How does Wuthering Heights display qualities of the Romantic movement?

Wuthering Heights is a Romantic novel because its hero and heroine, Cathy and Heathcliff, are unconventional. Heathcliff is a former street urchin who is born without connections, and Cathy loves him in spite of her marriage to the better connected Edgar Linton. Heathcliff is the quintessential Romantic hero, in the tradition of Goethe and Byron, as he is alienated from society and misanthropic. He has a dark character and is prone to obsessions, such as his love for Cathy. This type of love is transcendent in the Romantic tradition, as it is greater than class barriers, geographic distances, and even death.

Another element of the novel that is Romantic in nature is the solace and release that nature provides to Cathy and Heathcliff. They often gather on the moors as children to experience the kind of freedom that they can't enjoy indoors, and Heathcliff seems like a creature who is more connected to nature than to civilization. It is only outdoors and in nature, with all of its moods and storms, that they can find true freedom. 

In addition, the novel places an emphasis on the beauty and inspiration of childhood. During childhood, Cathy and Heathcliff are first drawn to each other, and then adulthood imposes uncomfortable strictures on them. They both yearn for the love, freedom, and beauty that they experienced as children. 

What does suspension of disbelief mean in the simplest terms? What are some movie examples?

Suspension of disbelief means that there are some unusual premises which normally you might not be willing to accept, but in order to enjoy the story you go along with it.

A good example of this is Harry Potter.  This is a story involving magic.  Magic does not exist.  However, it is a really fun story full of action and adventure, with themes like friendship and courage.  It is worth it to go along with the idea that magic exists so that you can enjoy the story.  It is also a lot of fun to think about magic.

Sometimes story lines stretch believability.  For example, some story lines have huge coincidences that you have to accept in order for the entire rest of the story to work.  If you don’t accept that coincidence as plausible, you will not enjoy the rest of the story.  For example, in Star Wars, what is the likelihood that Luke’s Uncle Ben would buy R2-D2 and C-3PO, the very droids that his father had owned?  This sets off a chain of events that leads Luke to Obi-Wan Kenobi and his destiny.

In movies, suspension of disbelief helps a viewer appreciate and enjoy a plot line.  Sometimes if you think too hard about something, it saps all of the fun out of it.  Just sit back and enjoy the ride.  Movies can be just entertainment.

What social trends does Ray Bradbury observe and see as potential problems for the society in "The Pedestrian"?

The message of Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian" is a concern that technology desensitizes Americans and causes them to become alienated from others. 

When Leonard Mead walks at night in sneakers so that no one will hear him and call the police,

...it was not unequal to walking through a graveyard where only the faintest glimmers of firefly light appeared in flickers behind the windows. Sudden gray phantoms seemed to manifest upon inner room walls....

Mead experiences an isolation that, as a writer, he finds disturbing. No longer are there people with whom he can converse and exchange ideas, no longer are there people with whom he can share feelings or enjoy company. In addition, he may well be worried about his livelihood, because when the automated police car stops him, Mead is asked what his profession is, and he replies, "I guess you'd call me a writer." The car responds, "No profession," and Mead observes "You might say that" because he has not written in years. People no longer read books or magazines. Instead, they sit in their dimly lit "tomb-like houses" at night, passively watching television that emits a small light that touches their faces. Television entertains them, but "never really touch[es] them" as the written word does because it is the expression of the human experience that unites people to one another rather than isolating them in their lifeless homes. 

Clearly, Bradbury is concerned that, with the distractions of technology, people become desensitized and removed from the enriching human experience contained in the written word.

Examine how the relationship between Eliezer and his father changes throughout Night.

The inversion of roles is one way the relationship between father and son changes in Wiesel's Night.

At the start of the narrative, there is a clearly defined relationship between Eliezer and his father.  Chlomo Wiesel is described as "cultured, rather unsentimental man … more concerned with others than with his own family."  He is the authoritarian figure in the family whose word is taken above all.  For example, he is direct in how he insists that Eliezer refrains from his studies in Judaic mysticism and focus on more worldly matters.  Eliezer recognizes that being the head of the family helped to create an emotional distance between them.  As the Nazis strengthen their hold in Sighet, Chlomo's authority extends to the community, as he is a civic leader who assists others in the midst of Nazi cruelty.  His positions as head of the family and as a community leader represent a significant part of his early characterization in the narrative.

As Eliezer and his father experience the horror of the campes, an inversion of roles takes place.  Over time, Eliezer becomes a "father figure" and Chlomo becomes dependent on him, like a child.  For example, Eliezer has to teach his father how to march properly in cadence.  He also becomes in charge of both of their food rations, sometimes sacrificing his own so that his father can eat. Eliezer coaches his father through the selections and looks out for him as others take advantage of his weakened state.  As Eliezer struggles to survive, he recognizes that he has a responsibility to his father.  He acts as a paternalistic force, the way his father once did to him.

The Holocaust robbed children of their childhood, forcing many to grow up far too quickly.  Eliezer experiences this in the way he has to tend to his father, putting his own needs second.  In this way, the relationship between Eliezer and his father changes over the course of the narrative.

What are the names of the seventeen members of the platoon in the story "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien?

I listed the characters in the order they appear in the story, with a short descriptor afterward.

