What are some examples of cultural diffusion in technology?

Cultural diffusion of technology is a constant theme in the history of the world. As different cultures meet, through trade or conquest, they almost automatically are interested in sharing their ideas and technologies. A great example of this is the introduction of gunpowder to Europe after the Crusades. The technology was used for many years by the Chinese initially for fireworks that were used to get rid of evil spirits. By the 15th Century, the...

Cultural diffusion of technology is a constant theme in the history of the world. As different cultures meet, through trade or conquest, they almost automatically are interested in sharing their ideas and technologies. A great example of this is the introduction of gunpowder to Europe after the Crusades. The technology was used for many years by the Chinese initially for fireworks that were used to get rid of evil spirits. By the 15th Century, the Ottoman Empire integrated gunpowder in weapons and it did not take long for Europeans to utilize guns. Muslim scholars at this time also invented the astrolabe that was used for navigation. This technology would find its way to Europe, which made possible the exploration of the New World.

Today we live in a global economy. There are countless examples of technology diffusion. Even people in the most remote areas of the world utilize cellular phones. Computers, global positioning, social networks, medical advances, and green technologies are invented in one part of the world, and quickly become global. The world is now interconnected. The I-Pad was released in 2010 by the American company, Apple. Today, over 300 million I-Pads have been sold around the world. The world is almost interconnected to such a degree that it is hard to label the spread of ideas and technology cultural diffusion anymore.

What is the theme and message of "Refugee in America" by Langston Hughes?

Langston Hughes was the poetic voice of not just a generation, but of an entire race. Born in the mid-west in the early 1900’s, his work became synonymous with the struggle for equality during the middle of the twentieth century. His work “Refugee in America” is a short verse with haunting echoes.

There are words like Freedom

Sweet and wonderful to say.

On my heart-strings freedom sings

All day everyday.

The first stanza of the...

Langston Hughes was the poetic voice of not just a generation, but of an entire race. Born in the mid-west in the early 1900’s, his work became synonymous with the struggle for equality during the middle of the twentieth century. His work “Refugee in America” is a short verse with haunting echoes.

There are words like Freedom

Sweet and wonderful to say.

On my heart-strings freedom sings

All day everyday.

The first stanza of the poem references freedom as a mystical idea which brings with it nothing but hope and a yearning for greatness. He personifies freedom as being able to sing to the rhythm of his heart, indicating to the reader that freedom is an integral part of being American, if not human.

There are words like Liberty

That almost make me cry.

If you had known what I knew

You would know why.

In the second and last stanza of the poem Hughes analyzes liberty which is often used inter-changeably with freedom. Hughes hints at the dichotomy between the two as the message. Liberty, the ability to act out on freedom, is not an abstract quality of society but a real and defined set of rules or law. The laws hamper blacks, effectively robbing them of liberty despite the freedom they are guaranteed.

The theme of the poem is the struggle of blacks to achieve equality in early twentieth century America. There existed a dual reality for blacks. They were free from the bondage of slavery, yet were not fully liberated from the effects of it due to Jim Crow laws and covert racism across America. The message the poem sends is clear; regardless of the words applied to a group of people, it is the actions which compel those ideas that matter. The title conveys a powerful message as well. Blacks felt like refugees despite living in America. They were lost and seeking liberation even though they had freedom.

Why does Nora purposely earn Ds for Stephen in Andrew Clements' The Report Card? What are three facts Nora says about herself? How old was Nora...

In Andrew Clements' The Report Card, Nora intentionally earns Ds on her fifth-grade report card as a plan to boost Stephen's self-esteem.Nora has always admired her best friend Stephen because, even though he is an average learner, he is also a very hard worker, as well as a kind and caring person. By fourth grade, she begins noticing he is dreading school and working less hard, all because he earned low scores...

In Andrew Clements' The Report Card, Nora intentionally earns Ds on her fifth-grade report card as a plan to boost Stephen's self-esteem.

Nora has always admired her best friend Stephen because, even though he is an average learner, he is also a very hard worker, as well as a kind and caring person. By fourth grade, she begins noticing he is dreading school and working less hard, all because he earned low scores during the Connecticut Mastery Testing, tests that determined placement in fifth grade. Stephen had felt so pressured by his parents and himself to do well that, instead of doing well on the tests, he did very poorly. More importantly, he began seeing himself as "one of the dumb kids," which Nora knew was untrue (p. 24).

Nora, a secret genius, understands that grades are not a true reflection of how smart or dumb a person is:

Bad test grades do not mean you are dumb, and I am not in trouble. (p. 49)

Since Nora knows this to be true, she intentionally earned bad grades as part of her plan to prove it to him and to raise his self-esteem.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," are there ways that the narrator might be manipulating the truth?

Absolutely!  The narrator, Montresor's, very first line indicates the heightened emotion he feels surrounding the events of this story and, therefore, establishes a motive for exaggeration or manipulation.  He says, "The thousand injuriesof Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge" (my emphasis).  This kind of exaggeration of the truth is called overstatement, or hyperbole, and it shows us how very wounded Montresor felt.  Overstatement...

Absolutely!  The narrator, Montresor's, very first line indicates the heightened emotion he feels surrounding the events of this story and, therefore, establishes a motive for exaggeration or manipulation.  He says, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge" (my emphasis).  This kind of exaggeration of the truth is called overstatement, or hyperbole, and it shows us how very wounded Montresor felt.  Overstatement is used to emphasize the truth, and so we can understand that Montresor felt he'd been injured a thousand times by Fortunato, even though it was likely not that many.  Here, he begins to attempt to justify his murder of the man.  

It also seems as though Montresor has a guilty conscience, as, he says in the last paragraph, that he has kept this secret for "half a century."  To keep a secret like this so long would surely weigh on a person, and the fact that he feels the need to tell it now indicates that he wants to clear his conscience.  Montresor seems to be on his deathbed, confessing his sins to a priest because only a member of the clergy would be likely to know, as he puts it in the first paragraph, "the nature of [his] soul."  His guilty conscience might make him even more likely to paint as terrible a picture of his victim as possible so that he can further justify the murder.

For that reason, perhaps, it is very evident that he dislikes Fortunato, even though he admits that, aside from his one weak point, "he was a man to be respected and even feared."  Thus, if Fortunato was a man who everyone -- including the person who murdered him -- respects and fears, he is likely not as awful as Montresor makes him out to be.  Aside from his pride, he sounds like a decent person.

In the end, Montresor's wounded pride and guilty conscience are both very plausible reasons that he would manipulate the facts of his story.  He wants to make his acts seem as justifiable as possible because he is anxious to relieve his guilty conscience before he dies.

How are ryegrass flowers adapted for wind pollination?

A flower is the reproductive organ of a plant. The anatomy of a flower contains both male and female parts. Pollen is the male reproductive product of a flower. Pollen is contained in the anther of a flower. An anther is located on top of a stalk called a filament. In order for fertilization to occur, pollen must be transferred to the female part of a flower called the stigma.

In order to be adapted...

A flower is the reproductive organ of a plant. The anatomy of a flower contains both male and female parts. Pollen is the male reproductive product of a flower. Pollen is contained in the anther of a flower. An anther is located on top of a stalk called a filament. In order for fertilization to occur, pollen must be transferred to the female part of a flower called the stigma.

In order to be adapted for wind pollination, the pollen of a flower needs to be exposed to the wind and light enough to be carried by the wind. Rye-grass flowers meet these criteria. The flowers of rye-grass are very small and located at the end of a wheat-like stalk. Their filaments move with even the slightest force, such as a light breeze. As the filament is blown by a breeze or wind, its pollen is released. Thus, rye-grass pollen is light and exposed to the air, which makes it well adapted for wind pollination.

When the stigma of a rye-grass flower is mature, it looks like a puff of cotton that hangs from the outside of the flower. When the pollen from the anther is blown by the wind, some of the pollen is trapped in this “puff of cotton." In this way, a rye-grass flower is adapted to catch pollen to ensure that fertilization occurs.

What was the big consequence of Eckels' action?

Eckels does retrieve the bullets from the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but he does go off the path. Travis had warned him repeatedly not to go off the path. Even the slightest disturbance in the past could potentially have huge complications in the future. Travis gives a lengthy description about how killing one mouse could affect billions of that mouse's descendants as well as the descendants of those animals (including humans) who are part of the food...

Eckels does retrieve the bullets from the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but he does go off the path. Travis had warned him repeatedly not to go off the path. Even the slightest disturbance in the past could potentially have huge complications in the future. Travis gives a lengthy description about how killing one mouse could affect billions of that mouse's descendants as well as the descendants of those animals (including humans) who are part of the food chain. So, even stepping in the mud and killing a mosquito could have drastic consequences. 

