July 2013

This is an
interesting question, as I have to
say I never thought about the poem in terms of individual
responsibility.
However, the following question runs throughout the poem:

What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame
thy
fearful symmetry?

This question asks a
monotheistic
God how he could create a creature as fearful and dangerous as a
tiger, with its predatory
ability to devour the innocent. In other words,
what was he thinking, what personal
responsibility was he taking, when he
made this predator?

Since humans are made in the
image of God, and one of our distinctive features is the
ability to create,
the poem implicitly also asks us if we are taking personal responsibility for

what we create. We can create objects that are beautiful and powerful, but we can
also
"twist the sinews of [the tiger's predatory] heart" and make the tiger's
"dread
hand and . . . dread feet."

There are
many
ways to read this poem, but one is to liken the creation of the tyger to
that of the factory. In
other words, the tyger is afor the factory. We know
industrialism was making England a very
wealthy nation in this period and
that more and more factories were popping up in once rural
environments. We
know, too, that like most Romantic poets, Blake preferred nature and the
rural
to the industrialized and the urban.

This
poem
contrasts with the rural and bucolic setting of "The Lamb," its
companion piece in
Songs of Innocence. Industrial images
that conjure the factory surround the
"tyger. He is forged by "chain," by
"furnace" and "burning
brightly" into the night, as factories would, with
their long shiftsand some went 24 hours
a day.

The
poem thus asks, implicitly, what
personal responsibility the creators of
these factories, on the one hand powerful and burning
brightly, on the other
hand grasping and predatory, had towards those workers devoured by their

"tygers?"

Describe in artistic words what draws you to the image of the Mona Lisa.

The
elusive nature of the painting, in terms of where its attraction lies, is a part of its allure.
Indeed, I think that one of the most significant artistic elements about the painting is the
centered effect that one experiences when seeing the subject in the middle of the painting. The
manner in which da Vinci is able to place her in the centrepoint of the entire painting is
stunning. At the same time, I think that there is a very powerful dynamic created between
artwork and subject. As the viewer seeks to better place the woman in the center of the
artwork, studying her facial elements enables the viewer to be drawn into the center of her
world. She is inviting in terms of her eyes and demeanor to the viewer. Thus, we see her as
the center of the painting's universe and, in turn, she sees us, almost enticing to us, to
become a center of hers. As the average viewing time for the painting at the Louvre is only a
couple of seconds, it is this inviting countenance that is part of the allure. In the brief
moments we have with the painting, she invites us into her world, a world in which millions have
become a part, if only for a second. That is why the viewer is almost a part of the painting as
much as she is. Part of this study is on her smile and wondering what lies beneath it. In
this, the analysis of the complexity within human emotions and human experience is also evident,
adding yet another layer to how the aesthetic development of the artwork becomes something more
profound and more meaningful to it. It is in these realms where I think that there is a drawing
into the viewing of the artwork.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

What parallels can be found between the Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer's Odyssey?

Although
there are strong parallels between the two works, parallels do not necessarily prove direct
influence. There is the possibility that both works incorporated materials from various shared
oral traditions or that the epic itself as a genre has certain necessary structural features and
themes, such as tales of travel, confrontation with mortality, and attempts to explain the
relationship between the divine and human. There has been a great deal of interesting
scholarship in the past few decades on the relationship between Greek and Near Eastern cultures,
especially by West, Burkert, Morris, and Penglase, but as we do not know the actual identity of
the authors of the Homeric epics (or even have any scholarly agreement about the ways in which
the epics were authored), and there are no clear and specific references to Babylonian texts in
the epic, we must be cautious about ascribing direct influence.

The first
parallel between the two is that both are tales of rulers who suffer,...

Who has harder time keeping control? Orwell in "Shooting Elephant" or contemporary soldiers occupying Iraq or Afghanistan?

This is a very
interesting question.'s essay describes to us with accurate and rather shocking precision the
kind of emotions that an oppressor feels to be in the country of the oppressed. In many ways,
his situation strikes a rather uncomfortable parallel with the current situation in Afghanistan,
as in both Imperial Burma and in modern Afghanistan true power is held not by the people but by
incomers who, by virtue of their superior might, have control of the country. Note what Orwell
says about the strange paradoxes within him...

Friday, July 26, 2013

What are the similiarities and differences between Victorian and Romantic poetry.

These two
periods contrast more than they favor, specifically when analyzing the social and cultural
perspectives. The Romantics saw a great shift from their actions being governed by God, piety,
and the church to a more personal reality. The Romantics focused on the individual, particularly
relative to the dream world and beauty that could be discovered all around man. There was a
great literary and poetic influx on the topic of nature and the beauty of ones self, ones
environment and even the splendor that could be found in a drug-induced state. As a matter of
fact, the term sublime was coined during the Renaissance as people were paying great attention
to feelings and emotions that could be evoked during a single experienceone that most often was
not related to a religious occurrence. Additionally, the Romantics believed that mediocre minds
worked logically or analytically. Rather, true Romantics found that discovering feelings and
emotions were more desirable, particularly when those feelings are evoked by the wonders of
nature. Take this excerpt from John Keatss poem, Bright Star for example:

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art--/Not in lone splendour hung aloft the
night/A nd watching, with eternal lids apart,/Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,/The
moving waters at their priestlike task/Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,/Or gazing on
the new soft-fallen mask/Of snow upon the mountains and the moors/

In
contrast, the Victorian perspective was framed around the ideals set forth by Queen Victoria.
These were: propriety, duty, restraint, and morality. Queen Victoria expected her subjects to
behave in a way that was dignified and proper; one who was believed to have their head in the
clouds would not have been engaged in venerable behavior. These expectations are in direct
contrast to the ideals found within the Romantics society. This excerpt from Lord Alfred
Tennysons poem, To The Queen demonstrates such a state of propriety and admiration to her
majesty.

O loyal to the royal in thyself,/ And loyal to thy land, as this to
thee--/ Bear witness, that rememberable day,/ When, pale as yet, and fever-worn, the Prince/ Who
scarce had plucked his flickering life again/ From halfway down the shadow of the grave,/ Past
with thee through thy people and their love,/ And London rolled one tide of joy through all/ Her
trebled millions, and loud leagues of man/ And welcome! witness, too, the silent cry,/ The
prayer of many a race and creed, and clime--/ Thunderless lightnings striking under sea/ From
sunset and sunrise of all thy realm,/ And that true North, whereof we lately heard A strain to
shame us 'keep you to yourselves;/So loyal is too costly! friends--your love/ Is but a burthen:
loose the bond, and go.'

You will notice theused with Keats to emphasize the
beauty and splendor around him is nowhere to be found in Tennyson's poem. Instead, the poet
speaker actually dismisses human feelings and praises the steadfast work ethic for which Queen
Victoria was so celebrated.

