately, in Willy's dedication to this narrative of success, he refuses to acknowledge it is flawed until it's too late – if indeed he ever does. Biff sums up the reason for Willy's lack of success and eventual downfall in Act 2: 

"I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like the rest of them! I’m one-dollar an hour, Willy! I tried seven states and couldn’t raise it. A buck an hour! Do you gather my meaning? I’m not bringing home any prizes anymore and you’re going to stop waiting for me to bring them home!"

As Willy realizes that neither he nor his sons will ever succeed, he begins to think that the best course of action is to kill himself in a car accident so his family can benefit from the insurance money. Even this plan, however, is framed as his "next big break," with his older brother Ben urging him towards the "diamonds" that made Ben rich (code for insurance money). Even at the end, Willy is looking for the magic key to success. 

In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie dream of owning a farm together someday, where Lennie can keep rabbits. The way we see them reference that dream in their day-to-day life as migrant farm workers, though, suggests that it's more a fantasy than a realistic possibility for the pair. The way Lennie begs George to go over the details of the dream again and again makes it seem more like a soothing story than anything they could actually do. 

However, I would disagree that George and Lennie's dream of a farm leads to their demise. Rather, I would say that their demise comes from the loss of the possibility of achieving their dream. They seem to know it's unlikely, but when Candy offers his life savings as part of a down payment, it starts to seem real. Therefore, when Lennie messes up again and accidentally kills Curly's wife, the realization that their dream will never come true hits them even harder. This loss is summed up in the following dialogue after Lennie kills Curly's wife:

"Lennie said, 'George.'

'Yeah?'

'I done another bad thing.'

'It don't make no difference,' George said, and he fell silent again."

George seems to accept the fact that the dream of a farm could never come true. Still, it was like a beacon of hope to keep him and Lennie going through the drudgery and hard work of each day. With the loss of their dream, they are faced with the full ramifications of the Great Depression – all of the despair and struggle that so many working men faced.

What was Brian's plan if he ever heard a plane engine roar overhead in Hatchet?

Brian plans to have a fire ready so that he can wave a burning limb at a plane if he hears it.

When Brian’s plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, he is alone because the pilot is dead.  Brian has to use all of his skills and intelligence to survive on his own.  He needs to find a way to get food and shelter, but his next concern is rescue.

Brian is worried that he...

Brian plans to have a fire ready so that he can wave a burning limb at a plane if he hears it.

When Brian’s plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, he is alone because the pilot is dead.  Brian has to use all of his skills and intelligence to survive on his own.  He needs to find a way to get food and shelter, but his next concern is rescue.

Brian is worried that he will not have a way to contact planes that fly over him.  He decides to use fire.

Initially he had thought of making a signal fire every day but he couldn't….  So while he was working he decided to have the fire ready and if he heard an engine, or even thought he heard a plane engine, he would run up with a burning limb and set off the signal fire. (Ch. 11)

Brian tries to figure out how to make a spear out of a stick and use it to fish.  He does find berries to eat, but that does not work out well.  He is mostly concerned about not being rescued.

Brian doesn’t have to wait long to hear a plane.  Brian hears a plane one day and desperately tries to get to his fire fast enough to contact it.

He had to get fire up on the bluff and signal them, get fire and smoke up. He put all of his life into his legs, jumped logs and moved through brush like a light ghost, swiveling and running, his lungs filling and blowing and now the sound was louder, coming in his direction. (Ch. 12)

The plane keeps going, and Brian is not able to make contact.  Brian is sure that it is a search plane.  He is devastated, convinced that they won’t come back and he will never be rescued.  He feels changed because “the disappointment cut him down.”  He makes a new fire that is smokier.

Eventually a plane does come and find Brian, the pilot telling him that he heard his emergency transmission and saw the crashed plane.  Brian is finally saved. His persistence has paid off.

In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, what are some direct quotes that reveal society's view of Hester as a sinner?

In The Scarlet Letterby Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are a number of quotes that show that the 17th century society thinks of Hester as a sinner.  Hester Prynne makes her first appearance in chapter two, entitled "The Market Place."  In this chapter, Hawthorne draws attention to the townsfolk that are waiting outside of the prison, stating that amongst them "religion and law were almost identical," meaning that lawbreakers were essentially considered sinners.  Even before Hester...

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are a number of quotes that show that the 17th century society thinks of Hester as a sinner.  Hester Prynne makes her first appearance in chapter two, entitled "The Market Place."  In this chapter, Hawthorne draws attention to the townsfolk that are waiting outside of the prison, stating that amongst them "religion and law were almost identical," meaning that lawbreakers were essentially considered sinners.  Even before Hester emerges from the prison, a number of townsfolk begin to identify her as sinful.  Many of her harshest critics are older women.  Hawthorne writes of "a hard-featured dame of fifty" who says "[i]t would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne."  A malefactress is defined as a woman who violates the law or does evil.  Further, another mature women suggests that "they should have put a brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead [...] But she, -the naughty baggage,- little will she care what they put upon the bodice of her gown!"  At this time, another, younger woman interjects, saying "let her cover her mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart."  This discussion of desire to brand Hester also reveals that the townsfolk see her as sinful.  Even the younger woman, who displays some level of empathy to Hester's plight, identifies the severity of the sin, and Hester's inability to ever be free of it.

Perhaps the most harsh judgement comes from a woman whom Hawthorne refers to as "the ugliest as well as the most pitiless of these self-constituted judges," who says,

The woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die.  Is there not law for it?  Truly, there is, both in the Scripture and the statute-book.  Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray!"

While opinions differ regarding the degree to which Hester should be punished, Hawthorne makes it clear that to Puritan Boston, Hester is sinful and should be made to suffer.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, can Bruno be called naive for saying that Germans are superior when he is talking to Shmuel?

In Chapter 10, Bruno meets Shmuel for the first time. The two boys introduce themselves and find out that they both share the same birthday. Shmuel asks Bruno where he is from, and Bruno tells him that he is from Berlin. When Shmuel asks where Berlin is at, Bruno tells him that it is in Germany. Shmuel tells him that he is from Poland, which is not in Germany. Shmuel then explains to Bruno that...

In Chapter 10, Bruno meets Shmuel for the first time. The two boys introduce themselves and find out that they both share the same birthday. Shmuel asks Bruno where he is from, and Bruno tells him that he is from Berlin. When Shmuel asks where Berlin is at, Bruno tells him that it is in Germany. Shmuel tells him that he is from Poland, which is not in Germany. Shmuel then explains to Bruno that he is bilingual, and his mother can speak French, Italian, and English. Bruno responds by asking if Poland is as good as Germany. Bruno says that Germany is the greatest country in the world, and remembers hearing his father tell his grandfather that Germany is superior.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of naive is deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment. Bruno would be considered naive because he is certainly not well informed about the world around him, and he was not accurate when he stated that Germany is the greatest of all nations. Bruno's comment stems from his father's nationalistic beliefs that Germany is superior to all other countries. Under the Nazi regime, the German youth were indoctrinated and lead to believe that Germany was the greatest nation on earth. Bruno has little experience learning about other countries and cultures. It is true that Germany probably had the best military at that present time, but there are many other factors and opinions that could be included in the argument. For instance, under the rule of the Third Reich, Germany is the least tolerant nation, and citizens cannot freely express their personal beliefs and opinions if they oppose the Nazi regime.

Besides wanting to save the owls, what do Roy and Mullet Fingers have in common?

Roy and Mullet Fingers are alike in many ways. The boys are about the same age and size; Roy's shoes fit Mullet Fingers. They both appreciate nature. Both boys are clever, coming up with ingenious ways of reaching their goals. Mullet Fingers puts alligators in the portable latrines and uses snakes with taped-shut mouths to scare away the guard dogs. Roy creates an elaborate ruse to ensnare Dana Matherson in his own...