1. Tim O'Brien - narrator of this story, even though he is not mentioned by name.

2. Lt. Jimmy Cross - main character of this story, who pines for a girl named Martha.

3. Henry Dobbins - the machine gunner; "a big man"

4. Dave Jensen - "practiced field hygiene"

5. Ted Lavender - described as "scared," he is killed in this story, and Jimmy Cross blames himself because he thinks about Martha so much that it distracts him

6. Mitchell Sanders - the RTO (radio transmission officer)

7. Norman Bowker - "otherwise a very gentle person, carried a thumb that had been presented to him as a gift by Mitchell Sanders"

8. Bob "Rat" Kiley - the medic

9. Kiowa - described as a "devout Baptist," carries "his grandmother's distrust of the white man, his grandfather's old hunting hatchet"

10. Lee Strunk - has an interesting relationship with Dave Jensen

These ten are mentioned in the first story "The Things They Carried."  Other members of the platoon throughout the book are Curt Lemon, Azar, Bobby Jorgenson, Eddie Diamond, Morty Phillips, LZ Gator, and Mark Fossie.

What are three reasons John Proctor thinks he should confess to witchcraft in The Crucible? What are three reasons why he shouldn't confess?

Reasons for John Proctor to confess:

1. Other people have confessed to the lie. Goody Ballard and Isaiah Goodkind are specifically named. 


2. He wants to live. 


3. He wants to continue to be a father and husband.


4. Elizabeth says she wants John to stay alive. 


5. John's good name is already tarnished because of his affair. Confessing a lie won't do much more damage.  

My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.

Reasons not to confess:

1. John knows he is confessing a lie. He is a good man, and knows a lie will further tarnish his name and reputation. Additionally, Puritans believe confessing a lie will likely sentence them to Hell.


2. Other people John deeply respects have not confessed. John specifically asks if Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey confessed. They have not, and John doesn't want to "spoil their names."


3. John can't imagine raising his kids having confessed a lie. It will haunt him and tarnish the opinion his children have of their father.


4. By confessing, John would give the court what they want to hear. He admits he doesn't want to confess out of spite. He doesn't respect the court, and he doesn't want to give them what they want to hear.  

Spite only keeps me silent. It is hard to give a lie to dogs.

In "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling, what fictional characteristics and qualities are given to the cobras?

By "fictional characteristics and qualities," I believe you are looking for animal characteristics that are not real that Kipling has given the snakes.  

The first fictional characteristic Kipling gives the cobras is the ability to talk. I'm sure snakes have a way of communicating with each other. I'm also certain other animals can interpret cobras' body language in order to judge their intents, but cobras most definitely don't communicate with each other or other animals in English. 

As far as I know, cobras aren't capable of creating elaborate plots to rid their habitat of predators either. Nag and Nagaina decide that, in order to get rid of Rikki-Tikki, it would work best to kill the people who care for him. They believe that, if there are no people, the mongoose will move to different hunting grounds. 

"When the house is emptied of people," said Nagaina to her husband, "he will have to go away, and then the garden will be our own again."

What methods has Jane Austen used to convey her views of the period of time that the book Pride and Prejudice was written?

Austen has employed negative and positive characterization to indicate which characters have views with which she disagrees and with whom she agrees.  Elizabeth is obviously characterized in a mostly positive way: she is independent, concerned about love and respect more than money, and she is intelligent and compassionate.  Thus, Austen (for the most part) appreciates Elizabeth's view of the world: it is more modern than many of her contemporaries -- she believes in the importance of equality in a relationship, something that not many of her peers do.  Miss Bingley, however, is much more interested in impressing Mr. Darcy, maintaining her social superiority and status over the Miss Bennets, and keeping Jane and Mr. Bingley apart than she is in educating herself or exercising compassion or intelligence.  We can understand, then, that Austen doesn't care for Miss Bingley's take on the world: the ideas the status should be preserved above all else and that the woman's job to impress and secure an eligible man is the most important of her life (a common idea at the time).  Likewise, Mr. Collins is described in the clearly negative terms: he is "not a sensible man," and he is a "mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility."  We can understand, then, that Austen disagrees with his views on the importance of status, the reasons for marriage, even his views on women's reading -- that they ought to do it for instructional purposes rather than entertainment: all of which are fairly common ideas for this time.

Further, Austen employs irony in order to convey her views on popular ideas of her time period.  The first sentence of the novel is a fantastic example.  The narrator says, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."  We can tell that such a statement is ironic because it becomes obvious quickly that such a belief is neither a "truth," nor is it "universally acknowledged": Elizabeth, Jane, Mr. Bennet, and Darcy, at least, all seem to think differently.  Moreover, it is characters like Mrs. Bennet and Caroline Bingley and even Lady Catherine who seem to subscribe to this belief, and they are hardly representatives of truth or universal belief.  Ironies like this help us to understand that Austen disagrees with her contemporaries who subscribe to ridiculous and short-sighted ideas about marriage and wealth.

What is the theme of The Story of My Life by Helen Keller?

The theme of The Story of My Life by Helen Keller is the power of perseverance to overcome great obstacles. Keller is struck with an illness when she is a very young child that makes her blind and deaf, and she exists in a world of confusion. She can not communicate with others but wants desperately to make herself understood and to understand others. She writes of this time, "At times that I kicked and screamed until I was exhausted." Keller, with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, goes on from this state of frustration to learn to write, read, and speak with sign language and Braille. Through endless hours of hard work, she also attends Radcliffe, the sister school of Harvard. In her studies, she has to apply herself with much more dedication than other students, but she does so and triumphs as a result. 

