Briefly describe the three omens that Lorraine refers to in Chapter 6 of The Pigman by Paul Zindel. What do the omens have in common?

Chapter 6 in
's is when
John and Lorraine meet Mr. Pignati at the Baron Park Zoo.
Lorraine doesn't
like zoos anyway because she can't stand seeing the animals locked up and
being
treated poorly; so, she's nervous to start with. She's also a little
bit superstitious because
she takes a few circumstantial events as omens that
the day will end badly. The first event that
Lorraine takes as a bad omen is
the fact that the lady selling peanuts was rude when she didn't
need to
be. 

"I mean, that's how antagonistic
she
was. A real devoted . You could tell she hated kids" (58).

The next bad omen is when Lorraine is attacked
by a peacock. She explains by saying the
following:

"This...

In The Crucible, what role did fear play in creating authority? How did some people choose to resist authority? Who are they, and what form did...

It is evident even at the beginning of that authority rests upon
fear. Mr. Parris preaches "hellfire and bloody damnation" to reinforce his brittle
authority with a dwindling congregation. This harshness and exploitation of the fears of church
members is itself the product of Parris's fear.

As the hysteria spreads, new
characters become figures of authority, based on the universal fear of being accused in a court
where it is impossible to prove one's innocence. Mary Warren, a poor, terrified servant girl in
act 1, becomes a figure of authority in act 2 based on her position with the court.

However, Danforth, the most senior judge, is himself motivated by fear, since he admits
that he is sending people to their deaths principally through fear of public opinion:

Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon
must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now.

Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey would not be understood as resisting the authority of a
normal...

What was the tension between Native Americans and White Settlers during the years 1800-1850? In other words what was the problem and the background...

The source
of tensions between Native Americans and white settlers, of course, was the fact that the United
States was aggressively spreading into Indian lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. In the
late eighteenth century, the US government had conducted an expensive and bloody campaign
against Indians in the Northwest Territory that concluded with an American victory at the Battle
of Fallen Timbers in 1794. Many Native Americans  in the region were not party to the Treaty of
Greenville that followed the battle, however, and resentment at continued white expansion was
greatly resented. In the early nineteenth century, a movement began under Shawnee leader
Tecumseh and his brother Tenskatawa, or the Prophet, to united various Indian peoples together
(with British support) to roll back American expansion. The Prophet was defeated at the Battle
of Tippecanoe in 1811, however, and Tecumseh, an officer in the British Army in the War of 1812,
died at the Battle of the Thames in that conflict. The dream of pan-Indian resistance in the
Northwest died with him, and as whites moved into the modern upper Midwest, Indians either fled
to Canada or moved onto reservations.

In the South, powerful Indian tribes
continued to exist even after the Revolution, but many, particularly the Cherokee, embraced the
US government's policy of "civilization" as the best means of securing their survival.
The major tribes, who became known as the "five civilized tribes" were the Cherokee,
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. This decision came after military defeat in some cases,
like the Creek Red Stick War and the Seminole War, but many people in these tribes, especially
elites, adopted white dress, agriculture (including slavery) and government. The Cherokee, in
particular, set up a constitution not unlike that of the United States. But the cotton boom
caused continued demand for Indian lands by southern whites, who desired the fertile lands
inhabited by Indians, who they increasingly characterized as racially inferior. When Andrew
Jackson, who had participated in both the Red Stick and the Seminole Wars, was elected President
in 1828, he adopted a policy of Indian removal. One by one, beginning with the Choctaw and
ending with the Cherokee, the Southeastern Indians were removed to Indian Territory in modern
Oklahoma. 

The cause of tension between the United States and Indian peoples,
then, was the implacable desire among Americans for western lands. This would continue to the
Civil War, when conflicts between American troops and Cheyenne, Sioux, and Apache fighters broke
out in the Great Plains and the Southwest. Similarly, whites encroached on Nez Perce lands, to
name just one group, in the Pacific Northwest.

What did Lincoln believe would happen if he didn't prevent Maryland from seceding?

Washington, D.C. is our nations capital. It
was
created when Maryland and Virginia donated land as part of the compromise to deal with
our
nations debt. Since Maryland and Virginia were considered part of the
South, there could be
issues if the country ever split along regional
lines.

When Virginia decided
to secede from the Union,
President Lincoln knew there could be an issue with our capital. Since

Maryland had slaves, there was a very good possibility that Maryland could secede from
the
Union. If Maryland seceded from the Union, our capital would be cut off
from the Union. It would
have been located in the Confederacy. As a result,
President Lincoln had to be sure Maryland
stayed in the Union.

