In the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen, what is the condition of the gassed soldier after he was thrown in a wagon?

The gassed soldier serves as both a refutation of and antidote to the lines quoted in the title of this poem, taken from the writings of Horace, a Roman poet:  “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” Meaning, It is sweet and glorious to die for one’s country.  In Owen’s poem we have proof that it is indeed neither sweet nor glorious to suffer as the soldier in the wagon suffers, for one’s country or not.  If the reader could “watch the white eyes writhing in his face,/His hanging face, like the devil’s sick of sin,” he or she would understand the folly of this ancient phrase.  The soldier’s face is slack and numb from the gas, only his eyes belying the intense, insufferable pain he is experiencing – this disconnect between the eyes and the face is a potent and distressing image.  In addition to this,

“at every jolt, the blood/Come[s] gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,/Obscene as cancer….” 

The integrity of the soldier’s lungs has been compromised by the gas, and now he froths at the mouth with blood at each bump in the road.  The soldier is completely incapacitated, at the mercy of the movements of the wagon and the gas in his system; the other soldiers “flung him” bodily into the vehicle, because he was unable to control his own movements.

The soldier was suffering from the horrendous effects of chlorine gas, which the Germans used in WWI as a more powerful alternative to tear gas.  The chlorine was not always deadly, and the Allied forces soon discovered the intricacies of mitigating its effects, but exposure to the gas can cause intense damage to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and in high concentrations it can cause death by asphyxiation.  We cannot be sure as to what fate the soldier in Owen’s poem is heading, but we do know that whatever the outcome, the road is torturous. 

Owen emphasizes the incomprehensible pain of the soldier by having the speaker assert that the reader could only imagine it “in some smothering dream;” the image is too gruesome for waking life, too horridly imaginative for conscious thought.  And if any one of us should think that war is glorious, or that death is glorious, no matter what ideal one might die for, the sobering truth is the opposite.  Is what this gassed soldier going through glorious?  No.  It is horrid.  And this truth must displace the propaganda of clueless ideals.

How were relations between the sexes characterized in traditional Native American societies?

We should remember that the phrase "Native Americans" describes a vast array of people from Chile to the Arctic Circle, so any generalizations about gender roles have to be prefaced with the stipulation that they do not apply to all Native American groups. However, many Indian societies--indeed most that English settlers came in contact with along the Atlantic coast--were what anthropologists refer to as "matrilineal." This meant that one's standing in society, and especially their...

We should remember that the phrase "Native Americans" describes a vast array of people from Chile to the Arctic Circle, so any generalizations about gender roles have to be prefaced with the stipulation that they do not apply to all Native American groups. However, many Indian societies--indeed most that English settlers came in contact with along the Atlantic coast--were what anthropologists refer to as "matrilineal." This meant that one's standing in society, and especially their clan affiliations, were "passed down" from the mother. This, of course, was dramatically different from European societies, which were without exception patrilineal, with young men inheriting titles, property, and social standing from their fathers. Indian societies also featured a different gendered division of labor than European societies. Native women in many groups performed agricultural labor in particular with little help from men. This was viewed by Europeans as evidence of the laziness of Indian people, and was used as an excuse to expropriate their lands. Among many Native societies, women played prominent political roles as well. They participated in councils of war, and they were the final word on whether to adopt or execute war captives, a role that carried immense prestige. So while we cannot generalize about all Native peoples, many North American Indian societies featured gender roles that were very different from Europeans.

What is the point of paper chromatography?

Paper chromatography can show that different substances are in an apparently homogeneous substance. In general, a sample of a substance is applied near the bottom of a paper chromatography strip. The bottom is then positioned so that the very bottom of the paper is touching a small amount of a liquid solvent; care must be taken not to immerse the sample itself, or it will dissolve into the solvent. When the liquid touches the paper,...

Paper chromatography can show that different substances are in an apparently homogeneous substance. In general, a sample of a substance is applied near the bottom of a paper chromatography strip. The bottom is then positioned so that the very bottom of the paper is touching a small amount of a liquid solvent; care must be taken not to immerse the sample itself, or it will dissolve into the solvent. When the liquid touches the paper, it slowly moves upwards. If the components of the sample can be dissolved by the liquid, they will start to move as well. The higher the solubility of the molecule in the sample, the further up the paper it will move. Those with lower solubility will not be carried as far up the paper. When the liquid reaches the top, it is removed and dried, bands of the different components can be seen.

Although it is not used often in research labs, in my first job post-college I used paper chromatography. The doctor for whom I worked, P.S. Rao, was researching a way to differentiate a type of enzyme released from damaged muscle into types released from heart muscle, as opposed to that released from skeletal muscle. Since even a needle used to take a blood sample would cause a rise in the overall level of the enzyme (creatine phosphokinase, or CPK), the total alone could not be used to show that someone had suffered a heart attack. He had realized that a blood sample treated with specific chemicals, then run on paper chromatography, would show an extra band when the patient had had a heart attack. This is now run as a purely chemical test kit (which we were also developing), and is a standard, easy test to determine whether someone has had a heart attack or not.

How does Dante utilize the depiction of characters in The Inferno to express social satire and satirical commentary?

It's awesome that you're reading Dante's Inferno—it's a great and super important work! 

Satire is the use of irony, humor, and exaggeration to expose hypocrisy, stupidity, or evils. Social satire is when you do this in the context of your own society. 

If you are familiar with the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, this is a great way to think about satire. In the Daily Show, Jon Stewart directly makes fun...

It's awesome that you're reading Dante's Inferno—it's a great and super important work! 

