Was defending Tom Robinson worth the risk?

Other than Tom Robinson and his family, Atticus had the most to risk by defending Tom in the rape trial.  Atticus was easily putting his reputation on the line, the respect he had from the town people, and the safety of Scout and Jem in order to do what he thought was right.  Atticus definitely thought it was worth the risk, so much so that he even protected Tom from the lynch mob the night...

Other than Tom Robinson and his family, Atticus had the most to risk by defending Tom in the rape trial.  Atticus was easily putting his reputation on the line, the respect he had from the town people, and the safety of Scout and Jem in order to do what he thought was right.  Atticus definitely thought it was worth the risk, so much so that he even protected Tom from the lynch mob the night Tom was transferred to the Maycomb County jail. 

After classmates harassed Scout and Jem for Atticus defending Tom, he told Scout and Jem that if he didn’t defend Tom, he couldn’t ever tell them what to do and that he wouldn’t expect them to believe what he told them was right.  He felt that Tom deserved a fair trial like any man, and he was the one man who could possibly make a difference and get Tom acquitted.  In Chapter 11, Atticus says that his conscience told him that he must defend Tom when he tells Scout,

"This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience—Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man....before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience." 

So, Atticus risked his own morality if he chose not to take the case.  In the end and despite the horrific consequences, Atticus did do his best. That is why the blacks observing the trial in the segregated balcony section stood up when Atticus passed. They knew that he had given up a lot and that he did the best any man could have done to save Tom Robinson.

Atticus would probably believe that his moral values and beliefs were more important than his name or reputation, and that it was worth the risk to defend Tom Robinson in order to fight racial injustice.

What are some conflicts in Hamlet, act 2?

In Act II, the main conflict revolves around appearance versus reality: Hamlet, still reeling from the ghost's revelation that Claudius murdered his father, must determine what is real: is the ghost really the ghost of his father and did Claudius really kill his father? Much of the conflict in the plot revolves around Hamlet's quest for the truth. In Act II, scene ii, the travelling players arrive at the castle, and Hamlet determines he will...

In Act II, the main conflict revolves around appearance versus reality: Hamlet, still reeling from the ghost's revelation that Claudius murdered his father, must determine what is real: is the ghost really the ghost of his father and did Claudius really kill his father? Much of the conflict in the plot revolves around Hamlet's quest for the truth. In Act II, scene ii, the travelling players arrive at the castle, and Hamlet determines he will solve the problem of whether or not Claudius is a killer by staging a play that enacts a murder that imitates the murder the ghost described to Hamlet. On a deeper level, Hamlet's conflict with a world that seems to him false and "rotten" continues: he watches the deep emotion an actor exhibits while playing a scene and wonders that the man can feel so deeply about an illusion.

In Act II Hamlet comes into conflict with Gertrude and Claudius. As Hamlet becomes increasingly erratic and "mad," Gertrude and Claudius feel increasingly confused and shut out. They assume his behavior is due to his father's death and their marriage, but then learn from Polonius that Hamlet may be lovesick over Ophelia. Whatever the case, Hamlet is trying to hide what is going on in his life from their scrutiny, while they are trying to uncover what is happening.   

What is a character sketch of Jerome in the novel Three Men in a Boat?

First of all, the narrator is referred to as “J.” This is a work of fiction. And even though Mr. Jerome and two of his friends did indeed make trips along the River Thames in real life, this particular one is an amalgam and an invention. So the author and the narrator are not one and the same person, although they may share some similarities.

J.’s character can be summed up by surely the most...

First of all, the narrator is referred to as “J.” This is a work of fiction. And even though Mr. Jerome and two of his friends did indeed make trips along the River Thames in real life, this particular one is an amalgam and an invention. So the author and the narrator are not one and the same person, although they may share some similarities.

