Notes

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Why do the men of Umuofia call a meeting at the beginning of Things Fall Apart?

At the beginning of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the men of Umuofia are called together into a meeting in order to discuss how they should move forward after an Umuofian woman is murdered in the marketplace in Mbaino. Umuofia is known across Nigeria as a fierce warrior culture, and the men contemplate war as a justified reaction to this murder. A respected orator delivers the news, and incites the crowd with his narrative:

...

“'Those sons of wild animals have dared to murder a daughter of Umuofia.' He threw his head down and gnashed his teeth.... The crowd then shouted with anger and thirst for blood” (11).

Mbaino and Umuofia are on the verge of war from this act. However, the two parties do eventually come to an amicable, peaceful compromise. Indeed, Umuofia passes down an ultimatum in which Mbaino must offer a virgin woman and a young man, later revealed as the young lad Ikemefuna, in order to appease the region and avoid war:

“But the war that now threatened was a just war. Even the enemy clan knew that. And so when Okonkwo of Umuofia arrived at Mbaino as the proud and imperious emissary of war, he was treated with great honor and respect, and two days later he returned home with a lad of fifteen and a young virgin” (12).

In short, the men of Umuofia call a meeting to discuss how they should retaliate against the murder of an Umuofian woman in Mbaino.

What are the challenges the main character faces in "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"?

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the mongoose and main character in the story, fights three snakes and destroys 25 snake eggs that are about to hatch. The two cobras, Nag and Nagaina, are the most challenging threats because they are large, full-grown cobras, and Rikki is only a young mongoose. The first conflict is between Rikki and Kurait, a dusty brown snakeling. Although he is small, he is deadly, and Rikki must strike him at exactly the right place. He does, to the great appreciation of the human family. Second, Rikki battles Nag. He lies in wait until Nag falls asleep in the bathroom of the bungalow. As he starts to fight him, the father wakes up and comes with his gun, which he shoots, killing Nag. Rikki may not have been able to take Nag on by himself, but by waking up the father with the struggle, he saves the family's life. Third, Rikki knows he must destroy the eggs. He finds where Nagaina has hidden them and destroys all but one by crushing them and killing the snakes inside. Finally, he must take on Nagaina. She gains control of the last remaining egg and carries it down a rat hole. Rikki, fearless, follows her into the tunnel, something very few adult mongooses would dare to do. The animals in the garden can't see what Rikki is doing and fear for him, but he emerges, "covered with dirt," as the victor. He has killed three snakes and destroyed twenty-five others that were about to hatch. He has saved the lives of the family three times and has "a right to be proud of himself."

Friday, May 2, 2014

What is the dramatic importance when Lennie and Curley's wife sit with each other?

George knows right when Candy tells him about Curley's wife that she's trouble. When he and Lennie meet her for the first time, his thoughts are confirmed. He tells Lennie to stay away from her and not to talk to her, ever. Because Lennie never wants to do anything to upset George, he does his best to stay away from her. Curley's wife is like a shark who circles the men all of the time, though. She is lonely and wants to talk to socialize, so there seems to be no way to avoid her. She seems to be circling closer and closer to Lennie throughout the story without realizing that he's a killer whale.

Once she finds him alone in the barn, the moment that George warned Lennie about is realized. This moment intensifies the suspense of the story because George isn't around to help Lennie if he can't get away from her. Furthermore, Curley's wife happens upon Lennie after he has just killed his puppy and he's already upset, so Lennie is even more unpredictable than normal. Thus, everything surrounding the moment that Curley's wife sits next to Lennie is aligned for the trouble George was worried about. Unbeknownst to her, Curley's wife sets herself and Lennie up for the worst when she says the following:

"Some people got kinda coarse hair . . . But mine is soft and fine. 'Course I brush it a lot. That makes it fine. Here—feel right here . . . Feel right aroun' there an' see how soft it is" (90).

When she takes his hand and puts it on her head, that is the end of it. Whenever Lennie touches something soft, it dies. Curley's wife is no exception. If she had not gotten close to him, and just left Lennie alone, she would have been fine. From start to finish, she seems to get closer and closer to him in the story, until finally she sits down right next to him and has him touch something soft. It is this moment that seals both of their fates.

What is the resolution in The Giver?

