Why do people like themselves too much?

There is no consensus on the issue of narcissism--an inflated sense of self-importance and lack of empathy for the plight of others--among the American public. It can also be difficult to reconcile the perception of an increase in narcissism among American youth with the nation's suicide and substance abuse rates, the former being a certain indicator of dissatisfaction with one's lot in life. If the data presented by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which states that over 42,000 Americans commit suicide every year, is accurate, and it probably is, then concerns about inflated senses of self-importance could either be misplaced, or reveal a serious emotional gulf among Americans between those who tend towards narcissism and those who choose death over the status quo.

Potential conflicts between data sets aside, one could easily conclude that people think too highly of themselves, especially the nation's youth, and that the cause of that inflated sense of self-importance is the growing rejection among many Americans, especially on the left-side of the political spectrum, of competition as a means of selecting "winners" and "losers." In other words, the "nobody loses, everybody wins" mentality that tends to dominate athletic and social competitions these days has succeeded in convincing children and teenagers that they are successful just for showing up. Such an approach may boost self-esteem, but carried to extremes, as tends to happen with such phenomena, the ramifications for mental maturation can be profound. Americans today are more socially withdrawn into their own little worlds, with unlimited forms of electronic entertainment available. While social networking would seem to obviate that suggestion, the downside of social networking, such as the pervasive online bullying that occurs among teenagers, may very well be offsetting any attributes associated with online social interactions.

As noted, there is no consensus as to whether Americans think too highly of themselves and, if so, what might be the cause of such a development. Coddling of children and teenagers and the elimination of any sense of social Darwinism might be part of the problem. As Psychology Professor Jean Twenge was quoted as stating:

“There’s a common perception that self-esteem is key to success, but it turns out it isn’t," she [Professor Twenge] said. Nonetheless, “young people are just completely convinced that in order to succeed they have to believe in themselves or go all the way to being narcissistic.” [See: "Seeing Narcissists Everywhere," New York Times, August 5, 2013]

If Professor Twenge is correct, and this "educator" believes that she is, then the answer to the student's question is the culture in which children are being raised today.

What makes the children hate and fear Mrs. Dubose in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Early in Chapter 4 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout the narrator announces that the neighborhood unanimously felt Mrs. Dubose to be the "meanest old woman who ever lived." She was so mean that when the Finch children were younger, they were afraid to walk past her house without Atticus by their side. However, by the time they are a little older in Chapter 11, they decide it is time to start...

Early in Chapter 4 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout the narrator announces that the neighborhood unanimously felt Mrs. Dubose to be the "meanest old woman who ever lived." She was so mean that when the Finch children were younger, they were afraid to walk past her house without Atticus by their side. However, by the time they are a little older in Chapter 11, they decide it is time to start venturing into town by themselves and must pass her house in order to do so. In Chapter 11, we learn that the children, though a little older, continue to hate and fear Mrs. Dubose because of the many criticisms and insults she hurls at them each time they walk past.

One reason why they fear her is because "it was rumored that she kept a CSA pistol concealed" on her at all times. They further fear and hate her because they could do nothing to please her. Scout notes that even if she cheerfully said, "Hey, Mrs. Dubose," while passing her house, all Scout would get in reply is, "Don't you say hey to me, you ugly girl! You say good afternoon, Mrs. Dubose!" (Ch. 11). She further insults the children by calling them the "sassiest, most disrespectful mutts" in the neighborhood and criticizes Atticus's parenting style, saying he lets them "run wild." However, she makes the children the angriest, especially Jem, when she one day says, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" This comment leads Jem to seek vengeance by whacking off all the camellia flowers in her garden, a vengeful act that is restituted through his punishment of being ordered to read to her each afternoon. Yet, through his interactions with Mrs. Dubose, he learns tolerance, acceptance, and a valuable lesson about what true courage is.

What was segregation and what effects did it have on southern communities?