Roy and Mullet Fingers are alike in many ways. The boys are about the same age and size; Roy's shoes fit Mullet Fingers. They both appreciate nature. Both boys are clever, coming up with ingenious ways of reaching their goals. Mullet Fingers puts alligators in the portable latrines and uses snakes with taped-shut mouths to scare away the guard dogs. Roy creates an elaborate ruse to ensnare Dana Matherson in his own misdeeds. Neither boy, Roy or Mullet Fingers, gives up easily. Roy doesn't give in to Dana, and he persists in tracking down the running boy and in trying to save the owls. Mullet Fingers works persistently to pester the Mother Paula's company with increasingly severe pranks. Both Roy and Mullet Fingers seem to have a high pain tolerance. Roy invites Dana to hit him, and the bully strikes him on the head three times while on the bus. He also endures some serious brawling in the janitor's closet. Mullet Fingers, despite his infected and wounded arm, runs to the construction site, arriving there before Beatrice and Roy on the bike. He also escapes from the hospital emergency room despite his fever and injury. Neither boy is a "bad kid"; they both stay primarily within the law and avoid causing physical harm to people while they try to interfere with the construction. Both boys, however, are willing to lie and/or withhold the truth in order to achieve their ends. Mullet Fingers keeps his name secret. At the hospital, both he and Roy lie about who Mullet Fingers is, and Roy lies to his parents and withholds some of the information about Beatrice and Mullet Fingers from them. Although Roy and Mullet Fingers come from different backgrounds, they are similar in many ways.

In his graphic memoir of his parents' experiences during the Holocaust, Maus, how effective is Art Spiegelman's portrayal of people of different...

In conceptualizing his graphic depiction of his parents' experiences during the Holocaust, Maus, Art Spiegelman was very deliberative in his choices of animals to represent different categories of humanity. The most obvious example of this was his use of mice to depict the Jewish victims of German and Polish anti-Semitism, and the use of cats to portray the German soldiers and concentration camp guards who were instrumental in executing Adolf Hitler's Final Solution. The natural relationship between cats and mice easily lends itself to a depiction of murderous bullies and their weaker victims. Cats not only pursue mice with the intention of devouring them, they are also well-known to toy with or mentally torture their intended victims before they move in for the final kill. That is about as appropriate an analogy to Germany's treatment of Europe's Jewish population, within the confines of the use of the animal kingdom as a parable for human conduct, as one can hope to identify.

Other of Spiegelman’s selections within the animal kingdom are equally obvious in their application to human subjects. Polish police officers are depicted as pigs, in keeping with the derogatory designation of law enforcement officers as pigs among the more liberal members of American society, especially during the 1960s and 1970s (Spiegelman’s biography, including his work for liberal and sometimes anti-establishment publications, is consistent with this explanation). British soldiers are depicted as fish, consistent with, in Spiegelman’s own words, “an island culture separate from Europe, fish-and-chips, cold blooded . . .” In short, the author of the Maus “tales” devoted time and energy to ensuring that the people depicted in his stories were represented by those animals most closely identified with these peoples’ conduct.

How effective was Spiegelman in his use of animals in Maus? The answer is very subjective. Different readers will respond in different ways. To this educator, however, the author’s use of animals was very effective. Spiegelman succeeded in emphasizing the nature of his subjects, especially with respect to the German cats and the Jewish mice, the most important element of these volumes. The larger, domineering cats and their intense hatred for and ridicule of the small, weak minority of mice in their midst serve as a powerful parable for the most horrific event in human history.

It has been said that James Weldon Johnson poem "The Creation" is based on his memories of sermons. In what ways is the poem like a sermon and the...

Great poems and great sermons share similar traits: both rely heavily on imagery, story-telling and a rhythmic quality. To gain some insights into a particulary rich preaching tradition, you might look at Henry H. Mitchell's, Black Preaching: The Recovery of a Powerful Art.

Images are descriptions that use the five senses. Both poems and sermons rely on these to paint a vivid picture in people's minds of what they are discussing. When Martin Luther King,...

Great poems and great sermons share similar traits: both rely heavily on imagery, story-telling and a rhythmic quality. To gain some insights into a particulary rich preaching tradition, you might look at Henry H. Mitchell's, Black Preaching: The Recovery of a Powerful Art.

Images are descriptions that use the five senses. Both poems and sermons rely on these to paint a vivid picture in people's minds of what they are discussing. When Martin Luther King, who was trained as a preacher, gave his sermon-like "I Have a Dream" speech, the vivid images, such as "justice rolls down like water," remained in people's mind in the way abstract terms (such as just saying the word "justice" ) would not. In the poem you mention, "The Creation," Johnson also uses  vivid imagery, such as

the rainbow appeared/And curled itself around [God's] shoulder

This shows God's intimacy with nature and is a beautiful image that supports the idea that creation is good.

Likewise, when 

 God scooped the clay ... by the bank of the river/He kneeled him down ...

the picture that Johnson provides here shows how God humbled himself while creating humankind.

Poets and preachers often (not always) tell stories. The Bible is a collection of stories and both poets and preachers understand that they can often best convey truths in narrative form, even if these stories are just tiny snippets. 

Finally, poets use rhyme, rhythm and repetition, among other techniques, to help people remember and to reinforce important messages. Preachers use cadence, which is how a person's voice rises and falls, to create a sense of rhythm. Preachers also use repetition to reinforce their most important points. 

Both poets and preachers hope to persuade people and often do it through using rich and startling language that remains in people's minds.

In the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," what does "lovely, dark and deep" suggest?

At first glance, Frost’s poem is simple. It’s about a man going through the snowy woods and taking a moment to pause and look around. When his horse jingles his little bells, the speaker realizes he needs to move along because he still has miles yet to go. However, a closer reading suggests that there is something more happening.

There have been several interpretations of this poem, and the key seems to be in the...

At first glance, Frost’s poem is simple. It’s about a man going through the snowy woods and taking a moment to pause and look around. When his horse jingles his little bells, the speaker realizes he needs to move along because he still has miles yet to go. However, a closer reading suggests that there is something more happening.

There have been several interpretations of this poem, and the key seems to be in the final stanza: 

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.”

The phrase describing the woods as “lovely, dark and deep” suggests a mystery the speaker associates with the woods. The speaker does not see the woods as threatening, but by describing them as dark, there does seem to be something inexplicable about the woods. When this description of the woods is read along with the final couplet, it suggests a more serious purpose.

Some critics have written that the poem addresses the speaker’s sense of responsibility. He must stop looking at the woods and head home because he has miles to go and he has responsibilities to tend to upon his return. Another interpretation is that the speaker needs to continue moving along his journey of life before he dies (sleep referring to the final sleep or death).

Therefore, the phrase “lovely, dark, and deep” suggests that the speaker has more serious things to address, although the woods are bewitching and make him want to linger. This reflects other aspects of his life that distract him from his responsibilities or keep him from his fate.

Who are the women who have inspired you the most?

Each person will have a different list of personal women in their life – mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, teacher, etc. (in this category I would put my Aunt Mary, who taught me the function of a sense of humor).

 As for general influences, I would put Susan Sontag, Megan Terry, and Joanie Mitchell on my list. Susan Sontag was a brilliant scholar, essayist, and author; her discussion of the power of photography, in On...

Each person will have a different list of personal women in their life – mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, teacher, etc. (in this category I would put my Aunt Mary, who taught me the function of a sense of humor).

 As for general influences, I would put Susan Sontag, Megan Terry, and Joanie Mitchell on my list. Susan Sontag was a brilliant scholar, essayist, and author; her discussion of the power of photography, in On Photography, was the most influential book in my graduate school days, not only from its content (a sociological study of the effect of photographic techniques on our perception of the world), but also for its strong scholarly methodology. Megan Terry broke many dramatic/theatrical molds with her Calm Down, Mother and Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool, Dark Place. The influence of Joanie Mitchell came from her songs, a cross between pop and folk music. These women all retained their female identity without compromising the power of their minds, and they all taught me to observe the world from a humanistic, not merely a masculine, perspective.