Upon their return, Eckels' learns that he had stepped on and killed a butterfly and brought it back from the past. It had been encased in the mud on his shoe. This single action led to significant changes. First, he notes that the English language is different. The sign about the safari is still there but the words are spelled differently. Keith, who had won the election before Eckels killed the butterfly, has now lost. This leaves Deutscher as the winner and this is tragic because he is described as a tyrant. This is the biggest or most obvious consequence of Eckels' mistake. But just consider the change in the language as evidenced by the sign. There's no telling what kind of social and historical changes resulted from and/or led to these changes in the English language. Language is shaped by culture, wars, other social aspects. The author leaves the reader wondering what other consequences Eckels' might have triggered. His mistake also leads to his death. The last thing he hears is the sound of Travis (presumably) shooting him. 

What is the essential question for Plessy v. Ferguson?

The essential question in the Plessy v Fergusoncase was whether the concept of “separate but equal” was legal or did it violate a person’s rights. Throughout the South, Jim Crow Laws were passed that segregated the races. Homer Plessy objected that he had to sit in the railroad car reserved for African-Americans. In Louisiana, the law separated the races on railroad cars. When Homer Plessy sat in the railroad car reserved for whites, he...

The essential question in the Plessy v Ferguson case was whether the concept of “separate but equal” was legal or did it violate a person’s rights. Throughout the South, Jim Crow Laws were passed that segregated the races. Homer Plessy objected that he had to sit in the railroad car reserved for African-Americans. In Louisiana, the law separated the races on railroad cars. When Homer Plessy sat in the railroad car reserved for whites, he was arrested when he refused to move to the railroad car reserved for African-Americans.

The Supreme Court ruled in this case that the concept of “separate but equal” was legal and didn’t violate a person’s rights. This case provided the legal support for the segregation laws that existed throughout the South until the Brown v Board of Education case overturned this concept in 1954. The Brown v Board of Education ruling led to the gradual ending of segregation in the South and eventually throughout the country.

Is Death of a Salesman a Greek tragedy according to Aristotle?

Death of a Salesman is not a Greek Tragedy, according to Aristotle.

Basically, a Greek tragedy is about a prosperous, renowned character bringing about his own downfall through a fatal flaw. Willy Loman is not prosperous or renowned, and you could argue whether he has a fatal flaw or suffers from clinical depression. 

In Poetics, which you can , Aristotle said that a proper tragedy must have six elements: Plot, Characters, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, and Melody, and then he went on to define details of these six elements.

Plot: Aristotle said that the plot should at least have a "change of fortune," or catastrophe. Fortune refers to fate. Willy Loman's fortune doesn't change in the plot of Death of a Salesman. At the beginning he is poor and depressed, and at the end he is poor and depressed (and dead.)

Characters: According to Aristotle, the main character should be renowned and prosperous, so his reversal of fortune can be from good to bad, and the change should come about from a frailty in character, or character flaw. Willy Loman, though he wishes to be "well-liked," is not, as evidenced by the poor turn-out at his funeral. He certainly isn't prosperous.

Aristotle doesn't explain much about the third element, Thought, but Death of a Salesman seems thoughtful enough.

However, in the fourth element, Diction, Aristotle expects a 'good command of metaphor.' There are several excellent metaphors at work in Death of a Salesman, such as stockings symbolizing Willy's guilt over his extramarital affair.

Next is Melody. Aristotle's Greek tragedy should have a fully-integrated Chorus. Death of a Salesman has no chorus.

Aristotle also mentions Spectacle, but he prefers for a play to not rely too heavily on spectacle. When you read the stage directions, you can see that Miller uses a lot of lighting and other effects to enhance dream sequences and create a mood of pity and terror.

Finally, the tragedy should end in catharsis, or the purging of emotion. This catharsis should leave the audience with a feeling of pleasure. While sad and pathetic, Death of a Salesman has never left me personally with a catharsis or a feeling of pleasure. You may have a different response.

Overall, however, Death of a Salesman does not fit the definition of a Greek tragedy according to Aristotle. 

In Of Mice and Men is George Milton responsible for the failure of his dreams?

George has two differing dreams in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. On one hand he wishes he were free of Lennie and could take off on his own and not have to worry about Lennie losing him a job. This dream involves being able to do whatever he wants without being Lennie's caretaker. In chapter one he says,

"God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a...

George has two differing dreams in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. On one hand he wishes he were free of Lennie and could take off on his own and not have to worry about Lennie losing him a job. This dream involves being able to do whatever he wants without being Lennie's caretaker. In chapter one he says,

"God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cat house all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An’ I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool.”

The reader may assume that George doesn't really want this. He could probably get rid of Lennie at any time, but they are friends and he feels a definite sense of loyalty to the mentally challenged man. 

George's second dream which includes Lennie, and later Candy, is to have a farm where he can raise his own crops and be his own boss. For George, this is an idyllic existence. He describes it several times in the book. In chapter three he says,

“Sure, we’d have a little house an’ a room to ourself. Little fat iron stove, an’ in the winter we’d keep a fire goin’ in it. It ain’t enough land so we’d have to work too hard. Maybe six, seven hours a day. We wouldn’t have to buck no barley eleven hours a day. An’ when we put in a crop, why, we’d be there to take the crop up. We’d know what come of our planting.” 

Once Candy joins George and Lennie the dream is within their grasps until Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife. This event, and Lennie's death at George's hands, is foreshadowed early in the book. Fate is against these men. No matter what they do or how hard they dream they are bound to fail. The title of the book comes from the Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse." Burns wrote: "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."

Steinbeck's philosophy in this novel, and in several of his novels (especially East of Eden), is deterministic. Free will and the ability to make their own future eludes these men. Their fate is determined from the description of Lennie's trouble with girl in the red dress in Weed. In the end George realizes they never had a chance as he tells Candy:

“—I think I knowed from the very first. I think I know’d we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”

No matter what he would have done George could not change the ultimate outcome of his friendship with Lennie. There was never any chance of freedom or having that "little piece of land."

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, when Grandmother disagrees with the Nazi views, how does the family react? What role does she play in the novel?...

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, the Grandmother's disapproval is not at first understood. She has the opposite reaction of Grandfather when their son is promoted to Commandant. She never forgives him for his actions and this causes a rift.

Later Father understands why his mother would be horrified, but at the time he was caught up in the Nazi movement, like everyone else. Grandmother is the voice of reason and...

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, the Grandmother's disapproval is not at first understood. She has the opposite reaction of Grandfather when their son is promoted to Commandant. She never forgives him for his actions and this causes a rift.

Later Father understands why his mother would be horrified, but at the time he was caught up in the Nazi movement, like everyone else. Grandmother is the voice of reason and perspective. She demonstrates the rightful aversion to Nazism. Her role in the novel is to represent the opposition non-supporters experienced. Her correct reasoning is not met with understanding. Her judgment is not understood.

In the end, of course, Father understands that killing innocent people is not right, no matter what reason, no matter what movement. In this way, Grandmother symbolizes perspective. She was able to empathize with the victims and see the truth behind what was happening at concentration camps. She did not get caught up in the moment, and could see for herself, with individual eyes, the difference between right and wrong. Father and the others had no perspective. They did not understand how history would see them. Grandmother did.

What is the importance of the setting in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

The setting of the novel is Victorian England, an era known for its repression of sexual desire and anything considered to be "dark" or bad about human nature. Such a setting helps us to understand why Dr. Jekyll would be so driven to separate out any part of him that seems evil or bad and, thus, try to eliminate these components.  

In his "Full Statement of the Case," Jekyll says that he "stood already...

The setting of the novel is Victorian England, an era known for its repression of sexual desire and anything considered to be "dark" or bad about human nature. Such a setting helps us to understand why Dr. Jekyll would be so driven to separate out any part of him that seems evil or bad and, thus, try to eliminate these components.  

In his "Full Statement of the Case," Jekyll says that he "stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life" and suffered from a "morbid sense of shame" due to the pleasures he found it necessary to "conceal" from those around him. Had his society not put so much pressure on him, a man of large fortune and good education, to adhere (or maintain the appearance of adhering) to such a strict moral code, perhaps he would not have felt the shame that prompted him to experiment with human nature. The Victorian era made no allowances for human error and vice. This pressure to be perfect and his attempt to eliminate the part of himself that did not fit this mold ultimately prompted Jekyll's demise.

What did Lennie do in Weed that caused him and George to run away?

In John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men the author tells us that George and Lennie had been working in the small northern California town of Weed. They are itinerant farm workers traveling around the state. In Weed, Lennie saw a girl in a red dress and reached out to touch it. George describes the episode to Slim in chapter three:

"So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out...

In John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men the author tells us that George and Lennie had been working in the small northern California town of Weed. They are itinerant farm workers traveling around the state. In Weed, Lennie saw a girl in a red dress and reached out to touch it. George describes the episode to Slim in chapter three:

"So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on." 

Lennie is obsessively drawn to soft things which he likes to touch and pet. The girl accuses Lennie of raping her and the men of the town chase George and Lennie, who have to hide. George goes on with his explanation:

“Well, that girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. Got on’y our heads sticking outa water, an’ up under the grass that sticks out from the side of the ditch. An’ that night we scrammed outa there.”