Segregation, part of a system sometimes called "Jim Crow," was in force in the South from the late 1800s to the 1960s. Essentially, segregation combined statutory law and a collection of customs to enforce white supremacy through separating whites and African-Americans in public spaces. The effects were profound, and included almost every aspect of life in the South. African-Americans were not allowed to eat in the same areas as whites, they were barred from many...

Segregation, part of a system sometimes called "Jim Crow," was in force in the South from the late 1800s to the 1960s. Essentially, segregation combined statutory law and a collection of customs to enforce white supremacy through separating whites and African-Americans in public spaces. The effects were profound, and included almost every aspect of life in the South. African-Americans were not allowed to eat in the same areas as whites, they were barred from many hotels and public spaces, they attended different (usually inferior) schools, and in most states could not even be buried in the same cemeteries as whites. The effects were complex. On the one hand, segregation was clearly detrimental to African-Americans in the South. On the other, black men and women resisted segregation by establishing their own vibrant communities and institutions. But everywhere they turned, African-Americans saw reminders that those in positions of power deemed them second-class citizens, or not even citizens at all--every Southern state took steps to strip African-Americans of their voting rights as they established segregation laws. So segregation laws created communities divided along racial lines, but never equally--they were intended to establish and perpetuate white supremacy.

In Frankenstein, what happens when Victor, at age fifteen, sees an oak tree destroyed by lightning and hears an explanation? What does Victor then...

Victor sees a spectacular proof of the power of the nature when he witnesses lightning strike a tree with "curiosity and delight." He says, 

I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak [...]; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump [....]. It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbands of wood. I never...

Victor sees a spectacular proof of the power of the nature when he witnesses lightning strike a tree with "curiosity and delight." He says, 

I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak [...]; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump [....]. It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbands of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed.

In witnessing the extreme power of the natural world, Victor loses interest in the supernatural. Any interest that he once had in alchemy or searches for the philosopher's stone or the elixir of life dissolves when he sees what is possible with the intensity and dominance of electricity, a natural power that has the force to obliterate a very large and solid oak (a tree known for its own strength).

Victor says that, although he lost interest in the writers who focused on the supernatural and the occult, "by some fatality [he] did not feel inclined to commence the study of any modern system [of science]." Instead, he turned to the study of mathematics and languages (Greek, English, and German) until his parents determined to send him to the university at Ingolstadt when he turned seventeen. It was at the university that Victor began his study of modern science.

In "Dead Men's Path" by Chinua Achebe, how does the headmaster prevent the villagers from using the path?

As the story begins, Michael Obi has just been appointed the principal of Ndume Central School. Energetic and ambitious, Michael entertains high hopes for turning the school into an academically progressive powerhouse. However, his aspirations are dashed when he discovers a much-used footpath marring the beauty of the newly landscaped school compound.

Michael Obi thinks that the footpath is a symbol of a socially backward culture steeped in superstition and primitive religiosity. He is astonished...

As the story begins, Michael Obi has just been appointed the principal of Ndume Central School. Energetic and ambitious, Michael entertains high hopes for turning the school into an academically progressive powerhouse. However, his aspirations are dashed when he discovers a much-used footpath marring the beauty of the newly landscaped school compound.

Michael Obi thinks that the footpath is a symbol of a socially backward culture steeped in superstition and primitive religiosity. He is astonished that the teachers have continued to tolerate such a state of affairs and sets out to do something about the footpath.

Accordingly, the headmaster prevents the villagers from further using the path by blocking the entrance and exit walkways with heavy sticks. The blocked path is also strengthened with barbed wire in these two places. Soon, Michael Obi is visited by the village priest of Ani; the priest begs the principal to reconsider opening up the footpath again, but Michael Obi remains resolute. The story ends in tragedy; one morning, the principal discovers the once beautifully landscaped school compound and campus grounds destroyed beyond recognition and one of the school buildings torn down.

