In Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter," why don't we get any details of the conversation between Patrick and Mary Maloney in which he tells her...

There is no conversation. Roald Dahl deliberately avoids any dialoguing between Patrick and Mary Maloney. Instead, Patrick does all the talking and Mary merely listens. She is so astonished by what she is hearing that she is speechless. Dahl's reason for handling this critical part of the story in the way he does is a matter of speculation. It seems likely that the author did not want Mary to participate in any conversation about the subject because that would have made Patrick's decision less settled, less definite, less final. She is--at least at this point in the story--the kind of woman who would have begged and pleaded if she had had an opportunity to do so. She probably wouldn't have contradicted her husband, but she would have been likely to say such things as, "I'm sorry. I can change. I will. I promise. Please give me a chance. What about our baby?"

Instead of presenting a two-way conversation, the author illustrates what Patrick is saying by showing how Mary might be annoying him and suffocating him with her mothering. To Patrick, Mary might come across as too devoted, too loving, too dependent, too attentive. Here are a few examples:

"I'll get it!" she cried, jumping up.

"Darling, shall I get your slippers?"

"Darling," she said. "Would you like me to get you some cheese?"

"Anyway," she went on, "I'll get you some cheese and crackers first."

"But you must eat! I'll fix it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like."

The author must have wanted to make it clear as quickly as possible that Patrick's decision was final. His apparent coldness and brutality make Mary's extreme reaction more plausible. He doesn't give her a chance to protest or ask for clarification. When she clobbers him over the head with the frozen leg of lamb, the reader can understand and sympathize with her abrupt change of character. At the same time, the fact that she has always been so loving and devoted help her to avoid suspicion. Both Patrick and Mary are well known to the investigating officers, and they believe the Maloneys had an ideal marriage. 

How is it that Romeo and Juliet is part of the modern canon?

Romeo and Juliet contains a universality of thought and feeling that transcends time, culture, and political thought; therefore, I would argue it should remain part of the modern canon.

Works of art developed in a medieval Italian city can affect us too. What does this require? . . . That these feelings and moods shall have received such broad, intense, powerful expression as to have raised them above the limitations of the life of those days. 

Interestingly, these words are those one of the first leaders of Marxist Communism, Leon Trotsky. He argued in 1924 against a number of Soviet writers who contended that the "reactionary culture" of the past should be excluded from their "new society." 

Literature is the recording of the human heart; therefore, it is timeless. As long as human beings walk the earth, there will exist among them antipathy, erotic desires and love, generational problems, and emotional and psychological weaknesses. Indeed, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy of two "star-crossed lovers," includes all of these thematic traits found universally in people. So, because of these universal elements in this work of literature, it is as relevant today as it was during the Elizabethan Age.

When, for instance, Friar Laurence counsels Romeo— 

These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder
Which as they kiss consume (Act II, Scene 6, lines 9-11)

—these words could issue from any parent or spiritual adviser of any time or place. The universality of literature transcends any age, culture, and race because it is the recording of the human experience.

How would you explain the four chief elements of Canada's political culture: community, freedom, equality, and attitude toward and expectation...

According to Chapter 3, "Canadian Political Culture" by Stephen Brooks, in James Bickerton's book Canadian Politics (5th edition), the four crucial dimensions of Canadian politics are community, freedom, equality, and attitude towards the state (page 46). With regard to community, the author states that the "search for national identity unites successive generations of Canadians" (page 46). He believes that Canadians' constant search for a national identity helps to define the country. Canadians define their national identity based on a political culture rather than in an ethnic or racial way. He believes that this political culture has resulted in a modus vivendi that exists most of the time between anglophone and francophone Canadians.

Canadians' conception of freedom is different than that of Americans, in that they believe that it requires more frequent government interference with the market and with individual liberties. Canadians have a more positive conception of freedom, which requires the government to act, than a negative conception of freedom (as Americans do), which requires the government not to get involved in people's lives. Canadians also support equality to a greater extent than Americans do, including a publicly funded healthcare system. Canadians support government intervention to make their society more egalitarian. Canadians value equality of results, while Americans tend to value equality of opportunity. Finally, as mentioned earlier, Canadians tend to expect more government intervention and help than Americans do. The Canadian government is more active in wealth redistribution than the American government is, and it also provides more social services and collects a higher percentage of people's income as taxes than does the government in the U.S. 

How can I write an essay on the play The Miracle Worker that addresses whether or not the Kellers were right in showing Helen pity, and the...

A three paragraph essay will have only one strong point in its thesis; in other words, there should be a topic sentence written as the last sentence of the introductory paragraph. This introductory paragraph should begin with an observation relevant to the topic before moving into the thesis statement. The next paragraphs develop the thesis with statements that have supporting details from the text, along with examples, and explanations. 

In other words, the body paragraphs develop and support the thesis; also, in the last paragraph there should be a concluding sentence that is a summation of the thesis and main points of the essay. 

Regarding the questions on pity:
Here is an earlier passage in the play as Annie Sullivan speaks with Mr. Anagnos at the Perkins Institute before she leaves for Alabama and the Kellers' home:

ANAGNOS: Annie, be humble....You will need their affection, working with this child.
ANNIE: I hope I won't need their pity.
ANAGNOS: Oh, we can all use some pity.