The scene in Weed also serves as foreshadowing for chapter five when Lennie is alone with Curley's wife. While Lennie is stroking the girl's hair she tries to break away and, as in Weed, he holds on. Eventually her struggles scare Lennie and he accidentally breaks her neck. His obsession with soft things and his powerful strength finally contribute to his downfall.

In Unwind by Neal Shusterman, what could you argue in an argumentative paper?

One way that I think that you could go with an argumentative essay is to talk about the pro-life and pro-choice debate.  The entire reason that the people in the book allow unwinding in the first place is because they felt it is a nice middle ground between allowing abortion or outlawing abortion.  A parent must give birth to the child, which satisfied the pro-life camp.  But between a certain age range, the parents could...

One way that I think that you could go with an argumentative essay is to talk about the pro-life and pro-choice debate.  The entire reason that the people in the book allow unwinding in the first place is because they felt it is a nice middle ground between allowing abortion or outlawing abortion.  A parent must give birth to the child, which satisfied the pro-life camp.  But between a certain age range, the parents could retroactively abort the child through the unwinding process.  That arrangement satisfied the pro-choice camp.  People didn't think of unwinding as murder, because 100% of the unwound individual would be harvested for organ and tissue donation.  You could could write your argumentative essay in favor of pro-life, pro-choice, pro-unwinding, or anti-unwinding.  

You could also write the argumentative paper about the author.  You might write your essay that argues Shusterman is pro-organ donation or anti-organ donation.   

At the end of the story, why do all of Tom's possessions disappear or get destroyed?

This is a great question! The narrator doesn't tell us why, but we could take some good guesses based on information from the story.

First, let's take a close look at that spot:

"Trustees were appointed to take charge of Tom's effects. There was nothing, however, to administer upon. On searching his coffers all his bonds and mortgages were found reduced to cinders. In place of gold and silver his iron chest was filled with chips and shavings; two skeletons lay in his stable instead of his half starved horses, and the very next day his great house took fire and was burnt to the ground."

So after Tom was carried away by the devil into the swamp, which was set on fire, all of Tom's stuff, too, is found mysteriously destroyed: his financial documents have been burned, his money is turned into little shavings, his horses are not just dead but skeletonized, and his house burned down.

Why? Again, it's a matter of interpretation, but here are some ideas.

1. Tom only got all that stuff through his horrible business practices and the treasure he got from the devil. So, it wasn't just Tom himself, but also his stuff that was "dirty" or "rotten" in a sense. It wouldn't make sense for such horribly ill-gotten goods to be used by the more morally upright members of the community.

2. Just as the devil had control of Tom, so too did he have control over Tom's things, like his money, his horses, and his house. And we saw that the devil likes to operate in style here. He didn't just stab Tom and then leave, for instance, when it was time to take his soul; instead, he swept Tom up onto a black horse and whisked him into a swamp during a lightning storm, then brought down a lightning bolt to set the swamp on fire. That is showmanship. He would probably burn up Tom's things to really cap off the whole deal.

3. The destruction of Tom's things gives the narrator something else to talk about during the closing paragraphs of the story. After readers see that whole dramatic capture that ends in Tom's death, the ending of the story might be kind of awkward or sudden if we just got the description of how the townspeople kind of stood around confused and then got back to business as usual. "Well, that... happened," the narrator would seem to say. The images of the skeletonized horses and the burning house are entertaining, and they help round out the story.

What quotes from The Odyssey illustrate how Odysseus is a hero?

Odysseus, the protagonist in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, displays the traits of a hero—a Homeric hero—throughout the tale. Zeus speaks with Athena at the start of the epic and extols the heroic virtues of Odysseus:

Could I forget that kingly man Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of the open sky." Book One lines 84-86

Odysseus goes on to fulfill his role as...

Odysseus, the protagonist in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, displays the traits of a hero—a Homeric hero—throughout the tale. Zeus speaks with Athena at the start of the epic and extols the heroic virtues of Odysseus:

Could I forget that kingly man Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of the open sky." Book One lines 84-86

Odysseus goes on to fulfill his role as a hero during the many adventures of the poem.

Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me? I fear the goddess told it all too well, predicting great adversity at sea and far from home. Book Five, lines 309-312

A Homeric hero understands his destiny and is prepared to suffer and die to fulfill it.

We beached there, and I told the crew to stand by and keep watch over the ship: as for myself I took my twelve best fighters and went ahead. Book Nine, lines 134-137

Odysseus is leading from the front here. He displays courage and teamwork, two traits of a hero.

My name is Nohbdy: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy. Book Nine, lines 394 – 399

Here, Odysseus shows his cunning and intellect in tricking the Cyclops. A hero is intelligent; his greatest weapon is his mind.

We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care for the gods' courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest. Book Nine, Lines 82-84

Respect for the gods is a trait of heroes. Invoking Zeus’s name here is Odysseus’ way of trying to talk his way out of trouble with Polyphemus.

I am Odysseus son of Laertes, known before all men for the study of crafty designs, and my fame goes up to the heavens. Book Nine, lines 19-20

The ultimate trait of a Homeric hero is Kleos, or fame upon others’ lips. Here, Odysseus says he is known and revered by all.

How does Katherine Mansfield depict the distinction between upper class and lower class people in "The Garden Party?"

One of the main issues "The Garden Party" explores is the differences between the social classes. Laura, the main character, and her family, the Sheridans, represent the upper class. The family of the man who died, who live down the hill from the Sheridans, represents the lower class, as does the workman who comes to set up the marquee for the party. Mansfield depicts the differences between the classes with dialogue, especially slang; with numerous symbols; and with Laura's reactions.

In the beginning of the story, Laura is instructing a workman about where to place the marquee. He tells her

"you want to put it somewhere it'll give you a bang slap in the eye, if you follow me."

His use of such slang gives Laura pause. When she visits the home of the dead man, the woman there says,

"You'd like a look at 'im, wouldn't you? ... Don't be afraid, my lass. ... 'e looks a picture."

This lower class dialect shows how distinct the family is from Laura's. Laura's brother uses upper class modern slang, saying things like, "you might just give a squiz at my coat," "ra-ther," "dash off to the telephone, old girl," "what an absolutely topping hat," and "isn't it, darling?" 

The story is replete with symbols of the upper class lifestyle of the Sheridans: the party itself, the marquee, the band, the arum lilies, the fancy sandwiches, and Laura's hat. These are all things that are way beyond the reach of the people who live at the bottom of the hill, the hill itself also representing the social class distinction. In contrast, the poor family's home is marked by a "wretched little kitchen, lighted by a smoky lamp."

Finally, Laura's attitude toward the different social classes shows that she is aware of the wide gap between herself and her neighbors. She seems embarrassed when talking to the workman, wondering what he is thinking about their ostentatious party. She wants her family to cancel the party in deference to the bereaved family, but her mother and siblings find that ludicrous. As the story progresses, Laura regains her comfort with her social class, basking in the praise she receives and the delight of the event. At the end, she is more impressed by death, something experienced equally by all classes, than she is by her thoughts of the social hierarchy. 

I'm doing a soundtrack project for The Great Gatsby and I need a song that relates to Myrtle Wilson on the theme of wealth.

Could I suggest the song "Gold Digger" by Kanye West, featuring Jamie Foxx?  (However, I also suggest finding an edited version of the song that does not include offensive language.)  Obviously, Myrtle benefits financially from her relationship with Tom Buchanan just as the titular "gold digger" in this song.  The introduction says, "She take my money [...] / Yeah she's a triflin' friend indeed./ Oh, she's a gold digger, way over town / That digs...

Could I suggest the song "Gold Digger" by Kanye West, featuring Jamie Foxx?  (However, I also suggest finding an edited version of the song that does not include offensive language.)  Obviously, Myrtle benefits financially from her relationship with Tom Buchanan just as the titular "gold digger" in this song.  The introduction says, "She take my money [...] / Yeah she's a triflin' friend indeed./ Oh, she's a gold digger, way over town / That digs on me."  Such a description fits Myrtle Wilson to a T: she takes Tom's money (for her dog, an apartment, clothing, liquor), and she is "triflin'" as she would likely not care so much about him were it not for his money and situation.  Further, she is literally from "over [a] town" since she's from the Valley of Ashes, and she definitely "digs on" Tom. 

Further, similarly to the woman in the song's hook, Myrtle "ain't messing with no broke" men because she is only interested in being with someone who can take her away from her sad-sack husband and his dusty auto garage.  It is money she's after, not love or companionship, and this makes Tom pretty perfect because he can offer her money and nothing else. 

There are several lines in the verses as well that you could relate to Myrtle's hunger for wealth and appreciation for material goods.

Explain the idea of producer surplus.

When producers sell goods or services they, of course, charge a certain price for those products.  The price, multiplied by the number of products they sell, is their revenue.  In almost all cases, producers sell their products at a price that is higher than the minimum price that they would accept.  When they do this, they make more revenue than the minimum they would be willing to accept.  The revenue that they make that is...