To The Doctor Who Treated The Raped Baby And Who Felt Such Despair

The settings that contrast with the hospital in the poem “to the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair” by Finuala Dowling are:

1. A home and the hallway outside a baby’s room in this home. This is conveyed in the line:

“there was a light on in the hall

for a nervous little sleeper”

While a raped baby is being admitted to a hospital, somewhere in some town or city, a baby is sleeping and being protected by its loving family.

2. A veld, which is a grassland or prairie. Here a shepherd sings a lullaby to a baby in this simple environment, while the raped baby is being admitted to the hospital to save her life.

3. A home again, and a warm blanket supplied by a loving mother to her child who sleep walks. While the doctor is trying to staunch the flow of blood from the raped baby, this mother is comforting her precious child in a warm home environment.

4. Various homes, or the pediatric ward where newborns lie. Here, Finuala Dowling talks of:

“luxuriant dark nipples

for fist clenching babes”

These babies are being lovingly taken care of and fed breast milk, whether in homes, or in the birth ward of the hospital, while the raped baby is being given a powerful pain-killer to stop the pain caused by the violent and horrible rape.

5. A home again, and an uncle taking care of a hungry baby, against the backdrop of the doctor in the hospital calling for more blood as medical professionals work on the raped baby girl to try and save her life.

6. Two other homes, one where a baby is read a chapter from a favorite storybook, and one where a grandfather cares for a “colicky crier.” These actions take place elsewhere, while doctors and nurses try at the hospital to save the life of this violated baby girl.

The effect of poet Finuala Dowling constructing her poem in this manner is that it shocks the reader somewhat into realizing the horror of the raped baby’s experience. While doctors battle to save this baby’s life, elsewhere in the community and the world at large, many babies are safe in the cocoon of their homes with loving families taking care of them.

It is this contrast that lends this poem its power. The reader is taken on a mind journey, between states of grace and a state of despair and this contrast highlights the fact that life goes on fine for some people, while at the same time being hellish for others.

Please can you give me a summary of Robin Hood?

Robin Hood is a prominent figure of English folklore who is considered to be a champion to the oppressed peasantry because he "stole from the rich and gave to the poor." There are many variations on the Robin Hood narrative, with literary and legal references as old as the 13th century. Almost all of the texts which reference Robin Hood are historical or historiographical-- even the earliest mentions of him speak of the bandit as...

Robin Hood is a prominent figure of English folklore who is considered to be a champion to the oppressed peasantry because he "stole from the rich and gave to the poor." There are many variations on the Robin Hood narrative, with literary and legal references as old as the 13th century. Almost all of the texts which reference Robin Hood are historical or historiographical-- even the earliest mentions of him speak of the bandit as having lived and done his work some time before. A few of the 13th century legal records list various spellings of Robin Hood, which suggests that the name may have been used by a number of criminals as an alias. We do not know whether there was an actual, living person who regularly went by the name of Robin Hood and was skilled in archery and swordsmanship, but we do know that the mythological figure is an important part of the English folk and literary histories.

The most comprehensive summary I can offer you of the Robin Hood narrative is a bit reductive, but accurate all the same. "He stole from the rich and gave to the poor." This is the running theme in all of the Robin Hood stories. The most popular Robin Hood legend was revitalized in the modern mind with Walt Disney's 1973 animated film titled Robin Hood. In this particular legend, Robin steals from corrupt tax collectors, returning money to the poor peasants who cannot get by without it. When Robin finds out that the King is the source of all this corruption, he steals from the King's coffers and returns the money to the people of the countryside. 

As I mentioned, there are lots of variations on the Robin Hood legend, but here are the basic similarities of most of the tales surrounding him:

• Robin Hood was of noble heart and stole from the unjust ruling class to support the poor peasantry.


• Robin Hood was skilled with both the sword and the bow and arrow.


• Robin Hood was respectful towards women and may have had a particular (chaste) love interest.


• Robin Hood had a small following of men who helped him pull off some of his schemes.