There is also great contrast in these two eras
when considering nature itself. The Romantics praised the beauty of their natural environment,
whereas the Victorians saw the onset of the Industrial Revolution; a movement that encouraged
commerce, destruction of serene landscapes and introduced socioeconomic
classification.

In "Rappaccini's Daughter," who loves whom more deeply, Beatrice or Giovanni? ï»¿ï»¿ï»¿ï»¿ï»¿

Beatrice certainly
loves Giovanni more than he has ever loved her. When he realizes that he has become imbued with
the same poison as her, he actually wishes that his breath would "slay" her, though he
knows it will not. Though he cannot rage at her initially, he treats her with a "sullen
insensibility" that inspires her with the sense of a "gulf of blackness" having
opened up between them. She confesses that she had been so "lonely" prior to his
arrival, and then his rage does "[break] forth from his sullen gloom" and he speaks to
her with "venomous scorn and anger." He cruelly calls her a "poisonous
thing" and accuses her of "blast[ing]" him with poison, calling her hateful,
ugly, "loathsome and deadly." He tells her that her very prayers "'taint thewith
death.'"

She responds to him with a "grief [that] was
beyond...

What is an iambic pentameter phrase in Act III of Romeo and Juliet?

We can actually find an
example of iambic pentameter in the very first lines of Act III. , speaking to his good friend
, says,

I pray thee, good Mercutio, lets
retire.
The day is hot; the Capulets, abroad;
And
if we meet we shall not scape a brawl,
For now, these hot days, is the
mad blood stirring. (3.1.1-4)

We can begin by
counting syllables and accents:

I
pray thee good Mer
cu tio let's re
tire (10 syllables, 5 accents)

The
day is hot the
Ca pu lets a
broad (10 syllables, 5 accents)

And if we meet we
shall not 'scape a
brawl (10 syllables, 5 accents)

For now these hot days
is the mad blood
stir ring (11 syllables, 5 accents)

In Shakespeare's plays, people of noble birth tend to speak
in a kind of poetry calledwhich is, by definition, unrhymed iambic pentameter. This means that
the vast majority of lines will have ten syllables, divided into five "feet" (the
"iamb" is the type of foot), each foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed
by one stressed syllable. The last line of the above quotation does have an extrametrical
syllable (an unstressed syllable after the final stressed syllable in the line), but the lines
are regular enough to qualify as iambic pentameter: don't let this extra syllable confuse
you.

Blank verse is what describes
unrhymed iambic pentameter. A line of iambic pentameter, however, need not
necessarily lack end rhyme (or words that rhyme at the ends of consecutive or near-consecutive
lines). At the end of ,says,

Bear hence
this body and attend our will.
Mercy but murders, pardoning those that
kill. (3.1.157-158)

Although these lines rhyme,
typical of lines at the end of Shakespeare's scenes, they are still in iambic
pentameter:

Bear
hence this bo dy
and at tend our
will

Mer cy
but mur ders, pard ning
those that kill.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

What effect does the ghost of Christmas past have on Scrooge?

Initially, Scrooge feels
a strong desire to see the ghost put on its extinguisher cap. He "begged him to be
covered." Something about the light is painful or, at least, uncomfortable for Scrooge and
he "had a special desire to see the Spirit in his cap." Next, Scrooge wants to know
why the spirit has come, interrupting his sleep, in the first place, and he scoffs when the
Ghost says that concern for Scrooge's welfare is what brought him.

Almost
immediately, when the spirit removes Scrooge from the present and takes him into the past,
Scrooge becomes aware of smells that bring back all kinds of memories. The Ghost sees that the
old man's "'lip is trembling'" and he asks about a tear on Scrooge's cheek. Then,
when Scrooge is reminded of the fact that he spent his holidays alone, neglected by friends and
family, "he sobbed."

When Scrooge sees the shadows of his lonely
childhood, he "wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be." His weeping
continues until he is reminded of the books he used to read and the characters with which he
used to populate his imaginative world. Later, he cries again over his poor childhood and
remembers the "'boy singing a Christmas Carol at [his] door last night'" and he now
feels that he "'should like to have given him something.'" It is clear that, even at
this early stage, Scrooge's goodness is being rekindled by the Ghost of Christmas Past. He still
has a long way to go before he will be totally reclaimed, but his regret about how he treated
the young boy at his door, as well as his copious and sincere tears, shows that he's begun to
change already.

Do you believe that being a surgeon is equivalent to a religious vocation?

No, I do not
believe that these are equivalent largely because becoming a surgeon does not entail making as
many sacrifices as a religious vocation (particularly a Catholic one) does.

Surgeons and religious do have some similarities. Both of them tend to devote their lives to
helping other people. That, however, is...

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

What is the structure of James Joyce's "Eveline"?

's short
story "" is a simple but powerful story with a fairly straightforward structure.
Basically, the story can be broken up into two basic sections: a lengthy portion ofand
background information, and then a much shorter section at the end composed of climactic
action.

The first section takes up most of the story, and takes place not
only in Eveline's home, but also within her own head. The main section of the story is made up
of Eveline's thoughts and memories of her past, and it's here that we learn about Eveline's
miserable predicament. Eveline begins by meditating on the constant presence of change, and then
moves on to think about the state of her family. This section is perhaps the most important, as
it discusses Eveline's dead brother and mother, her abusive father, and the miserably back
breaking nature of her daily life. Finally, Eveline considers her relationship with Frank,
memories of her mother, and, finally, her need to escape home. The fact that most of the story
is contained within Eveline's thoughts illustrates just how isolated she really is.

The second portion of the book is where most of the immediate action takes place. In
it, Eveline experiences sudden, unexplained panic about her impending trip to Buenos Aires with
Frank, and chooses to remain in Ireland. Much shorter than the first section, the second section
of the short story packs in a surprisingly abundant amount of drama. As such, the story takes on
a very interesting structure: after extensive build-up and exposition, Joyce hammers the reader
with condensed and muscular action. Overall, this structure gives the reader a sense of
confusion similar to Eveline's, as it hard to understand the motives that drive this desperate
young woman to remain in such a miserable life.

Compare the characteristics of Kit, Mercy, and Judith? I want to know like who is jealous and characteristic of all people

Kit is
strong-willed, independent, and used to getting attention. She becomes jealous when she feels
that someone else is receiving attention that she expected to obtain for herself, particularly
romantic attraction from a man. This tendency makes her jealous of Judith early in the story,
before William turns his interest to Kit. Interestingly, Kit also sometimes envies her cousins
for their practical abilities, since she was never trained to make porridge, sew dresses, or do
anything to help fulfill the fundamental requirements of life.

Judith is
practical, but also has secret longings for a life of leisure and for fancy possessions. Given
her humble...

Monday, July 22, 2013

What is the significance of Pearl's clothing in The Scarlet Letter?