J.’s character can be summed up by surely the most famous line in this book, which comes in Chapter XV: “I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” Yes, J. is the man who says this. We don’t hear that he has a “real job,” but he does prove to be an excellent storyteller and creative writer, so we can perhaps assume that he supports himself by some kind of writing. He would also rather supervise activity than participate in it. In Chapter IV, he tells George and Harris that he knows a lot about packing and that “they had better leave the whole matter entirely to me.” They agree, which isn’t quite what J. had in mind.

This was hardly what I intended. What I had meant, of course, was, that I should boss the job, and that Harris and George should potter about under my directions. … There is nothing does irritate me more than seeing other people sitting about doing nothing when I’m working.

We get the idea that J. is a hypochondriac, based on his museum tale from Chapter I. He has a good sense of humor and seems to find the funny story – or at least, a story – in just about anything that comes his way. He’s smart, especially about historical details. He can be easily swayed by compelling evidence. He can become emotional, as when he cries at George’s banjo song in the final chapter. He’s a likable enough guy, but is indeed chatty.

Great poets like Edwin Arlington Robinson are purposeful in every word they pack in their short pieces. Look closely at the name of our central...

The poem "Miniver Cheevy" is generally accepted as semi-autobiographical about Edwin Arlington Robinson's own life.  Your question about the name, "Miniver Cheevy," took me to an interesting fact about Robinson's own name.  When he was born, his parents had wanted a girl so much that when the boy was born, they refused to name him for several months.  After a while, they held a lawn party and had a raffle to allow their friends and neighbors to name the baby.  The name "Edwin" was drawn from a hat by someone at the party, and Edwin Robinson finally had a name.  

To consider the meaning of the name, you must first understand the characterization that occurs in the poem.  This person, Miniver Cheevy, appears as someone who is out of touch with the time he lives in.  He is dissatisfied with the life he is living, he longs for things like romance and chivalry.  However, he is either powerless to do anything about his state or he simply chooses not to take any action.  Instead, in the penultimate stanza, we are told that he simply "thought, and thought, and thought, and thought, and thought about it."  He is a man of no action.  Finally, in the closing stanza, we learn that he succumbs to what he considers his "fate," and he takes to drinking as a way of consoling himself. 

So, now consider the name.  What thoughts come to mind at the sound of the name, "Miniver Cheevy"? 

"Mini" -- small, impotent, inactive

"Cheevy" -- sounds like "peevish," someone small, complaining, whining

Cheevy could also have a relationship to "cheval," the French word for horse, from which we get the modern word chivalry, which Miniver Cheevy longs for. 

I looked up a site on the meanings of names, and the word "miniver" is "a white fur worn originally by medieval nobles and used chiefly for robes of state."  The great irony here is that this is exactly what Miniver Cheevy would want, to be a medieval noble wearing a miniver.  But he doesn't get it.

In "Charles," how does Laurie respond when his dad asks, "What are they going to do about Charles, do you suppose?"

Laurie says that he thinks Charles will be thrown out of school.

Charles is not real. He is an invention of Laurie’s imagination. Laurie had a difficult time adjusting to kindergarten. His parents had a new baby at home, and not much time for him. The combination of circumstances led Laurie to act out at school and at home.

Laurie comes home every day with wild stories about what Charles did and how the teacher...

Laurie says that he thinks Charles will be thrown out of school.

Charles is not real. He is an invention of Laurie’s imagination. Laurie had a difficult time adjusting to kindergarten. His parents had a new baby at home, and not much time for him. The combination of circumstances led Laurie to act out at school and at home.

Laurie comes home every day with wild stories about what Charles did and how the teacher reacted. His parents are entertained but not overly concerned by these stories. They never guess that Laurie is describing his own actions.

The next day Laurie remarked at lunch, as soon as he sat down, “Well, Charles was bad again today.” He grinned enormously and said, “Today Charles hit the teacher.”

“Good heavens,” I said, mindful of the Lord’s name, “I suppose he got spanked again?"

When Laurie comes home and tells his father that Charles kicked the teacher’s friend, Laurie’s dad takes a half-hearted interest in the situation.

“What are they going to do about Charles, do you suppose?” Laurie’s father asked him.

Laurie shrugged elaborately. “Throw him out of school, I guess,” he said.