What is the importance today of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address?

The importance of the speech depends on one's perspective. On the one hand, it was an extremely bellicose speech, and was heard that way at the time. The speech was given at a time when Cold War tensions were extremely high, and Kennedy was speaking directly to the Soviets when he said that

we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and...

The importance of the speech depends on one's perspective. On the one hand, it was an extremely bellicose speech, and was heard that way at the time. The speech was given at a time when Cold War tensions were extremely high, and Kennedy was speaking directly to the Soviets when he said that

we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.

Kennedy always saw the Cold War as his first priority, and the speech reflects this emphasis--he was speaking, he said, at "the hour of maximum danger" to freedom. But he also extended what might be interpreted as somewhat of an olive branch, observing that both the United States and the Soviet Union were "overburdened by the cost" of nuclear weapons and asserting that neither side should be afraid to negotiate. So this speech is a fairly good summation of Kennedy's priorities upon becoming President, and is this important as a document of the Cold War. But we also remember this speech for its soaring rhetoric, especially his injunction to Americans near the end of the speech to "ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country." Thus this speech is a sort of statement of the civic ideal that many Americans still hold. So for these reasons, both historical and rhetorical, this speech retains great significance.

How does Wordsworth describe the song of the Solitary Reaper?

The narrator describes the reaper's song as a "melancholy strain" and "plaintive." While he cannot distinguish the words of her song, they sound sad, as if she is singing of loss or pain. He likens her singing favorably to the songs of the nightingale and the cuckoo, both birds that often sing alone. The nightingale is known for its beautiful song, but here, the narrator says the solitary reaper's song is more arresting than even that.

By taking a common, laboring woman and comparing her to a bird, a creature of nature, Wordsworth is depicting her as a thing of beauty in harmony with her environment. This is reinforced by the fact that narrator cannot make out the words: the beauty of the song transcends human language. Her song is sad, but because it is melancholic it is tinged with a bittersweet beauty that touches and thrills the listener's soul. 

What are two things the reader learns about Atticus's character in chapters 24, 25, and 26 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapters 25 and 26 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, one thing we learn about Atticus's character is that he strikes a balance between being supportive and giving people space as the need arises. As a result, people continue to trust him, like his children and the citizens who continue to elect him to state legislature unopposed.

Atticus's supportiveness is particularly demonstrated in Chapter 25, when Scout recalls what Dill described for her of Atticus's actions concerning informing Helen Robinson of her husband's death. According to Dill, Helen had fallen to the ground the moment she had greeted Atticus, without Atticus even saying a word. Then, also according to Dill, Atticus, together with Calpurnia, had "lifted Helen to her feet and half carried, half walked her to the cabin" (Ch. 25). Atticus's action of lifting and partially carrying Helen to her cabin represents Atticus's typical uplifting, supportive behavior. In raising Helen to her feet and helping her inside the house, he is giving her emotional support, just as he gave her husband emotional support by putting his all into her husband's defense. We see Atticus display similarly uplifting, supportive behavior towards his children, such as when he allows Scout to climb into his lap in Chapter 26, even though he says she is getting too big.

Yet, Atticus is not the sort of person who smothers another person with unwanted support. Instead, he is also the sort of person who knows when to give another person needed space to grow and thereby strikes a balance between being supportive and granting space. We see him strike this balance in Chapter 26 when he intimates he knew all along that his children were pulling antics, such as trespassing on the Radleys' property, to try and get a look at their neighbor Arthur Radley. Yet, he intentionally left them to their own devices because he knew they needed room to grow and learn from their mistakes. We learn that Atticus knew far more about their antics than he had let on to knowing when he tells Scout not to get caught up in her obsession about Arthur again and gives her the following warning:

I'll tell you right now: stop it. I'm too old to go chasing you off the Radley property. Besides, it's dangerous. You might get shot. You know Mr. Nathan shoots at every shadow he sees, even shadows that leave size-four bare footprints. You were lucky not to be killed. (Ch. 26)

Atticus's above speech astonishes Scout because it not only lets her know how much he really knew, it also lets her know just how much Atticus let the children get away with. In other words, through Atticus's above speech, both Scout and the reader learn just how much room Atticus gives his children to grow while at the same time being emotionally supportive when they need him to be.

I have to write multiple restaurant reviews that use specific grammatical structures in Spanish. How can I describe each restaurant and some of its...

In writing your review, you want to be sure that you understand the difference between the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish. The imperfect is used for continuous action in the past, or action that went on for some time, and the imperfect can be used with words that express frequency such as "a veces" (sometimes), "cada dia" (every day, with an accent on the "i"), or "a menudo" (often). The preterite is used for...

In writing your review, you want to be sure that you understand the difference between the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish. The imperfect is used for continuous action in the past, or action that went on for some time, and the imperfect can be used with words that express frequency such as "a veces" (sometimes), "cada dia" (every day, with an accent on the "i"), or "a menudo" (often). The preterite is used for action that is completed in the past.

Some verbs you may want to use are ir, to go, as in "yo fui al restaurante" (I went to the restaurant), and pedir (to order), as in "yo pedi (with an accent on the "i") una hamburguesa," or "I ordered a hamburger." The types of verbs you might use in Spanish with the imperfect are, for example, "Yo comia (with an accent on the "i") desayuno a las ocho todos los dias," (with an accent on the "i" of "dias"), which means "I used to eat breakfast at eight every day." You can use the imperfect of "ser" to describe the restaurant, as in "el restaurante era muy bonito," the restaurant was very nice. However, to describe food, you generally say, "la comida estuvo deliciosa" (or "the food was delicious," with the preterite form of estar). Finally, to use a command in the Ud. form, you could say, "vaya al restaurante," which means "go to the restaurant" or "pida una hamburguesa," which means "order a hamburger." 

Can you offer three quoted examples from Into The Wild that show why Chris McCandless was a rebel?

Chris is a rebel first because of anger at his parents, people he accuses of trying to buy his love with material goods. He rejects their values and tries to live as simply as possible. He writes:

I'm going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.

Second, Chris rebels against the materialism of U.S. culture because he...

Chris is a rebel first because of anger at his parents, people he accuses of trying to buy his love with material goods. He rejects their values and tries to live as simply as possible. He writes:

I'm going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.

Second, Chris rebels against the materialism of U.S. culture because he believes a simpler life is a more joyful and fulfilling life, writing: "The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up." Later, he writes that he has found "the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent." 

Finally, he believes the core of life lies in embracing adventure, not living a monotonous middle-class existence. As he writes to his friend Ron Franz"

The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an ever-changing horizon ...

Chris's reading of Thoreau and Tolstoy, his strong will, his desire to live fully and authentically and his rebellion against his parents' values led him to adopt a counter-cultural lifestyle, one, he said, that filled him with great joy. 

How did the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century lead to the scramble for Africa?

The Industrial Revolution contributed to the "Scramble for Africa," as well as imperialism more broadly, in several different ways. 

First, the Industrial Revolution created an almost insatiable demand for raw materials, including metals, timber, rubber, and many others. Africa is rich in these materials, and European nations, and the industrialists who helped influence foreign policy, clamored for them. In the Congo, for instance, King Leopold of Belgium created his own company to profit from the harvest of rubber and other raw materials. His company treated the natives with shocking brutality that came to represent the worst of European colonialism. 

Second, the Industrial Revolution created a demand for new, secure markets for manufactured goods. Colonization created captive markets in places like Africa, and this helped to fuel the competition for colonies. Many Europeans feared that a lack of new markets would result in overproduction, which in turn would lead to economic depression. This gave urgency to the colonization project. 