Another theme of this book is the power of the right kind of education. As Keller writes, "It was my teacher's genius, her quick sympathy, her loving tact which made the first years of my education so beautiful." Through the power of perseverance and through the thoughtful and enlightened education of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who was trained to work with blind children, Keller blossoms. Sullivan uses the natural world and objects that are dear to Keller, such as her doll, to teach her the names of objects and then to teach her to read. As Keller writes about her early education in the outdoors, "The loveliness of things taught me all their use." Anne Sullivan knows what will motivate Keller, and she uses her gifts as a teacher to teach Keller and enable her to go on to great achievements. 

Is distilled water hard or soft?Is carbonated water hard or soft?

Water can be classified as hard or soft, depending on the presence of certain salts of calcium and magnesium. When water contains high concentrations of carbonates and bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium, we term the hardness of water as temporary hardness. Presence of chlorides and sulphates of calcium and magnesium cause the water to be termed as containing permanent hardness. Soft water, on the other hand, contains low concentrations of these salts. It is difficult to produce lather from soap, when using hard water. 

In the process of distillation, we remove all the microbes and minerals present in the water. Since no minerals or salts are present in the distilled water, it is soft water. 

Carbonated water has effervescence in it due to addition of carbon dioxide (also known as carbonation). Bottled water is generally carbonated and sold in the market. Bottled water is soft and the process of carbonation does not make it hard. Hence, we can say that carbonated water is soft.

Can there be any other title for the Story of My Life by Helen Keller?

I believe that the question is asking if it is possible that there could be an alternative title to Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life.

Yes, there could be alternative titles.  

I'm sure Helen Keller thought of multiple titles before choosing the final title.  

Helen Keller did not have an easy life because of her multiple disabilities, but she overcame a great deal.  A possible title could have been My Struggle. Perhaps then Hitler would have been forced to rethink his autobiography's title.  

Since Helen Keller used "my" in the title, it appears that she wanted the title to focus on herself.  Perhaps How I See the World would have worked for a title.  Or How I See Things would work, but it is very similar to the previous title.  

The alternative title could remove the "I," "me," or "my" from the title and go for something mysterious and catchy.  I had a student suggest Through Darkness and Silence as a possible title.  I like that title a lot, but it does make me think of submarine warfare.  The story of Louis Zamperini, written by Laura Hillenbrand, went with a one word title -- Unbroken.  The title captures the unbreakable spirit of the man.  An alternative title to Helen Keller's book could do the same one word idea.  I like Perseverance as a possible title.   

Why is Roger unable to say what he wants to say to Mrs. Jones at the end of the story in "Thank you, M’am" by Langston Hughes?

Roger is overcome with emotion at the end of “Thank you, M’am” by Langston Hughes, which leaves him unable to say more than a simple “thank you.”

Roger is a young man who is the product of his Harlem environment. There is no evidence of family support in his young life. When he attempts to snatch the purse off the shoulder of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, he is in for the lesson of a lifetime.

 Mrs. Jones does not report him to authorities, but instead takes him to her rooming house, where she shows him kindness and understanding. She has him wash up before they eat a meager dinner together. More importantly, she respects his circumstances and shares some of her background with him. While he is in her company, she allows him to learn how to be trustworthy.

When it is time for her to rest, she hands him the money he needs to buy the blue suede shoes that drove him to steal in the first place. Roger is unaccustomed to this type of treatment and he finds it so overwhelming that he is virtually speechless. Deep within, Roger realizes Mrs. Jones gave him much more than the money for those shoes.

Describe the anxiety of the Otis family when Virginia is discovered to be missing. Who does Mr. Otis think is responsible for Virginia's...

In Chapter Six, when Virginia does not come down for tea, Mrs. Otis isn't initially concerned. She thinks that her daughter is in the garden, gathering flowers for the dinner-table. However, when six o'clock strikes and the whereabouts of Virginia are still unknown, Mrs. Otis begins to panic. She sends the boys out to look for their sister, while she and Mr. Otis search all the rooms of the house. Upon coming up empty, the whole family becomes greatly agitated, and everyone becomes consumed with fear.

Eventually, Mr. Otis suspects that Virginia has likely been kidnapped by a band of gypsies who have been camping in his park. Mr. Otis sets out to test his hypothesis; meanwhile, he sends letters to all the police inspectors in the county and enlists their help in looking for Virginia. However, all these efforts come to naught. Virginia is not with the gypsies, and no one has seen her at all. By this time, Mrs. Otis is "almost out of her mind with terror and anxiety." The family eventually sit down to a very melancholy meal, and afterwards, Mr. Otis orders everyone to bed.

However, at the stroke of midnight, a loud peal of thunder shakes the house, and the strains of otherworldly music fill the air. Suddenly, a panel at the top of the staircase flies open, and Virginia steps out onto the landing. So, Mr. Otis was wrong about Virginia having been taken by the gypsies. Instead, Virginia tells her family that she had been with the Ghost before his death. She asserts that the Ghost had regretted all his wicked ways and had repented of them before he died. As a gift, he had bequeathed Virginia a box of beautiful jewels.