In the chapter entitled
"," the narrator makes a particular point of talking about the way in which Hester
dressed her daughter. What is so interesting about this is the way that there is a deliberate
link made between the scarlet letter that Hester wears on her breast, that the reader is told is
so lavishly and beautifully sewn on, and the way that Pearl, the fruit of that illicit
adulterous union, is presented:

Her mother, with a morbid
purpose that may be better understood hereafter, had bought the richest tissues that could be
procured, and allowed her imaginative faculty its full play in the arrangement and decoration of
the dresses which the child wore before the public eye.

Just as the scarlet "A" that Hester is forced to wear is turned by her skill
with the needle into a symbol of beauty and finery, so Pearl, the illegitimate child of an
illicit and unlawful union, is a figure of beauty and is arrayed in all finery by her mother.
Far from being ashamed of her state and of her daughter,seems almost to flaunt her in front of
the society that has made her an outcast and branded both her and her daughter sinners. One way
of viewing the appearance of Pearl therefore is to consider the way in which Hester Prynne
subtlely challenges and subverts the rules and beliefs of the day through turning what is
despised into things of beauty and value.

How does the Sixth Commandment change in Animal Farm?

As was
mentioned in the previous post, the Sixth Commandment initially stated that "No animal
shall kill any other animal."passed down this tenet to unite the animals and prevent them
from becoming enemies with each other. However,quickly usurps power and begins his tyrannical
reign over . Napoleon initially attempts to murderduring a meeting but is unsuccessful. However,
Napoleon does follow through by murdering other animals in . In Chapter 7, Napoleon forces
confessions from various animals and has them killed by ferocious dogs. Napoleon's killings
mimic Joseph Stalin's Great Purge of the 1930s when he arrested, exiled, and murdered political
dissidents in Russia. The brutal murders upset the animals, and Clover eventually asks Benjamin
to read the Sixth Commandment again. When Benjamin recites the Sixth Commandment,
it has been altered to read, "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause."
The additional two words added to the Sixth Commandment justify Napoleon's
actions.demonstrates how authoritarian regimes manipulate the population through
the clever use of language to justify heinous acts and policies.

What is Holden's attitude toward religion in The Catcher in the Rye?

After 's
prostitute leaves him in , he is alone in his hotel room getting ready for bed. He suddenly gets
the urge to pray and says the following:

"I felt like
praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel
like it. In the first place, I'm sort of an atheist. I like Jesus and all, but I don't care too
much for most of the other stuff in the Bible" (99).

One can infer that Holden has had some religious influence in his life if he feels like
praying; but, it must not have been habitual growing up because he doesn't say that religion is
a big part of his family's life. In fact, his parents are different religions and he claims all
of their children are atheists.

It's funny, though, where Holden's thoughts
take him after feeling the urge to pray. He thinks about the "Disciples" and how much
they annoy him. He likes Jesus, but he thinks that the twelve apostles let him down during his
lifetime. He says, "they were about as much use to Him as a hole in the head" (99). He
does like a lunatic who lived in some tombs and was cutting himself, which is interesting.
Holden likes the lunatic more than the apostles.

Then Holden discusses a
religious boy he knew at the Whooton School named Arthur Childs. Arthur tells Holden that he
should like the "Disciples" because Jesus chose them to represent him after he left.
Next, their conversation turns to talking about Judas betraying Jesus. Arthur says Judas is
surely going to Hell, but Holden says that Jesus would forgive him. Arthur tells him that his
problem is that he doesn't go to church, which he concedes is true. Therefore, Holden seems to
be spiritual in a sense because he believes Jesus would forgive Judas. However, he doesn't go to
church, he doesn't like ministers, and he feels he is atheist--and yet, he feels the urge to
pray.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

What is the meaning behind Michael Johnson's poem, "How to Be Eaten by a Lion"?

This poem is about
facing something larger than yourself, and doing so with dignity. As you read the poem its
important to think more about how you feel about the character being eaten. Lines like "try
to stand your ground," and not controversial, but there are...

what is brown betty

Brown Betty
is a dessert, like a crumble. It doesn't get a good review in the novel, as teens generally
look at food as something that get in the way of other...

href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Betty_(dessert)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Betty_(dessert)

From scene 1, what can you infer about Scrooge's attitude toward Christmas in A Christmas Carol? Your response should include evidence of an event or...

From
the very first page, the reader is led to understand that Ebenezer Scrooge has a disdain for
Christmas or indeed any kind of celebration. The author, , masterfully weaves the holiday into
his description of Scrooge himself:

He carried his own low
temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and didn't thaw it one
degree at Christmas.

Here we see that Scrooge is cold: so
cold he doesn't mind working in a freezing office. And because Christmas means nothing to him,
he sees no reason to heat the building, even in modest celebration of the holiday. His poor
clerk, shivering at his desk, longs for just a coal or two, but Scrooge is completely impassive
to his discomfort.

A little later in the same scene, Scrooge's happy nephew
bursts in:

"A merry Christmas, uncle! God save
you!" cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so
quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

"Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!"

He had so heated
himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a
glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

"Christmas a humbug, uncle!" said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean
that, I am sure?"

"I do," said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas!
What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor
enough."

"Come, then," returned the nephew gaily. "What
right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich
enough."

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the
moment, said, "Bah!" again; and followed it up with "Humbug."

"Don't be cross, uncle!" said the nephew.

"What else
can I be," returned the uncle, "when I live in such a world of fools as this? Merry
Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas! What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills
without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for
balancing your books and having every item in em through a round dozen of months presented dead
against you? If I could work my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every idiot who goes
about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with
a stake of holly through his heart. He should!"

With
this exchange, Scrooge makes his feelings plain. Not only does he refuse every possibility of
joy in the Christmas season, he even calls those who do celebrate "idiots" and
declares that they deserve terrible suffering. Just for daring to seek happiness on a
once-a-year cultural holiday!

We can easily infer Scrooge's feelings from
these couple of quotes. He absolutely hates it and all who enjoy it. In short, Scrooge's
feelings are: "Christmas? Bah humbug!"

href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm">https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Discuss Virgils relationship with Dante and his role in the narrative. Dante's Inferno

Virgil acts
as Dante's guide on his journey through hell to find spiritual enlightenment. Virgil is a
fitting guide for Dante as Dante admired Virgil's work and considered him to be the most sublime
poet of all earlier poets. He aspired to...

What lines from Juliet's soliloquy (act 3-scene 2) show: joy, impatience, passion, innocence & her love for Romeo? Please include the line numbers :)

There
are numerous lines showing 's impatience. For example, in the first four lines of the , Juliet
is saying, "Night, hurry up and get here!" In lines 17, she urges night and to come,
and in lines 20 and 21, she repeats this urging. In lines 28-31, she compares herself to
"an impatient child" who has new clothes she is not allowed to wear until the festival
begins. I think it would be fair to say that her impatience show her...

Friday, July 19, 2013

Compare the civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley.