When producers sell goods or services they, of course, charge a certain price for those products.  The price, multiplied by the number of products they sell, is their revenue.  In almost all cases, producers sell their products at a price that is higher than the minimum price that they would accept.  When they do this, they make more revenue than the minimum they would be willing to accept.  The revenue that they make that is greater than the minimum is their producer surplus.

Producers are generally willing to sell their products at any price that will bring them a profit.  Of course, they will prefer to sell at the price that brings them the maximum profit, but they will accept a lower price.  However, the producers do not set the equilibrium price on their own.  Instead, the price is set by a combination of supply and demand.  When demand is high, the price can be much higher than the minimum that producers would accept.  In this sort of a situation, the producers will make more money than they would have if they sold at their minimum acceptable price.  This excess money is their producer surplus. 

Please follow the link below for a discussion of this concept with an interactive graph.

What is the substance of the poem "Lucy Gray" by William Wordsworth?

“Lucy Gray” is about a little girl who gets lost in a snowstorm; her parents search for her all through the night, but find no sign of their daughter.  Finally, at daybreak, the mothers spies Lucy’s footprints in the snow.  The footprints lead to the middle of a wooden bridge a short distance from their home; there the footprints end.  Lucy is never found,

--Yet some maintain that to this dayShe is a living...

“Lucy Gray” is about a little girl who gets lost in a snowstorm; her parents search for her all through the night, but find no sign of their daughter.  Finally, at daybreak, the mothers spies Lucy’s footprints in the snow.  The footprints lead to the middle of a wooden bridge a short distance from their home; there the footprints end.  Lucy is never found,

--Yet some maintain that to this day
She is a living child;
That you may see sweet Lucy Gray
Upon the lonesome wild.

The speaker begins the poem with his own sighting of Lucy Gray, upon the moor where she lived and played, at dawn.  Thus we have the dissemination of the girl’s spirit into nature; the speaker sights her, but the sighting is spectral and rooted in tales that “some maintain” – local legends.  In this way, Wordsworth is exalting the imagination and the power of nature to keep the spirit alive, even when all trace of one’s existence has been wiped away.

There is also an emphasis on solitude in the poem – Lucy Gray always plays alone, she goes into town alone, and she dies alone.  And yet there is little to indicate any sadness linked to this solitude – Lucy “gladly” goes to town by herself, and is quite content to play on her own on the moor.  She is a happy child, and makes a happy ghost and a happy tale, and even death cannot dampen the sweetness that was in her, and that remains in her memory.

An object of mass m is moving with a constant velocity v along a straight path. Find the work that needs to be done to stop it.

The work-energy theorem states that the work done by external force on an object equals the change of the kinetic energy of the object:

`W = Delta K = K_f - K_i` . Here, `K_i` is the initial kinetic energy and `K_f ` is the final kinetic energy.

The kinetic energy is the energy associated with motion of an object. It is proportional to the mass and the square of the speed of the object:

`K...

The work-energy theorem states that the work done by external force on an object equals the change of the kinetic energy of the object:

`W = Delta K = K_f - K_i` . Here, `K_i` is the initial kinetic energy and `K_f ` is the final kinetic energy.

The kinetic energy is the energy associated with motion of an object. It is proportional to the mass and the square of the speed of the object:

`K = (mv^2)/2`

In the situation described in the problem, the object is initially moving with velocity v. Since its mass is m, the initial kinetic energy of the object is `K_i = (mv^2)/2` .

If the object stops after some work W is done on it, its velocity becomes 0, so its final kinetic energy becomes `K_f = 0` . Then, according to the work-energy theorem,

`W = K_f - K_i = 0 - (mv^2)/2=-(mv^2)/2`  .

So the work that needs to be done to stop the object is equal to `-(mv^2)/2` . Notice that this is a negative value, because the kinetic energy decreases as a result of this work.

Why was Harrison Bergeron so intimidating?

Harrison Bergeron is intimidating because he is exceptionally above-average in every way. For starters, he is physically imposing – fourteen years old and seven feet tall, forced to carry around three hundred pounds in metal as a handicap to his incredible strength. This would be intimidating to anyone of average size in a society that celebrates differences; in a society such as the one he lives in, in which all individuals are equalized in every...

Harrison Bergeron is intimidating because he is exceptionally above-average in every way. For starters, he is physically imposing – fourteen years old and seven feet tall, forced to carry around three hundred pounds in metal as a handicap to his incredible strength. This would be intimidating to anyone of average size in a society that celebrates differences; in a society such as the one he lives in, in which all individuals are equalized in every way by forced handicaps, those in charge would of course see him as a threat. You cannot mask height or strength as you can beauty. Harrison is exceptionally good-looking as well, and intelligent, having to wear thick headphones rather than a small earpiece to keep him from completing his intelligent thoughts.

Harrison, basically, is a representation of everything the government is fighting against – he is noteworthy, he is undeniably unique. And he has obviously been rebelling against the equalization policies, else the government wouldn’t have arrested him in the first place. And he’s a teenager, the most volatile and unpredictable of all creatures. “I am the Emperor!” he declares to the world after his escape from prison, and invites the public to “Now watch me become what I can become!” With this line it is clear that he protests the forced equality and suppression of skills and talents required by law, and yearns for the freedom to be who he is, and discover how great he can be.  It is this capacity for individual thought despite his handicaps, and his refusal to acquiesce to the mandates imposed by the government, coupled with his unmatchable strength, that make him so intimidating.

What are six quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird that show why it makes sense for Atticus to stand up for Tom Robinson?

Atticus takes Tom Robinson’s case because he has to and because he believes that it is the right thing to do.

Tom Robinson’s trial throws all of Maycomb into turmoil.  A black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell.  Mayella is very poor, and Tom of course is black, so they live near each other on the outskirts of town, by the dump.

Atticus is assigned the case by Judge Taylor.  He is one of Maycomb’s most respected lawyers.  He takes it not just because he is assigned to it, but also because he wants to show his children that racism is wrong.

But do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. (Ch. 9)

Atticus also takes the case because he wants to show his children that sometimes you have to fight really hard for something, even if you may not be successful in the end.  That is what the trial is for him.  It is an important case where he has to work hard to win when he knows that he can’t possibly get an acquittal in the climate of racism.

Atticus uses the example of Mrs. Dubose, who weaned herself off of her morphine addiction, to show why fighting the impossible fight is so important.

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. (Ch. 11)

Atticus explains to Scout that defending Tom Robinson is a matter of pride for him.  When she asks him why he takes the case, he tells her that he has a lot of reasons.

“The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (Ch. 9)

Atticus feels like he is setting a bad example for his children if he backs down.  He is a lawyer, and lawyers often take difficult cases and cases they don't think they can win.  He also has to do what is right, for his children’s sake.

Atticus reiterates to Scout that the case is unwinnable, but he has to fight for it anyway.

“Atticus, are we going to win it?”

“No, honey.”

“Then why—”

“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason

for us not to try to win,” Atticus said. (Ch. 9)

Scout doesn’t understand why he would try an unwinnable case, but Atticus explains to her that even when you buck tradition, you still need to do what you believe in.  Just because something is tradition does not make it right.  Racial prejudice is a perfect example of that.

Another important point is that the innocent deserve to be protected.  Atticus introduces this to Scout and Jem metaphorically, when he gives them guns.

Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Ch. 10)

Miss Maudie explains that mockingbirds do not hurt anyone.  Killing a mockingbird means killing a defenseless creature that brings beauty to people’s lives through its singing and does no harm to anyone.  The metaphorical mockingbirds in the story are Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.  Each is defenseless, targeted by his society for no other reason than that he is different.

During the trial, Atticus explains to the jury why they should acquit based on guilt or innocence and ignore race in their decision.

Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. (Ch. 20)

Atticus tells the court that he believes that they can do the right thing.  In a way, they do.  They actually deliberate, whereas most black men would be tossed in jail without a thought.  Atticus raised reasonable doubt, but not enough to overcome centuries of racism.

These six quotes demonstrate why Atticus Finch had to take Tom Robinson's case, and defend it to the best of his ability.  Most other lawyers put in his position would balk at the task or give up because it was impossible.  Atticus was not able to get an acquittal, but he was able to get a deliberation.  That is a small victory, but it is a victory.

How does Percy show that he is a hero in Chapter 17 of The Lightning Thief?

In Chapter Seventeen of The Lightning Thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are wandering around West Hollywood in search of DOA Recording Studios (the location that holds the entrance to the Underworld).

After a run-in with a group of wealthy kids with knives, the trio runs into a store called Crusty's Water Bed Palace. There they meet Procrustes (Crusty for short), who invites them to try out a few of the water beds. Annabeth and Grover...

In Chapter Seventeen of The Lightning Thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are wandering around West Hollywood in search of DOA Recording Studios (the location that holds the entrance to the Underworld).

After a run-in with a group of wealthy kids with knives, the trio runs into a store called Crusty's Water Bed Palace. There they meet Procrustes (Crusty for short), who invites them to try out a few of the water beds. Annabeth and Grover do as he suggests, but Crusty suddenly binds the two to their beds with magical ropes that he summons by snapping his fingers and saying, "Ergo!" Crusty will only release Annabeth and Grover if Percy makes them fit their six-foot-long beds by stretching their bodies out. Percy realizes that this is the mythologically infamous "Procrustes the Stretcher" who attacks people by stretching them or amputating their limbs. 