At the end of the chapter, when one of the twins points out that "the old withered almond-tree has blossomed," Virginia maintains that God has finally forgiven the Ghost for all his crimes.

What is the difference between substances and mixtures?

Matter is anything with mass and volume. Matter is composed of particles. Particles are composed of atoms. Atoms are composed of protons, electrons, and neutrons.

There are two types of matter, pure substances and mixtures: 

• 
  Pure Substances: Pure substances are composed of identical particles. 


• 
  Mixtures: Mixtures are composed of two or more different particles.

There are two types of pure substances, elements and compounds:

• 
  Elements: The particles of elements are composed of identical atoms. Examples: magnesium (Mg), oxygen (`~O_2`)


• 
  Compounds: The particles of compounds are composed of two or more different atoms. Examples: calcium iodide (`~CaI_2)`, sodium chloride (NaCl)

There are two types of mixtures, homogeneous mixtures and heterogeneous mixtures:

• 
  Homogeneous Mixtures: Homogeneous mixtures are composed of particles that are arranged evenly throughout the mixture. Examples: salt water (NaCl and `~H_2O` ), air (`~O_2` , `~N_2` , and `~CO_2` ) 


• 
  Heterogeneous Mixtures: Heterogeneous mixtures are composed of particles that are arranged unevenly throughout the mixture. (salads and dirt)

Is it possible for the people of a democracy to overrule the government's decisions?

The answer to that question depends upon what kind of decision is being made.  People have some recourse under some circumstances to seek an overruling of a government decision.  However, there are some government decisions that could not be overruled without voting those who made the decision out of office, recalling them, or through a revolution.  Let's go over the kinds of decisions governments make, so we can look at some ways they can be overruled.

First, enacting statutes is a form of government decision-making. In the federal government, it takes the Senate and the House to pass a bill.  There is no way to reverse this decision without a veto by the president, and even then, if there is a sufficient majority, the veto can be overridden by Congress.  This kind of decision can be fought against only by getting in touch with Congressional representatives and senators and asking that they revoke the statute just passed, by seeking a recall, or by not voting those representatives in again. This is true for declarations of war and treaties, too.  It is difficult, honestly, to imagine a revolution under any of these circumstances.

Second, the decisions of administrative tribunals and courts are another form of government-decision-making.  In either case, an appellate procedure is available to people, which can result in the overruling of the previous government decision.  Once a case reaches the United States Supreme court, though, its determination cannot be overruled except in circumstances in which Congress rewrites a statute in a way that will pass muster under the Supreme Court's ruling.

Third, the government can act in ways that can be overruled by invoking the protections of the Constitution.  For example, if I owned a newspaper and the government decided to order me to not publish some particular news, my recourse to overrule this determination would be to invoke my First Amendment right to freedom of the press, and in that case, the courts would overrule the government, too. 

Fourth, when the president signs an executive order, these can be overridden by the federal courts.  In fact, there have been a least of few suits of this nature during President Obama's administration. 

Absent a revolution, the mechanisms we have in place are somewhat limited if we seek to overrule some government action or decision.  We can let our representatives know we are unhappy.  We can recall a politician who has made decisions we do not agree with.  We can not vote again for those whom we are displeased with.  We can appeal court rulings or go to court to stop some government decisions and actions. One of the major reasons for a constitutional democracy, though, is to have a rule of law, even to overrule government decisions, so that there is no need for revolution to occur.  

What were the significant differences between Persian empire rule and Assyrian empire rule?

The Assyrian Empire did not tolerate any form of dissent from the people and mostly resolved such issues violently. On the other hand, the Persians ruled with tolerance and employed diplomacy in dealing with the populace. For instance, the Assyrians were known for burning and looting cities and exiling the inhabitants, whereas the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, instituted measures to stop his military from engaging in such wanton destruction.

The Assyrians did not extend self-rule to conquered people. They imposed their culture and religion on the society and made no attempts to honor local traditions. The Persians extended some level of autonomy to the conquered groups, and the people were known to enjoy religious and social freedoms.

Diplomatic strategies employed by the Persians enabled the empire to grow and maintain stability, while the Assyrian Empire crumbled due to its rigid and warlike nature, which created many enemies internally and externally.

Is the phrase "one foot in heaven" spoken by Elizabeth to John Proctor in Act IV of The Crucible a play on the idiom "one foot in the grave?"

In Act IV, Scene 9, Elizabeth tells John Proctor that Rebecca Nurse "is one foot in heaven now. Naught may hurt her more." Proctor is trying to get the people who are accused of witchcraft to confess so that they will be pardoned. However, Rebecca, as Proctor realizes, will not confess to be a witch as he is contemplating doing himself. Instead, as Proctor says, Rebecca will "go like a saint." Rebecca is a devout and respected member of the Salem community. When Elizabeth says that Rebecca "is one foot in heaven," it does not exactly mean that she has "one foot in the grave." True, she will be executed soon, so in that sense, she has one foot in the grave. However, there is an additional meaning to the phrase "one foot in heaven," which is that Rebecca is so virtuous and devout that she is on her way to becoming a saint in heaven. 

What are the key scenes in Shakespeare's Hamlet that lead to Hamlet's reversal of fortune?