The
civilizations that emerged in the Indus River Valley and in Mesopotamia were some of the
earliest major societies to develop. They share a number of significant similarities. Let's look
at some of the major traits they shared and differed in.

The civilizations in
both these places built some of the earliest known cities and towns. They tended to place an
important palace or temple atop an acropolis, either in the center of the city or near its edge.
Because of the frequent threat of invasions, the Sumerians and Assyrians of Mesopotamia and the
civilizations of the Indus River Valley built fortified walls around their towns. Urban centers
were usually larger in Mesopotamia, where they supported a larger population of city dwellers.
In the Indus River Valley, cities served more as economic and political centers, and the
majority of the population lived in rural villages.

Trade was an important
part of the economy for civilizations in both locations. They even traded with each other. The
rivers were utilized as trade routes, and bronze goods and cash crops such as cotton and linen
were frequently bought and sold in their market towns.

They both had creative
uses of technology that served their economy. Both were some of the earliest users of the wheel,
both for transportation purposes and for making pottery. Extensive irrigation systems were
developed and used in both regions as well.

Both civilizations kept extensive
written records. Unfortunately, the Indus River Valley script has not been deciphered. We do
know that both used clay tablets to record their writings. In Mesopotamia, these tablets
recorded commercial transactions and legal decisions. It is possible that they served the same
function in the Indus River Valley.

href="http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/sumer.htm">http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/sumer.htm
href="https://www.ancient.eu/Indus_Valley_Civilization/">https://www.ancient.eu/Indus_Valley_Civilization/

What does James compare his mother's singing to?

James compared his mother's singing to a car
trying to start, a Maytag washer, and the shrill voice of Curly from the Three
Stooges.

Ruth Jordan's singing was so bad and off-key that it actually roused
the preacher from his rest when she'd hit a particularly bad note. She sang, though, because she
loved God and appreciated church. She wanted to participate even though it wasn't her
skill.writes:

She went to church each and every Sunday,
the only white person in sight, butchering the lovely hymns with a singing voice that sounded
like a cross between a cold engine trying to crank on an October morning and a whining Maytag
washer.

[. . .] Up, up, and away she went, her shrill voice climbing higher
and higher, reminding us of Curly of the Three Stooges.

Reverend Owens would jolt at one of the particularly bad notes from Ruth, realize it
was her, and then go back to resting and listening. She was well known for her lack of vocal
ability. McBride says that during churchusually during one of her favorite songswas the only
time he saw his mother cry.

She told him she cried because God makes her
happy. But he felt her tears came from something else that she wasn't willing to share with
him.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

In Orwell's 1984, what is Winston's relationship with Syme? Why does he believe that Syme will be vaporized?

Syme is
one of 's friends who works in
the Research Department as a specialist in Newspeak. Syme is
engaged in
writing the Eleventh Edition of the Newspeak Dictionary and elaborates on the

intricacies of destroying language by combining words that contain their opposite, such
as
"ungood." Syme proceeds to explain to Winston that the purpose of Newspeak
is to
narrow the range of thought. Winston listens as Syme discusses how
concepts will be destroyed
with the elimination of words and champions the
idea of orthodoxy. After listening to Syme
brilliantly explain the
complexities of Newspeak, Winston thinks that someday Syme will be
vaporized.
Winston believes that Syme is too intelligent. Winston feels that
Syme,
"sees too clearly and speaks plainly" ( 68). Syme lacks discretion and
stupidity,
which would probably save him from being vaporized.
The Party would prefer their
citizens to be unconscious, thoughtless
individuals. As Winston predicted, Syme is vaporized in
Part 2 of the
novel.

In The Bronze Bow, please describe Daniel's home on the mountain.

The text gives no clear
and detailed description of the camp of Rosh's rebels. Mention is made of a cave that appears to
be the centre of the camp on the mountains and which provides shelter to Daniel and Rosh's
men:

Rosh stumbled to the pile of skins in the cave. Most
of the men stretched out where they lay, pulling their cloaks over their heads and falling at
once into slumber.

However, it...

How is Robinson Crusoe and Friday's relationship symbolic of imperialist ideology?

Crusoe's
treatment of Friday is a case study in imperialist ideology. After Crusoe saves Friday's life,
he turns him into a possession. There is never any sense that Crusoe could regard the
darker-skinned native as an equal or someone he could learn from about surviving more easily on
the island. Crusoe assumes from the start that he has all valuable knowledge; he never questions
whether he is the superior of the two or whether he should be completely in charge. As Crusoe
says, he begins to teach Friday English, renames him something which will ever remind him that
Crusoe is his savior (and which erases Friday's previous heritage, implying it has no worth),
and then instructs him that he is his master. In other words, he enslaves him:

I began to speak to him, and teach him to speak to me; and first, I
made...

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

How did the South lose the Civil War but manage to win the peace? Use examples.

To
say the South "won the peace" might be a bit of a stretch: the South's economy was
damaged greatly after the war and its former social customs were breaking down. While the
so-called Old South did not disappear altogether with the end of the Civil War, its heyday was
done and by the turn of the century; a New South was already taking over.

However, the South did not change its views on race. Freeing the slaves did not make
white southerners view black Americans as human beings like themselves. If anything, they
resented (and were even frightened by the idea of) black Americans having any kind of political
or social rights, claiming anarchy would ensue as a result. Though the former slaves were free,
they were often trapped into positions of servitude, whether as sharecroppers or
servants.

By the late 1870s, the infamous Jim Crow laws pushing segregation
were firmly in place, the Klu Klux Klan was on the rise, and the poll tax was established to
prevent African Americansmany of them...

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

What are some distinct factors promoting the revival of minority languages in the face of globalization? (lesser-used minority languages include...

The
first response includes factors that are of great importance, but I would like to add a few more
and comment on nationalism, too.

I think that one reason for the effort to
save these almost lost languages is, to some degree, the result of the same sort of
understanding we are coming to about endangered species. Theis not precise, but I think it is
worthy of mention. We now know that when a species of fauna or flora is lost, an entire
ecosystem is disrupted and harmed, something that is bad not only for the plant and animal
kingdom, but for us, too, since we are part of the ecosystem, even though we do not like to
think of ourselves that way. There are unintended consequences that are never good. With that
understanding, the same sort of thinking is being applied to languages. Each is a part of the
history and system of languages, and when we lose one, there are bound to be consequences that
affect us somehow, even if we do not know what they all will be. So, it...

What are the moral conflcits in "The Minister's Black Veil"?

Your question is
interesting because we are never told explicity the reason why Mr. Hooper dons the black veil,
except for it being a symbol. Other authors, in particular Poe, have suggested that there was
some kind of illicit relationship going on, but there is no proof other than mere conjecture.
When we think about the conflicts in this story, what is fascinating to me is how Hawthorne used
the story to challenge Puritanism and the conventions of his time - it is this central moral
conflict that is the driving force of the story.