Percy shows that he is a hero in his ability to outwit and defeat Crusty. He convinces Crusty to lay down in one of his own beds and uses Crusty's own trick to bind Crusty to the bed. He then decapitates Crusty with his sword, Riptide, and frees Annabeth and Grover so that they may continue on their journey to the Underworld. 

What would be the three most important qualities a leader who models positive leadership behavior must possess? Why?

There are more than three qualities effective leaders possess, so differences of opinion exist as to which three should be considered the most important. In other words, it is a subjective matter, and will vary according to personal experiences and observations. Having studied business leadership and worked professionally for 40 years, my own personal list of top three qualities possessed by effective leaders are honesty, willingness to delegate, and communication abilities. 

In order to be effective, an executive, officer (e.g., in the military or law enforcement), or supervisor needs to have a reputation for honesty. Personal credibility is a hallmark of the best leaders in business as well as in other endeavors. Leaders whose integrity is questioned by subordinates will not be effective. Subordinates will question, mainly privately and among each other, the veracity of comments made by the supervisor or leader and doubts about the leader's integrity will translate into a more lackadaisical and sometimes outright dishonest approach to professional responsibilities on the part of the staff. A leader perceived as being fundamentally honest, however, will enjoy the trust of his or her subordinates, and will receive a greater level of dedication on the part of those subordinates.

Another quality important to effective leadership is a willingness to delegate, admittedly a weakness of this particular educator, whose lack of confidence in younger, less experienced staff usually translated into lower morale and, consequently, lower productivity. An effective leader understands the importance of delegating authority and responsibility to subordinate staff in order to both increase productivity through more efficient use of manpower and to display confidence in the abilities of that staff—confidence that is rewarded in greater loyalty up the chain of command as well as in the higher quality of work performed by more dedicated employees.

Finally, an effective leader knows the importance of communication both up and down the chain of command, and even the highest level corporate officials know they are answerable to boards of directors and to stockholders. The ability to communicate responsibilities and functions to subordinate staff is crucial for the execution of all missions, and, conversely, subordinate staff needs to know that superiors are receptive to their input. Open channels of communication as well as clarity in the transmission of information are essential for the effective operation of an organization. Effective leaders are receptive to suggestions and complaints by subordinate staff, and are able to communicate both up and down the corporate hierarchy information important to the corporation or other type of organization. Clarity and completeness of communications—in other words, simply issuing “bottom line” instructions or orders may degrade morale if staff does not understand the context in which those orders are issued—are keys to effective leadership.

As noted, there are many more than three traits of effective leaders. The above are the three that this educator has learned from experience are of particular importance.

How does Pablo Neruda use poetic elements in "Tonight I Can Write"?

The poetic form of "Tonight I Can Write" by Pablo Neruda seems loosely based on the ghazal, an Arabic poetic form that combines a metrical pattern of couplets and a refrain with themes of loss and sorrow. Its distinguished Persian practitioners included Rumi and Hafiz; the form was popularized in western poetry by the German poet Goethe.

A poetic device that is part of the ghazal form is repetition. In the case of this poem, two poignant...

The poetic form of "Tonight I Can Write" by Pablo Neruda seems loosely based on the ghazal, an Arabic poetic form that combines a metrical pattern of couplets and a refrain with themes of loss and sorrow. Its distinguished Persian practitioners included Rumi and Hafiz; the form was popularized in western poetry by the German poet Goethe.

A poetic device that is part of the ghazal form is repetition. In the case of this poem, two poignant lines are repeated:

• Tonight I can write the saddest lines


• I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too

The repetition of these lines creates a tone of pathos and regret.

The next major poetic element is what is sometimes called the "pathetic fallacy" of using elements of the natural world as projections of the narrator's emotional state. The stars, dew, and wind are used as emblems of the narrator's internal feelings.

Another poetic element used in the poem is simile or explicit comparison. An example of a simile is found in the comparison of the poem to the dew in the line:

And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

How can hubris cause a person's demise?

So an important aspect of this question is not the fact that an arrogant person fails, but that the hubris itself leads to their demise. 

Many writers and philosophers have examined this subject at length; one of the most iconic examples is Odysseus' interactions with the Cyclops in The Odyssey by Homer. When Odysseus and his men have blinded the Cyclops and managed to escape from his cave, where he had been eating them alive,...

So an important aspect of this question is not the fact that an arrogant person fails, but that the hubris itself leads to their demise. 

Many writers and philosophers have examined this subject at length; one of the most iconic examples is Odysseus' interactions with the Cyclops in The Odyssey by Homer. When Odysseus and his men have blinded the Cyclops and managed to escape from his cave, where he had been eating them alive, Odysseys recklessly reveals his identity to the monster, shouting back to shore that the Cyclops should tell the world that he has been defeated by the great warrior Odysseus. Nothing other than hubris leads to this declaration, which in turn directly leads to the demise of Odysseus' crew. As it turns out, the Cyclops' father is Poseidon, god of the sea, who sends horrific storms to plague Odysseus, destroying his ship and delaying his return home. In this example, it is clear that Odysseus' hubris leads to his crew's demise, and nearly to his own. 

Essentially, Homer's lesson is that all actions have consequences; an act of hubris, with no purpose other than self-aggrandizement, tends to have a negative effect, for the speaker has thought of no effect beyond pride. 

What does the line the "fearful passage of their death-mark'd love" mean in Romeo and Juliet?

This line means the play will tell us about Romeo and Juliet’s doomed love.

The quote "the fearful passage of their death-mark'd love" means the play is about Romeo and Juliet’s doomed story. Their love is doomed. We are told this ahead of time to make sure we appreciate the full arc of the story.

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove,

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage (Prologue).

Most people now know Romeo and Juliet's story. Although their families are feuding, the teenagers fell in love at first sight. They married in secret, deciding their love was more important than their parents' hate.

That's all fine and good, but like most teenagers, Romeo and Juliet failed to see the bigger picture. They went to Friar Laurence to marry them in secret, and he agreed because he thought it would help end the fighting between their families.

It didn't work. Romeo and Juliet might have loved each other, but hate was strong in their families. Juliet's cousin Tybalt picked a fight with Romeo. His friend Mercutio intervened, and Tybalt killed him. Romeo then killed Tybalt, his own new bride's cousin. He was banished.

From there, the story is history—or tragedy. Juliet is being forced to marry someone else, but can't because she is married to Romeo. She goes to Friar Laurence, who helps her fake her death. Romeo doesn't know, and he thinks Juliet is dead. He kills himself. Juliet wakes to find him dead, and kills herself. That is the tragedy the prologue foreshadows.

The prologue also tells us Romeo and Juliet did not die in vain. After their young children die, the Capulets and Montagues realize their feud was ill-advised. They decide to end it, so some good comes of the tragic loss of two young lives.

What did Odysseus advise Penelope to do when he left?

When Odysseus heard about the impending Trojan War, he did not want to go. According to the Latin author Hyginus, Odysseus actually pretended to be insane so he could stay home. Unfortunately, the ruse did not work, and Odysseus had to leave for Troy, so he bid his wife and newborn son goodbye and boarded his ship.

Before he left, he asked Penelope to make him a promise. If he did not return by the time...

When Odysseus heard about the impending Trojan War, he did not want to go. According to the Latin author Hyginus, Odysseus actually pretended to be insane so he could stay home. Unfortunately, the ruse did not work, and Odysseus had to leave for Troy, so he bid his wife and newborn son goodbye and boarded his ship.

Before he left, he asked Penelope to make him a promise. If he did not return by the time Telemachus began to grow a beard, Penelope must assume Odysseus was dead and choose a new husband. As she recalls him telling her:

when you see our son growing a beard, then marry whom you will, and leave this your present home.

Penelope had been swarmed with suitors during her husband's absence. She had put off their advances for as long as possible, but they were becoming increasingly aggressive by the time of Odysseus' glorious return to Ithaca. Thankfully, Odysseus returned and purged the house of those vile men.

What is unusual about the way the narrator tells his story? How does he represent Porphyria's actions and emotions in the poem "Porphyria's Lover"?

The narrator's presentation of Porphyria's feelings and actions is unusual because he retains the same tone even after he's described the way he's murdered her.  It happens so quickly, and he speaks of it so lovingly that we could almost miss that it even happens.  The narrator rejoices that Porphyria loves him, and he wants to preserve this perfect moment.  After he strangles her with her own hair, she opens up her eyes and says...