There are many scenes in Hamlet you could choose and use to justify your claim that Hamlet experiences a reversal of fortune. Personally, I would choose the following: (1) the ghost's request that Hamlet avenge his father's murder in Act I, Scene 5 (2) Ophelia obeying Polonius's orders to break up with Hamlet in Act III, Scene 1 and (3) Hamlet's killing of Polonius in Act III, Scene 4.  

We understand what Hamlet's life might have been from Ophelia's soliloquy:  

O, what a noble mind is here overthrown! 

The courtier's, soldier's scholar's, eye, tongue, sword,

H'expectancy and rose of the fair state... (Act III, Scene 1, lines 150-152)

Before the play begins, Hamlet was the golden prince —noble, learned, good-looking, and potential heir to the throne. When the play begins, Hamlet is grieving his father's death and is disappointed in his mother's hasty marriage to Claudius. While troubling, these are developments Hamlet might have overcome, but his confrontation with his father's ghost at the end of Act 1 sets him on an entirely different course. Hamlet knows his purpose must be to avenge his father's death by his uncle, and this revenge will likely change his life forever. To exact revenge, Hamlet must become a killer himself, something totally against his nature. Hamlet feels the weight of the ghost's command upon him when he says,

The time is out of joint. O cursed spite

That ever I was born to set it right (Act I, Scene 5, lines 190-191).

The second scene I would chose is the one in which Ophelia breaks up with Hamlet. By agreeing to do break up with Hamlet, Ophelia has in essence chosen her obedience to her father over her love for Hamlet. Hamlet, already without his father and unable to confide in his mother because she married Claudius, now loses another ally. It is in this scene that Hamlet realizes how alone he really is in his revenge. Several times during this scene, he tells Ophelia to go "to a nunnery." Hamlet is ending his relationship with Ophelia forever. With the exception of Horatio, Hamlet has now lost his entire support system.

The scene that brings Hamlet's plot of revenge to a screeching halt is his murder of Polonius. This failed attempt to kill who he thinks is Claudius exposes Hamlet's intentions to Claudius and puts him on the run. It also causes Ophelia's mental breakdown and makes a passionate enemy of Laertes, who now wants "to cut his throat in the church" (Act IV, Scene 7, line 123)!

In Act III, Scene 4, Hamlet tells his mother that he must run and hope to evade Claudius's attempt to have him killed. Claudius and Hamlet have now reversed roles; Claudius wants to kill Hamlet.  

What is Flaco's home in Miami like after he loses his job?

Flaco had moved to Miami from Puerto Rico when he was a child. None of his family members knew English when they came. Flaco didn’t do well in school, so he quit in order to work in a restaurant. Years later, he married a woman Constancia. They had a daughter, but she died of a health problem when she was quite young. Then they had a son, Raul. Flaco felt the need to provide for his family, but he lost his restaurant job. Constancia started taking care of other people’s children to bring in money. Additional relatives on both sides of the family moved into the house, too. They had to be taken care of. The place was crowded and noisy and busy, and Flaco was stressed out from the whole situation. That’s when he drove across Florida to get some peace and quiet. He ended up in Tampa, where he saw Brent’s marching band whirligig. He thought about how people in groups could get along, if they could only cooperate with one another. The idea made him feel a bit better. Later, after he went back to Miami, he landed a job operating street sweeping equipment. The job allowed him time to get away from the busy household and to also earn enough money to support his extended family.

How does the Duke prove he completely trusts Virginia in "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde?

The proof you are looking for can be found in the closing paragraphs of "The Canterville Ghost."  

By this point in the story, the Duke and Virginia are married. They are returning home from their honeymoon. It's been a few years since Virginia helped Sir Simon in the Garden of Death, but Virginia continues not to tell anyone any specific details about what happened. This bothers the Duke because he tells Virginia a husband and wife should not have secrets between them. He asks Virginia to explain to him what happened between her and the ghost. Virginia begs him,   

Please don't ask me, Cecil, I cannot tell you. Poor Sir Simon! I owe him a great deal. Yes, don't laugh, Cecil, I really do. He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.

The Duke proves his love and trust in Virginia in the next two paragraphs.  

The Duke rose and kissed his wife lovingly.

"You can have your secret as long as I have your heart," he murmured.

He doesn't grudgingly kiss his wife. He lovingly kisses his wife. He doesn't press the issue, become angry, or beg. He accepts his wife desires to keep this one secret, and believes her completely that the secret in no way affects her feelings toward him. He proves his trust through the way he responds to Virginia's desire to continue keeping her secret. 

In Golding's novel, how does the Lord of the Flies (the pig's head) represent the crumbling of civilization and humanity, false assumptions, and...

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding seeks to prove that humanity is innately evil. By using the most innocent creatures, children, he illustrates that even the most inexperienced and untouched will choose evil over good. 

Throughout the text, there are various symbols Golding uses to help develop this thesis. A central symbol is the pig's head, or Lord of the Flies. The pig's head becomes a symbol of the tenuous and disintegrating ties to civilization when Jack and his hunters decide to mount the head on a stick. This initial act is one of reverence for their brutality. Jack instructs the boys to "sharpen a stick at both ends" in order to leave the head "for the beast. It's a gift" (197). This sacrifice for the "beastie" they believe is on the island signifies their propensity for savagery away from the binds, rules, and laws of civilization. The boys no longer have ties to the civil but worship the animalistic side of nature. 