"" exposes the
hypocrisy and judgemental attitude of many Puritans. It does this through pointing out
that everyone has some form of secret sin that we hide, perhaps even from
ourselves. Consider Mr. Hooper's final declaration regarding his black veil:

"When the friend shown his inmost hearth to his friend; the
lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator,
loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath
which I have lived, and die!"

Hawthorne thus makes a
serious allegation about the form of religiosity that Puritans presented - in outward aspect
true and good, whilst on the inside sins and faults were harboured and not exposed. It is man's
inability to completely be honest and open about his failings and sins that make the black veil
so terrifying an image in the story, for everyone, at least partially, acknowledges that they
have a black veil guarding their faults just as surely as Mr. Hooper does.

Thus this story seems to talk more about hypocrisy and judgemental attitudes which are
used often to hide and mask our own secret sins. This is the moral conflict of the story that
demands that we all recognise our own black veils.

Human Resource is considered as an asset in an organization - Discuss Human is considered as asset in organization

This is
exactly why successful firms spend money not just on headhunting, but on professional
development. Many firms will even pay for advanced degrees like MBAs and others, or licenses for
more technical work, because they understand the importance of a highly trained
workforce.

Monday, July 15, 2013

In Death of a Salesman, how does the relationship between Charley and Bernard's relationship create a contrast to Willy and Biff's relationship?

The
relationship between Charley and Bernard is the kind which Willy wishes he had with Biff. Father
and son get along very well, both on a personal and professional level. In addition to Charley's
ongoing success in business, Bernard's rapidly moving up in the world, forging a successful
career as a hotshot lawyer.

The success of Charley and his son serves to
illustrate the huge gap that's opened up between the delusional Willy and the real world he no
longer understands. Willy's convinced himself that there's no reason why he can't enjoy the same
kind of success as Charley and why Biff can't stake his claim in the world like Bernard. But
there's no chance of this happening, and it's all because of Willy. Willy wrecked his
relationship with Biff due to an extra-marital affair with a secretary. However many hopes he
may have of some kind of reconciliation, they're as unrealistic as his prospects of once more
becoming a hotshot salesman. Charley and Bernard symbolize an ideal, an ideal...

What does Jonathan Edwards hope to accomplish with his message in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God?

' goal was to
awaken people to what, to him, was the very real danger of continuing in their sin, to get them
to repent and call on God for mercy. Though he intended to scare and sober his audience, his
goal was not to drive them away, but ultimately to bring them to God.

Edwards preached the sermon in response to what he sensed was a complacent attitude in the town
where he was preaching. People were professing Christians, but they assumed that by attending
church, they had done all they needed to do. They were not thinking in terms of God as being a
real entity whom they...

What Is Pricing

One of the
four major elements of the marketing
mix is price. It is one of the four P's. Price, Product,
Promotion and
Place, or where the product is distributed.

The price is a
very
significant factor in determining the other elements of the marketing
mix. Price determines the
consumer group that will be targeted, as well as
the advertising and promotion and
distribution.

Pricing
structure must take into account not only the cost to
produce the product
which includes materials, time, labor, overhead. But, must also consider
the
competition's price, and potential legal matters that may arise with the

product.

New products are often priced at what is known as
penetration
pricing, which is an attempt by a company to capture a share of
the market. This is often a
lower price to draw customers away from the
competition.

There are
other pricing strategies used in
marketing, it all depends on the product, the target market,
the competition,
the product's life cycle and the firm's expectation of expansion and

distribution of the product.

For greater detail on pricing, click on
the link
below.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Examine aspects of formal analysis in "Rebellious Silence" by Shirin Neshat.

Much of
the limited formal analysis of Neshat's work centers on the role of women in traditional Islam.
Critics point to how her works such as "Rebellious Silence" does much to open "a
pictorial discourse between feminism and contemporary Islam." In particular, formal
analysis focuses on question of the gun located at the center of the woman, almost dividing her
in half....

href="http://signsjournal.org/shirin-neshat/">http://signsjournal.org/shirin-neshat/

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Explain why the Moon exerts a greater tidal influence on the Earth than the Sun.

Even though the
Sun is much farther away from the Earth than the Moon, it exerts a stronger gravitational pull
because it is so huge. However, the sun exerts a smaller tidal influence
on Earth than the moon.

The reason for this is that there is very little
difference in the sun's gravitational pull on the surface of the Earth compared to the center of
the Earth. This is because the Earth's diameter is such a tiny fraction of the distance between
the Sun and the Earth.

Earth is much closer to the Moon, and there is a
significant difference in the Moon's gravitational pull on different parts of the
Earth.

This is what leads to tides. The Moon pulls the water (which is on
the near-side surface) more than it pulls the Earth itself, which leads to a high tide. On the
far-side surface the Moon's pull is less than at the center, so the Moon basically pulls the
Earth away from the water forming another high tide.

href="http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tide.html">http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tide.html

"""Young Goodman Brown" has two distinct settings. What are the differences between these two settings? What significance does each setting have?""

The
story is set partly in Salem, and partly in the wooded wilderness around the town. At first
glance, the difference is pretty straightforward: the town is good, the woods are bad.
Fortunately, there is a little more to it than that. Hawthornes story is about hypocrisy and
sin. Goodman Brown has grown up in Salem; he has a natural respect for his elders, including his
grandfather and his religious teacher, Goody Cloyse. In town, he sees them as good, upright
people. But it is in the woods that he mysteriously meets his grandfather with the serpent
staff, and overhears Goody Cloyse, the minister and Deacon Gookin proclaiming the devil and
discussing a satanic ritual. And it is in the woods that Brown witnesses this black
mass.

So perhaps another way of understanding the town/forest dichotomy
has...

How does Ambrose Bierce juxtapose Southern romanticism and Northern realism?

"" is a story of romanticism
versusand as such is characteristic of 's cynical outlook on life in general. Peyton Farquhar is
a Southern romantic. He has dreamt of doing something heroic for the Southern cause. He comes up
against the reality of war and the reality of life. He falls for the lies of the Federal scout
because he wants to believe he is being given an opportunity to do something heroic and noble.
He loses his wife, his plantation, his children, and his life in attempting to sabotage a tiny
bridge in the middle of nowhere. Bierce titles his story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge" in order to suggest that this is nothing but an insignificant
"occurrence" in a place nobody has ever heard of, not a romantic adventure with a
heroic outcome. The reader is completely fooled into sharing the 's delusion that he has
miraculously survived the hanging and is making his way back to his loving wife and his
beautiful home. Farquhar has dreams of glory and vivid fantasies about escaping from his
terrible predicament, but in the end there is no escape from an ignominious death.

Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side
to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.