The narrator's presentation of Porphyria's feelings and actions is unusual because he retains the same tone even after he's described the way he's murdered her.  It happens so quickly, and he speaks of it so lovingly that we could almost miss that it even happens.  The narrator rejoices that Porphyria loves him, and he wants to preserve this perfect moment.  After he strangles her with her own hair, she opens up her eyes and says that they "Laughed [...] without a stain."  He describes her cheek as "Blush[ing] bright beneath [his] burning kiss," as though she could still flush or feel joy or pain.  He describes her head as "rosy," like she could feel happy or "glad" that her will has been honored: that they can now be together forever.  In short, the narrator seems to have no sense of the fact that by attempting to preserve the perfect moment, the perfect feeling, he has destroyed it.  This is dramatic irony: we realize something that the narrator has not.  This presentation of Porphyria's feelings, then, is quite tension-filled and off-putting because we realize that the narrator has ruined his love while he continues to believe that he has saved it.

In Act IV of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, what stylistic devices are used in the speech by Bottom that begins with "When...

Shakespeare employs irony when he has Bottom say, "Man is but an ass if he go about to expound this dream," and use comic misquotations (what we would, today, call "Malapropisms") from 1 Corinthians, confusing the functions of each physical sense, i.e., "The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man'shand is not able to taste," etc. Shakespeare uses this moment with Bottom to be...

Shakespeare employs irony when he has Bottom say, "Man is but an ass if he go about to expound this dream," and use comic misquotations (what we would, today, call "Malapropisms") from 1 Corinthians, confusing the functions of each physical sense, i.e., "The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste," etc. Shakespeare uses this moment with Bottom to be the connecting moment between the "Dream" aspect of the characters' experience and the return to the "Real" world. Just as he uses Bottom as the link between the worlds of Fairy and the world of Humans (Bottom is the only human who can see and hear and relate to the fairies), he uses him here to express the waking up or transitioning from one reality to the other. It is significant, too, that Bottom remembers his dream and is able to incorporate it into his human life. Bottom is what is often called the Holy Innocent: one who is so simple that he is able to actually experience what others normally cannot due to intellectual disbelief.

In A Raisin in the Sun, how has the Younger family changed since moving into the new house?

In the play A Raisin in the Sun, we never actually get to see the Younger family in their new house. However, based on some of the ending dialogue and actions of Act III, we can make some predictions about how their life has changed and will continue to change once in the new home.

Towards the end of Act III, Lindner returns to the Younger’s apartment in order to settle with the Younger family so that they do not move into the house in the all-white neighborhood. Convinced that Walter was going to accept the deal, the Younger family listened with disappoint as Walter said (575):

“And we have decided to move into our house because my father - my father - he earned it for us brick by brick. We don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, we will try to be good neighbors. And that’s all we got to say about that. We don’t want your money.”

This single piece of dialogue leads us to believe that the differences that the Younger family had throughout the play have now subsided as Walter has put his dream and his disappointment aside in order to fulfill the dream of others in the family. In solidarity, Beneatha and Mama reaffirm what Walter said by saying, “That’s what the man said” and “I’m afraid you don’t understand. My son said we was going to move and there ain’t nothing left for me to say,” respectively (575). Once bitter towards Walter for his selfish decisions, both Beneatha and Mama are now proud to stand next to Walter in his manly decision.

The only ominous tone at the end of the play comes from Lindner, who with shock, declares, “I sure hope you people know what you’re getting into” (576).

After a beat, Ruth motivates everyone to get up and get moving, continuing the theme of family solidarity. Beneatha talks with Mama about how Asagai asked her to marry him and move to Africa, to which Mama responds, “You ain’t old enough to marry nobody” (576). This is quite different from the interest Mama had in her love life in the beginning of the play.

Once most of the Youngers are out of the apartment, Mama said to Ruth, referring to Walter, “He finally came into his manhood today, didn’t he?” (577). Mama can now feel confident that she has raised a son that will be able to take care of his family.

Mama shows signs of being sad to leave the apartment, and she is actually the last one to go. She leaves once, but abruptly returns to grab her plant and take it along with her into the new house. The symbol of the plant reminds us that the family will need constant care and nurturing, but within the right environment, they will prosper.

**Please note that the page numbers are coming from a textbook in which the play appears. Actual page numbers may differ; however, all quotes are from the end of Act III.**

Why was it important to Phillip to have Timothy describe to him what was out there?

In The Cay by Theodore Taylor, Phillip is injured when he gets hit in the head after the ship he and his mother are on is torpedoed. As he and Timothy sail along on a raft, Phillip's head begins to ache more and more, and then one morning, he wakes up and is blind. Timothy becomes Phillip's eyes, describing to him what the sky looks like and what he sees in the ocean.

"'Tell me...

In The Cay by Theodore Taylor, Phillip is injured when he gets hit in the head after the ship he and his mother are on is torpedoed. As he and Timothy sail along on a raft, Phillip's head begins to ache more and more, and then one morning, he wakes up and is blind. Timothy becomes Phillip's eyes, describing to him what the sky looks like and what he sees in the ocean.

"'Tell me what's out there, Timothy,' I said. It was very important to know that now. I wanted to know everything that was out there" (Taylor 49).

Phillip was realizing how important his sight was and what he was now missing by losing it. Timothy could paint a mental picture for him through his description of the ocean, the fish and other creatures, and the sky.

Once they make land on the cay, Phillip really depends on Timothy to help him get around the little island. Timothy helps him to develop his other senses by insisting that he try things, and in the end, the lessons Phillip learns from Timothy are what helps him to survive after Timothy dies. 

"There is only one sin, only one. Every other is a variation of theft." In The Kite Runner, who says this, what is the explanation?

This statement was made by Baba to Amir. Amir was informing the reader about the conditions before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. People in Afghanistan enjoyed extensive freedoms back then. At the time, drinking was not a crime, but those who partook of liquor did so in private, out of respect.

This led to a conversation in the study between Baba and Amir. Amir was talking about what he learned from Mullah Fatiullah Khan,...

This statement was made by Baba to Amir. Amir was informing the reader about the conditions before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. People in Afghanistan enjoyed extensive freedoms back then. At the time, drinking was not a crime, but those who partook of liquor did so in private, out of respect.

This led to a conversation in the study between Baba and Amir. Amir was talking about what he learned from Mullah Fatiullah Khan, who was guiding his religious studies. At the time of their conversation, Baba was drinking whiskey and Amir was reiterating what the Mullah taught about the consequences of drinking. To this effect, Baba decided to explain to Amir his version of sin.

Baba informed Amir that there was only one sin, that of theft. Every other sin was a variation of theft. He further explained that, when an individual kills a man, they rob a life, they rob the wife’s right to a husband and the children’s right to a father. He stated that a lie robs a person's right to the truth and when a person cheats they steal the right to fairness. To this end, Baba concluded that there was nothing worse that stealing.

"There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir," Baba said. "A man who takes what's not his to take, be it a life or a loaf of naan... I spit on such a man. And if I ever cross paths with him, God help him. Do you understand?"

What are 3 character traits for Shmuel from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Shmuel is a rather timid individual.He lives in constant fear of being beaten by the Nazi guards, and he is hesitant to disobey their orders. He tells Bruno that if the guards see him sitting by the fence, he'll get in trouble. Shmuel mentions to Bruno that the Nazi guards are bad people and tells him that Lieutenant Kotler scares him. When he is given the task of washing shot glasses at Bruno's house,...

Shmuel is a rather timid individual. He lives in constant fear of being beaten by the Nazi guards, and he is hesitant to disobey their orders. He tells Bruno that if the guards see him sitting by the fence, he'll get in trouble. Shmuel mentions to Bruno that the Nazi guards are bad people and tells him that Lieutenant Kotler scares him. When he is given the task of washing shot glasses at Bruno's house, Bruno offers him a piece of chicken. Shmuel is hesitant to accept the chicken because he fears Lieutenant Kotler will find out. Unfortunately, Kotler accuses Shmuel of stealing from the fridge and punishes him.

Shmuel can also be described as melancholy. Bruno mentions that Shmuel typically has a look of sorrow on his face and rarely smiles. Shmuel is described as having "an enormous pair of sad eyes," and Bruno thinks that he has never seen a skinnier or "sadder boy" in his life (Boyne 107). On several occasions, Shmuel describes difficult, unhappy situations, such as leaving Poland and being bullied. He mentions to Bruno that he does not enjoy living behind the fence and wishes that he could leave.

Shmuel is also a forgiving individual. In Chapter 15, Bruno lies to Lieutenant Kotler and claims that he does not know Shmuel. Bruno also tells Kotler that he has never seen Shmuel before in his life. Shmuel ends up being beaten by Kotler because Bruno lied. After almost a week passes by, Bruno finally sees Shmuel and asks Shmuel if he will forgive him. Shmuel quickly tells Bruno that it is all right and smiles to signify that he has forgiven Bruno.

What are the values presented in the story, "All Summer in a Day"?

In this story, set on Venus, the sun only comes out for a short time once every seven years. Otherwise, it rains. The story argues for the value of tolerance by showing the effects of intolerance.

Only one child, Margot, among all the nine-year-olds in the classroom where the story is set remembers seeing the sun. Unlike the rest of them, she only came to Venus five years ago. She's different in other ways too:...