The pig's head may also symbolize false assumptions because it represents the innate evil within the boys. The hunters' desire to kill clouds their judgment and blinds them to the possibility of returning to civilization. They become so focused on the hunt, torture, and killing of the pig, they fail to stop and think about the consequences of killing the sow. By doing so, they destroy their food source. This propensity toward evil is also demonstrated when Simon encounters the pig's head in the clearing. Simon is a symbol of goodness, and is a foil to the evil the pig's head symbolizes. Though imagined, the pig's head conveys to Simon, "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast" (206). He then warns Simon

“I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else—”

Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread.

“—Or else,” said the Lord of the Flies, “we shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?” (207).

This dialogue reveals that the assumption that the children are innocent simply because they are children is false. Because of the dynamic between the boys and the pig's head, one begins to question all of the assumptions about the boys' characters and intentions.

Lastly, the killing of the sow, the sacrifice of the head, and the subsequent worshipping of the head on a stick illustrate how the boys are no longer innocents. The killing of the initial pig was shrouded in the guise of survival, but the killing of the sow was about power. This is evident by the brutality in which the pig is killed. Roger pushes on the pig with a spear until it shrieks and cries, while Jack slits its throat and allows the blood to run all over his hands. The boys then use this pig as a lure for the others to "join Jack's tribe." At the subsequent pig roast, the boys dance and chant in a storm on the beach. It is during this scene the boys murder Simon as he comes to report the death of the pilot. By removing the symbol of good on the island, the boys are now able to succumb to the lure of evil. 

1. Give a brief character sketch of Arthur H. Keller. 2. What turned Helen into an isolated and tormented child? 3. Miss Sullivan's method of...

1.  Arthur H. Keller was Helen's father.  He had served as a Confederate Army captain during the Civil War.  He later was a newspaper editor.  His first wife died, and Kate Keller, Helen's mother, was his second wife.  He enjoyed hunting and gardening.  He also liked spending time with his dogs.  Helen described her father as "most loving and indulgent, devoted to his home, seldom leaving [them], except in the hunting season" (The Story of My Life, Chapter II).

2.  Helen became isolated and tormented due to her loss of hearing and sight.  She could not effectively communicate with those around her, which led to feelings of isolation.  She was tormented because of her extreme frustration at being different.

3.  Miss Sullivan did not have prior experience working with a child who was deaf and blind, but she did study on the topic.  She taught Helen by spelling letters into her palm, associating the words with objects.  She did this with the words "mug," "doll," and "water."  Helen did not make the connection at first.  Miss Sullivan was determined and eventually her methods worked.

4.  "Ivy Green" was the small house where Helen was born, and where she lived with her parents until she became ill.  This house was covered in English ivy and flowers.  Helen was drawn to nature, and she loved to "hide [her] hot face in the cool leaves and grass" (The Story of My Life, Chapter I).

Write the equation of the line that is perpendicular to the x-axis and passes through the point (3, 2).

Hello!

Any (straight) line perpendicular to the x-axis has the equation of the form `x = a,` where `a` is a constant. In other words, for all points of such a line the x-coordinate is the same (and is equal to `a` ).

Therefore if the line must go through the point `(3, 2),` whose x-coordinate is `3,` then its equation is `x = 3.`

Who is "a soldier, and afeard" in Macbeth?

Lady Macbeth is talking to herself in Act V, Scene 1 of the play and is evidently sound asleep. At one point, she imagines she is talking to her husband and they are back in the past, in the time before he has actually murdered Duncan. She is using her familiar tactic of appealing to his sense of manhood to convince him to do what she wants him to do. 

Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard?

She pretends to believe all Macbeth's misgivings about going through with the murder are due to cowardice and have no logical substance. In the line that follows her question, she is still addressing her husband in her dream.

What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our
pow'r to accompt?

If they can become king and queen of Scotland, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth would not be questioned about how they acquired their authority. After Macbeth becomes king, everyone treats him with the greatest respect. This includes Banquo, who thinks Macbeth obtained the crown by murdering King Duncan, as he says to himself in the soliloquy which opens Act III, Scene 1.

Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women promised, and I fear
Thou play'dst most foully for't:

Lady Macbeth struggled to persuade her husband to go through with the assassination. Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene in the final act of the play to remind his audience that she shares in Macbeth's guilt. For example, back in Act I, Scene 7, when Macbeth told her,

We will proceed no further in this business:
He hath honor'd me of late, and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.

She responded,

Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? Hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valor
As thou art in desire?

What is the context of Byron's "When We Two Parted"?

The context of Byron's "When We Two Parted" is the dissolution of a relationship between two people.

It is not difficult to imagine Byron writing this poem from a personalized context. Byron had many affairs and experienced many relationships begin and end. As a result, the poem's context is the disintegration of a love affair. 

While Byron writes from personal experience, the way he constructs the poem's emotional landscape makes it relatable to anyone who has fallen in and out of love. For example, the context of the first two stanzas is a dying relationship. What used to be love and passion is now shrouded in "silence and tears." Byron skillfully suggests that relationships do not die when two people leave. Rather, there are elements that show emotional distance before the actual breakup. He communicates this dynamic in lines like "half broken-hearted/ To sever for years." Byron's imagery of "pale grew thy cheek" and "Colder thy kiss" suggests people part begin to part before they actually do. Byron speaks of "the warning" signs that show a relationship has run its course. These markers indicate love's death. They take place when "vows are all broken" and when a person's name illuminates "shame" where love once was.