Finally, the Industrial Revolution exacerbated the technological gap between the peoples of Africa and Asia and people in Europe. This was probably the single most important factor in facilitating the "Scramble for Africa." Europeans, armed with machine guns and other advanced weapons, were able to conquer African peoples. 

What aspects of contemporary family life do the “Happylife Home” and the nursery satirize? What exactly have the Hadleys “purchased” for...

The Happylife Home and the nursery are used to satirize the value that people place on material objects and technology. 

Author Ray Bradbury commented not long before his death that he once believed technology would be "mankind's savior, but now I think it may be our doom." This idea is illustrated in "The Veldt," as Lydia and George Hadley hold the belief that technology is the answer to their problems. Sadly, the virtual reality walls of the nursery become...

The Happylife Home and the nursery are used to satirize the value that people place on material objects and technology. 

Author Ray Bradbury commented not long before his death that he once believed technology would be "mankind's savior, but now I think it may be our doom." This idea is illustrated in "The Veldt," as Lydia and George Hadley hold the belief that technology is the answer to their problems. Sadly, the virtual reality walls of the nursery become their doom instead.

Believing that technology is a boon to their lives, the Hadleys have purchased an expensive house that does a multitude of tasks for them. But what they lose from having technology be the homemaker is the human and loving touch and interaction that their children need. For instance, Mrs. Hadley tells her husband that she no longer feels that she belongs in her home, but she forgets that there is more to a child's bath than just the washing of the body:

"The house is wife and mother now, and nursemaid....Can I give a bath and scrub the children as efficiently or quickly as the automatic scrub bath can? I cannot."

Wendy and Peter do not receive the nurturing and humanizing that comes from a child's physical, emotional, and intellectual contact with parents. Then, because of their separation from the human touch and interaction, the children seek experiences of emotion from their virtual reality of their nursery. And, since the walls of the nursery cannot provide the deep feelings of love, it substitutes for Wendy and Peter what it can produce—the intensity of violence.

What are the mascots at Merryweather High School in Speak?

Merryweather High School (the school which is attended by Melinda, the protagonist of Speak) undergoes several changes in mascots over the course of the book. The first mascot featured in the book is that of the Trojans, which the school board feels does not represent the message of abstinence that they want to convey to the impressionable teenage students. The mascot is, thus, changed to the Blue Devils. Melinda wryly comments on this, stating,...

Merryweather High School (the school which is attended by Melinda, the protagonist of Speak) undergoes several changes in mascots over the course of the book. The first mascot featured in the book is that of the Trojans, which the school board feels does not represent the message of abstinence that they want to convey to the impressionable teenage students. The mascot is, thus, changed to the Blue Devils. Melinda wryly comments on this, stating, "Better the Devil you known than the Trojan you don't, I guess."

This doesn't last for long, however, and the school board decides that the new mascot will be the Merryweather Tigers. The Ecology Club believes that this is "degrading an endangered species," and so a vote is taken to determine the next mascot. There are three votes for Bees, seventeen votes for Icebergs, one vote for Hilltoppers, thirty-two votes for Wombats, and one-thousand-five-hundred-and-forty-seven illegible or written in votes. Despite the vote, the Principal decides to make the mascot the Hornets. 

After some students make a cheer at the basketball game about "Horny Hornets," the PTA starts a petition to get rid of this mascot. Due to the immense student pride in this mascot, however, it manages to stick around.

How is suspense used in Sarah's Key?

The principal catalyst for suspense in the first 150 pages in the book is the plight of Michel, Sarah's brother. Until roughly 150 pages into the novel, it is not known whether he is dead or alive. Sarah, despite being a very young child, understands the gravity of the situation and is desperate to free her brother from the closet in which he's hiding. 

The first and most obvious point as to why suspense is...

The principal catalyst for suspense in the first 150 pages in the book is the plight of Michel, Sarah's brother. Until roughly 150 pages into the novel, it is not known whether he is dead or alive. Sarah, despite being a very young child, understands the gravity of the situation and is desperate to free her brother from the closet in which he's hiding. 

The first and most obvious point as to why suspense is a major factor is the empathy the reader has for a young girl trying to save her brother. Secondly, the reader has empathy for the boy himself, as it is natural to want an innocent child to survive. Somewhat less evocative but still powerful is the suspense related to the uncertain effect the Starzynskis story will have on Julia.

What is a figure of speech in the poem "A Poison Tree" by William Blake?

The poem uses a metaphor to compare anger to a tree.

A figure of speech is the use of language that is not literal.  In the case of this poem, the entire poem is figurative.  The poem compares a tree to a person’s feelings.  The poem uses metaphor, which is a comparison between two things. The tree becomes a metaphorical representation of the anger.

The poem describes the speaker’s wrath.  When he does not tell...

The poem uses a metaphor to compare anger to a tree.

A figure of speech is the use of language that is not literal.  In the case of this poem, the entire poem is figurative.  The poem compares a tree to a person’s feelings.  The poem uses metaphor, which is a comparison between two things. The tree becomes a metaphorical representation of the anger.

The poem describes the speaker’s wrath.  When he does not tell anyone that he is angry, the anger just festers like a growing tree. 

And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears: 

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles. (Stanza 2)

The metaphor the speaker uses is to say that he watered his anger and his anger grew.  He watered it with his tears, meaning that as he cried and fretted about whatever it was that made him angry, the anger grew and grew. The speaker did not literally plant anger, and it is not literally growing. That is why we call it a figure of speech.

And it grew both day and night. 

Till it bore an apple bright. 

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.  (Stanza 3)

Something that is figurative can still be represented by something literal.  For example, the speaker can plant a tree, and compare it to his anger.  He could be using the tree to lure his enemy in, so that he can kill him with poisoned fruit.  More likely he is acting on his anger.

The poem is a metaphor for what happens when we let our anger fester instead of dealing with it.  We get angrier and angrier until we act on our anger, and possibly even kill the person who is making us angry.  Anger is a poison, and it can lead to destruction both of the angry person and the object of his anger.

Compare and contrast the political philosophies of Hobbes and Locke.

The political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes is best seen in his work Leviathan, written amid the chaos of the English Civil War. Locke, on the other hand, laid out his political philosophy in his Two Treatises on Government, published in 1689, just after the Glorious Revolution, but written a few years earlier. Both of these authors argue that government is based on a social contract in which the people, desiring security for their...

The political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes is best seen in his work Leviathan, written amid the chaos of the English Civil War. Locke, on the other hand, laid out his political philosophy in his Two Treatises on Government, published in 1689, just after the Glorious Revolution, but written a few years earlier. Both of these authors argue that government is based on a social contract in which the people, desiring security for their property and their persons, give up some of their liberties in return for the protection afforded by government. This is not an insignificant similarity--neither author views government as based on divine right or on a paternalist family model advocated by many supporters of absolute monarchy. 

Where they differ, however, is on the type of government that would be created. Hobbes argues that to provide the order that keeps life from being "solitary, nasty, brutish, and short," government must be vested in a sovereign with absolute powers, and this government must be permanent and secure in its powers. "[N]one of his subjects," Hobbes wrote of the sovereign, "by any pretence of forfeiture, can be freed from his Subjection." The alternative was to be left in the eternal state of war, one man against every other man, that characterized the state of nature in Hobbes' mind. It is important to remember that Hobbes wrote, as mentioned above, during the English Civil War, a time of war, near-anarchy, and violence.

Locke, on the other hand, argued that the people having, out of the state of nature, agreed of their own free will to establish a government that protected their rights (he emphasized property in particular), they could and should "resume their original liberty" if that government violated the rights it was supposed to protect. So Locke essentially advocated a right of revolution that would be cited by the American Revolutionaries in particular. He also claimed that the best government was a "commonwealth" in which the people were represented, since no arbitrary government could really represent the people. For more information, see the links below. Locke's arguments about the social contract are in the Second Treatise on Government.

What literary techniques does Frost employ in "The Road Not Taken?"

Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" features a first-person speaker recounting a personal anecdote. This means that the speaker is using the first person pronoun "I" and telling a story about a personal experience. These features also make the poem a narrative poem, as it tells a story, rather than a lyric poem.

Further, Frost uses simple diction, alliteration, and a basic rhyme schemeof ABAAB CDCCD EFEEF GHGGH. The word choice...

Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" features a first-person speaker recounting a personal anecdote. This means that the speaker is using the first person pronoun "I" and telling a story about a personal experience. These features also make the poem a narrative poem, as it tells a story, rather than a lyric poem.

Further, Frost uses simple diction, alliteration, and a basic rhyme scheme of ABAAB CDCCD EFEEF GHGGH. The word choice is straightforward. Alliteration can be found in some of the lines; for example, "Because it was grassy and wanted wear" (line 8), repeats the beginning "w" sound. 

The speaker describes the two roads using imagery. He discusses each road in turn, especially focuses on how "worn" each road is, meaning how many times travelers have chosen that road over the other. The first three lines present the central conflict of the poem: "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both, / And be one traveler, long I stood" deciding which road to take. Once he makes his decision, the speaker expresses this with an exclamatory statement: "Oh, I kept the first for another day!" (12). 

The poem's mood takes a dark turn near the end, when the speaker ponders the irreversible consequences of choosing one path over another. He "doubted if [he] should ever come back," and this doubt means that his decision is irreversible (15). He also says that in the future, he "shall be telling this with a sigh" (16). The speaker's reflections could be said to symbolize or could be said to serve as a metaphor for any decision we make in our lives: ultimately, we choose one path, and we cannot go back and reverse our decision. The choice "has made all the difference" (20). 

What does the "business" part of the missionary circle consist of in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The greatest insight given into Aunt Alexandra's missionary circles is found in chapter 24. Scout helps Calpurnia in the kitchen while the "business" part takes place. Aunt Alexandra told her that it would bore her, but that she could join them for refreshments afterwards. The Methodist women invited to the business part consist of Mrs. Merriweather, Mill Gates, and Miss Farrow; but when it is time for refreshments, the neighborhood ladies are invited. That means...

The greatest insight given into Aunt Alexandra's missionary circles is found in chapter 24. Scout helps Calpurnia in the kitchen while the "business" part takes place. Aunt Alexandra told her that it would bore her, but that she could join them for refreshments afterwards. The Methodist women invited to the business part consist of Mrs. Merriweather, Mill Gates, and Miss Farrow; but when it is time for refreshments, the neighborhood ladies are invited. That means that Miss Rachel, Miss Maudie, and Miss Stephanie Crawford are invited in at that time as well. Just as the refreshments are being passed around, talk seems to turn back to what the first group of women had discussed during the missionary segment. For example, Mrs. Merriweather discusses her missionary work with J. Grimes Everett and helping the Mrunas become better Christians. Then they start to discuss Helen Robinson, as follows:

"Well, I always say forgive and forget, forgive and forget. Thing that church ought to do is help her lead a Christian life for those children from here on out. Some of the men ought to go out there and tell that preacher to encourage her" (231).

It would seem that the "business" part of the circle is about making other people more Christian--or more like what they feel is Christian. Not only that, but the missionary circle discusses the black community who work for whites as maids and field hands. Mrs. Merriweather tells everyone how she told her maid, Sophie, to stop acting depressed because of the Tom Robinson case. She told her that Jesus never complained, so she shouldn't either. In order to keep her job, Sophie agreed and put on a happy face for her employer.

Mrs. Merriweather probably should not have let her opinions and activities with her missionary efforts spill over into the refreshment part of the tea party. Nevertheless, she divulges that the women from the Methodist church, which includes Aun Alexandra, must discuss making the black community more subservient by telling them to be better Christians. They must think that they are actually "saving" them, but in reality, they discuss how to keep the blacks as submissive workers while they maintain their self-righteous attitudes and "higher class" status. 

For the stories "Two Kinds" and "Everyday Use," write about the physical objects that become the focal points of the conflicts. What do these...

In “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the authors use physical objects as focal points of the conflicts between the mothers and their daughters. In “Two Kinds” the object is a piano, and in “Everyday Use” it is a pair of heirloom quilts.

In Alice Walker’s short story, the older daughter, Dee, leaves her country home. She reinvents herself through education and life in the city. She changes her name...

In “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the authors use physical objects as focal points of the conflicts between the mothers and their daughters. In “Two Kinds” the object is a piano, and in “Everyday Use” it is a pair of heirloom quilts.

In Alice Walker’s short story, the older daughter, Dee, leaves her country home. She reinvents herself through education and life in the city. She changes her name from Dee to Wangero, and wears clothing she associates with her African background. When she visits her childhood home, the quilts become an object of conflict. Dee asks if she can have them to use as wall hangings that depict her heritage. Her mother protests and lets Dee know the quilts are promised to the younger daughter, Maggie. Maggie learned to quilt from their relatives, Grandma Dee and Big Dee, who painstakingly pieced the quilts from bits and pieces of fabric worn by family members. These are the women Dee was named after; they are her true ancestors. Dee is afraid that Maggie will actually use the quilts, thus symbolically destroying their heritage. The mother understands that Dee is the one who actually destroyed her personal history by changing her name and looks. It is ironic that in her search for her past, Dee erases it, while Maggie, through her simple life, is maintaining it. The quilts symbolize the family history that Maggie will carry on.

In Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds,” the piano is symbolic of the mother’s dreams for her daughter in America. According to the mother, “you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” Unfortunately, the daughter is not interested in being a child prodigy, and refuses to practice diligently on the piano. She embarrasses her family in a failed performance, after which the piano sits unused in the mother’s home. A rift develops between mother and daughter, which is not resolved until after the older woman’s death. On the daughter’s thirtieth birthday, the mother tells her to take the piano. The mother is offering a truce but it feels like a victory to the daughter. The piano remains in the parents’ home for months after the mother dies. Once the piano is moved to her own home, the daughter sits down to play a piece of music from her childhood, which she realizes is symbolic of her life.

"Pleading Child" was shorter but slower; "Perfectly Contented" was longer but faster. And after I had played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song.

How does the importance of family help the reader connect to the story Night by Elie Wiesel?

Family is something that most people have experience with and strong feelings about. Even if we have disagreements or suffer hardships with our parents, grandparents, and siblings, we are bound to them and feel a sense of obligation to them. Throughout Night, Wiesel and his family are taken from the Jewish ghetto they lived in and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Amidst all of the violence and insecurity of the Holocaust, Wiesel's family remained a constant for him....

Family is something that most people have experience with and strong feelings about. Even if we have disagreements or suffer hardships with our parents, grandparents, and siblings, we are bound to them and feel a sense of obligation to them. Throughout Night, Wiesel and his family are taken from the Jewish ghetto they lived in and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Amidst all of the violence and insecurity of the Holocaust, Wiesel's family remained a constant for him. In being moved from ghetto to ghetto, they were still together as a family. In spite of all the terrible things happening, at least that one thing was constant. Family can offer a sense of stability and reaffirm our identities even in the most troubled of times, which is why it is all the more unfortunate that Wiesel lost his mother, sister, and father in the concentration camp. 

Upon arrival, Wiesel's mother and sister were separated from him and killed, while he and his father were sent to labor. By the end of the book, Wiesel's father died due to malnutrition and dysentery. Wiesel's world changed dramatically not only for the fact that he had been sent to a concentration camp, but that the one constant he had relied on was taken from him. Such a message really hits home, as most of us can understand and appreciate the stability family offers in trying times.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what would Mr. Avery's opinion on the Tom Robinson trial be?