Friday, July 12, 2013

What are symbols from "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

I think
that one symbol in the narrative is the fence. It is the fence that divides worlds of reality.
On one side of the fence, the best wine is served, dinner conversation is pleasant, and life is
good. On the other side of the fence, the worst in human cruelty is evident. The fence is a
symbol because it demarcates this difference i reality. At the same time, the fence is also a
symbol of how this can be overcome. Bruno and Shmuel meet at the end of the fence, where it can
be burrowed under and overcome. The fence and its divisions are overcome with the friendship of
both boys. While they die in the process, the symbol of division is overcome.

I would also suggest that another symbol in the novel would have to be the gas chamber.
It is in the gas chamber where death is evident. Yet, the symbolism of the gas chamber is that
everyone in it is equal. Death is universal. At the time, Bruno and Shmuel, one German boy and
one Jewish boy, are seen as the same. There is no difference in the cruelty of the gas chamber.
Yet, it is within this realm where Bruno clings to Shmuel's hand and tells him that they will
be "best friends for life." A symbol of destruction ends up becoming a testament to
how human beings should act. In this instant, the gas chamber is a symbol of
transformation.

What is the importance of romantic love in The Alchemist?

I love this
question. Thanks for posting. I think the idea of romantic love shouldn't necessarily be
confined to that of being between a woman and a man. In the story, there is a romantic love (in
the traditional meaning) between Santiago and Fatima. But is there more to it than that? (Nice
loaded question, huh?) The whole thrust of the story is how romantic love has the potential to
drive one toward his or her dreams. While on the periphery it appears that Santiago is driven by
his love for Fatima, perhaps it's more than that alone. For isn't a deep love of oneself that
helps fuel us toward our desires too? Is it only for Fatima that Santiago that he subjects
himself to risk and self-doubt? Could we go so far as to say that romantic love is really just a
realization of any matter of the heart? Santiago loves Fatima because inside of him is a heart
longing to be heard. She helps bring this out and therefore is the outwward manifestation of
this so-called "inner" romantic love. Like the major theme of , this love was there
all the time. Great question. I hope this helps.

Why might people have identified Richard Cory as the embodiment of success?

The
townspeople in Robinson's "" look at Richard Cory as an example of success based on
his appearance and mood while walking around the town. This is why the ending of the poemwhen
Cory commits suicideis such an ironic and surprising twist.

The first stanza
reads:

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,

We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman
from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim. (1-4)

Cory is described as a
"gentleman," which could indicate both good manners and high social class. The word
"imperially" links to the latter meaning, as it is related to emperors. He seems
powerful and attractive.

The next stanza continues:

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he
was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he
said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.
(5-8)

Even though Cory is described here as
"always human," so not that different from the townsfolk, "he fluttered
pulses" and "glittered." He is placed on a pedestal by the town, and every action
is considered special.

The third stanza makes
Cory's wealth obvious:

And he was richyes,
richer than a king
And admirably schooled in every grace:

In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish
that we were in his place. (9-12)

Here, he is said to be "richer than a king," and due to his wealth and
"grace," the townspeople want to be "in his place." This becomes ironic in
the final stanza because, as they struggle, he "Went home and put a bullet through his
head" (16). This is surprising because the townsfolk think his wealth, manners, and
gentlemanly nature make his life perfect. They envy him and wish to trade places with him.
Obviously, there was something about his life, though, that was not perfect. His own perception
of himself does not match the perception of the town.

How do the PLOT and THEME relate to historical events? I do not need help on characters, I'm just a little confused with the plot and the theme. Any...

This novel is famous,
and deservedly so, for its biting critique of Soviet history and . This novel is anof the rise
to power of Josef Stalin. This is why we see the overthrow of the human oppressor Mr. Jones by a
coaliltion of the animals on the farm. However, the pigs rapidly consolidate power for
themselves after the "revolution", replacing the democratic coalition that had been
forged. This of course mirrors the seizing of power by the Soviet intelligentsia, who positioned
themselves as the new...

Thursday, July 11, 2013

What is the significance of Julians mothers response to the black womans hat? What is the significance of Julians response to his...

Julian's mother takes a
great deal of pride in her heritage, and that includes having ancestors who owned plantations
and slaves. She does not wish to see harm come to black people, but she prefers that they rise,
as she says, "'on their own side of the fence.'" She does not believe in
desegregation, and she is racist, but O'Connor does not depict her as a cruel or heartless
character. Julian, on the other hand, is cruel. He does things purposely to hurt his mother, and
he takes pleasure in upsetting her. He treats black people as objects with which he can injure
hergleefully imagining her becoming deathly ill so that he can call a black doctor, or imagining
her anger if he were to bring home a black womannot as actual equals. He is cruel, very cruel,
and thisin a waymakes him worse than she.

One of the ways that she justifies
her expensive hat is by saying, "'I at least won't meet myself coming and going.'" She
imagines that she will be unique in her special hat, but when she meets with the black woman,
with her same hat, on the bus, there are signs that the shock is a bit too much for her.
The

blue in [her eyes] seemed to have turned a bruised
purple. For a moment he had an uncomfortable sense of her innocence, but it lasted only a second
before principle rescued him. Justice entitled him to laugh. His grin hardened until it said to
her as plainly as if he were saying aloud: Your punishment exactly fits your pettiness. This
should teach you a permanent lesson.

His mother is unable
to accept the modern world, and she eventually has a stroke as a result of the effects of her
shock on her blood pressure. She is hurt, it seems, that this black woman is wearing a hat like
hers because she thought it would make her special. Not only is she not unique, but she must
share her position with a black woman: it's absolutely a deplorable and racist thought. It's not
a mature or accepting stance, but it also isn't vicious; she does not wish for harm or violence.
Julian, however, is absolutely vicious; he wants her to be taught a "permanent
lesson," though it seems that he will be the one to learn such a lesson soon. While I may
not agree with the idea that Julian's mother's racism is somehow less detrimental than his own,
O'Connor seems to paint his mother as more "innocent" somehowwhich even Julian
recognizesand Julian as more terrible and vicious and cruel.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Literary Devices In Hamlet

Shakespeare, the Bard, regularly uses double
entendres (word games),
metaphors (even extended ones) and
allusions. These are things that Shakespeare uses a great deal in
his plays.

Double entendres: Whendemands to know
where ' body is hidden,explains that he is at supper. When questioned,explains that it is not
about what Polonius eats, but what eats Polonius. This is words with double meanings. Hamlet
does this quite a bit with the innocent. Because he believes she has betrayed him and he cannot
trust her, he torments her with insults, like "Get thee to a nunnery,"...

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Contrast the beauty of nature with the degradation from the twentieth century (from Emerson's Nature).

is
inherently a very beautiful thing. Emerson
recognizes this and spends many of his poems
reflecting on how wonderful it
is. In nature, there is a natural grace, a circle of life and
death, and a
variation between the seasons. Beyond that, there is also an attitude of
"come
what may"...