The context of regret is illuminated in the final two stanzas. Byron experiences "a shudder" to the question of "Why wert thou so dear?" The questioning of why or how we could have loved someone is another stage of the process of love dying. Realizing this does not bring happiness, but rather "rue." It is a "silence" that accompanies how we "grieve" when someone so positive is now the source of so much hurt. Byron suggests there are no winners when love dies. The poem's closing context is a mourning and cavernous remorse at what once was.

The highly emotional context of "When We Two Parted" is part of its effectiveness. Its primacy on personal experience is what makes it Romantic. Byron's own personal context is able to generate an emotional field we walk through, surveying his pain and our own.

Regarding the policy of containment, was the United States correct to think of the Soviet Union as expansionist and as a threat to American liberty?

As the Second World War progressed into its later years, the United States and Soviet Union, once allies, became bitter rivals with their vastly different political and economic philosophies: democracy/capitalism (US) and communism (Soviet Union).  Containment was considered to be a remedial policy by the United States as a way to stop, or "contain," the spread of Communism under the Soviet Union's influence.  The belief of the US was that if the conditions were right and the Soviet Union was able to transition its neighbors to convert to its political philosophy, widespread Communism would potentially sweep the world and seriously impact the influence of Democratic adversaries, such as the US.  

The idea of Containment was spread by George F. Kennan, a diplomat who had worked in the US embassy in the Soviet Union for 20 years.  The idea was that the United States would not try to impact already Communist countries directly but rather would contain the spread of it and would aid US allies in their actions to impede the spread of Communism.

In terms of the Soviet Union being expansionist, evidence suggests that by 1948, seven East European countries were controlled by Communist governments.  As Churchill indicated, the Soviet Union maintained control from behind the "iron curtain."  When we think about evidence regarding the success of the policy of containment, we must consider that the United States and its allies were successful in stopping the spread of Soviet influence in both Turkey and Greece.  Based on this, it is safe to assume that the Soviet Union was certainly attempting to spread its influence, and the United States was successful in its actions to stop the spread of Communism.  Ultimately, we must consider the number of Communist countries over time has dwindled significantly while the number of democratic countries continues to climb.  

Who is the protagonist in "By the Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benet?

The protagonist of Stephen Vincet Benet's story "By the Waters of Babylon" is John.  

The story is written in the first person perspective, so that means that John is the protagonist and the narrator at the same time.  The story begins with John telling his readers that he is the son of a priest, and that he is now a priest in training.  As a future priest, John gets the best food and sleeping spots.  He learns how to read and do basic first aid.  After completing most of his training, John requests that he be allowed to go on his own journey.  The rest of the story is about his journey east to the Place of the Gods.  The Place of the Gods turns out to be a future burned-out New York City.  

How can I compare and contrast "The Road Not Taken by Robert Woods and "Fifteen" by William Stafford?

In both "The Road Not Taken" and "Fifteen," the speakers are on the edge of an adventurous journey in a natural and secluded area--the woods and the "back of the woods" south of a bridge at the edge of town, respectively. Both speakers become cautious and do not to venture forth into areas that may prove risky. In contrast, though, at the end of their narratives, the speaker of Frost's poem expresses a certain self-doubt and incompleteness while the speaker of Stafford's poem feels self-restoration.

As he takes a walk, Frost's speaker discovers two enticing lanes in the woods that are "untrodden,"

                                   ...long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

Stafford's speaker, on the other hand, discovers a running motorcycle that attracts him with the prospect of a new, exciting adventure. The object at which he looks assumes a femininity that is seductive:

I admired all that pulsing gleam, the 
shiny flanks, the demure headlights
fringed where it lay

Further, the speaker of "Fifteen" indulges delightedly in his imagination of the adventure that he can have with this machine, and he even takes it to the road. But as he has "a forward feeling" and there is a tremble, he changes his mind and returns with the motorcycle to the place he has found it. "Thinking," he finds the owner, whose hand is bleeding. He helps the owner to his motorcycle and the other calls him a "good man" and rides off.

Both the bridge where the fifteen-year-old feels the "forward feeling" but resists it and the point where the two roads "diverged" and the speaker chooses the one more traveled are junctures in the lives of the speakers of the two poems. These choices that the speakers have made are for what is real over that which is imagined. For both speakers there is a sense of loss and a change in themselves; in contrast, however, Stafford's speaker has grown from his experience, while Frost's speaker merely reflects that his choice "has made all the difference" to him.

Why do like poles of a magnet attract each other?

Like (identical) poles of a magnet do NOT attract each other.  Identical poles of a magnet repel each other.  

Not all materials are magnetic.  Iron containing compounds are the most common magnets and materials that are subject to magnetism.  In order to magnetize an object, the atomic domains inside of the object must be lined up.  Simply put, an object is magnetized when the electrons inside of the object become similarly arranged across the entire object.  I've attached a diagram of ordered and disordered domains.  Once the domains become ordered, a magnetic field is produced.  That field has a north pole and a south pole, and it exerts a magnetic force.  When a south pole is brought near another south pole, the forces repel (push) each other.  The same thing occurs when a north pole is brought near another north pole.  The two magnetic poles will only attract (pull) each other if they are opposite -- north to south.  