Laurie’s answer to this question is a window into his young mind. Laurie doesn’t like school. This is the first time he has gone to school, and he finds conforming to the rigid expectations difficult. He seems to be hoping that if he is bad enough, he will just be kicked out of school.

It doesn’t work, and eventually the teacher is able to get through to Laurie. He starts to behave himself and have fewer and fewer incidents. His parents still have no idea that Laurie is Charles until Laurie’s mother sees the teacher at a parent-teacher conference. There, the teacher tells her that there is no Charles, and she realizes that it has been her son the whole time.

What did Britain see its colonies as a source of?

The British generally saw the colonies as a source of revenue. The idea of mercantilism, the economic theory that guided the colonial relationship, was that, by maintaining a favorable balance of trade with the colonies, the British Empire would profit. Essentially, the colonies functioned as suppliers of raw materials, including cash crops like sugar and tobacco, and consumers of British manufactured goods, ranging from cloth to glass to guns to paint. The colonies also supplied...

The British generally saw the colonies as a source of revenue. The idea of mercantilism, the economic theory that guided the colonial relationship, was that, by maintaining a favorable balance of trade with the colonies, the British Empire would profit. Essentially, the colonies functioned as suppliers of raw materials, including cash crops like sugar and tobacco, and consumers of British manufactured goods, ranging from cloth to glass to guns to paint. The colonies also supplied large quantities of naval stores, including tar, pitch, and timber for the construction of ships. In order to maintain this profitable relationship, the British Crown and Parliament established a series of regulations that prohibited the importation of non-British goods into the colonies. These restrictions, however, were seldom enforced with any regularity, a policy called "salutary neglect" after the fact. As long as the colonies remained profitable, it was not in the British interest to spend much in enforcing them. When they began to do so, beginning with the Sugar Act in the wake of the French and Indian War, the colonists protested.

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, how has John Holbrook changed since coming to Wethersfield?

When John Holbrook first came to Wethersfield, he was hesitant to contradict Reverend Bulkeley.  Reverend Bulkeley was his teacher and mentor.  John Holbrook had moved to Wethersfield to study under him.  While both men had differing opinions, John Holbrook kept his ideas to himself.  Kit observed how John Holbrook acted around the Reverend Bulkeley:

With a flash of pleasure, she saw John Holbrook approaching, but her impulsive greeting froze as she saw that Reverend Bulkeley...

When John Holbrook first came to Wethersfield, he was hesitant to contradict Reverend Bulkeley.  Reverend Bulkeley was his teacher and mentor.  John Holbrook had moved to Wethersfield to study under him.  While both men had differing opinions, John Holbrook kept his ideas to himself.  Kit observed how John Holbrook acted around the Reverend Bulkeley:

With a flash of pleasure, she saw John Holbrook approaching, but her impulsive greeting froze as she saw that Reverend Bulkeley had the young man firmly by the elbow. In the shadow of his teacher, an extra staidness had fallen over the young divinity student, and his smile was lukewarm with dignity (The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Chapter 5).

John Holbrook was more serious around his mentor.  He appeared to have adopted many of the opinions of Dr. Bulkeley.  He admired Dr. Bulkeley and his vast knowledge.  John tried to align his beliefs with Dr. Bulkeley.  Finally, he could not do this any longer and he joined the militia as a "way of breaking with Dr. Bulkeley" (Chapter 16).  He was also timid around Matthew Wood.  When it was wrongly assumed that John wanted to marry Judith instead of Mercy, he was too fearful to speak up.  He chose to remain silent rather than speak to Matthew or tell the truth to Judith.

After John Holbrook returned from the militia, he changed in many ways.  He openly confessed his love and affection for Mercy.  He also became more outspoken about his views and opinions:

"Dr. Bulkeley is everything I ever thought him to be, a great scholar and a great gentleman," he explained. "In politics he is obeying his own conscience, but I think he is mistaken. We have come to an understanding. He will teach me theology and medicine, but I will think as I please" (Chapter 21).