Monday, July 8, 2013

How are women portrayed by George Orwell in 1984?

Women are
sometimes portrayed as victims in this novel, such as Mrs. Parsons, 's mother, and Winston's
little sister. Mrs. Parsons is trapped by the miserable conditions the totalitarian state puts
her in and fearful of her children, who spy on her. Winston's mother is forced to deal with an
impossible economic situation until she finally disappears.

In more general
terms, we see women as conditioned to being sexless if Party members and fulfilling traditional
gender roles in the prole society, such as the prostitute or the old washerwoman who hangs
laundry (she may be a spy, but we never know for sure) in the courtyard below the window of the
room above Mr. Carrington's shop.

The one woman we get to know,, shows a
great deal of agency in managing her life, and to some extent, breaks out of typical gender
roles. She, for example, initiates the relationship with Winston. In other ways, however, she is
a stereotypical woman, following Winston's lead and more associated with...

Sunday, July 7, 2013

What is the setting of James Joyce's "Araby"?

First, it helps to be
aware that the short story, "," comes from a book of short works written by , and this
book is called . Therefore, it makes sense to assume the stories it
contains are all about various folk who live in Dublin, Ireland, the city in which Joyce himself
was born and raised. Additionally, the first line of the story refers to the narrator's
childhood home's location on North Richmond Street, a road located in Dublin.

It is likely that the main events of the story took place in the early years of the
twentieth century, given the descriptions of homes, schools, and daily life, though the speaker
narrates these events from some time in the future, when he is an adult, using a first person
objective point of view.

How Do Political Parties Influence Public Policy

Walter Fischer

Political parties influence public policy precisely because that is why they exist: to
influence public policy. Political parties are large groupings of like-minded individuals who
collectively seek to influence public policy through the election of candidates for political
office from that party and through pressure placed on governing institutions for changes in or
support of existing policies and practices.

Political parties are formed
around shared convictions regarding the role of government in society and the perceived
requirement for legal structures intended to protect favored policies...

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Analyzing Poetry We just started poetry. How do you analyze the lyrics of a song and explain why or how they seem poetic? Then we have to examine...

Any song
lyric you choose has some kind of appeal to you. It may be you like the sound of the words,
such as "itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka-dot bikini." it's just fun to say, but
it's fun because of assonance and consonance (the repetition of vowel and consonant sounds).
Perhaps you like the lyrics because they express emotions or draw pictures ( and ). Really,
anything you might pick will have poetic elements which you can identify.

Why isnt Mrs. Murry worried about Meg and Charles Wallace?

There are
two main reasons why Mrs. Murry wouldn't be worried about Meg and Charles Wallace. First of all,
her children will be in the capable hands of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, who, as
well as guiding them, will protect the children as they embark upon their quest to save their
dad.

The second reason that Mrs. Murry doesn't need to worry is related to
time. As Mrs. Whatsit assures Meg, as well as a space wrinkle they've also done a time wrinkle.
This means that when Meg and Charles Wallace eventually return home, it'll seem that they've
only been gone for five minutes. So contrary to what Meg fears, her mom won't have been sitting
at home, going out of her mind with worry at where her children might have got
to.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

How did governments convince the perpetrators who were gulity of mass killings in WWII to do this work?

To some
extent, the governments involved in the mass killings ofdid not have to convince their people to
participate in those killings. To the extent that they did have to convince them, it was done
through the use of propaganda and, to some degree, fear.

Some of the
perpetrators were motivated by long-standing hatreds that were not really caused by any
governmental body. For example, there had been a long history of anti-Semitism in Germany (and
elsewhere) before...

Explain Russian involvement in WWI and its impact on Russian society and its economy.

WWI was
disastrous for Russia. The
nation initially made advances against Germany and Austria-Hungary,
but it
was soon driven back. Many who lived in the outlying regions of the Russian Empire
such
as Poles and Ukrainians viewed the advancing Germans as liberators and
their best chance for
creating an independent state. Societal pressures,
which existed before the war, combined with
Russia's failure during the war
led to the fall of the Romanov dynasty. Russia briefly was a
republic headed
by Alexander Kerensky, but the Kerensky government was overthrown near the
end
of the war by the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin.
Lenin's...

Friday, July 5, 2013

What is the author's message (theme) about family?

By juxtaposing the
sympathetic character,
Maggie, with her deep knowledge and respect for her family members and
their
traditions and stories, and the misguided Dee, with her lack of understanding of
her
family's importance in terms of her heritage, Walker shows that familial
heritage is as, if not
more, important as one's racial heritage.Dee is
anxious to embrace her racial heritage, changing
her name so that she is not
named for her oppressors, but she fails to internalize the fact that
her name
is a family name.She is named after generations of strong
and
respected women in her own family, but she isn't interested in those
stories because they do not
fulfill her need to have artifacts of her
history.She cares about material objects more than she
cares to learn family
traditions, like quilting, or family stories, like who made what, when,
and
why.Maggie, with her humble knowledge of these things actually honors her heritage more
than
Dee can conceive.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

In Macbeth, what were the three predictions of the witches?

There are two scenes in whichreceives

predictions from . In act 1, both he andreceive predictions, and in act 4, he is shown
three
apparitions that give further information and warnings to
him.

In act 1,
scene 3,and Banquo are walking from a
battlefield on the heath and come across three witches.
The witches hail
Macbeth Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King (of Scotland). At this
point
in the play, Macbeth is already Thane of Glamis, but he is surprised to
hear the other two
prophesied titles. He will learn later in the scene that
Kinghas, in fact, named him Thane of
Cawdor after the former Thane of Cawdor
betrayed the crown and fought with Norway. This makes
Macbeth believe that
the witches' predictions are correct and that he will be king

someday.

He decides to take matters into his own hands, of course,
and starts
plotting to kill Duncan, which he does off-stage in act 2. In act
1, Banquo also learns that he
will not be a king but he will "get kings,"
meaning he will be the father of kings.
This is important later because
Macbeth's paranoia leads him to have Banquo and his son, ,
murderedhowever,
Fleance actually escapes.

Once Macbeth has been king for a

little while, and has committed several more murders to keep his power, he demands
more
information of the witches. At the beginning of act 4, the witches show
him three apparitions.
The first tells him to "Beware " (IV.i.71). Macbeth
admits that he already is worried
about Macduff, and later in act 4, he
sendsto kill Macduff's family. Next, the second apparition
says that Macbeth
cannot be killed by any man "of woman born" (IV.i.80). The third
apparition
says he will remain king "until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill

/ Shall come against him" (IV.i.92-94). The second and third apparitions seem to
state
impossibilities, so Macbeth's confidence increases after this meeting
with the
witches.

He does not adequately prepare for the
coming war with England that
will eventually depose him from power. All of
these predictions do come true in act 5, as well.
Macduff is the character
who kills Macbeth, and it turns out that he was cut from his mother's
body
because she died before he could be born naturally. As the English army
approaches
Macbeth's castle on Dunsinane Hill, they disguise themselves with
foliage, so it appears that
the forest is actually approaching the
castle.