The resolution of a story is when problems are solved and conflicts are resolved. In The Giver, there are problems that are left unsolved and conflicts that are not resolved, and because of this there is not a clear resolution.

Jonas realizes several truths about his community. One thing he discovers is that "release" means that a person is euthanized. He finds out that this is about to happen to young Gabriel. Jonas knows that the only way to save Gabriel is to rescue him and take him away from their community. Jonas also knows that when he leaves, the memories he has been given by the Giver will "[escape] from his protection to return to the people of his community."

At the end of the story, Jonas and Gabriel find a village that is very different from their former home. The story ends with them sledding down a hill toward the village, "where families created and kept memories." The reader does not know what happens to the community when they receive the memories. We do not know if the way of life changes in the community. We also do not know if Jonas and Gabriel are well received in the village. The resolution to the story is incomplete.

What is the main idea of Robert Frost's poem "Birches"?

Robert Frost's "Birches" begins with a speaker's observation of birch trees in a wood and his recollection of boyhood games focusing on the swinging of birch limbs. However, the poem is more than a mere sentimental reminiscence of childhood. Indeed, the main point of the poem becomes the desire to escape from one's current experience, only to return to reality and begin anew.

One of the key lines in the poem occurs near the end,...

One of the key lines in the poem occurs near the end, when the speaker admits, "I'd like to get away from earth awhile" (48). Here, we see that the childhood game of swinging from a birch tree has become a symbol for leaving or escaping one's current state. The speaker does not wish to escape from life or reality entirely; rather, he'd like to, just like a "swinger of birches" (59), get some distance from the experience he knows, but then return to it with a fresh perspective and renewed energy. Thus, we could surmise that the main idea of the poem focuses on renewal, revitalization, and new beginnings, all of which are symbolized by childhood games played on birch trees.

List three warnings that you think Stephen Vincent Benet is giving his reader in the story. Of all the warnings, which, if any, do you think is...

Warning number one could be a warning against losing knowledge. The story takes place in the future, but all of society's current learning and technology has been lost; therefore, John and his people are essentially living in the 1600's.

Warning number two could be a warning against gaining too much knowledge. This warning runs counter to the first warning, which is why this story is so interesting. The people of the past gained so much knowledge that it destroyed them. Their knowledge, technology, weapons, etc. led to their annihilation.

Warning number three could be a general "beware of weapons of mass destruction." "The Great Burning" in the story is likely a nuclear holocaust. It killed most of the people on the planet. With great, powerful weapons comes great responsibility.

I believe that warning number two is most relevant today. We have amazing knowledge and technology, and it seems that the rate of gained knowledge is increasing exponentially. But I do at times think that scientists and engineers are more concerned with whether or not they can do something instead of asking whether or not they should do something.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

How long have the Tucks lived in their home?

It is not possible to give a definitive answer to the question. The text does not indicate specifically how long the Tuck family lived in their home.

The reader does know that eighty-seven years earlier the Tuck family drank from the spring in Treegap. That is when they became immortal. Treegap was not their final stop, so they moved on through the woods until they came to a nearby valley.

They had come out of the forest at last, many miles to the west, had found a thinly populated valley, had started their farm. "We put up a house for Ma and Pa," said Miles, "and a little shack for Jesse and me.

The text says that the Tuck family stayed there for 20 years. Then they were forced to wander like gypsies to avoid suspicion. The family split up and gets together at their house during the first week of August every ten years.

But they come home whenever the spirit moves, and every ten years, first week of August, they meet at the spring and come home together so's we can be a family again for a little while.

I suppose that you could estimate how many times the Tuck family has been back to the house during their 87 years of life, but that would be pointless, because they haven't gone back to that first house. Mae tells Winnie in chapter 10 that they never live in a house more than 20 years at a time now.

But they can't stay on in any one place for long, you know. None of us can. People get to wondering." She sighed. "We been in this house about as long as we dare, going on twenty years. It's a right nice place. Tuck's got so's he's real attached to it. Then, too, it's off by itself, plenty of fish in the pond, not too far from the towns around. When we need things, we go sometimes to one, sometimes the next, so people don't come to notice us much. And we sell where we can. But I guess we'll be moving on, one of these days. It's just about time."

The best answer that I can possibly give to your question is that the Tuck family has owned their current home for "going on twenty years."