Perhaps, then, the pity that is given to a person should be only enough that causes the giver to become patient in his or her behavior management and teaching. When Annie declares that she wants no pity, she means that she does not want people to feel sorry for her. But, when Mr. Anagnos says that all people can use some pity, he implies that they need compassion. For, by exercising compassion, a person will have patience with others; therefore, if Annie has this understanding and compassion for Helen, she will be a more effective teacher of this girl. 

In the narrative of Gibson's play, Annie never pities Helen for being blind and deaf; instead, she demands that Helen behave. On the other hand, she does pity Helen's condition that causes the girl such frustration; so, Annie is stalwart and patient as she continues to spell out words for Annie in the girl's hand. And, she perseveres in her compassion for Helen. Eventually, Annie breaks through the barriers of Helen's handicaps and reaches Helen's brain, as it finally makes the connection between things and their names.

In Shakespeare's Henry V, what is the bill that Ely and Canterbury are talking about, and why are they against it? In what way is Henry dependent...

In Act 1, Scene 1, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely are discussing an old bill that has resurfaced in King Henry's court. Both the Archbishop and the Bishop are against this bill because it will reduce their land holdings and overall wealth.

Essentially, if the bill passes, all the land that "devout" men have bequeathed to the church will be confiscated and appropriated for the king's use. The confiscated wealth will allow the king to maintain fifteen earls, fifteen hundred knights, and six thousand two hundred squires.

Aside from this, the lepers, the aged, and the poor will be "well supplied" with their needs from this confiscated treasury. To add insult to injury, the Archbishop maintains that the bill provides for a yearly sum of a thousand pounds to be paid into the king's coffers. This will, in all effect, dilute the Church's wealth, power, and political influence; so, the Archbishop and the Bishop are against the bill.

The Bishop of Ely questions whether King Henry is amenable to what the House of Commons proposes, and the Archbishop confides in him that he's already proposed a way to thwart the king's purposes. Essentially, the Archbishop has offered Henry more money than the Church has ever given any of his predecessors. He means to tempt Henry with financial support from the Church to bolster Henry's claim to the throne of France. With Henry thus occupied, the king will have no reason to confiscate the Church's property.

When the two clerics later meet with King Henry, the Archbishop and Bishop reassure the monarch that there is no valid legal obstacle to thwart his claim to the French throne. They flatter him and tell him that he is "in the very May-morn of his youth, / Ripe for exploits and mighty enterprises." Upon hearing this, Henry is persuaded that he does indeed deserve the French throne and that he can mount a military campaign successfully.

We must remember that Henry is dependent upon the Church for its material and social support in his campaign to take back the throne of France.

Without the Church's coffers, Henry cannot mount a successful military campaign on two fronts. When he invades France, he will also need an army to push back against Scotland (which always attacks when England is at war with another power). Henry is not only dependent on the Church for material support, but he must also rely on the clergy to justify his French invasion to the people. Since the Church's coffers are filled by the populace, the people must be convinced that the king is acting in England's best interests. So, the Church and the king have a precarious relationship that's predicated on the ability of both to leverage wealth and power to protect their political interests.

What is an important topic featured in Spinelli's Stargirl?

One of the most important topics featured in Stargirl is whether people should conform to social expectation. 

Stargirl is a nonconformist at Mica Area High School.  Leo and the other students "did not know what to make of her."  Stargirl does not conform to any of their expectations.  Her uniqueness is not immediately understood. Her displays defy expectation.  For example, Stargirl incurs public scorn when she comforts an injured athlete from an opposing basketball team.  Her dress and quirky behaviors such as signing "Happy Birthday" at lunch are not enthusiastically received.  However, Stargirl is going to be herself.  She represents how people can be different if they have the courage to embrace this part of their identity.  There is a part of Leo that wants to do this. However, his actions show that he is not able to live a life based on nonconformity.  His lack of faith in himself leads him to reject Stargirl.

Leo's reflection about Stargirl shows that he regrets his embrace of conformity.  As the narrator, Leo does not reflect fondly on the people who  embodied the social landscape of Mica Area High School.  Rather, he reflects on Stargirl, the person who challenged social reality. Spinelli endorses the nonconformity topic on two levels. Stargirl's personality repudiates conformist notions of the good.  At the same time, Leo's fond reflection about Stargirl underscores the importance of challenging social conformity.

List of all difficult words from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller with their meanings.

Here are some vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar to some readers of The Story of My Life, though there may be other words as well:

• poignancy: the quality of calling forth sadness.


• untainted: not dirtied or sullied.


• tyranny: an oppressive form of government.


• retribution: punishment to avenge a wrongful deed.


• oculist: an eye doctor or ophthalmologist or optometrist. 


• langour: the state of feeling tired or exhausted. 


• idioms: turns of phrase, popular ways of expressing a concept or idea (such as "raining cats and dogs").


• vivid: having clear and lively images. 


• wily: deceitful. 


• portended: served as warning sign.


• repose: a state of rest or to rest.


• epigrams: short and clever sayings.

As you are reading through The Story of My Life, you should circle or otherwise note unfamiliar words and then look them up online or in a dictionary. This process not only helps you better understand the book, but it also helps you build your vocabulary.