What three jobs did Geoffrey Chaucer have?

had many jobs in his life, including that of a noblewoman's page, an esquire in the royal court,
comptroller of the customs for the Port of London, and clerk of the King's works. He also spent
time in the Army.

In 1357, household records list Chaucer as the page to
Elizabeth de Burgh, the Countess of Ulster. He obtained the job through his father and it helped
him make connections with the royal court, since she was married to the King's second living
son.

Ten years and several jobs later, Chaucer became a valet de chambre for
the court of Edward III. It's not quite clear exactly what he did, but it likely meant managing
the household affairs of the royal family. It was a prestigious appointment.

In 1374, he became the comptroller for the Port of London. He would have overseen the
financial issues and accounting for the port. It's believed that he wrote many of his most
popular pieces while he was in this position.

In 1389, he was appointed to
the position of clerk of the King's works. He organized building projects, though no major ones
took place while he was in the position. He did oversee repairs on Westminster Palace and
Windsor. The job increased his salary by more than 300 percent over what he made as a
comptroller.

Chaucer is remembered primarily as a writer, but he mostly did
his writing while he engaged in others jobs.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

What is the effect of Plath's choice to write the poem from a mirror's perspective?

It is
startling and disorienting to have this poem written from the point of view of a mirror. A
person looks into a mirror to receive reassurance or confirmation about their own appearance or
reality. We expect that if we see something amiss in our appearance in a mirror, we can quickly
fix it. We expect a mirror to provide a reflection of ourselves and nothing more. Beyond its
purpose in reflecting us, a mirror seems empty.

It is startling, therefore,
to think a mirror could look back at us, see us, and judge us, not merely reflect us. It is
disorienting that we might not only see ourselves but that the mirror itself might have a
consciousness that could see us clearly and objectively.

A mirror is an object women look into both to see themselves and, in the second
stanza, to try to see into their own soulsto see their depths, as in a lake. However, Plath, by
personifying the mirror and giving it a personality, a consciousness, and...

How is freedom, slavery?? And can you have sections of the book where I can look for evidence as quotes?

I see freedom
being slavery in life when we make a choice with our freewill that over time becomes something
we are bound to.

's entire point in writing had to do
with warning even the capitalists in the world that they to can be bound. Sometimes, with the
effort to make money, we become dependent on what it does for us. Then we are in a cycle of
addiction. Once in the cycle, an unforeseen problem often occurs. Greed causes human
relationships to fail or even deteriorate. Many other things can bind us and keep us
from...

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

In 'Shooting an Elephant', what is Orwell's attitude to imperialism as revealed in the first two paragraphs?

s
attitude towards Imperialism is one of antipathy, and this comes through quite strongly in the
opening two paragraphs. The narrator of the story uses negative terms throughout to describe
himself and his situation as a serving officer of empire. At the same time, although he hates
the empire and his own part in it, feeling 'an intolerable sense of guilt, he empathises with
the natives only in theory; in actuality he resents and despises them even as they resent and
despise him. He describes them variously as 'petty', 'bitter', 'wretched', 'hideous'. In fact,
at one point he expresses frankly murderous feelings towards them:

With one part of my mind I thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny, as
something clamped down, in saecula saeculorum, upon the will of prostrate
peoples; with another part I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a
bayonet into a Buddhist priest's guts.

The narrator here
displays not just hate but real viciousness towards his colonial subjects. However, it is
important to realise that he is not naturally ill-disposed towards the colonised peoples; rather
it is the whole system under which he serves that causes him to feel like this. Such destructive
feelings are 'the normal by-products of Imperialism, as he sardonically remarks. It poisons his
whole outlook and leaves him with nowhere to turn.

The narrator is looking
back in retrospect to this time; his older, wiser self can see more clearly the confusion and
rage that affected his younger self. Although he observes that the British Empire was not as bad
as some other empires, he recognises that Imperialism has a detrimental effect on everyone, both
the rulers and the ruled, and renders normal, decent human intercourse
impossible.

Monday, July 1, 2013

What facts do you know about Nick in The Great Gatsby, and what do you infer about him? What kind of a narrator do you think he will be?

At the
very start of , the narrator, , shares some advice his father gave him and
tells us "Im inclined to reserve all judgments."

However, as Nick
continues to narrate the story, we see that he does make judgments. In the first chapter, he
describesas having "arrogant eyes" and a "supercilious manner." While Nick's
observations may be correct, Fitzgerald establishes Nick as an unreliable narrator, as he has
already proved himself false.

As Nick leavesand Tom's house, he remarks
"I was confused and a little disgusted as I drove away." This is another example of
his judgment but also is a clue to Nick's feelings as we keep reading. We can infer that he is
not like his cousin and does not agree with the Buchanans' attitudes and lifestyle.

Nick tells us he is from a prominent and well-off family, but we see that he rents a
smaller and not-so-extravagant house. Nick thinks of himself as an intellectual and has a
hopeful attitude. We see this when he describes the...

what are some examples of doublespeak or doublethink (1984) in real world?

Doublethink is
the ability to hold two contrasting ideas, , arguments at the same time, i.e. to believe that
one thing and its opposite are both true; doublespeak is its speech counterpart, physically
uttered by a member of the Inner Party. In , it is elevated to political
custom because it allows complete manipulation of the masses: the slogans are perfect examples:
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. However, the book does not depict a
distant reality: scenes and situations were taken from the political arena at the time of
writing (1948-49). Doublethink is a direct product of Stalins propaganda in the USSR, especially
in the 30s. Stalin came out a victor over the Nazis at the end of World War II even if he had
struck a non-aggression deal with Hitler (known as Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact). Obviously, there
have been disconcerting cases in very recent years, such as the war in Iraq - which was hailed
as an attempt to bring democracy to a dictatorial state through the epitome of violence.
Guant¡namo is also a striking instance of doublethink: Mr Bush ordered the incarceration of
many people without trial ostensibly to protect our civil rights. Doublethink constitutes the
bone of political discourse; 1984 is all the more important as a book
exactly because it increases our awareness of this process.

What is the greatest movie ever? The Godfather is my all time favorite. Citizen Kane Forest Gump The Shawshank Redemption The Dark Knight...

Film is
a form of art. As with all types of art, selecting which examples of the form are
"best" is entirely subjective. The American Film Institute, as authoritative a source
as one is likely to find, listed what it considers the 100 best American movies of all time.
While most of the list, in my opinion, is fine, there are selections that I believe are greatly
overrated. "Tootsie" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," for example, are on the
AFI list, while many of my own favorites are not.

"Citizen Kane"
is the most respected film ever by film scholars and critics, yet, great as it is,...

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Sunday, July 28, 2013