Mr. Dick Avery is an interesting, colorful character whose main purpose is to perhaps give us another view of the older generation in Maycomb. Mr. Avery rents a room from Mrs. Dubose and lives down the street from the Finches.  He sits on the porch of Mrs. Dubose’s house each night sneezing and whittling toothpicks.  He has also been seen peeing off the porch (with an exceptional arc to the pee) by Scout and Jem. ...

Mr. Dick Avery is an interesting, colorful character whose main purpose is to perhaps give us another view of the older generation in Maycomb. Mr. Avery rents a room from Mrs. Dubose and lives down the street from the Finches.  He sits on the porch of Mrs. Dubose’s house each night sneezing and whittling toothpicks.  He has also been seen peeing off the porch (with an exceptional arc to the pee) by Scout and Jem.  Scout and Jem always look out for Mr. Avery because they want to see what crazy thing he will do next.  When the snow comes to Maycomb, Mr. Avery blames Scout and Jem for being bad kids for the sudden, unusual weather.  In retaliation, Jem and Scout build a big, rotund snowman that looks like Mr. Avery. Atticus makes Jem disguise it so it isn’t so obvious that Jem has crafted an effigy of Mr. Avery with the snowman.

Because Mr. Avery seems to be an unfriendly, grumpy old man, I think he would have old southern values much like the ones Mrs. Dubose shows when she makes disparaging remarks to Scout and Jem about the trial. He probably doesn’t agree with Atticus defending Tom Robinson and may be why he harasses the kids for the bad weather that came to Maycomb.  He doesn’t seem to have much motivation to do anything but sit around and make inappropriate comments and partake in uncouth behavior.  I think we can probably count on Mr. Avery having old-fashioned, racist attitudes and beliefs about the Tom Robinson trial because of the way he treats Scout and Jem.  I also don't think Mrs. Dubose would have a tenant who exhibited progressive, liberal views on race as well.  

When and how do readers know that Mrs. Sappleton's niece has been lying? Once it is revealed that she has been lying, can anything be found...

The readers do not know that Vera was lying until Framton Nuttel has fled from the house and is running down the road in flight from the three figures he took to be ghosts. Then Mr. Sappleton reveals that they are not ghosts but only three hunters returning for tea from a day's shooting.

"Here we are, my dear," said the bearer of the white mackintosh, coming in through the window, "fairly muddy, but most of it's dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?"

A few faint clues that Vera was lying can be found after the readers realize that her story was a practical joke. For one thing, Vera asks Framton Nuttel two questions to find out how much he knows about her family and about the locale. These questions are:

"Do you know many of the people round here?"

"Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?"

Readers might assume that the girl is just making polite conversation, but in retrospect they will realize that Vera needed to be sure Framton Nuttel knew nothing about her aunt or about local history before she could proceed to tell him her ghost story.

Readers will also see that Vera was intentionally planting a suggestion in the visitor's mind when she says:

Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in through that   window--" 

Note that the girl is not trying to plant a suggestion in the readers' minds, because she isn't aware of the existence of any readers; but the author is very deliberately planting that suggestion in the minds of his readers. When the three figures appear outside walking towards the open window, they will be doing exactly what Vera foreshadowed. Obviously it is Saki's intention to frighten the readers of his story. They will be identified with Framton Nuttel because the story is told through his point of view, and they will suddenly be afraid they are going to be witnessing a horrible scene in which a trio of decaying walking dead men will enter the living room all carrying shotguns. 

This little scare only lasts a few moments before the readers realize that these are just ordinary mortals and that Vera had cast them all, along with her aunt and herself, in an elaborate play intended to frighten poor Framton Nuttel out of his wits. Vera may not have expected Framton to react so strongly. She did not know he was suffering from a nervous disorder until she heard him talking about it to her aunt. He hadn't said anything about his "nerve cure" to the girl because it would not have been appropriate. But once the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, there was nothing Vera could do but wait and see what would happen when the three men returned for tea.

Framton would have had no time to say anything to Vera about his nerves or his nerve cure anyway. As soon as the girl finishes her story and tells him in a spooky manner that she sometimes gets the creepy feeling that the men will return from the dead, her aunt arrives and takes over the hostessing.

She broke off with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when the aunt bustled into the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in making her appearance.

Do you have a quote that shows internal conflict from the Lord of Flies?

There are many instances of internal conflict in Lord of the Flies. In these instances, the boys battle their own fears, insecurities, and dark emotions. Jack and Ralph both struggle with jealousy when the boys' allegiance gravitates away from them. Simon's encounter with the pig's head on a stick is also a prime example of internal conflict because Simon's own emotions and thoughts are projected onto the Lord of the Flies.

One of the most somber examples of internal conflict, however, occurs after Simon's murder when Ralph and Piggy discuss what happened. They both realize they have played a part in murder, and the guilt and confusion is overwhelming. Piggy tries to rationalize the act, and this conversation occurs, with Ralph speaking first:

"You were outside. Outside the circle. You never really came in. Didn't you see what we--what they did?"

There was loathing, and at the same time a kind of feverish excitement, in his voice.

"Didn't you see, Piggy?" . . . .

"It was an accident," said Piggy suddenly, "that's what it was. An accident." His voice shrilled again. "Coming in the dark--he hadn't no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it." He gesticulated widely again. "It was an accident."

In this passage, Ralph and Piggy are struggling with their own sense of right and wrong and an overwhelming sense of their personal moral failure. They cannot resolve it, not having a way to absolve themselves from the guilt. They first latch onto the idea of the murder being an "accident," then move to denial, saying they were "outside," and then saying, "We never done nothing, we never seen nothing." They meet Samneric, and they, too, deny having been part of the murder, saying they left early. Golding then writes with great irony, "Memory of the dance that none of them had attended shook all four boys convulsively."

In this passage Golding uses dialogue and descriptions of the boys' physical actions to reveal the internal conflict they are experiencing.

Why does Pip go to stay with his Uncle Pumblechook in Great Expectations?

Pip goes to stay with Uncle Pumblechook before his first visit to Miss Havisham’s house.

Pip has no idea what to expect from Miss Havisham, but he does not like his Uncle Pumblechook.  Pumblechook is an arrogant blowhard, and does not treat Pip very well.  He agrees with Pip’s sister that Pip is certainly not to be coddled.

Besides being possessed by my sister's idea that a mortifying and penitential character ought to be imparted...

Pip goes to stay with Uncle Pumblechook before his first visit to Miss Havisham’s house.

Pip has no idea what to expect from Miss Havisham, but he does not like his Uncle Pumblechook.  Pumblechook is an arrogant blowhard, and does not treat Pip very well.  He agrees with Pip’s sister that Pip is certainly not to be coddled.

Besides being possessed by my sister's idea that a mortifying and penitential character ought to be imparted to my diet,—besides giving me as much crumb as possible in combination with as little butter, and putting such a quantity of warm water into my milk that it would have been more candid to have left the milk out altogether,—his conversation consisted of nothing but arithmetic. (Ch. 8)

Pumblechook constantly asks Pip to calculate math problems because he thinks that it is good for him.  He also takes credit for Pip’s excursion to Miss Havisham’s house.  She is a rich lady, and he and Pip’s sister think that visiting her house will somehow enrich him.

For such reasons, I was very glad when ten o'clock came and we started for Miss Havisham's; though I was not at all at my ease regarding the manner in which I should acquit myself under that lady's roof.  (Ch. 8)

As if Pip is not already having a bad enough time, Miss Havisham’s house is decidedly creepy and the inhabitants strange.  Pumblechook is not allowed to enter, Pip later determines that he never actually knew her.  He just pretended that he did.

Pumblechook tries to use Miss Havisham’s wealth to add to his reputation.  Actually, the visits to Miss Havisham’s house do seem to enrich Pip.  She pays to apprentice him to Joe, and then later comes into a grand inheritance.  He thinks it is from her, but it turns out it actually isn’t.

In what ways does Walter Mitty's daydreaming benefit him, and in what ways does it cause problems for him in his relations with others in "The...