In this story, set on Venus, the sun only comes out for a short time once every seven years. Otherwise, it rains. The story argues for the value of tolerance by showing the effects of intolerance.

Only one child, Margot, among all the nine-year-olds in the classroom where the story is set remembers seeing the sun. Unlike the rest of them, she only came to Venus five years ago. She's different in other ways too: she is pale and frail and seems ghostly. Also, her parents might move back to earth because Venus doesn't agree with her, so her difference looks as if it is getting her privileges. The children are jealous of her and hate her for being different and not conforming to their ways. Just before the sun comes out, they lock in her a dark closet. 

The children enjoy the sun. It is a moment of paradise for them. After it ends, they remember Margot and release her, but they feel unhappy about what they have done. One of the messages of the story is that hurting people who are different comes back to haunt the perpetrators too. Their perfect day will forever be a little "clouded" by their uncomfortable memory of what they did to Margot. 

If the island in Lord of the Flies is considered a character, what traits does the island possess?

There are many ways one could view the island in Lord of the Flies if it were to be considered a character. Two of those are that the island would be another littlun or that the island would be a permissive parent. 

The island and the littluns have much in common. Both are natural and operate on an instinctive level, without much or any rational thought. We might say that both start out with pure and innocent hearts. The littluns have no malice for anyone; they are content to eat and play. Simon finds a peaceful hideaway in the jungle that could be compared to the island's heart; it is a contented and sweet-smelling place representing the untouched innocence of nature. The island, just like each of the littluns, deserves to be appreciated just because it is a unique creation. When the Ralph, Jack, and Simon explore the island in chapter 1, they find a bushes with "candle buds." Ralph and Jack disparage the buds because they have no utilitarian value. "You could't light them," Ralph says, and "We can't eat them," says Jack. Yet Simon realizes they are special just because they are, and he names them. In the same way, the older boys tend to ignore the littluns and don't even learn their names because they don't contribute to the society. As the novel progresses, both the littluns and the island suffer at the hands of the older boys as they descend into savagery. At least one littlun is killed, and the others are taken over by Jack when he creates his own tribe. Similarly, the heart of the island, Simon's getaway, becomes corrupted by the boys when they place the pig's head on a stick next to it. Eventually, the boys use the island to carry out the murder of Piggy by rolling down a big rock on him. And at the end of the book, the island is in danger of being destroyed by fire from the boys. Although both the littluns and the island begin in innocence, they are sucked in and contaminated by the savagery of the older boys.

Another way of viewing the island as a character is to think of it as a permissive parent. It provides everything the boys need for their physical lives, but it provides no instruction or guidance to them with regard to their social or spiritual development. This absence of moral training creates a vacuum which can be filled by darkness and evil. Golding shows that children who are left to their own devices without moral guidance will descend into savagery. Parents who provide for a child's physical needs and ignore their moral training may find that moral depravity will eventually lead to the child's destruction. 

Depending on one's preference, the island could be a littlun or a permissive parent.

What does the narrator mean when she says she owes her mother her existence "three times" in "The Leap"?

The narrator means that her mother saved her own life or her daughter’s life three times.

The story describes a trapeze artist’s daughter. She explains the impact her mother had on her life, specifically by saving her life. The narrator feels that her mother is a very unique and interesting person, and she wishes she knew her better.

The first time her mother saved her life, she actually saved herself. In saving herself, she saved...

The narrator means that her mother saved her own life or her daughter’s life three times.

The story describes a trapeze artist’s daughter. She explains the impact her mother had on her life, specifically by saving her life. The narrator feels that her mother is a very unique and interesting person, and she wishes she knew her better.

The first time her mother saved her life, she actually saved herself. In saving herself, she saved her unborn daughter.  Her mother saved her life by avoiding an accident during a big windstorm.

The first time was when she saved herself. In the town square a replica tent pole, cracked and splintered, now stands cast in concrete. It commemorates the disaster that put our town smack on the front page of the Boston and New York tabloids.

Her mother was in a trapeze accident when lightning struck while she was performing. The narrator considers this the second time her life was saved, because it was in the hospital after the accident that her mother met her father.

I owe my existence, the second time then, to the two of them and the hospital that brought them together. That is the debt we take for granted since none of us asks for life. It is only once we have it that we hang on so dearly.

If her mother had died, or had not been in the accident at all, her mother and father would not have met and the narrator would not exist. So again, while saving her own life her mother saved hers, by creating the possibility of her being born.

The third time her mother saved her life was the most spectacular. There was a fire, and the narrator was trapped inside. She was only seven years old, but there was no chance of rescue. Since the firefighters could do nothing, her mother took a literal leap of faith to save her.

I didn't see her leap through air, only heard the sudden thump and looked out my window. She was hanging by the backs of her heels from the new gutter we had put in that year, and she was smiling. I was not surprised to see her, she was so matter-of-fact.

The narrator’s mother is clearly an amazing woman. Telling this story is her way of attempting to get closer to her. Her mother faces many close calls. The narrator recounts the impact that her mother had on her life through the most spectacular events in her mother’s life.

Why was Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite?

Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, is remembered for having been a worldly man and a strong believer in the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, he was criticized in his own time and continues to be a subject of criticism today, being labelled as a hypocrite. Though Jefferson valued religious and social freedoms, he felt that this only applied to somepeople. Despite...

Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, is remembered for having been a worldly man and a strong believer in the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, he was criticized in his own time and continues to be a subject of criticism today, being labelled as a hypocrite. Though Jefferson valued religious and social freedoms, he felt that this only applied to some people. Despite his writing that the slave trade was abominable, he did not believe all men were created equal, and owned hundreds of slaves at his estate of Monticello. 

When Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal," what he really meant was that all free men were created equal. What's more, Jefferson fostered a hierarchy among the slaves he kept, offering more generous pay to some, and nothing but the minimum of food and clothing to others. Those who worked in the house or were favored for other reasons earned a higher pay, breeding conflict and resentment among the slave-laborers on his estate. Jefferson's actions assert that while he thought all free men were created equal, enslaved peoples were to be organized by their merit.

How does Macbeth demonstrate inner conflict in Act V, Scene 5?

In Act V, Scene 5, Macbeth learns of his wife's suicide and is perturbed by the news. The news forces him to focus his attention on the meaning of life:

Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Macbeth embraces nihilistic...

In Act V, Scene 5, Macbeth learns of his wife's suicide and is perturbed by the news. The news forces him to focus his attention on the meaning of life:

Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Macbeth embraces nihilistic ideas and is utterly disillusioned by the life he has been leading. He proclaims that life is fleeting and that man is nothing but a bad actor who is quickly forgotten when he dies. According to Macbeth, life is meaningless. And people are fools (this could be a reference to himself, as he is fooled and manipulated by the witches and his wife into murdering Duncan) whose lives turn out to be futile. We are all quickly forgotten as if we never existed.

It is Macbeth's fault that his life has become so futile. He allowed himself to embrace corruption and evil, and, as a result, he has lost his inner peace, stability, and support.

What things on Earth need to be conserved?

Well, the list of the things that need to be conserved on Earth is going to be very long. I am only listing some of these for reference.

• Water: Among all of the resources, water is probably the most precious one. Unlike many other resources, it cannot be created. We not only need to conserve water, but also its quality.


• Air: Similar to water, air is also needed for our existence and we need to control and conserve its quality as well.


• Fuels: Specifically, fossil fuels need to be conserved. These include coal and petroleum, among others. They have served as the main source of energy for fueling our industrialization and development. We need to conserve them for future generations' sake.


• Wildlife: This needs to be conserved as well. Our actions have already caused countless species to become endangered and extinct. They need to be conserved to prevent that disastrous effects on the ecosystem that would occur, and are occurring, when some species go extinct.


• Plants: These need to be conserved as they are the primary source of food and oxygen for organisms, and make up the base of all ecosystems.


• Soil: This is the surface where plants grow and hence needs to be conserved to maintain its fertility. 

So many more things can be added to this list. 

Hope this helps. 

In the story "Once Upon A Time," what things does the family do to protect itself and what are the consequences?

Nadine Gordimer's short story "Once Upon A Time" reveals the tragedy behind a family's attempts to protect itself from an unknown and unrecognizable threat. In South Africa, historically, it is not unusual for people to take extraordinary steps to secure their properties and to protect themselves from criminal elements in society. In so doing, however, these people often overlook any other threats such as family discord, misunderstanding and even physical dangers. In the story, it...

Nadine Gordimer's short story "Once Upon A Time" reveals the tragedy behind a family's attempts to protect itself from an unknown and unrecognizable threat. In South Africa, historically, it is not unusual for people to take extraordinary steps to secure their properties and to protect themselves from criminal elements in society. In so doing, however, these people often overlook any other threats such as family discord, misunderstanding and even physical dangers. In the story, it is a barbed wire fence which is responsible for the tragedy, and in reality it is often guns and other weapons or self-defense mechanisms which maim and kill children in tragic family accidents. 