To prevent the Maryland legislature from voting to
secede, President
Lincoln ordered the arrest of those legislators that supported secession.
This
prevented Maryland from seceding. By keeping Maryland in the Union as a
border state, our
capital wouldnt be cut off from the
Union.

What specific steps does Montresor take to ensure that his plan works in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor's first step in his revenge plot is
to appear amicable toward Fortunato during their interactions to quell his suspicions and gain
his trust. Montresor also specifically chooses to approach Fortunato during the carnival season,
which is a chaotic time when Fortunato is more than likely intoxicated. Montresor then
fabricates a story regarding a rare pipe of Amontillado because he is aware of Fortunato's
obsession with wine. He is also aware that Fortunato is extremely prideful, which is why he
mentions Luchresi's name.

Before Montresor invites Fortunato to his palazzo,
he makes sure to inform his servants that he will not return home until the following morning.
Montresor understands that his servants will immediately abandon their duties later that night,
leaving the house empty. Montresor then leads Fortunato deep into his vaults and continually
offers him wine as they journey to the back of the catacombs. By continually offering Fortunato
wine, Montresor further impairs Fortunato's judgment, which makes it significantly easier to
shackle him to the back wall. Montresor also had the forethought to carry a trowel with him into
the vaults in order to construct a wall around his enemy.

How do you pinpoint the central image of a poem?

Writers create
text that is vivid and alive through the use of . Without imagery, readers might have a less
interesting, if not altogether boring, experience of reading literature. Imagery can be found in
many types of literature including poetry,and nonfiction. A central image in a work is closely
tied to other aspects of the work such as plot or theme. It recurs often through the work or is
an image around which the work is constructed and, as such, indicates an important aspect of the
work relative to its major themes. Fortunately, the central image of a poem can be fairly
transparent, as typically the text of poetry is less dense in word-for-word content than prose.
As such, pinpointing the central image of a poem is a two-step process that integrates the theme
and major emotional impact of the poem with a concrete image that manifests that theme or
impact. After those steps, the central image should be able to be described by at least one
sentence.

First, analyze the poem to get an idea of the major plot or theme.
This analysis should go beyond surface aspects of the text and attempt to encapsulate the deeper
meanings and significance of the poem. For example, Edgar Allen Poes The Raven examines the
tenuous relationships and associations between life and death relative to grief. This idea is
illustrated in the imagery of the lines Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into
smiling,/
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore. . . The imagery of
the ebony bird personified as grave and stern amid the grief of the narrator over a dead
love foreshadows the subsequent  events of the poem. Further, the bird is a prominent figure in
the poem, thus indicating the centrality of the bird relative to the meaning of the
poem.

Next, identify imagery that is repetitive or very strong and, as such,
carries emotional resonance. In The Raven, the black bird keeps repeating the word
nevermore.  For example, the line Quoth the raven, `Nevermore. . .'  is repeated several
times in the poem, as well as the word nevermore.  Once again, the repetitiveness of the
imagery of the black bird repeating nevermore underscores the value of this action to the
meaning of the poem.

Finally, especially for the purposes of composing an
essay or research paper around ideas regarding the central image of a poem, write a sentence
that merges the major plot or theme with the emotional resonance of that theme relative to the
central image that has been identified. If that sentence fits the context of the poem as a
reasonable interpretation, it most likely describes and interprets the central image of the
poem. For example, a sentence about the central image of The Raven might read: In the poem
The Raven, Poe utilizes the central image of a black bird repeating the word nevermore to
convey the tenuous associations between life and death relative to grief.

It
is important to note that not every work utilizes a central image to convey the plot or the
theme. Yet, here are a few examples of poems in which a central image can be identified that
work effectively with the process described above:

"Tinturn Abbey"
(William Wordsworth)
"The Road Not Taken" (Robert Frost)
"I Too
Sing America" (Langston Hughes)

Good luck!

Why is music important in a play?

There are, of course, plays without music. Even in these plays, however, there is
sound, primarily the sound of the words. Where music is present, it is important for much the
same reasons as the words are important.

In the first place, it may convey
meaning. Music cannot convey thoughts as clearly as words can, but it may convey shades of
emotion with much greater subtlety. Related to this is the creation of, which may contradict the
words and alert the audience to some incongruity (for instance, if a character is making a
comforting speech, while the music conveys a sinister feeling...