Walter Mitty's daydreams are acts of rebellion against his oppressive wife, imaginary displays of manliness that feed Mitty's wounded ego. However, he sometimes becomes embroiled in conflict because of his daydreams.

In one daydream, Walter Mitty imagines that he is the commander of a SN202, a Navy hydroplane that breaks through ice. As others say that the machine will not make it through, Commander Mitty barks orders and the crew say in awe, "The Old...

Walter Mitty's daydreams are acts of rebellion against his oppressive wife, imaginary displays of manliness that feed Mitty's wounded ego. However, he sometimes becomes embroiled in conflict because of his daydreams.

In one daydream, Walter Mitty imagines that he is the commander of a SN202, a Navy hydroplane that breaks through ice. As others say that the machine will not make it through, Commander Mitty barks orders and the crew say in awe, "The Old Man ain't afraid of Hell!" But Walter is interrupted by his wife's scolding,

"You're driving too fast!....I don't like to go more than forty. You were up to fifty-five."

Mitty drives on, but his daydream must be abandoned when Mrs. Mitty again interrupts,

"You're tensed up again....It's one of your days. I wish you'd let Dr. Renshaw look over you."

In another daydream, Mitty pretends that he is a surgeon who fixes a new anesthetizer by positioning a fountain pen in the place of a faulty piston. He is then asked to take over for Dr. Renshaw, who is a drunkard. But Mitty's daydream is interrupted by a parking-lot attendant: "Wrong lane, Mac." Afterward, Mitty meekly mutters, "Gee. Yeh" and tries to maneuver his car out of the Exit lane. Still, the attendant shouts at him, "Leave her sit there....I'll put her away," and he backs the car up with "insolent skill."

In Julius Caesar, Brutus' servant Lucius finds a letter in Brutus' bedroom. Who does Brutus think it is from? Who is it actually from?

After Caesar’s triumph, there is a high likelihood that he will be established as a King. Several notable citizens and leaders in Rome do not want this to happen. Their reasons are varied, with some being jealous of Caesar’s growing popularity and support among the people. Brutus, who is among those threatened by such a situation, is worried about freedoms already established under the republic. Brutus fears that Caesar will become a tyrant who will...

After Caesar’s triumph, there is a high likelihood that he will be established as a King. Several notable citizens and leaders in Rome do not want this to happen. Their reasons are varied, with some being jealous of Caesar’s growing popularity and support among the people. Brutus, who is among those threatened by such a situation, is worried about freedoms already established under the republic. Brutus fears that Caesar will become a tyrant who will restrict individual freedoms, leading to the destruction of the republic. For this, Brutus is willing to join the other conspirators in their plan to assassinate Caesar.

In Act 1 Scene 3, Cassius and Cinna deliberate on how to fully incorporate Brutus into their plans. Cassius resolves to send an anonymous letter to Brutus to spur him on to completely cooperating with the conspirators. Cassius asks Cinna to slip the sealed letter under Brutus’s window, where he can find it.

CASSIUS: Don’t worry. Good Cinna, take this paper,
And see that you lay it on the praetor's chair,
Where Brutus may find it, and throw this
In at his window. Seal this up with wax
On old Brutus' statue. When you’ve done all that,
Go to Pompey's Porch, where you shall find us.

In Act 2, Lucius, Brutus’s servant, stumbles upon the letter and takes it to Brutus. The contents of the letter lead Brutus to believe that the correspondence is a public protest by the people and that they are seeking his intervention. 

Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What, Rome?
My ancestors drove Tarquin from the streets of Rome
When he was called a king.—
"Speak, strike, revenge!"—Am I begged, then,To speak and strike? O Rome, I promise you,
If revenge follows, you will receive
Everything you ask for at the hand of Brutus!

In summary, the letter is from Cassius, but Brutus think it is from the people of Rome.

In chapter 1 of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, what is the retelling of the longboat trip from the perspective of Goodwife Cruff?

After a long journey aboard the ship the Dolphin, Kit requested that she be allowed to ride on the longboat to go ashore to the town of Saybrook.  She was eager to set foot on dry land, if only for a short while.  A longboat went ashore to fetch supplies before the ship continued up the river to Wethersfield.  The boat picked up the supplies, as well as a few new passengers on their...

After a long journey aboard the ship the Dolphin, Kit requested that she be allowed to ride on the longboat to go ashore to the town of Saybrook.  She was eager to set foot on dry land, if only for a short while.  A longboat went ashore to fetch supplies before the ship continued up the river to Wethersfield.  The boat picked up the supplies, as well as a few new passengers on their way up the river.  Goodwife Cruff, her husband, and young daughter, Prudence, were among the passengers.  On the boat ride back, Prudence dropped her beloved wooden doll into the water.  The child was devastated and Kit was moved with compassion.  As the doll floated away, Kit dove into the icy cold water to go after it.  The passengers on the longboat thought that she might drown before they realized she could swim.  They thought that Kit was foolish for going into the water.  Goodwife Cruff was not appreciative, and instead viewed Kit with disdain.  She addressed Kit with anger.  "'You must be daft... to jump into the river a ruin those clothes!'"  She also thought it suspicious that Kit, a young lady, should know how to swim.

To retell this from the perspective of Goodwife Cruff, think about her as a character.  She is stern, disapproving, and unappreciative of Kit's kindness in saving her daughter's toy.  She views Kit with suspicion.  

When you retell this scene, you will want to explain why Goodwife Cruff was on the longboat and then describe what happened with Kit jumping into the water from her perspective.  You could use some key words to describe the situation, such as "foolish" or "strange" when telling it from Goodwife Cruff's perspective.

Name the technological devices used in 1984.

In 1984, Orwell describes a number of technological devices which are used by the people of Oceania. Here's a list:

• Telescreen: these screens are installed in the homes of party members and are primarily used for the purposes of surveillance. But the telescreens are also used to transmit party messages to people, like news about the war with Eurasia and information about rations.


• Memory Hole: these devices use currents of warm air to carry waste paper to the nearest incinerator. The reader is introduced to these in Part One, Chapter Four when Winston is rewriting history as part of his job at the Ministry of Truth.  


• Helicopter: these are used by the party to spy on the citizens of Oceania, as described by Winston in Part Two, Chapter Three. They are also used in the war against Eurasia, and later, Eastasia.


• Dial: this is a torture device which is used on Winston at the Ministry of Love in Part Three, Chapter Two. This is not well-described in the text (we do not learn its proper name, for instance), but it enables the user, O'Brien, to inflict pain on an individual who is strapped to a chair.

What is striking about these devices is that they are all used against the people of Oceania. Whether employed for pain or surveillance, each device enables the party to gain a greater degree of control over the people it rules - and they are powerless to stop it.

What metaphors are used throughout the poem "somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond," and what are they comparing? Are the images...

There are several clusters of implicit metaphor in this poem. First, the lover’s body as a journey of discovery; "Somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond any experience";

Second, the poet as a natural plant, blossoming and growing (as Spring does to flowers) in the lover’s presence, a rose, a flower, going through the same stages as a flowering plant.

Thirdly, the lover’s presence as a power to open the poet, to make the poet rediscover...

There are several clusters of implicit metaphor in this poem. First, the lover’s body as a journey of discovery; "Somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond any experience";

Second, the poet as a natural plant, blossoming and growing (as Spring does to flowers) in the lover’s presence, a rose, a flower, going through the same stages as a flowering plant.

Thirdly, the lover’s presence as a power to open the poet, to make the poet rediscover his powers of observation and comparison. The last line, the most famous of all the lines of the poem, is the strongest metaphor – loving you is a natural phenomenon, like Spring rain.

Actually, despite Cummings’ unique treatment of these metaphors, he takes advantage of the universal images present in love poems since the beginning of literature: rose, snow, rain, Spring, etc., as well as the time-honored practice of praising the physical features of the lover – small hands, fragility, deep eyes, etc.