Satire is the use of irony, humor, and exaggeration to expose hypocrisy, stupidity, or evils. Social satire is when you do this in the context of your own society. 

If you are familiar with the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, this is a great way to think about satire. In the Daily Show, Jon Stewart directly makes fun of issues in our society. But in the Colbert Report (so sad it was cancelled!), Stephen Colbert would pretend to believe in the issues he was intending to mock, and would exaggerate them in a funny way to make his point. 

Dante does the same thing in the Inferno. He exposes the hypocrisy and malice in Florentine society by showing how the people atone for their sins in hell—it's pretty extreme. He does this for groups in general, like in the third circle where the gluttons are punished. He also does it to specific people, like Filippo Argenti, in the fifth circle, where anger is punished. 

Argenti was someone who had wronged Dante, and rather than just talk about that directly, Dante goes to an extreme and shows Argenti paying for that sin in hell. 

Look for more examples like this—there are a lot of them! 

How does the plot of Fahrenheit 451 contribute to the development of the character Montag?

Great question! In Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s character develops throughout the book.

Initially, the book presents Montag as a fairly basic character. Montag works, goes home, and lives out his life. He laughs off questions and does not seem to notice or question his environment. As the text reveals:

“He walked toward the corner, thinking little at all about nothing in particular.”

Subsequently as the book progresses, Montag becomes more aware of his environment. Within...

Great question! In Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s character develops throughout the book.

Initially, the book presents Montag as a fairly basic character. Montag works, goes home, and lives out his life. He laughs off questions and does not seem to notice or question his environment. As the text reveals:

“He walked toward the corner, thinking little at all about nothing in particular.”

Subsequently as the book progresses, Montag becomes more aware of his environment. Within the story’s plot, he meets a young girl who encourages him to question and think. Furthermore, his wife’s almost death encourages his thoughts as well. He begins to consider the purpose or reasoning of his life and his society. Montag becomes unable to laugh off different situations. As Montag explains:

“I’m so mad and I don’t know why. I feel like I’m putting on weight. I feel fat. I feel like I’ve been saving up a lot of things, and don’t know what. I might even start reading books.”

Finally, after the death of his young friend and time in contemplation, the plot encourages Montag to act. His boss discovers Montag’s hidden books. He is forced to act on his thoughts and run. Soon, he becomes an outcast and finds a group of men who also have questioned the current society. He joins them in hopes that the culture will soon become aware of reality.

Thus, through the plot, Montag’s character develops from an average citizen to an outcast of society. He originally accepts his environment with no hesitation and later becomes more inquisitive. Although this change does not happen immediately, Montag is gradually transformed through the plot.

What advice did Brian's English teacher, Perpich, give him in school in Hatchet?

Brian’s English teacher always told him to stay positive and get motivated.

When Brian’s plane crashes, the pilot dies and leaves him stranded alone in the Canadian wilderness. He remembers the advice that one of his teachers gave him.

Brian had once had an English teacher, a guy named Perpich, who was always talking about being positive, thinking positive, staying on top of things. … All Perpich would say is that I have to get...

Brian’s English teacher always told him to stay positive and get motivated.

When Brian’s plane crashes, the pilot dies and leaves him stranded alone in the Canadian wilderness. He remembers the advice that one of his teachers gave him.

Brian had once had an English teacher, a guy named Perpich, who was always talking about being positive, thinking positive, staying on top of things. … All Perpich would say is that I have to get motivated. He was always telling kids to get motivated. (Ch. 5)

It is very hard to stay positive in a situation like this, but Brian does his best to stay motivated. He realizes that he only has himself, and there is no one there to help him.

Brian has a hatchet, and not much else. He has his clothes and his shoes. He thinks about his teacher and feels like he would trade all of it for a hamburger. His biggest concern is that he is hungry.

He frowned. No, wait—if he was going to play the game, might as well play it right. Perpich would tell him to quit messing around. Get motivated. Look at all of it, Robeson. (Ch. 5)

It is only natural to be scared and feel hopeless in Brian’s state. He is all alone and desperate for food and shelter. His other concern is to signal any planes that might come by searching for him. He does this by building a smoky fire.

I suppose teachers never really know how they are going to be able to influence their students.  In a time of trouble, Brian uses the guidance of his English teacher to help him stay focused and motivated. The advice to stay positive and motivated might be common, but a teacher who shows his students that he cares will be able to make a difference.

What is an interpretation of sonnet 133 by William Shakespeare?

In this angry sonnet, the narrator curses the Dark Lady he is in love with because she has also trapped the heart of the young man the narrator is also in love with. The narrator feels enslaved and imprisoned by his feelings for the woman, and also angry and betrayed. He calls her "cruel" and speaks of "torture," "torment" and wounds. He feels she has robbed him of everything by stealing his young man: she...

In this angry sonnet, the narrator curses the Dark Lady he is in love with because she has also trapped the heart of the young man the narrator is also in love with. The narrator feels enslaved and imprisoned by his feelings for the woman, and also angry and betrayed. He calls her "cruel" and speaks of "torture," "torment" and wounds. He feels she has robbed him of everything by stealing his young man: she has robbed him of herself, the young man and his own sense of self, for what is he without his loves? As he puts it:

Of him, myself, and thee [you] I am forsaken,

A torment thrice threefold thus to be crossed.

In the end, however, the poet cannot break from his lover, no matter how cruel she is, for "I ... am thine [yours], and all that is in me."

While many poems dwell of the beauties and joys of the beloved, this poem reveals love's dark side. The love the poet feels for the woman who is treating him badly is ripping him apart, yet he can't break away from her.