How do the characters of the Odyssey act in the Cyclopeia?

There are three main groups of characters in the section of the Odyssey known as the Cyclopeia. The first group is the Cyclopes, the second Odysseus, and the third Odysseus's sailors. 

The Cyclopes are a group of giants with a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. Polyphemus, a son of Poseidon, is the most monstrous of the lot, shunning the company of his fellow monsters and living alone. He enjoys the taste of human flesh and has little sympathy for human beings, although he does treat his flock of sheep well. His behavior, in trapping the sailors in a cave by rolling a rock in the entrance, violates the Greek norms of hospitality. 

Odysseus is portrayed as more clever and level-headed than his sailors, who mainly serve as foils to their leader, and creates the plan to get Polyphemus drunk and blind him while he is passed out. That and the subsequent scheme to escape clinging to the bellies of the rams shows Odysseus's ability to plan well. His boasting and telling Polyphemus his real name, though, shows Odysseus's ego can at times override his sense of self-preservation. 

In Mrs. Warren's Profession, how is Vivie the New Woman, in terms of her appearance as well as her ideas?

When Vivie first appears in the play, she is described as "an attractive specimen of the sensible, able, highly-educated young middle-class English woman. Age 22. Prompt, strong, confident, self-possessed." She shakes hands as a man might, and she wears "business-like" dress with a chatelaine, or belt with useful objects suspended from it. She does not wear impractical clothes but wears clothes conducive to doing business and getting work done. Like the New Woman of Shaw's time, she is practical and able to take care of herself. She comports herself with the confidence that people formerly might have only associated with men.

In addition, Vivie is not at all sentimental and has rid herself of most of the traditional feminine ideas, such as the importance of acting falsely modest with men. In Act I, she refers to chivalry as "a frightful waste of time." She decides to dump her beau, Frank, without much regret, and she tells her mother, "Poor Frank! I shall have to get rid of him; but I shall feel sorry for him, though he’s not worth it." This is clearly a reversal of traditional gender roles, as she feels sorry for Frank but not at all sad or sentimental about ending her relationship with him. She has little time for romance in her busy, practical life. 

Like the New Woman, Vivie is fiercely independent. She studied math at Cambridge and plans to work in an actuarial office while reading law. She detests leisure and says, " I like working and getting paid for it. When I’m tired of working, I like a comfortable chair, a cigar, a little whisky, and a novel with a good detective story in it." These are traditional male pursuits, and Vivie embraces them. She likes spending her time working rather than getting married and having children, as women were traditionally expected to do. In the end, she decides not to get married, to sever her ties to her mother (as her mother continues to own brothels), and to work for a living without taking a vacation. She lives the type of independent life that was new for women at the time and that was more typical of a man. 

At what point does Shakespeare's Macbeth become a tragedy?

Shakespeare's drama becomes a tragedy when Macbeth kills Duncan.  

I think that Macbeth's murder of Duncan is the point where the drama becomes a tragedy because it shows Macbeth doing something he does not want to do.  When confronted with the prospect of committing such a horrible act, Macbeth is uncertain.   He communicates this towards the end of Act I:

First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself.

Goaded by Lady Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan.  In my mind, this is where the drama becomes a tragedy. Macbeth, a noble warrior and powerful human being, is reduced to doing what he does not want to do.  It is tragic to see someone reduced to such a state.  

Macbeth's murder of Duncan  also marks how the drama is a tragedy because it is clear that nothing good can come from this moment.  Macbeth's deed is not one of construction.  It is not an act of restoration.  Rather, he sets in motion the chain of events that lead to his undoing.  Killing Duncan is where Macbeth's moral compass disappears. The struggle that he had in having to "bear the knife" reflects that he knows the difference between right and wrong.  In expressing his desire not to kill Duncan, Macbeth shows that he can be good.  However, this shred of goodness disappears when he kills Duncan. Macbeth ends up being incapable of going back to this potential for goodness. The permanent loss of Macbeth's decency is another reason why this particular moment marks the drama as a tragedy.

I am from India and have recently qualified in a PhD entrance examination. My specialization is English language teaching (ELT). I have to fill in...

First, as someone who has served on PhD program admissions committees, I would suggest that the point of this part of the form is to help people on admissions committees see if your research interests are a good fit for the department. This means that you need to spend time thinking carefully about a topic in which you would like to immerse yourself for the next 4 to 5 years rather than just seeing it as a hoop to jump through.

Your first way of narrowing your choice of research fields might be by types of student. You could focus on primary school, secondary school, university, or adult learners. You could also think about different types of English. Teaching migrants who aim for near native fluency is different than teaching business English or English for tourists or a reading knowledge of English for graduate students.  Also, students' own backgrounds and native languages raise different pedagogical issues. You could also, for example, blend TESOL and disability studies by focusing on teaching English as a second language to deaf students or students with other disabilities.

Another important and growing area is computer aided pedagogy of various sorts. Increasingly, education is delivered online to remote students. Research and specialization in online TESOL pedagogy (especially a pedagogy that can be implemented on mobile phones) is a growing area and particularly relevant to India.

Finally, "gamification" is an important area of study within language pedagogy. You could develop research on how to gamify TESOL for specific student populations.