Describe Harris's attempt in making scrambled eggs. What trait of character is revealed here?

This incident happens in Chapter XI of Three Men in a Boat. Harris is the kind of person who makes the simplest acts more complex than they need to be. He’s also stubborn enough to think that he knows quite well how to do many things. The reality is that he doesn’t know how to do these things at all. He does such a terrible job that eventually someone else must intervene, if the...

This incident happens in Chapter XI of Three Men in a Boat. Harris is the kind of person who makes the simplest acts more complex than they need to be. He’s also stubborn enough to think that he knows quite well how to do many things. The reality is that he doesn’t know how to do these things at all. He does such a terrible job that eventually someone else must intervene, if the task is to be completed at all. Here on the boat, Harris sets out to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. But whatever can go wrong, does. He has trouble breaking the eggs so that they land in the frying pan and not on his trousers. He burns his fingers every time he touches the pan. In the end:

There seemed so little to show for the business. Six eggs had gone into the frying-pan, and all that came out was a teaspoonful of burnt and unappetizing looking mess.

Harris covers his lack of culinary talent by blaming the frying pan and saying that the process would have gone better if they had better equipment. The narrator is enough of a friend that he says they “decided not to attempt the dish again until we had those aids to housekeeping by us.” Surely he knows that no change of equipment will help Harris successfully make three dishes of scrambled eggs.

Earlier, in Chapter III, the narrator sees a resemblance between Harris’s approach to challenges and those taken on by his Uncle Podger, who ran into a host of difficulties when merely hanging a picture on the wall. After we read of the scrambled eggs incident, we can see this connection, too.  

Who are the main characters in the novel A Man of the People?

Chinua Achebe's A Man of the People, a novel that takes place in an unnamed African country, follows two main characters and a number of secondary characters. The two main characters in the novel are the antagonist Chief Nanga, a corrupt politician, and Odili, the narrator and protagonist who is in conflict with Chief Nanga.

The main protagonist of A Man of the People is Chief Nanga, a man who becomes Minister of Culture after his country gains independence from white rulers. As Minister of Culture, it is Chief Nanga's duty to protect his countries traditions and culture, being called "a man of the people." However, preferring to use his political stature for self-serving reasons, Chief Nanga uses his wealth to bribe others and uses his political power to intimidate others.

In contrast to Chief Nanga is Odili, a young man whose only political ambitions are to be a teacher. And while he is seduced by Chief Nanga's promises of wealth, he eventually turns against Chief Nanga, realizing that Chief Nanga is corrupt and not at all as just as he pretends to be. Finally, toward the end of the novel, Odili raises his own political party in opposition of Chief Nanga so that he can combat the corruption that is destroying his country's new-found government.

How did the views of Native Americans and Europeans differ in terms of property ownership?

The attitude toward property for Europeans who came to colonize North America was one of acquisition. Laws about ownership, landowning and theft were central to the ways in which European societies organized themselves, particularly because European nation-states had sprung from the amalgamation of smaller feudal societies, which were built on agriculture. For centuries, most Europeans had lived or died based on the success of or failure their harvests, and on their ability to feed whatever domesticated...

The attitude toward property for Europeans who came to colonize North America was one of acquisition. Laws about ownership, landowning and theft were central to the ways in which European societies organized themselves, particularly because European nation-states had sprung from the amalgamation of smaller feudal societies, which were built on agriculture. For centuries, most Europeans had lived or died based on the success of or failure their harvests, and on their ability to feed whatever domesticated animals they possessed. Therefore, the distinction between public and private land was often a matter of life and death, and disputes over arable land were the bases for many wars.

Europe, unlike the Americas, was and is geographically quite small. More importantly, it was and remains more densely populated. Although some Native American tribes did practice agriculture, and although different tribes fought over territory, the idea of owning a particular patch of earth was a foreign concept. One could not own a mountain or a valley anymore than one could own the Sun; the notion was absurd. One could claim the right to hunt or farm in a particular territory, but because land and resources were plentiful and the human population was relatively small in comparison, permanently settling large swaths of land was impractical and unnecessary. 

So when Europeans came to the New World and asked who owned the land, Native Americans were puzzled by this question. They often would tell European settlers that Mother Earth owned the land, and that no human could do so. Many Europeans incorrectly took this to mean that the Native Americans tribes they encountered made no claim to the land. In fact, Native Americans did believe that they had claims to the land, to hunt, gather and farm it. Yet since they did not build large, permanent settlements, and because Europeans equated land ownership with wealth and power, misunderstandings, disagreements and the Native Americans' growing resentment toward settlers who encroached on their territory, led to horrible bloodshed.

How did the relationship between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley change by the end of "Roman Fever"? And how did the last six Paragraphs of the story...

The relationship of the two women in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever" changes drastically by the end of the story. While Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade are distant and polite at the start, they both seem to be hiding something. As the story progresses, Mrs. Slade goes on the attack because she can't stand it any longer and must tell Mrs. Ansley that she knows what happened many years ago. Mrs. Slade feels she has the...

The relationship of the two women in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever" changes drastically by the end of the story. While Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade are distant and polite at the start, they both seem to be hiding something. As the story progresses, Mrs. Slade goes on the attack because she can't stand it any longer and must tell Mrs. Ansley that she knows what happened many years ago. Mrs. Slade feels she has the upper hand because she wrote the letter that was supposedly from her then fiancé all the while Mrs. Ansley thought it was from him and treasured that memory.

The last six paragraphs of the story, however, change the power dynamic when Mrs. Ansley reveals that she did in fact meet Mr. Slade in secret at the Colosseum in Rome. More than that, though, she had his daughter. The conversation, which has been like a game of chess, comes to a close with Mrs. Ansley the clear winner because her secrets far exceed the superior Mrs. Slade's.

What are the qualities you need to be a caretaker in The Giver?

Caretakers of the Old need to be gentle and compassionate.

There are several types of basic caretakers in Jonas’s community. Nurturers care for the newborn babies before they are assigned to their family units. Caretakers of the Old help nurse and care for the elderly. There are also Childcare workers who help take care of school-age children. The general requirement is that a person be nurturing and patient.

When a person becomes an adult in Jonas’s community, he or she can apply for a spouse. Spouses are matched based on personality and then assigned Newchildren. Eventually each family unit has a boy and a girl. When the children grow up and no longer live with the family unit, the adults go their separate ways and live in the home for Childless Adults. After they have reached a certain age, they go to the House of the Old.

The Caretakers' job is to take care of the elderly in the House of the Old. They look after the elderly, which includes feeding, clothing, and bathing them. At the Ceremony of Twelve, the Chief Elder describes Jonas’s group as having one who has “singular skills at caretaking.” Jonas knows immediately who she means.

The caretaking skills were no doubt those of Fiona, on his left; he remembered noticing the tenderness with which she had bathed the Old. (Ch. 7)

Jonas is right. Fiona is given the assignment of Caretaker of the Old because of these attributes. Jonas thinks to himself that the assignment is “perfect for such a sensitive, gentle girl.” She will do well in this job because she has completed many volunteer hours in the House of the Old.

“The Old were always given the highest respect,” according to Jonas (Ch. 10). Fiona describes her new job to Jonas after she begins her training, explaining to him that she has a lot to learn despite all of her time volunteering with The Old.

"There's administrative work, and the dietary rules, and punishment for disobedience—did you know that they use a discipline wand on the Old, the same as for small children? And there's occupational therapy, and recreational activities, and medications, and—" (Ch. 12)

Of course, Jonas learns later that Fiona also learns a skill she did not include in the list—release. The Giver tells Jonas this after Jonas finds out what release really means. This is when he realizes that after the Old’s Ceremony of Release they are taken into a room away from everyone else and given a lethal injection. Euthanasia is a common practice when a person gets too old. This too is one of the requirements of a Caretaker—a complete detachment from the patients.