The family in Gordimer's short story who already have insurance, a fenced-in swimming pool and so on decide to install electronically-controlled gates as their first precaution against the threat from outside. The maid then pleads with the family to install burglar bars on the doors and windows and an alarm system. Next the wall is raised but the sight of the cat scaling the wall means the family still do not feel safe so they install razor wire: "razor-bladed coils." The little boy is so inspired by the fact that, to him, the razor wire looks just like a "thicket of thorns," and so he pretends to be the prince in "Sleeping Beauty." The consequences of the family's actions in concentrating on only one threat in its life are so severe that soon the little boy is nothing more than "a bleeding mass."  

What is the role of DNA in determining an organism's traits?

It is DNA that contains the genetic code that is used to make proteins. In turn, it is the structure of proteins that determines many of the biological functions and physical characteristics of an organism.

Genes are segments of DNA. DNA stands for deoxyribose nucleic acid. DNA is made of smaller building blocks called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base. There are four kinds of nitrogen bases in DNA. DNA’s nitrogen bases are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The order of the nucleotides determines the gene that an individual will have.

Genes are transcribed and then translated to form proteins. Transcription and translation, the two processes of protein synthesis, are explained below.

During transcription, the two strands of DNA unwind. One of the strands serves as a template for make an mRNA strand. Each set of three nucleotides on an mRNA is called a codon. These codons will be important in the second phase of protein synthesis called translation. After the mRNA is created during transcription, it migrates to the cytoplasm via a nuclear pore. 

During translation, mRNA, ribosomes, rRNA, tRNA, and amino acids come together to make the protein strand.

Once in the cytoplasm, the mRNA and ribosomes attach. The ribosomes serve as scaffolds that match the codons on mRNA’s to the anticodons on the tRNA’s. Anticodons are sets of three nucleotides on the base of a tRNA that are complementary to mRNA codons. On the top of the tRNA are amino acids.

As the ribosome moves down the mRNA during translation, additional tRNA anticodons are matched with the complementary mRNA codons. In this way, amino acids that form a protein are arranged in the correct order. When two amino acids are adjacent to one another, a peptide bond forms. The polypeptide chain continues to grow until a stop codon is reached.

At this point, the polypeptide chain is released from the mRNA strand. The polypeptide chain then forms into a primary, secondary, tertiary, and/or quaternary structure that give the protein its specific function within the cell and organism.

In a Tale of Two Cities, what incited Sydney Carton to plan a safe exit from Paris for Lucie and others?

Sydney learned that Lucie and her daughter were to be condemned by the revolutionaries because of their association with a known aristocrat (Charles Darnay). He has pledged himself to Lucie to save her life or the life of anyone she loves. This will now include Miss Pross, Mr. Lorry, Doctor Manette, and Jerry Cruncher, as well as Charles. He has devised the scheme of drugging Charles in prison, switching places with him (since he and...

Sydney learned that Lucie and her daughter were to be condemned by the revolutionaries because of their association with a known aristocrat (Charles Darnay). He has pledged himself to Lucie to save her life or the life of anyone she loves. This will now include Miss Pross, Mr. Lorry, Doctor Manette, and Jerry Cruncher, as well as Charles. He has devised the scheme of drugging Charles in prison, switching places with him (since he and Charles look so similar), and having him carried out by John Barsad, claiming that it is Sydney overcome in the cell. These people all have letters which allow them to leave Paris and France. The plan is successful, though Miss Pross loses her hearing when she and Madame Defarge are struggling and the pistol goes off near her ear. Madame Defarge is killed, and Miss Pross and Jerry leave in a separate carriage, eventually meeting up with Charles, Lucie, and the others.

In "The Devil and Tom Walker," what does the devil plan to burn in the winter?

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is Washington Irving's tale about a greedy man who sells his soul to the devil to become wealthy. It is based on the German story of Faust. 

Tom Walker first meets the devil, or the "black woodsman," or "old scratch" in the dark swamps that were once an Indian fort near his house. The devil is described as a black man "begrimed with soot" who works among "fires and forges."...

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is Washington Irving's tale about a greedy man who sells his soul to the devil to become wealthy. It is based on the German story of Faust. 

Tom Walker first meets the devil, or the "black woodsman," or "old scratch" in the dark swamps that were once an Indian fort near his house. The devil is described as a black man "begrimed with soot" who works among "fires and forges." He has partially cut down many of the trees in the swamp and marked down the names of important men on them. Tom Walker is sitting on one that has the name of Crowninshield on it and the devil remarks,

"He's just ready for burning!" said the black man, with a growl of triumph. "You see I am likely to have a good stock of firewood for the winter."

The reader presumes that the named men have all sold their souls to "old scratch" and when they perish he burns the wood from the trees. Later in the story Tom Walker dies a fiery death after selling his soul and becoming a money lender. After his death all that is found of his riches are "cinders" and his horses have turned to skeletons.  

Why does the old farmer in The Silver Sword have a gleam of sadness in his eye?

In the book The Silver Sword by Ian Surrailier, a farmer gives refuge to the main characters after discovering them hiding on his farm. The farmer, Kurt Wolff, has a sad gleam in his eye due to the death of both of his sons during World War II. His wife tells Jan, one of the child refugees, about one of the sons, Rudolf, saying that Jan would have liked him because they were both good...

In the book The Silver Sword by Ian Surrailier, a farmer gives refuge to the main characters after discovering them hiding on his farm. The farmer, Kurt Wolff, has a sad gleam in his eye due to the death of both of his sons during World War II. His wife tells Jan, one of the child refugees, about one of the sons, Rudolf, saying that Jan would have liked him because they were both good with animals and the family dog reacted to Jan the same way he had reacted to Rudolf. In fact, when the children leave the farm, they find the dog, Ludwig, has hidden inside their provisions and stayed with them.

While the death of his sons left farmer Wolff with much sadness, learning about Rudolf had a positive effect on Jan. For most of his life, Jan had been a thief, even facing detention for stealing from American troops. At the end of The Silver Sword, it is revealed that Jan gave up his criminal ways and focused on his love of animals, often being called to help the sick and injured.

Should Candy be fired from the ranch in Of Mice and Men? He can't work as well as the other men because he lost his hand but he would have nowhere...

This is a political question and the answer depends on broader ideological concepts about the role of the employer in a society. These are exactly the ideas Steinbeck means to call into question. What is the role of the employer? Do the ranch owners have a moral obligation to Candy? Clearly, they have profited from his labor for many years. They may feel in the clear with him because they compensated him with $250 (about $2,500 in today's money) for his lost hand, but obviously that isn't enough money for him to achieve financial independence or survive many years of old age.

Candy is deeply worried. Social Security was enacted a few years before the time of the novel, but domestics and farm workers were exempted from it, so Candy can't count on a pension. The question becomes ethical: especially in the absence of a government safety net, is a long-term employer under a moral obligation to take care of an aged employee? Clearly, as others have pointed out, Candy is doing useful work for the ranch at this time, so they are keeping him on. But is it fair to get rid of him once he can't work?

Our society trends in the direction of individualism against corporate responsibility toward the worker, and the same was true in the 1930s, which is why Steinbeck is writing the novel: he wants to critique the capitalist system. Certainly, part of the power of a novel, especially a great novel, is it's ability to cause us to empathize with its characters. While it is easy to make ideological statements, a novel about social justice, be it Uncle Tom's Cabin or Of Mice and Men, puts a human face on abstract principals. Up close and personal, I would argue that Steinbeck causes us to feel Candy's pain and to feel that a person who has faithfully worked for so long and so hard, and lost a hand in the process is entitled to be kept on and not fired--and one might venture to say, even offered a retirement pension. Firing him would be exceptionally cruel, given his age and lack of a hand: one could imagine he would not be able to compete successfully for another position. 

What is the psychological bondage to her father theme in A Rose for Emily?

The theme of psychological bondage is shown in the dynamic between Miss Emily and her father. In Miss Emily's home, her father has been the patriarch who controlled the lives of his family. He sent Emily's beaux away if they did not meet his standards, and he dictated the manner in which Emily lived.

The narrators remark that they had long thought of Emily and her father as a "tableau":

Miss Emily a slender figure...

The theme of psychological bondage is shown in the dynamic between Miss Emily and her father. In Miss Emily's home, her father has been the patriarch who controlled the lives of his family. He sent Emily's beaux away if they did not meet his standards, and he dictated the manner in which Emily lived.

The narrators remark that they had long thought of Emily and her father as a "tableau":

Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back-flung front door.

This portrait bespeaks of the relationship as with his horsewhip he appears to be astride her as though she were a horse--a very dominant position. Obviously, he was very authoritarian. Further, after his death, Emily could not bring herself to admit his loss; when the ladies of society came to visit after her father's death, Emily "told them that her father was not dead." For, she was so accustomed to his domination that she found life impossible without him.

We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will.

Emily Grierson has had a forced dependence upon her father. Having lost her chances at marriage and sacrificed her young, tender years to the domination of her patriarch, Emily lives out a tragic life in which she tries to fill a void, but cannot retrieve the opportunities for love that she has irretrievably lost.